Check out these culture snapshots pulled from the next issue of YouthWorker Journal.
Star Wars: The Babies Awaken
Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a powerful influence on the box office when it was released late last year. Now it’s having a powerful influence in maternity wards, too. Two names from the movie—Rey and Kylo—are moving quickly up on the list of America’s most popular baby names, rocketing up 83 and 67% on the respective girls’ and boys’ list, respectively, according to Babycenter.com.
“(Rey is) a fierce warrior, a Jedi master. If you’re looking for a strong girl’s name that embodies power but still sounds beautiful, you can’t do much better than Rey,” Linda Murray, Babycenter global editor-in-chief, said on Today.com. “I was surprised by the rise in interest in Kylo because the character Kylo Ren is such a negative force, but some parents may be attracted to the power and the darkness in this name.” (Time)
These Two <em>The Force Awakens</em> Characters Are Inspiring <em>Star Wars</em> Baby Names
Little Sleep Equals Big Risks
High schoolers who have poor sleep habits are more likely to take unnecessary, often dangerous risks, according to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study was based on a series of surveys taken by more than 50,000 high schoolers between 2007 and 2013. Many of those teens—nearly seven out of every 10, in fact—struggled to get enough sleep, and that led to poor decisions. For instance, students who only got five or six hours of sleep a night were twice as likely to have driven while intoxicated in the previous month.
But for the rare teen that gets too much sleep—say, 10 or more hours a night—the problems are actually just as great. (Fox News)
Social Media Going to the Dogs
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, so it’s little wonder that some of social media’s top stars come from the world of canines.
Many proud pooches are gathering hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. And with more and more companies turning to social media to find their next hip, hot-dog spokesmammal, it’s little wonder that some are barking up this particularly shaggy tree.
The Dog Agency—a full-time firm run by Loni Edwards—is now representing many of these famous four-footed Fidos. She says that dogs with Instagram followings of 150,000-250,000 can earn as much as $3,000 for a single product-placement post.
“With dogs, you’re reaching men, women, kids, grandparents,” Edwards says. “They just have this wide appeal.” She adds that pooches never have trouble using their brand to shill for someone else’s product. “The dogs are creating content, which is what they like to do,” she says. (Wall Street Journal)
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-dog-agency-fetches-ad-dollars-for-popular-pooches-1459940400?tesla=y