“In April 1999, a hush fell over the nation as we learned about the tragic massacre of 10 students and one teacher at Columbine High School. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting at a school in the United States.

Since then, gun violence has only gotten worse. In 2017, firearm violence became the leading cause of death for children aged 1–19 years, overtaking motor vehicle accidents. In 2021–2022, the rate of gunfire incidents on school grounds reached its all-time high of 328 shootings—93 of which resulted in fatalities.

The results are sobering:

• 1453 school shootings occurred from 1997 to 2022, with the number of shootings each year increasing to a maximum of 328 in the 2021–2022 school year.
• There were 11 total mass shootings during the study period, resulting in 122 children killed and 126 others injured.
• Though the rate of mass shootings has not increased over time, they have become deadlier—from 7.6 deaths per shooting in 1997–2012 to 14.0 deaths per shooting in 2013–2022.

Unfortunately, these interventions have not worked. There were 135 more school shootings in the study’s final five years than the prior 20 years combined. In fact, these interventions may inadvertently be harming children by inducing trauma and unnecessarily entangling young students with law enforcement.

Despite school shootings dominating the American psyche since the 1999 Columbine massacre, our schoolchildren are still being shot and killed at historic rates. Current interventions do not work. Our children need comprehensive, evidence-backed, and effective solutions to keep them safe.”

As of October 15, 58 incidents of school shootings were recorded in the United States in 2024, impacting K-12 school grounds and college campuses nationwide.

School shootings—terrifying to students, educators, parents, and communities—always reignite polarizing debates about gun rights and school safety. To bring context to these debates, Education Week journalists began tracking shootings on K-12 school property that resulted in firearm-related injuries or deaths.

In 2025, we continue this heartbreaking, but important work. More information about this tracker and our methodology is below.

There have been 2 school shootings this year that resulted in injuries or deaths, according to an Education Week analysis. There have been 223 such shootings since 2018. There were 39 school shootings with injuries or deaths last year. There were 38 in 2023, 51 in 2022, 35 in 2021, 10 in 2020, and 24 each in 2019 and 2018.

Attack on a Florida high school 2018 is the eighth shooting to have resulted in death or injury during the first seven weeks of that year!

Wednesday’s school shooting 2018 Valentine’s day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., was the 18th school shooting of 2018 — a year that’s not even two months old.

While many of these incidents — including the Wednesday’s shooting 2018, one on Feb. 8 at New York City’s Metropolitan High School — did not result in any fatalities or injuries, schools nationwide have been rocked by gun violence in recent days. There have been school shootings in 13 states so far that year.

Gun control needs metal detectors in all schools and all states having the same heavy prerequisites to getting a permit.

In NY requisites are being a NY resident or your business is in NY, (a) twenty-one years of age or older, provided, however,  that where  such  applicant  has  been  honorably  discharged from the United States army, navy, marine corps,  air  force  or  coast  guard,  or  the national  guard  of the state of New York, no such age restriction shall apply; (b) of good moral character;  (c)  who  has  not  been  convicted anywhere of a felony or a serious offense; (d) who has stated whether he or  she  has  ever  suffered  any mental illness or been confined to any hospital or institution, public or private, for mental illness; (e)  who has  not had a license revoked or who is not under a suspension or ineligibility order issued pursuant to the provisions of section  530.14  of the  criminal  procedure law or section eight hundred forty-two-a of the family court act;(f)  in  the  county  of  Westchester, … , (i), … (ii), … (g) …

NYS also requires the following:

Reference Letters Currently, I am told you are asked to supply 3 reference letters from people that have known you for at least 2 years (mine had to be from people that knew me at least 5 years, YMMV). The letter should state that you are “of good moral character.” The more detailed and personal it is, the better. This is a basic sample of a Reference Letter (PDF).  This is to prove your are of good moral character.

The Interview It’s really no big deal. Look presentable, and be prepared. One individual’s questioning went something like this (my experience was similar):

Q: Why do you want a gun? A: Home defense & target shooting.

Q: Where will you store the gun? A: Unloaded, in a locked box or safe, with a trigger lock.

Q: Where will you store the ammo? A: In a different locked box or safe.

Q: Have you ever owned a gun? A: Yes or No, if yes be ready to supply details.

Q: Is your housemate aware you are applying for this permit? A: Yes, he/she has already signed an affidavit to that end or “I live alone.”

Q: Will you be transporting the firearm? A: Yes, to and from the gun range with no stops.

Q: How will you transport the firearm to and from the range? A: Pistol in a locked box, unloaded and trigger locked. Ammunition in a separate container. Both the pistol and the ammo will be carried in a way so as to obscure their presence on my person.

Q: Have you ever been assaulted? A: Yes or No. Provide details and dates if answer is yes.

Q: Has your domicile ever been robbed? A: Yes or No. Provide details and dates if answer is yes.

Q: When is the use of deadly force permissible? A: When someone has broken into my home and has demonstrated their intention to kill myself or someone else in my home.

You are being given a evaluation on if your mentally stable or not to be even thought of given a gun in NY.

It is not so hard in getting guns in certain other states where others are just as difficult as NY.  Consistency on rules could help a lot.

If illegal guns where wiped away in America and not available in this country except legally getting a gun a lot of shooting would be decreased.  The man who did the shooting in Florida Monday was not emotionally stable.  This man was no way stable enough to carry a gun and if he was checked by NY or other states like it he would never have got a permit or license with his school history problems, no references probably with how the students talked about him on the internet, on top of getting suspended/expelled from a the school.  This would set off a red light in NY or other states like NY with the requisites in getting access of a permit for a gun.

God help these students, families, friends, people in all the states of America and those that have been hit with unfortunate gun shootings that put a big shock to America and the people of it!  Please lets make a change in making schools safer and President Trump come through with the statement he made on making the schools safer that February month, on 2/15/18!  Now back in office as President of the United States who will hopefully do better in getting rid of illegal guns as he is illegals in this country.  He has been improving our border without question since Former Bidon was in office!

“Although the terms “mind” and “brain” are sometimes used interchangeably, they are distinct entities. The brain is a physical organ that is responsible for coordinating our bodily functions, while the mind is a collection of mental processes that encompasses our thoughts, emotions, memories, and beliefs. The brain is the hardware that powers the mind, while the mind is the software that runs on the brain.

Kindness makes us happier and also protects against depression. That’s what the science says.

In a typical ‘kindness study’, people are asked to carry out a certain number of acts of kindness over the course of a day, a week, a month, or longer, and their happiness levels are either compared against people not doing the kindnesses or against their own happiness before they began the study.

In every version of these sorts of studies, the results are clear. Being kind makes us happy.

In longer studies, of the type that examine people’s volunteering habits, rates of depression are lower than in the general population. One of the reasons is that volunteering creates beneficial social connections. It could also be, as some have argued, that kind people are drawn to volunteering, which almost certainly contributes. But the evidence suggests that kindness itself protects against depression.

So why is this so? Why does kindness make us happier and protect our mental health? There are a few reasons.

One, is that deep in the human psyche is the sense that helping others is the right thing to do. For some, it’s spiritual. Kindness aligns us with a deep sense of spiritual purpose.

Secondly, helping others simply feels satisfying. For many, no explanation is necessary. It’s just the way it is. Kindness feels right and it feels good. The end!

In science, there’s also the fact that we have ‘kindness genes’. The main gene associated with kindness is actually one of the oldest in the human genome, at around 500 million years old. This means it has played a role in our survival over eons. As a result, we are drawn to help others and we get an intuitive sense that kindness matters.

Either way, there’s no question that kindness is good for mental health. In the brain, it produces oxytocin, the bonding hormone – aka, the love drug / hugging hormone / cuddle chemical / kindness hormone – when it involves a positive interaction between people. It also produces dopamine and serotonin. There’s even a suggestion that it might also produce endogenous opioids, the brain’s own morphine.

Another reason might be the fact that kindness can actually cause physical changes in brain matter. This is to do with both the focus on kindness and having kind thoughts, but also because of how kindness feels.

Evidence comes from kindness-based meditations, like the Buddhists’ Loving Kindness meditation, where we wish others happiness, good health, and freedom from suffering. A regular practice impacts brain regions associated with empathy and happiness.

In the long term, consistent activation of the same regions strengthens circuits there. What this means is that, just as working out muscles makes them stronger and makes it easier to lift heavy objects, so strengthening brain circuits makes it easier to access what those brain circuits do.

With consistent kindness, therefore, we come to genuinely care for others more and find it easier to access happiness. In other words, extracting happiness from the everyday backdrop of events and circumstances in our lives becomes more natural. Smiles become easier and more natural too.

This may be one of the main reasons why kindness is so protective against depression in the long term.

Another factor at play here is the fact that oxytocin – the main kindness hormone – turns down activity in the amygdala – a brain region involved in stress, depression, worry, fear, anxiety. In research where people were invited to lie inside MRI scanners and had their amygdala activated, when they were then give a dose of this kindness hormone, activation dropped considerably.

You might think of it like a dimmer switch being turned down just as you might turn down a thermostat when your home is too warm or turn down a light when the room is too bright. Only it’s kindness hormones that turn down the stress dimmer switch.

Other research backs this up. When volunteers were asked to report on their daily acts of kindness as well as their daily stress scores over a three week period, on days when kindness was high, stress was low. It wasn’t that when we’re being kind that stressful things don’t happen because experience tells us this is not the case. Instead, it’s that kindness buffers the effects of stress because of how it feels, and likely how it then affects brain circuits.

In other words, the same things can happen that might happen on any other day, but when we’re being kind, they don’t ‘sting’ quite the same.

In the long term, this stress buffering effect has enormous benefits for our mental health because we become less affected by seemingly negative circumstances that befall us.

So the moral of the story today is this: Be kind. It’s almost always the right thing to do, and it will probably make you feel better.”

Dr. David Hamilton PhD

How kindness impacts the brain and benefits mental health – David R Hamilton PHD

Empathy and love both seem to be related to oxytocin. Dr. Zak thinks this is why we want to hear those sad love songs over and over. There is a soothing to sadness. Remember that when suffering moves us to engage with others then we get the pleasure and reduction of anxiety from the HOME system. Helping others is important to humans. He recalls last time one of his daughters had the stomach flu and he stayed up with her all night while she vomited and at one point she apologized to me. Dr. Zak told her he couldn’t think of a more important thing to do than hold the bucket and be with her. It was her suffering that moved him to help her, even though he, too, suffered with her, he felt good that I could help her.

Everything we do draws on our metabolic resources though oxytocin synthesis is metabolically cheap so we can’t love too much. Actually, eating mildly stimulates oxytocin release so that’s why we take dates (and hold meetings) at meals–it makes it easier to connect to someone.

The more oxytocin is released, the lower the threshold for its release. In other words, the more we love, the more we can love. My research has shown that those who release the most oxytocin after being trusted are happier in their lives. They are happier because they have better relationships of all types: romantic, with family, they have more close friends, and are even kinder to strangers. We’ve also shown that oxytocin release improves the immune system by reducing stress. So, love freely!

Dr. Zak recently studied loving kindness (metta) meditation and compared this to mindfulness meditation. This was for people who had never meditated before and received a month of training. Both kinds of meditation lead to greater altruism, but metta did this to a greater extent. Metta meditation was more valuable to those who received it than mindfulness meditation, and the metta group had a larger reduction in brain activity in regions associated with anxiety and self-focused attention than the mindfulness group did.

Oxytocin receptors live in areas of the brain associated with social memories (animals that cannot produce oxytocin get “social amnesia”). So, we are laying down memory tracks using oxytocin on who is safe, trustworthy, and kind. These memories are being rehearsed each time we have a positive interaction and so it can lead to us being kinder to more people more of the time. Practice is the key to activate this effect.

Based on what was previously mentioned one can make a habit of practicing loving-kindness, so that it seems to come naturally and automatically in your personal interactions. Also is seems that oxytocin circuit work below the level of conscious awareness.

Psychopaths just don’t feel the empathy, the love, and are permanently in selfish, survival mode.

One of the potent inhibitors of oxytocin release is stress, and one of those stresses is survival stress…If your body is not facing survival stress, then you sort of have the luxury of connecting to others. That connection is always costly in time or resources and not everyone can do that. All of us don’t do it all the time. As average incomes rises, there’s a pretty strong gradient of better behavior occurring on average.

Research increasingly supports the long-held belief that kindness is good not only for others, but also for ourselves. While religions have also taught the importance of kindness for millennia, we see that kindness is not a religious matter; it is a basic human value. It belongs to what both the Dalai Lama and the World Happiness Report have called a universal secular ethics.

Kindness has layers of complexity even at a conceptual level. If someone asks for something that might be harmful for them, for instance an alcoholic asking for a drink, is it kind to give it to them? Which economic policies or political agendas are the kindest? When does kindness to oneself mean pushing past one’s pre-conceived limits and when does it mean giving oneself a much-needed break?

If we look at these complex questions, we can see that kindness is supported by discernment and by empathy. In some cases, you may want to be kind to someone, but because of a failure to understand their perspective or resonate with them emotionally, you may end up saying something hurtful or insensitive.

Naturally, kindness is also supported by compassion. If you are inclined to wish another person to be happy, protected and relieved of suffering–in other words, if you are compassionate towards them–you will not want to harm them. In such a case, your actions towards them are more likely to be characterised by kindness.

From this, we can see that the cultivation of many other skills and dispositions–such as compassion, empathy and discernment–will enhance kindness. Since kindness is vital for us on both biological and social levels, we should invest in methods that help us cultivate kindness as well as the skills and dispositions that support it. This includes introducing the science, theory and practice of kindness in educational settings so that children can benefit from this knowledge and can begin the practice of self-care and care for others from an early age.

In order to have a fully formed capacity for kindness, one must first learn to be kind to oneself and practice self-compassion. When we are not emotionally aware or are unkind towards ourselves, it is very difficult to be kind to another. Learning to have greater self-compassion can put us in the right physiological, emotional and mental state to be kind to others.

We have established that kindness is supported by related skills and dispositions, such as forgiveness, empathy, compassion and discernment. Further, to develop kindness for the greatest number of people, these practices should rest on a foundation of impartiality, where we learn to see our common humanity. In other words, we must realise that what all human beings have in common vastly outweighs our differences, and that all human beings naturally seek to experience greater well-being and less suffering.

What do you think?

“The word kindness does the following:

1-It brings up thoughts of donating to charity, holding open doors for strangers, helping out colleagues with their work. One aspect that unifies most kind acts is that they are effortful. However, effort is aversive—humans and other animals generally avoid it. So why are we kind if it requires so much work? Ourselves and other researchers have shown that people are indeed willing to put in physical effort to help other people. We don’t do so as often as when our effort benefits us instead, but we will do it, particularly if the benefit for the other person is large.”

Research shows that specific parts of the brain represent how effortful an act is and these are linked to overcoming the hard work needed to help others. Next time we are faced with the opportunity to help, it is important to focus on the benefits, rather than the effort, to motivate us that being kind is worthwhile.

2-Another essential aspect of being kind is being able to learn that what we did helped another person. Research has shown that when we are learning to help someone else, there is a part of the brain in the cingulate cortex that increases its activity only when we are being kind to someone else, and not when we are helping ourselves. This suggests that we might have specific parts of the brain for being kind.

3-One factor that affects all of us is age, and this has come up in recent research as important for kindness too. Older people seem to be more willing to be kind, whether that is putting in effort for others, learning about rewards, donating to charity, and even engaging in higher daily step counts to help. Older people seem to be more kind than younger people, on average. However, who we are being kind to is also a critical predictor of our willingness to help.

4-Age seems to be an important factor in being kind to others. But, at any age, are there particular traits that affect our kindness? Several researchers have shown that an important difference between people is levels of what are known as psychopathic traits—lack of empathy, remorse, and guilt.

Both when we are putting in effort to help others and when we are learning whether we have helped someone or not, our ability to be kind seems to vary on a spectrum with our levels of psychopathy. However, on the flip side, people who are higher in empathy are faster at learning how their actions help others and more willing to put in effort to help. Cultivating our levels of empathy, and minimizing any traits linked to psychopathy, are therefore essential for the tendency to be kind”

Psychology Today (5 Core Lessons from the Science of Kindness | Psychology Today Australia)

Kindness is a quality that seems inherent in human beings. Like most vital things, however, it is at once very simple and very complex, with multiple layers that can be explored extensively.

On the simplest level, kindness is showing consideration to others, as opposed to being insensitive, harmful or apathetic. On this basic level, kindness has universal appeal. Not only human beings, including infants and children, but also animals appreciate kindness.

The reason for this is simple. Our most basic motivation is to strive for survival, well-being and happiness. Being treated by others with cruelty, indifference or insensitivity goes directly against this basic wish. So, we want others to treat us with kindness and this is common to all humans.

Additionally, as social animals, we need others’ kindness to survive. As with all mammals and birds, we are not self-sufficient at birth, or even for several years thereafter. In infancy, without maternal care and the care of others, we would quickly perish. Therefore, this basic need for care means that even on a cellular level–deep within our biology and physiology–we respond to kindness. We are interdependent and our bodies know it.

For instance, our nervous system is wired in a way that affective touch, such as the kind or loving touch of someone we feel close to, activates different parts of the brain (the posterior insular cortex and anterior cingulate cortex). This is different from discriminative touch–the touch we use to feel something ourselves (which primarily activates the somatosensory cortex)–which activates different nerve fibres. Affective touch can make us feel relaxed, safe and calm, activating our parasympathetic or “rest and digest” response–but typically only if our brain interprets it as coming from a kind, non-threatening source. If the touch comes from someone we don’t like, it can have quite the opposite effect, causing us stress and a completely different (and less healthy) physiological and chemical response in our body. This activation of the sympathetic nervous system (the “flight or fight response”) can cause the release of stress hormones (such as adrenaline and cortisol) in our bodies, elevating heart rate and blood pressure, and increasing inflammation. This activation occurs when we perceive another’s touch as unkind.

A great deal of research has emerged on the long-term importance of affective touch for infants as well as its impact on adults. From this we can see that kindness is not a mere concept in our heads; it is also a biological reality in our bodies. There are multiple layers of complexity to the science of kindness that we have yet to explore.

We can see that kindness supports happiness and flourishing even on social, national and international levels. ‘The World Happiness Report’, a project undertaken by the United Nations, has shown that even more than economic factors, happiness and life satisfaction are facilitated by factors such as trust and social support, which are themselves manifestations of kindness. It should come as no surprise to us that kinder societies are happier societies; it may, however, be surprising to some to know that kindness is even more important than wealth. In fact, contrary to the idea that simply having more wealth results in more happiness, data from the 2019 World Happiness Report suggest that generosity (showing kindness by giving wealth away) is also positively correlated with happiness in societies. This coincides with other data showing that we tend to feel rewarded when we act kindly and benefit others.

Paul J. Zak is founding director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University.   He has a Ph.D. in economics from University of Pennsylvania, and post-doctoral training in neuroimaging from Harvard. Dr. Zak’s lab discovered in 2004 that an ancient chemical in our brains, oxytocin, allows us to determine who to trust.

In experiments run over the last 10 to 15 years, in Dr. Zak’s lab and in his field, he and his colleagues have shown that the brain chemical oxytocin is released when someone is nice to us in objective ways (for example, when a stranger shares money with us). Oxytocin is the mammalian signal that tells mothers (and in some species fathers) to care for their offspring. It is the chemical basis for parental love. What we’ve shown is that oxytocin release is stimulated by acts of kindness or trust by complete strangers. The feeling people get when their brains release oxytocin is one of empathy or emotional connection.

Empathy is the product of a brain circuit Dr. Zak calls HOME (for Human Oxytocin Mediated Empathy). How does this brain circuit work? Oxytocin does not work alone. It activates a brain circulate that makes it feel good to do good for others. The HOME circuit does this by giving us a feeling of pleasure when we help others and by reducing our anxiety when we have a positive social interaction. Our brains are designed to engage with strangers and to care about them. This is what it means to be a social creature.

The distinction between romantic love and non-romantic love is clear: Biologically they appear to be quite similar and to use oxytocin and the HOME circuit. They may feel differently, but nature is conservative and reuses brain circuits for many purposes.   Dr. Zak states he thinks this is good though. All love is good and valuable and important. For example, Dr. Zak with colleagues showed experimentally that touch releases oxytocin so he started hugging people instead of shaking hands at work. This earned him the nickname “Dr. Love.” At first this was a bit embarrassing to the doctor he stated but then he started to think, what better thing can he do on the planet but to give people love so now he states he is happy to be Dr. Love.

Another view on this topic is,  it’s often said that we should put ourselves in another person’s shoes in order to better understand their point of view. But psychological research suggests this directive leaves something to be desired: When we imagine the inner lives of others, we don’t necessarily gain real insight into other people’s minds.

Instead of imagining ourselves in another person’s position, we need to actually get their perspective, according to a recent study (pdf) in the Journal of Personality and Psychology. Researchers from the University of Chicago and Northeastern University in the US and Ben Gurion University in Israel conducted 25 different experiments with strangers, friends, couples, and spouses to assess the accuracy of insights onto other’s thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and mental states.

Their conclusion, as psychologist Tal Eyal tells Quartz: ”We assume that another person thinks or feels about things as we do, when in fact they often do not. So we often use our own perspective to understand other people, but our perspective is often very different from the other person’s perspective.” This “egocentric bias” leads to inaccurate predictions about other people’s feelings and preferences. When we imagine how a friend feels after getting fired, or how they’ll react to an off-color joke or political position, we’re really just thinking of how we would feel in their situation, according to the study.

Come back tomorrow for part 2

Facts about cardiovascular heart disease by AHA:

• “According to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S.
• While medical advances have helped more people live longer with cardiovascular diseases, many of the risk factors which lead to these diseases, including high blood pressure and obesity, continue to grow at alarming rates.
• Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, claim more lives in the U.S. than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths – the #2 and #3 causes of death – combined.”

American Heart Association (Heart disease remains leading cause of death as key health risk factors continue to rise | American Heart Association)

During the month of February, Americans see the human heart as the symbol of love. February is American Heart Month, a time to show yourself the love. Learn about your risks for heart disease and stroke and stay “heart healthy” for yourself and your loved ones.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)—including heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure—is the number 1 killer of women and men in the United States. It is a leading cause of disability, preventing Americans from working and enjoying family activities.¹ CVD costs the United States over $300 billion each year, including the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.¹

Understanding the Burden of CVD

CVD does not affect all groups of people in the same way. Although the number of preventable deaths has declined in people aged 65 to 74 years, it has remained unchanged in people under age 65. Men are more than twice as likely as women to die from preventable CVD.²

Having a close relative who has heart disease puts you at higher risk for CVD. Health disparities based on geography also exist. During 2007–2009, death rates due to heart disease were the highest in the South and lowest in the West.

Race and ethnicity also affect your risk. Nearly 44% of African American men and 48% of African American women have some form of CVD. And African Americans are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to have high blood pressure and to develop the condition earlier in life. About 2 in 5 African American adults have high blood pressure, yet fewer than half of them have the condition under control.

Many CVD deaths could have been prevented through healthier habits, healthier living spaces, and better management of conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

You can control a number of risk factors for CVD, including:

• Diet
• Physical activity
• Tobacco use
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes

As you begin your journey to better heart health that can last a lifetime, keep these things in mind:

• Try not to become overwhelmed. Every step brings you closer to a healthier heart, and every healthy choice makes a difference!
• Partner up. The journey is more fun—and often more successful—when you have company. Ask friends and family to join you.
• Don’t get discouraged. You may not be able to take all of the steps at one time. Get a good night’s sleep—also important for a healthy heart—and do what you can tomorrow.
• Reward yourself. Find fun things to do to decrease your stress. Round up some colleagues for a lunchtime walk, join a singing group, or have a healthy dinner with your family or friends

“National Condom Week, celebrated annually from February 14th to February 21st, is not only an opportunity to promote safe sex practices but also to raise awareness about the importance of protecting oneself and others against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies.

One of the key messages emphasized during National Condom Week is that condoms are the only form of birth control that protect against both STIs and unintended pregnancies. Unlike other contraceptive methods, condoms create a barrier that prevents bodily fluids from coming into contact with one another, reducing the risk of transmission of STIs such as HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis.

It’s essential to recognize that correct and consistent condom use significantly reduces the likelihood of STI transmission, making them a vital tool for protecting your sexual health.  Men make sure no holes in the condom or the purpose has been defeated for preventions for wearing it.

Other Barrier Methods
While external condoms are the most commonly known barrier method, there are other options available for individuals seeking protection against STIs and unplanned pregnancies:

Internal Condoms: Also known as female condoms, these are inserted into the vagina before sex to provide a barrier against sperm and STIs.
Dental Dams: These thin latex or polyurethane sheets are used during oral sex to protect against STIs transmitted through oral-genital contact.
Diaphragms: A shallow, dome-shaped silicone device inserted into the vagina before sex to cover the cervix and prevent sperm from entering the uterus.”

Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, Inc. (National Condom Week: Protect Your Health and Wellbeing | Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties, Inc.)

On Valentine’s day every year it started National Condom Week.

In the US, February National Condom Month originally started on the campus of the University of California – Berkeley, it has grown into a educational even for high schools, colleges, family planning organizations, AIDS groups, sexually transmitted disease awareness groups, pharmacies and condom manufacturers.  In hopes to help young ones and all in preventing STDs.  Using condoms helps prevent you getting sexual transmitted diseases through intercourse.  Also having one sex partner only with both checked for STDs first.  STDs you don’t want to get especially those that can shorten your life.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been known to mankind for centuries. Before the advent of modern medicine, people’s lack of awareness and understanding of STDs contributed to the widespread transmission of the infections while few or no treatments were available to treat the conditions.

In medieval times, syphilis and gonorrhoea were two of the most prevalent STDs in Europe.

Some STDs can have severe, life-changing consequences; syphilis, for example, can eventually cause progressive destruction of the brain and spinal cord, leading to mental dysfunction and hallucinations, speech problems and general paresis.

It’s kind of puzzling that sexually transmitted diseases are so prevalent—particularly when you consider that you have to get pretty up close and personal to contract one. An STD is characterized by any disease that is spread by one partner to another via sexual contact, and that can be orally, vaginally, anally, or via hand to genital contact. Regardless, they are spread when one partner passes the disease-causing organism on to the other. Obviously, preventing STD transmission is first and foremost by practicing safe sex (PREVENTION) and not enough do it in America for some crazy reason hurting themselves and other people. However, if you think you might have contracted one of the most common STDs, recognizing the disease is imperative for swift treatment and preventing further spreading.

Top venereal diseases in the USA:

1-Gonorrhea

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 700,000 new cases of Gonorrhea, or the “clap”, crop up every year. This long-term STD that is spread bacterially, affecting a female’s cervix, a male’s urethra, or the throat in both sexes, which means that it’s transmitted by vaginal, oral, and anal sex. The symptoms of gonorrhea are pretty subtle; the most noticeable being burning when urinating or a yellowish penile discharge in men.

2-Hepatitis

Sexually transmitted hepatitis is hepatitis B (or HBV), which afflicts more than 1.25 million individuals in the U.S. even though there is a vaccine. If left untreated, a Hep B infection will scar and damage the liver, causing cirrhosis and liver cancer. Unfortunately, over half of those affected show no symptoms, but those who do suffer muscle pain and fatigue, yellowing of the eyes (or jaundice), nausea, and a distended stomach.

3-Syphilis

Syphilis is a particularly sneaky STD that caused by a type bacterial infection of the genital tract, known as Treponema Pallidum. Syphilis is transmitted when direct contact is made between the small, painless sores on the mouth, rectum, vagina, or around the genitals in areas not protected by latex condoms. It can also be transmitted via infected mother to her baby during pregnancy. When there are no sores, the disease is still present. Syphilis symptoms are rare , however, the most telling are sores or lesions on and around the genitals, as well as hair loss, sore throat, fever; headache; and a white patchy skin rash.

4- Chlamydia

Like Gonorrhea, Chlamydia affects a man’s penile urethra and a woman’s cervix. However, oftentimes those who’ve contracted Chlamydia don’t show symptoms for months or even years, which explains why it’s the most common and rampant STD. If you do show symptoms, you’ll feel pain during intercourse and have a discolored, thick discharge from the vagina or penis. Transmitted via sexual penetration with an affected partner, using latex condoms can prevent transmission of this curable STD.

 5. Crabs

If you feel a creepy-crawly, itchy sensation in your genitals, you may have crabs (or public lice). They show themselves as visible eggs or lice in the coarse hair of the genital region (even if you shave it off), and they can spread to the armpits and eyebrows if left untreated. Typically transmitted via sexual contact, crabs can also be passed via contact with infested linens or clothing .

6. Human Papilloma Virus

Human Papilloma Virus (or HPV) is currently the most wide spread STD. It affects roughly three-quarters of the sexually active population and a staggering one-quarter of sexually active women, which is why there is a North American vaccine to protect young women from certain types of HPV that are linked to genital warts and cervical cancer. HPV is transmitted through genital contact—via vaginal and anal sex, and also oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. Most times HPV doesn’t show any symptoms until it’s far advanced, but genital warts as well as RRP, a condition where warts grow in the throat and eventually cause breathing difficulties are common.

7. Bacterial Vaginosis

Bacterial Vaginosis, or BV, is not always considered an STD even though it typically afflicts those of child-bearing age with multiple or new sex partners. BV occurs when healthy bacteria in the vagina overgrow and become imbalanced, causing burning and itching around the vagina and a thick, grey discharge with a strong fishy odor. Antibiotics will quickly clear up bouts of BV, but it can reoccur, leaving the victim prone to pelvic inflammatory disease, other STDs, and premature births (if pregnant).

 8. Herpes

Painful sores or lesions on your mouth or genitals may indicate herpes, a viral STD that comes in two forms HSV1 (herpes of the mouth) and HSV2 (herpes of the genitals). Herpes is transmitted skin-to-skin—for instance, from genital to genital, mouth to genital, or mouth to mouth contact with an infected individual, even when they don’t have visible sores. Even though herpes symptoms be treated with antibiotics, the virus never goes away and reoccurs typically 2 to 4 times per year.

9. Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis, or “trich”, often masks itself as a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis (BV) in women with similar symptoms—including a thick, grey discharge, offensive vaginal odor, pain or burning intercourse, and itchiness. A parasitic trichomonas vaginalis infection affects the urethra and the vagina in women. It can be transmitted back and forth between sex partners (man to woman and woman to woman) via vaginal intercourse and contact. However, most men typically don’t have any symptoms.

10. HIV

HIV is transmitted via the exchange of body fluids—such as semen, vaginal secretions, blood, or breast milk. Within a month or 2 of contracting HIV, about 40 to 90-percent of those afflicted suffer from flu-like symptoms including fever, fatigue, achy muscles, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, headache, skin rash, dry cough, nausea, rapid weight loss, night sweats, frequent yeast infections (for women), cold sores, and eventually, pneumonia. Luckily, many individuals who are diagnosed early can live a long, productive life with HIV thanks to a combination of highly active anti-retroviral drug therapy, which prevents to progression to AIDS causing death.

Vaccination is another way that you can prevent yourself from becoming infected. So far the only effective vaccines we have available are for hepatitis B and HPV. We’re recommending that teenage girls be vaccinated against HPV, because certain strains are associated with cervical cancer.

So Don’t be silly, protect your willy
When in doubt, shroud your spout
It will be sweeter if you wrap your peter
No glove, no love!

Don’t lac but get your vac to prevent a poor sex act!

Remember PREVENTION!

While humor is used to help provide education, National Condom Week has become a tool to help educate young adults about serious risks involved with unprotected sex. This includes the risk of catching and spreading sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS as well as helping to prevent unwanted pregnancies.