Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010). 10 Points of Light By Katrina You may remember Take Back the Night's Avatar debut when it was featured as Cause of the Month in the November 2009 edition. In conjunction with Take Back the Night's first ever nationwide event, 10 Points of Light, we wanted to remind our Cause of the Month readers of the great work this foundation is doing each and every day, and to encourage participation in this event! On April 29, 2010,...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010). Self Care By Maria (Gidig) Many of us have heard something about “self care” at least once. While it may seem like we already do a significant amount of self care by sleeping, eating, and even breathing, many people do not take enough time for themselves. Without self care, stress levels are much higher, relationships can be compromised, and depression creeps up. You can even physically feel better when you practice better...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010). Stand Up for Autism By Marie (Rie) What do you imagine when you hear the word autism? How do you personally picture a person with autism? Do you see the child repeating words over and over again? The teenager who has still never uttered a word? Do you picture the adult curled around rocking back and forth in a fetal position? Can you imagine visiting a country when you neither speak nor understand a word of their language?...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010). News That Affects you: March 2010 in Review By Jessie (Asylum) Missed March? Just downright dislike sifting through news reports you could care less about? Want the lowdown? Here’s a glimpse of what people were talking about in March 2010! Human Rights

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010). Earthquakes By Casey (Cas*) Earthquake! Wait, what? March was a month full of earthquakes, and now you're telling me that April will be too? Not necessarily, even though the world was shaken up after Haiti, this past month, it still hasn't gotten the chance to settle down. It started in Chile. The first earthquake, 8.8 magnitude, hit February 27th. It was a massive earthquake, that caused Tsunamis to hit Hawaii and that...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010). Drugs and your Brain By Maria (Gidig) Many teenagers and adults do drugs everyday, whether they’re legal or not. But very few of those people know how exactly each drug works or the effects of drug use. It’s important and healthy to know what may happen inside your body, if you choose to use drugs. So here some of the most common drugs, and how they affect you, are explained. Marijuana: Most commonly marijuana, also known...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010). Self Injury by Emily (bringontherain) Self injury is intentionally hurting oneself to the point of causing tissue damage or leaving marks for more than a few minutes. About 1% of the population, three million people in the United States alone, have intentionally harmed themselves at some point in their lives. This intentional harm can range anywhere from scratching to limb amputation. The most common forms, especially in...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010). News that Affects You: February 2010 in Review By Jessie (Asylum) From entertainment to new health studies, our world is a rapidly changing one. But the news can be so boring! When you find yourself thinking "what a drag, the news is on again," never fear! If you don’t like the news, can’t be bothered with the paper, and would rather not spend your time on CNN's website, check out this section for synopses of news events from...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010). Celebrating Women by Casey (Cas*) Every March, in the U.S., we celebrate women's history month. The international day for women's history also falls on the eighth of March. Why is women's history, and not men's, so important that it has its own month? Throughout history men have had more rights and acknowledgment than women. On the other hand, women were excluded from many history books and texts and weren't allowed to do many...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010). March Playlist: Share Your Smile By Jessie (Asylum) Positive music can be hard to find, or at least to identify. We could be obvious, cliché, and go with songs like “Don’t Worry, be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin or “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. But let’s face it, our good moods vary from “I’m happy to be with you” to “I’m happy you’re gone!” And so this month, in honor of Music in Our Schools Month, Share a Smile...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). Ten Songs You Want to Hear By Jessie (Asylum) Everyone has them, a few favorite lesser-known songs, ones they could listen to on repeat for hours. Whether the lyrics are uplifting or haunting, there is just “something” that draws you in. Some may have once been popular… when your parents were in school! Still others aren’t available on any CD, and some simply never got the radio playtime they deserve. Without further ado,...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). Siamese Fighting Fish Care by Charlie (x-gothic-princess-x) The very common Siamese fighting fish, also known as Betta, is a colour fish to the freshwater aquariums. They come from rice paddies in Thailand and Cambodia. They are called "pla-kad" or "trey krem" which means "fighting fish" in native Thai. The fighter fish came from the Belontiidae family of fish. They come in many different colours and tail types and also...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). Types of Births By Gidig Having a child can be a frightening experience. Doctors, needles, babies, procedures, and lists of things to remember loom over your head. You’re going to be a mom, bringing a baby into the world. It’s best to be informed about the types of births, where you can deliver, and who can and should be there with you to make the experience as comfortable as possible.

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). Understanding Type One Diabetes By Jessi (Spazola) The Big Q: What Is Diabetes? Diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) is the name given to disorders in which the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. There are two major types of diabetes: Type One Diabetes, also known as Juvenile or Insulin Dependent Diabetes (treated by manually injecting insulin), and Type Two, which involves...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). January 2010 in Review By Jessie (Asylum) Despite its exciting name, we all know that news can be boring. Let’s face it; wading through websites knee-deep in articles on topics you don’t care about is a daunting task any day of the week (unless you like that sort of thing.) For those of you less inclined to dig up the stories on your own (and even those of you who enjoy the hunt), now you have nothing to worry about! Check...