RECENT NEWS
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is taking a stand to support the opening of the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health in Rhode Island. A zoning officer from the city has blocked the business from opening in a Main Street building on the grounds that it violates the building’s zoning use because of its educational nature. But The Providence Journal reports that other educational businesses are located in the building, including a chess club.“The ACLU says the decision raises serious constitutional concerns because the city’s director of administration, Harvey Goulet, was quoted in news reports saying that it is not a business the city is interested in and is not appropriate.” [Read more]
Researchers at Duke University have caused something of a flap after one behavioral economist advertised last month for study subjects. The study, a look into home sex toy parties, sought female students "view sex toys and engage in sexually explicit conversation with other female Duke students," reports The News Observer.Females recruited for the study will be required to answer a few surveys about their sexual attitudes and behaviors, and must then attend a simulated sex-toy party. Participants in the study would receive a gift bag and a discount on sex toys. [Read more]
Everybody remembers their first kiss, that scary but exhilarating early teenage experience. It would be even more memorable if you or your partner landed in jail because of it. Though it sounds far-fetched—ridiculous even, such a scenario could happen if you are a Belgian teenager under the age of 16. While that memorable kiss or some heated petting might land you and/or your partner behind bars, you could, under the right circumstances, lose your virginity at 14 with relative impunity. Yes, you did read that correctly: penetrative intercourse can be legal for minors while kissing and touching can be illegal for those very same Belgian teens. [Read more]
During the semi-finals of the Miss Asia pageant in Hong Kong, several participants were singled out to have their body parts, such as their breasts, scrutinised in minute detail. The segment which drew the most fire was the so-called “breast screen test.” Three of the most well-endowed contestants were asked to stand behind a board that was cut to show only the girls’ chests. With just their bosoms on display, the contestants were critiqued by one of the judges, Miss Chen Fei Jia, a model.Contestant Miss Lin Zhi Jun, whose vital statistics were 351/2 by 26 by 361/2, was judged to have the most appealing figure, while Miss Wang Xi Yao’s breasts deserved praise for “increasing her heart rate.” The contestants were then asked to share the secret to having ample bosoms. [Read more]
For those of you in the New York area, there's some fun and sexy happenings going on this weekend:Tonight at the Happy Ending Lounge (302 Broome St) there's Sex Worker Literati, hosted by Audacia Ray and David Henry Sterry. It's a monthly event, and this month's featured writers are Audacia Ray, Miss Calico , Dylan Ryan, Jo Weldon, Solitaire, and CarnalNation contributor Megan Andelloux. [Read more]
Dutch designer, Rachel de Boer, has launched her latest creation, La Decolette, to the European market online. This unique bra has no cups to cover the breasts and is not designed to be worn under clothing. It is intended to be worn while sleeping to prevent wrinkles “based on the natural healing ability of the skin.”According to the company’s website, the patented bra “does a very effective job by keeping your cleavage smooth. After just 1 night you will be stunned by the amazing results, all without expensive creams or surgeries.” It comes in a variety of sizes with adjustable shoulder and backstraps and the cushioned mid-section is made of hypo-allergenic fibres. The website claims that some results will be visible in one night alone, but full results could take 5 to 7 days. [Read more]
In some species, it seems that promiscuity is a wise safety precaution. At least that's what Australian researchers found with regard to the fiddler crab, reports The Australian. In the study--published yesterday in the journal Biology Letters--Richard Milner, Professor Michael Jennions and Dr Patricia Blackwell found that female fiddler crabs are willing to offer sex to males in exhange for their protection.Male fiddler crabs are gifted with a single enormous claw, the largest claw relative to overall size in the entire animal kingdom. But females don't have the giant claw, so they're unable to protect themselves against unwanted advances from other males. Both males and females need to defend their territory, and the females are physically powerless against the enormous appendage. [Read more]
As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, we also begin to see those other harbingers of 2009 coming to its inevitable conclusion: holiday decorations and, of course, the new crop of calendars for 2010. Amid the usual profusion of Georgia O'Keefe flowers and Impressionist paintings adorning each month, you can usually find some calendars that are a bit more provocative. There are, of course, the ones that have become—for lack of a better term—cultural phenomena like the annual nude French rugby player extravaganza known as the Dieux du Stade, but you can also expect some that appeal to more specific tastes or niches, like, say, sexy knitters or Mormon beefcakes. Perhaps not appropriate for most work places, calendars such as these rarely create controversy; however, the 2010 calendar put out by the Collective of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals of Madrid (COGAM) has outraged Spanish Catholics, some of whom are calling for criminal prosecution. [Photos after the jump] [Read more]
