Scientific Representation of Social Networks

When I was in the 6th grade, D.A.R.E. Officer Don talked about peer pressure so much that I honestly believed that when I hit junior high, teenagers would punch my mouth if I didn't want to drink, smoke, or do drugs. The D.A.R.E. workbook had all sorts of suggestions to combat peer pressure, including the broken record technique ("No thanks, I'm cool for now. No thanks, I'm cool for now. No thanks, I'm cool for now."), using humor (?), and avoiding the situation, among others. Officer Don also framed all "users" as being one, consolidated "bad crowd" of youth. But recent research shows that different teens partake in different risks at different levels, and that  direct peer pressure is just a myth conjured by the D.A.R.E. officers and Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" soldiers of yesteryear. And a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Early Adolescence contributed to the debunking of direct peer pressure.

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Branding is important. If you’re going to sell something, whether it be a product or a service, the establishment of a brand identity is key. Endless research, testing and evaluation goes into the longevity of a good brand but what do you if all of the sudden, you’re not allowed to brand the way that has made you a success?

Simple. You redo it overnight.

In June 2009, the U.S. Senate worked with the FDA to regulate the way that big tobacco packages their products. The hubbub was mostly about tobacco’s use of certain words that could be misconstrued by consumers as suggesting that one particular type of cigarette may actually be healthier than another. The types of words in question were “mild,” “light,” “low tar,” and things of that nature. The FDA agreed with the Senate, and gave big tobacco until June 2010 to revamp the way they brand their products.

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To most Americans MySpace and Facebook have become household names. Even if you don't have an account on one of these social networking sites you have probably heard of them.  Social media has been changing the way youth communicate and share information and may people, from advertising executives to health researchers, have shown interest in exploring the possibilities for harnessing these new technologies. What many people don't know is that there are emerging differences between the sites that need to be taken into consideration.

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TV show "Mad Men" shows the proliferation of alcohol in the 1950's office

In the past, it was standard to hear the jangling of liquor bottles when your boss opened their top drawer. Drinks in the office were less celebratory and more of a necessity to stop the shaking hands or act as a sort of prop for ad execs and Wall Street players. Cocaine and marijuana were used openly in the NBC offices when Saturday Night Live still had John Belushi on its hands. But the US Department of Labor’s Drug Free Workplace campaign aims to quell both open and secretive drug and alcohol use at the office by raising awareness this week. Welcome to Drug-Free Work Week.

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Doesn’t it make you feel better that the dumb jock who got all the girls and gave you wedgies at lunch is still talking about high school because it was the highlight of his life? As he continues to brag about that last touchdown everyone cheered for, you drive around, Gucci suited in your Maserati and are thankful that you are so much better off now. Apparently health wise, you’re not. A Swedish research study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health recently suggests that social standing as a teenager has sometimes detrimental, long-term health consequences.

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Attorney General Eric Holder

The results from a 2008 quantitative survey conducted by the US Justice Department with 4,459 American youth have just been released and suggest that approximately 60% of American youth are directly or indirectly exposed to violence on a daily basis. Upon this announcement, Attorney General Eric Holder punched out the no-brainer, politically safe sound bite, “Those numbers are astonishing, and they are unacceptable.” Astonishing? Really?

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The research is in: Big Tobacco should cease to be by 2047. But wait folks, don’t get the champagne bottles out yet, the process is probably going to be an arduous, uphill battle with many sacrifices and due diligence towards our most rowdy populations. Two renowned tobacco researchers outlined the plan of attack and the desimination of the final blow. The right track has already been set, however staying on course will take money, education, and persistance against some of the wealthiest corporations.

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What kind of girl would inspire you to promote environmental change? A girl who is mysterious, sexy, compulsive, artistic, rebellious? Does a girl like this even exist? Well, Kind of. Cherry Girl, a new character fabricated by MTV is their newest way of reaching and inspiring the MTV generation to get off their lazy couches and on their feet to promote positive environmental change.

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