TresSugar

Keeping the Faith: Are Abstinence-Only Pledges Unrealistic?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:30:00 -0800

Ever think evangelical teens are most likely to be the next Juno? You might be onto something. While religion may be a good gauge for attitudes towards sex, it is not for sexual behavior.

A national survey talked to 3,400 teens between 13 and 17 and found that evangelicals are the most likely to say they do not believe in sex before marriage, yet they are just as likely to have it - if not more. Seventy-four percent say they do not believe in premarital sex, compared to 50 percent of mainline Protestants and 25 percent of Jewish teens. Second only to black Protestants, they lose their virginity on average shortly after turning 16.

While the effectiveness of abstinence pledges that are so popular among evangelicals has long been contested, I never knew inflation was a problem. A pledge movement often collapses in a school when it becomes too popular. As soon as it loses its magical minority milieu - 30 percent is the tipping point - teens feel less unique and pledges get tossed aside like last year’s yellow.

Minding the gap between sexual beliefs and behavior becomes even harder when looking at the outcome of abstinence pledges. To find out how effective they are, read more.

According to a 2001 estimate, 2.5 million people in the US pledged to abstain from premarital sex, yet more than half of them do it anyway. Pledges do have some impact though. Teens who take them lose their virginity 18 months later than those who do not and have fewer partners on average.

Once religious conviction gets factored in, pledges sounded even more effective. Those who scored high on religiosity - defined by behaviors like going to church and praying at home - are more likely to abstain. But better indicators are the strength of social networks and quality of relationships with parents. Teens who live with both biological parents and feel their families understand them, pay attention to their concerns, and have fun with them are the most likely to delay sex - regardless of how religious or what religion they are.

What do you think about abstinence-only pledges? A good guideline? Or unrealistic and only for the most religious?

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OMG I Totally Do This!

GiggleSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:00:00 -0700

Ugh, I'm passive-aggressive - my pet peeve! I guess from now on I'll just have to slam the door in everyone's face.

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New Yorker Cover Called "Offensive" By Obama Camp. Is It?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:32:18 -0700

This week's satirical New Yorker magazine cover showing Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim and Michelle dressed as a terrorist has been called "tasteless and offensive," by the Obama campaign.

The illustration hits newsstands today and shows Obama wearing traditional Muslim garb and his wife dressed in camouflage, combat boots and an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder, standing in the Oval Office doing the "terrorist fist-bump" in front of a mantle-top portrait of Osama bin Laden, next to a burning flag. No stone unslammed, it seems.

The Obama camp statement says:

The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.

The magazine, however, said the cover:

Combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are. The burning flag, the nationalist-radical and Islamic outfits, the fist-bump, the portrait on the wall? All of them echo one attack or another. Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover.

No word yet on apologies for the rest of the New Yorker cartoons. Who's side do you see - is this pointed satire, or tasteless and offensive?

Grand-Theft Auto It's Not. Video Games Ease Soldiers' PTSD

CitizenSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:00:52 -0700

Soldiers and Marines are iron tough in battle - though the biggest enemy they face sometimes doesn't show up until they get home. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or major depression afflicts nearly 20 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. One-half don't seek treatment. But a new treatment, Virtual Iraq, allows troops to delve into their trauma without landing on the couch.

With many soldiers avoiding treatment out of fear of stigma, a customized version of the best-selling videogame Full Spectrum Warrior has become a promising option. Since 2005, the Department of Defense has poured funding into it and two other virtual-reality programs targeting PTSD. And psychologists like JoAnn Difede - who treated Sept. 11 victims with a similar program called Virtual WTC - are hopeful. She said:

You don't have to do any work. You don't have to engage in any mental effort. We'll do it for you and then, gradually, we'll let you get involved in the experience in sensory detail.

Slow and steady wins the race with this therapy. A patient's readiness to move on must be carefully assessed. Looking at an Iraqi street scene may begin and end the first session, but slowly sounds and smells and actions are added. It can take months.

How is this even helpful? To see how, read more.

It's a form of prolonged-exposure, or immersion, therapy. The idea is to expose a patient to the source of trauma over and over until the event or situation no longer triggers fear. If you remember psychology and this sounds a lot like "habituation," it's because it is. (Does Pavlov ring a bell? Heh! Bell.)

While results are still pending on the efficacy of Virtual Iraq so far it's promising. After a few weeks of exposure, one marine was able to sleep without medication, felt more relaxed, and could joke around. He said:

Before I felt like there were two people in me. The marine who was numb, who was a tough guy, and the civilian in me, the real me, the guy who isn't serious all the time, the guy who can take a joke. By the end of therapy, I felt more like one person.

Should we be exploring more cutting-edge methods of treating the whole soldier? Could forcing them to relive the sights, sounds, and smells of battle, actually help soldiers cope?

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New Yorker Cartoon Finally Makes a Point!

CitizenSugar — Sun, 04 May 2008 07:00:23 -0700

There is so a first time for everything. I usually despise a New Yorker cartoon with all of my being (and don't get me started on the caption contests) but this one is actually timely, poignant, and came very, very close to making me chuckle!

I love that it speaks to the whole flag pin wearing of the candidates debate that's been featured so prominently recently.

Does this cartoon speak to you? Are flag pins really proof of patriotism? Can you just live it instead of wearing it?

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Something For Everyone: Meet McCain's Long VP Shortlist

CitizenSugar — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:29:45 -0700

On Friday I floated the notion tossed out in The New Yorker that John McCain should pick Condoleezza Rice as his running mate. Your reactions to the possibility were mixed at best. You're in luck! If The New Yorker's suggestion doesn't fly your flag, the no less luminary publication, Radar, has put together a comprehensive slide-show/handicapping list of possible Veeps. Not sure you could pick Governor Tim Pawlenty out of a line-up? Click on over and put a face with the name.

While the picks are serious, the descriptions are a riot. To wit:

Fred Thompson, Former senator from Tennessee, "Curly Sue" co-star

If McCain picks his old pal Fred, GOP higher-ups say they'll insist that Cindy McCain and Jeri Thompson wear buckskin fringe bikinis on the campaign trail to distract voters from the Grumpy Grampa ticket of 2008.

Of the 20 choices, two are women and all are discussed/skewered to nonetheless illuminating results. I love my learnin' with a side of laughs. Weirdly missing? Rudy Giuliani and Joe Lieberman. The only choice I can't picture? Clarence Thomas. Hmm. . . McCain/Thomas '08? We shall see!

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The New Yorker Picks McCain's #2, Joins Facebook=Big Week!

CitizenSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:00:11 -0700

The debate can end now, The New Yorker has picked John McCain's running mate. Nope, not Florida Governor Charlie Crist, or Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty - it's. . . wait for it. . . Condoleezza Rice. Stunned? Here's some of the reasoning behind the pick.

Her nomination to a constitutional executive office would cost McCain the votes of his party’s hardened racists and incorrigible misogynists. They are surely fewer in number, though, than the people who would like to participate in breaking the glass ceiling of race or gender but, given the choice, would rather do so in a more timid way, and/or without abandoning their party. And with Rice on the ticket the Republicans could attack Clinton or Obama with far less restraint.

It's not completely without merit, though for some reason I can't see it happening, but the piece is worth a read for sure. One other tidbit that stood out? George W. Bush might be remembered for his progressive cabinet nominations. Surprised? Then, read more.

In this connection, a kind word for George W. Bush may be in order. By appointing first Colin Powell and then Rice to the most senior job in the Cabinet, a job of global scope, Bush changed the way millions of white Americans think about black public officials. This may turn out to the most positive legacy of his benighted Presidency.

Oh, and if you like these ideas, you're in luck! The New Yorker now has a Facebook page. Head on over and give 'em a poke.

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On the Newsstand: A Trip on the Straight Talk Express

CitizenSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:30:23 -0800

I learned one very important thing from this week's New Yorker on John McCain: Jack. Is. Single. Putting to rest those nasty rumors of a lady friend, the Navy Mid-shipman, son of McCain is unattached - or so goes the fast and free and bracingly loose dialog that flies around the campaign bus.

And yes, there were other tidbits, too. The piece sought to answer the question, "can John McCain reinvent Republicanism?" While I'm not sure that question was answered I did leave with a greater sense of who the man is behind the scenes - which translates directly to the candidate we see on stage.

Though McCain clearly comes across as the funny uncle who repeats jokes, his vigor and unflinching candor (which alternately gets him in trouble and provides his sterling reputation for honesty) was most apparent here:

In person, he is all energy and motion. At one moment, bursting into laughter, he exuberantly explains why, after “a short period of waterboarding to find out what they did in their absence,” he would take back some of the staffers who fled his campaign at its low point. At another, he cracks up over one of his own familiar jokes.

To see how McCain upholds the reputation of the Straight Talk Express, read more.

It is bracing to drop in on the McCain campaign after covering the overly-managed productions of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The Democratic candidates rarely speak to the travelling press. McCain not only packs his bus with reporters (whom he often greets with an affectionate “Hello, jerks!”) but talks until the room is filled with the awkward silence of journalists with no more questions.

The piece is a biggie, but worth more than worth the read.

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On The Newsstand: A Comedian's War on Crooked Politics

LibertySugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:02:32 -0800

Popular Italian comedian Beppe Grillo combines Michael Moore and Stephen Colbert, Italian style. The latest issue of The New Yorker chronicles Grillo's quest to cure the Italian government of epidemic corruption. At massive rallies, Grillo calls out the 29 convicted criminals currently serving in the Italian Parliament or representing Italy in the European Parliament. Past crimes range from aiding and abetting murder to perjury and tax evasion. These leaders have approved an annual budget for Italy's symbolic presidency four times that of Buckingham palace. And legislators recently voted on their own perks such limousine chauffeurs, free air travel and haircuts, and generous pensions.

Grillo has galvanized Italians with his irreverence. By simply talking about the corruption, he has the potential to change popular attitudes. Mainstream Italian press is controlled or owned outright by political parties, and journalists constantly face libel suits. As a result, Grillo uses his blog, beppegrillo.it, to communicate with his followers.

Referring to the latest parliamentary crisis, Grillo told the magazine:

"I was watching on television, and I saw legislatures spitting at each other. [...] Then I turned to 'The Simpsons,' and it seemed like a real parliament. It's surreal. We've gone beyond all decency."

For more of Beppe's insight, read the article. Do you you think combining outrage with humor can mobilize enough people to bring real change?

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Tweet Nothings: Fired New Yorker Writer Tweets His Saga

TresSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Fired New Yorker writer Daniel Baum twitters about his 17-year-run at the venerable magazine - until his recent firing.

Stay tuned for more Tweet Nothings, where we highlight the wit, wisdom, and ridiculousness of Twitter. Speaking of wit and wisdom (ahem!), if you'd like to follow TrèsSugar on Twitter, click here!