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So, who is going to win the next generation console war? If you are a fan boy, you have already made up your feeble mind and need read no further. For you who seek the truth, seek no more! Check out Entertainment Weekly's console review and slip from the constraints of fanboyism into the cold hard reality of the facts.
Excerpt from The New York Times:
In May, DC plans to introduce Minx, a line of graphic novels aimed at young adult female readers, starting with six titles in 2007, each retailing for less than $10. The stories will be far removed from the superheroes who more typically appeal to young males. They include “Clubbing,” about a London party girl who solves a mystery; “Re-Gifters,” about a Korean-American teenager in California who enjoys martial arts; and “Good as Lily,” about a young woman who meets three versions of herself at different ages.
Teenage girls, Ms. Berger said, are smart and sophisticated and “about more than going out with the cute guy. This line of books gives them something to read that honors that intelligence and assertiveness and that individuality.”
As a whole, the line is positioned as an alternative for teenage girls who have, especially in bookstores, become increasing smitten with the Japanese comics known as manga. In 2004, DC started CMX, a manga imprint, to capture part of that audience. The marketing then was similar to that used for DC’s other titles.
Read all about it here.
It’s all about penguins. In this movie, “Happy Feet”, Emperor Penguins find their soul mates
through song. However, a penguin is born who can’t sing but does tap dance. It is rated PG for mild peril and rude humor. The movie is a high class animation with fantastic special effects dedicated to the late Steve Irwin. The James Bond movie, “Casino Royale” came in a close second starring Daniel Craig. “Casino Royale” was the first James Bond novel by Ian Fleming and the last to be made into a movie. “Déjà Vu”, an action adventure, starring Denzel Washington & Val Kilmer, came in third. Movie times & listings.
From cnn.com:
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock each filed divorce papers Monday seeking to end their marriage of less than four months.
Anderson's representative would not comment on the reason or any particulars of the divorce. Anderson and Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, each cited "irreconcilable differences" in their divorce filings in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
"Yes, it's true," Anderson wrote in a brief statement on her Web site. "Unfortunately impossible."
A message left with Ritchie's attorney wasn't immediately returned.
The relationship between Anderson, 39, and Ritchie, 35, has been a turbulent one since they became engaged in 2002. They broke up the following year, but later reunited and held several wedding ceremonies over the summer.
They were wed in late July near St. Tropez, France, and again at a courthouse in Beverly Hills on August 3. They also tied the knot in an August 17 ceremony in Nashville, Tenn.
Read the rest of the article here.
If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince? By Melissa Kantor
To start her sophomore year, Lucy has the unfortunate luck to have to move to a new school, adjust to her new stepfamily, and lose her special role in her dad’s life. Feeling like she has no friends and no family, Lucy is frustrated and lonely. Life at school perks up when she catches the attention of the dreamy captain of the basketball team. Soon she has a real social life and a possible invitation to the prom in her future. However life at home sucks. Her dad is usually out of town and rarely has time for her. But her impossibly immature stepmother has time to torment her with snide remarks and chores while treating her own daughters like precious angels. Do stepmothers feel like it’s a requirement to be wicked? Melissa’s book has great moments of wicked humor and sappy romance and a character real enough to make you really root for her. Check out the novel to see if Lucy can have a Cinderella ending.
Melissa Kantor’s website has a great Q & A section and excerpts from her books. If you like The Princess Diaries, give Kantor’s books a try!
What could be cooler than learning about the facts of life from Kim Cattrall, who is perhaps best known for her role as provocative Samantha Jones in the comedy/romance series Sex and the City?
You can do just that in her new book for teens: Being a Girl: navigating the ups and downs of teen life. The book is packed full of photos of Kim during her awkward growing up years. She details her own experiences while sharing advice about friends, dating, role models, parents, mean girls, skin care, fashion, self-esteem and stress.
Or check out this great resource on Teen Sexual Health from MedlinePlus or other topics like abstinence, depression, smoking and stress from Healthfinder.
Michael Reb! Michael, a Seaman High student, is the winner of the Cyber Driver Challenge. 
This is the teen webpage development contest that began as part of the 2006 Summer Reading Program. About 20 great entries were received and evaluated. 3 semi-finalist were chosen and Michael was chosen as the winner. As the winner, Michael was given a $100 gift certificate to Best Buy. To view Michael’s website.
The package includes the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, power supply, a USB connector cable, and installation disc. So if you just can't wait to throw away all those worthless DVD's and start buying those shiny new high tech HD DVD's, now is your chance to upgrade. Do not forget option B, spending $600 on a Sony Playstation 3 that includes a Blu-ray player, a format with even less support at this time. Choices, choices.
Originally uploaded to hpana.com. Thanks to Karen for finding this amazing clip from HBO!
Teens looking for 'their own space' Taylor Atkins can be reached at (785) 295-1187 or taylor.atkins@cjonline.com.
My Lost and Found Life by Melodie Bowsher
Ashley Mitchell has always been a spoiled, little rich girl. She took everything her mother gave her for granted—expensive clothing, lots of spending money, and a great home. A few weeks before her high school graduation, everything begins to fall apart. Her mother disappears one day and the cops show up accusing her mom of embezzling over a million dollars. Ashley doesn’t know what to think or what to do. Her dad died years ago, and she has no other family. In a matter of weeks, Ashley is without a home, money, or a future. She had planned on heading to college, but now she needs to worry about paying for the basics like food and shelter. Ashley turns out to be stronger and more determined than people gave her credit for, and she learns to take care of herself but money is really tight. Questions haunt her like, will she be able to find a way to go to college and will her mother ever re-appear?
Melodie’s website is great, and it makes me smile to read that she grew up in the little city of Derby, Kansas. I love her reviews from her best friend, sister, landlord, etc. Her mom’s review reads, “The language is shocking. Why couldn’t you write a nice book?” LOL
Loved Looking for Alaska and have a few questions you want answered? Like, did Alaska *SPOILERALERT* really kill herself? Are boarding schools really like that? How did he find all those cool quotes?
What about An Abundance of Katherines? What’s up with all those anagrams? Did John really get dumped 53 times before getting married? After the 18th Katherine, shouldn’t Colin have been a little wary of dating another one?
John Green has agreed to an interview with TSCPL, so what are your questions for him? If you’re dying to know anything and everything (including what he eats for breakfast or his favorite brand of toothpaste, or maybe, I don’t know, something related to his books), leave your question in the comments or email us with the form on the sidebar. Hurry though—you only have a few weeks to get your questions in!
You made your list, you checked it twice, and you now realize you do not have enough money for the two items at the top of your Christmas want list. Unless Bill Gates is your uncle you may have to choose between the Nintendo Wii and the Sony Playstation 3 this holiday season. The Wii will launch Sunday November 19th and the Playstation 3 releases on Friday November 17th. Read about the launch times and choose wisely, it’s a long wait until next Christmas!
Four policymakers spoke out on important issues for teens. Nancy Boyda, democratic
congresswoman, thinks the national debt will be a huge issue for teens since it will fall on their shoulders when they become adults. Anthony Hensley, democratic state senator, wants to make sure our economy is strong for the teen’s future. Laura Kelly, democratic state senator, thinks the youth from 11-14 years need special attention in developing decision making. The fourth republican state senator, Vicki Schmidt, places her emphasis on health care. With a new Kansas law, 16-year-olds can now donate blood. More information.
“Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” has
grossed $67.1 M so far in the two weeks the movie has been # 1
at the theaters. However, the crude comedy has stirred
controversy and even a lawsuit against Studio 20th Century Fox by the two South Carolina college students that were filmed making racist & misogynistic remarks. “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” is #2 for the second week with “Flushed Away” following closely as #3. Movie times.
for teens, by teens
‘chickenwing’, age 14, thinks you should:
Read this! Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz, Cujo by Stephen King
Watch this! South Park: bigger, longer and uncut
Click this! Watch Family Guy online at http://www.all-fg.com/
Listen to this! Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Nirvana
Do teens keep secrets from their parents? You bet! according to Topeka West High School 
students. We have two different personalities, one for home and one for school. When interviewed, the high school students said they tell their parents about 50 percent of the things that are going on in their lives. Naïve parents make the teenagers happy. However, the teens agreed that parents always have a way of finding out information. To read more.
Got a burning question you’ve always been dying to ask a celebrity? Here’s your chance! Submit your info to the Teen Ink Celebrity Interview Contest and win an opportunity to get some answers!
From the Teen Ink website:
Teen Ink will only consider interviews in question and answer form conducted and written by teens. You do not have to interview a famous person to win. Choose a grandparent, neighbor or anyone else who interests you! The important thing is that your interview contains interesting questions and answers.
Interviews must be in a Question & Answer format and should be between 500 and 2,500 words. Remember to ask thought-provoking questions and be sure the answers are accurate quotations. Include a photo of your subject, if possible.
Check out the website for full contest details.
Because you've always wondered what would happen if you put golf balls in a blender. Seriously funny, but don't try it yourself.
Movies, computers, X-Box and My Space-- all sound like they belong in a teenager's bedroom. Instead, they're actually part of the scene at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.
Follow this link to view Channel 13's report on teens in the Library: http://www.wibw.com/news/headlines/4432671.html
But, becoming a destination for Topeka teens has also brought its own stack of challenges. A room full of books may not be a likely destination for a bunch of junior high kids. "They just come here to hang out with their friends after school," says eighth grader Trae-Shae Redd, who was visiting the library Wednesday, "just a whole bunch of people come to hang out." "Pretty much just play on the computer and see if my friends are here," says eighth grader Kyle College.
"The library is a noisier place today than it used to be," says Jeff Dawson, who works in Youth Services at the library. In some parts of the library, it's more like a social setting than a place to study, but there are some places to go if you want some peace and quiet. "Anyone can use that room (on the north side of the library) and there's no talking allowed," says Dawson. Silence is preserved in some corners, but groups of noisy teens and congested computer stations are the norm in the after school hours. And uniformed security guards may seem like an un-welcoming sight.
"Sometimes that can be intimidating for younger kids, for older adults, anybody for that matter, it is one of the hazards," Dawson says. But what some read as a hazard, can turn a new page in teens lives.
"They're interacting with each other, with our librarians," Dawson says, "they're creating this mode of respect." Respect and friendship are some of the things they're learning that you can't get off the shelf.
"We're asking them to come, we're begging them to come into the library," Dawson says.
Offering computers, educational programs, trivia games, even X-Box video games, gives kids of all ages constructive options for after school.
"We're getting some kids into the library, that don't typically go to the library and again," Dawson says, "where would you rather have your 12, 13, 14 or 15-year old: in a library, or out on the streets?" Daily, the library offers programs and projects from preschool age on up. Check www.tscpl.org for the latest listings.
64 teen finalists are on their way to winning $2,000. Aaron Hunter, President of David J’s Senior Advisory Board at TSCPL and Matt Rodriguez, son of TSCPL employee Susan Worley are both candidates for the scholarship giveaway. On Wednesday, November 15 at 4:30 pm the teen candidates will be reduced to 32. Good luck to both Aaron and Matt.
On tour with his multiplatinum hard-rock band Korn last summer, Jonathan Davis regularly whipped crowds into a frenzy with classic-rock staples such as "Iron Man," "Smoke on the Water" and "More Than a Feeling." And that was before he even got off the tour bus.
How to be popular in three easy moves:
1) Have super straight shiny hair.
2) Smile all the time, whether you mean it or not.
3) Take no prisoners.
Steph Landry will do anything to be popular. Taking advice from an ancient book of teen popularity secrets, she’s determined to unseat the reigning queen beyotch, former best friend Lauren Moffat. Cast to the bottom of her social caste after the “Big Red Super Big Gulp Incident,” Steph is now staging the biggest takeover in school history. With Lauren’s HOTT boyfriend on Steph’s side, the scales are tipping in her favor. But will she lose her best friends in the quest to be number one?
Are you popular? Is popularity overrated? Planning a takeover of your own? Take Meg Cabot’s popularity quiz to find out where you fit in the social stratosphere!
This year during Teen Read week, teens across the country voted for their favorite new young adult book. (Kansas was represented by the teen advisory group from Johnson County.) The winners, with the sixth Harry Potter book topping the list, are (in ranking order): 
2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
3. Eldest by Christopher Paolini4. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
5. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld6. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
7. Poison by Chris Wooding8. Captain Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth by J.V. Hart
9. If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince? by Melissa Kantor
10. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Find at more about this list at the YALSA website. I've read and liked several of these books and rest are on my "need to read" list which is very long and grows everyday. Well, all except the Captain Hook book, which I will now add to my list. What about you? Have you read and liked any of the books on the list?
It took 2 years and 2 children, but Britney Spears has finally come to her senses. Brit-Brit has filed for divorce from her husband, Kevin Federline, on Tuesday. Read all about it on eonline.com.
I am thrilled that she has finally realized that K-Fed was maybe not the best choice to marry. I totally loved the shame spiral that Britney went down, but after awhile it just got sad.
How do you guys feel? Are you glad that Britney dropped K-Fed? Do you wish they could have made it work? Or do you even care?
“Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” was
a big hit at the movie theaters. Comments included “this was an exceptionally funny movie” which helped give it a user rating of 8.6. The movie has an R rating due to crude & sexual content and language. Borat, is a popular reporter from Kazakhstan, who is in the US to make a documentary of our great nation. He offends everyone he meets and wants to make actress Pamela Anderson his wife. #2 is “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” with Tim Allen. #3 is the new movie, “Flushed Away” rated PG. Movie times.
The Young Hero Award goes to Sasha Cushinberry, who goes to French Middle School. On 
Sundays Sasha serves at the From My Heart to Your Heart Fellowship. Not only does she volunteer at her church, but she is going to join the Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center volunteer program. Sandra Jackson, the pastor of the fellowship, said, “All the good things you want in young people, Sasha has.” Read more.
What Happened to Cass McBride? By Gail Giles
Kyle blames Cass for his brother’s suicide. Cass is that pretty girl at school who’s popular but thoughtless and sometimes mean. Cass doesn’t realize how deeply words can hurt other people, but Kyle knows, and he wants revenge. So he built a box for Cass, dropped her drugged body in it, and buried her. Buried her alive. And yet that’s not enough for Kyle. Kyle wants Cass to understand what she did, so he puts a walkie talkie in the box with her so he can explain it. Now she’ll have to use her words to save herself, but can she? In time? Prepare yourself for a pyschological thriller.
Search the catalog for other books about kidnap victims. Or read about the buried alive accounts on the Snopes website. If you like this book, you may be interested in Nancy Werlin's The Killer's Cousin.
12-18 years
Attention Yu-gi-oh duelists! Sign up for the opportunity to duel other Yu-gi-oh players. Walk-
ins are allowed if there are open slots, but a reservation guarantees a seat! REGISTRATION REQUIRED – call 785-580-4565.
Monday
Nov. 6
3:15-5:15 pm
Lingo Story Rm
The first ever Texas Hold’em program was held on Friday, October 27 at TSCPL
.
There were students from Highland Park High School, Topeka High, Topeka West, Washburn Rural , Second Chance and several from the local middle schools. Many of the players were just learning the finer points of poker and others already knew the rules. However, it didn’t take long for the bidding to become serious. Chips would pile up in the middle of the poker table and then someone would take the pot. Phrases such as “the river” 
could be heard above the lively discussions going on between players. Plans are already being made for the next Texas Hold’em on December 26, 2-4 pm. We did have a tournament winner, Mike Burch, a.k.a “The Ace” and runnerup Josh Epperly, a.k.a. “Epp”.
While we wait for the great event that will be the Halo 3 release, we can rest assured that Peter Jackson and Microsoft will be diligently working on the movie adaptation of the Halo video game. Surely they will let nothing stop them from producing the must see Master Chief in CGI action. If only it were true! Apparently, movie studios are backing out as costs of the Halo movie project were projected to go over $175 million. Perhaps Peter Jackson’s track record with King Kong (the movie went over the $200 million budget and did not make a profit) was a factor in the studios concern? Read why Halo the movie is now indefinitely postponed.