A couple of weeks ago I went to the movie theaters and watched “Rio.” The movie came out last month and I think it’s one of the top three movies to come out recently.

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Technology is nosing its way into our love lives.  With Valentine’s Day around the corner, romance is pulsing through cyberspace. Two love-related tech innovations are worth taking a look at.

“Heartbroker”
This online match service claims that your friends know you better than you know yourself.  As a user, you choose a friend to be your “Heartbroker.”  This person creates a profile for you, and rates you on attractiveness, intellect, humor, kindness and “outgoingness.”  The idea is that friends will be honest, so the danger of ending up with someone who doesn’t fit their profile, is less likely. The idea is to move away from “self-promotional” language found on other dating sites, and put the social aspect back in dating, according to Social Times.

According to the article: “Once you approve the testimonial from your Heartbroker, it is displayed on your public profile, which can then be viewed by other Heartbroker users...The attribute ratings, on the other hand, remain confidential to encourage honest feedback, and are used to determine compatibility with others. Friends can also try their hand at playing Cupid with Heartbroker by suggesting matches to their single friends.”  The site is currently exclusive to Facebook. 

Google for Weddings
Google has released a site to help you plan your wedding.  Wedding planner Michelle Rago helped design the site and the templates that are available. 

With the tools on the site, you can create invitations, engagement announcements, and photo albums.  In addition, there are Google Doc spreadsheets that allow you to budget your spending, your time, and the responsibilities. There is also a sweepstakes to win $25,000 and the wedding of your dreams, planned with the assistance of Michelle Rago. 

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By Rayana Godfrey

It’s almost Valentine’s Day again; time to buy cards, bears, and candies for the one you call your own. That is what Valentine’s Day is about, right? Well, that’s what stores like Target make us believe.

I think Valentine’s Day is becoming too much of a “ money thing,” meaning people have forgotten the true value of the holiday and are starting to believe it’s about what you can buy. Valentine’s Day has become another holiday lost in the market along with other victims such as Christmas and Easter. Instead of people genuinely expressing their love for someone, they let their money do it for them. It’s as if they’re saying, “Hey babe, I don’t know how else to say I love you, so I spent all my money on gifts. Happy Valentine’s Day!” It’s nice and all, but do people understand WHY they’re actually doing it? The Beatles said, “Money can’t buy me love.” I guess nobody else got the memo.

Another thing that bothers me about Valentine’s Day is the expectations people have. My friend said, “People always want you to buy them stuff and that’s not what it's all about.” She’s right. Valentine’s Day is beginning to seem like the day where couples reach their hands out and ask the other, “So…where’s my gift?” What happened to the kisses and hugs and long walks on the beach? Why is it so hard for people to say, “I love you” and go on with their day? Whenever you walk into ANY store during late January or early February, you are instantly greeted by flowers, stuffed animals, candy, and cards. You find yourself bombarded with things you think you have to by to meet your partner’s expectations. And the worst part is…most of these things go unappreciated.

Honestly, if I had a Valentine, I wouldn’t expect anything from them except a simple, “I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day.” A gift would be nice, but unlike a lot of people, I would actually appreciate the gift instead of seeing it as something I deserve. I don’t want to eliminate the holiday as a whole, but what’s the point of celebrating anything if you aren’t doing it for the right reason?

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This commentary originally aired on WAMU, American University Radio in Washington, D.C.

By Joel Carela

I've always been put off by TV shows and movies that glorify casual sex. Like the "American Pie" movies, whose main characters are always in search of a quick and easy hook-up. They make the guys who can separate sex and emotions seem normal and emasculate the ones who develop feelings beyond the mattress.

As an emotional person, I never liked that message -- but I guess somehow it seeped into my brain.

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This commentary originally aired on WAMU, American University Radio in Washington, D.C.

 

By Destiny Jackson

It’s normal for teenage girls to get messages on their Myspace or Facebook pages from guys they don’t know. They say things like, “Hey, you look good.” Or simply, “Wats good?”

I always play it safe and ignore these guys -- I don’t know who they are or what their intent is. But one day last year, my best friend found a stranger’s message waiting on her page and she replied.

They started writing back and forth and she realized he had first written to her because she was cute. When he wrote messages like "Baby, you the one for me," she began to feel he truly cared for her. Pretty soon he wrote, "When are we going to see each other?"

I told my friend I was very suspicious -- how did she know this guy wasn’t a grown man who planned to kidnap her? But she met him anyway, alone. Turned out, he was just another teenager from outside DC.

Still, he worried me.

I worried that while my friend said the relationship was serious, she never introduced him to her parents or friends. I worried that no one knew him or even had a connection to him. On dates, they would meet alone at the movie theater or at his house, in a part of Maryland we didn’t know well. And I worried that this 15-year-old guy only wanted one thing from my 14-year-old friend -- sex.

One day she told me she was going to skip school to go to his house. I told her it was dangerous to sneak off without telling someone exactly where she would be. She didn't listen.

After first period music class, the school alerted my friend’s parents that she hadn’t shown up for class.

Then, about half an hour later, my friend called the school crying. Her boyfriend had hurt her and tried to rape her, she said. And she needed to get away from him. Her mom drove to pick her up and the school called the police.

In the end, he didn’t cause much physical harm -- just a few bruises she got while struggling to escape. Things could have been much worse. I could have lost my best friend that day.

For adults, Internet dating has become more and more normal and probably nothing to worry about. But teens may be putting themselves in danger when they seek romance online. If you’re dating someone you know only through the Internet, be honest with your
parents or another adult you trust. Because as teens, our online communities may be growing every day, but the only space where there is reliable accountability is in our real-life community.

 

These commentaries by D.C. area teens are part of a collaboration between WAMU's Youth Voices program, Youth Radio and the Latin American Youth Center.

 

 

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Summer is something to look forward to at the end of a long school year, It's a time for relaxation as well as  fun and romance. Beaches,pools,barbecues and sun is what comes to mind when I think of the months of June, July and August. They are by far the hottest months in our twelve month  year and some of the craziest. Summer is filled with wishing and dreaming, since theirs no school work holding back teens they are able to roam free with some boundries.

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Nicholas Sparks is raining in the big bucks. Two books have been made into movies this year: the romantic Dear John and  his new film,  The Last Song, which was written in just a few months. His new film centers around a seventeen-year-old girl visiting her father for the summer. Usually Sparks goes for an older couple, but in this case he specifically thought Miley Cyrus should play the seventeen-year-old girl Ronnie. The Cyrus family had asked Sparks if he had any movies she could be in and he sat down and got to work on the screenplay.

Then, he had the Cyrus family look over her part to see if Miley could play the character Ronnie. They loved the character and Sparks got to work on the book. When authors write, they usually start with the book -- any potential screenplay usually comes later.

I thought the book would be written more like a screenplay but that wasn't the case. The book was fantastic! Even though I'm not a huge fan of Miley, I think that she will play the part well. This movie comes out in April.  This movie has a lot of emotion which ranges from complete happiness to complete distress. I hope it's as good as all his others.

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Valentine's Day is almost upon us: rejoice!

Valentine's Day is almost upon us: break out the pitchforks!

There's really no middle ground on the battlefield of love, since everyone knows the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. Which would normally be the superior, hip position to take. Whatever.

We invite you to declare your allegiance: when it comes to Valentine's Day which side are you on? Are you a lover or a fighter? A lover and a fighter?

Drop us a line, hit us up on twitter, or jump in at Facebook and let us know where you stand.

To help you figure it out, check out some of our recent posts about love, lust, and other complications of the heart:

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Nicolas H. Martin is a fourteen year old San Franciscan who is in love with all different genres of music. Nicolas is the leader of his up and coming band Romance of Thieves. With his very talented voice he is destined to become a star and with the right help he can do it. But he is not doing it alone.

Have you ever herd of The Black Resurgents? Well William Randolph the second, son of William Randolph the first, and the boogalo creator, is Nicolas's producer. Nicolas has a song entitled Take You Far Away(remix) ft Youth Radio's own, Wesley Sims.

"I know people say that a lot but I wanna take it back, way back. Music is my life. Jump in." -Nicolas.

 All New! All Day!

Internet Radio... The Way It's Meant To Be.

 

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By Asha Richardson

It seems like it's getting harder for a productive, black, young lady to find her counter part.

I'm Asha Richardson with a commentary for Youth Radio.

I want a boyfriend, but I can't seem to find a black guy who's as interested in his future as I am in mine. I consider myself to be driven, creative, and open-minded, and I'd like to find the same in a boyfriend. My friends say my standards are too high, but I don't think I'm asking for too much.
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