Texas Leads Nation In Teen Birth Rate

Texas State and Local Government deals greatly with teen birth rate. The statistics shown by The Kids Count and the study of children's health are shocking. It is hard to take in but I don't see it as surprising. Younger girls now a days don't view sexual intercourse as something risky but rather something to do or to fit in with. As our counts of teen birth rates keep rising, what is making the other states decline? What is their State and Local Governments doing differently? Other than our Local Governments preaching abstinence, it is ultimatley up to the parents to pass on their words of wisdom, hoping their children take it seriously. Texas has set up programs that are required in school to teach, hoping the information of how risky it is to be having intercouse at such a young age can affect the rest of their lives. However, all these measures that Texas Government is doing to prevent teen pregnancy might be a mistake; maybe the government's strong emphasis on teaching abstinence pushed many over the edge. Some teens just don't want to listen. In the article a professor from The University of Texas Health Science Center stresses that the teaching of sexual health and development should be done before high school, the prime years of peer pressure. I believe that Texas's State and Local Governments have done all they can do, it is up to the kid's parents now.
Visit Dallas Morning News for the complete article

When is it safe to swim?

As stated in the Austin Statesman, Steve Gilpatrick was struck just recentley with a life-threatning disease. After taking annual summer trips to the Galveston coast, Steve and his family were in for a shock of their lives. Three days after Steve was on a fishing trip swimming he came down with a terrible pains all over his body. He was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a tissue-destroying disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus thrives during summer months in the Gulf of Mexico. Being a diabetic and having an ulcer on his leg made Steve a higher risk of obtaining this rare disease. He fights for his life as doctors try preventing anymore organ failures and saving his leg from having to be removed. If this disease is known then why are some still not taking the precautions. This article should be read and taken seriously because I would have never guessed there was a specific time of the year that is considered high risk for some type of people to swim. Also, having knowledge on this type of information gives a person more of a warning of what to be more cautious with.This disease is deadly and has taken lives in the past. In my opinion, if your going to take the risk, be smart about it.
For the complete article see: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/19/0719flesh.html