Women's Rights and Sex

I quote myself from the Hour One topic from On Point's Facebook page:

" Planned Parenthood is so much more than abortions. It is preventative care, cancer screenings, STI testing, contraceptive education, and female empowerment - to take charge of their own lives and choices (sexual activity, protecting their fertility, choosing when if ever to conceive, and options for the hardest choice a woman could ever make), and all in a safe, caring, compassionate, affordable setting.
Cutting their funding, which is not used for abortion services, does not eliminate abortions. It eliminates education, health care, and a safe haven for scared young women. Abortions will still happen - and society will pay for the infections and hackjobs. Unwanted children will be born and become a burden to not just the unwilling mother but society at large. And babies will be left more frequently in SafeHavens and dumpsters. Taking away PP will do nothing but shove women back into a corner, in the shadows."

I can't seem to stop myself from arguing on the internet with people who hide their misogyny behind a "Pro-Life" stance. For people who scream for the rights of a collection of cells that, if removed from the womb, cannot survive (there's a word for that entity, but people get pissed when I say 'parasite'); they sure don't give a damn for the lives of people who actually function as independent entities. I think a woman's life is more important than that of the unwanted thing giving her morning sickness. If, however, it's a wanted little bundle of cells it is damned well worth fighting for as well - And no pro-choice advocate will disagree with me.

We all want the abortion rate to go down, but we were focusing on the teen pregnancy rate - which went down in states where abortions are available. But we aren't supposed to make correlations. The only way to get both of those numbers down is through education. Since we all know that abstinence-only education is a complete failure, the only other option is comprehensive education and you know what? Planned Parenthood is really good at delivering that sort of thing!

At least I live in Vermont. Welch, Leahy, and Sanders have all heard from me several times. Have your representatives heard from you? Here's a link to the Open Letter to congress stating that you stand with Planned Parenthood. I hope you will sign it. Thank you.

The Gal's Guide to Her Guy's Equipment

Found this article while Stumbling around. Felt the need to share.

By Norine Dworkin-McDaniel, Special to Lifescript

Published September 30, 2010

When you want to know what’s up down there, you consult your ob-gyn, friends or the latest “Cosmo” issue. But what if you’re stumped over your partner’s parts? Read the gal’s guide to his equipment for answers to 8 common questions…

1. 5-6 inches is average
Is my penis big enough? It’s such an age-old worry for guys that someone actually got out a tape measure and checked. In a laboratory.

The result: Studies indicate that the average guy measures 5.1-5.7 inches when erect and 3.4-3.7 inches when not.

Some penises can appear smaller than they are because fat around the lower abdomen masks their true size; guys can lose the appearance of a full inch for every additional 35 pounds they’re carrying.

It can also be caused by skin on the penis that isn’t securely anchoring the shaft, which means his member retracts when soft.

When it comes to size, remember this: “The vagina always adjusts to the penis," says Ciril Godec, M.D., chairman of urology at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn.

2. There’s no need to supersize.
Email boxes are flooded every day with offers to “enlarge your penis” – even if you don’t have one.

“They’re garbage,” says Marc Greenstein, M.D., a urologist with the North Jersey Center for Urologic Care.

Same for penis expansion surgery. One such procedure involves injecting body fat into the penis to thicken it. Another severs the suspensory penile ligament, which attaches the penis to the pubic bone.

Reputable urologists won’t perform either procedure because they’re not effective and there’s a risk of mutilation, infection and fracture.

Plus, once the ligament’s cut guys lose their ability to steer, which is not good for you.

“The penis just kind of flops; you can’t really direct it,” says Sovrin Shah, M.D., a urologist with Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

Still, if you and your partner feel the need to upsize, pick up a penis pump or cock ring at an adult boutique. They can temporarily increase size by drawing more blood to the area.

3. If it’s morning, he’s erect.
Much as we’d like to think that guys wake up hard because they’re sleeping next to us, morning erections (called nocturnal penile tumescence in the urology world) are really just a holdover from the dreaming or rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep.

During REM, neurological activity and the release of hormones like testosterone produce erections.

Some doctors believe that the body’s natural way of keeping the penis healthy is to infuse it with fresh, nutrient-rich blood each night through erections. Regardless of why it happens, it’s fairly routine.

On average, healthy guys experience 3-5 erections during a normal night’s sleep. We’re just awake enough to appreciate it in the morning.

4. If you bend it, it can break.
The corpora cavernosa – the chambers of the penis that fill with blood during erection – are made of connective tissue. If the penis bends suddenly and awkwardly, the tissue can crack.

“It breaks right in half,” Greenstein says. Fractured penises require surgery to repair and take about six weeks to heal completely.

5. His testes won’t burst if he doesn’t ejaculate.
The truth about this popular ploy for talking us into sex: Arousal without release doesn’t damage his testes.

While it’s true that men’s testicles can expand by 25%-50% during arousal, there’s yet to be a report of testicles popping from lack of climax.

The trapped blood can make the testicles feel achy without the big finish (they may even turn a bit blue as blood loses oxygen), but the only damage done, says Greenstein, “is to men’s pride.”

6. Not hard? It’s (probably) not you.
Equipment malfunctions have a lot to do with how guys treat their own bodies. Smoking, for example, narrows the blood vessels in the penis, which are already narrow at 0.5-1 millimeter in diameter. Since erections depend on unimpeded blood flow to the penis, any kind of impediment.

In fact, smokers are twice as likely to become impotent as nonsmokers. Also, having a few drinks to “get you in the mood” can backfire by basically paralyzing the nerves of the penis, according to Godec.

“If there’s no stimulation leading to dilation of blood vessels, there’s no erection,” he says.

The occasional flop isn’t cause for concern. But if your guy’s been more often deflated than elated lately, get him to a doctor pronto. Erectile woes are often the first indicator of serious health problems.

Men with erectile dysfunction (ED) typically develop coronary artery disease within three years and diabetes within eight years. And if they have hypertension, they’re more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

“The penis is the thermometer of men’s health,” says Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, associate professor of urology at Columbia University in New York City.

Check out 10 Health Symptoms Your Guy Shouldn't Ignore.

7. Hair triggers can be handled.
About 30% of guys are quick to ejaculate. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy marathon sex with your guy, as long as you approach the situation diplomatically.

First, raise the issue. Yes, this will be awkward, but couching it as a conversation about how you can please each other takes the edge off, says sexpert Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., author of Prime: Adventures and Advice on Sex, Love and the Sensual Years (Collins).

She suggests this opener: “Is there something we can do that can help us last a little longer? I enjoy having you so much, I don’t want it to stop that quickly.”

“This way it’s not all about him; it’s about you as a couple,” Schwartz says.

Once you’re both on board to slow down, there are many ways to apply the brakes. SSRI antidepressants are often prescribed to help with premature ejaculation. But according to Shah, this buys guys only a couple minutes of extra time.

A better approach may be the “start-stop” method: Your partner gets aroused, backs off before the point of no return, lets things cool down and then starts again. The idea, explains Shah, is to gradually build tolerance so that with practice he can last longer.

Schwartz also recommends a throwaway round.

“Having a quick session will reduce the sense of urgency,” she explains. Then have a longer session together. "He won’t be as quick the second time.”

Another exercise: Fool around without intercourse. “This way he learns how to hold an erection for a while without feeling that he has to do something with it right away,” Schwartz says.

8. Erections can last too long.
There’s admirable staying power... and then there’s too much. Erections that stick around for 2-3 hours after ejaculation are a sign of plumbing problems.

Erections occur when blood rushes into the penis and the veins snap shut to keep it there, making the penis stay hard. After ejaculation, those blood vessels should relax so the blood can drain out.

If blood gets trapped, an erection becomes painful and, if untreated, may lead to impotence. Known as priapism, this condition mainly affects men with sickle cell anemia, diabetes or leukemia.

However, it has been known to happen when guys double up on erection medications to put on a good show in bed.

If your partner's penis shows no signs of returning to normal, swallow your embarrassment and go to the emergency room. In the early stages, docs can use drugs to lower the boom. But the longer you wait, the higher the chances of surgery.

I don't get it...

Why is Japanese porn so awful? All the girls look like they are being raped and the penises are so small chipmunks snicker. What the FUCK? Why, for the love of God, why?

They created Godzilla and tentacle porn - why is the real stuff either so goddawful dull, or so freaking misogynistic?

It's the tiny weeniers isn't it? Girls screaming, kicking them in the guts, blood, etc... all makes them feel like they own something worth having.

I'm tired and a size-queen... Give me some fun hentai anyday.

Green Sex

April is Earth Month, so I decided to bring you the best in green sex. Now, I want you to know that I am an omnivore, but I will not argue that vegetarians have a point about how not eating factory farm animals can help save the planet. So I have included some Vegetarian stuff too.

Let's start where I started: A dear friend of mine sent me this link, and it is apparently not a spoof.
Sex Toy Recycling
Can I just say that I am madly in love with their logo? I want stickers.

If you live across the puddle, this is the place to go for recycling: Rabbit Amnesty. Apparently, these were the first people to recycle toys. Brits are not prudes. Just wanted to remind you all.
I also love the term eco-gasam. I have bed-gasams after a really long day, and I used to have bodice-gasams after a long ren faire; but I have never gotten that feeling from recycling - maybe it's about time.

Now here we start loving the planet and her people:
Organic and Fair Trade is how I like my coffee and chocolate, so why not my sex toys, and a lot of these shops are touting sustainability. Isn't that novel? It will also make them safe for use as well - do we have to go through the Toxic Toy thing again? It is Phthalate Awareness Month as well you know. Even Green Peace was up on this in 2006.

Anyway, here are some of the Green Shops, some are beautiful and some are functional. I like them all:

Eco Erotica

Earth Erotics

Yes makes lube

Coco de Mer

And now the two vegetarian entries... One is a shop, The Sensual Vegan, and the other is smut, happy light hearted pay smut: Veg Porn: Titilating Tofu Eaters

And if you need any more ideas for greening up play time, check out this list of the top ten ways to green-up your sex life by the lovely Nicole Hughes of the Huffington Post.

Happy Green Month!

Discovery: Science of Sex Appeal

There are several of these videos on YouTube on the science of sex appeal. I've seen several of them on Discovery. I think I've found my calling. I just wish I could afford the additional education.

The Testosterone one (linked in the title) is very good, but I love all of it. The shape one is interesting because it hints at the things women do to call attention to certain body parts by the way they dress - hence the need for the grey mannequins.

Apparently, there is proof that men can be lead around by the nose. But, of course I have such a filthy mind I wasn't quite sure that the aroma the scientists were referring to wasn't that musky, "I just had amazing, hot, sweaty sex," smell. Dirty, dirty me.

You always thought your brother was smelly - turns out you were right. I also find it reassuring that this smelling your siblings thing wasn't because primitive people were too stupid to know who their closest kin were. In close knit tribes - everyone is kin, just some are closer than others.

Okay guys, you now have an excuse to want that sports car... (can you hear the eye-roll?) The first part of this segment is a no-brainer. The later part, about the cars... I wasn't surprised, but it did take me off guard. Really liked that Mercedes, btw...

Leave it to a scientist to condense and dramatize high school down to a 2 minute clip. Totally depressing. I was never a 10. But I sure as hell turned down more than enough 2's. Poor male 2 in this clip btw... she turned away from him twice and then settled with him because no one was left. And he was cute.

If you get the chance to watch this show - pop the corn and snuggle with your sweetie, and be prepared to glace furtively at them several times, wondering how primitive we all still are.