I've been busy with other things (including some exciting new writing projects) and just generally relaxing, so blogging will likely remain light. Sex, of course, stays in the news. You can learn how sex education helps teens delay having sex, why it's healthy to have sex, or, on a negative note, the extreme tactics of the anti-abortion movement.

Some have asked what my favorite news sites are, so here are three I heartily recommend, especially for their focus on the political/cultural climate around us:

• www.dailykos.com
• www.crooksandliars.com
• www.bobharris.com

Happy reading, and hope everyone's enjoying the holiday season...

For the first time since 1991, the CDC is reporting a rise in teenage births. More information here, including a link to state-by-state figures.

This news is relatively unsurprising as students are subjected to abstinence-only education throughout most of the country. With little information about sexual responsibility and decision-making made available to them (replaced by misinformation about condoms and sexual health in general), it's no wonder that students are in the dark when it comes to sex. The "just say no," sex-as-danger approach dates back to Ronald and Nancy Reagan - but even the Democrats are to blame, caving in on their earlier threat to put an end to abstinence-only education, instead gifting Bush a budget which, if passed, will actually increase funding for education that fails our students educationally and morally.