More Sex, Sex, Sex Again

Sex, the mere mention of the word, is guaranteed to get your attention. Human beings seem to have an insatiable desire to explore, investigate, participate in and watch all things sexual. Here are some more sex-related news items found on the web.

• 1 in 3 boys Heavy Porn Users

A survey of 429 students aged 13 to 14 in rural Canadian schools came up with some interesting but not entirely surprising results. 74% reported viewing pornography on the Internet. 57% reported seeing it on a specialty TV channel. 41% saw it on video or DVD. 20% viewed it at a friend’s house. One major difference between boys and girls was that boys tended to be deliberate viewers (ie: they sought out porn) while girls came across porn accidentally. More than one-third of the boys reported viewing pornographic DVDs or videos “too many times to count”, compared to eight per cent of the girls surveyed. While the majority of teens surveyed said their parents expressed concern about sexual content, that concern hasn’t led to discussion or supervision, and few parents are using available technology to block sexual content.

• Beware of the Hugging Bandit

She's a 200-pound-plus hugging machine, but her affection comes with a price. Police are warning men about the "Hugging Bandit," who heartily embraces men coming out of downtown bars and leaves them wallet-less. Dozens of men say they have been victims. Police say others are too embarrassed to admit it. Officers believe she is a 48-year-old Buffalo woman they have arrested 17 times between 1998 and 2005 for similar schemes, as well as prostitution and criminal possession of stolen property. She does have one thing going for her. After the police arrested her...again and showed her picture to the latest victim, the man admitted that he was too drunk to remember her.

• Korean Men Use Brokers to Find Brides

More and more South Korean men are finding wives outside of South Korea, where a surplus of bachelors, a lack of marriageable Korean partners and the rising social status of women have combined to shrink the domestic market for the marriage-minded male. In 2005, marriages to foreigners accounted for 14 percent of all marriages in South Korea, up from 4 percent in 2000. In South Korea, billboards advertising marriages to foreigners dot the countryside, and fliers are scattered on the Seoul subway. Many rural governments, faced with declining populations, subsidize the marriage tours, which typically cost $10,000. “Nowadays, Korean women have higher standards,” said Lee Eun-tae, the owner of Interwedding, an agency that last year matched 400 Korean bachelors with brides from Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Mongolia, Thailand, Cambodia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia. “If a man has only a high school degree, or lives with his mother, or works only at a small- or medium-size company, or is short or older, or lives in the countryside, he’ll find it very difficult to marry in Korea.”

• The Spray-On Condom

Researchers at the German Institute for Condom Consultancy plan to launch a spray-on condom. The Institute is currently conducting tests on a spray can into which the man inserts his penis which is then sprayed with latex from nozzles on all sides. The plan is to make the product ready for use in about five seconds and offer a more effective contraceptive that fits better than standard one-size fits all condoms and hence does not slip.The company is seeking Condom Testers with a penis length from 9 to 12 cm and 15 to 20 cm. Men between 13 to 14 cm are apparently welcome too. The company had hit upon the idea when considering the difficulties some people faced using condoms, and drew inspiration from spray-on medical dressings and bandages now used in medicine. The condom spray can is expected to reach market in 2008 for a price of around EUR 20 (US$27) and will offer around 20 applications. Replacement cartridges are expected to cost half the initial purchase price for the entire pack, and will be offered in different strengths and colours.

• Suspect Charged with Sodomy

Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran ruled Friday that even though Michigan law does not explicitly define sex with a dead dog as a crime, charges against a Saginaw man will stand. Kuch's defense attorney, Kathryn Fehrman, argued that Michigan's statute on sodomy and bestiality is vague and does not outlaw sex with a dead dog. Kuch is accused of sexual contact with the carcass of his girlfriend's dog on Oct. 20, about a week after the animal had been hit by a car. The alleged crime occurred near the Forest Day Care Center, 2169 W. Midland Road, on a school day. The teacher was leading an Animal Control officer to the dead dog so he could dispose of it when the pair discovered Kuch, who allegedly scuffled with the officer before fleeing into the woods. Fehrman had said in previous written and oral arguments that a dead dog is not an animal and therefore cannot be violated against its will.

Sheeran said the purpose of the sodomy law is not to protect a specific victim, necessarily, but ''to prevent people from debasing and dehumanizing themselves.'' Such laws also protect society, Sheeran said, and ''prevents people from acting like animals themselves.''

Sheeran also upheld the indecent exposure charge. He said it was irrelevant whether the patch of woods where the alleged crime committed was public or private property.

''There was a substantial risk that someone might be offended.''

''If he didn't want to be observed, why did he commit it during the day near a daycare center?'' Sheeran said, saying that Kuch didn't commit the act ''accidentally or inadvertently.''

Comments

[Rahul Sharma]

Heavy Opinions, I shall say!