The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts

A great conflict was about to come off between the Birds and the Beasts. When the two armies were collected together the Bat hesitated which to join. The Birds that passed his perch said: ‘Come with us”; but he said: ‘I am a Beast.’ Later on, some Beasts who were passing underneath him looked up and said: ‘Come with us”; but he said: ‘I am a Bird.’ Luckily at the last moment peace was made, and no battle took place, so the Bat came to the Birds and wished to join in the rejoicings, but they all turned against him and he had to fly away. He then went to the Beasts, but soon had to beat a retreat, or else they would have torn him to pieces. ‘Ah,’ said the Bat, ‘I see now, ‘He that is neither one thing nor the other has no friends.’

Aesop's Fable

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School Uniforms – Good or Bad?

Ever since they were introduced in Victorian times, school uniforms have been a contentious subject.  In this discussion text I will look at both sides of the argument – why some teachers love them, and why most kids don’t.

Supporters of school uniform argue that fashionable clothes, and arguing about whose clothes are nicer, can distract children from their schoolwork. In addition, they say that school uniform makes everyone look the same, whereas if you let children wear their own clothes it would be obvious whose parents had lots of money and whose did not. The poorer children might get bullied, they claim.  Furthermore, the more fashion-conscious children might not want to risk getting their own clothes dirty or torn, so they might not want to do activities such as art.

Many teachers feel that school uniform is good for discipline and makes the children feel part of the school. They maintain that on school trips, it is easier to check all the children are present if they are wearing school uniform. What’s more, some adult jobs (e.g. flight attendants, nurses or policemen) involve wearing a uniform, so children might as well get used to it early. Finally, school uniform makes life easier for busy parents because they know exactly what their child is going to wear each day, and they know they’re not going to get into any argument about whether a certain garment is suitable to wear to school!

Critics of school uniform argue that making children wear exactly the same clothes stifles their individuality and creativity. In some countries, like France and America, school uniform is almost unheard of. Most adults do not have to wear a uniform to work and would be horrified if their bosses suggested it, so why should children have to wear one to school? Furthermore, some schools insist that uniforms are bought from a certain shop, and this can be expensive. Poorer children would have to buy their uniforms second-hand which could embarrass them. Moreover, the style of school uniform does not suit everyone. I was a chubby child and looked atrocious in the white shirt, bottle-green jumper and black skirt my school insisted I wear. Maybe I would have been more self-confident in my own clothes?

There are yet more problems with school uniform. Everyone wearing the same clothescan lead to lots of lost property because there might be five blue fleeces left in the playground and nobody knows who they belong to. Children would recognise their own clothes much easily. What’s more, children don’t argue over clothes on non-uniform days, so why would they tease each other if they wore their own clothes all the time? Finally, the point about children wearing school uniform so they can be spotted easily on school trips isn’t true because children often wear their own clothes on outings.

In conclusion, there are advantages and disadvantages about wearing uniform AND wearing ordinary clothes to school. On balance, although I hated wearing school uniform myself, I think there are probably more arguments in favour of school uniform. They do stop arguments in the playground, they do make life easier for busy parents, but most of all they let children get on with being children because they’re not worried about messing their nice clothes up. 

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The Advantages and the Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Energy is commonly offered as an alternative to overcome the crisis of energy. The debate of whether the use of nuclear is an appropriate choice has not come to an end. Some people agree the utilization of it because of its benefits. Some others disagree because of its risks to the environment. 

Those who agree with the operation of nuclear reactors usually argue that nuclear energy is the only feasible choice to answer the ever-increasing energy needs. In their opinion, the other sources of energy such as oil, coal, and liquid natural gas are not renewable and save, while nuclear energy can be sustainably when produced in a safe way. 

However, people who disagree with the use of nuclear energy point out that the waste of nuclear products can completely destroy the environment and human lives. A meltdown in a reactor, for instance, usually results in the contamination of surrounding soil and water. Take for example, the blow up of the nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Russia twenty years ago. The serious contamination imperilled people and the environment severely. 

It is obvious that nuclear energy should be avoided because it really endangers the environment but what about a less polluted energy instead of nuclear energy? Are there any alternative ways to overcome the crisis of energy? 

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Housefly

The common housefly is a flying insect that is found throughout the world. The genus and species of the housefly is Musca domestica. 

Like all insects, the housefly has a body divided into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), a hard exoskeleton, and six jointed legs. Flies also have a pair of transparent wings. The Housefly can taste using its feet and with its mouthparts. Adults are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch (6 - 12.5 mm) long with 13 - 15 mm wingspan. Houseflies are dark gray, with four dark stripes down the top of the thorax. They have sponging mouthparts (they cannot bite); houseflies can only eat liquids, but they can liquefy many solid foods with their saliva. 

The complete life-cycle of a housefly takes from 10 to 21 days. On the average, 12 generations of houseflies can be produced in one year. Adult females lay 120-150 tiny white eggs, usually in manure or other warm, moist, decaying organic matter. Female lives for about 2 1/2 months and can lay up to 1,000 eggs in her short life. The eggs are only about 0.04 inch (1 mm) long and hatch into white, worm-like maggots in about 12 hours. The maggots grow to be about 1/2 inch (12.5 mm) long. When they are this big, they burrow into the ground to pupate. An adult will emerge in about 5 to 6 days (in warm weather) or about a month (in cold weather). 

The housefly is often a carrier of diseases, such as typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and anthrax. The fly transmits diseases by carrying disease organisms onto food. It picks up disease organisms on its leg hairs or eats them and then regurgitates them onto food (in the process of liquefying solid food). 

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Kakadu National Park

Located 240 kilometres east of Darwin in Australia’s tropical north, Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest terrestrial national park. Kakadu covers almost 20,000 square kilometres and is a place of enormous ecological and biological diversity. It extends from the coast and estuaries in the north through floodplains, billabongs and lowlands to rocky ridges and stone country in the south. These landscapes are home to a range of rare and endemic plants and animals, including more than one-third of Australia's bird species and one-quarter of its freshwater and estuarine fish species. 

Kakadu is considered a living cultural landscape. The traditional owners Bininj Mungguy have lived on and cared for this country for more than 50,000 years. Their deep spiritual connection to the land dates back to the Creation and has always been an important part of the Kakadu story. 

The extraordinary natural beauty and ancient cultural heritage of this land was recognised internationally in 1981 when it was first inscribed on the World Heritage list. Further land was added to the listing in 1987 and 1992. In 2011, the Koongarra land, which had previously been excluded from the listing because of its potential uranium resources, was added to the Kakadu World Heritage Area following decades of lobbying by Koongarra's senior custodian Jeffrey Lee. The land is now part of Kakadu National Park, protecting its significant cultural and heritage values for future generations. 

Today, the World Heritage-listed park remains well protected by a board of management, which has an Aboriginal majority representing the traditional owners. This arrangement showcases to the world how 'joint management' can combine ancient culture and modern practice. 

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