Teen and Pregnant- an Epidemic?

 So let's talk once again about everyone's favorite subject.....No, not Twilight....everyone's OTHER favorite subject: SEX! More specifically, what happens when birth control goes wrong?! That goes to say, birth control IS being used...right? Because if it isn't, read on! 

   

     

I've been watching MTV, in the middle of homework breaks (you know how that goes!), and have been very intrigued with the shows like "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom." These shows, if you haven't been keeping up to date with what MTV deems as "cool" to put shows on the air, follow the lives of girls who are teen moms or are about to become moms. 

The shows cover how the girls deal with the news, their personal lives, education, family, friends, and the stresses of having to deal with the consequences of their actions. 

I was thinking to myself while watching:

• What do people think of these shows? 
• Are they advocating safe sex? Or perhaps glamorizing young pregnancy? 

A psychologist, Dr. Drew, appears on these shows to counsel these girls and at the same time promote safe sex. 

• Do you think the message is getting the point across by showing real life examples of the consequences of not using any form or birth control? 
• Do you think by putting so much emphasis on the lives of these girls that it really deters people from making bad choices?  

Sarah Palin's daugher was a prime example of teen pregnancy and now she is in the media promoting abstinence. She was interviewed (Watch it Here) and spoke about how she wants other to learn from her mistakes. The article says, "Palin Promoting Abstinence in New Campaign, 'Regardless of What I Did Personally.'"

My question for all these girls sharing the stories of their lives is do you think it will be really heard? People are saying how can someone like Bristol Palin who is a teen mom really promote abstinence when she, herself, did not follow her own advice? What do you all think? 

Since she has experienced the consequences do you think it now makes her a good role model and a warning all at the same time? 

I hope either the shows, or role models will have an effect on the teen pregnancy rates because they have gone up in both of the last two years. 

I guess TV is actually reflecting real lives for once, for the worse maybe? or for a chance to learn? You decide...

Teen Link

...like Cats and Dogs!

When parents and teens get into fights it is normally about things they do not see eye to eye on. Whether it is about if you can go out, wear a certain outfit, or miss school because you did not finish all of your homework, there always seems to be an argument. Think about all of the fights you have gotten in with your parents and read this survey.

Thousands of parents and teens took a survey and now it is your time to guess the right answers:

What percentage of Parents and Teens agree on these issues?

Clothing: 16%, 21%, 43%, 65%, 78%

Sex: 24%, 46%, 55%, 70%, 100%

Religion: 3%, 15%, 30%, 59%, 74%

Friends: 10%, 33%, 55%, 66%, 74%

Politics: 5%, 23%, 48%, 59%, 78%

Work: 13%, 35%, 58%, 67%, 80%

Education: 25%, 48%, 60%, 72%, 81%

Drugs: 24%, 46%, 59%, 68%, 83%

What do you think? 

The results may surprise you:

Clothing: 65%


Sex: 70%


Religion: 74%


Friends: 74%


  Politics: 78%       Work: 80%


  Education: 81%   Drugs: 83%

All of the results are the first or second highest percentage. Now, this does not mean your parents and you agree on all of these things, but it shows you that you and your parents may not be so different. There will always be fights and disagreements, but maybe you both agree in some way with each other. Anyways, think about this survey and share it with others. You learn something new everyday!

Here's an article addressing WHY you may be fighting with your parents.

Some additional links with tips on how to talk to your parents:

General Tips on talking to parents and adults

How to have a Talk about the Tough Stuff

Tips to consider when you're already fighting about things

Talking to Parents about Sex

If you begin to feel like things will never get resolved - that you and your parents just cannot work through your differences - consider mediation as an option. A neutral third party might be able to help you both to understand each other and find some middle ground. This can be an adult you both trust like a neighbor or a teacher. If you can't agree on who that person is, there are family counselors who can provide that role and in some areas, mediation programs that can provide BOTH adult AND youth mediators to create a safe and even handed approach to finding a resolution. Call Teen Link (866-833-6546) to see what can help you best in your situation

Thanks,

Teen Link :)

Black History Month - It's all about roots

Black History Month is officially over now, but that doesn't mean the HISTORY has become any less relevant. Take the realm of music as an example - Michael Jackson, specifically. Whether you enjoyed his music or not, it's hard to not appreciate his craft, his precision, his talent. The self-named King of Pop died less than a year ago and left a tremendous legacy.

There are very few musicians these days in mainstream music who don't cite him as a major influence. Which brings me to the point of "roots". They say, you don't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been. So beginning with Michael and who he's influenced, let's take some steps backwards.

Alien Ant Farm remakes Michael's "Smooth Criminal"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDl9ZMfj6aE

And then there's a bunch of heavy hitters in pop music:

"While Michael Jackson thrilled fans with his videos, revolutionized pop dancing, and tantalized us with his darkly bizarre behaviour, his most important legacy is as the ultimate crossover artist: He married rock, pop, R & B, and dance music in order to smash radio formats and racial barriers in the media. Here are 10 of his closest acolytes, some of whom have followed his star to mass popularity, and some of whom may have flown too close to his supernova..."  Read More...

And while Michael was quite the genius, he had HIS influences too.

From Wikipedia: "Jackson's music genre takes roots in R&B, Motown, pop and soul. He had been influenced by the work of contemporary musicians such as Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross, David Ruffin, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis, Jr., The Isley Brothers, and the Bee Gees.

While Little Richard had a huge influence on Jackson, James Brown was for him, since early childhood, his greatest inspiration: "the master" or "a genius"...describing his performance as "phenomenal". He declared: "Ever since I was a small child, no more than like six years old, my mother would wake me no matter what time it was, if I was sleeping, no matter what I was doing, to watch the television to see the master at work."

James Brown, commonly referred to as the "Godfather of Soul", takes us on a little bit of a different direction, because he not only inspired Michael Jackson and thus had a large influence on pop music (ex: the drum loop from James' song "Funky Drummer" has been sampled more than 100 times by artists like Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Enigma and the Beastie Boys), James had a monumental influence on the world of hip hop.  

He is still one of the most sampled artists of all time on hip hop records. His style of call-and-response with his band as well as with the audience directly impacted the way that emcees interact with the audience members at shows. The breaks of James Brown songs are still among the most commonly used by hip-hop DJs and were especially popular in the early  formative years of hip-hop music. (The break beats that are the building block of hip-hop music - the best part of the record that the DJ isolates by alternating between the two turntables).


"Type ‘James Brown’ into a search engine or a sample-source website and you’re going to get back pages and pages of hits. So many that you’ll initially think you made a mistake. But no, it isn’t a mistake. James Brown samples are just that prevalent. 

James is listed as The-Breaks.com’s number one most-sampled artist ever. And his total sample count of 903 is more than triple that of the nearest contender. It’s said that J.B. makes millions per year on sample-related royalties alone. So why? Why did James Brown’s music have such a pull on all of us? The answer is actually simple. It’s rhythm." (Read more here...)

So if James Brown had such a profound impact on music - who influenced James Brown?
According to Wikipedia, James decided to become an entertainer after seeing Louis Jordan perform. Louis Jordan was known as "The King of the Jukebox", and during his career that spanned the 1930s-1950s, he was able to cultivate popularity among both white AND black audiences.

He was named as #59 in Rolling Stone magazine's "Immortals: the Greatest Artists of All Time".

"...Jordan's sound was hard to imitate. At Atlantic Records, we used that boogie-woogie feel on some of the jump numbers we recorded with Joe Turner. But the main thing was the sound of Jordan's voice, the way he sang. It was a kind of talk-singing. He's actually talking the lyrics in "Saturday Night Fish Fry." Jordan was really a precursor to rap. Back then, they used to call it Harlem rhyming jive. Rap didn't just come out of nowhere." - By Ahmet Ertegun

Here's a taste of Louis Jordan's music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qROFl0sbrjo

Let's take a look at another one of these branches. 

I mentioned Little Richard as another of Michael Jackson's influences. "Little Richard" Penniman is often referred to as one of the architects of rock 'n roll music.

The Beatles' (listed as #1 in the Rolling Stone's "Immortals...") Paul McCartney often imitated Little Richard's trademark high pitched "Woooo!" (Listen to it here...) in early Beatles songs and has often said that he wanted to sing just like him.

The Beatles also were known to play covers of Little Richard's songs "Long Tall Sally" and "Lucille". His music was heavily covered by many artists including Elvis Presley.

Jimi Hendrix played in Little Richard's band and toured with him for over a year and began copying his flamboyant fashion and even wore his mustache in a similar style. James Brown called Little Richard his idol. And many, many other influential musicians have talked about him as major influences on their musical careers.

So where did Little Richard and many of the most popular artists of the 40s and 50s get their inspiration?

- Gospel music and the blues.

Where did these two musical styles originate from?

"Gospel music originated in the American South and is still primarily an American genre, although it has spread to other countries as well. Gospel music combines Christian lyrics, often taken from the Methodist hymnal, with American musical forms including jazz, blues, ragtime and bluegrass. Gospel music has its roots in the spirituals composed and sung by African slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries." (Read more...)

"The origins of blues is not unlike the origins of life. For many years it was recorded only by memory, and relayed only live, and in person. The Blues were born in the North Mississippi Delta following the Civil War. Influenced by African roots, field hollers, ballads, church music and rhythmic dance tunes called jump-ups evolved into a music for a singer who would engage in call-and-response with his guitar. He would sing a line, and the guitar would answer." (Read more...)

These are the roots of so much of the music we listen to and love today - and if that doesn't speak to the historical relevance of Black History, try taking another listen to your favorite songs and just start following the tracks backward.

It’s that time again, midterms are here.

One of the most dreaded time of the quarter/semester is back again. It’s the grade that can make or break you in a class. So this time, let’s study right. Whether its your midterm week or you are coming closer to you finals here are some study tips that may help you improve your test scores.

Keeping Yourself Alert

Red Bull, coffee, or tea? Many wonder which will help them concentrate the best while trying to study for a big test. Although drink preferences vary research has shown that green tea is the best drink to have while studying. It packs the perfect amount of caffeine to help keep you alert but also doesn’t cause you to have the jitters or become too hyper to concentrate.

As far as snacks go try and stick to healthy foods. Nuts are said to improve your brain power and mood. Fruits are also said to help boost your brain power. Avocados increase blood flow to your brain which will definitely improve your study session.

Cram Studying vs. Studying Over Time:

Both have they’re advantages and disadvantages. If possible, do both. This will be the best way to retain the knowledge but also have it fresh in your mind. However, many times we find ourselves in a place where the test is suddenly two days away and we haven’t reviewed our notes or opened our book.

Here are some tips to help with cram studying:

1. Find out what’s on the test:

There are many ways to do this. First off, if there is a study guide or practice test available, USE IT. This will be the best way to find out what the professor thinks is important and get an idea of what will be on the test.

2. Get organized:

Trying to take in all of the information at once can be extremely overwhelming. A good way to avoid this is to break up what you have been working on into multiple sections and try to tackle one at a time. If you do not think you have enough time concentrate on what you think is the most important or what the professors has emphasized the most. Lastly, organize your time. A study at the University of Kansas showed that it is best to take a 10 minute break every 50 minutes while studying.

3. Flashcards:

Flashcards are a great way to help you memorize important vocabulary, events, or people. If you have time this will definitely help you. Work on the hardest flashcards early while your mind is still fresh and alert. Create a pile of cards you know, this will allow you to focus on learning what you don’t know and allow you to see the progress you're making.

4. Take it easy:

Keep a positive attitude! Every minute you are  studying you're closer to mastering the material and aceing your test. Make sure to get a decent amount of sleep (at least 8 hours) to keep your mind fresh and ready for the exam!

Ever Wondered What Makes People Happy? Or What Makes People Sad?

We found some interesting studies recently, and thought we'd share! What do you think about what they found?

Happiness and Genetics?


According to psychologists from Edinburgh University, half of the personality traits that make a person happy are due to inherited genes. After studying 1000  pairs of twins with researchers from Australia and looking at each person's personality in regards to factors such as how "sociable or outgoing" he or she was, or how "anxious or angry they feel" (1). Through their research they discovered that those who were more outgoing and didn't worry as much tended to be happier, and that these characteristics were due partially (about fifty percent) to one's genes. They found that the remaining fifty percent was due to other factors found in daily life, such as one's health, work, relationships, etc.

Also, ever wondered about a possible link between money and happiness? 

According to a survey of Forbes, 400 most affluent Americans and another group of less wealthy Americans the group found that the wealthier group was "only modestly happier" (2). Another interesting thing they found was that "37% of the Forbes 400 respondents reported less happiness than the average non-wealthy American" (2). Interesting research, huh?

Hours of Sleep and Teen Depression? 

Another study which came out recently in the media was on the relationship between how much sleep a teen gets and likelihood of depression. One might find the results a little surprising... See below.

According to a study done in New York of 15,659 teenagers (ages 12 through 18), Columbia University Medical Center researchers found that those who went to sleep after midnight were much more likely to be depressed than those whose parents made them go to bed by 10 p.m. In fact, teens who stayed up until midnight or after were 42% more likely to be depressed. Furthermore, teens who are permitted to have later bedtimes were 30% more likely to have considered suicide this year.

As James Gangswitch, head of the Columbia University research team said, "We feel like we can just eat into our sleep time, but we pay for it in many different ways." One of the things he believed about the results of his team's study was that in comparison to the past he felt that one sees a greater difference between teens who have a required bedtime and those who don't today due to new technological distractions such as Facebook or texting.

What do you think about these studies? Any thoughts?

Sources:
The National Post. "Money Can't Buy Happiness. Really." 23 Jan. 2010. 7 Feb. 2010.
The Daily Record: Dailyrecord.co.uk/news
BBC News: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8435955.stm
Images: http://tlc.discovery.com/family/back-to-school/images/teens-and-sleep-reset-the-clock.jpg
http://quakeragitator.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/poem-7/

Fml, Mlia - what's your favorite?

Judging from the growing popularity of websites such as “Fmylife” and “Mlia”,internet memes (concepts/ideas spreading rapidly through the internet via email, blogs, social network sites and instant messaging) have become an incredibly popular way for people to share their day to day thoughts and experiences.  Each site has its own focus, ranging from passionate rants to awkward, cringe-worthy situations.

“Mlia”

On “My Life is Average”, users send in blurbs about what makes their life less than exciting. Many posts often relate to random discoveries where the user has discovered that their life is, well, average. 

"Today, someone asked me for the time, so I got out my phone and told them. They then pointed out the watch on my wrist. MLIA"

http://mylifeisaverage.com/

“Fmylife”

“Fmylife” users send in posts describing daily moments and situations which most would rather not be in, with stories covering the funny-awkward happenings of life to the more horrifying, avoid-at-all-costs experiences. Many more subject-specialized websites have been created with the format of “Fmylife” in mind.

http://www.fmylife.com/

“Collegefml”

A spin-off of “Fmylife”, this site shares various unpleasant experiences from college users. On the site are links to “Fml” websites for a variety of colleges, including Ivy Leagues, the UC schools, all girl/boy schools, local and East Coast schools and more. Though its fun to note the differences between that majority of what is posted on each college’s site, make sure not to judge a college by its “Fml” page!

http://collegefml.com/

Similar websites include:

“Love my life”---a site with more positive user comments

http://www.lmylife.com/

“My life is Jewish”---the title says it all

http://mylifeisjewish.info/

“My life is Twilight”---for those of you team Jacob/team Edward fanatics

http://www.mylifeistwilight.com/

So just how factual do you think the stories posted via comment/text to each site are? Some seem just too insane to be real, yet one never knows- check out the sites and judge for yourself!

Flash Mob/Spontaneous Art?

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails. The term is generally not applied to events organized by public relations firms or as publicity stunts.

Flash mobs, like this pillow fight flash mob in downtown Toronto, are designed to surprise passers-by.

How it gets started...

"Hundreds of people hopped aboard the No Pants! train Sunday afternoon, showing off their skivvies to some startled Link Light Rail passengers."

Promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they are looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of "The Sound of Music".

On Wednesday 14th March, 2007 around 50 people attempted a mass freeze frame in a Manchester supermarket lasting four minutes. Five cameras captured the event.

100 Single Ladies stop traffic with Beyonce's famous leggy dance in Piccadilly Circus.

Flash Mobs can be highly choreographed...

Or completely silly and chaotic in nature, like this "spontaneous" pillowfight...

Some are done in the form of a tribute...

And of course when something "viral" gets really popular, the commercial world jumps on it:

And on TV (not exactly a flash mob, but kinda close - no one expected it...)

Interested in participating? Check out the Urban Prankster Network at: http://improveverywhere.ning.com/ where you can watch more videos, get tips on starting your own group or get connected to other groups all over the world who are creating these spontaneous acts of fun and confusion in very public places.