Newsletter #88 - Mosquito bite prevention and treatment; basic food safety; avoiding plagiarism.

TeenHelp Newsletter

TeenHelp Newsletter #88 - July 22nd 2017 - http://www.teenhelp.org

Welcome to the TeenHelp Newsletter! Our Newsletter contains a lot of useful information about our current work, including updates to our site and services, new resources, details of upcoming events, short bits of advice, interesting links and more!

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TeenHelp News

TeenHelp regularly makes changes to its site and services. Some of these are large and noticeable, and others are small and much less so, but each one contributes to the positive development of TeenHelp and how our users experience our community. Below are some of the most recent developments.

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Latest articles (July 3rd 2017)

Our team of talented writers bring our users a constant stream of fresh articles to read each month. Articles are being published regularly, so be sure to check regularly to see what we're doing. Some of our latest additions include:

A Clayburn Series by Deborah Raney
A Clayburn Series by Deborah Raney is a trilogy that follows the journeys of various characters that live in the city of Clayburn, Kansas. The books cover many important themes such as religion, alcoholism, abuse, and grieving. This article discusses each of the books in the series in detail as well as the article author's opinion on them.

Meetup
Meetup is an online search engine where you can meet people who have the same interests as you. This site allows you to make friends and find events happening in your city. Read this article to learn about the benefits of Meetup, how to find groups based on your interests, or create your own Meetup group.

The Promise: A review
The Promise is a movie that takes place during the Armenian Genocide. The main plot focuses on the love triangle of the three main characters and how they are affected by the Genocide. This article gives a detailed review of the movie and discusses whether or not it is worth watching.

http://www.teenhelp.org/articles/

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Resources

TeenHelp works with a range of different organisations and websites in order to help and educate young people. Below is a selection of some of them. For a full list of the organisations we work with, please visit our Resources page.

http://www.teenhelp.org/resources/

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Living With Anxiety

Anxiety exists in many different forms, from pervasive conditions to acute phobias, each of which can be highly disruptive to the lives of those affected. The Living With Anxiety website provides comprehensive information about the different types of anxiety, the causes and symptoms, and how it can be treated. This is a useful resource for those who want to learn more about anxiety, or for those wanting to support a loved one.

http://www.livingwithanxiety.com/

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Tips Of The Month

Each month we share small bits of practical advice that you can implement to improve your life or that of others.

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Mosquito bite prevention and treatment

Simply spending time outside or engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking or camping can put you at risk for mosquito bites. Read on to learn about several ways to prevent and treat bites.

• Use insect repellent products if you're able to. There are many different mosquito repellent products available for purchase. These products may include insect spray, lotion, wipes, bracelets, repellent fans, or citronella candles. When choosing repellent products, note that some items work better for some people than they do for others; it may take a little trial and error until you find the product(s) for you.
• Dress appropriately when possible. This can help prevent or decrease the amount of mosquito bites you get. For example, if you're going hiking in a wooded area, wear a long sleeved shirt, long pants, and closed toe shoes. Note that wearing loose fitting clothing makes it harder for mosquitoes to bite through to your skin.
• If you get bitten, try using different lotions to help the itching subside. Hydrocortisone and calamine lotions may help reduce itching.
• Use chilled products to decrease itching. Apply an ice pack or an ice cube to your mosquito bites to numb them. You can also take a cool bath or a shower, or you can take a dip in a chilly pool.
• If it is hard to refrain from scratching, file your nails or cover some of your bites. Filing your nails or covering some of your bites will make it difficult for you to scratch them.

http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f16-general-health/

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Basic food safety

It can be fun to learn how to cook, but it is also important to take food safety measures to properly cook your food and prevent food poisoning. Here are some safety tips to follow while cooking.

• Store raw meats on the bottom shelf of the fridge or freezer. The juices from the raw meat may drip, and it is important to keep these drippings away from other foods to prevent contamination.
• Make sure to practice proper cleaning before, during, and after cooking. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before cooking or after using the bathroom, smoking, or coughing or sneezing. Proper hand washing is important in preventing illness. Wash fruits and vegetables before eating them. This can help to remove dirt and germs. Clean and sanitise all cooking surfaces, especially if they've come into contact with raw meat.
• Avoid contamination and cross-contamination. Try to use gloves or tools such as tongs to touch food instead of your bare hands to avoid contamination. Also, use different cutting boards for different types of foods. For example, use a different cutting board for meat, poultry, fruits, and veggies. Alternatively, make sure to thoroughly clean the cutting board between each food group. Also make sure to use different knives and utensils when preparing different types of foods.
• Keep food at the right temperature. Food should be kept above 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) to prevent bacteria from growing. Make sure to cook all food to its proper temperature by using a food thermometer. You can find a list of cooking temperatures for different kinds of foods online. If you are reheating leftovers, they must be reheated to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). Cooking food to the right temperature helps kill bacteria.
• Make sure food is in good condition. Do not use any canned food that is rusted, swollen, or heavily dented. Cans that are damaged in this way can allow bacteria, or even Botulism, a serious and possibly deadly disease, to grow. Make sure to throw away any expired food, and if you are unsure if a food has been contaminated or not, throw it away. It is better to be safe than sorry!

http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f184-food-recipes/

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How to avoid plagiarism

Teachers in secondary and tertiary education are always emphasising the fact that you should not plagiarise content. However, a lot of the time teachers don't give much guidance on how to avoid plagiarism which can leave you feeling nervous about writing research based papers. Here is a list of ways you can go about trying to avoid plagiarism.

• Put the research in your own words, also known as paraphrasing. One of the easiest ways to paraphrase the research is writing it down on a piece of paper or on a word document on your computer. Some people will only change one or two words but the best way to paraphrase is to try and change the entire sentence so that it is completely different. Another way you could go about paraphrasing is by jotting down bullet points when you are reading someone else's work so that you can refer to that instead of the original work.
• Use in-text citation. Citing is almost always required in college and university courses. In order to cite something you are usually required to put the author's name and the date of publication. You can get quite a bit of information on citing here.
• Quote the source. This can be done if you really like the way the research you have found explains something or you are unsure how to paraphrase it. It has been suggested to avoid quoting more than 40 words since professors feel that students should be able to paraphrase. It is also important to note that when you quote something you should include the page number that you got the quote from or a paragraph number if you are using a web page.
• Include a works cited and/or bibliography. Most courses will require a student to include either a works cited or a bibliography. A works cited page (also known as a reference list) is a list of sources that you actually referenced throughout the paper, while a bibliography contains all the sources you consulted while writing the paper, even if you did not reference them in the text. The way this section will be set up is entirely dependent on what format you use. The teacher will usually tell you ahead of time if they want the paper to be written in a particular format. If the teacher does not specify which format to use then you can use whatever format you are most comfortable with.

http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f22-education-careers/

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Interesting Things (on TeenHelp)

A lot of content is posted to TeenHelp every single day, from threads to articles, social groups to albums. But it is difficult for even the most veteran user to keep on top of it all, so we have selected a few items from among the masses that we thought were interesting to draw your attention to.

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Threads

Favourite Guitarists!
The guitar is an incredibly versatile instrument, allowing musicians to span genres and find their unique style of playing. In this thread, post about your favourite guitarists and read through it to see if you share a favourite with any of our other users.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f224-...te-guitarists/

Getting up on time?
Regardless of how much sleep you get, getting up on time can be difficult. Share your tips and tricks for waking up early and get suggestions from other users here.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f219-...tting-up-time/

Halloween
Sixteen years after the release of Halloween: Resurrection, a new instalment to the series is set to be released. As is often the case, fans of the original series have expressed mixed opinions about the revival of the series. Discuss your thoughts on the upcoming film with other horror fans in this thread!
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f223-...1915-haloween/

What's everyone taking this fall?
Are you going back to school this fall? In this thread you can share which level of education you are in and discuss which classes you are going to be taking.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f22-e...e-taking-fall/

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Social groups

The Flying Ninjas of TeenHelp
If you are interested in socialising with others about a variety of topics, this is the social group for you! This group lets you engage in random conversation and let your true personality show.
http://www.teenhelp.org/socialgroups...s++teen+help./

That College Life
Are you a current college student, or will you be starting soon? Join this group to connect with other students and get support from others who have been in your shoes. Together you can get through your college years.
http://www.teenhelp.org/socialgroups...+college+life/

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Picture Of The Month

Each month we feature a picture by one of our users. If you would like to see your picture here please contact us by replying to this Newsletter, emailing us at publications@teenhelp.org, or messaging our Newsletter Officer (Psychomachia.) on the website.


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Donate to TeenHelp

In order to continue providing free services to young people around the world, TeenHelp requires a constant income of voluntary donations to support our regular costs. If you are able to, we ask that you please donate any money you can to us, even if it's only a few dollars.

http://www.teenhelp.org/donate/

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Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter

Our social networking pages are a great place to get a lot of high-quality information. We aim to connect you to interesting organisations, volunteering opportunities, events, news stories, pictures, videos, and more!

Facebook: http://www.teenhelp.org/facebook
Instagram: http://www.teenhelp.org/instagram
Tumblr: http://www.teenhelp.org/tumblr
Twitter: http://www.teenhelp.org/twitter

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Editorial team

Publications Team Leader/Editor-in-Chief: Haley (Halcyon)
Newsletter Officer: Chess (Psychomachia.)
Senior Newsletter Editor: Cassie (Cassado)
Newsletter Editor: Chantal (WretatsyRemedial)
Newsletter Editor: Dez (~*Just Keep Swimming*~)
Newsletter Editor: Jenna (~Abibliophobe~)
Newsletter Editor: Sammi (Metanoia.)

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