Scholastic Choices articles from September 2005

Scholastic Choices archives from September 2005

Saying no to sex!(Personal Responsibility)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... FEWER TEENAGERS are having sex. Look at the graph at right. It shows the percentage of never-married teens ages 15 to 17 in the United States who have had sexual intercourse. Notice that the percentage for both boys and girls was much lower in...

Dr. Mat.(Health)(Mat Hoffman)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... MAT HOFFMAN IS THE world's leading BMX biker, but his daredevil stunts have exacted a painful toll on his body. Since beginning his bike career 20 years ago, Mat, 32, has suffered 50 broken bones and 50 concussions. But Mat's list of...

Less is more.(Nutrition)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... DON'T WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT? PUT LESS FOOD ON YOUR PLATE. A study done by researchers at the University of Ilinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) showed that people tend to eat all the food that's on their plates, even if they fill up before the...

Keep it ringin'.(Technology)(managing battery of cell phones)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... EVER REACH FOR YOUR CELL PHONE only to find out that its battery has run out of power? That happens to everyone. But the four tips below and at right will help keep your phone running so you can always make a call. The advice is from Motorola,...

Pet hunt.(Web Site)
September 1, 2005... LOOKING FOR A PET? Your first step should be getting your parents' permission, Then visit www.petfinder.com. This Web site has a huge database of homeless animals. At the site, all you have to do is type in the kind of animal you're looking...

What you don't know about soda can hurt you: Americans love drinking soda. Each year, more than 15 billion gallons of soda are sold in the United States. But is consuming all that soda Good for us?(nutrition)
September 1, 2005... Are these statements about soda true or false? 1 SODA DOESN'T CONTAIN ANY FAT, SO IT WON'T MAKE ME GAIN WEIGHT. FALSE. It's more than the calories in soda that make you fat. It's the sugar. Most sodas contain a sweetener called...

Is 16 too young to drive: teens behind the wheel are more likely than adults to crash, speed, and take dangerous risks. Should the driving age be raised?(personal responsibility)
September 1, 2005... NO. "MOST 16-YEAR-OLDS I KNOW I ARE SAFE DRIVERS. A FEW PROBABLY ARE TOO IMMATURE TO DRIVE, BUT IT'S NOT FAIR TO PUNISH EVERY ONE OF THEM." --MAGGIE BROAD, 16, SHUTESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS Yes. "SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLDS DO STUPID THINGS WHEN...

Meth-head confession.(substance abuse)
September 1, 2005... Ricky (who asked that his last name not be revealed) was a normal teen living in Spokane, Washington. Then he discovered crystal methamphetamine. Now undergoing drug rehabilitation, Ricky describes how the drug nearly destroyed his life. ...

Step by step: fifty percent of kids in the United States live in stepfamilies. Here's how they handle the challenge of holding on to their old families while accepting their new ones.(family)
September 1, 2005... WHEN HEATHER VAN VOORHIS'S MOTHER REMARRIED 10 YEARS AGO, THE GIRL GLADLY WELCOMED HER NEW STEPFATHER INTO HER LIFE. STILL, SHE COULDN'T SHAKE ONE NAGGING DOUBT--WHETHER HE WOULD LOVE HER AS MUCH AS HE LOVED HIS OWN DAUGHTER. "I kind of...

What kind of worrier are you?(health)
September 1, 2005... Don't worry, be happy. That is easier said than done, Worry, defined as the tendency to feel concern or anxiety, is something all of us do. Used in a healthy way, worry acts as an alarm signal. "If you can anticipate danger in your...

Peanut butter noodles: teen chef Matt Zimmerman's Asian-inspired pasta dish is packed with protein and can be whipped up in a flash.(recipe 101)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Ingredients 1 8-ounce box of linguine 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup of warm water 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon of honey 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger What to do 1 Cook the linguine...

Dangerous diet: Dr. Marjorie Seidenfeld answers your health questions.(your body & mind)
September 1, 2005... A year ago, I started a diet that I struggled with for a while. When I couldn't stop myself from eating even more, I eventually started to make myself throw up after eating, and now I'm trying to stop, but I can't. What should I do? ...

Banking your bucks: knowledge of savings and checking accounts can help you become a financial whiz.(your money)
September 1, 2005... Some teens have some money of their own, from either a part-time job, an allowance, or gifts from relatives. If you have money in your pocket, now is the time to learn how to use a bank to help you save and become a whiz with your finances. ...

News hound: this teen has a nose for news and he's using his skills to build a career as a journalist.(your future)
September 1, 2005... WHEN MICHAEL CAPPETTA WAS 7, HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO BE A JOURNALIST. Eight years later, he is realizing his dream. Michael is a Scholastic News student reporter. His articles have appeared on Scholastic News Online and in Junior Scholastic...

Handle with care: show your favorite clothes the love by reading labels before you clean them.(your life)
September 1, 2005... You love your new sweater. It's in your favorite color, it fits right, and it's comfortable. But after wearing it a bunch of times, your sweater needs to be washed. What do you do? Read the clothing-care label. That's the tag on the sweater...

Brother burden: advice from Choices readers.(sticky situation)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... the problem IT'S HARD TO FOLLOW IN MY BROTHER'S FOOTSTEPS, ESPECIALLY WHEN OTHER PEOPLE SAY THAT I CAN'T DO WHAT HE HAS DONE OR THAT I'M NOTHING COMPARED TO HIM. --SAD SIBLING DEAR SAD SIBLING, You are your own person and do...

Thank you for using Choices in your classroom!(Editorial)
September 1, 2005... WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER 2005 ISSUE OF CHOICES, a magazine that covers family and consumer science, health, and life skills. This is our first issue for the 2005-06 school year. Our cover story is about the debate over raising the driving...