The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/46670
Teen use of condoms is increasing Teenage Contributed Contraception: all the cool kids are using it. sexual activ- ity, pregnan- cies and births appear to have held steady since 2002, while condom use among adolescents has increased, according to federal data released last week. A survey of more than 4,600 teens ages 15 to 19 conducted between 2006 and 2010 found that about 43 percent of females and about 42 percent of males who had never been married had had sexual in- tercourse at least once. This is about the same proportion as was found in 2002, the last time the survey was conducted, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The teen pregnancy rate was about 71 per 1,000 females in the new report. Since 2002, there was a nine-percent- age-point increase in the proportion of male teen-agers who used a condom during their first sexual encounter. During the same period, there was a six-point increase in the proportion who used a condom in combination with a female partner's use of a hor- monal contraceptive, according to the National Survey of Family Growth, which involved detailed interviews with 4,662 teens. Seventy-eight percent of females and 85 percent of males used some kind of contraceptive during their first sexual encounter, with condoms remaining the most popular method. The Washington Post Working Girl |by Jennifer Tighe A bad day at the office, I mean restaurant When you work in a run-down, dilapi- dated restaurant that's so poor it can't even afford enough silverware or air condition- ing, you learn to deal with a certain level of inconveniences on the job. I'm not so sure I'm proud to be working in a place where I don't even feel safe eating the food _ just the other day, a roach crawled up and out of a customer's dip. I have to give the roach props, though. It managed to survive the microwave and then fight its way out of burning hot, melted cheese and still survive. Its only downfall was not being sneaky enough to get off the table alive _ our concerned customers smashed their little friend on the spot just in case he got any ideas about the dip on the next table. With this, I question why I was so surprised to walk into work yes- terday morning and find that we had no computer systems whatso- ever, a restaurant full of people, and a manager who has little to no idea what he was doing. And I then question why again I was surprised when after getting back from finding credit card slips to use for the day, I found my section and another packed with no tables greeted, no drinks delivered and, quite obviously, no orders being taken. I cannot explain to you the fun I had waiting on seven fully sat tables and a nine-top, all at the same time. Now normally, I can deal with indecisive people, rude attitudes and impatience, but yesterday, I swear to you, I almost committed murder. There is nothing like the restaurant busi- ness to turn you into a loose cannon that hates all human-kind for little to no reason at all. My question is, when a server flat-out explains to you that she is working two full sections at the moment and that the computer system is down, why can't you just shut it and realize she's a little stressed? Oh no, in times like these, people only get more needy. I swear, they drink their drinks 6 O-Town Scene Nov. 3, 2011 faster, they need napkins sooner, they want dressings and remakes on the fly and become agitated faster when they don't get them. I know it's the service industry, but what happened to sympathy and under- standing? I would love to assume that in this situation people could find it in their hearts to give me a moment to breathe, but they didn't. They complained about the service, they complained about the hand-written bills, the hand-cranked credit slips, and they debated my math skills and my ability to determine tax. You're correct, sir; because I serve for $2 an hour plus tips, I have lost all ability to do math correctly. So, thank you to everyone who came in yesterday and made my day a living hell _ it was cute. I thoroughly appreciate your lack of compassion and impatience. I'm hopeful we can do it again soon. Jennifer Tighe recently graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a bachelor's degree in English. She is currently working as a server in Raleigh, N.C.