To Aimee A. [Jan. 16 Backtalk]: There was a point to what I wrote. Unfortunately, it was not printed, so now I am rudely being called selfish. The point was that you should live today like it is your last day on Earth. What are your greatest priorities? I am a Roman Catholic, and my main priority would be to make sure I am ready to die. You know, state of grace, etc.? One of mine is not the environment. What’s the point of considering the environment when life is so short? I wouldn’t stretch it so far as to say a piece of trash will cause Armageddon, would you? And people can live healthily in pollution. If this is not true, give me some useful evidence. You cannot blame your asthma on the pollution.
— Bill C., 13
KidNews note: We’ll let others respond about the need to protect the environment, Bill. (We will mention that many religious people, some of us included, believe humans should take good care of what they consider God’s creation, the Earth.) We decided to zero in on the idea that “people can live healthily in pollution,” including people with asthma. Here’s what we found: “There is a connection between asthma and air pollution,” said Stephen Redd, chief of the air pollution and respiratory health branch at the Centers for Disease Control. Redd told KidNews that scientists don’t know yet if air pollution can actually cause asthma. But if you do have asthma, Redd said, air pollution can make it much worse. The chief culprits are ozone and particulate matter (a fancy name for soot). “Large amounts of automobile traffic, factories and power plants are the kinds of things that make chemicals react in the atmosphere to form ozone,” he said. He added that statistics show that visits to emergency rooms because of asthma attacks are highest on days when the ozone concentration is highest.
Rapping Eminem
I agree with Elizabeth [Jan. 23 Backtalk]. Eminem is not the best idol, but his music is still popular. In his music, not any of his songs can resist swearing. I like what Elizabeth said. Well, actually I forgot what she said, but I liked it when I heard it.
— Molly, 10
Eminem is nothing but an untalented loser who is miserable with his life so he wants to make everyone else miserable. I totally disagree with his rap, because it is vulgar and offensive to most people (especially women), because he says women are just things to mess around with. If you like to hear “BEEP!” every five seconds on the radio when you hear his song play, then be my guest and listen to it! He needs to get his life together and make a better example for his daughter. When she grows up, you know she’s going to hear his songs and understand them, and then what is she going to think of her father?
— Jennifer B., 14
Eminem speaks the truth. Plenty of people out there love to hear that. If they have a problem with Eminem, they shouldn’t listen to him. They don’t need to kill his whole way of life. He just expresses his way of life through his music. Eminem is a great rapper. Everyone has an opinion and should be able to express it. What does freedom of speech mean? If people don’t like someone, they should keep their mouths shut. Everyone — and that includes Eminem — has a right to express themselves in their own way.
— Brittany, 13
KidNews note: Just expressing a concern, Brittany — if people who don’t like Eminem are supposed to keep their mouths shut, what happens to THEIR freedom of speech?
Think soccer!
I wish my middle school had a soccer team for 6th, 7th and 8th graders that competed against teams from other schools. Basketball, volleyball and track are popular team sports at my school, but soccer is also a popular game. In fact, it is the most popular game in the world. In our school, we have a lot of students from different countries. At lunch, I play soccer with kids from Mexico, South America and Europe. We could also play together on a team. Basketball uses five players at a time, but soccer uses 11. Let’s play a team sport that uses a lot of players. That way more people can play.
— Roberto P., 14
The write stuff
I’m writing in response to all the people who are sick of singers and bands not writing their own songs. Give these people a break! Faith Hill even said at the American Music Awards that she wished she could write but she couldn’t. Some people have a talent for singing, and some people have a talent for writing songs. I don’t think it really matters, as long as the singer can deliver the song the right way. And also in response to people who don’t like boy bands for not writing songs and playing their own instruments, who cares? ‘N Sync said that they are not a band but more of a vocal group. That might sound lame, but that’s really what they are. Why don’t all of you try to write a No. 1 song before you criticize other people.
— Emily E., 13
Warm thoughts
I agree that bench warmers deserve respect [“They’re good sports,” Jan. 16 Sports]. It is tough to sit on the bench and watch the other kids play. It makes you feel insignificant, like you’re not needed. Last year, I was a bench warmer and hardly played for the 7th-grade basketball team. Nobody gave me a hard time, but it was still kind of embarrassing.
I am not on the basketball team this year; I didn’t try out. Although it wasn’t entirely because I was afraid to be a bench warmer, I did think about it. The biggest reason I didn’t try out was that I don’t have two hours a day to spare. I also don’t want my grades to slip like last year.
The point is, bench warmers need way more respect than they are getting. I know this from experience.
— Richard A., 14
Wrestling with schedule
I really enjoy wrestling on TV, and I liked the front-page article on wrestling [Jan. 9]. However, I think wrestling, which comes on UPN every Thursday, should change its schedule to Friday. It’s on Thursday when I get the most homework, and I don’t have any time to watch it, because I have to do my homework. Wrestling shows should be broadcast on the weekend like the other wrestling shows on Ch. 26. On that channel, they show five hours of wrestling every weekend.
Wrestling is a sport that teenagers love to watch. The weekend is the best time for television stations to broadcast wrestling.
— Azhar M., 14
Face the music
I’m writing to Evan [Jan. 30 Backtalk]. The artists are making a face because that’s how they express themselves. Well, that’s what I think. They are just doing their work. I guess that’s just what the artists like to do.
— Erin
Teachers label
I hate the fact that teachers label students. They completely deny it, but they seriously do label us. The teachers tend to favor the well-behaving students. They tend to favor the students who turn their work in on time and who get good grades. It never seems to cross their minds that maybe a person doesn’t understand the subject or problem.
I also have seen the low expectations teachers have for the “bad students.” They might not think of it, but they hurt people’s feelings or lower their self-esteem when they show they don’t expect anything from them. They think that if a student has a bad day and acts like a smart aleck, he or she will always be a smart aleck. I’ve also seen people labeled badly because of an older sibling’s mistakes. It also seems like the students who misbehave or aren’t “smart” or who tend not to turn their assignments in on time, are a waste of the teacher’s time.
I’m really tired of these accusations, and I would appreciate it if they would stop.
— Kara, 13
Not high on Tony
I am writing about “the best skateboarder ever.” Tony Hawk is nothing special. Sure, he’s a pro, but he is so popular just because he pulled off the 900. Now he is everyone’s favorite skateboarder. I just don’t see what’s so special about him.
— Michael C., 11
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