‘Cy’mply Cynthia

Wisconsin teens are having sex.

I’m not going to skirt around the issue or try and sugar coat it. According to the state’s Department of Health Services, in 2007 about half of WI teenagers report having sex.  That means if you have four teenage children, chances are two of them are no longer virgins.

It gets worse parents, many STD’s are on the rise. Check out this report, it shows that overall….the percentage of teenagers who have a sexually transmitted disease, is increasing. Scary stuff.

Keep bracing yourself, because in 2007, 40% of Wisconsin high school students say an adult family member NEVER discussed AIDS or HIV with them.

There is good news (depending on your views). in 2007, 61% of teens who’ve had sex say they used a condom, that’s up from 58 percent in 1993.

But, condom or not…the state’s overall teen birth rate, declined steadily between 1993 and 2004, but went back up again in 2006 and 2007.

I know this story is filled with a lot of numbers, but they’re the facts about sex for Wisconsin teens. I understand there are differing religious and lifestyle views about sex and contraception. But if you’ve read this far, hopefully you’ve read the facts.

Don’t ignore them, use them to make the best decision you can for yourself.

-stay tuned.

On Saturday, I attended my first UW-La Crosse athletic event, a mens basketball game…but I wasn’t there to watch the Eagles. Instead, filled with pride, I watched my little brother’s team, the UW-Platteville Pioneers.

This is my little brother Joe. He’s a freshman at UW-P, juggling all the responsibilities of being a student athlete, no easy task.  Luckily he’s not alone, the NCAA reports there are more than 380,000 student athletes across the country.

Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately to many of you reading this) Pioneers lost to the UW-L Eagles.

To see more pictures of Joe, click on the links.

Joe Schweigert

Joe with Team

Joe in Huddle

Stay tuned, Challenge Academy Story is coming up!

-Cynthia

“Mind your own business.” It’s childish directive, yet it’s to the point. And the point is, many are urging the United States to follow simple playground advice.

A recent study by Pew Research Center shows opinions on the Great United States, are slipping when it comes to being a major player on the world stage. Our place in the world as an economic leader and international force has dropped significantly.

There’s been such a shift, the opinions are setting records. Pew reports that for the first time in more than 40 years, a plurality (49%) believes the U.S. should butt out, and let others deal on their own.

The U.S, formerly a reigning world champion of economic development and international maneuvering has been dethroned in recent years by China. The country once considered a threat, is repositioning itself as a global leader.

In the survey, 41% of the public says, compared to a decade ago, the U.S. is slipping from it’s once high ranks, and plays a less powerful and important role in the world. This is the highest percentage ever in a Pew Research survey.

Last year, about 40% of the public said the U.S. is the world’s economic leader….again, China is winning over the minds of the public. This year, 44% of the public listed China….only 27% percent positioned the U.S. as number one.

As Nelly once said “Number 2 is not a winner and 3 nobody remembers”…but where does that leave the United States? Are we just a has been, or are we a strong country looking for a new identity?

stay tuned.

It’s cold outside. A simple statement that very few would dispute as Wisconsin’s winter weather continues to ramp up.

However, as CBS news reports it’s not as cold as it used to be.

At this week’s climate conference in Copenhagen, the U.N weather agency announced that the most recent decade will likely go down as the warmest on record. Furthermore the agency reports that 2009 will probably be the warmest year yet.

As the temperatures rise, so does tension about the global warming issue. Hacked emails between scientists who support global warming show possible cover-ups and data that’s been purposefully left out. It’s being called “Climate-gate.” Newsweek reports, however, that the science behind global warming is strong enough to stand up to the hacked emails.

As for ‘Cy’mplifing this, even if the temperature is rising at alarming rates…I still think it’s cold.

Stay tuned.

This weekend, parents and families of the Challenge Academy Cadets had a chance to be together outside Ft. McCoy. The Cadets were home for the Thanksgiving holiday and at the Taylor household, the changes in Cadet Cody Taylor didn’t go unnoticed.

I asked his mom what the best part of having her son home for the holiday was, she replied “It’s good to look at him.”

She also added “His whole demeanor is different, his attitude is different, he still goofs around but there’s just a different way, more as a grown up and a lot nicer.”

Cadet Taylor says he’s being treated like an adult now and that he has a different attitude about spending time at home.

“I have never felt like this about home, being home right now feels so good to me. Before academy wanted to be out of the house and about,” he said.

He also says that he didn’t hang out with his old group of friends when he was back.

“Nope, I’m going to try my hardest to stay away from all that, I have more responsibilities and other priorities than screwing around,” Cadet Taylor said.

The true sign of his maturity, came from his grandpa. Cadet Taylor said “When I got home, I walked in the door and he shook my hand for the first time.”