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...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). Get Thinking: World Thinking Day by Casey (Cas* ) February 22 is World Thinking Day. World Thinking Day may not be well known, but if you have ever been in Girl Guides or Girl Scouts, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who don't know, World Thinking Day is when different troops of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts gather together to work and learn as a community. World Thinking Day gives girls and young women around...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 8 (February 2010). Tragedy in Haiti Casey (Cas*) Haiti, the first independent nation in Latin America, still remains the poorest country in the western world. On January 12th, 2010, tragedy struck the island nation. At 4:52 p.m. local time Haiti was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.0Mw on the moment magnitude scale. The epicenter, 25km (16 miles) west of the capital and major port city Port-au-Prince, was near Léogâne. Although a 7.0Mw...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 7 (January 2010). 2010 Olympic Winter Games By Nat (Strider) The New Year is a time for setting goals and creating opportunities, whether they are about staying active, doing homework, or winning gold medals. It is a time for reaching potential, and striving to have fun along the way. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games is the perfect inspiration for doing something incredible in the New Year, and finding exciting activities to take part in...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 7 (January 2010). Art and Play Therapy By Maria (Gidig) Expressive therapy. Doesn’t that sound odd? But expressive therapies such as art and play therapy can be extremely helpful to anyone involved. We’ve heard of art and play therapy, but truly, what are they? Is it something that could benefit you? So many questions revolving around these! What is art therapy? Art therapy is a form of psychological help involving craft tools like chalk,...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 7 (January 2010). Alcoholism by Maria (Gidig) Alcoholism is a disease that can easily affect anyone and everyone, regardless if you’re the one drinking or not. How are we supposed to handle this along with the struggles of everyday life? Perhaps you or a loved one thinks you have a problem with drinking. You are not alone. Alcoholism is a more common problem than you think. It’s also known as alcohol dependency, and it really is just...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 7 (January 2010). How will you remember the 00s? (That's “two thousands'” or “oh oh zies”, if you like.) By Rob This year is a special one because it marks the start of a new decade, something that many of us have not seen before – or in the very least cannot remember much about. A lot of the time we hear elder people talking about what happened in a certain decade. The 70s brought us hippies, the 80s cheesy horror, the 90s pop bands,...