Sex-Ed Needs Work
Where do teens learn about sex? From their friends, of course. In a 1986 poll, 43 percent of the teens surveyed said they “mainly learn about sex” from friends; more than a decade later, 45 percent rang in with that response.
In the Time/CNN poll in April, 29 percent of the teens said they learn about sex from TV, 7 percent from parents and 3 percent from sex-ed classes.
This should be a wake-up call to parents. Recent studies say teens think parents are the most accurate source of information and would like to talk to them about sex and sexual ethics, but they can’t get their parent’s attention long enough. (From June 15 Time)
* Mind your manners: Given the level that conversations seem to sink to when someone brings up Monica Lewinsky, writer Lance Morrow felt compelled to review basic guidelines for being a good dinner guest.
“The guest’s duties are simple,” says Morrow. “You have an obligation to earn your dinner by asking questions of the person on the right and then listening carefully to the answers. People want to talk about themselves. Sometimes that is even interesting.
“Don’t talk too much. Don’t brag. … Do not use four-letter words, unless you have known the host and hostess at least 10 years and the other guests at least five. And even then don’t use them.
“Do not talk about Viagra.
“The most important rule is no Lewinsky, until further notice. I’ll let you know when it is safe.”
Well said. (From June 22 Time)
* Just a reminder: Softball/baseball injuries topped the list of emergency room visits for injuries related to recreation activities last year. More than 400,000 ER visitors were hurt out on the softball fields.
However, life on the sidelines isn’t exactly risk-free. More than 333,000 people ended up in emergency rooms as a result of dog bites. Also on the list of the thousands of rec-related injuries were playground mishaps, in-line skating, horseback riding and skateboards. (From summer Vent magazine)
* We’re lookin’ better (and payin’ for it): Plastic surgeons performed more than 2 million cosmetic procedures last year, from nose jobs to liposuction to collagen injections, 50 percent more than in 1992.
And procedures such as breast implants and liposuction have more than tripled, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.
In what, perhaps, is a clear demonstration of our impatience, we aren’t even waiting for the wrinkles to appear and the first sign of sagging. Thirty-five percent of the patients getting a facelift are 50 or younger. (From June 15 Newsweek)