Thanks, Ed the Gent, for pointing out this video as I had not seen it yet. These guys, however, are some of my favorites (though Jake and Amir are now tops in my book). In an odd coincidence, a guy from my high school (Phil Lord) produced an earlier video of theirs for Awesometown. Just2Guyz is probably the song of theirs I like best - it’s on my iPod and I love listening to it at the gym ("P-A-R-T-Y, ’cause we got to").
"In fifth grade, students will learn about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases. In middle school, they will discuss the psychological and physical consequences of rape and sexual assault. By high school, students will be talking about condoms and even the morning after pill. After nearly two years of debate and numerous drafts, California’s State Board of Education quietly adopted its first-ever set of "health education content standards" this week."
- writer Dana Hull, reporting on health education standards that include medically accurate information about sexuality. AMAZING!!!
Read the full article here and ask yourself - especially if you are a parent - how you can encourage medically accurate, comprehensive sexuality education in your local school district. Parents might also find the Families Are Talking newsletters (from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States) to be particularly good resources. Scroll down a few inches on this page to find links to these free newsletters.
GREAT article today in the Washington Post about the 10th anniversary of Viagra’s FDA approval, the race to create a "pink Viagra" (Viagra for women) and the critics of the medicalization of sexuality. Here is one particular quote I found interesting:
"Tiefer’s critique centers, in part, on the way that pink Viagra is sure to be marketed — with ads day and night, suggesting that women who aren’t feeling frisky have a medical problem. She and her allies — organized as the New View Campaign — are also galled that so much money and media attention are heaped on the lust drug, even before it exists, when for many women the solution to their libido problems isn’t that exotic. Maybe they have a partner who hasn’t a clue about technique.Maybe they’re stressed out. Maybe they can’t possibly get in the mood because they’re so busy raising children. Therapy, counseling, even free day care, says the New View Campaign, might do more for women’s sex lives than any drug company ever could."
Read the full article by David Segal - titled "A Dose of Desire" - on the Washington Post’s web site.
This video - with a real live, grown and CUDDLY lion - is incredible. It is a must watch - see it here.
I just returned from guest lecturing in a human sexuality class at Northwestern University today and then having dinner with a long time friend at Boka in Chicago. Yum. Very good food. I highly recommend it. The class was so much fun - hundreds of smart, engaged, and very open/comfortable students. They were amazing.
ABC News and the NY Times’ T Magazine fashion section both published articles about "g shot parties" this week which, if you work in the world of media, you might think "so I suppose the people who throw g shot parties sent out a press release not so long ago?" How else to explain such a coincidence of two major news outlets running stories about something that is not actually a trend or a hot topic among nearly anyone. Most cities in the US do NOT offer g shot parties. In fact, quite a lot of you are probably wondering what in the world a "g shot" even is.
The g shot is essentially a shot of collagen injected by a trained gynecologist, plastic surgeon or other medical professional. It is injected into the front wall of the vagina, in the area that some describe as the g spot and others simply call "the anterior wall of the vagina" (anterior meaning "front"). The doctor who invented the g shot frequently reports that most women have had a positive experience with the shot. However, there has not been one objective, scientific research study on the g shot so, as scientists, we cannot say whether the shot helps women, hurts women, puts them at risk, makes their sex life better (or worse) or even what the true range of risks might be (the release/consent form apparently lists scar tissue and sexual dysfunction among them). When women and men ask me if the g shots work, then, my answer is "we don’t know." I would love to be involved with such a research study because I think that women patients deserve to have scientific information available to them that will help them make their decision about any medical procedure… alas, no such research study exists yet.
Read the ABC News article here and the NY Times T Magazine article here.
[Image via this site.]
The view from the hotel… it’s hard to get ready to return to the cold!
I’ve been holding out. I’ve been in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the past few days (for work, so I don’t have as much of a tan as I would like, but oh well…). Anyway, I’m leaving today and I have quite a few blog posts in the queue - things about masturbation (and why it’s healthy!), female ejaculation, the bladder valve and how it’s related to sex, the clitoris (yes, there is more to say!), a sex worker art show and more.
So STAY TUNED!!! Check back often this week, as there will be lots of exciting things to learn… and maybe even to practice at home???
Yes, as in four letters beginning with c. In reference to The Vagina Monologues’ piece entitled Cunt (Ms. Fonda has been actively involved in The Vagina Monologues and V-Day for many years).
Amazing that they can get tons of press for saying "cunt" but when they talk about very real violence committed against women and girls (including very violent rape, as in the Congo, one of Eve Ensler and V-Day’s primary projects), it gets very little press. Anyone care to take a guess at what that’s about? Are we more worried about shocking or offending people than about women and girls being raped or killed?
Read more about "the incident" here.
.jpg)
Healthy lifestyle behaviors related to eating, exercise, and sleep can all have an effect on a person - or couple’s - sexual life.
Ever feel super sluggish after a high fat meal? Doesn’t exactly make you feel ready for sex, does it? Some foods - especially fruits and vegetables in the red/orange/yellow hues (seriously - that’s because the color of the fruits & veggies is influenced by their nutrients) - may help to reduce a person’s risk of cancers of the genital and reproductive organs.
That’s not to say you can’t eat other things - in my weekly grocery run (above), you’ll notice that although I stock up a good deal of fruits, vegetables and lean dairy products (yay, yogurt!), I also enjoy nuts and chocolate morsels with which I like to make yummy cookies. Bon appetit!
It seems like those that bought a certain Grand Theft Auto - and can prove it - may be able to receive $35 for compensation via a class-action lawsuit in regard to some code that unexpectedly revealed sexual content, much to the surprise and dismay of many parents. It seems to me that the real "winners" are those that knew about the code, bought GTA and now get to cash in for $35. As for those who didn’t want the sexual images… their $35 buys them what exactly? Read the full article here (thanks, reader M.).