Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4 (October 2009). Top Ten Homemade Halloween Costumes: Affordable but fun. by Jessie, Katrina, and Nat (Strider) Halloween is just a month away and, let’s face it, you’re never too old to dress up! Whether you are going trick-or-treating or to a costume party, we have some fun and inexpensive costume ideas for you! In alphabetical order, here they are: Alice in Wonderland. We all wanted to fall down the rabbit hole when we were kids....

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4 (October 2009). Dyslexia by Maria (Gidig) Learning disorders, a term many of us have heard use every day. Dyslexia, a learning disorder. But what really is a learning disorder? How does this particular one affect people? So many questions revolve around this one word—dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning disorder predominately affecting letters. This includes reading, writing, and spelling. Therefore, it’s mostly caught when a child starts...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4 (October 2009). Twenty-two days in October: The Beltway serial sniper by Jessie October 2, 2002. What would later be known as the largest manhunt in United States history began on a cool autumn day in Western Maryland. Barely one year after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, fear still ruled many of our lives. I was an eighth grade student and although I walked just one block to reach my school, I would be driven...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4. (October 2009). Universal Health Care by Mai (sushi_error) Throughout the end of August and September, millions of Americans have packed local town halls across the United States to voice their opinions for and against President Barack Obama’s health care reform. The on-going health care debate has divided parties and created immense tension across the United States. In some ways, this issue has divided the United States as a whole. ...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 3 (September 2009). This Month in History: Going back to September 11 By Jessie September 11, 2001. I’m twelve years old and as I walk through my school I am stunned by the eerie stillness of our never-silent halls. You can’t get us this quiet with the promise of ice cream and pizza but today, a day many of us will not understand until years from now, you couldn’t force us to speak. It’s 8:46 a.m. EDT. The school day has just...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 3 (September 2009). Bring Out The Beethoven! By Nat (Strider) There is no better time to listen to a concerto, go to an opera, or decide to pick up the violin than September! Classical Music Month is a time that everyone can enjoy, even if your favourite instrument is the electric guitar. Classical music is most often played by a symphony orchestra, which can contain over twenty six types of instruments. The instruments fall under the...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 3 (September 2009). The Grey Bipolar Area By Gidig Depression and Bipolar Disorder are both mood disorders that can greatly affect your life. Though many see bipolar disorder as movies and television make it seem, minute by minute mood swings, this is not truly the case. Depression is a constant low mood, lasting weeks, months, and sometimes even years at a time. While bipolar disorder includes depression, you also go into stages called...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 3. (September 2009). Free Aung San Suu Kyi, Free Burma By sushi_error On August 11th, 2009 a Burmese court found pro-democracy activist, Aung San Suu Kyi guilty for allowing American citizen, John Yettaw, into her home after he swam there in early May. Suu Kyi is sentenced to an additional 18 months of house arrest (she has spent 14 of the last 20 years in detention). Yettaw will spend seven years in jail as well as four years of hard labor. ...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 2 (August 2009). School and College: Being Prepared By Jessie and Katrina Starting, or going back to, school! Whether you're starting upper level school or going back for your fourth and final year, school is all about what you make it to be. If you throw yourself into learning and making friends, you'll be prosperous in school. With that said, know that now is not the time to slack off! There are a few different things about going back...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 2 (August 2009). Urmuqi Erupts By Jamie One of the more important events of the month, possibly the year, are the riots in the capital of Xianjiang province, Urmuqi. Although the riots seem to have eluded the glare of the media recently and are nearly not as well known or protested over as Tibet, the riots between the ethnic Uighuirs—a Muslim community who has lived in the area under Chinese occupation for hundreds of years since the Qing...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 2 (August 2009). TeenHelp's Top Ten World Roller Coasters By Strider Do you like thrills? Then this list of some of the biggest, scariest, and best roller coasters in the world is for you! Behemoth Theme Park: Canada’s Wonderland

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 2 (August 2009). Neda: A Symbol of Freedom By sushi_error On July 20th, 2009, 26 year-old Neda Agha-Soltan was participating in a peaceful protest against the Iranian election when she was killed by a single bullet. Within hours of her murder, images and videos of her last moments spread across the internet. She instantly became a symbol for democracy and freedom in the eyes of millions of Iranians around the world. Dear Neda,

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 2 (August 2009). Immunizations By Gidig (Maria) We’ve all heard of immunizations, vaccinations, or just plain old “shots” from the doctor. It’s almost every kid’s worst nightmare—going to the doctor to get a needle poked into your arm. That doesn’t sound all that fun, even for adults. However, vaccines are seen as the one of the most successful medical advancements in history. Why is this, and how do they work? Furthermore, should you have a...

Improving and Maintaining Good Grades By: MechanicGodCreation and Katrina There comes a time in every teenager's life when their grades begin to slip below what they would like. This is completely normal, so try not to let it be too discouraging when it happens to you! The cliché of school in general is that grades do slip as one hits puberty and could be a result of several different things. Becoming a teenager can be confusing and definitely stressful; the teenage years are when all the...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 1 (July 2009). Remembering McMahon, Jackson and Fawcett By Katrina and Gidig Many people believe that events—in this case sad events—happen in threes. This past week, the death of celebrities certainly did; Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcet, and Ed McMahon, three of the most admired celebrities of our time, passed away. Ed McMahon