Remember the PBS after school classic, “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” How could you forget it, right? I mean, EVERYBODY loved them some Rockapella and every middle school kid who hadn’t yet realized that showcasing your nerdery wouldn’t make you any more popular or land you a girl who would let you clasp your hands around her back while you slow dance to “On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men at your first dance, wanted to be on the show (myself included).

As fun as it seemed, the one part that always worried you, was the final challenge: a giant map of a continent on which you had to correctly mark countries with flashing light poles in a given period of time to win. If you were fortunate enough to land the U.S of A, you stood a decent chance of pulling off a victory. If you got Africa, South America, or Malaysia you were totally screwed and you could basically kiss Space Camp goodbye. With that in mind, how many of you could successfully locate Papua New Guinea on a map? I won’t even make you mark it with flashing light poles…

For us first-world-ers, relegating such small, insignificant rocks in the middle of the ocean to “somewhere over there” has become commonplace. In fact, how many people reading this can honestly say that they knew Papua New Guinea has an AIDS problem of epidemic proportions (assuming that you placed your flashindg light pole correctly)?

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HAVOC is the newest young adult tobacco prevention brand for TUPAC in New Mexico, and for the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine.  The brand targets young adult partiers in these two states who identify as being social and outgoing with positive, party-seeking attitudes. HAVOC launch parties were held to introduce the brand and establish its identity in the cities of Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Farmington, New Mexico and Portland, Maine.  At all of the events, HAVOC proved that there was a new, hot partier in town.

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 As the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity…or is there? A recent article appearing in Richmond, Virginia’s Style Weekly takes a look at Syke, the energy drink slash anti-smoking marketing tool being used to promote healthy lifestyles in the Old dominion.

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 When I think back to my time spent in elementary school, I definitely have some fond memories. Marbles were big one spring and yours truly could hook you up with any color cat’s eye you wanted, girls were still gross, and He-Man would’ve gotten my vote for president over that George Bush character. Yet, there is no memory quite as fond nor as retrospectively annoying as the mandatory school assembly.

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 In 1998, the US Congress created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign with the goal of preventing and reducing youth drug use.   Above the Influence is the most visible symbol of the federal government’s commitment to youth prevention, and attempts to target youth ages 12 to 18, their parents, and caregivers.   Since 2002 the campaign has focused predominantly on marijuana, a policy decision based on the fact that a key public health goal is to delay the onset of use of the first drugs of abuse- marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol.   Marijuana constitutes 88% of all teen illegal drug use, and more teens are in treatment for marijuana dependence than for all other illegal drugs combined.  So is Above the Influence effective in promoting its message?

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 Having an older brother or a friend with an older brother meant that you got to hear all the coolest, foulest words before anyone else on your block.  You got to listen to music your parents would disown you for hearing. Sure, you had to use context clues to figure out what Ice T was talking about on Iceberg , but at least he gave you something to work with.  The older kid in the neighborhood didn’t allow you that much room, instead they just hurled the words at you, over and over, not knowing their meanings, just knowing that they were meant to put you or your friends down.  “Gay” was a stone cast often in my neighborhood, and I suspect yours too.  Well, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), an organization focused on the safety, respect, and education of students, has launched a star-studded PSA campaign that may have some people rethinking their insults. 

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In 2001, the U.S. Congress dolled out $125 million dollars to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the hopes of deflating the increasingly bloated and sluggish schoolyard children across the country.  At that point, the amount of overweight children and adolescents had doubled, folded, and flopped over its total from 20 years prior.  Our nation was already pudgy, stereotypically, and the next generation was and perhaps still is prime to suck up the custard.  The CDC took that money, planned, and executed what they determined to be a nationwide social marketing campaign called VERB for the next 4 years.  But was it really social marketing? 

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