AP - Hurricane Earl sideswiped North Carolina's Outer Banks early Friday, flooding the vacation islands but causing no injuries and little damage, then chugged up the Eastern Seaboard toward Cape Cod, a weaker but still dangerous storm.

AP - Private employers hired more workers over the past three months than first thought, a glimmer of hope for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend. But the unemployment rate rose because not enough jobs were created to absorb the growing number of people looking for work.

AP - Pakistani officials say the second suspected U.S. missile strike of the day has killed two people in the country's restive tribal region.

AP - A scientist has been detained at the Miami International Airport after screeners spotted a metal canister in his luggage that looked like a pipe bomb, prompting an evacuation, a government official said.

AP - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he saw and heard evidence that the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy is taking hold in critical Kandahar province.

AP - Fidel Castro dusted off his full military uniform for the first time since stepping down as president four years ago, a symbolic act in a communist country where little signals often carry enormous significance.

AP - An Indonesian volcano that was quiet for four centuries shot a new, powerful burst of hot ash more than 10,000 feet (three kilometers) in the air Friday, sending frightened residents fleeing to safety for the second time this week.

AP - Unlike the blast that led to the massive BP spill, the latest oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico killed no one and sent no crude gushing into the water.

AP - The first song Brooks & Dunn ever sang together has become their last.

AP - Ben Roethlisberger's suspension has been cut from six games to four by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The Pittsburgh Steelers' star quarterback met with Goodell early Friday and was told he could return on Oct. 17 against Cleveland.

Reuters - Concerns over Israeli access to BlackBerry data, and the use of the device by the United States to spy on the United Arab Emirates are behind the Gulf state's moves to curb the smartphone, Dubai's police chief said.

Reuters - U.S. employment fell for a third straight month in August, but the drop was far less than expected and private hiring surprised on the upside, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up economic growth.

Reuters - An oil and gas platform operated by Mariner Energy burst into flames in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, but the crew of 13 escaped and there were no signs of an oil spill, the Coast Guard said.

Reuters - Hurricane Earl slapped North Carolina's coast with rain, winds and heavy surf on Friday and swirled up the U.S. eastern seaboard toward New England and Canada as a much tamer storm than feared.

Reuters - BP Plc said the cost of dealing with its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had risen to $8 billion as the oil giant prepared to release the findings of an internal probe into the causes of the disaster.

Reuters - It wasn't what you would call a casual get-together.

Reuters - A suicide bomber struck a rally in the Pakistani city of Quetta Friday, killing up to 43 people in the second major attack this week, piling pressure on a government struggling with a flood crisis.

Reuters - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to a series of direct talks on Thursday, seeking to forge the framework for a U.S.-backed peace deal within a year and end a conflict that has boiled for six decades.

AFP - Israeli and Palestinian leaders have cleared the first hurdle in what promises to be difficult negotiations, vowing to try to settle core differences within a year and meet every two weeks.

AFP - British police questioned Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif on Friday as cricket's governing body insisted the case was not the tip of a corruption iceberg in the game.

Smoke now, cry about it later.

Some people who smoke say it feels good, but according to a new study, they're kinda wrong.

Teen smokers are actually more likely to be depressed, nervous and worried than nonsmoking teens.

Are cigarettes making them depressed? Maybe, maybe not. It might be that teens who choose to take up smoking are doing it because they're depressed to begin with.

But either way you explain it, I think this is good evidence that you can't smoke yourself happy. (At least nothing on this list looks happy to me.)

Related articles: 20 Fast Facts About Cigarette Smoking, What Just One Cigarette Can Do, I was Peer Pressured Into Smoking!

Are Teens Who Smoke Sadder Than You? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 01:54:32.

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The question: I texted my best friend Nik trying to be funny, but he told me to leave him alone, and that "you text me too much, and it's getting pretty old." I bawled my eyes out. I was depressed the rest of that day and the day after.

He is what I used to get away from my problems, and now he's gone. I honestly have two people left that I can go to with my problems - my mom and my friend Brittney. I have been thinking of cutting my wrists and I can't take it. How do go about trying to talk to him?

My answer: Your friend Nik asked you to give him some space, which isn't the same as asking you to get out of his life forever. It's not the end of the world.

But that doesn't mean you don't need to make some changes in this friendship...

Read the rest, and leave her your own advice!

From the Forum: My Friend Just Dumped Me! originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 02:44:30.

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The question: A month back, my best friend and I started getting all touchy-feely, and recently we lost our virginity to each other. Since then we have had sex a couple of times and I feel guilty for doing it afterwards. He told me to let it be and that we would control it the next time. But it kept on happening. Just being with him makes me forget all the reasons not to continue what we have. Now we don't even talk about it afterwards. We both know we can't handle a relationship right now, so there is no use trying.

Sometimes I feel like a whore for doing this. I want to walk away from this arrangement we have. But I can't. Or maybe I want to turn what we have into something substantial. I really don't know. Please help me!

My answer: Who cares about how good you feel when you're with him? When you're not with him (which is, let's face it, a much bigger part of your life), you feel guilty, confused and plain old terrible. Being physically intimate with someone can feel good - really good - but if it makes you feel...

Read the rest, and leave her your own advice!

From the Forum: I've Been Having Sex with My Best Friend! originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Saturday, August 28th, 2010 at 02:26:06.

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According to a new survey by the texting app textPlus, 43% of teens text in class.

Who are they texting with? Everyone from their parents (66%) to their friends who are sitting right there in class with them (52%), and very few of them (only about 1 in 5) get caught in the act.

I know it's frustrating to get a text that you feel like you can't answer, but is it really a big deal to hide your phone till the bell rings? Just because no one's busted you yet doesn't mean they won't. And no text in the world is worth getting your phone confiscated or worse.

Besides, the more attention you pay to your phone, the less attention you're paying to the actual class - and that means your homework will be harder and your test scores might be lower.

What do you think? Do you text in class? Does it bother you when your classmates do it?

Related articles: How Many Text Do You Send Every Day?, How Important Is That Text, Really?

Is it OK to Text in Class? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Thursday, August 26th, 2010 at 01:37:32.

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J.J. Abrams: ruining kissing games since 2010.

J.J. Abrams, the guy who created Lost, is working on a new movie called 7 Minutes in Heaven. The movie's premise is that a couple of teens go into the closet to make out with each other, only to discover when their 7 minutes is up that all of their friends have been murdered.

The site where I first read about this wondered if teens even play those kinds of games anymore. Based on all your first kiss stories, I can honestly say, um, yeah, you do.

The real question is, after seeing the movie and getting the bejesus scared out of you, will anyone ever play it again?

Related articles:

• First Kiss During 7 Minutes in Heaven
• First Kisses While Playing Truth or Dare
• First Kisses While Playing Spin the Bottle

You'll Never Play "7 Minutes in Heaven" Again originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 at 09:49:50.

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How to enjoy your music forever.

According to a new American Medical Association study, 1 in 5 American teens has hearing loss. If you spend a lot of time blasting music through your headphones, you're probably one of them.

I'm not saying this because I don't want you to enjoy your music. Shoot, it's actually the opposite. If you listen to it loudly and often enough, you'll permanently destroy all the teeny hairs (called cilia) in your ear canal - meaning that you won't be able to enjoy music at all.

You don't need to pawn your iPod. But the next time you use it, turn down the volume - or connect it to some speakers so the tunes aren't hitting so close to your eardrums.

And if someone asks you to turn it down, don't get all defensive. I know it doesn't feel like it, but they might be doing you a favor.

Related articles: What's Your Favorite Song?, What are Digital Drugs?

Is Your Music Too Loud? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 at 01:51:31.

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A visitor to the Teen Advice Forum (plus a whole lot of other teens) wants to know: is it OK to reveal your feelings when your crush is dating someone else?

My answer: no. It's totally unfair to the person your crush is dating (imagine if the tables were turned), plus it puts your crush in a very awkward spot, even if the feelings are mutual.

Wait until your crush is single to make your move. And if he or she never becomes single, then there's a pretty good chance that you couldn't bust up their relationship anyway.

Do you agree? Leave a comment, or share your advice with the girl who needs your help.

Related articles: What to Do if You're Crushing on Your Friend, 7 Signs Your Crush Likes You Back, How and When to Say "I Love You"

When You're Crushing on Someone Who's Unavailable originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 02:32:13.

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The first day of school is right around the corner (ugh, sorry to remind you).

You've probably got an official back-to-school shopping list, with stuff to buy like notebooks, calculators and boxes of Kleenex. (Do they still make people bring Kleenex every year? I never really understood that.)

Well, those shopping lists are all well and good, but what about the other stuff you'll want on your first day back - the stuff that no one tells you about?

Check my Back-to-School List for Teens Only. It'll prepare you for high school in ways that calculators and Kleenex can't.

The Other Stuff You'll Need on Your First Day Back originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Sunday, August 15th, 2010 at 02:28:29.

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Courtesy of Getty Images

If you haven't heard, Bristol Palin and and Levi Johnston split up. Again.

After being engaged for less than a month. And it was their second engagement.

You can't really blame them for all they've been through. They had to put up with an insane amount of media attention, the whirlwind of a national election, and the birth of a baby. (OK, the baby part was their fault.)

But even though the drama they've pulled lately - the lying about where they've been, the bitter accusations of cheating - made the national news, it doesn't seem that far off from the relationship drama that at least one couple at your school always seems to be pulling.

I'm talking about the on-again, off-again couple (OAOA, for short). They fight, they break up, they get back together and the cycle continues. Out of old habit, fear of being alone or a combination of the two, they refuse to give it up...even though everyone around them knows they should.

My advice is the same for Bristol and Levi as it would be for any OAOA: tell yourself it's over for good. Recognize that you'll be way happier once you finally get over each other and open your heart to someone who doesn't inspire so much fighting and anguish.

And the next time you break up with someone, recognize that there was a good reason for it and don't feel tempted to relive past mistakes.

(If you need some convincing, talk to your friends - they'll probably be happy to spare themselves any more of your drama.)

Related articles: 8 Reasons to Break Up With Someone, How to Get Over Your Ex, Why Do I Still Miss My Ex?

What's Up With On-Again, Off-Again Couples? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 02:30:36.

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Teen Advice member theater_lover asks in the Teen Advice Forum:

The question: If your girl is about 3 hours away at a different school, is it really that big of a deal? Is it just because you don't want to try and make it work versus just dating a girl that goes to your school?

My advice: If you only get to see each other every couple of months or so, and if the distance between you will last a long time, then you can't blame a guy (or girl) for getting frustrated or even giving up hope on a long distance relationship. Instead of getting angry or clinging to a relationship that's on the outs, you might want to consider taking a break and focusing on the people close to you. If you're really meant for each other, you'll meet up again at a different stage in life.

Ready to give theater_lover your own advice? Do it here!

From the Forum: Is Long Distance a Big Deal? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Monday, August 9th, 2010 at 02:50:28.

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