Man - the worst enemy of man

Man was provided with Planet Earth and all his basic needs by God. However, man was not satisfied with what he had. He needed more and more comforts. So, God gave him a friendly environment to fulfil his desires and needs. And what did man do?

He did not stop at discovering new things and inventing new things from the environment. He started to act in a manner that harmed the natural habitat.

Man started to kill animals for his food,cut down trees for his comfort and pollute the environment to fulfil his desires. He is now polluting the land, water and air too. He has ultimately forgotten that the Earth does not belong only to him but also all other organisms .

Today many of man's inventions are harming the environment. Industrial machinery used in modern factories and also refrigerators ,televisions and various other electrical appliances release harmful gases into the atmosphere. These gases destroy the ozone layer adding to global warming.

The felling of trees too at an unprecedented levels around the world to meet the needs of man disturb the eco- balance causing severe climatic changes.

The industrial waste and chemicals released into the environment and water bodies are harmful to man as well as other lifeforms living in the water. Oil spills too destroy aquatic life. The habitat of man and animal is destroyed by none other than man himself. So, it is evident that man is the worst enemy of man.

F. Afra Amjad, Grade 7, St. Clare's College, Wellawatte.

 

Happiness is ...

Happiness is playing with friends
Eating ice-cream on a hot day
Happiness is going to the beach
Making sand castles,playing in mud
And splashing in big waves
And collecting shells
Eating chicken,egg,ham and chocolate
Drinking apple juice,lemonade and sherry soda

Happiness is getting presents, going to parties
Dressing up with fine gowns and make-up
Pretending you are a princess with a velvet robe
Happiness is being with my mother and father
Going out to dinner, eating fried fish and noodles
Happiness is flowers and trees,birds and bees,fish and food
Happiness is chains, rings,bangles and bracelets

Happiness is going fishing
And knowing that you are loves
It's holidays and riding ponies
Happiness is picnic lunches in the field
And breakfast at McDonalds
It's sleeping late and playing with water
Happiness is bathing the dog
And taking it for a stroll in the park

Happiness is boat riding in a lagoon,lake or river
It's a new born baby
Cute and chubby,pink and sweet
Happiness is nature
Cats,dogs, trees and plants
All are part of the natural world
Happiness is baby animals
Squirrels,ponies,puppies,lambs,chicks and kittens
Rabbits make me happy because they are
Cute,fluffy and sweet
Cheetah cubs make me happy because of their
Bright spotty fur and soft velvet noses
This is happiness,yes oh yes,
This is happiness indeed , yes,oh yes!

Naomi De Soysa, Grade 6L, Ladies College , Colombo.

A trip I enjoyed

I went on a trip to Kandy with my school friends recently. There were forty of us including my class teacher, Miss Farwin Jamaldeen. We hired a bus and travelled about 25 miles to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage. We sang songs and even danced in the bus till we reached our destination at 10.30 in the morning.

The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was very big and there were lots of elephants. We saw the elephants having a bath in the river nearby.Some baby elephants were playing in the water and they were cute. From the orphanage we went to see the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. We had lunch at about 1.00 p.m. listening to music on our pocket radios. After that we walked around in the garden to see the many beautiful flowers,plants and shady trees. We sat under a huge shady tree and laughed and talked for a while. We saw colourful butterflies and birds too. We took many photographs in the garden.

At the end of the trip we thanked Miss Farwin for organising such a wonderful trip . I enjoyed the trip very much.

Fathima Athika Fairrooze, Grade 8 D, Muslim Ladies' College, Colombo.

Who are friends?

"A friend in need is a friend in deed", it is often said but who really are our friends?

We can define friends as people who are very close to us, next to our parents.There are friends who help us go on the correct path and those who lead us in the wrong path.

Most of the present day teenagers do not have a proper understanding of who friends are. They seem to lack the ability to select their friends;know the good from the bad.

Therefore, many go on the wrong path by associating those who have a bad influence on their lives.

There are friends who destroy our minds,time and money and then desert us .

We should be careful of the people we associate as friends. We must always choose good friends.However, we must not depend on our friends for everything in life even though friends are generally there to help us. Sometimes even a good friend can hinder our progress in life. many little children have come to a lot of harm by keeping company with the wrong type of friends. They have been exposed to wrong ideas and opinions as well as wrong behaviour by such friends.

We must keep in mind that the opinion of some friends could damage our lives. So, let us choose our friends carefully and avoid keeping company with the kind of friends who could have a bad influence on our lives.

Umanda Hansamali, Grade 9E, Pushpadana Girls' College, Kandy.

Something I like to collect

Most human beings will have something they like to collect. I like to collect books because they are very useful to man. Even if what people say and do change, what is written in the books stay the same.Books are like our best friends.

Collecting books is not only useful to me but also to others because anyone could borrow and read them. Sharing books with others is a good deed.Even those who cannot afford to buy books can gain knowledge by reading the books in my collection. They are a source of information and knowledge.

Reading books can be a great leisure activity. We can widen our knowledge by reading books. Money invested in books can never be counted as a loss.

Fathima Zainab Fazeer, Zahira College, Gampola.

The plant kingdom

Plants were the first living things to appear on Earth, long before animal life existed.Plant life started from single celled plants such as algae.Plants can survive in all kinds of environments such as in water, dry or wet lands, rocky terrain and deserts too.

They require sunlight, air and water to survive. One of the main differences between animals and plants is that plants can make their own food whereas animals cannot do so;they have to find their food from other sources.

Plants are living things which manufacture their own food using light ,water, carbon dioxide from the air,nutrients and minerals (which the plant collects from the soil through its roots) and chlorophyll, a green pigment found in the leaves of plants

Over 375,000 species of plants exist around the world with more being discovered each year.They grow in various types of environments. They produce fruits and flowers with seeds that help them reproduce and continue its kind. New plants grow from seeds and this shows that plants have life. Plants are classified as annuals, biennials and perennials according to their life span. Annuals are plants that live for an year.

These plants grow, flower and disperse their seeds and die in a single season.Biennials live for two years while perennials live for longer periods.

Plants are useful to man and animal. In fact, the survival depends on them .

H.M.Kithmini Minama, Grade 9-D, Girls’ College, Dankotuwa.

My pet

My pet is a dog. Its name is Broona. Its colour is brown and white.

It likes to eat bones. Its favourite drink is milk. It has a long tail. It plays with me. It sleeps under my bed It barks at night.

I love my pet.

S.Hirushi Amaya, Grade 3, St Lawrence's Convent, Colombo.