The Point

• "What Caused the Apparent Rise in Teen Pregnancy?"
• "Adult Women Play House with Fake Babies" (via The Corner)
• "Good Works"
• "High Standards"
• "What 'Doubt' Is About"
• "Denver Post Removes 'The Lord' from Burris Story"
• "New House rules reflect Democrats' election win"

What is this?

• "Gay marriage backers target New England" (via FRC)
• "'This Is the Destiny of Girls'"
• "Five Ways the World Can End"
• "Past as Prelude"

What is this?

• "As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God"
• "For Good Self-Control, Try Getting Religious about It"
• "Resolutions"
• "Child maid trafficking spreads from Africa to US"
• "Israel's Gaza Surge"
• "The Good Dad"
• "Grow Up!"
• "Disney jumps ship on next 'Narnia'"
• "The Threat from International Law"
• "Mr. Gore: Apology Accepted" (via The Corner)
• "Government aid could save U.S. newspapers, spark debate" (via Hot Air -- profanity in comments)
• "The Ten Days of Newton"

What is this?

• "Baghdad celebrates first public Christmas amid hope, memories"
• "Hard Times, a Helping Hand" (via The Corner)
• "Responding to Guttmacher's Attack" (via The Corner)
• "Conservative Snobs Are Wrong about Palin"
• "The Seven Deadly Sins, Revisited: Lust" (via The Corner)
• "'Tis the Season for Porn"
• "Gay Man for Navy Secretary?"
• "Why music?"
• "Bill Clinton's Donor List, Including Foreign Governments, May Pose Conflicts for Hillary"
• "Labor finally admits married parents ARE best for children after all"

What is this?

• "Light amidst the darkness"
• "They're Having Babies. Are We Helping?"
• "My Sugar Daddy" (profanity in comments)
• "Do men hurt?" (via The Line)
• "The Adam Walsh Case That Haunted a Million Childhoods"
• "Reader Question: The Politics of 'A Christmas Carol'"
• "When Jesus Met Buddha"
• "Pre-industrial CO2 levels were about the same as today. How and why were we told otherwise?"

What is this?

• "The Shoe 'Nuf Truth"
• "Attorney General investigating Planned Parenthood"
• "Will Christian mom lose daughter to lesbian?"
• "Plot Twist: The Newbery May Dampen Kids' Reading"
• "Priest: Playboy cover resembling Mary 'desperate,' 'blasphemous'" (adult themes, suggestive image)
• "Northeast Siberia braces for extreme cold of -60C"

What is this?

• "Silence=Acceptance"
• "Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg opposes euthanasia and loses power"
• "Words associated with Christianity and British history taken out of children's dictionary"
• "Wright visits Trinity pulpit, lashes media" (profanity alert)
• "An Enduring Crisis for the Black Family"
• "Great Power, Great Responsibility"
• "Voodoo Economics"
• "Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up"
• "Michael Dirda on the 10 Commandments of Book Giving"

What is this?

I must admit that I smiled a bit when I read the news that Mattel, which makes Barbie dolls, has won its copyright infringement lawsuit against the maker of Bratz dolls.

Yes, I'm familiar with all the brouhaha over the unrealistic beauty standards implied by Barbie's fabulous face and figure. But I have very fond memories of playing with one of the earliest Barbie dolls (I still have her), mainly learning to make her clothes using fabric scraps from my mother's various sewing projects. I gave my daughter Barbie dolls when she was growing up, and I've purchased several for my granddaughters.

I have not, however, bought any of the wildly popular Bratz dolls. Why not? Because they're freaky-looking, they're dressed like prostitutes, and they have a name that implies that being a brat is somehow a worthy goal. Needless to say, I won't be shedding any tears over their demise -- though I'm sure some savvy doll collectors will snatch up all the available Bratz dolls and make a pile of money.   

(Image © Competitive Intelligence)

What is this?

• "Susan Rice, 'Bystander to Genocide'"
• "Obama: In the Irony-Free Zone"
• "A Resting Place, At Last"
• "Media Bombardment Is Linked to Ill Effects During Childhood"
• "Sex invariably spells trouble, says Dalai Lama"
• "GOP's path to victory still goes through God"
• "Tenor Placido Domingo sings poems by Pope John Paul"
• "YouTube Announces Auditions for Its Own Symphony Orchestra"

What is this?

• "It's Not the Cold War"
• "Gay Marriage and a Moral Minority"
• "Terrorism that's personal" (free registration required)
• "Soldier of Misfortune"
• "Is gay the new black? Marriage ban spurs debate"
• "British downturn's generational divide"
• "Britain on top in casual sex league"
• "How Christian Is Your Cubicle?"
• "The Secular Culture Parental Filter or 'How I almost got to listen to Europe'"
• "How to Tame the Season's Uncivil Liberties"
• "'Four Christmases' hides a lump of coal"

What is this?

Thinking about the problems of pornography and sexual addictions that are plaguing nations worldwide, like those I described earlier, I thought it appropriate to post this fable by Aesop.   

The Flies and the Honey Pot

A jar of honey chanced to spill
Its contents on the windowsill
In many a viscous pool and rill.

The flies, attracted by the sweet,
Began so greedily to eat,
They smeared their fragile wings and feet.

With many a twitch and pull in vain
They gasped to get away again,
And died in aromatic pain.

O foolish creatures that destroy
Themselves for transitory joy.

Here's a thought: instead of buying video games for Christmas, go out and buy books like William Bennett's The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories. Your kids might just learn something that would save them a lifetime of pain.

What is this?

Pornography's wretched tentacles have reached into the far corners of the world. India's children are suffering from hyper-sexualization because of the consumption of pornography. As a result, they're becoming addicted to sex. 

What is this?

• "Lose-Lose on Abortion"
• "Florida Gay Adoption Ban Ruled Unconstitutional"
• "Cinemark Boycott Extends Specifically to 'Milk'"
• "Claremont parents clash over kindergarten Thanksgiving costumes" (via The Corner)

Posting will be light (but not totally nonexistent) on Thursday and Friday. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

What is this?

The other day, commenter JerryH asked if Chuck Colson had done a BreakPoint commentary on the Twilight movie. He has now. A sample:

The movie Twilight made a staggering $70.6 million at the box office in its opening weekend. To give you some perspective on that, that’s the fourth highest opening weekend for a movie this year. The film website Box Office Mojo reports, “According to distributor Summit Entertainment’s exit polling, 75 percent of Twilight’s audience was female and 55 percent was under 25 years old.”

So chances are if you have a teen or preteen daughter, she’s already seen Twilight. And if she hasn’t, she will want to. That raises some questions for parents: What kind of values is this movie promoting? And how should I talk to my daughter about them?

Read more.

(Image © Summit Entertainment)

What is this?

• "The Director of Emily's List Will Be the Face of the New Administration"
• "Bob Jones Univ. apologizes for racist policies"
• "Believing vs. Thinking and Feeling"
• "How to Save Your Family from the Evils of Hollywood"
• "Listening and Learning in the Middle East"
• "California Congress"
• "The Poetry of Pain"
• "Panda bites student seeking a hug"

What is this?

• "Doctors transplant windpipe with stem cells"
• "A Boy's Life" (via IRD Weekly; adult themes)

What is this?

• "Honoring 'a Baby No One Loved'"
• "Last-minute Bush abortion ruling causes furor"
• "In a New Climate, Former Weatherman Bill Ayers Speaks"
• "Some Abortion Foes Shifting Focus from Ban to Reduction" (via The Corner)
• "Social Conservatives as Scapegoats"
• "My Body Image, My Daughter"
• "Study: Today's youth think quite highly of themselves"
• "Why Are Taxpayers Paying Lavish Bonuses to Retain the People Who Screwed Up AIG?" (scroll down)

What is this?

• "The Abandoned Children of Nebraska"
• "Love in the Time of Darwinism" (note: profanity and vulgarity; one suggestive cartoon image)
• "A Giddy Sense of Boosterism"
• "A glimpse of the future..."
• "Wall Street Lays Another Egg"
• "Outpouring Tests Russian Leader"
• "Queen Sofia Unamused by a Book Quoting Her"
• "Party of Two"
• "Bombay and Son"

What is this?

I don't watch Boston Legal, but I understand from this article that they recently did a show about abortion that offered a more balanced view than one usually sees on TV. Did anyone catch this episode? Any comments if you did?

(Image © ABC)

What is this?

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail in the quest to make Gardasil vaccination of girls mandatory. Find out what some of them are saying.

(Image © Sonia M. Mey for PAHO/WHO)

What is this?

• "An Open Letter to President-Elect Obama about Abortion: From a Pro-Obama and Pro-Life Leader"
• "No Answer to Blood but Blood"
• "Sarah Palin Is Right"
• "New Danish study reviews mortality among married gays"
• "At the Mall, 'Twilight's' Future Looks Bright"
• "Comedy Tomorrow, History Tonight"
• "Priest: No communion for Obama supporters"
• "Theater director quits over Prop. [8] support"
• "Is Sarkozy a closet socialist?"

What is this?

I may be stretching it a bit here. But it seems to me all too likely that kids who bully and insult a classmate for wearing a "McCain Girl" T-shirt -- kids who were backed up by at least one teacher -- are the kind of people who grow up to help spread the "Republicans are stoooopid!" meme throughout the culture. (First link via Hot Air.)

(I'm not objecting to anyone's pointing out that McCain did best with less educated voters. That's just a fact. What I'm objecting to is the refusal to look beyond the T-shirts and slogans -- which political groupies of all stripes tend to use -- and examine conservative policy positions to see if there are just might be an intelligent philosophy behind them. Not to mention the use of terms like "white trash" and "idiocy" to describe a group of voters that Democrats once relied on, now that they're not quite as reliably Democratic anymore.)

I'm not yet a parent, and therefore can't speak from experience, but I have to say I think James Lileks has the right idea about teaching children respect and tolerance:

. . . Natalie had to write an apology letter for laughing in class. She was driven to the edge of . . . hilarity by a classmate’s decision to embellish his art project – a turkey – with the head of Obama. He got in trouble, too. I explained to her that this was disrespectful to the teacher and the President-Elect, and she understood. I have this ridiculous hope that if we always speak of her teacher and the President with respect in the house, that’ll build some sort of innate respect for the institutions that survive and transcend the transitory occupants. It was always President Bush in our house, and it will always be President Obama.

I wish there were more parents like him, on both sides. Our cultural climate might be very different.

(Image © Nuccio DiNuzzo for the Chicago Tribune)

What is this?

When Principal Kim Sims of Chicago's Bouchet Math and Science Academy used to talk to kids about misbehavior, one favorite line was, "How would your parents feel about this?''

But these days, Sims is using another approach.

"I ask them, 'How do you think Barack Obama would feel about this?' " Sims said.

Rosalind Rossi, "'Just like us,'" The Chicago Sun-Times, November 10 (via Media Blog)

What is this?

Yesterday was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, with a special focus on the "children of the persecuted Church." Jubilee Campaign has sent around this e-mail:

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted on Sunday, November 9 marked the kickoff of our week long focus on praying for the persecuted church. Jubilee Campaign has selected India, Pakistan, North Korea, Uzbekistan, and Iran as countries of concern to pray for this week. We will be sending a detailed description of one country each day this week and ask you to pray for the persecuted there and for the kingdom of God to continue expanding in the midst of trial. Thank you for your support.

Corruption can only be undone by truth and freedom only obtained by truth. Character is defined by the courage to provide truth in the face of adversity, no matter what the cost.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any link to this release online, but you can sign up for the Jubilee Campaign's e-mails here.

(Image © Jubilee Campaign)

What is this?

Groundbreaking research suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialog and behavior, compared with those who have tamer viewing tastes.

No. Really? I guess it's true that as man a man thinketh, so he is. Or as he watches, so he becomes.

Though it seems apparent that the link of sex-infused TV images would be inherently tied to teen pregnancies, research is now backing up this assumption. The Associated Press reports that "the new study was the first to link viewing habits with teen pregnancy." Previously, researchers had found that watching sex on TV influences teens to have sex at an earlier age, but this new study, according to behavioral scientist Andita Chandra of Rand Corp., reports that "teens who watched the raciest shows were twice as likely to become pregnant over the next three years" as those who didn't.

The study was based on the answers of 2,003 12-to 17-year old girls and boys nationwide. Read more about it here.

What is this?

I have a 6-month-old daughter and she will be vaccinated [for HPV] once she is old enough. I cannot imagine thinking that preserving her virginity or preserving some set of expectations about her sexual behavior would be more important to me than protecting her.

"Melissa," letter to "The Checkup" feature in the Washington Post Health section, October 28

I respect Melissa's concern for her daughter, but did it truly never occur to her that there might be some sort of connection between sexual standards and sexual health?

What is this?

Question just asked on a Fox News commercial: "Why do kids keep texting naked pictures of themselves?"

Because no one ever taught them a good reason not to, would be my guess.

What is this?

The Weekly Standard has a very good piece about the decline in boys' reading habits. Unfortunately, it's subscriber-only. It's in the current issue, though, so you can pick up a copy at a bookstore or newsstand. In the meantime, an excerpt:

Boys prefer a definitely un-sensitive Conan the Barbarian, or G.I. Joe, or Huckleberry Finn, and without regard to his Indo-European heritage, to a heroine whose life story involves being a "survivor" after bearing her father's baby at age 12, and then becoming pregnant by him again at age 16. This is the story of Precious Jones in Push, a book recommended on the American Library Association's website for young adult readers as one of the 25 "Outstanding Books for the College Bound." It involves a "dedicated teacher, and classmates who understand" at an alternative school. Another book, My Heartbeat, has this enticing blurb: "Can Ellen get the boy who loves her brother?"

Of the 25 books on this list, 18 are novels or memoirs. The protagonists in 14 of these are female and, overwhelmingly, the accompanying blurbs describe such plots involving conflicts of a personal nature, with emotional resolutions. One of the few books that feature male protagonists, Forgotten Fire, is described as a "touching and heart-wrenching portrait of pain and triumph" during the Armenian Genocide while Postcards from No Man's Land is about 17-year-old Jacob's "self-discovery."

No books on this list offer soldiers, male athletes, or adventurers.

Syllabi of classes in library science, linked on the ALA's web page, reveal what future librarians study. At the University of Iowa, one class, "Trends and Issues in Literature for Young Adults," includes such required reading for librarians-in-training as: Born Confused; Rainbow Boys; how i live now; Stoner & Spaz; Vegan, Virgin, Valentine. And while the course description acknowledges a focus on the challenges of contemporary culture, some of these kinds of books--like the explicitly homoerotic play Angels in America, assigned to students at a high school in Illinois, and Prep, a coming-of-age novel assigned to 12-year-olds in California--have made headlines recently.

(Image courtesy of The Children's Book Consultancy)
   

What is this?

In glancing through upcoming movie titles earlier this year, I saw the title Zack and Miri Make a Porno. My stomach turned. I read the description of this mainstream, coming-to-a-theater-near-you movie:

Zack and Miri are two lifelong friends who are deep in debt and enlist the help of their friends to make a porno movie for some quick cash. But as everybody starts "doing" everybody, Zack and Miri realize that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.

Aww... isn't that sweet? Bleh. It's enough to make you want to spew your lunch. What makes me even sicker is thinking about the teens who will go see this movie.

I'm not alone, though, in lamenting the pornification of our culture. Thankfully, other voices are joining the chorus that says enough is enough, especially when it comes to our kids.

This week Newsweek turns an eye to the trend:

What is this?

Some parents in and around Nebraska are abusing the state's new "safe haven" law: Instead of leaving infants they can't care for in a safe environment, they're getting rid of their teenagers! Look, we all know kids can be aggravating, but it should be obvious that this is not the way to handle it.

What is this?

Roberto received some criticism a while back for his complaints about recent winners of the Newbery Medal for children's literature. While we appreciated the thoughtful and often passionate responses from our readers, I still thought Roberto had a good point. Now he's got some backup from none other than the School Library Journal:

Right before the announcement of this year’s Newbery winner, I had two surprising encounters. First, a librarian at my local public library confessed that she had no interest in learning “what unreadable Newbery the committee was going to foist on us this year.” Then, a few weeks later at an education conference, I was startled to hear several teachers and media specialists admit they hadn’t bought a copy of the Newbery winner for the last few years. Why? “They don’t appeal to our children,” they explained patiently. . . .

. . . I spent the last few months talking to more than 100 people—including media specialists, children’s librarians, teachers, and booksellers—in 15 states across the country. Although most spoke on the condition of anonymity, all of them were eager for me to share their insights. Here’s the gist of what I learned.

Although some public librarians can’t afford to buy more than a single copy of the Newbery, they say the last four winners—Kira-Kira (S & S, 2004), Criss Cross (Greenwillow, 2005), The Higher Power of Lucky (S & S, 2006), and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! (Candlewick, 2007)—have been particularly disappointing. “I think I know books, but because of the subject matter, these wouldn’t be the ones I’d naturally choose to introduce to my kids,” said a children’s librarian. “Possibly the committee has too many 'experts’ on it, and not enough working, small-town public librarians.”

School librarians say they simply don’t have enough money to spend on books that kids won’t find interesting—and in their opinion, that category includes most of this century’s Newbery winners.

What is this?

Philip Pullman of His Dark Materials fame is smelling "the rank stench of oppression" that rises whenever those religious folks try to ban books. I wonder what this story smells like to him.

What is this?

• "Supreme Court's Direction Hinges on Who Wins '08" (via Hot Air)
• "Atheist group sues Bush over national prayer day" (via Hot Air)
• "Banned Books, Chapter 2"

What is this?

I didn't post this video earlier because I thought at first that it just might be a fake. It's not. And unlike the video of the kids singing the praise anthem to Obama, this video really was made on school grounds, earning a teacher a suspension. (H/T Confederate Yankee)

What is this?

The obvious tags for this post are "arts & media," "politics & government," and "youth issues," but I have a strong feeling I should use "religion & society" as well. (Via Dirty Harry's Place)

Update: After a day of appalled reactions from conservatives and liberals alike, the video was made "private"  on YouTube and pulled from its page at MyBarackObama.com. I'm shocked, shocked. However, some far-sighted soul grabbed it and reposted it, so here it is again. If you want to see it, do it quickly, before it gets pulled again. In the meantime, those who just yesterday were proudly announcing that Jeff Zucker had had a hand in making the video are now spinning like a top: "Nooo, not that Jeff Zucker! Not the head of NBC! How could you even think that! Ha ha ha! It was another Jeff Zucker who lives in California and has access to professional video equipment!" Even if that's true, and it may be, they sure weren't in a hurry to announce it before.

What is this?

• "People of the Book"
• "A summer of agony and the mystery of loss" (via Some Have Hats)
• "'Fireproof' has strong debut in theaters"
• "Towelhead and the Normalization of Sex with Children" (via Dirty Harry's Place)
• "Anorexia: Too young even to understand the word . . ."
• "Lapsing into a Comma"
• "Forget Cool: Paul Newman Knew How to Play It Smart"
• "The Clbuttic Mistake: When obscenity filters go wrong" (profanity/vulgarity)

What is this?

• "Bad News for the Bailout"
• "9/11 Defendant Queries Judge on Beliefs" (via FRC Action)
• "New Report Documents 30-Year U.S. Trends in Abortion" (via FRC)
• "See You at the Pole"
• "AMC Pulls 'Hounddog'"
• "Greetings from vulgar Britain: Offensive and obscene cards shame our country" (note: profanity and vulgarity)

What is this?

• "Book 'Em"
• "The Truth about Teen Girls"
• "Discussing same-sex marriage"
• "Breakdown"
• "Catechism Edit 'Troubling,' Jewish Leaders Say"
• "No Longer in Sniper's Shadow"
• "Abortion's Foes -- on Both Sides of the Aisle" (via Thunderstruck)
• "Taken for Granted"
• "One if by Land, Billions if by Sea"
• "Poll shows support for torture among Southern evangelicals"
• "On Sex-Ed Ad, McCain Is Right"

What is this?

No big important Christian worldview point here -- at least, not from me. Our endlessly creative and resourceful readers may be able to find one. But I'm just posting this because it's adorable.

I considered heading it "Man Post," but Allen would hunt me down without mercy if I violated his brand integrity so shamelessly.

(Image © Karen Yudelson Sandler)

What is this?

From high school all the way down to the cradle, kids are doing more communicating (or in some cases, having more communicating done on their behalf) than ever before. But that may not be the best thing for them.

(Image © Hadley Hooper for the New York Times)

What is this?

Just another note about the back-to-school night I attended: The helicopter parents were there in force, and the teachers knew it. My daughter's extended language arts teacher handled it beautifully.

"Extended" means "advanced" -- the higher level version of the class. So naturally, it's a class that includes many, let's say, "intimately involved" parents. Which is good! Really. But there's a line between involved and overbearing. I have to watch where my toe's going. (I'm actually very pleasantly surprised about my daughter getting into the extended language arts class, as she had always been a stronger math mind. But math at her school is another beef for another day; I may find myself tutoring/supplementing on the weekend, so she's not bored.)

But all that to say, this is a class where the students are precocious, and some parents may be obnoxious. God bless 'em . . .

So, my daughter's teacher, Mrs. P., relayed a story to illustrate a point. She said when she first became pregnant, she didn't think, "I hope I have the next president" or "I hope I have the next Olympic gold-medal winner." She said, "I hope that he's healthy -- just that he's healthy." And then "if he ties his shoe, that's a bonus," and "if he graduates high school, that's a bonus." But just that he is, she said, "that's enough. He is enough just as he is, however he is." This is the point where I got a little verklempt.

She noted how she came from Fairfax County, Va., where if you didn't letter/pin in three sports and get nothing but A's, you weren't doing something right; you weren't enough. Meanwhile her mom always let her know she was enough; she loved her as she was, and it made all the difference in Mrs. P's life. She said that she knew the types of students in this class pushed themselves hard. "If they miss a homework assignment, they're in tears," she said. "They don't know if it will be all right."

Mrs. P. then looked at the parents and respectfully asked us always "to let them know that they're enough," no matter what. Wise words.

What is this?

I just attended my daughter's middle-school back-to-school night, and one thing in particular stood out to me: Many of the teachers would be working the presidential election into their classes.

Her civics class, of course, would be talking about the electoral process. They plan to hold a mock election as well, if possible. Her science class will take a look at both major parties' platforms on the environment, and after the election "make predictions" on what those policies could do to the planet in the long run. And even her language arts class includes the theme of "change" as it relates to the nation -- we know how loaded a term that is in this election (another grade will look at change on the personal level, while a higher grade will focus on the notion on a global level).

All that to say, more than any other year of late, fellow parents, this is a critical one to get involved in your children's education and talk pointedly to them about what's going on in our country this fall -- to talk about the issues being debated, the process of electing a president and other elected officials, and the importance of exercising our right to vote.

They will hear a lot of different viewpoints bouncing around in their classrooms -- particularly, if they're in a public school -- and rather than tell them to "tune out," I'd encourage you to help them decipher the views and the motivations behind them. Teach them why Christians believe what they believe about things like the sanctity of human life and the importance of caring for the poor. What a great year for worldview education. And definitely plan to bring them with you to the voting booth if you can. It's an empowering image that will stick in their memories.

(Image © Johnson County, Kansas, Election Office)

What is this?

And we wonder why people don’t like Christians. There’s got to be a better way for this church to send "a loving warning to teens."

(Image courtesy of Tampabays10.com)

What is this?

• "Now Sudan Is Attacking Refugee Camps"
• "Russia to Leave Georgia Proper"
• "The Vanishing Republican Voter"
• "Wilma Jennings Bryan"
• "The GOP Should Kiss Gay-Bashing Goodbye"
• "My Brain Tumor"
• "Drawing a Bead on the Press"
• "They. Can't. Stop. Themselves!"
• "Hitchcock: Monster or moralist?" (via Catholic and Enjoying It)
• "Educating Helen Keller"

What is this?

Ever since Bristol Palin's pregnancy was made public, Planned Parenthood sycophants have been snickering (profanity in comments), "See how good abstinence education works?" That's a good sound bite, but the plain truth is that NO education is 100% effective in changing human behavior. (Also, their facts are not quite accurate.)

Consider obesity. Today we have more books, articles, and television programs about diet, exercise and healthy living than at any other time in history and, yet, obesity is at its highest level ever. Behavior modification is not about information; it's about transformation...of the way we think, act, and live.

Admittedly, abstinence education is not perfect, as confirmed by any number of unwed mothers who had received the "right" information. That said, an abstinent lifestyle is the ONLY one that prevents unwanted pregnancies and STDs, with all of their attendant emotional and socio-economic problems, with a 100% effectiveness.

Thus, the challenge for abstinence educators is how to make abstinence reach the "tipping point" at which knowledge shapes lifestyle.

What is this?

• "Pakistani women buried alive 'for choosing husbands'" (via The Corner)
• "Germany indicts 'home-grown' Islamists for terrorist bomb plot" (via The Corner)
• "Yes, Abstinence Education"
• "A Visit to Palin's Church"
• "A New Twist in the Long-Running Debate on Mothers"
• "Gov. Mom"
• "Obama ad slams McCain on abortion rights" (via Some Have Hats)
• "Ban on unmarried adoptions cleared for Ark. ballot"

What is this?

• "Like her mother 20 years ago, Ann Richards' daughter steps into the spotlight" (via Media Blog)
• "Zipping It" (adult themes)
• "CW, NBC, FOX Bring You Well-to-Do Tube"
• "Thinking our junk will shock God"

What is this?

My post on the transgendered contestant on America's Next Top Model has stirred up quite a debate. But what’s still clear is that homosexual and transgender practices are not consistent with Biblical principles.

What’s also true and what’s important to remember is that there’s no special punishment for homosexuals or the transgendered. I am not more righteous than they or anyone else. “All have sinned and fall short of glory of God (Rom. 3:23).” Their struggles with the same sex are no different from my own struggles with the opposite sex.

I have sincere friendships with some gays and ex-gays, and it doesn't matter to me whether a homosexual friend is out of the closet or not. What I am concerned about, going back to my original post, is the promotion of changing one's sexual identity on a TV show popular with young girls and accessible to families with young kids. I have no intention of imposing a judgment on the contestant or anyone else, only of questioning the show's intention to add a character who I think producers know has no chance of winning the modeling competition but who is meant to attract higher ratings at the expense of alienating people with traditional and Biblical values.

(Image © CW)

What is this?

This debate keeps going on and on: the issue of underage drinking, the risks—and tragedies, even deaths—associated with binging, and the role of the legal drinking age. Just in time for another season of frat parties and football games, the debate has rolled around again.

In yesterday's Washington Post on the front page is a story titled “Lower Drinking Age Is Criticized.” An excerpt:

On the face of it, the notion seems counterintuitive, but to the presidents of some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, it makes a lot of sense: Lowering the legal drinking age might get students to drink less. . . .

As parents ship their children off to college this month, university officials are bracing for a round of alcohol-fueled parties and binge drinking. They say they have tried banning keggers and have promoted alcohol counseling, but problems persist. It’s time for a new approach, they say.

In addition to the Dickinson president, academic leaders involved in the effort include those of Duke University and Dartmouth College as well as several Washington area schools, such as the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University. Their effort, the Amethyst Initiative, proposes to reopen a national discussion on an issue that hasn’t been seriously debated in three decades.

Amid the backlash, the 115 university leaders in the group said their proposal is being distorted. They said that they are not necessarily advocating that the age be lowered but that the issue needs to be part of the debate because alcohol abuse at colleges has gotten so bad.

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