A recent poll released by the Monmouth University Polling Institute details the views of New Jersey residents on sex and society...in other words, their thoughts on sex ed, the influence of the media, etc.  A lot of the info in the release was unsurprising; what got me poised to blog, however, was one chart that indicated that 82% of "other parents" felt that middle school was the time to begin sex ed.  Here's the chart in all its mathy glory:

Appropriate Level for Sex Education in School
	New Jersey Adults	Parents of Girls age 12-17	Other Parents	Nonparents
High School	93%	94%	93%	93%
Middle School	77%	69%	82%	77%
Elementary School	16%	5%	15%	17%
Never	5%	2%	5%	6%

Source:  Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll.  For more information: Monmouth University Polling Institute, West Long Branch, NJ 07764, www.monmouth.edu/polling

This is fantastic.  The idea that the majority of parents in this community see a place for sex education in schools is a wonderful step in the right direction.  But I have to wonder - how many of that 82% have already broached the subject of sex with their children?  The National Campaign regularly tells parents that the "Talk" isn't a one shot deal...it should be a series of conversations worked into appropriate moments in your child's life.  So while I congratulate the parents of New Jersey for recognizing that kids as young as 5th grade need and want age-appropriate guidance about sex, love, and relationships, I have to wonder - have you been practicing what you preach?

Get some great tips for talking to your kids in our Parents Portal. 

Get the polling data here.

For sports fans around the world, there are just a couple days left to catch the 2008 Summer Olympics on TV. But for the competitors who made the trek to Beijing, that means just a few more days to score—and I don't just mean on the field (or in the pool or on the court).

Acknowledging that sexual activity is a likely byproduct of housing over 10,000 world class athletes in the same village, Olympic officials started distributing condoms in 1992. While the condoms are generally supplied in the name of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, I'm guessing a few unplanned pregnancies have also been avoided thanks to their availability.

In addition to the 100,000 condoms made available to athletes during the current games, Beijing health authorities have also provided local hotels with 400,000 free condoms. Of course, for those not receiving gratis prophylactics, they are always available for purchase and a Chinese condom company, Elasun, launched an Olympic-themed marketing campaign this summer to keep condoms in everyone's consciousness.

Spider-Man's most infamous and dangerous enemies are generally considered to be the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus and Venom.  Like Spider-Man, the majority of these villains' powers originate with scientific accidents or the misuse of scientific technology, and they tend to have animal-themed costumes or powers.  Spider-Man, somewhat of a lone wolf, has on occasion teamed up with other spandex-clad heroes, such as Daredevil, the Black Cat, and the Avengers to battle the forces of evil in the Marvel Universe.

One of my colleagues recently brought to work what I consider to be the greatest Spider-Man team-up of all time.  In 1976, Marvel Comics and Planned Parenthood collaborated on a Spider-Man special on teen pregnancy. The villain, Prodigy, is an alien who wants teenagers to crank out babies so he can steal them and take them back to his home planet (Intellectia, of course!) for slave labor. To further his plans, the villain launches a campaign of misinformation to lull teenagers into having wanton unprotected sex.  Devious!!!

Of course, in the end Spider-Man hitches a ride on a helicopter, cracks the skulls of the Prodigy's goons, and exposes the Prodigy and his nefarious plan.  The day is saved and Spider-Man and Planned Parenthood teach everyone a good lesson about not taking sex advice from interstellar villains with dreams of galactic dominance.

The above plot summary just can't do this thing justice, so I found the entire issue on Andrew Farago's LiveJournal page. And if you really need to get your own copy, there may still be a few available on EBay.  Happy ready, True Believers!

I heard this week that a scrappy little nonprofit called Dads and Daughters is closing its doors after a decade of great work.  Their reason for closing is funding problems - not surprising in this tough economy - but still sad and worthy of a mention here.  The mission of this group has been to promote the importance of father-daughter relationships, both in the real world and in the media.  After all, dads are the first men to love us, to value us, to tell us in a million ways that we are worthy, smart, important, and safe.  Talk about building blocks for the future! 

It makes me so mad, and so scared, that a group like this - devoted to committed parenting, girl empowerment, and healthy relationships - can't survive, while the creepy purity ball culture continues to pack the banquet halls of America.  Why is it easier to find support for virginity pledges to dad (that amount to little more than contracts of ownership over teen girls' bodies) than to find support for smart, constructive, relationship-building work that truly values the role of fathers in girls' lives? 

Check out their 10 tips for Dads of Daughters.  Good stuff. 

In the today's installment of the Gloucester Pregnancy Pact debacle (you thought it was over?  HA), Joseph Sullivan resigns as principal of Gloucester High School.  In his resignation letter, Sullivan complains that:

the mayor held a press conference and publicly slandered my reputation, my integrity and my intelligence. Since then neither the superintendent nor any member of the School Committee has publicly come to my defense.

Evidently, we have one more adult who has focused their attention on the absolute WRONG part of the Gloucester story...this isn't about a pact or a media circus or Principal "My Name Is Mud."  It's about seventeen pregnant teenagers.  It's about a school that is in the midst of a real crisis.  And, most importantly, it's about priorities - these girls were all pregnant before Time magazine made them famous.  So why on earth didn't we care until their story was turned into tabloid fodder? 

Read all of Sullivan's resignation letter here for your full daily allowance of woe-is-me-ness.  Unfortunately you won't read anything about the teens themselves...but what do you expect?  They're more or less bit characters at this point.

UPDATE: it seems that the resignation letter on the Gloucester Times website has been password protected...we'll keep looking for a readable copy and repost when available.