When Los Angeles schools tried to go the healthy route with school lunches they hit a snag.

The students flipped--they stopped eating the food. Dennis Barret, L.A. Unified's food services director, told the LA Times that the introduction of the healthy meals was "a disaster." School lunch enlistments fell by 13 percent. Students who were part of the lunch program dropped the healthy food for junk they brought in their backpacks, like chips and soda.

As of last week, the Federal Government is raising nutrition standards for school meals. This new movement will try to ensure that students across the nation receive healthier meals in their cafeteria. But LA already tried this, without success.

LAUSD was off to a good start. They tried to turn the tables on unhealthy lunches and re-do the whole lunch menu, but the real issue is getting the students to enjoy the food, regardless of the health benefits.

I understand how hard it is to convert students into healthy eaters. I worked in the healthy foods department at Youth Radio for two years. My job was to cook for a group of high school students. Each meal I prepared had a healthy spin on it. If we were making Rice-A-Roni, we only used whole wheat rice and noodles. Students enjoyed our food and always asked questions about what they were eating.

Although some students have never eaten some of these dishes in their life, taking small steps helped them learn. Instead of introducing students to quinoa and black-eyed pea salads, L.A. schools should take surveys on what students enjoy eating. Encourage them to learn about healthy eating, and the benefits that come with it.

Noah Nelson, Turnstyle News

Thanks to the DC Comics relaunch, and the introduction of a new half-black, half-Latino Spiderman by Marvel Comics, there’s been a lot of media attention on the comic book industry lately. Which means some people have been seeking out comic book stores for the first time. What they’re finding is the simply spectacular, amazing, wondrous world of comics.

In this first episode of our special series, The Funnybook Business, we begin our tour of Greater Los Angeles' comic book shops with Silver Lake's Secret Headquarters.

According to a recent UCLA study, as more fast food joints pop up around schools in LA, kids are eating more junk food for lunch. Despite the high number of local produce being sold at farmers markets from Glendale to Huntington Beach, teenagers find the convenience of close unhealthy eateries too much to resist, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

The study itself intends to show problem areas and why improving the retail food environment surrounding homes and schools of children is important for young people's health. Home and School Retail Food Environment Index (HSRFEI) was made by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in order to “examine the relationship between the food environment near home and school and consumption of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages." It’s basically a way to measure environments with less healthy food options against those that have more, and builds upon a study that discussed the link between diabetes and local food environments. Read more...

By Robyn Gee, Turnstyle News

University of Southern California (USC) is set to become, “the country's largest not-for-profit teacher prep program by 2013,” according to The Atlantic. All due to their online Masters of Arts in Teaching program - MAT@USC. USC now graduates 1500 teachers, many of whom attend classes via video chat.

According to Margo Pensavalle, Professor of Clinical Education at the Rossier School of Education at USC, and a member of the faculty for the MAT@USC program, insists that the program is really top notch. “We didn’t want to be like DeVry - this is USC and we wanted to do a really good job... The syllabi for the courses are identical and the faculty are identical [to the on-campus courses],” she said.

“There’s really no difference. You do make relationships with your students... it’s like having a real classroom. You’re looking at their faces,” Pensavalle added.

Once getting accepted to the program, students don’t have to be in Los Angeles to attend class. They can join the group from all over the country.

So how does it work?

When Pensavalle enters the program on her computer, she starts a live session. The students on her roster enter the live session, similar to a chat room set-up. The list of students shows up on the left. Below, there is a text chat where students can contribute to the conversation by typing comments. Students’ faces show up in the center. “Picture the Brady Bunch,” said Pensavalle.

There is a space for presentation materials where she can post an agenda and her Power Point slides. On the right, she can upload files to share with her students. If a student wants to say something, or ask a question, a figure with a raised-hand shows up next to their name. Pensavalle said you can also have breakout sessions during a class. The program can randomize the small groups, or the professor can make the small groups. There’s even a place for coursework where students post their assignments when they are finished.

Students must still do field work throughout the program, and they complete a year of student-teaching in their place of residence. The application process to MAT@USC is identical to applying for USC’s on-campus teacher credential program.

Pensavalle thinks that the students who get their masters through the online program might use technology differently when they have classrooms of their own. “These students have to be technologically savvy. We use a lot of video - they send us a teaching video, a planning video, and a reflection video,” she said.

LOS ANGELES-- Two years. That is the sentence to be faced by disgraced former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle who was convicted on July 8th of the involuntary manslaughter of BART passenger Oscar Grant. To put things in perspective let’s compare and contrast a few numbers.

673: That’s the number of days from the shooting until the sentencing was handed down.

146: Number of days that Johannes Mehserle actually served in jail so far.

292: Number of days he is being credited with serving, as per Judge Perry's discretion.

438: The number of days, barring early release, that Mehserle will serve in state prison once the credit is applied to his sentence.

5113: The maximum number of days that the harshest sentence possible would have kept Mehserle behind bars.

After the sentencing hearing Alex Alonzo of StreetGangs.com, who has been one of the pool journalists covering the trial since day one, noted that those convicted on involuntary manslaughter charges usually serve only half the time. If so, the math may see Johannes Mehserle serving less than a year in prison.

Outside the court house Oscar Grant's uncle, Cephus "Bobby" Johnson, expressed  resentment at the sentencing in no uncertain terms. At one point he made the comparison to the sentence given out for football star Michael Vick's abuse of dogs- Vick was sentenced to four years- while the man who killed his nephew was sentenced to just two.

The trial for Johannes Mehserle, former Oakland BART Police Officer, had California buzzing over the controversy. Mehserle shot 22 year-old train rider Oscar Grant in the back on New Year’s Day 2009 after pinning him to the ground on the Fruitvale BART platform. Mehserle was convicted in early July of involuntary manslaughter. The sentencing for Mehserle takes place on Friday, Nov. 5, at 8:30 a.m.  in Los Angeles, CA.  

The verdict of involuntary manslaughter had Oscar Grant supporters up in arms. Mehserle's main defense presented to the jury was that he mistakenly pulled his gun instead of his taser, but the prosecution argued otherwise. In the pending civil case, John Burris, the Oakland attorney representing the Mehserle family, claims that pulling the gun was not an accident, and that Mehserle should have been convicted of murder. (View Youth Radio's extensive coverage of the Oscar Grant / Mehserle case including an original photo magazine of the event.)

Mehserle could face between five and 14 years in prison. However, there are several complicating factors for Judge Robert Perry to consider. SF Gate reported, “Although one state law requires an increased prison term for using a gun during a felony, another law allows a judge to grant probation for involuntary manslaughter... In ordinary circumstances, state law says anyone found to have used a gun during a felony must serve extra time in prison. If Perry decides that the law applies to Mehserle, the ex-police officer could get as much as 14 years and would have to serve at least 85 percent of his term.”

Other factors that Judge Perry will take into account include the fact that Mehserle has no prior legal record, as well as the opportunity to send a message to the community in such a high-profile case.

In the days following the 2009 shooting, Oakland streets erupted in multiple violent protests. Angry citizens overturned cars, broke store windows, and lit fires in dumpsters. Tensions were high throughout the Mehserle trial with many comparing the case to the Rodney King case, and while thousands took to the streets on July 8th when the verdict was announced, violence and looting wasn't as widespread as had been projected.

With Friday's sentencing just days away, some downtown Oakland businesses are again boarding up windows in anticipation of possible rioting. Most residents we've spoken to, say they aren't sure quite what to expect.

Skur! Black Sky by U-N-I is the new joint off Love Supreme 2.0. The tracks hook is killer; it reminds me of when I first heard Zion I (no promo). It combines and uplifting message with real stories. Its a really good rap but as I look up in the sky I'm just asking for another Land of The Kings record. Make something of your life and comment on this post Skur! Froom! 

Previous: U-N-I "Desha Dayana" Music Video

Youth Radio has created an online magazine (scroll down and click on the cover to flip through) documenting the 19 months following the shooting death of Oscar Grant at the hands of former Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle.

In the following days, we'll be filling the magazine's final pages with our reporting on Mehserle's sentencing -- and with reflections gathered from the blank pages posted in downtown Oakland. Or you can add your comments, below.

Click here for more multimedia stories about the Oscar Grant case.

According to the public information office at the LA Superior Court, video equipment was installed in the jury room at 1:15 and deliberations began at 1:40. Youth Radio's King Anyi Howell was inside the courtroom today. Check out his video describing Judge Perry's the instructions to the jury.

Click here for more multimedia stories about the Oscar Grant case.

The caps have been thrown.  The diplomas have been handed out.  And high school seniors are ready to embark on their next academic journey.  Youth Radio is sharing highlights from graduation season all across the country.  Serli Polatoglu just graduated with the honor being her high school's valedictorian.    

I have written and rewritten this speech innumerable times. I have thought about this moment intermittently throughout the past seventeen years. And though it seems I’ve had ample time to prepare, as I stand before you all, my emotions and thoughts are as convoluted as the colors of a Picasso painting.

Author Sandra Cisneros once wrote: “What they never tell you is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one.” It follows that all us graduates are merely compilations of our past eighteen (or seventeen, in my case) years of existence. That would help explain the mix of emotions swirling in our heads. You see, the part of me that’s seventeen is ready to take on the world. That part of me feels confident and strong that the teachers and administration at AGBU-MDS have prepared me for the rest of my life.

But the part of me that’s four or five is nervous. I’ve been here for over a decade – I’ve spent over 10,000 hours on this campus. We all know it’s every nook and cranny, and we’ve memorized the pathways to virtually every classroom. The Class of 2010 could probably guide someone through the hallways with their eyes closed.

And now, after spending the majority of our lives here, a place we’ve been taught to view as our “second home,” we are being pushed out into the world. Despite the fear that may consume us, there is greater exhilaration driving us forward. The seventeen and eighteen year olds in us all will win out over our younger selves, and we will walk out of this gym ready to take on the future that awaits us.

And for that, we have a few very important people to thank. First, and foremost, I think the entire Class of 2010 would like to thank our incredibly loving and supportive families. I personally couldn’t have made it here without the help of my amazing mother, father, and big brother. I’d also like to thank the faculty and administration at this school. You have all watched us grow up, and have certainly helped shaped the people we have become. I thank Mr. Hagopian and Mrs. Nalbandian for all of their hard work and dedication. I heartily thank the teachers of AGBU-MDS, for filling my head with things worth knowing. I thank everyone from my first teacher, Oriort Sossi, to my junior high school teachers, to every single teacher that I had my senior year, and everyone in between. Each and every one of you have impacted my life – all our lives, for that matter. Thank you all so much for believing in us.

When we look back on our high school days ten, twenty, thirty years from now we will remember this moment most clearly of all. Because right now, at this very second, we are on the precipice of forgoing the past in favor of the future. Everything we’ve ever known lies behind us, and the adventures and experiences we have yet to have stand before us. When nostalgia hits, we’ll remember the looks on the faces of our loved ones as we shook the hands of our principal and accepted our high school diplomas – we’ll remember thinking “whatever you do, don’t trip” as we walked up the steps. We’ll remember throwing our caps in the air as the final rush of relief and celebration washed over us. But most of all, we’ll remember each other. We’ll remember the past thirteen years we spent together. We’ll remember how we grew up together. Thank you Class of 2010 – thank you everyone! It wouldn’t have been the same without you.

Great things await us all – all that’s left to do is for us to take that first step on our journey of greatness.

Serli Polatoglu is the high school valedictorian of her 2010 AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School graduating class in Canoga Park, California.