The world's major powers refuse to trade with the country. It is so weak, its voice is often ignored by the rest of the world.

How can North Korea gain international recognition unless they make a big statement?

It is true that using nuclear power to threaten others is wrong. But we should consider the frustration North Korea must be feeling.

If the world won't respect them, perhaps North Korea feels they can scare them into listening to them.

Lau Pik-ha

The real reason behind ghost stories

There are many ghost stories around the world. Many are just for entertainment.

But some people believe that the stories are true. If you examine these stories, we will find out a common theme - the majority are set at night.

Why must ghosts appear at night? Are they afraid of sunshine? Or were the people who first told the stories afraid of the dark?

Imagine what a ghost story would like if it was set during the daytime: not frightening at all.

Psychologists say that people may see illusions when they are afraid. They may feel, hear or even see a ghost. But no one else can prove it.

In the darkness, our vision is not as clear as it is in daytime. When we can't see properly, we don't know what is around us. This can scare us. But this feeling may explain a lot of ghost stories.

However, we cannot disprove the existence of ghosts. Science still has not given us a definite answer.

But I believe if ghosts really exist, their appearance would be unlike anything we can imagine.

Anthony Wong

Maryknoll Fathers' School

Cardigan problems

Many students wear cardigans to school, even in the summer. This means that the air conditioner needs to be used more than necessary.

Some of them treat cardigans as a fashion accessory.

But many girls use their cardigans to cover up their developing bodies. They may feel exposed wearing a thin, white summer dress.

Wearing a cardigan makes them feel safer and maybe thinner.

But perhaps students should express their feelings to their teachers. The schools may be able to change the dress fabric. Then fewer students would have to wear cardigans.

Girls would feel more confident and the air conditioner could be used less.

Wong Man Shan

Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Kwai Chung)

Volunteering helps others and ourselves

There are many charities which help the elderly, the blind ,the poor, and so on.

But to achieve their aims, they need volunteers to support them. Unfortunately, there are not enough volunteers.

Volunteers can help charities by selling flags to raise money, or by visiting and talking with the people the charity helps.

They can also help the charity to organise activities to persuade more people volunteer.

Your time is very valuable. It can be even more valuable than a donation of money.

And volunteering can benefit you too. It looks good on your CV, so you are more likely to get a good job.

The experience will teach you how to deal with all sorts of problems.

Lots of charities need lots of people with lots of different skills. Call your favourite charity and see how you can help.

As more people become volunteers, more people will benefit. So let's join the family of volunteers now.

Yim Lok-hin

Christian Alliance S.C. Chan Memorial College

Face-to-face meetings are better for us

The internet is a very useful tool. It is a very good source of information.

And for many people, it is their primary means of social interaction. They can chat, play online games, write about their lives in a blog, and read and comment on other people's blogs.

However, heavy internet use can lead to isolation. It should not be seen as a substitute for real-life social interaction.

The internet allows us to make friends with people from all over the world. We can learn about other cultures without leaving our room.

However, without ever meeting our online friends, we can't be sure that they are telling the truth. Therefore making friends online can be very dangerous. If we go to meet them in real life, we can't be sure that we will be safe with them.

What's more, by only communicating with people online, we become less efficient at speaking to people in real life. This will be a problem when we have to go to job interviews, or deal with other people in our jobs.

Joey Chan Suet-yi

Methodist College

Ngong Ping needs attention

The Ngong Ping 360 cable car attraction on Lantau island suffers from regular technical glitches.

Services were held up yet again this week and many tourists queued up for hours for their turn.

The attraction is an embarrassment to Hong Kong. If I had gone all the way to Lantau for a ride on the cable car and had to wait for hours, I would be angry.

The government needs to get more involved and fix the problems immediately.

Ng Ka-wai

Short-term fix

According to the Brundtland Report, sustainable development should meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Although the idea was stressed in the 1999 Policy Address, and the Council for Sustainable Development has been established to collect opinions from the public, the government's proposals in recent years do not comply with the idea.

The government's land reclamation policy does not meet the definition of sustainability in any sense.

The building of Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island involved a large piece of reclaimed land.

Tonnes and tonnes of sand from nearby waters were extracted, which caused serious harm to the ecosystem.

Many of Hong Kong's famous pink dolphins (Sousa chinensis) have been driven away.

The government has also planned to reclaim land in Wan Chai to relieve traffic pressure.

This would just increase the amount of vehicles, which would increase air and noise pollution, and further reduce the attractiveness of the harbour.

This would be a temporary fix - a better solution would be to reduce the use of cars.

When it comes to town planning, the government does not do well either.

In Tin Shui Wai, many residents have criticised the government for insufficient and inconsiderate planning.

Several cases of family tragedy have aroused people's attention of the underlying problems - the town lacks social services, and the infrastructure is poor.

There are many other examples in which the government is opting for immediate fixes instead of long-term solutions.

This is not healthy for our city.

Lai Sui-cheong

Ho Fung College