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Welcome to Teen Kids News. I'm Livia. Here's our top story for this week. Technology keeps us more connected. But is it also pushing us further apart? Ellie gets advice on high-tech etiquette. All right, America. What are good manners? Good manners are when you say "please" and "thank you." Saying "thank you" and opening doors for others. Elbows off the table while you're eating. Being polite to people, you know. Just...not being rude. Most of us know what good manners are. But listen to this: When it comes to using digital devices, three out of four people believe good manners today are as out-of-date as Myspace. So, is social media encouraging bad behavior? Daniel Post Senning authored Manners in a Digital World. Hi. Hi. It's good to be with you. Daniel, we're brought up to believe in having good manners. Has technology changed that? Absolutely not. Good manners are still important today. Treating people with consideration, with respect, with honesty are the cores for all good behavior. Those stay the same, no matter what time or age we live in. What are examples of things teens are doing-- or not doing--that would be considered inappropriate? One thing that I hear the most about is people using cell phones inappropriately. Sometimes that's texting at the dinner table or talking on the phone when you've got a captive audience. Maybe it's in the checkout line or an elevator or even in a bathroom. Using a cell phone in a public bathroom? I could see how that could be disturbing. Can you explain where the word "etiquette" comes from? Sure. The word "etiquette" is a French word meaning "little signs." It comes from the age of King Louis. He invented an elaborate system to keep his nobles busy at court. To keep track of all of the expected behaviors, they developed little tickets to exchange with each other so they'd know what to do in certain situations. They called these social cues "etiquettes." It now means what is appropriate in a certain situation. Okay. Let's talk about some of these little signs. When it comes to cell phones, what are some suggestions for proper etiquette? There are etiquettes all around us in today's modern world. Maybe one coffee shop lets you use your cell phone, but another wants to keep a social environment, where people interact face-to-face. They might post a sign saying, "No cell phones, please." It's important that we observe etiquettes, like a theater not allowing texting during a movie, or a restaurant not permitting cell phones. Is this a teen problem, or are adults guilty as well? Oh, this is absolutely not just a teen problem. Something like six out of every ten teens say they've witnessed their parent using rude behavior on a cell phone-- using it at a movie or while driving-- something that's inappropriate. Oftentimes, the digital natives who've grown up with these technologies really understand the best practices, but it's something we all need to keep thinking about. I never thought of my generation as being "digital natives," but it makes sense. Any final words of advice? Absolutely. I remind all of my audiences to think about how they take pictures and how they share pictures. With everybody having cameras attached to their phones, learning how to respect privacy and figure out when it's not appropriate to take and post pictures is an important skill for us to develop. If you're with friends and think it'll be okay, ask first, and then you know it's okay. Thanks for speaking with us. You're welcome. Good to be here. By the way, Daniel is the great-great-grandson of Emily Post. For decades, Emily Post was the recognized American authority on etiquette. Long before the smartphone was invented, here's how she defined good manners. "Manners are a sensitive awareness "of the feelings of others. "If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use." If she were around today, I guess she'd add, "No matter what digital device you use." Coming up, I'm going to tell you how one kid's sports blog is a home run. While a lot of kids play sports, not too many write about them, let alone professionally. Scott reports on a teen who does both.

(Scott) When he was 12 years old, Matt Nadel decided to start a blog about baseball. I started that because a lot of people in my school, when I talked about baseball history, they didn't know about it. I decided to teach them with a blog.

(Scott) At 15, Matt's blog not only has over 125,000 followers, but he's also one of the youngest sportswriters ever. Matt thinks this success is due to one thing: history. Sports bloggers usually talk about current stuff, and what makes me unique is that I talk about history and just giving my opinion and talking about what I like to talk about.

(Scott) Not content with his success, Matt has also started a video blog channel on YouTube. Hey, baseball fans. Matt Nadel here, "Baseball with Matt," live from Springfield, New Jersey, at the newly renovated "Baseball with Matt" studio.

(Matt) It's basically just me giving information maybe about baseball history. It's usually stuff about current baseball. Prediction number 1B: Masahiro Tanaka, the newly acquired pitcher from Japan by the New York Yankees, will have a very good 2014 pitching season.

(Scott) Through his blog, Matt has been able to interview some of baseball's greatest players, as well as some other big baseball fans. Red Sox all-star Fred Lynn, Hall of Famer Jim Palmer for the Orioles, Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, Goose Gossage, Rickey Henderson. I also interviewed Phil Niekro and Rollie Fingers.

(Matt) Why do you think the statistic of the save was added to the MLB in 1967? I think just something to give relief pitchers a statistic...

(Scott) If that isn't enough, Matt also has interviewed movie star Billy Crystal and former president George W. Bush. Of course, their former or current jobs weren't necessarily about baseball, but George Bush used to own the Texas Rangers, Billy Crystal was a huge Yankee fan, both of which were great conversations to have.

(Scott) Along with his blog and video blog

Matt wrote a book titled Amazing Aaron to Zero Zippers about the A's to Z's of baseball history. Basically, it's an alphabet book, so it's 26 chapters-- basically, they're letters-- of just any aspect of baseball history, whether it be a player, a team, a moment, a stadium, an era.

(Scott) With the help of Summer Game Books, Matt will donate all proceeds to charities involved with baseball. Those four charities are the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the Lou Gehrig Foundation for A.L.S. patients, the Hall of Fame's charity, and then Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation.

(Scott) Although he might be a Yankee fan at heart, Matt is really a fan of baseball.

[crowd cheering]

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Clearly a kid with a bright future ahead of him. Check out Matt's blog at baseballwithmatt.blogspot.com. Or, for his video blog, search Matt Nadel on YouTube. It's no secret: teens today are more stressed than ever. While we can't avoid things like grades, tests, and social pressures, we can learn to deal with the stress they cause. As Emily reports, one technique is Yoga.

[mellow music playing]

With me is Brenda Schnable. She's a yoga therapist. Hi. Hi, Emily. So, what exactly is yoga? It's a mind-body practice that was created about 8,000 years ago in ancient India. And how can yoga help us deal with stress? Yoga helps you on a physical, mental, and emotional level, builds your self-confidence, and when you feel more confident physically and mentally, you don't get stressed out as easy. And it helps build awareness of what's important to you and what triggers your stress, so that when you see yourself in that situation, you can walk away from the drama. Interesting. When I get stress, I feel it in my neck and shoulders. How can yoga help with that tightness? That's common, 'cause we all get stressed and our shoulders creep up, especially when looking at a computer and our eyes are strained. The first thing you need to do is relax those shoulders down. Yeah. And then stretch all sides of your neck. Take your chin to your chest and gently roll side to side to stretch the side of the neck. And to stretch the front and back and shoulders, bring the chin to the chest and the back of the hands together. Inhale and open the arms out to the sides. Squeeze the shoulder blades together, lift the chin, and exhale. Stretch the back of the neck again. When you open up, stretch the front of the throat. How does that feel? Good. I'm already feeling less stressed. Awesome! Thank you. You're welcome. With "Yoga and You," I'm Emily. Don't go away. We've got lots more still to come on Teen Kids News. We'll be right back. Many teens may be doing something that's actually putting their teeth at risk. Jacelyn tells us more. We see them on TV and the shelves of the local drugstore-- strips that whiten your teeth. Is that a good idea? Dr. Gerry Curatola teaches dental students how to become dentists. Hi, Doc. Hi. Thanks for having me again. Great. We all want a smile with nice, white teeth. Should we use whitening strips? First let me say, anyone younger than 16 years of age should not be using any whitening products, because these products make the enamel of your teeth porous, and your teeth are still developing younger than 16 years of age. They have large nerves. Some are even still forming the roots of the teeth. Damage could be done. So what if you're over 16? If you're older than 16, there are several options. I would recommend that you visit your dentist and consult with your parents for two types of systems that are the most effective. Your dentist can whiten you while you're in the dental office safely by isolating the gums and putting a white gel on your teeth. Sometimes we use a light to activate this gel which whitens the teeth. Another system which is very popular is your dentist can take a mold of your teeth and make this clear tray. A gel can be placed, and it's worn while you're sleeping. Why are some people's teeth not as white as other people's teeth? Are they not brushing properly? No. It has nothing to do with brushing. Most people that have yellower teeth actually may have a thinner layer of enamel on their teeth, allowing the dentin, which is the layer underneath the enamel, to shine through, and that's yellower in color. Other people may have taken antibiotics when they were younger, which can cause a discoloration. There are many reasons why teeth are yellower that have nothing to do with brushing. Brushing is important because you remove surface stains of the teeth, but the natural color of your teeth could be due to many different things. Fascinating. Dr. Curatola, once again thank you so much. My pleasure. Now you know the truth about what not to put on you tooth. "Teeth" doesn't rhyme as well. Human brains tend to be bigger among people who live closer to the North or South Pole. It's about the brain power needed to see well in the dark. Those folks get around more easily during the long nights. It was the most tragic war in American history. I'll take you to where it all started. It's one thing to read about the American Civil War, but as Alexa reports, it's more exciting when you can touch it.

(Alexa) These people are preparing to take a trip back into history. We're in Charleston Harbor along the east coast of South Carolina. From here, ferries carry tourists to one of our nation's most important Civil War sites: Fort Sumter.

(man) Southern states are becoming very dissatisfied with the federal union. South Carolina is the first state to secede as a direct response to Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860.

(Alexa) One of the Confederacy's first acts is to seize all federal forts in the South. In Charleston, Union troops under Major Anderson are stationed at Fort Moultrie.

(Johnson) Fort Moultrie was in bad shape. Built in 1809, it was only one level high.

(Alexa) In the night, soldiers secretly rowed out to Fort Sumter, which was under construction.

(Johnson) Anderson and his men moved to Sumter, the newest fort in Charleston Harbor. It's three stories tall. It will be a state-of-the-art structure upon completion, and it's most defensible with a mile of water on all sides. For South Carolina militia units to attack, they'd have cross a mile of water. We're standing outside of the sally port, or the entrance, to Fort Sumter. We're on the granite wharf where Anderson and his men would have landed on the night of December 26, 1860.

(Alexa) For over three months, Anderson and his men peaceably held the fort. Then on April 12, the Confederate general Beauregard gave the command to open fire.

[cannons firing]

This is a weapon the rebs would have used to bomb the fort. This is a 10-inch mortar, a small cannon with a high trajectory used to shoot over the walls of a fortification. A similar model fired the first shot of the Civil War.

[cannon fires]

(Johnson) We're inside of a casemate. A casemate is a gun room. It would have had one gun inside, as you can see. This fired off a 42-pound cannonball. It's likely that this cannon was here during the first bombardment of the Civil War and may have participated in it. It might have been active from April 12 to April 13, 1861, firing at Confederate forts in Charleston Harbor.

(Alexa) To give the huge cannons a wider range of fire, they're mounted on wheels.

(Johnson) Each cannon runs on a traverse rail to move it.

(Alexa) Anderson and his men held out for 34 grueling hours. People in Charleston watched the fighting from rooftops and along the harbor. A cease-fire was finally arranged. Lowering the U.S. flag, the Union soldiers were allowed to leave with honor. But the story of Fort Sumter didn't end there. It becomes the target of another, even more devastating attack.

I'll tell you about that when Teen Kids News returns. Alexa continues her report on the battle that started America's most tragic war.

(Alexa) After the rebs forced the Union to abandon Fort Sumter, the Confederate flag flew over the fort. But as the tide turned in favor of the North, Charleston came under siege. Time and again, the Union tried to capture the fort, but the defenders wouldn't give up. The turning point finally came on July 18, 1863, when Union forces attacked Fort Wagner on nearby Morris Island. And the 54th Massachusetts Regiment leads this attack. The 54th Massachusetts was untried in battle. They're an all-black regiment that was raised up in Boston.

(Alexa) After seven attempts, the Union finally dislodges the defenders. From Fort Wagner, they battered the rebs into submission. They bombarded Fort Sumter for 22 months, beginning in 1863 and ending in February 1865. So, it's the longest siege during the Civil War, the longest siege in U.S. military history, and they bombarded Fort Sumter so heavily that they shot away the top two levels of the fort. All the damage was inflicted on the walls between 1863 and 1865 while the Confederate Army was here. Wherever you see pockmarks, that's where projectiles bounced off the walls. You'll see huge holes where projectiles became embedded in the walls and blew up, and then there are still projectiles stuck in the fort's walls. We fly six flags over Fort Sumter, and the big one that we have up there, is our current 50-star United States flag. We fly five additional historic flags that would have flown over the fort during that war. That's the same flag that flew here during the first bombardment from April 12 to April 13, 1861. It has 33 stars. Seven states had withdrawn from the Union in 1861, but they remained on the U.S. flag, as was Lincoln's policy, because secession was not recognized. To the right is the Stars and Bars, the first national flag of the Confederacy. In the middle is the South Carolina state flag. Then you have the second national flag of the Confederacy, called the Stainless Banner, which became the national flag in 1863. The first national flag resembled a U.S. flag. This one wouldn't be mistaken for a U.S. flag. On February 18, 1865, Charleston was reclaimed by the U.S. Army when the Civil War ended in Charleston Harbor. That flag went up at war's end, and it has 35 stars. Two states were added to the flag during the Civil War, including West Virginia, which had seceded from Virginia to join the Union, and also Kansas.

(Alexa) Although the army made repairs the fort never saw action again. In 1948, it became a national monument and is managed by the National Park Service. There's a museum with interesting exhibits to tell you more about the history of Fort Sumter. And if you're interested in the history of baseball, here's some interesting trivia. Abner Doubleday, who has long been credited as the inventor of baseball, was stationed here in 1861. He was one of the 85 men who participated in the first bombardment. However, historians do not have evidence that baseball was ever played inside the fort. What is suspicious is that Fort Sumter is five-sided-- shaped like home plate is in baseball, and there have always been legends that home plate was designed after Fort Sumter's shape. Sounds pretty convincing to me. Here's another bit of trivia. After the North recaptured Fort Sumter, Major Anderson returned. He was given the honor of once again raising the flag over the fort-- the same flag he'd been forced to lower when he surrendered the fort four years earlier. We'll see you next time on Teen Kids News. Thanks for watching. Have a great week.

(girl) Write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com. Here's a shout-out to PR Newswire for including Teen Kids News on their big screen in Times Square, New York City. Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.