January 2009

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Coke not the real thing when it comes to contraception

PARIS – The belief that Coca-Cola works as an after-sex spermicide is nothing but urban legend,

Deborah Anderson, a professor in obstetrics and gynaecology at Harvard Medical School, says that Coca-cola douches were sometimes used in 1950s and 1960s America in the belief that the drink's acidity killed sperm.

Soft-drink douches are still used as a post-coital contraceptive ploy in some poor countries, she says.

But, says Anderson, there is no evidence to suggest these unusual forms of contraception work -- and plenty of reasons to suggest they could cause harm.

To begin with, Coke is not a very effective spermicide, as it is unlikely to kill the target.

And even if the beverage's secret recipe were lethal, a speedy sperm is likely to outswim the douche and get to cervix first.

In addition, Coca-Cola damages the top layer of cells within the vagina, and makes a woman more prone to sexually transmitted disease. And while it is largely harmless to sperm, soda pop removes healthy bacteria, opening the way to fungal and bacterial infection.

Experiments with other forms of vaginal douches have found an increased risk of pelvic inflammation and ectopic pregnancy, in which a fertilized egg is implanted in the fallopian tube, rather than in the uterus.

Finally, says Anderson, there is the simple fact that there are much more effective and easy-to-use methods of contraception widely available.

Anderson also said there was a reason why she had gone into print.

An old study by her research group, on the impact of Coca-Cola on human semen, had recently been resurrected and had won a spoof Nobel prize, or IgNobel, for offbeat science.

She was afraid that the headlines surrounding this award may have repopularised the legend.

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On Strike

The life models who pose at the city's beaux arts schools went on strike and, despite freezing temperatures, demonstrated nude outside the municipal culture department.

The 15 models, supported by teachers and trade union officials, were protesting against the end of the tradition of le cornet -- a rolled up paper in which generations of students have left a tip after their session. They are also demanding official recognition of a craft which they say is central to European art, with its devotion to the human form.

"We are as important as the teacher and the painter because without us they could not teach or paint," said Salvatori, one of the protesters. "Without Gabrielle, who would Renoir have been?. (Gabrielle Renard, the nanny of the child Jean Renoir, was father Auguste's favourite model)...

Fom Sexoteric Blog]

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Bathing and bikinis: Porn law claims yet more victims

Agus Maryono ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Purwokerto

The association of tour guides at the Baturraden holiday resort in Banyumas, Central Java, has blamed the much-decried anti-pornography law for a slew of recent cancellations by Dutch tourists planning to visit the area. Association chairman Tekad Santoso said Friday he had received several emails from Dutch would-be holidaymakers saying they were canceling their visits over fears they could fall foul of the law while enjoying Baturraden’s attractions.

“It’s true, they said they were afraid the police would arrest them for bathing in the local sulfur springs,” Te-kad said. Baturraden, he went on, was a popular destination among Dutch tourists, with an average of two tour groups visiting the resort each week

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The dizzying diversity of human sexual strategies

New Scientist:

Women can be as sexually unrestrained as men. In fact, there is a huge overlap in the sociosexuality scores of men and women, with more variation within the sexes than between them. Some researchers are now trying to explain these subtleties in terms of biology and evolution.

Take the fact that women's interest in casual sex can vary wildly over time. A hint that these short-term sexual encounters might have biological and evolutionary advantages comes from the timing of them. Several studies have shown that women are more likely to fancy a fling around the time they are ovulating - although there is no suggestion that this is a conscious decision. Not only that, says David Schmitt of Bradley University, Illinois, women show a shift in preference to men who look more masculine and symmetrical - both indicators of good genes. Women may have a dual strategy going, suggests Schmitt. "Humans infants need a lot of help, so we have pair-bonding where males and females help raise a child, but the woman can obtain good genes - perhaps better genes than from the husband - through short-term mating right before ovulation."...

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$200k worth of inflatable boobs lost at sea

SYDNEY - More than 130,000 inflatable breasts have been lost at sea en route to Australian.

Men’s magazine Ralph was planning to include the boobs as a free gift with its January issue.

The cargo is worth about $200,000, which is another blow for publisher ACP’s parent company PBL, which is already in $4.3 billion of debt.

A spokeswoman for Ralph said the container left docks in Beijing two weeks ago but turned up empty in Sydney this week.

The magazine has put out an alert to shipping authorities to see if they have the container, but if they don’t turn up in the next 48 hours it will be too late for the next issue, she said.

Ralph editor Santi Pintado urged anyone who has any information to contact the magazine.

“Unless Somali pirates have stolen them its difficult to explain where they are,” Pintado told AAP.

“If anyone finds any washed up on a beach, please let us know.”

Mr. Pintado may be a bit confused about his piratical geography (the sea route from China to Australia doesn’t pass through the waters infested by Somali pirates) but the more traditional Indonesian crews in the Malacca Straights may be pillowing their weary heads as we speak on the sweet vinyl bosoms of their latest haul.

That’s really all I have to say, except for another hearty “YARR!”

 

: From the erosblog

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A Xmas Convo

A family is at the dinner table. The son asks his father, “Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?”

The father, surprised, answers, “Well, son, there are three kinds of boobs: In her 20’s, a woman’s are like melons, round and firm. In her 30’s to 40’s, they are like pears, still nice but hanging a bit. After 50, they are like onions.”

“Onions?”

“Yes, you see them and they make you cry.”

This infuriated his wife and daughter so the daughter said,

“Mum, how many kinds of ‘willies’ are there?”

The mother, surprised, smiles and answers, “Well dear, a man goes through three phases. In his 20’s, his willy is like an oak tree, mighty and hard. In his 30’s and 40’s, it is like a birch, flexible but reliable. After his 50’s, it is like a Christmas Tree.”

“A Christmas tree?”

“Yes - the root’s dead and the balls are just for decoration.”

 

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