Historically speaking, when we think of revolutions we think of youth. And in the case of the Arab spring, this is certainly true — one half of the Islamic world is people under thirty, and they are at the forefront of sweeping change. How are their values and religious beliefs similar to (and different from) their elders? And what do they want the future to look like?

It was hard to tell who was more lucky last night: President Barack Obama being at a show with The Roots or The Roots being at a show with the president. But it wasn't luck that made it happen; President Obama's attendance at their concert follows a recent talk before Facebook nation at their headquarters in Palo Alto, and a speech on the economy at George Washington University. These appearances, plus the launch of Gen44, is an attempt by the President to reach out to America's youth — a key demographic that helped him secure his victory in 2008. We talk with Anna Sale, reporter for WNYC's politics website, It's a Free Country.

Pop lyrics seem to have taken a turn towards the "me" and "I" variety, according to a new study. The study analyzed three decades of songs, and concluded that song lyrics have become more narcissistic in recent years, reflecting current youth culture. Is that really true? Maura Johnston, music editor for The Village Voice, lends her thoughts on this topic.

We want to know: Do you believe you are narcissistic? Take this test and find out.

Egyptians approved a referendum on constitutional changes over the weekend and ushered in a new era in the country, which will begin with parliamentary and presidential elections. The old ruling party and the Muslim Brotherhood seem to have the advantage heading into elections, but that could all change in an instant.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak addressed the youth of his country — most of whom are the very people calling for his removal from office — with what many perceive as paternal condescension. We take a closer look at the generation gap between the President and his populace.

Two years ago, Barack Obama won the presidency in part by having inspired young people to come out and vote in record numbers. Early indicators say young voters aren't as excited about turning out this year. We hear from students from the University of Pennsylvania on how (and if) they plan to vote.

Every year, with NYPD sponsorship, 200 young kids, most of them Muslim, gather in open spaces to yell and throw and hit.  More specifically, they're praising glovesmanship, bowling carrom balls, and knocking Dilscoops: They're playing cricket for the "NYPD United."

We're following up on a story we did yesterday, from the perspective of Chicago funeral home owner Spencer Leak Sr., about the challenges Chicago is facing in combatting gun and gang violence. On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a Chicago ban on handgun ownership, a move that divided city residents. Some Chicagoans were thrilled, and say the ability to own a handgun makes them feel safer. Others say even more people will lose their lives. Why is gun violence such a problem in Chicago? The Chicago Police Department says that gang activity was involved in 74 percent of murders in the first five months of 2010. 80 people were shot and thirteen killed over the past two weekends in the city.

Tuesday, the board of supervisors in Santa Clara County, California, decided to take a step further in the fight against obesity: they banned toy giveaways with kids' meals that don't meet certain nutritional standards. (Overall calorie count and salt content chief among them.)  This is the latest attempt in a series of measures taken by counties, cities and states to combat obesity, and is widely seen as specifically targeting McDonalds' Happy Meals.

Haiti's higher education system — already highly dysfunctional before the quake — is in shambles. The January 12 earthquake destroyed 90 percent of its school buildings and tore down nine of the state university's thirteen campuses. In a country that needs massive rebuilding and new leadership, who is taking care of educating its next generation of architects, politicians and doctors?

A new demographic study from the University of New Hampshire finds that the demographic makeup of the U.S. is changing most rapidly among babies and young children, with 2010 on track to see more babies of color born than white babies. The study cites immigration, high fertility rates among recent immigrant communities (and comparatively lower fertility rates among non-Hispanic whites) and details the counties that have already become so-called "majority-minority" areas.

Despite the fact that the Department of Labor lists young people, African-American and Hispanic men as having some of the highest rates of unemployment, a group of youngsters in East New York, Brooklyn is determined to buck the trend and get into the job market. The Takeaway's Ibrahim Abdul-Matin introduces them to us and their challenges when it comes to finding work.

As part of our week-long series of health care roundtables, we’re talking with young people. They're coveted by health insurers, but with low salaries and high resilience, they’re often the least likely to buy in. We hear from Savlan Hauser, an architect in Oakland, California who has been buying her own catastrophic health insurance plan for the last three years; Nik Bonovich, a freelance journalist in Sacramento, California, who’s been buying premium health insurance since February; and Golnar Adili, who's been going without health care coverage for the past three years.

Click here to access the other round tables in this series

For more on the guests from today's roundtable continue reading...

Yesterday, while on a morning walk in New York City, the acclaimed film director John Hughes, creator of those classic 80's teen angst movies, died after suffering a heart attack. Few American directors have captured and distilled the American teen experience the way John Hughes did. In Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink his protagonists broke down class barriers in high school social circles. Joining The Takeaway to remember the man and his legacy is Wesley Morris, film critic from the Boston Globe, to talk about how Hughes' films influenced a generation.

Watch this tribute to John Hughes made at the height of his career:

A Federal judge has ordered the release of what is believed to be Guantanamo Bay’s youngest detainee. Mohammed Jawad has been detained there since 2002 when he was arrested in Kabul, Afghanistan, for throwing the hand grenade that injured two American troops and their Afghan interpreter. His lawyers claim that he was probably 14 or 15 years old at the time. The judge ruled that Jawad has been held based on a confession he gave after being threatened with death. Joining The Takeaway is Johnathan Hafetz, one of Mohammed Jawad’s lawyers. He's with the National Security Project at the ACLU.

On the campaign trail, President Barack Obama said that no one should graduate from university without having read poetry. He also promised that he would open up the White House to a wide range of people. Last night he made progress on both promises when the White House hosted a poetry slam (or more accurately, a poetry jam because it wasn’t a competition, but instead an open mic night that included slam poets, musicians and spoken-word artists. James Earl Jones read a piece and among the performers were two young spoken word poets from Youth Speaks, a non-profit organization in San Francisco for teens. One of the young poets, Joshua Brandon Bennett, joins The Takeaway to perform some of his poetry and talk about the experience. Also joining the conversation is Jeff Chang, journalist and author of Can't Stop, Won't Stop, the award-winning history of hip-hop.

To get a taste of what went on at the poetry jam, watch this clip of Joshua Bennett freestyling.