tagged w/ Youth
-
Whip My Hair is (Will Smith's Daughter) Willow Smith's first music video ever. This song found success before the release of this music video making it's way in a viral manor over the internet and eventually on to the radio. Wilow Smith has begun her career in music and her brother Jaden Smith in acting.Whip My Hair is (Will Smith's Daughter) Willow Smith's first music video... more
-
-
Zach Harrington, a 19-year-old in Norman, Oklahoma, attended a City Council meeting Sept. 28 where council members were asked to simply recognize October at LGBT History Month in the city. In a 7-1 vote, the council approved the resolution — but not before three hours of incensed debate back and forth between members of the public during an open comment period. It was this "toxic" exchange among neighbors, railing against the recognition of queers' contributions to society, that led Zach to take his own life a week later, his family says.
> Nikki Harrington, who is eight years older than her brother and also attended
> Norman North, said she recalls the way members of the GLBT community were
> treated during her time there. “There was one gay guy in my high school at the time,
> and he was made fun of all the time,” she said. “It was a pretty much non-stop thing
> at school.” Harrington received a $1,000 scholarship from the Norman chapter of
> Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays when he graduated high school
> and briefly studied music at the University of Central Oklahoma. He had been living
> in Arkansas for about a month prior to his death.
So just what happened during that awful town hall meeting that would lead Zach to take his own life in his family's home? It was a war of words.
> Support for and opposition to the proclamation were fairly even and the public
> comment portion of the agenda item lasted for three hours — the entire time allotted.
> The entire process was an exercise in representative government, with both sides —
> and those in between — given their chance to speak their minds.
> One man said he moved to Norman because he thought it was the kind of place that
> would never accept the GLBT community with open arms. A woman, who described
> herself as “bi-racial,” said she was tired of the GLBT plight being compared to Civil
> Rights [Ed: See above video]. Some of those who opposed the proclamation claimed
> that members of the GLBT community would use it to infiltrate the public school
> system, essentially allowing the “gay lifestyle” to become a part of the curriculum.
> Others claimed that council recognizing October as GLBT History Month was a waste
> of their time. Some members of the audience even suggested that any council
> members voting in favor of the proclamation may have trouble getting reelected.
> Numerous residents also claimed the Bible was their guiding light, citing the ancient
> text as their primary reason for opposing the proclamation and the GLBT community
> in general.
> And for those in attendance, it was hard to ignore the intolerant grumblings, the
> exasperated sighs and cold, hard stares that followed comments from supporters of
> the GLBT proclamation. Even most council members admitted that a majority of the
> e-mails and phone calls they fielded regarding the proclamation were against it.
Video - ( http://current.com/news/92730294_suicide-oklahomas-zach-harrington-19-kills-himself-after-hateful-town-meeting.htm#92730305 )
The following meeting - ( http://current.com/news/92730294_suicide-oklahomas-zach-harrington-19-kills-himself-after-hateful-town-meeting.htm#92730340 )
Zach's online memorial is here. ( http://www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/memsol.cgi?page=profile§ion=info&user_id=257282 )Zach Harrington, a 19-year-old in Norman, Oklahoma, attended a City Council meeting... more
-
-
-
-
This just proves that there is room in this world for the challenged. I love them so much!!!!This just proves that there is room in this world for the challenged. I love them so... more
-
-
-
-
Rebel Armz Crew Work to Empower Oakland's Community
YO!TV caught up with Immortal Technique and Chino XL (representing the Rebel Armz Crew) while they were out at East Oakland's own "Homies Empowerment Program". They discussed their opinions on gang injunctions, youth culture and current debate on immigration. Ann Bassette and Josue Rojas are senior editors at YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia.
http://youthoutlook.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=c96afb9e59ac15d6e08ce6ee31d75b20
www.youthoutlook.orgRebel Armz Crew Work to Empower Oakland's Community
YO!TV caught up with... more
-
-
-
-
-
Are things bad because we have a Black President,or did things have to get bad before we could vote a Black President into office?Theres a comment made by a young man in this clip about having a Black President tell me what you think about it.I filmed this 8 years ago.Are things bad because we have a Black President,or did things have to get bad before... more
-
-
HUBER HEIGHTS — A group of 2010 Wayne High School graduates are calling on city council to help their efforts of getting fluoride removed from the city’s drinking water as a matter of public safety.
“We were shocked to see there was a substantial amount of fluoride in the water supply,” said Chase Warden, 18, speaking at Monday’s city council meeting. “Fluoride is a very toxic substance.”
Warden and a group of his friends said their research of independent sources found that the benefits of fluoride are outweighed by the risks, which include fluorosis, a dental condition characterized by cracking, mottling and pitting of the teeth.
The teenagers cited the city’s 2009 Annual Water Quality Report as proof of there being dangerous levels of fluoride in Huber Heights’ drinking water.
The report indicates the city’s drinking water contains between 0.82 to 1.14 milligrams per liter of fluoride.
But according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drinking water is safe as long as it does not reach the maximum contaminant level of 4 grams per litre.
The CDC estimates about 70 percent of U.S. residents who have public water systems receive fluoridated water. The agency said fluoridating public water was one of the 10 greatest public health interventions in the U.S. in the 20th century because of the dramatic decline in tooth decay it helped facilitate.
more at link...
Tooth decay or Eugenics? I've get my water filtered, plus I have one on my shower. Great investments!HUBER HEIGHTS — A group of 2010 Wayne High School graduates are calling on city... more
-
-
United States troops shot three civilians including a 12-year-old boy at a demonstration near its main base at Bagram airfield at the weekend - the latest in a rising wave of protests against the occupation.
Nato claimed the soldiers had been forced to shoot at locals after they surrounded contractors building a massive Afghan army base on their land.
Around 250 civilians gathered around the building workers and their heavily armed escort to demand that the project be halted, said government official Abdullah Adil.
Reports of the latest violence against civilians came as US commander in the country General David Petraeus launched a prime-time TV bid to shore up plummeting public support for the occupation.
July was the deadliest month for US forces so far, with 66 soldiers killed, while the UN warned last week that civilian casualties are increasing at their fastest rate yet.United States troops shot three civilians including a 12-year-old boy at a... more
-
-
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act—DREAM—would allow undocumented young people a chance at citizenship provided they attend college for at least two years or enlist in the military. It’s been described as a dream come true for undocumented youth wanting a chance to stay in this country without the fear of deportation. But many antiwar activists warn that the bill will simply funnel more young people into the military. We host a debate between Camilo Mejía of Iraq Veterans Against the War and pro-DREAM activist Gaby Pacheco.The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act—DREAM—would... more
-
-
ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2010) — Italian youths whose parents allowed them to have alcohol with meals while they were growing up are less likely to develop harmful drinking patterns in the future, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher.
In a paper published in the journal Addiction, Research and Theory,a research team led by Lee Strunin, PhD, a professor of community health sciences at BUSPH, detailed their study of the drinking patterns and histories of 160 Italian adolescents and young adults who identified themselves as regular or heavy drinkers. The authors concluded that the introduction of a moderate amount of alcohol in a family setting could prevent young people from binge drinking and nurture healthier drinking behaviors.
"Young people allowed alcohol with meals when growing up were more likely to never drink 5 [or more drinks] or get drunk," the authors wrote. If they did drink more heavily, it was typically at a "later age than participants who weren't allowed alcohol in a family setting."
The researchers interviewed two groups of young people in the Italian regions of Abruzzo and Umbria. One consisted of 80 young adults aged 25-30; the second consisted of 80 adolescents, 16 to18 years old. "We were fortunate to be able to have such a large study sample to interview to help us understand this phenomenon," said Strunin.
Although the results focused on Italy, Strunin said they could be applied to different countries and could "assist in the design of policies to reduce alcohol problems and harmful behavior among young people."
Other reports have also suggested that alcohol introduced in a family setting may reduce alcohol-related risk behavior among young people, according to Strunin. Part of the reason, she said, could be that when alcohol is allowed, it is in a context in which there is openness about drinking, and moderate drinking with meals is considered normal.
"Youths in these cultures learn to drink more responsibly than their U.S. counterparts because drinking is culturally normative, exposure occurs at a younger age, and alcohol is part of the fabric of family mores," said the report.
It is important to note, the authors wrote, that the study focused on youths and young adults who drank wine during a meal with their family. "In talking about drinking in the family, we are talking about meal drinking, not sitting down with your child watching the football or baseball game with a six-pack," Strunin said. "The wine drinking is part of the meal."
In addition to Strunin, co-authors of the study are: Kirstin Lindeman of BUSPH; Enrico Tempesta and Simona Anav of Osservatorio Permanente sui Giovani e l'Alcool, Rome, Italy; and Pierluigi Ascani and Luza Parisi of Format Research, Rome, Italy.
Funding for this study came from a grant from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
***********************************************
When I was younger my parents would allow me to have small amounts of alcohol, and now I almost never drink. I'm part Italian so maybe its just genetics, who knows.ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2010) — Italian youths whose parents allowed them to have... more
-
-
What happens when your parents reject your sexual orientation or gender identity? For some teens, it means the streets. A recent report highlights the shocking number of homeless youth that identify as LGBT. Of the 1.6 million homeless youth in the U.S., anywhere from 320,000 to 640,000 are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
In other words, although LGBT youth only make up about 5% to 10% of the population, at least 20% or much as 40% of homeless youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, according to the new report by the Center for American Progress (CAP).
As these teens were neglected by their families and communities, so too has research about homeless youth. CAP's report, published today, provides much needed analysis, as well as a short video highlighting the emotional experiences of Nico Quintana and Sierra Webster, two formerly homeless LGBT teens.
In the video “On the Streets, Without a Safety Net” produced by Bethany Woolman, LGBT survivors of homelessness share their often-silenced stories. “Family is the first safety net for young people in this country, and the second safety net is our child welfare system and schools," Quintana said in an on-camera interview. “When none of those safety nets function properly in the case of gay and transgender homeless youth, we have a big crisis.”
Indeed, we do. We are literally leaving the most vulnerable members of the LGBT community out in the cold, in what amounts to the social safety net's systemic failure. As author of the report David Wagner explains, in schools, at charity organizations, shelters, or in the criminal justice system, LGBT homeless youth face a system that doesn’t know how, or even refuses to accommodate their needs.
Because of this, LGBT homeless youth are often exposed to additional abuse or harassment. In one common example, transgender teens may be placed in gender-specific accommodations according to their birth sex.
Homeless teens already face a litany of compounding problems: they are more likely to be victims of sexual assault and are more likely to suffer from drug abuse and mental illness. But on each account, LGBT homeless youth suffer disproportionally more: they are 3.4 times more likely to abuse illicit drugs, 3.4 times more likely to have unprotected sex, and 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide. Although 33 percent of homeless teens have been sexually assaulted, an appalling 58 percent of LGBT homeless teens experienced sexual abuse.
Amplifying the problem is that most of the charity organizations meant to serve homeless youth are faith-based. In the fiscal year 2005, for example, religious charity organizations received $2.2 billion in competitive social service grants from the federal government, organizations that often oppose gay rights all together.
While some specifically inclusive shelters exist, they are few and far between. Even if you are able to find a shelter catering to LGBT needs, there is no guarantee that there will be room. There needs to be more federal resources for homeless youth. Additionally, absent federal nondiscrimination legislation, we should press for greater awareness of the unique needs of LGBT homeless youth.
Despite the clear moral directive, it is also far cheaper to fund a homeless shelter than a prison. With the cost of incarcerating just one juvenile hovering around $53,000 per year, investing in a stronger and more inclusive social safety net makes fiscal sense too.What happens when your parents reject your sexual orientation or gender identity? For... more
-
-
Seattle police say a 10-year-old boy who was shot on a bus turned out to be the victim of his own gun and the aggressor in an attempted robbery.
Police said Wednesday that investigators determined the boy was trying to rob a 17-year-old who had been surrounded on the bus by a group of boys ages 10, 12, 14 and 15.
They say the 10-year-old boy told the teen to empty his pockets.
When the younger boy reached into his backpack, the teen grabbed him in a bear hug. The .22-caliber pistol went off inside the backpack, wounding the 10-year-old in the arm.
Police say the younger boy will face weapon and robbery charges.Seattle police say a 10-year-old boy who was shot on a bus turned out to be the victim... more
-
-
A 13-year-old boy and his 12-year-old girlfriend were charged Wednesday with murder and aggravated assault in a shooting that killed a suburban Dallas woman and critcally wounded her husband.
The boy and girl were arrested Tuesday shortly after the body of Darlene Nevil, 46, was found in her home in Garland, about 11 miles northeast of Dallas. Her husband, Alan Nevil, 48, was in critical condition Wednesday at Baylor University Medical Center, said spokeswoman Maria Carpenter.
Alan Nevil told police who shot him and his wife, but a motive had not been determined, said Garland police spokesman Joe Harn. The couple were shot in their home, but Alan Nevil managed to walk out the front door and go to a neighbor's house for help, Harn said.
Harn declined to identify the children or reveal their relationship to the Nevils because they are minors.
Police recovered a handgun they believe was used in the attack and were trying to determine who owned the weapon, Harn said. The boy and girl were being held in the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center, Harn said, adding that suspects must be at least 15 years old to be tried as an adult.
Jasmine Sepulveda, 14, lives across the street from the Nevils and said she also had been close friends with the 12-year-old girl until about five months ago when the girl began seeing the 13-year-old.
"She was a really cool person but when she hung out with him, her boyfriend, that's when she got weird," Jasmine said. "She didn't want to talk to me anymore."
Neighbors noted frequently seeing the girl and boy walking hand-in-hand in the neighborhood.
"I just thought they were two teenagers having a teenage relationship," said Michelle Campbell, 39, who lives nearby. "This is a quiet street. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happens until yesterday."
Neighbor Adiana Moreno, 22, said she'd also seen the sweethearts together but never imagined they could "hurt anyone." Moreno said she was home when the shooting occurred.
"All I saw was the cops with rifles pointed at the house asking the person to come outside," Moreno said. "But no one did. I guess they were gone."
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office said Darlene Nevil suffered gunshot wounds to the head and torso. Neighbor Juan Garcia Jr. said police and Alan Nevil's adult son told him the man had been shot five times, and that a bullet remained lodged in his throat.
Garcia, 47, said he and Alan Nevil had been friends since they were adolescents.
"I can't believe that this happened to them," he said. "I can't believe Darla is gone."
Alan Nevil's son, Alan Jr., and other relatives who arrived Wednesday at the Nevils' modest brick home, where a "Neighborhood Crime Watch" sign was posted on a tree, declined to comment. The son hugged Garcia as he walked across the lawn. A woman who identified herself as Nevil's daughter-in-law went to the house on the other side to greet a woman carrying trash bags to the front.
"Did you help my dad?" she asked. "Thank you so much."A 13-year-old boy and his 12-year-old girlfriend were charged Wednesday with murder... more
-
-
Federal authorities announced Tuesday they will not prosecute administrators connected to a webcam spying scandal at a suburban Philadelphia school district.
Prosecutors and the FBI opened an inquiry following a February privacy lawsuit accusing Lower Merion School District officials of spying on students with webcams on the 2,300 district-issued MacBooks. The lawyers who filed the lawsuit claim the district secretly snapped thousands of webcam images of students, including images of youths at home, in bed or even "partially dressed."
Zane David Memeger, the United States attorney for the Easter District of Pennsylvania, said he found no criminal intent in the alleged surveillance.
"I have concluded that bringing criminal charges is not warranted in this matter," Memeger said in a statement. "For the government to prosecute a criminal case, it must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person charged acted with criminal intent. We have not found evidence that would establish beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone involved had criminal intent."
When the story first broke in February, the district said the LanRev program tracking cameras were activated only a handful of times when a laptop was reported stolen or missing.
Mark Haltzman, the lawyer suing the district, said Memeger's decision underscores the need to bolster privacy legislation.
He added that he does not believe Tuesday's developments will affect his case, brought on behalf of a sophomore student.
"Did OJ Simpson get sued when he was found innocent of criminal charges?" Haltzman asked in a telephone interview. "One has to do with criminal law; the other has to do with civil statutes."
"I think what this means is that the existing laws have flaws," he added.
In February, the district deactivated the LanRev theft tracking software secretly installed on student laptops.
Haltzman's suit was based on a claim by sophomore Blake Robbins that school officials reprimanded him for "improper behavior" based on photos the computer secretly took of the boy at home last fall. That "behavior" turned out to be pill popping, Haltzman said. The family said their son was eating Mike and Ike candy.Federal authorities announced Tuesday they will not prosecute administrators connected... more
-
