OFFBEAT MAIL

Concerned about the severe impacts of air pollution on their health, millions of Americans are urging the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt stronger ozone standards that will protect the population from breathing this dangerous air pollutant. The clamor was sparked after the latest study of the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2007 reported that the air is still not clean enough to be considered safe to breathe in some identified parts of the United States. It also cited medical researches that millions are at risk from smog even at the levels the EPA has considered safe. What are ozone and particulate matter? Ground level ozone is the prime ingredient of smog, the pollution that blankets many urban areas during the summer. “When inhaled, even at low levels, ozone can cause respiratory problems and aggravated asthma in children, the elderly, those with respiratory diseases and even healthy adults who are working or exercising outside on a smoggy day,” science stu...

The idea alone of eating dog meat scares a lot people, especially those in the West, whose appetite for this animal seems remote considering that they are man's best friend. The question that would always crop up in their minds is that why should we kill dogs for meat purposes? Some kind of a big puzzle for many dog lovers, who even revered the animal as alternative companion for those who live alone with no one to care for them anymore. In fact, many people love dogs. Look at the Americans, they even have the guts to keep them by their sides during night time and they rear them like small children. So much so that some dogs become spoiled brats. To love an animal is not really that bad provided that you give them the proper training they need so that they won't put the whole house in a mess. Maintenance alone is a big headache for those who can ill-afford to share their time with dogs. Going back to eating dog meat, it is a bit strange as some people have claimed to be enjoyin...

Coffee break is such an inseparable part of man's habit, especially to people, whose jobs entail long hours of daily toils. Whether it be in the office, factory or somewhere else, workers make it a habit to enjoy coffee break as a means to easing up boredom at the work places. In countries where reporting to work is always in a fast pace, workers just clean up themselves and rush out in a hurry whatever transportation they could take to get to work on time. Because being late or tardy could put them in jeopardy at work. Suspension is a much better option, but when the management sometimes expresses no mercy of those who are often late. And the best solution is just to pack up with a cup of coffee on hand while driving your car on the way to work. But it is also used as an excuse when someone is bored in the office. To break this boredom, the worker has to make an alibi of going to the cafeteria to have a coffee break. In most offices, this practice is allowed for as long as the bre...