A look at ... school funding

Given the looming budget battle, I thought some of you would be amused by Tattoo cartoonist Justin Skaradosky's new cartoon at www.ReadTheTattoo.com. Skaradosky is a junior at Bristol Central High School.

The Tattoo got a little update today to add Justin's cartoon and a review of "The Bluest Eye" by Bristol Eastern junior Rachel Glogowski. (The cartoon, by the way, looks better on The Tattoo's website than it does here on Blogger.)

For those who don't know, The Tattoo is a teen-written, online newspaper that Jackie Majerus and I have been running since 1994. It's got young writers all over the world and has helped hundreds of teens get into college, win scholarships and learn to write better.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

ReadTheTattoo.com cartoon about Bristol

A new issue of The Tattoo is online now, with lots of wonderful stuff from teens as far away as Kabul, Afghanistan. But one cartoon in the issue is especially apt for Bristol readers so I figured I'd let you see it here:

You should, of course, go read the new issue at ReadTheTattoo.com.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Check out ReadTheTattoo.com sometime

It occurs to me that many of you reading this are probably unfamiliar with the teen-written newspaper that Jackie Majerus, my wife, and I run on the side. It's been around since 1994 -- starting off as a page in the Press but now just a popular internet site -- and has won reams of awards. If anything, it's deserved even more. It's far and away the best teen newspaper in the world -- and it started right here in Bristol.
Consider, for example, what The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding wrote: "The Tattoo has grown into a widely respected online teen newspaper with writers from around the world. The site is filled with articles on every topic of interest to teenagers. A great window into the adolescent world and worldview."
Or what ctnow.com had to say: "If you want to see into the minds of today's bright and funny young thinkers, spend some time with this Bristol-based publication. You can get a teen's -eye view of world politics, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, local events and sex."
The U.S. Embassy in Poland has even featured The Tattoo in a front page feature for its monthly newsletter about all things American.
I'm not touting The Tattoo for any reason other than I am insanely proud of the work all these young people have done for 13 years now. I want as many people as possible to see it. There's some phenomenal stuff there, much of it by Bristol teens.
Maybe sometime I'll point out some of the very best writing and cartoons they've done.
Check it all sometime at www.ReadTheTattoo.com.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

A new Tattoo issue online now

For those who don't know, Jackie Majerus and I edit an online, teen-written newspaper called The Tattoo that started in Bristol back in 1994. It's grown by leaps and bounds so that it now has writers and readers all over the world.
Its latest issue is online now, with another Hurricane Katrina journal entry from Samantha Perez, a cartoon from Justin Skaradosky, a heartwarming Father's Day tribute from Bristol's Molly Horan, and newcomer Norman Israel's inaugural piece about future pilot Aaron Gabriel in Jamaica.
If you haven't had a chance to read Samantha Perez's Katrina journal, it's high time that you grab a box of Kleenex and start at the beginning. Perez started writing her online diary for us while the winds were still howling in Louisiana, before she knew that her home was destroyed and her hometown outside of New Orleans almost completely ravaged. Hers is a heartbreaking tale of hope and courage, told with stunning detail and honesty. It's gripping, wonderful writing that takes a monster news event and turns it into something personal and real. You'll never forget it.
That's not to discount the rest, by the way. Horan lets us a see the hero in her quiet, unassuming father. Skaradosky has another terrific cartoon, which looks back to "Simpsons" writer Mike Reiss's recent talk with The Tattoo (catch that one, too, if you missed it the first time around) and Israel adds another installment to our "Introductions" of teens around the world.
You can see it all at www.ReadTheTattoo.com. We hope you'll poke around a bit and see what teens have been writing since our beginning back in 1994. The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding recently called The Tattoo "a widely respected online teen newspaper with writers from around the world," adding that its "site is filled with articles on every topic of interest to teenagers. A great window into the adolescent world and worldview."



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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com