THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, September 16, 1994             TAG: 9409160053
SECTION: DAILY BREAK              PAGE: E14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: TEENSPEAK
                                             LENGTH: Short :   44 lines

BACK TALK

IF YOU COULD wake up tomorrow and have any ability, what would it be? Here are this week's Back Talk responses.

``It's a very good question. I am appalled at the lack of creativity that I've seen so far with these students that are my age. If I could wake up tomorrow having one new ability, it would be the ability to shape, shift and to mold my face into anything I wanted it to be - alien, human, elf, dwarf. I could mold my face or body to look like any famous movie star or any person I chose to. And possibly waking up tomorrow morning looking like Keanu Reaves.'' - Benjamin Andrus, 19, Tidewater Community College, Portsmouth

``I would like to have the ability to prevent natural disasters.'' - Jaime Cohen, 14, ninth-grader, Kempsville High, Virginia Beach

``I would like to have the ability to get on a horse and have it think what I'm thinking and me knowing what it's thinking.'' - Elizabeth Cole, 12, seventh-grader, Independence Middle, Virginia Beach

Several eighth-graders from Larkspur Middle School in Virginia Beach offered their comments:

``If I could wake up having gained one new quality, I would want it to be that I could talk to people more easily. I sometimes have troubles talking, especially to guys. But if I could, I would be better off.'' - Tiffany Bond, 14

``If I woke up tomorrow with a new quality, it would be to be socially advanced. With my peers, I think I'm all right grade-wise. I wish I could speak with the students as if I were something, but my conversation lacks excitement.'' - Inez Cherry, 13

``If I woke up tomorrow and had a new quality or ability, it would be to hold my temper. I lose it pretty easily, and when I do, I usually end up grounded.'' - Jodi Yates, 13

``I would like to possess the ability to find the cure for any disease that comes to my attention. With this new-found ability, I could improve the way of life for billions of people.'' - Jacob White, 13 by CNB