With Billy Mays (R.I.P.) gone and that Shamwow creep lying low after felony battery charges, the path is clear for a new kind of pitchman - one that has no discernible talents and the screen presence of rock. That's right, folks - Levi Johnston is on the scene and he's using the last two seconds of his 15 minutes of fame to sell... nuts?

In a new spot for Wonderful Pistachio's "Get Crackin'" campaign, Johnston - the Alaska teen who fathered a son with Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol - approaches the camera as his ever-present bodyguard, Tank Jones, surveys the scene. Once Tank gives the "all clear" sign, Johnston cracks open and eats a pistachio as the voiceover, nodding to the only reason anybody knows Johnston's name, says, "Now Levi Johnston does it with protection."

What do you think? Is the ad funny or is it making a joke out of a very serious situation? Can sexual innuendo about teenagers help you forget about last April's pistachio salmonella contamination recall or does it just make you feel even more sick to your stomach? Is there anything you would buy based on an endorsement from Levi Johnston? Post your comments below.

UPDATE: I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Normally, I would preface this with an explanatory statement, conveying the seriousness with which we approach our work (especially in the policy realm). But sometimes, you just have to stop and smell the roses. And by "smell the roses," I mean "laugh 'til it hurts at Stephen Colbert."

I went to NYC yesterday because my boss, Sarah Brown, was one of the panelists at a National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy event. Bristol Palin was also a panelist.

Bristol is a parenting teenager - like hundreds of thousands of other girls in this country, she got pregnant and had a baby last year. She and her boyfriend have broken up (as is usually the case in these situations) and she is urging other teens to avoid what she's been through. She loves her son, as most moms do, but she says she wishes she had waited. Waited to have sex, waited to have a baby, waited a little longer before growing up this way. And people are attacking her for it.

I don't get it. She's a kid who made some mistakes and she's warning others not to make the same ones. If she were a recovering addict urging young people not to use drugs no one would call her a hypocrite. If she had killed someone (killed someone!) while driving under the influence and was warning other teens about drinking and driving she'd be hailed as courageous. If she had a history of disordered eating and was reaching out to young girls about forming healthy relationships with food she'd be a hero. Why is this any different? I think more of us who have learned from past experiences should work to save others from the heartache we've had.

So Bristol Palin and Levi Johnson have called off their engagement and broken up.

Let's put aside all the hubbub that has surrounded this story since the beginning -- the Red State/Blue State sniping, the I-told-you-so's about abstinence-only education, the small-minded jabs about small-town residents, and the fairy tale fantasies about happily ever after -- and think about what happens to the vast majority of teen parents and their children:

At the time of their child's birth, more than half of unmarried teen mothers say they are either "certain" or chances are "good" they will marry the biological father of their baby.   However, in 8 out of 10 cases, it doesn't happen.

This means the majority of children born to teens grow up separate from their fathers - which often leads to a lifetime of challenges and hardship.  Children who grow up in father-absent families are five times more likely to be poor than kids in two-parent families. They have double the risk of physical and emotional neglect and they are twice as likely to drop out of school. They are more likely to smoke, use drugs, and become obese. Boys have significantly higher odds of incarceration and girls are much more likely to become teen moms themselves.  Incidentally, the teen parents who do get married don't often stay married - marriages among teens are twice as likely to fail as marriages in which the woman is 25 or older.

Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager with a broken heart is exceptionally hard. Being a teenager who is also a single parent is even harder than that. And being the child of that parent is probably the hardest thing of all.

So whether you are Team Bristol or one of those who hopes Levi lands his own reality show or someone who just wishes this story would go away already, say a prayer for young Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, who is not yet 3 months old, and keep in mind what Bristol herself has said, "I think everyone should just wait ten years. ... Because it's so much easier if you're married and if you have a house and a career. ... I hope that people learn from my story and ... prevent teen pregnancy."

I want to take Bristol Palin up on her offer.

In an interview with Fox News—the first interview the new 18-year-old mother has given since the birth of her child—Bristol says she would "love...to be an advocate to prevent teen pregnancy..."

Bristol, please consider this a formal invitation. You have a powerful story to tell and we want to do all we can to help you tell that story. Teens often say that the most powerful messages they receive about the profound challenges of early pregnancy and parenthood are those they receive from teen mothers themselves.

Props to Bristol for coming forward and for talking publicly about a very private matter—I hope her message about the value of delaying pregnancy and parenthood is heard by many.

Bristol: You say you want to be a public advocate; that you want to help young people avoid teen pregnancy. Last night's interview was your formal transition from teen pregnancy symbol to teen pregnancy prevention advocate. Please let us know how we can help you in your new role.

Ahhh, 2008... What a year! In this season of "best of" lists and year-end retrospectives, I thought it would be a good time to pause, take a deep breath, and take a look back at some of our favorite videos from the last 365 days.

Why, it seems like just yesterday that we learned Jamie Lynn Spears was pregnant, but her baby, Maddie Briann, was born in June. When it came to names, my money was on "Misti Cheyanne." Close, but no cigar.

In May, the entire field of sex education took a great hit when 78-year-old sex educator and sex toy enthusiast Sue Johanson retired from her Oxygen television show, Talk Sex with Sue Johanson. She continues to tour universities, which is lucky for our young adult crowd as evidenced by the student-shot video below:

Seriously, when was the last time you saw a 78-year-old woman demonstrate how to apply a comdom with her mouth?  You will be missed on Sunday nights, Sue.

In November, Barack Obama -- the son of a teen mother -- was elected the nation's 44th president. Here's what President-elect Obama had to say about his historical achievement:

Check out more videos after the jump.

As a person of faith, I can't help but snicker every time something makes me remember how utterly confused God-fearing people get about issues of sex and pregnancy.  From "Jesus Camp" (a variation of which I proudly attended) to purity balls (which I proudly did NOT attend) to married people sex-a-thons, I count myself among the young people in this country who received mixed, and sometimes conflicting, messages about sex for the first 18 years of my life.

Margaret Talbot at The New Yorker sums up my childhood pretty well in her recent article, "Red Sex, Blue Sex."  Despite the discomfort that pious parents and their children experience when it comes to trying to understand their sexuality (and in some cases, trying to convince them that it's not even there until their wedding night), one strange phenomenon is that we are supposed to be excited when a baby results from this otherwise banned activity.

Click the image for a non-Leo obstructed version of the Parade article

Parade is read by almost every living, breathing human being in the United States.  Or close to it.  Still, many of you may have been so distracted by the cover treatment on dishy Leonardo DiCaprio that you failed to note a story on teen pregnancy inside the magazine.

Specifically, the brief story highlights the recent increase in the teen birth rate and wonders why rates of early pregnancy and childbearing in the United States are so out of kilter compared to other countries.  The article also discusses the effectiveness of abstinence programs.

Take Action (Make your own whooping siren sound here and then explain to your colleagues, co-workers, friends and family why you are making such a ruckus.)  Parade is asking readers the following question: "Should abstinence-only sex ed continue?"  Let them know what you think by voting here.   The results of the online poll will be published in an upcoming issue of Parade.

Unless you've been living on Mars, you know that teen pregnancy has been much in the news lately. The high profile teen pregnancies--from Bristol Palin to Jamie Lynn Spears to a group of high school students in Gloucester, Mass--remind us all that teen pregnancy can happen anywhere and to anyone. It does: a stunning 29% of all girls in this country get pregnant at least once before they turn 20.

Even more stunning: if you are a Latino or African-American teen, you're more likely than not to experience a teen pregnancy--53% of Latina teens get pregnant at least once before they turn 20.  The figure is 51% for African Americans.  Native American teens also have higher than average birth rates (teen pregnancy data are not available).

As our nation approaches its annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, this is a perfect time to remember that Latino communities, and other communities of color, need additional support to address this pressing problem. Early pregnancy is tied directly to poverty and education--two issues of deep concern among Latino leaders, families, faith leaders, and yes--even community organizers. Over two-thirds (69%) of Latina teen moms drop out of high school.

The Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act (H.R. 468/S. 1790) currently pending in Congress would invest much-needed funds to help better understand these disparities and provide communities with the highest rates of teen pregnancy with new resources to address the problem.

Read more about racial and ethnic disparities in teen pregnancy.

Look at state-by-state teen birth rates in your state.

Learn more about the connection between teen pregnancy and education among Latino teens.

Bristol Palin is bringing out the best in people. They're tripping over themselves to offer support and even congratulations. Such an outpouring of empathy! Of caring! No doubt neither she nor her family would have asked to be in this situation. But they're in it, and the American people stand beside them in solidarity.

But after more than a decade of working to reduce teen pregnancy in the U.S. (a decade that saw a sharp decline in teen pregnancy and birth rates, by the way) one thing still surprises me: how is it possible that people still think that when you--gasp--dare to say that teen pregnancy is not OK, you are automatically condemning all teen mothers?

Most of the teen moms and dads I've met say some version of the same thing. They love their children deeply, but they wish they could have had that exact same child a little later in life, when they felt more adult and ready and able give their child their best. Eight in ten teen pregnancies are unplanned. Don't look at me. I didn't make that up. The teens themselves reported it.

Once again, we have a press-worthy pregnancy—17-year-old Bristol Palin. As one of my children used to say, "I have questions."

1. Why has this event not lead to a huge focus on the benefits of teens not getting pregnant in the first place? The best choice for teens is to delay sex (which apparently did not happen here), but the next best thing is to use contraception. Why is that not THE main topic? In my view, the plan that has been announced is LESS attractive—less desirable—than primary prevention.
   
   
2. Why is this pregnancy apparently okay—or at least off limits—just because a shotgun wedding is planned? Do we all really think that as long as teens get married there is no problem? Is that the best we can do?
   
   
3. Why is no one talking about the putative father who himself says he is not interested in kids? Babies and children need devoted fathers. Do we have one in the making here? When both parents actively seek and welcome a pregnancy, the future prospects of their children are much enhanced.
   

Forget for a moment all the important topics churned up by the Palin pregnancy story (topics like reproductive freedom, abstinence-only education, the family turmoil that often comes from too-early parenthood, the idea of teen marriage, the impact this may or may not have on voters and the GOP ticket, and oh, the future that awaits this and the other 400,000+ babies who will be born to teen moms this year) and think for a moment about poor Bristol Palin whose life as she knows it is pretty much over.

Not only has her mom had to publicly address her personal life (as a former teenage girl I cringe at the memory of my own mother discussing anything having to do with my social life) but pretty much everyone else in the country is talking about it too. She's going to marry her high school boyfriend (whose MySpace page reportedly said he doesn't want kids). She has to become a parent, to a living, breathing, human being who may indeed give her unconditional love but who will certainly require that same unconditional love by his or her parents. And she'll do it all in the public eye.

Like it or not Bristol Palin is now the poster child for teen pregnancy in the U.S. Jamie Lynn's a mother now, those Gloucester girls likely didn't have a pact at all, and Juno MacGuff is so last year. So now it's Bristol. And if there's a bright side to all this it's that it's now getting harder and harder to say that teen pregnancy happens to other people, to people from bad families, to people in poverty, to people in Hollywood, to people who live in public housing (although the Alaska governor's residence probably qualifies on a technicality), to people who aren't "like me."

Because teen pregnancy can happen to anyone (anyone having sex as a teenager that is).  It happens to nearly one-third of American girls (and those girls aren't pregnant by themselves). And it is totally preventable—either don't have sex or use protection consistently and carefully every single time. Which is actually the most important topic of all.

On Day 2 of Bristol Baby Watch '08, we at the Campaign have collected some (we think) important resources....

First and foremost, our fearless leader Sarah Brown on this morning's Today Show:

Next up, info galore!  Click here for our one-stop-shop of fact sheets and resources related to teen pregnancy and Bristol Palin. 

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy issued the following in response to the announcement that Bristol Palin, the 17-year-old daughter of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is pregnant:

• The teen pregnancy and birth rate have declined dramatically since the early 1990s (down 38% and 32% respectively) driven by decreases in sexual activity and increases in contraceptive use.
• Even so, recent data show that the declines in teen sex and improvements in contraceptive use have leveled off and that the teen birth rate is on the rise for the first time in 15 years.
• At present, 3 in 10 girls in the United States become pregnant by age 20.
• At present, half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned and about 8 in 10 pregnancies to teens are unplanned.
• The teen pregnancy and birth rate in Alaska is below the national average and, since the early 1990s, has declined more steeply than the national average.