It’s bad, it stinks, and I don’t want it in my face. Restaurants should be smoke-free.
One reason is, if smoke gets on someone’s body, it stinks very bad. Also, if someone has asthma and they breathe in smoke from someone else, it can affect their lungs. Finally, smoke is very deadly, and it can harm a lot of people.
This happened to my dad one time: He got home from a restaurant and I went to go say hello, but I couldn’t because his shirt smelled like smoke. It was so bad I decided not to go near him.
Secondly, when I go into a restaurant, I start to cough from the smoke because of my asthma. This ruins my whole night.
Finally, smoke is very deadly, and it harms a lot of people. My great- grandma smoked a lot, got lung cancer and died because of it.
Courtney C., 12 Northbrook
Sinking feeling
Bringing people down to the Titanic is a stupid idea (May 12 Tough News). You risk the lives of passengers who travel down there. I mean, what’s the point of going down to the ship? If you get enough people who want to go down there, make a TV show on Discovery about the whole trip. That would be much safer and less expensive.
David M., 14 Tinley Park
The R.M.S. Titanic company was right to not want tourists to visit the Titanic wreck. Hundreds of people died in that disaster and people are ready to make thousands of dollars on their grave site. I believe we should only go on research expeditions there. I’m sure the victims would want us to learn what caused their deaths.
Who would want tourists gawking at their final resting place? I wouldn’t want my grave site advertised in the newspaper as having a half-price day on tickets.
Kelly J., 14 Palos Heights
Road menace
I agree with Shannon W. (May 12 Backtalk). Bus drivers are jerks. My bus driver is probably the worst. She is always late to pick us up from school. She will yell at us and assign seats for no apparent reason. She is a really bad driver. On the first day of school she got a speeding ticket. She swerves all over the road, and the bus she drives smells like gin.
R.S., 11
Spaced out
Lockers in most schools should be bigger because the books can’t fit on the top shelf and backpacks will not fit. The shelves are too close together.
Lockers are also too narrow. We have to stand books straight up on the very bottom of the locker and we end up having to kneel or sit on the floor to get to them.
In the winter, we have to fit our backpacks and jackets in our lockers. Trust me, they won’t fit.
I’m sure most schools have the same types of lockers. I think all of us should complain. We need bigger lockers.
Carolina L., 12 Carol Stream
Deadly kids
I’m responding to the Tough News article (May 12) on kids’ violence in the last few months. It’s extremely sad that when you walk out the door, you have to be afraid of your peers as well as adults. But to tell you the truth, I’m not at all surprised that kids are being so violent. It’s inevitable with all the killing we have watched over the years and the easy access to weapons. I just wish people would think before they pick up a gun.
Kerry L., 14 Palos Heights
I think kids are seeing others shoot people and think it’s OK and “cool.” Maybe if it wasn’t publicized as much, they wouldn’t get the idea.
Scott T., 14 Palos Heights
Leo speaks
In the April 28 Backtalk, there was an article wondering if anyone has ever had an interview with Leonardo DiCaprio. Well, in the April/May issue of Girls’ Life, a person actually talked to Leo over the phone. It was a very short conversation, but it was the only conversation with him I’ve seen.
Christy G., 12 Schaumburg
Editor’s note: Yeah, we looked that one up after you mentioned it. We love Girls’ Life, but to be honest, that story got on our last nerve. Almost the whole story was about how the writer managed, through her connections, to nab the number of Leo’s cell phone. Finally, at the end of the story, she gets up the nerve to dial him up – and pretends she’s some girl he met in a club! That, we figure, is stretching it.
Be like Mike? Not!
This is in response to Dane H. and Kyle M. (May 12 Backtalk). They were talking about Michael Jordan not being a jerk. Um, pardon me, but do you know Michael Jordan personally? Let me tell you a little story: When I was around 6, my dad’s co-worker found out where the Bulls came into the stadium. We stood out there for an hour in the cold waiting for Michael Jordan to just come to the door and sign one stinking basketball card. Up comes Jordan on the little bus (there were like three other people waiting with us) and he walks up to the door. My dad said, “Can we have your autograph?” MJ said he was late for practice. Fifteen minutes later, Scottie Pippen came and signed our autographs. Michael Jordan just needs to check himself and get rid of the attitude.
Susan Andersson Chicago
Respect Cobain
In your April 28 article “Piece de resistance” (Oh Yeah), Kurt Cobain is listed under “Rebels who died dumb.” He’s also called a quitter. True, suicide is a horrible thing. But just because he chose the route of suicide doesn’t give you the right to call him a quitter. If Kurt’s the things you said, Nirvana wouldn’t have three major CDs and countless singles. Just because he died of suicide, he still died, and people should respect that.
Kate H., 13 Joliet
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