Sightings

The question was: "Why get a tattoo?" To me, achieving age 60 was a chance to thumb my nose at society, a don"t-give-a-damn-what-anyone-thinks time to stray from conformity. So there'll be critics; who cares? After many in my age group have endured the collapse of a long marriage, kids who grow up and leave, and loved ones who die too soon, we get our priorities straight, and a barb tossed our way is harmless. more »

The researchers found that 13% of African American, 10% of Latino, and 7% of white students were involved with weapons. Of those who carried weapons, 17% also had shot or stabbed someone in the previous 12 months. Compared with those who reported no weapon involvement, adolescents who initially reported involvement with weapons were 4-6 times more likely to be involved with weapons a year later. It also was found that boys were 2-4 times more likely than girls to be involved with weapons. more »

Joan L. Cannon writes: There seem to be gaps in teaching and learning that are made by those habits of society and custom and plain laziness that we should to try to bridge. Certainly lessons as such are  necessary, but the curriculum needs imagination and revision. While working for certification in  the state where I was teaching as a substitute in a public high school, my class was assigned a  paper on Sex Education. more »

Oregon’s move to pharmacist-prescribed birth control is an attempt to increase access to the drugs and reduce unintended pregnancies, which make up more than half of all pregnancies in the United States. It also is part of a movement toward team-based medical care, in which doctors and other medical professionals together oversee patients’ care. more »