More PostSecrets.
in Humour Etc.
New app: The Predicktor.
From the Huffington Post:
'Predicktor' App Predicts Men's Penis Size Based On Personal Stats
A new "medical prediction" app aims to help you easily uncover what really comes between a boy and his Calvins.
Reportedly developed by a Toronto-based family physician, "The Predicktor" attempts to predict a man's penis size, using stats such as his height, sexual orientation and finger length while cross-referencing trends from scientific studies, according to its website.
Though the site stresses that the app is strictly for humorous purposes, Dr. Chris Culligan nonetheless tells Raw Story he also hopes the Predicktor to dispel myths and relieve the "penis-related insecurity, anxiety or dissatisfaction" men have about themselves.
“It’s not how long your pencil is, but how you write your name,” he says, quoting his father.
Though he says a man's race "has never been shown to be related to penis size in any reasonable published study," Culligan refers to studies that found that many gay men have longer, thicker genitalia than heterosexual men on average. “Gay pride just got a little prouder,” quipped Culligan.
At present, the app is only available for Androids. Check out its website for more information.
And the intro video:
Sperm bike
in Sperm
Photo: Courtesy of European Sperm Bank
From Treehugger:
The 'Sperm Bike' Carries Donor Samples to Fertility Clinics Around CopenhagenThe Custom-Made 'Sperm Bullitt': Making a Special Delivery...
Copenhagen is a paradise for cyclists and a city that the rest of the world couldlearn a lot from. One of the things that make biking so convenient there is the use of cargo bikes (I wish they were more popular in North-America). As you can see above and below, there are all kinds! This one is the 'Sperm Bullitt' and it belongs to the Nordisk Cryobank (European Sperm Bank).
The 'sperm bike' is used to carry donor samples to fertility clinics around Copenhagen in an environmentally-friendly way, and it also serves as an attention-grabbing advertisement for the sperm bank.
As you can see above, the samples are carried inside the head of the giant sperm. A cooler compartment was especially designed to carry and keep cool the sperm bank's metal canisters.
Read the rest and see more photos here.
Documentary: Intersexion.
From the CBC:
The first question any new parent asks… “Is it a boy or a girl?”
What if it’s neither? 1 in 2,000 babies is born with genitalia so ambiguous that the doctors cannot easily answer this question.
In this groundbreaking documentary, intersex individuals reveal the secrets of their unconventional lives – and how they have navigated their way through this strictly male/female world, when they fit somewhere in between.
Watch the full documentary here.
Trailer:
Thursday mail - February 7.
Have any questions or comments related to sex or sexuality? If so, fire away.
How to identify a gay Russian soldier.
From The St. Petersburg Times:
Sexual Orientation Of Soldiers To Be Checked By Tattoos, Says Report
MOSCOW – The Defense Ministry's central administration on work with military personnel has developed a technical guide that urges leaders of military units involved in work with the troops to check the sexual orientation of conscripts and contract soldiers entering the military, a news report said Thursday.
The new guidelines, based on a psychology textbook published by a military university in 2005, call for carrying out a physical examination and recommend checking for tattoos in intimate places on the new recruits' bodies, Izvestia reported, citing a copy of the guidelines that it obtained.
Special attention is recommended for tattoos near the face, sexual organs and buttocks, as the author believes that such tattoos reveal possible sexual deviations.
"The reason for getting tattoos could indicate a low cultural or educational level. If an influence by external factors is determined, for example, persuasion or direct coercion, this indicates the malleability of the young man, his disposition to submit to another's will," the text says.
The guidelines also include a wide range of warning signs indicative of mental instability, including early sexual experience and 'uncontrolled sexual behavior,' both of which are included in the same category as alcohol abuse, running away from home, suicidal tendencies and theft.
Read the rest here.
"Her labia lives...in a JAR."
Plastic Wives, an upcoming show on TLC, has been getting a lot of (negative) buzz. Here's the first episode:
Mini documentary: Gospel of Intolerance.
I've posted several times before about the plight of the LGBT in Uganda: here, here, here, here, and here. A new documentary about Uganda from the New York Times:
Raised in Pennsylvania, I grew up in the black church. My father was a religious leader in the community, and my sister is a pastor. I went to church every Sunday and sang in the choir. But for all that the church gave me — for all that it represented belonging, love and community — it also shut its doors to me as a gay person. That experience left me with the lifelong desire to explore the power of religion to transform lives or destroy them. I became interested in Uganda, an intensely religious country that attracts many American missionaries and much funding from United States faith-based organizations. The American evangelical movement in Africa does valuable work in helping the poor. But as you’ll see in this Op-Doc video, some of their efforts and money feed a dangerous ideology that seeks to demonize L.G.B.T. people and intensifies religious rhetoric until it results in violence. It is important for American congregations to hold their churches accountable for what their money does in Africa.
Oprah and the foreskin cream debacle.
From 24hrs:
Oprah faces protest for using wrinkle cream made with foreskin
She wrangled the truth out of Lance Armstrong about using performance-enhancing drugs but a Vancouver group wants Oprah Winfrey to explain why she has endorsed an anti-wrinkle cream made with human foreskins.
Winfrey, who rose from poverty to own her own television network, will make her first appearance in Vancouver on Thursday before a sold-out crowd at Rogers Arena, with fans paying up to $350 a ticket for a chance to see the TV mega-host live.
But as the crowds pack into the stadium, Glen Callender, founder of the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project, will be outside with his supporters protesting Winfrey's support of SkinMedica.
Callender says it’s hypocritical of Winfrey to speak out against female genital mutilation, while at the same time saying it’s all right to rub on a face cream made from foreskins from circumcised infant males.
“Imagine how Oprah would respond if a skin cream for men went on the market that was made from parts of the genitalia of little girls,” Callender said. “That would be an outrage and rightly so.”
Callender expects “a dozen to two dozen people” to attend the protest.
Advertisements for SkinMedica say Winfrey has described the product as her “magic fountain of youth and miracle wrinkle solution.” Winfrey didn’t immediately respond to an email asking for comment, but her website recommends the product to deal with wrinkles.
The makers of SkinMedica have said to make their cream they use foreskin fibroblast — a piece of human skin used as a culture to grow other skin or cells.
“I would like Oprah to come to her senses and realize that all children have a fundamental human right to keep all their genitalia and to decide for themselves if anything gets cut off,” Callender said Wednesday.
Callender describes the Foreskin Awareness Project as Canada's “feistiest pro-foreskin advocacy group” with the goal of “foreskin education and appreciation.”
“We’re not an anti-circumcision group,” he said. “What we are against is circumcision being forced on people without their consent.”
And the results from a poll at the bottom of the article:
Poisoning by vagina.
From the Huffington Post:
Vagina 'Murder Plot': Brazilian Man Accuses Wife Of Poisoning Her Private Parts To Kill Him
A Brazilian man has accused his wife of trying to kill him by putting poison in her vagina and inviting him to have oral sex with her.
The man - identified only as a 43-year-old from Sao de Jose Rio Preto - realised something was afoot when he noticed a strange odour coming from his wife's private parts, Portuguese news outlet tvi24 said.
Concerned, he took her to hospital, whereupon she confessed to the nefarious plan,Argentinian newspaper La Razon claims.
Tests apparently revealed the woman had placed enough of the unnamed poison in her vagina to kill both her and her husband. She has since received medical treatment, although sources claim her husband plans to sue her for attempted murder.
Regiaonoroeste.com says the incident was reported to police where officer Walter Colacino Junior has ordered further investigation of the "unusual" nature of the case before action is taken.
The foreskin factor.
From the Tyee:
Foreskin Facecream
And it's not the only body part on the chopping block for vanity. Ethical?
In an article for The Tyee, Dr. Paul Tinari estimated that a single male foreskin can be worth upwards of $100,000. He argued that men who are circumcised have a right to the revenue made off the resale of their foreskins (just as someone who sells their hair for wigs would, for example).
But that's not the only issue in the debate over how people use and profit from foreskins. Many people are challenging the ethics and medical necessity of male circumcision, which means that any use of the foreskins after that is also in question. Then there's the fact that foreskins aren't just being sold for the medical flesh trade; rather, they're joining a few other body parts being sold in the service of vanity. And if the ethics of using human body parts, skin and stem cells for medical research and treatments are contentious, the ethics of using them for vanity's sake is a whole other conundrum.
[...]
That's because foreskin fibroblasts are big business. A fibroblast is a piece of human skin that is used as a culture to grow other skin or cells -- like human yogurt kits. Human foreskin fibroblast is used in all kinds of medical procedures from growing skin for burn victims and for eyelid replacement, to growing skin for those with diabetic ulcers (who need replacement skin to cover ulcers that won't heal), to making creams and collagens in the cosmetics industry (yes, the product that is injected into puffy movie-starlet lips).
Foreskin-derived skin, sourced from circumcisions (now considered by many experts to be painful and also unnecessary) is still often considered the "cruelty free" alternative to testing cosmetic products on animals. One foreskin can be used for decades to produce miles of skin, much of which helps people in genuine medical need.
Read the rest, including discussions about sourcing foreskins, the ethical implications, how they're used, etc. here.
Thursday mail - January 31.
Have any questions or comments related to sex or sexuality? If so, fire away.
Coming out cake.
Reported at The Frisky:
Girl Comes Out To Parents With An “I’m Gay!” Cake
Any difficult conversation is made easier with cake, and in this picture that I’ve seen floating around the Interwebs, a girl named Laurel comes out to her mom and dad via baked goods. (Although cupcakes probably would have been gayer. C’mon, Laurel.)
Good morning parents,
I’m gay. I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time. I thought doing it this way would be a piece of cake. I hope you still love me. I mean, it’s hard not to love someone who baked you a cake.
All my friends know and still love me. Your acceptance would be the icing on the cake.
I hope you, much like this cake, are not in tiers.
I hope we can look back on this and say “Boy, this one really takes the cake.”
It gets better batter.
Love, Laurel (sorry for so many puns)
And then I would like to think Laurel dropped the mic … er, the frosting spoon.
The Laurel in question is Tumblr user Ellende-Generes and she says, “My mom saw it and cried of happiness. We hugged and cried together. Then we all ate the cake and talked.” A happy ending!
More PostSecrets.
in Humour Etc.
Davey Wavey: Gay Things Straight Guys Do.
Sexual healers.
Via Violet Blue.
I'm not sure this type of therapy is something that the American and Canadian Psychological Associations would endorse (actually, I'm sure they wouldn't). Read the entire article, linked at the bottom, to get the full scoop.
From Salon:
The sexual healers next door
Ben and Jen Rode offer women coaching, massage — and G-spot orgasms. It's legal in California
Just over eight minutes after getting onto the table, Becky is crying. “Let your goddess out,” says Ben Rode, the 29-year-old man rubbing down her naked body with oil. “This is your goddess ceremony.” Meanwhile, Ben’s 31-year-old wife, Jen, who is five months pregnant, performs Reiki, floating her hands over Becky’s head and neck, asking questions about a past life as a queen. Swelling, chiming New Age music plays in the background, as the picture-perfect pair let out long, throaty exhalations to prompt Becky to breathe deep.
Most surfaces in this Alameda, Calif., bungalow bear crystals and lit candles. It feels like being in a womb: In the kitchen, a stove is on with the door cracked open and next to the massage table a faux fireplace blazes. After nearly an hour of working her body over, Ben’s hand slides between Becky’s legs and he begins walking her through a guided meditation on her ideal man. “Imagine seeing him for the first time,” he says. “You lock eyes from across the room.” After a lengthy narrative buildup, he says, “His lips gently touch yours. Your knees melt out from under you.” Ben, a tall all-American sort with ice-blue eyes, moves his fingers to her clitoris, ”Let your pleasure spread, down your legs, all the way up to your boobs.” As Becky’s moans deepen, he announces, ”K, I’m going inside.”
He slides on a pair of latex gloves and liberally applies lube to his middle and ring finger. As he enters, Becky’s “ahhhs” almost turn into song, and then she begins sobbing after Ben tells her, “You’re ready for him.” Jen, a petite, near-platinum blonde, begins to recite the affirmations that the three agreed upon during the intake interview. ”You’re ready for your beloved,” she says. ”Your dreams are your own!” Ben shouts to Becky, “Rub your clit,” and she does, her moans turning into yelps. “Good goddess. Feel your goddess,” he says. “Feel the Becky inside you. Feel her. Feel how powerful she is, ready to take on the world. She gets exactly what she wants.”
Ben intensifies his hand movements and then yells, “Push it out! Let it go! Surrender to the process!” Here she starts wailing like a mother who’s lost her child, then howling like a wild animal caught in a trap, and then making a sound I’ve only ever heard in a scene from “Saw II.” “You’re so fucking ready, woman,” he says. “You’re so ready, goddess.” Her back arcs, butt hovering in the air, and clear liquid begins spraying out from between her legs. With this, a droplet of ejaculate lands on my shoe.
Read the rest here. The Rodes' sexual healing website can be found here.
Photo essay: Nevada's brothels.
in Sex Work
From the Slate:
Inside the American Brothel
If Zagat did a guide to brothels, they might want to consider a consultation with photographer Marc McAndrews. After all, McAndrews spent five years photographing 33 of Nevada’s (legal) brothels for Nevada Rose: Inside the American Brothel (Umbrage Editions).
The spark for the project came to McAndrews in 2004 while he was working in Nevada. He was asked if he’d ever visited a brothel (he hadn’t), but he was intrigued and showed up unannounced at various brothels in hopes of gaining permission to photograph them.
“My initial motivation was curiosity,” McAndrews communicated via email about the project. “A beautiful thing about photography is the access it can afford you. It’s a reason to get into something, to get past the barriers that people put up.”
[...]
“After I went out to the brothels for the first time I had such a positive response to the work back in New York that I decided to keep going back,” McAndrews said.
“At many of the houses, the women would approach me to be photographed before I even asked them. This occasionally led to misunderstandings while photographing them because many initially thought I was doing nude and sexier photographs for the websites. The regular employees were pretty open and accepting of being photographed. The customers were difficult because I’d usually only be able to approach regulars or men that the women knew well, so the pool of potential subjects was greatly reduced.”
Not until McAndrews had been working on the project for five years did he finally get permission to meet the owner of the Bunny Ranch, Dennis Hof.
The long-sought-after meeting took place in Hof’s office, which doubled as his bedroom. McAndrews arrived just in time to be in the room for a conference call Hof was on with Heidi Fleiss, Larry Flynt, and Ron Jeremy. McAndrews says, “Dennis gets off the phone, turns to me, and says ‘alright I don’t know why you’re here, I don’t want to work with you, but you have 5 minutes, tell me what ya got to say.’ I … have no idea what I said to him, but when I had exhausted every possible angle … he looks at me after an awkwardly long pause and says, ‘Alright, when do you want to take these pictures?’ ”
With all the preconceived ideas of brothels and the cast of characters who both work and frequent them, McAndrews felt he had to give a fair portrayal of them. “Everybody knows what goes on in the brothels.” McAndrews explains. “I approached the brothels the same way I would any other project or assignment, and when I photographed the women (or owners or customers, for that matter), I didn’t want to demonize them for what they did, but I was also careful not to glorify them. I think the fact that I became and remain friends with many of the women that work or have worked in the houses speaks to the honesty of the project.”
See the rest of the photos here.
Sugar babies.
in Sex Work
From the Vancouver Sun:
UVic students flock to ‘sugar baby’ website
The University of Victoria is one of the fastest-growing college markets in Canada for a website that matches “sugar babies” looking for cash with wealthy “sugar daddies” looking for love.
UVic had the sixth-highest number of sign-ups to the website SeekingArrangement.com of any campus in Canada last year, with 117 new users in 2012. The University of B.C. was 12th, with 60 sign-ups and Simon Fraser University 15th, with 52.
“The population of college sugar babies in British Columbia has steadily increased every year, with University of Victoria leading all major universities,” SeekingArrangement.com CEO Brandon Wade said in a news release. “It’s difficult to take out student loans when you aren’t sure when, or if, you will be able to pay them back. By seeking a mutually beneficial relationship while attending college, students will be more likely to find success later in life.”
The details of any arrangements, including whether sex is on the table, are entirely up to the people involved, SeekingArrangement.com spokesman Leroy Velasquez said in an email. The college market is just one subset of the U.S.-based website, which caters to wealthy men and women looking for attractive, younger partners.
Read the rest of the article here.
Putting AO sex ed into context.
And commentary about the absurd statements made recently by several politicians in the States:
Monty Python does sex ed.
in Sex Ed, Humour Etc.
A repost, but worth it (in my opinion). The action begins at around 1:40.