"teen kids news" is on now, and here's what we've got. >> we'll have expert advice on one of the biggest first steps teens have to take -- finding a job. >> find out what modern medicine might learn from a community that lives life the old fashioned way. >> every state has one, but no two are the same. we'll reveal our "true colors" as we "raise" your awareness about the magnificent flags of our 50 states. >> i'll have a pop quiz that might save you from getting sick! >> a million dollars or pennies? i'll have what teens chose. >> and much more, next on "teen

kids news." welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. here's our top story for this week. >> when the american economy gets a cold, teens get the flu, and the recent recession is no exception. jobs for teens get a lot harder to find -- just when we need them the most. so it's more important than ever to put your best foot forward, as siena reports. >> were you left "on the beach" instead of "on the job" last time you looked for a job? >> i would like to find a job, but i don't think i have very good chances. >> i'm trying to find a job for the summer -- >> i have tried multiple times, and i have received one job, but i no longer have it any more. >> according to government

statistics, the summer job market for teens took a huge "dive" when the recession hit in 2009. by the summer of 2010, one in three teens could not find a job. >> employers learn to make do with less when not as many customers are coming into their stores. so that means they're hiring fewer people, and unfortunately it's teenagers that bear the brunt of that sometimes. >> the same factors affect jobs during the rest of the year, too. but that doesn't mean you should give up if you need to make money after school. >> by continuing to apply, and by trying different avenues to find that first job, you can still be successful, even in this environment. >> kristen is a researcher for the first jobs institute. it's an organization that encourages teens to start on the path toward becoming a corporate leader in the future. >> and we do this by showing them that the corporate leaders of today have usually gotten their starts in pretty modest means. and eventually worked their way to the top because of the skills they learned in that first job. >> to get that all important first job, kristen recommends you avoid a common mistake.

don't limit your search. look online, look in the newspapers, check your city or town hall, and talk to everyone who might help. one of the best things you should do is ask your friends and family to keep an eye out for you. if you can afford to gain experience without a paycheck, consider an internship as a foot in the door. choose a field you're interested in like health care or government, and find out if you can work for free. whether going for an internship, or a paying job, you'll need to create a resume, even if you have never worked before. just because you have no job experience doesn't mean you have no items you can put on your resume. if you already have volunteer experience, that can be included. so can special skills like being good with computers, or having a musical talent. one important thing is whether you play a sport. that shows that you can show up to practices on time, and participate in a team setting. >> in this job market, you might wind up falling back on g a

neighbor's lawn, but treat those customers with respect as well, because they'll be good references when you're trying for a job with a steady paycheck. >> stay with us, there's lots more still to come, on "teen kids news." >> we'll be right back. w strong. with a unique formula w strong. that complements my lashes' natural growth cycle. 96% saw instantly longer lashes. this is the start of something big. revlon growluscious mascara.

>> most of us are familiar with the history and significance of the american flag, but there are 50 other flags in our nation that many of us don't know much about. kristen helps "unfurl" the mystery. >> we see them all the time. in schools, on municipal buildings, at special events, but how often do we actually stop to take a closer look at our state flags? >> i'm from new york, and i

don't really know what the flag looks like. >> i'm from south carolina and it's a palmetto tree with a crescent moon on it. >> we live in missouri and my state flag is a crest in the middle with two bears on the sides in the crest. >> randy howe is a teacher, and author of the book "flags of the fifty states." his fascination with flags began when he was just a boy. >> i went on a trip around the country, and one stop was mount rushmore, and i was looking forward to seeing the presidents, but i was struck by, as you walk up to the monument, you see the fifty states represented by their flags, and it was really dramatic. >> so dramatic in fact, randy decided right then and there that he wanted to learn more about each flag. >> they were fluttering in the breeze and that piqued my interest, and also a general interest in u.s. history -- understanding how these 50 states came together as a country, the different things that were important to each of the 50 states, and often times they're really well represented

in those flags. where you have these 50 states put together to form a country, and of course we could all fly the american flag, and all states do, but it's very important for the people of each state to have a symbol that they can feel proud of, that they feel represents their state. >> of course, flags aren't unique to our country. they've been flying over other nations of the world for centuries. >> it goes back three to four thousand years, and actually the first flags didn't use material at all. they were either wooden poles or metal -- made of metal, and the first one they found, or the oldest one they found was in iran, and that's about 3,000 years old. and there would be a carving at the top of the pole, and that was used as an identification marker. eventually, they added material to these poles. it looked more dramatic on horseback or on a ship at sea -- and that's really how flags came about the way we know them today. >> there was a practical side to

flags as well. >> but even before there were nations and states, you had monarchs who liked to send their knights out to battle with some sort of identification marker. not only is it a point of pride, but that way you didn't kill all the other knights who were on your same side. you could tell apart friend and foe. >> so, what makes one flag more distinctive than another? >> what you need most importantly is a flag that is both symbolic and simple. color is important. you need to be able to tell which flag you're looking at from a great distance. >> in the course of his research, randy discovered that a flag's design was often determined by the history and geography of its state. >> one good example of that would be the states in the west, far west. where, for example, mining was a big part of the development of nevada. you had the comstock load was

the largest silver mine at that time in the world and they chose to put a silver star on their flag. there is a copper star on the flag of arizona. that's because the world's largest copper mines were found in arizona. >> and sometimes states created flags just because -- well, just because they needed one! like to fly on a ship for instance. it was in arkansas that the u.s.s. arkansas was commissioned, and then somebody realized they don't have a flag of arkansas to fly on this ship. we better design a flag! >> we'll have more fascinating flag facts in future programs. so stay tuned, maybe one of them will be yours! >> coming up, i'll take you behind the scenes at the yankees press room. color day after day? not me. new revlon top speed™ nail enamel. cool color with a built-in topcoat that sets in just 60 seconds. with revlon you can change your mind again, and again, and again. new revlon top speed™ nail enamel.

this season, we were invited to do some behind-the-scenes reporting on the new york yankees. here's this week's segment. >> ever wonder what it's like to be a journalist covering major league baseball? i'll show you. we're here in the press box with brian, who works for yankees.com. so brian, what do you do? well, i'm the yankees v reporter. anything that's happening around the team, falls under my responsibility. any news, information, games, trades, profile stories on players, and whatever you want to know about the yankees. do you have a new story everyday? >> yeah, we have actually many new stories everyday. >> so there's always something new, and always something interesting. >> so what are your tools of the trade? >> pen and paper, obviously, tape recorder, cell phone, and pretty much just your standard laptop computer. >> so can you show me how it happens? >> yeah. we'll talk to the players and we'll get our stories, and then i'll come back up to the press box and write, and i'll save that file and send it off to the office. and they put everything on the internet for us.

do you want to give it a shot? >> sure! ok, the yankees are a baseball team. >> let's send this story off. >> do you ever get nervous when you're about to hit the send button? >> i actually get excited when i hit the send button. you know, i'm excited to get it out there so i can get some feedback about it. it sent off! >> yay! we're here in the dugout with still photographer jim petrozello. so jim, what do you do? >> i do a few different kinds of photography for the yankees. one is shooting the action stuff, you know that's all the stuff in the game. i do portraits of the players, and i also do feature stories for yankees magazine, as well as the yearbook. >> so what are the tools of the trade? it changes, but right now i've got, uh, two camera bodies, one lens here, another one here. a flash, all kinds of memory cards, extenders. >> how much does it weigh? >> pick this up, try it out. >> oh my gosh!

that's way heavier than i thought it was. >> yeah, it's not light. >> so how do you get that perfect shot? >> you really have to be attuned to a lot of the subtleties, kind of anticipate where the play is gonna be, and you learn the players' different quirks. >> about how many pictures would you take during a game? >> oh i will take anywhere from 1,200 to 2,000 pictures during a game. yeah, and it's not a lot of fun editing through all of those pictures in the end. >> do they ever pose for the camera? >> once in a while, yeah, they'll kind of come right up to ya, they like to do that, they like to get right in your face. >> will you show me how to shoot your camera? >> yeah, of course. look right through here, so whenevere ready. there you go. >> oh! that was way faster than i expected it to take. >> yeah, this camera does 10 pictures every second. >> wow! well that's how you get your 2,000 photos. >> that's how -- yeah, and that's also how you get those great action shots.

>> we're here with joey, one of the producers from yankees magazine, and we're gonna find out what he does. >> well, we do everything it takes to make a television show, from interviewing players, and videoing them in the batting cages, when they're on the field. basically everything the yankees do, we put it on tv. >> how often is the show put out? >> the show is a weekly show, and it's all year round. >> how do you think of stories during the off-season? >> a lot of the players have a lot of charities and events that they do. we also do in-home visits to show the players off the field. >> so what are the tools of the trade? >> we set up the lights, we set up the microphone, we set up the camera, we make sure the background looks nice, and then we wait. >> so what does it look like when you're waing? >> sometimes i do a little bit of this, then maybe this. when we really get bored, it's like this, and then the guys will walk by and you make the sad face too, like, what are you doing? i'm waiting. >> that's it, that's pretty good. i'll have my agent call your people. stay in school.

take your vitamins. >> they get some of the best seats in the stadium, they get to meet the players and they even get paid to watch the games. there's no doubt about it, being a member of the media that covers the yankees is a dream job. for teen kids news, i'm nicole. >> your answers to a money puzzle, coming up!

>> they live in a world apart, right in the middle of america. the amish today live much like our great great grandparents did more than 100 years ago. and while they tend to avoid many of the modern things we take for granted, a new study suggests the amish might have something to teach the rest of us about healthy living. joey tells us more. >> if you have ever traveled in amish country in pennsylvania, ohio and indiana, you know this familiar sight. these religious communities strive to live simply, avoiding

contemporary conveniences like cars and even electricity. their beautiful farms, along with their crafts and furniture, attract a big tourist industry, but the amish keep away from mainstream culture. that separation could be healthy. a recent study at the ohio state university's found the amish have much lower rates of cancer than the rest of us. in fact, 40% lower for many types of cancer! researchers at james cancer hospital were surprised. cancer runs in families, and amish communities are closely related to one another, but instead of passing along cancer genes, they seem to be passing along good health! >> they may have some genetic factors that actually protect them from cancer that we just don't know what they are. >> to find out more, this young doctor is an important connection. the amish don't generally talk to outsiders, but andy yoder is an insider. he's part of an amish family, and though he left the community

to go to medical school, he still goes home to visit. he says he'd be comfortable working with the amish, to find out more about their medical history. >> because of me coming from that community, and speaking their language -- pennsylvania dutch -- they would trust me, and i think it would open up a lot of doors. and each door could lead to a lot of information. they might not have much contact with the outside world, but they do know what's going on with their neighbors. that's how the researchers from ohio state were able to conduct their cancer study. >> the amish take social networking to a high degree, but they don't do it with computers. they do it by chatting and letters, and talking with folks after church. so they know pretty well what's going on in their community and their extended family. by interviewing just 92 families, we actually covered 90% of the existing population in the county. >> the researchers think they

already know the reason why the amish have low rates of skin cancer -- their wide brimmed hats and long sleeved clothing protect them from the sun. they're also protecting their health with fresh food from their farms and active lives. they don't go to the gym, which would be good to get aerobic exercise, but they're all working on farms and factories and construction. so they do heavy labor, so they're not sedentary. and the amish avoid tobacco use. so while we might not share their genes, we can all join in their healthy choices. >> all right, young america. what's your opinion? we'll find out in speak of the week. >> here's a money question for you -- if you could have a penny a day doubled everyday for a month, or a million dollars up front, what would you choose?

>> a penny a day, because i wouldn't have the temptation to spend it all in one place. >> penny doubled everyday, because in the end, you'll get more money. >> penny a day doubled every day, because it all adds up in the end. >> a million dollars. >> a million dollars up front. >> actually, a penny doubled every day for a month with 31 days comes out to $10,737,418.40! i had a bad answer, that's what i think! >> oh! i did not know that! >> i guess it pays off to do the math!

>> you might be looking forward to a big game, a big test or a big date. if you get sick, that could be a big problem, but there's something you can be doing several times a day to protect yourself.

wash your hands! and before you say "well, duh," see how you do on adrian's quiz. >> we all know we're supposed to keep our hands free of germs, but you might be shocked to find out how often we don't wash our hands. a recent survey found only 1 in 3 people washes after coughing or sneezing. do you? >> well when i cough and sneeze, i usually do, because it's so important to be sanitary, but it depends what situation i'm in. >> not quite -- the experts say there should be no exceptions! >> every time you cough or sneeze, viruses, bacteria, and germs that live in the saliva of your mouth and nose simply get sprayed all over your environment. you then pick up a book, touch an elevator button, use a keyboard that is a communal keyboard and those germs get transmitted from your hands to a communal object. another person comes and touches that object and then they touch their nose and then the next day

they're sick. the most common method of transmission of a cold is a non-infected person rubbing their nose or face after touching an object used by a person with a cold. that's why public health experts have been telling us to sneeze and cough into our elbows. but for most activities, you need your hands. when do you wash them? you know you should wash up after using the restroom, and before preparing food. but do you wash your hands everytime after petting an animal? how about after handling money? >> i don't wash my hands after handling money. >> a survey finds one in five people wash their hands after touching money which is why it is so germy. >> a simple $1 bill lasts for approximately 18 months. during those 18 months that $1 bill has s touched by thousands of people. people do not wash their hands after sneezing and people who do

not wash their hands after using the bathroom. people who have handled raw meat p.m. everybody touches the money and mob actually thinks about washing their hands after touching money. money is one of the filthiest things we have out there. >> okay, you're getting the point. we need to wash more often. but how long is long enough? ten seconds? 15 to 20 seconds? or a full minute?! >> i consider myself a fairly hygienic person so i would wash my hands for like a minute, just lathering. lathering my hands under the running water. >> well, a gold star for him! but the experts recommend at least 15 to 20 seconds, about as long as it takes for a slow chorus of happy birthday, or some other familiar tune. you have to wash them long enough to say the abc's, and you definitely want to actually get in there, don't just rub the soap against your two fingers, rub in between your fingers, rub

the tops of your hands, rub your wrists as well. remember louis pasteur? he was the french scientist in the 1800's who made the connection between germs and illness. once he realized microbes existed, he refused to shake hands, or touch door knobs without gloves. does all this sound obvious to you? well,i'm sorry to report that a recent survey of students found about half of them don't wash their hands after the bathroom. i think that's disgusting. everyone should definitely wash their hands after going to the bathroom. i mean you should wash off anytime you do something. i mean it's called, like, responsibility. okay, we know you're not performing surgery, but just as doctors scrub up before they head to the operating room, you need to think about protecting yourself, and the people and food you touch. >> experts recommend warm water and soap. hand sanitizers are okay in a pinch, but they don't replace the real thing. lather up!

>> that wraps up our show, but we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." >> thanks for joining us, and have a great week! write to us at --