Bob King's Profile

The abstinence-only grants have been controversial from the start.

Supporters say comprehensive sex education sends a mixed message and that abstinence is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Critics say abstinence education simply doesn't stop teens from having sex, and those teens need more information about how to reduce pregnancy and disease.

In April 2007, a federally funded study of four abstinence-only programs by Mathematica Policy Research Inc., found that participants had just as many sexual partners as nonparticipants and had sex at the same median age as nonparticipants. The four programs had taught students about human anatomy and sexually transmitted diseases, helped them improve their communication skills, manage peer pressure, set personal goals and build self-esteem.

For Colorado, the study results sealed the decision to get out of the program. Dr. Ned Calonge, the state's chief medical officer, said Mathematica's methods were the gold standard for scientific studies.

"To show no benefit compared to nothing. That was striking," Calonge said. "These are tax dollars that are going for no useful purpose, and it would not be responsible for us to take those dollars."

what I most wish I had understood before the invasion was the reckless arrogance of the Bush administration. I had inklings of it to be sure, and warned of the inadequacy of some of what I saw. But I did not realize that as skillfully, cautiously and patiently as George H. W. Bush’s administration had handled its Iraq war, that was how clumsy, careless and rash George W. Bush’s administration would treat its own.

Doctors are increasingly worried about the number of girls - and boys - being referred to specialists because of this phenomenon of 'precocious' puberty.

The normal age at which puberty starts in both boys and girls has dropped by about two years since the 19th century, to 14 for boys and 12 for girls. This is largely due to improved nutrition - onset of puberty is believed to be triggered by physical size. Another theory is that the epidemic of obesity is to blame.

But modern social conditions may also be a contributory factor. Research suggests that children from broken homes experience earlier puberty. The stress of family breakdown apparently alters the balance of growth hormones and other chemicals in the body, speeding up a child's physical development.

Absent fathers may be another cause. American researchers have found that biological fathers send out chemical signals that inhibit their daughters' sexual maturity. Girls whose fathers had left home started their periods earlier.

Early puberty has even been linked to watching too much television. A few years ago, Italian scientists found that children who watched three hours a day produced less of the sleep hormone melatonin - low levels of the hormone play an important role in the timing of puberty.

But perhaps more worrying is the theory that it's exposure to environmental chemicals which is causing the drop in the age of puberty. These chemicals mimic the effect of hormones, disrupting the normal timing of sexual maturing.

"A few years ago, the soldiers you have encountered at the checkpoints would have been me. Soldiers like myself who served during the second intifada, got our education on the job. You all have visited more places [the past nine days] than most Israelis ever have. Israeli's have no idea what is happening in the occupied territories. But, so far in 2007 we have given more Israeli's a tour through Hebron than we did in 2005 and 2006 combined. Hebron is a ghost town, the settlers are unbearable and every soldier who is stationed there understands the 600 settlers there are psychotic; insane.

"I became very opinionated while in the army, but I kept it all to myself. Nobody talks about it in the army and I was the commander and did not know until after I got out that one of the other soldiers in my unit was feeling the same way, until he gave his testimony. Israeli society wants you to believe you are a bad apple for speaking out because unless you trust the system, it will fall apart. Most Israelis who get out of the army leave the country and are probably all drugged out. They suffer post traumatic syndrome but we are the victimizers. My age group is getting the hell out of here or walling themselves off from society and are not involved in anything.

"Over 450 former soldiers have now given their testimonies and we don't publish any stories without the corroboration coming from another former soldier and the testimonies are kept anonymous.

On July 15th,
>

the Federal Election Commission announced the 2nd-quarter fundraising
>

totals for each presidential candidate. In the Republican field,
>

Ron Paul's $2.4 million placed him:
>





• 
  
  3rd
  >
  >
  
  in total receipts for the quarter
  >
• 
  4th
  >
  
  in total receipts to date
  >
• 3rd
  
  in total current assets (ahead of former front-runner John McCain,
  >
  
  and just $800,000 behind Mitt Romney)
  >


Thus far,
>
47%
>

of the contributions
>
made to Ron Paul's campaign are donations
>

of under $200 from individuals (John McCain's 17% is the second-highest
>

percentage
).
> This is a telling statistic, as it highlights the fact
>

that most other candidates rely heavily upon donations from corporate
>

interests and political action committees (PACs) (i.e. moneyed, influence-seeking
>

sources who can readily afford to contribute large sums). Since Congressman
>

Paul has always voted against special favors and privileges for
>
anyone
>,

special interests know they have nothing to gain by stuffing Ron Paul's
>

campaign coffers. As one member of my local Meetup group put it on
>

a home-made sign, "Ron Paul is thin because he won't let special interests
>

buy him lunch."
>






Among
>
all
>

candidates, Dr. Paul is now
> first

in total donations from military personnel and veterans. While this
>

may come as a surprise to some, Tom Engelhardt identified the primary
>

reason when he asked rhetorically, "
why
> should (military personnel)
>

want to be endlessly redeployed to a lost war in a lost land?" (see
>
Why

the US Military Loves Ron Paul
>).