http://www.diamondbackonline.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=d4d0ad24-41f6-4c2e-80dd-224a13b3172b
An impotent education
Marisa Picker
Posted: 3/14/06
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Sexual Healing
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Sexual healing makes us feel so fine
Marisa Picker
Posted: 4/4/06
Sexual healing makes us feel so fine
Marisa Picker
Posted: 4/4/06
Don't Censor Me
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=5775b44b-bbf2-4db5-a104-72ffc83727d6
Don't censor me, please
Marisa Picker
Posted: 4/18/06
I have more condoms than I know what to do with - about 200, actually. Need some Trojan Magnums, a vibrating ring or an Elexa Natural Feel? You name it, I've got it. Oh, and did I mention they were free?
This weekend, Trojan Condoms flew me to Boston to participate in a roundtable discussion featuring other college sex columnists and feature editors. Celebrity addictionologist and sex counselor Dr. Drew Pinsky mediated the discussion. There were students representing Harvard, UVA, Tufts, Duke, Princeton, Rhodes College, U. Penn, N.C. State, Rutgers and, of course, Maryland.
While we were treated to loads of celebrity gossip from Dr. Drew (His good friend Adam Carolla is a chronic masturbator!), the goal of the weekend was discussing sexual health.
Dr. Drew is amazingly hardworking, yet very down-to-earth. The night we arrived, Trojan took us out to dinner to get to know each other. After gorging ourselves on far too much seafood, most of us went back to the hotel to pass out. Dr. Drew, however, left to host his weekly radio show, Loveline, and didn't return to the hotel until 3 a.m.
The next day, we all met up at a posh restaurant called The Living Room. The tables were decorated with way too much food and a plethora of condoms. For three hours we discussed everything from the biological differences between men and women to the "hook-up culture."
It was encouraging to learn how liberal the University of Maryland is when it comes to sex discussion. Most of the other schools' writers/editors unfortunately seemed to face adversity from either their administrations or their students.
At Rhodes College, the president has been pressuring for less open sex discussion, as one student said. The college is funded by the Presbyterian Church, which further complicates matters.
The University of Pennsylvania representative recalled being compared to a "heroin peddler" for creating and distributing her erotica magazine, Quake.
North Carolina State University is predominantly male and conservative, according to the school's representative. He blamed N.C. State's location on the Bible Belt and the lack of male sex columnists for the unpopularity of sex writing on the campus.
Boston University, according to a student covering the roundtable discussion, is surprisingly conservative when it comes to sex.
Duke's representative (who, by the way, congratulated me on the women's basketball team's win!) said students were often unwilling to talk about sex. She said students were "more reserved."
Schools that were liberal, as expected, included Harvard, Tufts, Princeton, Rutgers and Maryland.
While schools like Rhodes are struggling for open discussion, I am free to write an entire article about the healthy effects of masturbation or the details of an abortion. Other universities aren't lucky enough to be privy to a production of The Vagina Monologues every year. At other schools, Human Sexuality isn't one of the most popular classes on the campus.
"When I first started out in this business," Dr. Drew said, "no one was talking about what STDs were. - Safe sex wasn't a coined term and condoms were behind the counters [in convenience stores]. And there was no public discussion at all."
What most people call sex education, Dr. Drew sees as something more cohesive.
"You really forget you're talking about sex or condoms. You're really just talking about health," Dr. Drew said.
I was extremely proud to be able to say that our administration had not tried to censor my column or any other open forums for sexual education. Hopefully the administrative backlash that is invading our country's higher educational programs has passed over our community without effect. The most important sexual health tool is, of course, knowledge.
Don't censor me, please
Marisa Picker
Posted: 4/18/06
I have more condoms than I know what to do with - about 200, actually. Need some Trojan Magnums, a vibrating ring or an Elexa Natural Feel? You name it, I've got it. Oh, and did I mention they were free?
This weekend, Trojan Condoms flew me to Boston to participate in a roundtable discussion featuring other college sex columnists and feature editors. Celebrity addictionologist and sex counselor Dr. Drew Pinsky mediated the discussion. There were students representing Harvard, UVA, Tufts, Duke, Princeton, Rhodes College, U. Penn, N.C. State, Rutgers and, of course, Maryland.
While we were treated to loads of celebrity gossip from Dr. Drew (His good friend Adam Carolla is a chronic masturbator!), the goal of the weekend was discussing sexual health.
Dr. Drew is amazingly hardworking, yet very down-to-earth. The night we arrived, Trojan took us out to dinner to get to know each other. After gorging ourselves on far too much seafood, most of us went back to the hotel to pass out. Dr. Drew, however, left to host his weekly radio show, Loveline, and didn't return to the hotel until 3 a.m.
The next day, we all met up at a posh restaurant called The Living Room. The tables were decorated with way too much food and a plethora of condoms. For three hours we discussed everything from the biological differences between men and women to the "hook-up culture."
It was encouraging to learn how liberal the University of Maryland is when it comes to sex discussion. Most of the other schools' writers/editors unfortunately seemed to face adversity from either their administrations or their students.
At Rhodes College, the president has been pressuring for less open sex discussion, as one student said. The college is funded by the Presbyterian Church, which further complicates matters.
The University of Pennsylvania representative recalled being compared to a "heroin peddler" for creating and distributing her erotica magazine, Quake.
North Carolina State University is predominantly male and conservative, according to the school's representative. He blamed N.C. State's location on the Bible Belt and the lack of male sex columnists for the unpopularity of sex writing on the campus.
Boston University, according to a student covering the roundtable discussion, is surprisingly conservative when it comes to sex.
Duke's representative (who, by the way, congratulated me on the women's basketball team's win!) said students were often unwilling to talk about sex. She said students were "more reserved."
Schools that were liberal, as expected, included Harvard, Tufts, Princeton, Rutgers and Maryland.
While schools like Rhodes are struggling for open discussion, I am free to write an entire article about the healthy effects of masturbation or the details of an abortion. Other universities aren't lucky enough to be privy to a production of The Vagina Monologues every year. At other schools, Human Sexuality isn't one of the most popular classes on the campus.
"When I first started out in this business," Dr. Drew said, "no one was talking about what STDs were. - Safe sex wasn't a coined term and condoms were behind the counters [in convenience stores]. And there was no public discussion at all."
What most people call sex education, Dr. Drew sees as something more cohesive.
"You really forget you're talking about sex or condoms. You're really just talking about health," Dr. Drew said.
I was extremely proud to be able to say that our administration had not tried to censor my column or any other open forums for sexual education. Hopefully the administrative backlash that is invading our country's higher educational programs has passed over our community without effect. The most important sexual health tool is, of course, knowledge.
Vaccinating the Odds
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=d736ab4f-3998-4e5a-b4b6-99df11f2faaa
Vaccinating the odds
Marisa Picker
Posted: 5/2/06
When a good friend of mine called and told me she was in need of surgery, I envisioned a harrowing car crash. I never would have guessed my friend needed surgery because of sex.
Sarah is the most responsible of my friends. She is in graduate school, overly tidy and as sweet as can be. She has had sex with two people: a previous long-term boyfriend and her current long-term boyfriend.
She always uses protection and birth control, yet she still contracted a sexually transmitted infection. Sarah has human papillomavirus. Ten out of the 30 sexually transmitted strains of HPV can cause cancer. About 11,000 U.S. women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and more than 3,900 of these women will die. Sarah has HPV 16, the most common cause of cervical cancer.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20 million people have HPV. At least half of all sexually active men and women will contract the infection in their lifetimes. HPV spreads through skin-to-skin contact, rather than bodily fluids, making it easy to contract.
When Sarah's doctor identified pre-cancerous changes in cells on her cervix via pap smear, she was encouraged to get the precautionary surgery. This invasive procedure caused her much pain and bleeding and she is still unsure as to who she contracted it from.
Vaccines against HPV should be available in the next six to 12 months. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, vaccines manufactured by Merck and GlaxoSmithKline "have shown remarkable results in clinical trials: close to 100 percent protection against HPV 16 and 18."
Of course, there are concerns. The vaccination would be given to 11- to 12-year-old girls, as advocates encourage the administration of the vaccine before the person is sexually active.
Many objectors believe such vaccines will encourage sexual activity at a younger age. However, knowledge of HPV, especially amongst adolescents and teenagers is vastly limited. With little knowledge of the infection, vaccination against it will play a small role in decision-making about sexual activity.
But what's the alternative? Currently, there are limited effective ways to test men for HPV. A visual diagnostic test (inspecting the genital areas for genital warts associated with the infection) is the only way to detect HPV in men. Many times men (and women) show no symptoms or irregularities when they carry the infection. Without vaccines, the only true way to avoid HPV is to abstain from sex, as the infection can travel through latex condoms. Condom use is correlated with a lower frequency of HPV contraction, but the more exposure you have to someone infected with HPV, the more likely you are to contract it.
Yet, the vaccine does not have unanimous support. According to the NCCC, "Abstinence groups like the Family Research Council will be watching closely. While not opposed to the vaccine, the council believes it should be voluntary and include a warning about the risks of sexual activity."
When it comes to sexually transmitted infections, or anything to do with sex, there will always be conflict. But detractors aside, it is up to public health officials to determine whether this vaccine should be mandatory for our nation's children.
You don't know Sarah, but I am sure you have a friend like her. No one deserves to go through what she went through. Worldwide, 500,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. If cervical cancer were eliminated, 250,000 lives would be saved. Hopefully in the next six to 12 months, our children will be able to avoid the experience my friend, Sarah, and thousands of others have suffered. Hopefully in the next six to 12 months we will begin saving thousands of lives.
© Copyright 2006 The Diamondback
Vaccinating the odds
Marisa Picker
Posted: 5/2/06
When a good friend of mine called and told me she was in need of surgery, I envisioned a harrowing car crash. I never would have guessed my friend needed surgery because of sex.
Sarah is the most responsible of my friends. She is in graduate school, overly tidy and as sweet as can be. She has had sex with two people: a previous long-term boyfriend and her current long-term boyfriend.
She always uses protection and birth control, yet she still contracted a sexually transmitted infection. Sarah has human papillomavirus. Ten out of the 30 sexually transmitted strains of HPV can cause cancer. About 11,000 U.S. women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and more than 3,900 of these women will die. Sarah has HPV 16, the most common cause of cervical cancer.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20 million people have HPV. At least half of all sexually active men and women will contract the infection in their lifetimes. HPV spreads through skin-to-skin contact, rather than bodily fluids, making it easy to contract.
When Sarah's doctor identified pre-cancerous changes in cells on her cervix via pap smear, she was encouraged to get the precautionary surgery. This invasive procedure caused her much pain and bleeding and she is still unsure as to who she contracted it from.
Vaccines against HPV should be available in the next six to 12 months. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, vaccines manufactured by Merck and GlaxoSmithKline "have shown remarkable results in clinical trials: close to 100 percent protection against HPV 16 and 18."
Of course, there are concerns. The vaccination would be given to 11- to 12-year-old girls, as advocates encourage the administration of the vaccine before the person is sexually active.
Many objectors believe such vaccines will encourage sexual activity at a younger age. However, knowledge of HPV, especially amongst adolescents and teenagers is vastly limited. With little knowledge of the infection, vaccination against it will play a small role in decision-making about sexual activity.
But what's the alternative? Currently, there are limited effective ways to test men for HPV. A visual diagnostic test (inspecting the genital areas for genital warts associated with the infection) is the only way to detect HPV in men. Many times men (and women) show no symptoms or irregularities when they carry the infection. Without vaccines, the only true way to avoid HPV is to abstain from sex, as the infection can travel through latex condoms. Condom use is correlated with a lower frequency of HPV contraction, but the more exposure you have to someone infected with HPV, the more likely you are to contract it.
Yet, the vaccine does not have unanimous support. According to the NCCC, "Abstinence groups like the Family Research Council will be watching closely. While not opposed to the vaccine, the council believes it should be voluntary and include a warning about the risks of sexual activity."
When it comes to sexually transmitted infections, or anything to do with sex, there will always be conflict. But detractors aside, it is up to public health officials to determine whether this vaccine should be mandatory for our nation's children.
You don't know Sarah, but I am sure you have a friend like her. No one deserves to go through what she went through. Worldwide, 500,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. If cervical cancer were eliminated, 250,000 lives would be saved. Hopefully in the next six to 12 months, our children will be able to avoid the experience my friend, Sarah, and thousands of others have suffered. Hopefully in the next six to 12 months we will begin saving thousands of lives.
© Copyright 2006 The Diamondback
Affordable and Green in the Bronx
New Highbridge building is a sign of developments to come. >
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=1999
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=1999
Memo to Next Governor: What to Do About Welfare
It may not be a big topic in candidates’ debates, but the shape of post-Pataki public assistance is on the drawing boards of advocates. >
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2004
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2004
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Foreign Students Love New York
Visa difficulties have eased, and globetrotting college kids sign up for classes in Gotham more than any other U.S. city. >
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=3226&content_type=1&media_type=4
http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=3226&content_type=1&media_type=4
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