When some people look at my situation, being a youthful offender in Jail North, they may see me as a troublemaker. Some perceive I am not fit to walk among society, or that I intend to create mischief. Others may say I should be glad to be in the “systhem” because I shouldn’t have a bit to worry about. Those individuals are outside looking in.

I read the words of Scripture: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

My first two weeks in Jail North seemed as if daylight would never come. The days took forever to end, and what they call “free time” is nothing but a reminder that I don’t have my freedom. Food, that you have no clue as to who prepared it, makes even my mom’s burnt meatloaf seem a safe haven for my stomach.

As night falls, I can only sit awake waiting to see the light of dawn. Going from day to day looking at the same off-colored white walls, and attempting to keep sanity while performing the same routines, sort of put me into a trance and numbness.

When that developed, the days began to fly by. Free time was grand, and the slop turned into a feast. This is the point at which I started attending CMS classes, which eased the sight of the walls of my cage. Continuing to pursue an education lifted the worry about receiving credit as a senior.

Just as my morning sun began to rise, the reality that I’m on the inside looking out came tumbling in. This struck me with more than a low blow. It felt as if I had just run into a combination from Mike Tyson. Almost all at once I was tossed around by lonliness and despair. Situations I would face when I, in jail terms, would touch down (get released) pounced on me.

The first punch from the world was a letter from my now ex-girlfriend. It wasn’t filled with bad news; I actually welcomed it. I figured it would bring a heartwarming sensation; however, in reality it was a gut-clinching feeling. The fact of being in jail had found some way to tune out the thought of her. Her letter only brought an empty pit feeling in my mind and body. As I tried to recover, in came another blow.

Like a thief in the night, the Christmas season rolled around. This brought the bitter sweet pain of only being able to talk on the phone with my mother and siblings. All that was in me wanted to talk for hours, but not knowing what to say say made me want to end the heartbreaking dialogue. Just the sound of their voices made me think about how I could escape. So while trying to hold on to my composure and keep an even tone in my voice, I could feel the burning tears forming in my eyes. The “I love yous” were said, and the dry knot in my throat began to swell. Maybe something in my brain predicted that this wasn’t enough sorrow, so sure enough I got more.

During New Year’s Eve, some of the inmates planned to quake (kick and bang on the cell door). So, out of wanting to be apart of the chaos, I joined in. Little did I know that many of them didn’t participate. As a result, those who quaked received 72 hours of lock-down time. Being confined to your cell is one thing, but being stuck there for the first three days of the 2009 year is another. I truly believed that I would lose it. Not bathing or having contact with others made each day difficult to bear. Even after being locked down, the nagging anxiety to be free did not let up. The expectation of having a chilid on the way and my brother’s decision to join the Navy only sent me into loops of brain-racking thoughts.

Although my ex-girlfriend isn’t having our child until fall, critical thoughts continued to circulate. Will I be able to find a job with my record and the economy against me? Is she even keeping the child or leaning toward an abortion? After losing contact with her, I could only sit and wonder what was going on. Then the fact that my brother is heading out kept pecking at me like a mental woodpecker. Once again I caught myself looking at the outside from the inside.
All these situations and emotions were still racing through my head. Just knowing and not knowing are tremendous conflicts to deal with. I wanted to be able to help with things but couldn’t. I wanted to get more information, but I was stuck with a little knowledge. The off-colored walls were keeping me from my family, friends and loved ones.

One day I just stopped all thoughts and relaxed. Then, one by one, I deciphered each point with a clear head and saw that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. With the warm words and help from staff such as Ms. Douglas, Mr. Nelson and Ms. Satchwill, I was able to focus. Also with prayer and aid from Chaplin James and Mr. Bragg, and a letter from my church, I found God and gave my life to Christ. This is what truly brings me peace.

In addition to the list of individuals who inspired me to better myself, I would like to thank a few officers at Jail North. They challenged me to accept responsibility, think about my actions and strive to become a respectful man.

After that, when I looked up, I was only a week from touchdown. Not knowing where time disappeared to, I rejoiced. I expected to to be on the streets of civilization on Feb. 4. However, sometimes things just don’t go the way you expect.

Unfortunatly my court date for me to go home was postponed because the surprise snow we had on Feb. 4. This pushed my court date back to April 15. I had no idea what to do then. This threw me off track and sent me on a rampage.

I began doing the exact opposite of what I was doing before. Between being locked down and quaking was nothing but anger and frustration. Not having a care about what anyone thought pushed me toward the edge. Some inmates were upsetting me, and that only added fuel to the fire. I stopped reading my Bible and praying. It felt as if I were in a nightmare that wouldn’t end. There was no sense in trying to sleep because I only tossed and turned. I got to the point where anything could push me over the edge.

Just when I was about to go head first over the cliff, my neighboring cell mate, Demetre Nelson, reeled me back in. He didn’t give me a deep elaborate speech or anything, he just yelled through the vent, “Keep ya head up, Coffie!”

Now some may say that was nothing, but it was what I needed. A few encouraging words from someone who was going through the same thing I was did the trick. Thank you Nelson.

At that moment, no longer was I looking from the inside out, but I was looking past the inside to a brighter future. It is only because of the grace of God that I made it through this trial and my morning finally came. I was released from Jail North on February 26 and am now moving forward in life.

What is the one thing that makes watching TV, eating snacks, reading books and spending time outside all possible? If you believe the company’s infomercial, it’s the Snuggie.

The advertisement for the Snuggie claims that this blanket with sleeves is the ultimate trick to keeping warm no matter the location: watching a baseball game, sitting outside around a campfire or laying down reading a book. It seems as if these marketers believe everyone has the perfect fictional lifestyle.

Snuggie has now released a new version of the original called the Snuggglette, made specifically for children. Similar to its predecessor, the Snugglette features warmth in royal blue or pretty pink and ” if you call now” you can receive a pair of matching slipper socks. Woohoo, great deal!

This advertisement claims the ability to study more effectively and the ability to eat a snack and come back for more while keeping warm.

Although a Snuggie may not be at the top of your list of things to buy during a recession, a USA Today article from January says that more than 4 million have been sold since September, and the numbers are increasing rapidly.

It isn’t the only product of its kind; there was the Slanket that premiered in 1998, the Nuddle that is marketed by a husband-and-wife team, and the suspiciously Snuggie-like Toasty Wrap.

The Snuggie is becoming a cultural icon, though. It is a subject of parody and teasing on YouTube videos — more than 300, including the wildly popular “Cult of Snuggie” video — and has gotten nods on talk shows, including one on the Ellen Degeneres show. There are dozens of Facebook pages related to the Snuggie, some with thousands of members.

On the other hand, the company has received a barrage of complaints since it started being sold in August. A lot of complaints on chatrooms center on the business side of things: being overcharged, not getting the Snuggie or having to wait too long to get the product. In a review by the Better Business Bureau, the parent company, Fosdick, received an F.

For whatever the Snuggie may be worth, it has certainly affected pop culture and has struck the attention of people around the nation.

Watch the infomercials on the following sites:

https://www.snugglette.com/flare/next

https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next#order

I talked to admissions counselor Taylor Jackson at Gardener-Webb University about what you must do to impress admissions committees. Her advice:

1. Have an impressive academic record. This means having a high GPA and class rank. The challenge level of courses you take is also important.

2. Have solid SAT/ACT scores. Regardless of which university you plan on attending, you should always shoot for the highest score possible. Do this by preparing beforehand. Sparknotes.com, Collegeboard.com, and Kaplan Test Prep classes are all excellent preparation for the standardized tests.

3. Have a strong record of extracurricular activities. Be involved in clubs and athletics. Colleges want to see you did more than just got good grades.

4. Hold officer positions. Colleges want to see you were in leadership positions, whether that be in a club, sport or your community. Starting a club that you’re passionate about that doesn’t already exist at your school is great idea.

5. Do volunteer work. What are you giving back? Being involved in Key Club at your school is an excellent way to volunteer. If you are involved in a church, look for volunteer opportunities that your church is involved in — missions trips, helping out in soup kitchens, etc. Check out the volunteer stuff page for more ideas.

Advice for the freshman or sophomore. “Look around, and start visiting colleges. It’s great to use your freshman and sophomore years to start researching the types of colleges you feel fit you as a student, and the best way to do this is to spend time on campus.”

What teenager ever has free time, really? Do we even know of this concept?

I’ll help you out; free time is extra minutes or even hours in which you can do anything of your choosing.

How do we get to acquire said free time? Easy: organization!

You might be repulsed by organization, but it can turn out to be your best friend! Once you start organizing your time, you’ll find it a progressively easier and less daunting task. So here’s my advice on how to organize your time:

1. When you get home from school or practice, take 3-5 minutes to write down what you need to accomplish.

2. Try to allot time fragments for each task (for example, “Study math: 35 minutes” or “Clean room: 15 minutes”).

3. Keep your list of tasks somewhere you will notice it. Try decorating the list or using bright colors to get your attention!

4. Never allot time for a task for more than 50 minutes, especially if it is for schoolwork. (The mind functions best in 50-minute intervals)

5. Create an incentive system for your organization skills. For every week you stay on task, reward yourself!

The death penalty is not something that our generation has noticed or dealt with much. Although it isn’t as prevalent now as it was in generations past, those of us living in the twenty-first century would hardly notice if it were more widespread. Why? Right now we live in a society that is unfazed by violence and mass injustice; we are too consumed by our world revolving around an axis of self-absorption.

Most residents of Mecklenburg County would be unacquainted with a recent issue of injustice — the sentence of death thrust upon a fellow Charlottean. Michael Wayne Sherrill was sentenced on February 23 for the 1984 murder of a young Charlotte woman. This happened to be the first time a Mecklenburg jury has given a sentence of death in nearly a decade.

Now I will ask you this — what was your reaction when you read the above paragraph? Were you shocked? Were you left wanting to know more? These questions and your answers (which are likely ‘yes’ to both) indicate that we are a world of veiled sympathy. Although we may seem un-empathetic because of the stereotypical American attitude and lifestyle, we are really compassionate beings deep down.

So why did I just have you discover a part of yourself that highlights your goodness? To show you that everyone is good, underneath it all, and hence the death penalty is not an appropriate punishment for any living being.

This brings me to another point. If we all are compassionate deep down, then why do people kill and bring tragedy to families worldwide? Because it is an escape for them, whether it is from a mental illness or a tragic past, no murderer kills with the foresight of consequence on the mind.

So what is the harm in keeping a fellow troubled citizen in jail rather than exiled to the grave? Will his death bringing relief to the victim? No, because you cannot bring a loved one back, and as painful as it is to see the perpetrator leave relatively unscathed, perhaps prison will be a site of penance for them, a place where they can truly rectify their wrongdoing.

It is helpful to always put situations like these in perspective, to think things through, to grant second chances, and to ultimately set a tone and example for generations of the future, contributing to a more peaceful world.

Answer: You need to be honest with your boyfriend. You can do this without being mean. You need to acknowledge his feelings for you and let him know that, as much as you like and care for him, you are not ready to be in love with him. This is truly a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” Next time, don’t be so quick to respond when someone tells you they love you. Let them know that, for you, love takes time.

Answer: The best way to learn would be to take a class in kitchen basics. Hands- on learning in the kitchen is usually the best way. All of us have ruined things in the kitchen. You could ask your parents or your grandparents to teach you what they know, and how they learned it. There is also a show on Food Network called “How To Boil Water.” You just need to gain some kitchen confidence.

In her fall/winter 2010 collection, Miuccia Prada encapsulated the mix of austerity and ingenuity that is apparent in most of the season’s designer runway shows. It was recession chic, but it was neither pretty nor feminine. Thin girls with names such as Alyona Osmanova and Anabela Belikova sauntered down Prada’s runway with haughty facial expressions and white-out makeup. The attitude and fashions of fall/winter 2010 are emblematic of two things: Bond Street and the Rue Faubourg are suffering as much as Wall Street, and designers are finally acknowledging the severity of the economic predicament.

A few seasons ago, Roberto Cavalli’s runway show was almost an aesthetic assertion that the economy would bounce back — and quickly. He showed gaudy and ostentatious ombre coats with gold embroidery and fur on the cuffs, hem and collar, as if to say to the world, “Yes, live like a Park Avenue girl and max out your Barney’s card because things will be okay.”

It seems that this is no longer the state of mind amongst designers. From Prada (who showed simple suits and V-neck dresses made of a thick woolen fabric, with unfinished edges) to Balenciaga (much more wearable than in collections past) and Galliano at the house of Dior (where were the trapeze coats? the fur and embroidery? the conspicuous display of wealth?), designer collections were tamed down, wearable, and in some cases bland. I wondered if Raf Simons’ collection for Jil Sander was an attempt to lull the audience into sleep with his seemingly endless procession of camel car coats and turtlenecks.

Head designer Nicholas Ghesquiere at French fashion house Balenciaga combined elements of collections from the label’s storied past (sari-inspired cuts, drape-waisted forties skirts) with some of his characteristic flourishes (bold shoulders, bright abstract prints, angular lines, geometric shapes). It was a triumph, simultaneously wearable and innovative, feminine and bold. It was reserved, appropriate, and in-tune with the economic climate — the best collection of fall/winter 2010.

The inescapable truth about the fall runways is that the austerity of the clothing is indicative of the stagnant economy and of financial hardship. Designers such as Nicholas Ghesquiere managed to acknowledge this while creating beautiful, if reserved, wearable fashion. Others took an extreme outlook. None, however, pulled a Roberto Cavalli. Not even Galliano.

At some point today you have heard, ” I can’t afford that,” ” The stocks have plummeted to an all time low,” or ” Unemployment continues to rise.” As these gloomy words echo throughout your house, you wonder how this is going to affect your life. In some ways, it probably already has.

According to bankforeclosuresale.com there are about 2,604 homes that are facing foreclosure, pre-foreclosure, auction, or bankruptcy, throughout the Charlotte region. There is an estimate of 120 million homes in the country, and of these approximately 4 percent, or 4.8 million homes, are facing this unpleasant situation, according to foreclosureuniversity.com. And one out of every five uptown apartments is empty because of the economy.

The leading industry in Charlotte is the banking industry. Banks are tied up in the recession because they’ve given out loans that people are now not able to pay back. As banks struggle, the population in Charlotte begins to strive to find a source of cash. Some people stop spending, which slows down other industries in the city. Some people even leave Charlotte to seek employment in other places.

President Obama has recently signed a stimulus bill, providing money toward various projects throughout the country. But if you thought that much of that money would be heading our way, you had very wishful thinking. In fact, Charlotte is receiving a small portion, some $4 million out of the $70 million the state received. An extra $1.5 million dollars will be headed toward renovating the bridge spans over I-77.

How much will this help our struggling economy? Some experts suggest that it will take us at least two years to pull ourselves out of the rut and multiple years to get a handle on the economy nationally and internationally. Will we be able to get through this without a depression? If we have chosen a wise president and if we make the correct decisions at the right times while conserving the cash we spend, our recession will be composed in subsequent history books without the dreadful words depression listed next to recession.

The typical teenage stereotype says our lives revolve around our friends, music, the mall and money. Occasionally we may read the newspaper or be forced into listening to NPR on the way to school, but really this is not always the case. We can tell when things around us are changing, but most of the time we don’t know what to do about them.

So right now, the answer is, yes, we realize the economy is not at its best. We are sensitive to our parents’ stressed out vibes and the fact that all around us people are losing their jobs. So the question comes: How did this happen?

Let’s start with the basic term recession. A recession is basically when the economy for two quarters (six months) stops growing and instead starts to decline. One of the biggest results is the rise in unemployment — the number of people who don’t have jobs.

Unemployment comes around for several reasons. Some people lost their jobs because their businesses are doing poorly and have to do layoffs because they can’t afford to pay their employees. Other people who didn’t already have a job for whatever reason cannot find jobs because businesses are not hiring — either because they are not doing well or because they are trying to be careful and save money just in case.

illustration by Carsi Tong

One of the most talked-about causes of this recession is the housing industry. Dave Nalle, a conservative political writer, writes that he thinks a big factor is decades of bad loans given out to people who were unqualified and unable to afford them. These loans were given out to those who were not eligible for the loan or who were only eligible under lax lending restrictions set by banks.

Lenders make money from every loan they give, as people pay back interest, along with the loan amount itself. So banks and other lenders were anxious to have as many people borrow as possible. They figured house values would continue to go up.

Well, the value of houses started to fall. Some people lost their jobs and had to sell their houses. Some people who had gotten loans they had no business getting had to sell because their interest rate went up from the introductory offer and they couldn’t afford to pay it any more. Right before that, a lot of people had invested in fixer-uppers, looking to flip them and get a profit; around this time, many of those houses were being sold because the investors couldn’t do what they had planned.

The more houses on the market, the less you can charge for a house. It’s the same idea as tickets to a concert. You can charge a lot more money for tickets to a concert that’s sold out than if anyone can get a ticket. Well, at this point there were houses aplenty, so people selling couldn’t charge as much. Also, interest rates had increased, so people were less willing to take out a mortgage when they would have to pay higher interest.

Because the house values were dropping, homeowners suddenly found themselves with houses that were valued at less than the amount they still owed.

For instance, say you owe $150,000 on a house, plus you owe interest every time you make a payment. But the neighbor, whose house is similar in size and features to yours, just lost her job and needed to sell her house quickly, so she is selling it for $120,000. If you were to sell yours, you would not be able to sell it for much more than hers; who would pay more than $150,000 when they could get a similar house for $120,000?

Then the foreclosures happened. A foreclosure happens when the homeowner fails to make payments on their house — and people couldn’t afford their houses. When houses are bought, usually people take out a loan. If they do not make their payments the lender can auction off that home to recover some of the money lost.

Also, if someone is about to be foreclosed on, they will often try to make a quick sale to recoup some of that money themselves. That caused house values to go down even more because people would price their homes very low to be able to sell them quickly.

All this is fine and good, but what does the housing market have to do with teens — or with anyone who doesn’t own a house?

The economy is complicated, and when any one piece of it struggles, every part is affected.

When people aren’t buying houses, real estate agents aren’t making money because they depend on commission. People who work in building and construction aren’t being hired to build new houses. Banks are losing money left and right — and that especially affects Charlotte, as banking is a major industry here.

And every person who loses a job is not spending on things in his or her own life: groceries, clothes, luxuries, vacations. And the people who sell those things are making less money, and then spending less money, too.

Something more complex is at work, too. Lenders started giving loans to someone who wanted to buy a house, and that person would sign a mortgage; so far, so good. But many lenders set up a system where they would sell that mortgage to groups of investors who pooled their money to buy it and make money off of it. The banks then turned around and immediately used the money they made from selling the mortgage to finance another mortgage, which they then sold.

The process is called securitization, but as more and more people stopped being able to pay their mortgages, the process was anything but secure. In fact, it fell apart.

Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, points to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They are government-sponsored enterprises, which means they are privately owned but are given support by the federal government (the government won’t let them fail). They are the largest vehicles for securities, or the buying of mortgages as investments.

What now? No one is quite sure. Even experts on the economy and finances don’t know what will end this recession. Efforts include a federal stimulus plan, talks with other countries, cutting interest rates, and bailouts for industries having a particularly hard time. Time will tell which attempts work and which don’t. Experts predict it will be at least next year before we start to see positive results — and it could very well be even longer.

Sources:
blogcritics.org/archives/2009/02/24/024107.php
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0
www.morebusiness.com/10-signs-recession
useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/f/Recession.htm
www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2006-08-23-july-sales_x.htm