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March 2008

Flying in the Face of it

Although I’m not always sure what value animal studies bring to our understanding of human sexual behaviour, here is one study that I just can’t resist mentioning.

A bunch of neuroscientists at Penn State (Kyung-An Han, et al.) have been getting fruit flies drunk and watching how they go about their business. 

                                             Flying in the face of it
 
First we learn from the research that this team of scientists is not the first to get fruit flies drunk; they simply found a method to induce a state of constant inebriation using ethanol over many days, rather than the accepted method of a one-time smash-up. Considering that fruit flies typically live a little over 2 weeks in total, spending a week or so pissed would easily make them into alcoholics. This raises a whole new level of debate on the question of the cruelty of animal experimentation. But this is not even the strangest part of the story.

As it turns out, drunken male flies will start picking up other boy flies when they’ve gone over their limit. (I believe the term that the research team uses is “ethanol-induced inter-male courtship”).

Now just think about this. With six legs and a couple of wings, an uninvited, drunken come-on can be quite a frightful thing, especially if it’s not the way you swing. Or fly. But something about this level of drunkenness affects the male flies’ sexual arousal and it decreases their inhibition and next thing you know, it’s a frat party with a difference.

The researchers, of course, are thrilled with their findings. According to them, this demonstrates how sexual tendencies, which are believed to be determined during the developmental stage of life, can be powerfully influenced by the environment. Just think of the interesting coalitions that can come out of this. 

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2007

Project Censored

These are the headlines no one wants you to read. Go to the link above to find links to the stories.

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2007

1. Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media
2. Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran
3. Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger
4. Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US
5. High-Tech Genocide in Congo
6. Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy
7. US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq
8. Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act
9. The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall
10. Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians
11. Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Confirmed
12. Pentagon Plans to Build New Landmines
13. New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup
14. Homeland Security Contracts KBR to Build Detention Centers in the US
15. Chemical Industry is EPA’s Primary Research Partner
16. Ecuador and Mexico Defy US on International Criminal Court
17. Iraq Invasion Promotes OPEC Agenda
18. Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story
19. Destruction of Rainforests Worst Ever
20. Bottled Water: A Global Environmental Problem
21. Gold Mining Threatens Ancient Andean Glaciers
22. $Billions in Homeland Security Spending Undisclosed
23. US Oil Targets Kyoto in Europe
24. Cheney’s Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year
25. US Military in Paraguay Threatens Region

If you aren't scared, pissed off, and thinking of the phrase "French Revolution" then you need to wake the fuck up. It's almost too late.

Don’t Forget Earth Hour at 8 PM tonight!

Earth Hour US - Earth Hour 2008

People all over the globe are turning everything off for an hour tonight at 8 PM. Try to participate if you can. For more information, follow the link above.

pimps and hos

On the heels of the Spitzer and "Kristen" scandal, NY Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof reminds of the brutality faced by most "street" prostitutes, many of whom are young girls of color.

sex and girls

While I tend to be skeptical about statistics, the numbers of girls--particularly black girls--infected with STDs, according to a recent national study, is quite alarming. Though the research sample of 838 girls was random, I can't help but wonder how class and education weigh into the mix. I wonder how many girls have access to good health care facilities, what they have been taught (if anything) about sex at school and at home, whether they have access to and know how to use condoms. How many girls still think they can't get infections if they only have oral sex?

The study doesn't seem to offer many solutions to what should be perceived as a national health crisis (this is of course presuming our nation cares about the healthcare of women and girls, which, um, it doesn't). Clearly sex education is critical (beyond the ridiculous abstinence-only models) as is better counseling services for girls who need to discuss sexual matters and may not be able to with their parents. But I also worry about what we teach (or rather don't teach) girls about their sexual agency. Sex is often portrayed for (straight) girls as something that is done to them rather than something they can have some agency in. I think the study is telling: girls are the acted on, the endangered, and the infected. But this study should also reshape our approach to boys' health education. What should be clear from these results is that boys should also be getting annual screenings (just as girls have to go to the gyno).

Perhaps most importantly, parents and educators need to encourage girls to use their voices and assert their agency when they enter into intimate relationships. Part of the problem has to do with self-esteem and self-worth I think. It seems to me that too many girls are still afraid that if they don't put out they won't be accepted or liked or desired. Too many girls are afraid to ask male partners to use condoms. In some cases, men over 18 (sometimes in their 20s and 30s) are preying on teenage girls. As someone who has always thought that black communities' almost singular focus on the "crises" of young black boys has virtually ignored the problems young black girls are going through, I think the national attention this study has gotten can spark some overdue interventions.

Daycare Only for “Non-Working Mothers”

So I've been looking into daycare programs for little Bamm-Bamm, as I've been told that I need to get him on waiting lists ASAP. We wouldn't need daycare very many hours a week, and not until late August/early September, but obviously we want good care.

Yesterday, I called a Methodist church that has been highly recommended to me by people I trust, only to be told that their daycare program (called Mother's Day Out, which doesn't seem to be an uncommon name for daycare programs) is "only for non-working mothers."

Mmmmkay.

Now it could be that the person on the phone just told me that because they don't keep babies past 2:00 in the afternoon, and for most people who work, those hours aren't feasible. I think Jonathan and I may be able to swing it, though.

But -- what if it really is "only for non-working mothers"? Where do I start? There are so many problems with this, even if we're just talking about heteronormative households:

  • I object to the very idea: there's no such thing as a non-working mother (or parent in general, for that matter).
  • What if the mother works and the father stays at home? The at-home dad would still need days out to run errands. Would this kind of family be ineligible?
  • What if both parents work (say, for the sake of argument, the mother works part-time) because they have to in order to pay the bills? Would this kind of family be ineligible?
  • What if the mother works from home? Would this kind of family be ineligible?
  • What about single-parent households in which the parent (father or mother) HAS to work, or the family has NO money? Would this kind of family be ineligible?

I want to join this church and use this daycare, but if they would actually ban us from the daycare program because I am employed, that's a huge red flag. I don't want to be put in a position of concealing the fact that I have a job.

Tagged with:

Facing your Stupid, Misguided Lover on Election Day

Last month The Frisky ran a piece on how to get through the elections when you and your romantic partner are on different sides of the political fence.

Their suggestions were all about avoiding conflict, distracting yourselves with neutral activities and staying respectful. Nice. Sounds like something Nancy Reagan would have said. Like “I don't talk about political matters. That's not my department”. Actually, that is something she DID say! 

Nancy Reagan on the couch

Eleanor Roosevelt, on the other hand, said “I could not at any age be content to take my place in the corner by the fireplace and simply look on”. 

Eleanor Roosevelt at the UN

Nancy Reagan was a Republican first lady (or apparently so she was told); Eleanor Roosevelt was a Democrat. Hmmm.... now why does that dynamic sound familiar?

How about (instead of accepting his or her misplaced understanding of current reality) adding that thought to your arguments and raucous debates about the future of your country? You can be pretty sure that if one of you doesn't land up sleeping on the sofa that night, the final communication of the night will be done with fervent, uncompromising sex.

More (real) History of Sex

The Return of the Quickie

Ignore the sensationalist heading. This is not an endorsement of quickies, but it is a story about sex and timing that will make a whole lot of people feel better about the fact that they dont have the kind of sexual control that they think they should have.

Research undertaken at Penn State University (Corty et al.) put some stop watches to work as couples went about their lovemaking. They learned that couples having sex that lasted, well, not as long as conventional wisdom would consider to be optimal, were reporting having pleasurable and satisfying sex lives. According to the researchers, 3-13 minutes of sex was considered to be "the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse". Of course that excludes foreplay and perhaps a bit of post-sex cuddling before retiring. 

                            Return of the Quickie

What do these numbers add to our understanding of good sex? There is quite a big difference between 3 and 13, after all, especially for the lover who can last 3 minutes and is dying to double or triple the time he (usually its a he) can enjoy the feeling before its all over. Speaking of optimal sexual experiences as a range and not an exact number (such as if they said the optimal time is 8 minutes) allows people to see normal sex as a something that is wider and more inclusive. It means that longer isn't necessarily better. Pun intended.

Hopefully this will leave a whole lot of people with a lot more confidence and less anxiety. Now take your eyes off the clock; this isn't an athletics meet.