Fashion brands are still very important to teenagers, but now they want to know where certain things

are made. They Want te know who made the products and if the company allows children to work. They want to know how many calones and what ingredients their foods have as well as how healthy they are. They are also more aware of how much things cost. Sorne teenagers have part-time jobs but most teenagers have allowances: this is a certain amount of money that parents give their children a week. The amount may vary, but the reality is that teenagers must find the most value fon their money. Now, companies know that teenagers have a growing purchasing power and they are also learning to spend their money more wisely these days. Companies target teenagers as their most important consumers because they know that teenagers will continue to buy their brands for very many years and become loyal clients. They have realized that teenagers are the consumers of the present and the future. Companies spend billions of dollars on commercials for teenagers. This is why teenagers must become more responsible about shopping and not let commercials influence their decisions. In 2008, a group of teenagers in South Los Angeles decided to boycott a fast-food hamburger restaurant because their menu did not give nutritional information. These teenagers wanted that information because there had been a problem with weight among young people in the community, A big percentage of the teenagers were overweight. The group of teenagers organized a public demonstration and invited their friends to join their action. The fast-food chain quickly decided to write the nutritional information and calorie content on their menus. They did not want to lose their young customers. Today, you will see calorie content on ah menus so that you can compare and choose the best option for you. Nowadays, teenagers do not buy things just because everyone at school has one. They are Iooking at things like quality, price, and durability among other things. They dont huy just anything; studies have shown that teenagers are most interested in footwear, clothing, music, mobile phones, and electronics as well as makeup, perfumes, and accessores. Of course, sorne interests and preferences are more important than others, depending on the teenagers culture, but teens are no longer easily fooled by clever marketing. More and more young peopie are researching ah the qualities of their favorite products before making a decision on what to buy. Teenagers today communicate with each other about which tennis shoes are more fashionable or Iess expensive. They discuss which mobile phone is going to iast longer ami where to get the best deals in music, clothes, computerS, MP3 playets, and games. It is common to see a group of friends at the mall or downtown discussing the results of ther Internet searches and trying to agree on where to go for a fun dinner or a concert.

Teenagers also use Internet sites that specialize in buying and selling and the classified ads in newspapers to buy and sell things. Research shows that 80 percent of teenagers who go onhine visit retail sites. This is an audience of between 12 to 15 million teenage shoppers. One site had 6.4 million teenage visitors in April 2006 and the number of visitors has increased since then. Of course, parents must give their permission for their children to do this because most countries have laws that say you must be over 18 to buy or seli Onhine. Msa, you need a credit card for shopping onhine and most teenagers dont have one net because they are too young. Many parents agree te give their permission because it also teaches meir teenage children how to find the best value for their rnoney. Another reason they go to these pages is Lo check peoples recomrnendatjons of the product; they mght not buy it Onhine, but they have a better idea of the characteristics of the product. A growing trend is buying music online. Songs and CDs also show comments and recommendations and it is faster and cheaper to buy online. Another way to decide where to buy is to compare the price of the same item in different locations. If you go to the mall, look for the item in various stores before you buy. Some departrnent store products are much more expensive than others because they have more fashionable brand names or the narne of the store is rather stylish. Many stores have interesting ways to suggest you should buy this product or the other. One of the most popular is using movie, music, or sports stars to recornmend items. You may find posters in the store or ads in magazines and newspapers showing a big colorfui picture of sorne famous footbail player saying, David Becks suggests you buy these sports products. With them you wili always win! Many famous people even have their own brand names of perfume, clothing, and shoes. The best advice young people can get is from friends. Teenager are always willing to share their shopping experiences.They know where to get the best ceil phones, the most fashionable clothes and shoes for the least money. They know, where to find the most delicious pizzas and the best restaurants for young people. Sometimes they post their ideas on social networks, but mostly, the information goes from friend to friend; this is called by word of mouth or the grapevine So, keep your eyes and ears open for those great deals and makel sure that you share your information with your friends. Young people usually help decide what changes there will be in buying and shopping habits, and even how much things should cost. Joaquin Murrieta, the dashing young outlaw who became famous throughout the whole American and Mexican nations in the 1800s has had a fantasy story that is partly true and partly fiction. At the peak of his career, he was described as tau, strong, and handsome with flashing black eyes and long curly hair. All women loved him and most men respected him, except for lawmen, of course, who were always after him. He was born in the small

mining town of Alamos in Sonora, Mexico. As a child he was loved by everyone in the town because at the age of six, he already knew how to charm the ladies. He was a chubby boy with long curly hair and the biggest black eyes the townspeople had ever seen on a child. Alamos was a mining town and most of the families were miners, hice Joaquins father, uncles and cousins. One day, when Joaquin was thirteen, he wanted to go up the mountain to meet bis father at the mine entrance. He decided to take a short cut, and on his way he found a round paved floor, placed mi the ground, with the most beautiful mosaic designs. In the middle of the circle there was a large hole, going straight down into the earth. Joaquin stood next to the hole, scratching his head, wondering what it was. Around the edge of the circle were the most beautiful iron benches he had ever seen. He sat on one of the benches for a rest, when suddenly an elderly gentieman seemed to appear from thin air, sitting on the opposite bench of the circle. Did you just come out of this hole in the ground? Joaquin asked. Ihe elderly gentleman only smiled. Joaquin studied him. He was a tali, thin man, with a welltrimmed beard and bright blue eyes. Surely, hes not fro Alamos Joaquin thought. His suit seemed to be from a different time and a different place. Of course, Joaquin couldnt know which time, but he know that it must be ancient. It suddenly occurred to him that the elderly gentleman wasnt real. If he were real, he would talk to me; he thought. It was almost as if the gentleman could hear his thoughts. He got up, sat next to Joaquin and said, If I were not real in this moment, you woulctn be able to see me:Who are you? Joaqun asked. I am your great grandfathet And I am here to give you a gift This gift comes from all your ancestors, as we know that you will put it to good use. Now Joaquin felt fear. This meant that the gentleman stranger surely wasnt real. Do not be afraid of your destiny Joaquin said the old man. There are great things for you to do, but many people will see them as terrible and want to get rid of you, he continued. Of course, Joaquin was very confused but he decided that he would let the old man continue his story. Surely, he was mad. The gentleman explained that there was no gold or silver left in the mines. That meant he would have to leave Alamos and seek he fortune to the North. He also toid him that his gift was the ability to be in many places at the same time and that he would receive this ability when the time came that he would need it. He also said that there would be a loss of somebody dear to him. Having said all of this, he got up and walked away, into the mountain.

Joaquin tried to explain to his family what had happened, but nobody believed him, The only person who would listen was Rosita, his childhood friend. After sorne time, he

wondered if the whole incident had really happened. He tried to find the circie on the ground again, but it was gone, so he forgot the incident. A few years Jater, Joaquin Murrieta married Rosita Flix. At that time, he was working in the mine, and he was an excellent miner, but every year there seerned to be less and Iess gold or silver until there came the day when it was closed down. At the same time that the mine was closed, the newspapers reported that there was gold in California and that thousands of people were already rushing to get there first and stake their claims. Joaquin did not have to think too much about the decision. He took his wife and set off to California. When they arrived, Joaquin staked their claims for a mine and immediately became successful. He had always been an excellent mner and had a good intuition when it carne to finding gold. He built a small house for himself and Rosita, and one of his brothers came to help him work the mine.

Unfortunately, there were many miners who had not had any ludk and had been there much longer than Joaqun. These were greedy men and it was a wild time in California. Sufficient men of law, or sheriffs, hadnt arrived yet. One afternoon, a group of men went to Joaquins house and killed bis family. He was left to die, bat managed to survive. When he saw Rosita and his brother dead, his heart broke into many pieces. He blamed himself for bringing them to this place. Joaquin never went back to mining. It was to painful for him. He decided to become an outlaw and robbed the gold and silver that was transported from the mines to the banks in the cities. He wasnt interested in keeping the money, so he began to give it away to the poor people and send it back to Alamos. He asked his relatives to build a big ranch and uve there, keeping a room reserved for his frequent visits. Many people in California and Mexico started calling him the Mexican Robin Hood.

Suddenly there were reports of his robberies in two places it the same time. Thi s is impossible. It must be a different Joaquin, people said. So, they would give another last name, .such as Carrillo or Valenzuela, to one of them. The reports continued to multiply until there were five famous Joaquins all with different last names. There could be five

robberies happening at the same time, in different places, and all of them were reported to have been carried out by Joaquin Murrieta. By 1853, he became one of the Five Joaquins that the Governor of California said existed in those areas. However whether he was one, or five as his great grandfather said he could be, we will never be really certain. Of what we can be certain is that the California newspapers reported that he died in a gunfight near Pacheco Pass in San Benito County on July 25 th, 1853, A few years later, people reported that they had seen him in different parts of California, not once, but many times. He was seen the most in his native Alamos. of course people there werent that willing to let the whole world know that he had linally gone home to rest. It is believed that he died in peace at tis in Alamos, where even today you can see his ghost walking hand in hand with Rosita.