Archive for April, 2009
Safer Sex 101
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Safer Sex 101 Two-thirds of people who have had sexually transmitted infections became infected before age 25! If you’re like most teens, you probably have a lot going on in your life. School, family, and friends take up a lot of time. Who wants to deal with a sexually transmitted infection on top of everything else? Unfortunately, infections are a definite concern for people who are sexually active. But the good news is that there are many ways to reduce your risk.
Breaking It DownNot all sexually transmitted infections are transmitted in the same way, and different types of sex play can put you at risk for different infections.
If you have unprotected oral sex you are at high risk for:
If you have sex play without sexual intercourse, you are at risk for:
Infections that can be passed by kissing include:
Reducing Your RiskSafer sex is anything you do to reduce your risk of infection. The basic safer sex rule is to prevent contact with one another’s body fluids, especially semen, blood, and vaginal secretions. Unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse have the highest risks for the most dangerous sexually transmitted infections. If you do have vaginal or anal intercourse, use a latex or female condom to reduce the risk of infection. To further reduce the risk of infection during oral sex, use a condom to cover the penis, or a Glyde® dam, plastic wrap, or cut-open condom to cover the vulva or anus. Abstinence — not having any sex play — is the only thing that is 100 percent effective against infection, but there are many types of sex play that are considered lower-risk activities. These include
While some infections can only be transmitted by exchanging body fluids, others can also be transmitted through sex play that involves skin-to-skin contact, such as body rubbing without clothes. Don’t have sexual contact with a partner who has visible sores like the ones that appear during an outbreak of herpes or syphilis.
The Infection Low-Down Many teens don’t think they’re at risk for sexually transmitted infections, but the truth is, two-thirds of people who have had sexually transmitted infections became infected before age 25! Abstinence is the most effective way to avoid infection, but people who are sexually active can greatly reduce their risk of infection by practicing safer sex, using condoms, seeing a health care provider regularly, and understanding how infections are transmitted. If you decide to be sexually active, decide what risks you want to take and the ones you don’t want to take. Stick to your decisions. And stay healthy! |
Contents copyright © 1999 – 2008 Planned Parenthood® Federation of America. All rights reserved.Seven Steps To Sexual Health
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Seven Steps to Sexual Health
Here are seven things you can do to improve your sexual health:1. Get the facts.Gather the information you need to make healthy sexual decisions — facts about anatomy, birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and safer sex. There is a lot of misinformation out there, so be sure to check your facts against trusted sources. 2. Get perspective.Forget expectations about how you "should" feel or look or express your sexuality. Listen instead to what your body and mind are telling you. Our bodies have a great capacity for pleasure — whether or not we look like a perfect "10" — and there is a far greater variety of sexual expression than what’s depicted in mainstream media. 3. Know thyself.Facts alone can’t improve your sexual health. Sexual health is rooted in self-awareness and self-knowledge — and you can’t find that information in a book or online. A key component of sexual health is knowing your body — what it looks like, how it works, and how it feels. Becoming more familiar with your sexual anatomy can help reduce the sense of shame or mystery some people have about their sex organs. People who are familiar with their sex organs are more likely to detect a possible infection or other health problem. And exploring through masturbation — touching one’s own sex organs for pleasure — is one of the primary ways people learn what they do and do not enjoy sexually. This kind of self-awareness informs relationships as well. You can begin to ask yourself bigger questions: What kinds of sex play do you want to engage in, and what kinds would you rather not? Are you attracted to women or men or both? How can you pursue your pleasure safely? The better you know yourself, the better you are able to share yourself with another person. 4. Communicate.Communication is a vital part of any healthy sexual relationship. It’s also important to discuss birth control and safer sex. Which risks are you willing to take — and which ones aren’t you willing to take? How will you and your partner share both the pleasure and the responsibility of a sexual relationship? 5. Get a check-up.Maintaining your sexual health is not something you accomplish all on your own. A health care provider can be a great ally.Whether or not you are sexually active, it’s important to take proper care of your reproductive and sexual health. For women, this means getting regular pelvic and breast exams. For men, this means getting your prostate and testicles checked. Depending on the risks you’ve taken, you may want to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. You and your health care provider can decide together which tests may be right for you. 6. Get support.One obstacle to sexual health is sexual abuse. The World Health Organization estimates that as many as one in four women and one in 10 men have been the victim of some form of sexual abuse, including rape. Many find support groups or individual therapy to be helpful. Support groups and individual therapy can provide a place where fears and concerns can be safely expressed and explored. Substance abuse and mental health issues such as depression, eating disorders, or anxiety can also affect your sexual health. Getting support in dealing with these issues can help ensure that you are making healthy choices when it comes to your sex life. 7. Enjoy yourself!Enjoying our sexuality is a normal, natural part of life. For many people, however, there is so much guilt, embarrassment, and shame associated with sex that the pleasure is lost. A social climate that demonizes sex doesn’t help. It’s important to our sexual health to be able to enjoy our sexuality and the way we express ourselves sexually. The first six steps to sexual health can help us become more responsible and secure in our sexuality and in our sexual relationships. They provide a foundation for allowing us to enjoy our sexual selves to the fullest. |
Ways to Spread the Word on Dating Abuse
One DayDo some outreach.
Create a collage about teen dating violence.
Write a letter to a school administrator.
Create awareness armbands.
Write an opinion piece (Op-Ed).
One WeekCreate a resource list.
Distribute an online pledge.
Organize a rally.
Create dating violence awareness t-shirts.
One MonthOrganize an open-mic.
Set up an assembly.
Volunteer your time.
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Helping a Friend With a Drug Problem
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MY FRIEND HAS A PROBLEMSo you think your friend or sibling has a problem with drugs or alcohol? Maybe he or she seems like a different person since starting to drink or get high. Maybe he’s been letting you down because he’s using drugs. Or maybe some of the things he does when he is drunk or high are just scary. Whatever it is, the important thing is that you’ve noticed that your friend might be heading for trouble. You can help your friend now – before something really bad happens. Your friend will probably insist that his or her drinking or drug use is not a big deal. This is very common among people with drug or alcohol problems. Don’t let your friend’s denial keep you from talking with him. If he continues using, he could face serious consequences like getting caught or arrested, losing his drivers’ license, getting suspended, or more severely, getting involved in a drug or alcohol-related car crash or becoming dependant. SHOULD I HELPIf you have a friend or sibling that is experimenting with or regularly using drugs, you are not alone. Many teens are facing the same issue all across the country. Many of us are afraid to discuss serious issues with our friends because we fear being rejected. It is not easy to tell a friend or loved one that they have a problem. GETTING PAST THE FEARIt is a critical time for action once you suspect – or know – that your friend has a drug or alcohol problem. This can be a difficult situation to deal with, and sometimes the situation gets worse before it gets better. The most important thing is for you to take action on your friend’s behalf the first time that you suspect a problem. Don’t make excuses. You can play an important role in your friend’s future.
HOW TO BEGINMost of us don’t enjoy conflict, particularly with someone we care about. When discussing difficult subjects with a friend or sibling, it is just as important to consider how you say something as it is to decide what to say. Our words are very powerful, especially to our best friends and loved ones. A supportive, caring tone usually goes much farther than the judgmental approach. If you are discussing a serious topic, such as drug and alcohol use, with a close friend you should keep the following points in mind:
HOW WILL MY FRIENDS REACTIf a friend drinks alcohol, smokes marijuana, or uses other drugs, there is no way to predict how he or she will act, or what will happen when they are drunk or high. All drugs, including marijuana, can be harmful and addictive. There is no way to know how many drug experiences it takes to become addicted. But drug and alcohol use can lead to abuse, and continued abuse can lead to addiction. Common sense tells us that helping a friend address a drug or alcohol problem early can help keep it from getting out of control and doing serious harm. This is why it is important to step up and talk with your friend sooner rather than later – you never know what could happen if he or she continues to drink or do drugs – but it can’t be good. THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIPDid you know that 68 percent of teens said they would turn to a friend or brother/sister about a serious problem related to substance abuse? This means that when you talk, your friends will listen – even if you’ve tried drugs or alcohol yourself. Don’t underestimate your own power to influence your friend and explain to him how you see his drug use getting out of hand. Sure, it may have been his choice to start using drugs in the first place, and you may be scared that your friend or sibling will get mad at you and tell you that his choices are none of your business. But if you really think your friend needs help, you have a responsibility to him – and your friendship – to step up and say something. By not talking with your friend about your concerns, you are only sending him the silent message that his drug or alcohol use is no big deal. THE CONVERSATIONIf you decide to sit down and talk with your friend or sibling about his or her drinking or drug use, you may not know what to say. You may wonder how she will respond. Will she get defensive? Will she deny she has a problem? Will she get mad at you and tell you to mind your own business? It’s likely that she will. People with drug or alcohol problems usually defend their use or make excuses for it. It’s hard for people to admit to themselves that they have a drug or alcohol problem. Click here to learn about how to start the conversation with your friend. |
Beautiful People Syndrome
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The Beautiful People Syndrome By Ron Kaufman
"Oh, no, I’m getting a zit!" These real-life adventures never occur on television. These are things TV characters don’t have to worry about. Television is, after all, perfect. People are beautiful on television — they live amazing lives and look great doing it. I went over a good friend’s house and he was watching "The Drew Carey Show" on CBS. Now this has got to be one of the most moronic shows I have ever seen on television. In one scene, the star, Drew, his two male buddies and one female friend were sitting in the kitchen talking. The girl was wearing a low-cut top that also exposed her stomach and an extremely tight miniskirt. I remarked, "This girl is only on this show for her tits." My friend was insulted, "No she’s not, she’s one of Drew’s friends. You see, those four people are old friends so they just pal around together." At that moment, what my friend didn’t seem to comprehend, was that TV characters are not real. The images on television may look real, and the people look real, but they are just images. TV characters live in one dimension. TV characters are fictional. Television shows are fictional. Now, this is not an attempt to insult your intelligence. Of course television isn’t real. Everyone knows that. But how much does the world of television effect our daily lives? How much does TV influence your opinion of people? How does TV impact fashion, speech, and social interaction? This is what is meant by The Beautiful People Syndrome: that TV influences the way we view others. In the book Amusing Ourselves to Death, New York University Professor Neil Postman explains how television has changed modern imagery: "It is implausible to imagine that anyone like our 27th President, the multi-chinned, three-hundred pound William Howard Taft, could be put forward as a presidential candidate in today’s world. The shape of a man’s body is largely irrelevant to the shape of his ideas when he is addressing a public in writing or on the radio . . . but it is quite relevant on television. The grossness of a three-hundred-pound image, even a talking one, would easily overwhelm any logical or spiritual subtleties conveyed by speech." Postman goes on to explain that "on television, discourse is conducted largely through visual imagery, which is to say that television gives us a conversation in images, not words . . . You cannot do political philosophy on television. Its form works against the content." After watching hours and hours and hours of television imagery, those "Beautiful People" will become burned into your mind. The handsome, pretty, skinny and witty characters on the show "Friends" are more famous than writers, poets, politicians and more important than teachers, policemen, or firemen. The characters on "Friends" or "Ally McBeal" live the lives we all should live — and they don’t even have to work that hard. The Beautiful People Syndrome is attacking the psyche of television-addicted America. For a man, if you are not 6’1”, handsome and wealthy you are not ideal. Any woman who isn’t bone-thin with a large chest certainly is below the standard. Television is warping the American mind. Unfortunately, the Americanization of the rest of the world may contribute to mind-warping worldwide. Everyone wants to be one of the beautiful television people. What is the result of The Beautiful People Syndrome? A lot of unhappy citizens. Post-traumatic-television depression can set in after you realize that your life isn’t as wonderful as it TV says it should be. The ubiquity of television is transforming our lives. If you are not one of the "Beautiful People," you’re an outcast. "Television has become, so to speak, the background radiation of the social and intellectual universe, the all-but-imperceptible residue of the electronic big bang of a century past, so familiar and so thoroughly integrated with American culture that we no longer hear its faint hissing in the background or see the flickering gray light," contends Postman. "The world as given to use through television seems natural, not bizarre," he says. "Our culture’s adjustment to the epistemology of television is by now all but complete; we have so thoroughly accepted its definitions of truth, knowledge, and reality that irrelevance seems to use to be filled with import, and incoherence seems eminently sane." I hope you know the truth. The trick is to make the truth your conscious and subconscious reality. The truth about the true nature of people: Beautiful People only exist on TV. Beautiful People only exist on TV. Beautiful People only exist on TV. Beautiful People only exist on TV. Make this your mantra. The reality is not as fun or glamorous as television. Rejecting the influence of TV imagery will set you on the path to enlightenment; and make real life so much more worthwhile. © 2000 By Ron Kaufman |
Statistics on Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking Trafficking in persons is a heinous crime and human rights abuse. The most vulnerable members of the global community, those who have limited access to social services and protections, are targeted by traffickers for exploitation. Steps have been taken, however, to locate victims, reinstate their inherent rights, provide them with protection and services, and prosecute offenders. No country is immune from human trafficking. Victims are forced into prostitution or to work in quarries and sweatshops, on farms, as domestics, as child soldiers, and in many forms of involuntary servitude. Traffickers often target children and young women. They routinely trick victims with promises of employment, educational opportunities, marriage, and a better life. (U.S. Department of State. 2004. Trafficking in Persons Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State.) Human trafficking is the third most profitable criminal activity, following only drug and arms trafficking. An estimated 9.5 billion is generated in annual revenue from all trafficking activities, with at least $4 billion attributed to the worldwide brothel industry. (Ibid.) Human Trafficking: Available Statistics Due to the “hidden” nature of trafficking activities, gathering statistics on the magnitude of the problem is a complex and difficult task. The following statistics are the most accurate available, given these complexities, but may represent an underestimation of trafficking on a global and national scale. Each year, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders (some international and non-governmental organizations place the number far higher), and the trade is growing. (U.S. Department of State. 2004. Trafficking in Persons Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State.) Of the 600,000-800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year, 70 percent are female and 50 percent are children. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade. (Ibid.) Each year, an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country each year is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 American children at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. (U.S. Department of Justice. 2004. Report to Congress from Attorney General John Ashcroft on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons in Fiscal Year 2003. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.) The largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific (5,000 to 7,000 victims). The next highest numbers come from Latin America and from Europe and Eurasia, with between 3,500 and 5,500 victims from each. (U.S. Departments of Justice, Health & Human Services, State, Labor, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. 2004. Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.) The U.S. Response to Trafficking The United States government has taken steps to address trafficking both nationally and globally. The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), and its reauthorization in 2003 (TVPRA), provides extensive protections and services for victims of trafficking found in the United States regardless of nationality. This statute defines “severe forms of trafficking in persons” as: Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. (106 P.L. 386: 114 Stat. 1470, Sec. 103 (8)) Victims of trafficking are eligible for benefits through several government channels. In addition, non- governmental, community, and faith-based organizations around the country continue to provide a wide range of social services for both U.S.- and foreign-born trafficking victims. American citizens who are victims of domestic trafficking are eligible for social services such as Medicaid, food stamps, and housing subsidies. Foreign-born victims can access similar services as they move through the “certification” process, which gives such victims legal immigrant status under the TVPA. Foreign victims receive services from grantee organizations who receive funds from OVC and Health and Human Services. The services funded by these offices not only provide victims with the essentials for day to day living, but also the training and educational opportunities that will allow them to become self-sufficient in this country. U.S. Government Trafficking-Related Links THE VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING AND VIOLENCE PROTECTION ACT OF 2000 THE VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING AND VIOLENCE PROTECTION AND REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2003 ASSESSMENT OF U.S. ACTIVITIES TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (AUGUST 2003) OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT TRAFFICKING EFFORTS OFFICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME TRAFFICKING EFFORTS |
Shopping With A Purpose
We-Care.com Online Shopping Mall :: Shop With Purpose :: Retail, Travel, Finance, and More
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Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Eye Opening Facts: TV Watching
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The average American spends about 2 hours a day watching TV. That is the equivalent of over 18 weeks of 8-hour days. This is time, and life, that is completely wasted. Read instead, take a walk, get a part-time job, learn to play an instrument, create a work of art, talk to other people, take up a sport (see Chapter 36) or do anything constructive. Eighteen weeks of 8-hour days is a gigantic amount of time, and you would be amazed at what you could accomplish if you used that time constructively. If you stop watching TV today and use the newly free time in a productive way, you can begin being far more successful in life. The following facts are published by an organization called TV-free America (Essential.org). They are enlightening:
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20 Ways for Teenagers to Help Other People by Volunteering
Original SourceHave you ever thought about volunteering your time to a local charity or community organization? There are many different reasons for you to start volunteering:
Your reasons for volunteering are as individual as you are, but no matter what your reasons you can get a lot out of volunteering. You can learn about yourself, learn about others and meet a lot of interesting people by volunteering. You can help others as you help yourself. For more information on volunteering in general and the advantages of volunteering, see this site. One of the hardest parts of volunteering can be finding a volunteering opportunity that fits your personality. The following list will give you lots of different ideas and will show you many different possibilities. Look in your local area until you find a volunteer position that works for you. |
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Economic Characteristics of Immigrants
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Ten High-Tech Companies started by Immigrants earned $31 Billion in revenues in 2002. "New immigrants are more concentrated than natives in the youthful labor force ages when people contribute more to the public coffer than they draw from it. Of all the important facts about US immigration relevant to its economic effects, this is the most important and the one which is most consistent." (Cato Institute and National US immigration Forum). The average education of new immigrants has been increasing with each successive generation. The proportion of adult immigrants with 8 or fewer years of education has been decreasing and the proportion of adult immigrants with 16 years or more has been increasing. The proportion of immigrants with bachelor ‘s or postgraduate degrees is much higher than the proportion of the native labor force. Immigrants have increased markedly as a proportion of the member s of scientific and engineering labor force (especially at the highest level of education). Immigrants, even those from countries that are much poorer and have lower life expectancies than the US, are healthier than US natives of the same age and sex. New immigrants have better records with respect to infant mortality and health than do US natives and immigrants who have been in the US longer. First and second generation immigrant children do unusually well in school. They win a disproportionate amount of scholastic prizes. Immigrants do not cause native unemployment, even among low -paid or minority groups. New immigrants create jobs with their purchasing power and with the new businesses they start. In an analysis of the 2000 census, where the average household income for natives was $37,300, 1980-1990 immigrants from countries from which most US immigration is legal received $34,800, the average for immigrants from countries with mostly refugees was $27,700, and for those from countries sending illegals $23,900. Illegal aliens contribute about as much to the public coffers in taxes as they receive in benefits. New data suggests the undocumented pay about 46 percent as much in taxes as do natives, but use about 45 percent as much in services. A poll of the most respected economists found a consensus that both legal and illegal immigrants are beneficial economically. In regards to the specific minority groups certain characteristics are pertinent. Hispanics are twice as likely to become unemployed based on the 2000 Census. Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites have different occupational distributions. Hispanics were more likely to work in service occupations (19.4% and 11.8% respectively). Only 14% of Hispanics were employed in managerial or professional occupations, compared with 33.2% of the non-Hispanic whites. Among Latino groups, Mexicans were least likely to work in managerial or professional occupations (11.9%). Hispanic workers earn less than non-Hispanic workers. In 1999, 23.3% of Hispanics and 49.3% of non-Hispanic Whites earned $35,000 or more. In this same year, 22.8 percent of Hispanics were living in poverty, compared with 7.7% of non-Hispanic Whites. Hispanic children represented 16.2 of all children in the US, but constituted 29% of all the children living in poverty. However overall immigrants fare well in terms of income with adult, foreign-born, naturalized citizens actually have higher adjusted gross incomes (averaging $40,502) than families with U.S.-born citizens only ($35,249). According to the most comprehensive study ever done on immigrants, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that in all their combined roles, immigrants make indispensable contributions to our economy. They compose an increasingly essential proportion of our workforce. Through their tax payments, they help finance the costs of schools, health care, roads, welfare payments, Social Security, and the nation’s defense. Of course, immigrants are also users and beneficiaries of these government programs. Businesses founded by immigrants are a source of substantial economic and fiscal gain for U.S. citizens. Ten high-tech firms founded by immigrants (Intel, Sun Microsystems, Computer Associates, Solectron Lam Research, LSI Logic, AST Computer, Wang Laboratories, Amtel, and Cypress Semiconductor) generated $31 billion in revenues in 2002. These and other businesses started by immigrants add at least another $29 billion to the total amount of taxes paid by immigrants. With the U.S. economy in the midst of its longest expansion in history, immigrant workers are increasingly essential to filling jobs ranging from computer programmers to hotel and restaurant workers. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has repeatedly commented that US immigration is an important source of workers in a tight labor market. The shrinking U.S. labor supply may have serious implications for inflation pressures, Greenspan says, as "there is an effective limit to new hiring, unless US immigration is uncapped." Without an increase in US immigration, inflation–and the resulting slowdown of the economy–could threaten the prosperity of all Americans. Most immigrants arrive in the United States in the prime of their working years. More than 70 percent of immigrants are over the age of 18 when they arrive in the United States. That means there are roughly 17.5 million immigrants in the United States today whose education and upbringing were paid for by the citizens of the sending country, not American taxpayers. The windfall to the United States of obtaining this human capital at no expense to American taxpayers is roughly $1.43 trillion. This makes immigrants a fiscal bargain for our country. In summary, it is obvious that immigrants are major contributors to the economic health of the United States. They compose an increasingly essential proportion of our workforce and will continue to do so into the twenty-first century. |
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