Rising — Lady Vol victories

This past week was a forgettable one for UT sports. Despite the surprising victory over Vanderbilt — did anyone actually think UT would win in Nashville? — the receipt of the NCAA's Notice of Allegations put a sour taste in the mouths of Tennessee fans amid the euphoria of the Vandy victory. Plus, any reminder of the Lane Kiffin era at Tennessee is often followed by yells and thrown beer bottles.

Saturday's home loss to Mississippi State, which was yet another victory that slipped mightily through the fingers of coach Bruce Pearl's squad, was another major hit to UT's impending NCAA tournament hopes. Remember when Thompson-Boling Arena was a feared environment in which to play?

News flash: It still is.

As they seem to do every year, Pat Summitt's Lady Vols have quietly taken the SEC by storm this season. A home victory against LSU on Sunday put the Lady Vols' record at 28-2, including 16-0 in conference play at the end of the regular season. Summitt's coaching staff successfully orchestrated the ninth undefeated SEC season in Lady Vol history.

But thanks to the dark cloud hanging over the men's athletic department at UT, the Vols' female counterparts have been largely overlooked in their dominance, which can safely be described as "the norm" thanks to Summitt's 37 seasons at the helm and over 1,000 victories. The comparable failure of Pearl's squad is unfortunately a more lofty news item than the perennial success of Summitt's.

Well, guess what? The Lady Vols won the SEC outright regular-season title in last Monday's victory over Georgia, and with the SEC Tournament coming up this weekend in Nashville, the ladies look to be on the fast track to their second straight conference tournament championship. They ain't goin' nowhere.

So don't forget the other team housed in Thompson-Boling. That Summitt gal has an idea what she's doing.

Rising — Need for Anzemet and penicillin

With the increasing life expectancy of Americans, longevity of sexual activity in adults, rise of STD transmissions in older patients and a greater shift in focus towards preventative medicine, U.S. health care officials are considering covering STD testing under Medicare.

Medicare is received by nearly 39 million people who are older than 65, as well as 7.6 million disabled people. Officials say the push for the tests are targeted towards those who are considered "high risk" for infections: women, specifically pregnant women (who are included in the disabled beneficiaries category of Medicare). They also include that, with the increasing longevity of the American lifespan, more and more adults are remaining sexually active for longer periods of time.

Is anyone surprised by this notion? Just five years ago in Orlando, Fla., it was reported by doctors and residents that STDs were running rampant in a central Florida retirement community. The doctor interviewed for the story, Colleen McQuade, said she treated more cases of Herpes and HPV in the retirement community than she had when she was working in Miami. Two of the residents interviewed for the story said that the dating life was hot in the community, and that they suspected a lot of the STD transmissions were born from active social lives and Viagra.

So ... yeah. That's that. Once you stop shuddering after thinking about Nana at her retirement home in Boca Vista, take a deep breath and remind yourself that your parents and grandparents are people too, and we should be thrilled that Americans are living longer, more exciting lives and in splendid health.

After all, it's how you ... OK, seriously, we'll stop now.