CARNAL NATION

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]

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]

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]

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]

In Malaysia, there has been one case of a couple separating because the spouse smelled of fish crackers. Don’t be too quick to gloat because you are also at risk if you or your spouse own old-fashioned pyjamas and smell bad during sex. There must be some truth to this because smelly body odour, humdrum sex, and boring pyjamas have being cited as the reasons behind the high divorce rate in the Terengganu state of Malaysia. At least three in every ten marriages registered in the state ends in divorce. Separation is now the prevalent trend among couples aged between 25 and 30 years.  [Read more]

Not that we need it, but science has provided us with one more good reason to have sex: stronger sperm. Reuters reports that having sex daily can improve sperm quality and increase the likelihood of pregnancy. Though some doctors have advised men to refrain from sexual activity for a few days before trying to conceive, new research out of Sydney, Australia suggests otherwise.

Dr David Greening of Sydney IVF, an Australian fertility center that helps clients conceive through in vitro fertilization, found that frequent ejaculations may improve the quality of sperm by reducing the length of time they spend in the testicular ducts. He explains that this reduced amount of time may decrease the exposure of sperm to reactive oxygen species which he describes as “potentially damaging molecules”.  [Read more]

With polls on the East Coast already closed for more than 3 hours, the referendum on gay marriage in Maine is still too close to call. The early returns show a dead heat with 148 of 608 precincts reporting. Nearly 100,000 Maine residents voted prior to today by absentee ballot; however, there are more than 1 million registered voters in the northernmost New England state. Four other New England states—Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut—have legalized same-sex marriage. Maine legalized gay marriage in May of this year; however, opponents, in large part supported by the Catholic Church, almost immediately made an issue of the new law, gathering enough signatures to place it on today's ballot as a referendum. Matthew Dunlap, Maine's secretary of state, told reporters that voter turnout was higher than expected in an off-year election.  [Read more]