Tuesday, April 05, 2005
"Bible vs. the Volcano", Adolescents and Oral Sex
Movie theaters being targeted by creationists
A report on adolescents and oral sex
From The New York Times, 3/19/04:
A New Screen Test for Imax: It's the Bible vs. the Volcano
By CORNELIA DEAN
The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen.
Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures.
The number of theaters rejecting such films is small, people in the industry say - perhaps a dozen or fewer, most in the South. But because only a few dozen Imax theaters routinely show science documentaries, the decisions of a few can have a big impact on a film's bottom line - or a producer's decision to make a documentary in the first place.
People who follow trends at commercial and institutional Imax theaters say that in recent years, religious controversy has adversely affected the distribution of a number of films, including "Cosmic Voyage," which depicts the universe in dimensions running from the scale of subatomic particles to clusters of galaxies; "Galápagos," about the islands where Darwin theorized about evolution; and "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," an underwater epic about the bizarre creatures that flourish in the hot, sulfurous emanations from vents in the ocean floor.
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"[Health News] Washington, April 4: Adolescents think that oral sex is safer for their health and emotions than vaginal sex and they are also more likely to try oral sex in future, according to a UCSF study published in the April 2005 issue of Pediatrics.
“These findings suggest that adults should discuss more than one type of sexual practice when they counsel teens,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, associate professor of adolescent medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
A survey of 580 ethnically diverse Northern California ninth-graders showed that these young teens considered oral sex to be significantly less risky to their health than vaginal sex. The adolescents believed that oral sex also was less likely to have negative social and emotional aftermaths such as getting into trouble, guilt, or having a fight with the partner.
Teens also considered oral sex less of a threat to their values and beliefs. They found oral sex more acceptable than vaginal sex for people their own age, when the partners are dating each other.
Around one-fifth of the ninth graders being studied reported that they had tried oral sex, compared to 13.5 per cent who said they had vaginal sex. Almost one-third said they intended to begin with oral sex within the next six months, compared to 26.2 percent who intended to stick to vaginal sex.
“The fact that young adolescents around age 14 are having or considering oral sex and consider it safer and more acceptable than vaginal sex is important information for parents, health care providers and others who work with youth. When we counsel adolescents about the risks and benefits associated with sex, we need to understand how they perceive it among themselves. Guidelines for adolescent health care call for physicians and other health providers to discuss sex and other risky behaviors during regular medical checkups. Those sessions are one opportunity to work with adolescents on the topic of risks and preventive measures with oral sex as well as vaginal and anal sex.” Halpern-Felsher said . "
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The mandarins of morality are sure to to come out with guns blazing but that is not likely to deter the adolescents.
A report on adolescents and oral sex
From The New York Times, 3/19/04:
A New Screen Test for Imax: It's the Bible vs. the Volcano
By CORNELIA DEAN
The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen.
Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures.
The number of theaters rejecting such films is small, people in the industry say - perhaps a dozen or fewer, most in the South. But because only a few dozen Imax theaters routinely show science documentaries, the decisions of a few can have a big impact on a film's bottom line - or a producer's decision to make a documentary in the first place.
People who follow trends at commercial and institutional Imax theaters say that in recent years, religious controversy has adversely affected the distribution of a number of films, including "Cosmic Voyage," which depicts the universe in dimensions running from the scale of subatomic particles to clusters of galaxies; "Galápagos," about the islands where Darwin theorized about evolution; and "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," an underwater epic about the bizarre creatures that flourish in the hot, sulfurous emanations from vents in the ocean floor.
Oral Sex and Adolescents
Interesting findings announced by the University of California, San Francisco.
“These findings suggest that adults should discuss more than one type of sexual practice when they counsel teens,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, associate professor of adolescent medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
A survey of 580 ethnically diverse Northern California ninth-graders showed that these young teens considered oral sex to be significantly less risky to their health than vaginal sex. The adolescents believed that oral sex also was less likely to have negative social and emotional aftermaths such as getting into trouble, guilt, or having a fight with the partner.
Teens also considered oral sex less of a threat to their values and beliefs. They found oral sex more acceptable than vaginal sex for people their own age, when the partners are dating each other.
Around one-fifth of the ninth graders being studied reported that they had tried oral sex, compared to 13.5 per cent who said they had vaginal sex. Almost one-third said they intended to begin with oral sex within the next six months, compared to 26.2 percent who intended to stick to vaginal sex.
“The fact that young adolescents around age 14 are having or considering oral sex and consider it safer and more acceptable than vaginal sex is important information for parents, health care providers and others who work with youth. When we counsel adolescents about the risks and benefits associated with sex, we need to understand how they perceive it among themselves. Guidelines for adolescent health care call for physicians and other health providers to discuss sex and other risky behaviors during regular medical checkups. Those sessions are one opportunity to work with adolescents on the topic of risks and preventive measures with oral sex as well as vaginal and anal sex.” Halpern-Felsher said . "
