Peer Pressure and Teen Sex Essay Example for Free

Peer Pressure and Teen Sex Essay One in five teens reported having sex before they were 15. One in seven sexually active 14-year-olds also said they have been pregnant. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy 2003 It has long been known that teens are heavily influenced by peer pressure, especially when it comes to sex. The question is not if they are influenced, but how they are affected by peer pressure and what decisions they make as a result. This paper will outline the main issues surrounding this controversial subject with the goal of dispelling popular myths while also providing an understanding of how to most effectively educate teens about this phenomenon so that they will make the best and most informed decisions in whatever circumstances they find themselves. The teenage years are full of changes, from biological transitioning into adulthood to social changes occurring at school and beyond. Peer pressure intensifies during this period as teens begin to become sexually interested and active. According to a project done by the University of Michigan, â€Å"The desire to be popular and fit in is so great, that some people will resort to partaking in behaviors deemed outside of their normal comfort zones, possibly disregarding certain morals and values† (Pressures). The pressure to fit in and to stay ahead of the social vanguard places teens in an awkward and challenging environment because they have scarce background knowledge from which to base their decisions and very few people with whom to discuss these changes with, besides their peers. Teens are very hesitant to approach their parents, teachers and counselors for fear of getting in trouble or for fear of embarrassment and discomfort. In our popular media culture, much of the knowledge teens have about peer pressure and sex comes from the movies and television. This presents another complexity to their already hectic lives as they try to weigh their personal character against the stereotypes and myths laid out through these mediums. Hugely popular movies such as American Pie and Dazed and Confused lead students to believe that having sex is just what people do at this age. While this may in fact be true, the message that teens take away is that everybody is already doing it and that if they want to be cool they will too. According to an article published in Psychology Today, 33% of teens ages 15-17 say they feel pressure to have sex, often from male friends. Interestingly, only 23% of teen girls reported feeling pressure to have sex (Allen). That being said, no matter what kind of peer pressure teens are confronted with, they must figure out how to balance the value of going along with the crowd against the importance of making their own decisions. This is the toughest part for teens to handle because they have so many conflicting emotions and perspectives influencing their behavior. For this reason, innovative approaches to sexual education need to be integrated into the traditional abstinence only education that has proven to be ineffective. Today federal spending on abstinence education, with all funding sources combined, exceeds $1. 2 billion (Lew). This program has failed to include other types of sexual education that would be beneficial to teen’s education because it preaches that the only safe method to having sex is to not have sex. This is of course true, but it is not applicable to our contemporary society. Teens have access to all kinds of sexual information on the internet and through television and movies. This is not to say that all of the information they find is true to life, but it tells teens that the education they are getting in schools about sex is limited and outdated. This is not an engaging or for that matter a useful method of instruction because it ignores issues such as contraceptives and safe sexual practices. Peer pressure begins to take hold and gain force at this juncture as the curiosity of teens is not being met through their formal sexual education. Because of this failure, teens turn to their peers for additional knowledge who in turn are facing their own forms of peer pressure. This creates a cycle of myths surrounding sex. Much of the knowledge peers pass on to each other revolves around either second-hand information or from whatever television show or movie they identify with. From here, clusters of teens, or cliques, form around these myths and interests in a process that creates a certain structure of knowledge based around assumptions and stories as opposed to the facts of research and experience. It is not surprising that teens have sex. It is surprising that school systems continue to form short-sided sexual education programs focusing on abstinence only. If our country wants to improve our sexual health and knowledge, sexual education programs need to diversify their teaching lessons to include contraceptives, sexually-safe practices, and the effects of peer pressure. Works Cited Allen, Collin. (2003). Peer Pressure and Teen Sex. Psychology Today. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from http://www. psychologytoday. com/articles/pto-20030522-000002. html Lew, Irene. (2008). Teens Learn to Apply Peer Pressure for Safe Sex. Women’s E-News. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from http://www. womensenews. org/article. cfm/dyn/aid/2988/context/archive Peer Pressure and Emotions. (2008). Cool Kids and Losers: The Psychology of High School Students in Peer Groups and Cliques. The University of Michigan. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from http://sitemaker. umich. edu/356. tran/peer_pressure_and_emotions

Health Outcomes Essay -- Health, World Health Organization

Introduction: Health outcomes refer to the changes in the health status of individuals or the population. The outcomes are attributed to multiple or planned interventions, whether or not the intention of the intervention was to alter the health status. These interventions include health services and programs including health promotion programs, government policies, laws and regulations, and consequent programs. Intervention may also include unintended or intended health outcomes of government policies in areas besides health. Health outcomes are evaluated by health indicators (World Health Organization, 1998). Health indicators are a single measure, represented quantitatively, that encapsulates an important aspect of health, such as the amount people suffering from a chronic disease. It also captures a variety of health determinants such as income, or the important aspects of the health care system, such as the proportion of patients who revisit the hospital for additional care following previous treatment (World Health Organization, 1998). These indicators can be used to describe a public health concern at a specific point in time. It can indicate periodic changes over time at the population or individual health level, describe differences in the population health, and examine the extent at which program objectives are being met. These indicators can possibly encompass illness or disease measurements which are commonly used in measuring health outcomes, such as health expectancy, life skills, and quality of life, and behaviors or actions taken by individuals related to health (Rigby & Koh ler, 2002). Child health outcomes tend to be influenced by the parents, the home environment, intact families, maternal and non-maternal qua... ...t. In addition to the programs aimed at crisis intervention and suicide prevention, the MYCS offers transitional living arrangements for children and families in times of crisis. In addition they have facilities to assist with food and basic hygiene products in times of need. The Montgomery County Juvenile Court runs the Nicholas Residential Treatment Facility. This facility is a non-secure 24-bed unit which houses males, who have been adjudicated delinquent, and aims to rehabilitate these young men to become productive, responsible citizens. This mission is pursued with comprehensive treatment strategies, including family therapy and social-skill building. While staying at the Nicholas Residential Treatment Facility, youths will participate in educational, work, and recreational programs aimed at ensuring their swift and successful reintroduction to society.

Help Wanted – How the Un Failed in Rwanda

Help Wanted World Politics – POLS*1500 Word Count – 1,562 Abstract: This paper aims to questions the United Nations ability to create and maintain peace within a country. This paper will examine the extent of action that the UN commits when a nation encounters internal conflict. Looking at the Rwanda genocide, the paper concludes that the UN is inefficient at creating and building peace. Help Wanted During the twentieth century the world entered into a new sphere of international relations. New technology which led to military advancements evoked countries to act out wars that were unprecedented in past generations.When their was conflict between nations, it became easier to cause destruction towards the other nation because of new advanced technology, and therefore the brutality of war was far worse. After World War II, which many call the most horrific war of the century, 51 countries came together and formed the United Nations in 1945. This organization set standards for morality so that the world would not have to experience the same brutality that they had faced during World War II. It encouraged cooperation and peace between countries. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. former American ambassador once said that,â€Å"the primary, the fundamental, the essential purpose of the United Nations is to keep peace. Everything it does which helps prevent World War III is good. Everything which does not further that goal, either directly or indirectly, is at best superfluous. †1 The United Nations was an organization who’s principle was to create an international center of understanding and cooperation. Although this was a clear goal, this was a difficult task for the UN because it involved so many different states and actors.The Rwanda Genocide is an example of the United Nations inability to fulfill its goal. In the early 1990’s, the nation of Rwanda faced a ruthless internal conflict between two races, the Tutsis and the Hutus. Although the se two races had the same religion, culture, and language, they saw themselves as different because of past colonial influences that had ensued this society for decades. 2 Although mass killing were taking place in Rwanda, the UN did not intervene to the extent that was demanded.The United Nations’ unclear peacekeeping tactics, lack of resources, and unwillingness to use force during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide led to the murder of over 800, 000 Rwandans and evoked disgrace towards the organization that promised peace. The unfolding events of the Rwanda Conflict had much to do with the hatred that Tutsis and Hutus felt for one another. It was viewed by many as a genocide, but the Security Council of the United Nations had much hesitation accepting that conclusion.In the Charter of the United Nations, it states in Chapter I, Article 2 that, â€Å" nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state†3. The UN believed that within a nation, the government should control its sedentary conflicts and the organization should not intervene with such matters. However, promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is the UN’s main goal, and therefore the organization should intervene in internal conflicts if they believe these rights are being denied.This unclear practice caused the UN to make decisions about intervening in the Rwanda conflict for it depended on the basis opinions of the Security Council instead of decisions based on facts4. Because the definition of genocide could not be construed to an individual conflict, it was up to the Security Council and there underlying goals to come to a decision. As thousands of people were being murdered based on their race, the UN unclear peacekeeping regulations held the organization back from acting. This was also seen when Mr.Waly Bacre Ndiaye, a Amnesty inter national representative, reported to the UN recommending â€Å"a series of steps to prevent further massacres† but the report seemed to be â€Å"largely ignored by the key actors within the United Nations†5. By not taking into consideration the opinions of firsthand witnesses of the genocide, the UN disregarded its duty to protect and build peace within this nation. These irresponsible peacekeeping tactics caused the organization to fail in their peaceful pursuits and ultimately led to the death of thousands. Without taking into onsideration Rwanda’s cultural instability and their need for support, the United Nations was therefore unsuccessful. As the conflict in Rwanda continued to progress to a critical state, the UN did not seem to have the resources needed to neutralize and keep the peace within the country. This has to do with the economic expense of peacekeeping. It is believe that â€Å"the projected cost of peacekeeping rose from some US $600 million in 1991 to an estimated US $2. 3 billion for 1993†6. States were unwilling to contribute more to the UN because they had other concerns that were higher in national interest.The United Nations had to ration the support they gave to each cause and therefore the demanded assistance in a nation could not always be met. When the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was planning their second phase of their mission to create peace, there was â€Å"no estimate of the date of further deployment because the necessary additional resources had not been made available†7. Without the proper materials and supplies available to the United Nations, the organizations power to act was limited because of the lack of resources.It is believed that, â€Å"the predicament of the United Nations is the mismatch of large responsibilities and few powers to fulfill them†8 This problem was seen in Rwanda Genocide. The United Nations had so many responsibilities to the world, a nd yet, the major actors in this organization did not know how to allocate their assistance. The UN’s lack of resources caused a halt in their ability to neutralize the conflict in Rwanda which allowed the massacres to continue, thus, the organization ultimately failed in its peacekeeping pursuits.The United Nations inability to secure peace in Rwanda had much to do with the organizations unwillingness to use military force. When discussing the Rwanda Conflict, the Canadian Forces stated that, â€Å"in order to prevent or suppress the crime of genocide, the necessary international†¦ military will [should have been] marshaled and mobilized†9. Although the UN does not promote the use of military force, and have many steps of peacekeeping before employing this option, the brutality of the Rwanda Genocide could not have been resolved by means of negotiation.This was seen through the failure of The Arusha Accord. Although all the parties in Rwanda had signed this peace agreement, the negotiations created bitterness and violence between the two groups of people which escalated the conflict10. During the UN’s decisions about the conflict, there seemed to be a â€Å"overriding consideration†¦ to avoid entering into a course of action that might lead to the use of force and unanticipated repercussions†11. The UN was unwilling to send troops into Rwanda because of the unforeseen violence that was taking place.The outcry for help was tremendous, however, the conflict’s escalating tension and violence caused the organization to weigh its obligation to this cause. Once the United Nations created a plan of action to be implemented in Rwanda, the â€Å"size of force was far to small to meet the assigned mandate within the increasingly tense conditions†12. Though the United Nations was contributing to creating peace, it lacked the force that was needed. Lieutenant-General[->0] Dallaire â€Å"sent [UN] Headquarters a draft o f Rules of Engagement†¦ pecifically allowing the mission to act, and even to use force, in response to crimes against humanity and other abuses†13 Headquarters, however, never responded. The fear of the repercussions and losses due to implementing military force in Rwanda caused the violence to continue. Peace could only be implemented in Rwanda if the United Nations used military forces as power. Karl Maier a German author stated that, â€Å"in Rwanda, one person's God is another person's Satan†14. The peace needed in the nation would only be achieved by using force and commanding the violence to stop.The UN’s unwillingness to provide the military forces that were demanded allowed the Rwanda massacres to continue and therefore illustrates the United Nations failure during this conflict. The United Nations failure to bring peace to Rwanda was due to the organizations unclear peacekeeping tactics, lack of resources and unwillingness to use military force. Thi s conflict caused many deaths that could have been avoided if the UN had implemented the proper plans and created clear, logical tactics.Although the events are tragic, the United Nations â€Å"had much to learn, and many adjustments needed to make in applying [peace] in the future†15. The former Secretariat of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has given public apologizes and leading actors in the Security Council including former American president Bill Clinton, have expressed their regret to act during the Rwanda genocide. The UN has conducted inquiries to try to understand how a conflict of this magnitude could occur without the United Nations having the ability to neutralize the situation. By understanding the causes, the hope is that history will not repeat itself.The United Nations has taken responsibility for their failure to provide peace within Rwanda. This has led to the organizations credibility to grow in recent years through their work internationally to help build and keep the peace. Although the United Nations did not provide peace in Rwanda, they have had a tremendous affect on the cooperation between different countries. If this international organization can create clear procedures of how to deal with, and when to intervene in internal problems, the United Nations will have more success in their pursuits. Footnotes 1. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Quotes,† Think Exist, November 2, 2011, http://thinkexist. com/quotation/the_primary-the_fundamental-the_essential_purpose/344191. html 2. Dixon Kamukama, Rwanda Conflict: Its Roots and Regional Implications Second Edition, (Kampala, Uganda: Fountain Publishers Ltd. , 1997), 3-4. 3. â€Å"Purpose and Principles,† in The Charter of the United Nations and Statute of the International Court of Justice, ed, United Nations (San Francisco, 1945) 3. 4. Michael Barnett, Eyewitness to Genocide: The United Nations and Rwanda, (New York: Cornell University Press, 2003), 2. . United Nations, â€Å"R wanda Genocide and UN’s Contribution†, (Security Council Inquiry, 1999), 7. 6. Neil Riemer, International Peace and Security: The Cost of Waging Peace, (USA: Praeger Publishers, 2000) 63. 7. James S. Sutterlin, The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Security: a Challenge to be Met, Second Edition, (New York: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. , 2003) 75. 8. Mariano Aguirre, â€Å"Power and Paradox in the United Nations,† in Open Democracy (November 2006): accessed October 31, 2011; www. pendemocracy. net/globalization-institutions_government/un_paradox_4073. jsp[->1] 9. â€Å"Learning From the Rwandan Genocide of 1994,† National Defense and the Canadian Forces, November 6, 2011, http://www. journal. dnd. ca/vo6/no2/human-humain-eng. asp 10. Dixon Kamukama, Rwanda Conflict: Its Roots and Regional Implications Second Edition, (Kampala, Uganda: Fountain Publishers Ltd. , 1997), 27-30. 11. United Nations, â€Å"Rwanda Genocide and UN’s Co ntribution†, (Security Council Inquiry, 1999), 11. 12. James S.Sutterlin, The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Security: a Challenge to be Met, Second Edition, (New York: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. , 2003) 74. 13. United Nations, â€Å"Rwanda Genocide and UN’s Contribution†, (Security Council Inquiry, 1999), 9. 14. Karl Maier, Into the House of the Ancestors: Inside the New Africa, (San Francisco:John Wiley, 1998), 273. 15. James S. Sutterlin, The United Nations and the Maintenance of International Security: a Challenge to be Met, Second Edition, (New York: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. , 2003) 77.

What Are Nonsense Words

A nonsense word is a string of letters that may resemble a conventional word  but does not appear in any standard dictionary. A nonsense word is a type of neologism, usually created for comic effect. Also called a pseudoword. In The Life of Language (2012), Sol Steinmetz and Barbara Ann Kipfer observe that a  nonsense word may not have a precise meaning or any meaning for that matter. It is coined to create a particular effect, and if that effect works well, the nonsense word becomes a permanent fixture in the language, like [Lewis Carrolls]  chortle and frabjous.   Nonsense words are sometimes used by linguists to illustrate grammatical principles that operate even when theres no semantic indication of the words function.   Examples and Observations On the top of the Crumpetty TreeThe Quangle Wangle sat,But his face you could not see,On account of his Beaver Hat.For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,With ribbons and bibbons on every sideAnd bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,So that nobody ever could see the faceOf the Quangle Wangle Quee.(Edward Lear, The Quangle Wangles Hat, 1877)From Lewis Carrolls Jabberwocky- Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe;All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe.(Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky. Through the Looking-Glass,  1871)- A number of words originally coined or used as  nonsense words  have taken on specific meanings in subsequent use. Renowned among such words is  jabberwocky, used by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass as the title of a nonsense poem about a fantastic monster called a jabberwock. A meaningless nonsense word itself, jabberwocky appropriately enough became a generic term for meaningless speech or writing.(The Me rriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories, 1991)- [Jabberwocky] is famous for consisting of nonsense words mixed in with normal English words. What makes the poem so vivid and effective in many respects is the ability of the author to evoke images based on the grammatical knowledge of the native or highly proficient non-native speaker.(Andrea DeCapua, Grammar for Teachers. Springer, 2008)A Sampling of Dr. Seusss Nonsense Words- How I like to box! So, every day, I buy a gox. In yellow socks I box my gox.(Dr. Seuss,  One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, 1960)- This thing is a Thneed.A Thneeds a FineSomethingThatAllPeopleNeed!Its a shirt. Its a sock. Its a glove. Its a hat.But it has other uses. Yes, far beyond that.(Dr. Seuss, The Lorax, 1971)- Sometimes I have the feeling there’s a zlock behind the clock.And that zelf up on that shelf! I have talked to him myself.That’s the kind of house I live in. There’s a nink in the sink.And a zamp in the lamp. And theyâ₠¬â„¢re rather nice . . . I think.(Dr. Seuss,  Theres a Wocket in My Pocket, 1974)Which Nonsense Words Make Us Laugh?[A new]  study, led by a team from the department of psychology at the University of Alberta, explored the theory that some nonsense words are inherently funnier than others–in part because they are simply less expected. The team used a computer program to generate thousands of random nonsense words and then asked almost 1,000 students to rate them for funniness. . . .The team found that some words were indeed funnier than others. Some nonsense words, such as blablesoc, were consistently rated by the students as funny while others, such as exthe, were consistently rated as unfunny. . . .Among the funniest nonsense words thrown up by the test were subvick, quingel, flingam,  and probble. Among the least funny were tatinse, retsits, and tessina.(Jamie Dowrd, It’s All a Lot of Flingam: Why Nonsense Words Make Us Laugh. The Guardian [UK], November 29, 2 015)Sarcastic Expressions[T]here is a phonological process in Yiddish-influenced dialects of English  that creates expressions of sarcasm by rhyming with a  nonsense word  whose onset is  shm-: Oedipus-Shmedipus! Just so you love your mother!(Ray Jackendoff, Foundations of Language. Oxford University Press, 2002)QuarkIt was [Murray]  Gell-Mann who introduced the word quark, after a  nonsense word  in  James Joyces  novel, Finnegans Wake. Since in the quark theory of matter, the proton is made up of three quarks, the quotation from Joyce, Three quarks for Muster Mark! is very appropriate and Gell-Manns name has stuck.(Tony Hey and Patrick Walters,  The New Quantum Universe. Cambridge University Press, 2003)Nonsense Words as PlaceholdersNonsense words are a hugely useful feature of speech. They help us out when were searching for a word and dont want to stop ourselves in mid-flow. Theyre a lifeline in cases where we dont know what to call something or have forgotte n its name. And theyre available when we feel that something is not worth a precise mention or we want to be deliberately vague. . . .The curious forms giggombob, jiggembob, and kickumbob all appear in the early-17th century--usually in plays--but seem to have fallen out of use a century later. They were probably overtaken by forms based on thing. Thingum and thingam are both recorded in the 17th century, especially in American English . . ..(David Crystal,  The Story of English in 100 Words. Profile Books, 2011)