Web Log Archives: October 13, 2002 - October 19, 2002
Saturday, October 19, 2002
Great new party game from Davezilla: Trivial Pervert.
From Reuters via Yahoo: "On the heels of a previous report that debunked the notion that a man's shoe size could be used to estimate the length of his penis, a new study now claims that those with inquiring minds need merely take a gander at a man's forefinger. According to Greek scientists, the length of a man's index finger can accurately predict the length of his penis. The findings are published in the September issue of the journal Urology."
Earth erotica photography by Heather Firth.
Remember the guy in Scotland arrested for public sex with a traffic cone? He had his day in court this week.
Ross Watt, 33, had sex with the bollard only because he couldn’t get his hands on his favoured sex object - a pair of trainers. Watt had gone round teenager drivers gathered at an Edinburgh beauty spot asking if they would sell him their trainers. But when they refused he turned his attention to the orange and white traffic cone and simulated sex with it. Watt was egged on by the crowd who shouted encouragement, urging him to "give it some". . . . His defence lawyer, Andy Gilbertson, suggested to Sheriff Mhairi Stephen that if his client had been performing at an Edinburgh Festival Fringe show and people were egging him on that it would have been acceptable, but then retracted his opinion.
The misunderstood amateur performance artist was found guilty. (Link snagged from Six Different Ways.)
Friday, October 18, 2002
Fun Michael Musto column touching on Auto Focus ("I'm tripping over my tongue to see it again"), The Rules of Attraction ("brims with split-screen sex, drugs, and suicide—it's my kind of romantic comedy"), Talk to Her ("a tale of sex with the comatose, which was screened the very same day Reese Witherspoon's brother was busted for molesting a sleeping woman"), Swept Away ("actually not awful") and the state of New York nightlife ("But tuck your balls quickly, folks, because though clubs had briefly become dirty and Bob Crane-ish again, the city's already gotten out the whip and the Lysol. Remember the steamy Magnum bashes at the Park? (Lordy, I do.) Well, the same promoters' new Sunday-night event there, the Rambles, is more wink-wink than push-push—like a boulevard comedy in a bordello—but it's still fun, even if the go-go boys can't even show pubes, let alone tripods.").
John Powers talks to director Paul Schrader about Auto Focus, the Bob Crane movie which opens today in some cities.
You know, there were no dark nights of the soul for Bob Crane. It was very hard to go that deeply into him. It couldn't be The Lost Weekend. It couldn't even be Leaving Las Vegas. You had a glib, kind of clueless guy, so you had to get a glib actor. If I had hired someone like John Cusack, it would've been a much different movie. It would've been, Let's go to this dark place together and have a dark night of the soul together. With Greg [Kinnear] it's, Let's pretend we're normal.
LA Weekly also has a review of Auto Focus by Ella Taylor, which includes this questionable line about Hogan's Heroes: "The show, a smash hit set in a World War II POW camp, was symptomatic of the chipper superficiality of both the new medium and the period it reflected." First, calling TV a "new medium" in the late 1960s would be like calling the Internet a "new medium" in 2010. Second, was 1965-1971 really a period of "chipper superficiality" in American culture? Wasn't there a war going on then or something? (This entry edited by Daze because the original wording was unnecessarily mean.)
Law.com has a report from Tuesday's Georgia Supreme Court hearing, which infers from the judges' comments and questions that they're leaning toward overturning the state's fornication law.
The privacy of Georgia's bedrooms was the focus of much of the 30-minute oral argument. Census figures show that more than 145,000 unmarried couples live together in Georgia, and [ACLU lawyer] Weber pointed out that anyone who is not married and has sex is branded a criminal by state law. "Apparently this is a law that's violated quite frequently," deadpanned Justice Robert Benham. [...]
Pressed by [Justice] Fletcher, [district attorney] Inagawa said he had not brought a fornication case in the past five years -- although once he did present an adultery charge to the grand jury. The infrequent manner in which the fornication law is enforced, observed Fletcher, "opens the door to selective prosecution."
Irreverent law blogger John Smith takes up the Georgia fornication law challenge.
Good Tucson Weekly article about Brazilian waxing.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board supports overturning Georgia's anti-fornication law, calling the 1833 law "an abuse of government power."
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Check out this photo of French cyclist Arnaud Gerard celebrating his victory.
The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday over whether to overturn the state's 1833 law banning sex outside marriage. An ACLU lawyer urged the justices to overturn the law: "Hundreds of thousands of Georgians, even those in long-term relationships, are criminals, criminals under this law, even if they engage in these private acts in their own house." The court overturned Georgia's sodomy law in 1998 on privacy grounds.
Great Brunching Shuttlecocks quiz: Porn Star or My Little Pony?
Josey Vogels interviews Carol Queen.
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
The reverse cowgirl interviews the used panty princess in a blog exclusive.
Tom Cruise has quietly dropped his $100 million lawsuit against Kyle Bradford's wife for telling the National Enquirer that her husband frequently bragged about having an affair with Cruise. This week's National Enquirer cover screams, "Tom Cruise Settles Gay Lawsuit! - The Secret Payoff Deal," but the article isn't available on the Enquirer website. Oh well, I need to do some grocery shopping today anyway. There is some discussion of this news on their message boards.
At the New York Times, Maria Russo reviews Rereading Sex by Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, an historical study of debates over sexual knowledge in nineteenth century America. Horowitz posits four cultural frameworks through which people thought about sex. "These competing frameworks -- a vernacular tradition rooted in oral culture; an evangelical Christianity suspicious of sex; a 'reform physiology' committed to spreading accurate information about sexual functioning, including birth control; and a view that 'placed sex at the center of life,' and whose proponents ranged from Mormons to women's rights leaders -- became the basis of furious debates, scandals, witch hunts and crusades."
Wai Wai reports that the sex business is booming in Nishi-Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, which is fast becoming a major Japanese "sexalopolis."
Recently, high-rise edifices designed specifically for the purpose of housing sex businesses --- referred to in the trade as "nuki buildings" (translator's note to MDN editor: I swear I'm not making this up!) --- have been springing up all over.
The article attributes Nishi-Kawaguchi's popularity to its reputation as "a kinder, gentler red-light district" with lower prices. Elsewhere, Wai Wai notes a recent vogue for retro bordellos "which feature kimono-clad cuties and other accouterments from the good old days."
More on the court decision overturning Alabama's ban on selling sex toys. Several bloggers have linked to this PDF file of the court's 80-page opinion, which asserts a "fundamental right to sexual privacy" and includes a long history of American antisex laws. Law blogger John Smith has an interesting commentary on the opinion. A couple years ago, Nadine Strossen wrote about the ACLU's reasons for participating in the challenge to the law.
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
From USA Today: "For apparently the first time in more than 100 years, Utah prosecutors are going after a woman on polygamy-related charges. The woman, Suzie Stubbs Holm, 36, is part of a polygamous household in rural Utah. But she is not directly charged with polygamy. Instead, she is accused of getting her 16-year-old sister to marry into the household. Holm was charged by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff last week with abetting bigamy and illegal sex and could get up to 10 years in prison. Holm's husband, Hildale police officer Rodney H. Holm, 36, was charged with illegally marrying the little sister."
The ultraloony wing of the anti-abortion movement wants to ban birth control pills and IUDs too, and they've had some political success in northern Kentucky. "Before the May primary election, Northern Kentucky Right to Life sent questionnaires to candidates, asking if they would commit to appointing only health board members opposed to abortion. Right to Life's definition included language describing 'the so-called "standard birth control pill" ' as a form of chemical abortion. Both Kenton County Judge Executive Richard Murgatroyd, a Republican seeking reelection, and his opponent, Patrick Hughes, a Democrat, answered yes. In other words, whoever wins the judge executive race believes the pill kills babies and has agreed to help oppose federal funding for the contraceptive."
The Register covers the new Visa regulations on adult website billing. This articles notes that underhanded billing practices aren't the only factor in the online porn industry's high chargeback rate. "It's not unusual for Net-porn purchases to be challenged by cardholders when nosey spouses begin asking awkward questions about charges from 'DaddysLittleGirl.com.' If hubby is a quick thinker he'll immediately ring up the card association and loudly insist that the charge is fraudulent. In most such disputes the card association opts to appease the faithful consumer with a chargeback." This article also speculates about behind-the-scenes dealings between Visa and anti-porn conservatives in Washington.
The videogame BMX XXX, due out next month, combines the extreme sports bicycle riding of Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX with the cartoonish sleaze of Grand Theft Auto 3. The new game features nude animated characters, video footage of strippers, prostitutes and pimps as characters, and dogs having sex onscreen. Wal-Mart, Toys'R'Us and KB Toys have announced that they won't carry the game, while Best Buy says it will sell only a censored version of the game. Game maker Acclaim has set up a promotional website for BMX XXX, a typically lame attempt at hip marketing to those crazy kids, with "banned ads" (allegedly rejected by some magazines) and self-censored screenshots from the game. The Quicktime trailer has lots of non-nude stripper footage and blatant product placements for a New York strip club. A list of the game's cool features includes "hilarious scripted events written by Hollywood's best comedians."
Monday, October 14, 2002
New York Times political humorist Maureen Dowd weighs in on Bush's nomination of David Hager, author of As Jesus Cared for Women, to head the Food and Drug Administration panel on women's health policy. "Are we so worried about medieval villains abroad that we no longer worry about medievalism at home?"
William Dean reviews After Hours: A Collection of Erotic Writing by Black Men and interviews editor Robert Fleming.
The organization Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) held a workshop on intersexuality and the intersex movement at their annual conference. This article at Columbus Alive has a pretty good introduction to the issues.
Andrea Nemerson collects humorous anecdotes about sexual disasters and faux pas.
Sunday, October 13, 2002
Bazima gets much more interesting fan mail than I do.
An American doctor has developed a suction device designed to increase breast size called the Brava. But some Brava users give it very negative reviews. (Link snagged from, no joke, Philosophy and Literature.)
In the New York Times, Elaine Sciolini surveys the political battle in France over television pornography.
"We are at a cultural turning point in French society," said Christine Boutin, a right-wing deputy in the National Assembly who is leading a campaign for a ban on pornography on television. "Our children are paying for the libertarian freedom that we experimented with in the era after May '68. This is not about censorship. It's about limits."
On the other end of the spectrum are freedom-lovers like the left-leaning newspaper Libération, which in an editorial on Thursday called the move to ban television pornography "hypocrisy" and "an unsettling oversimplification." It is, the editorial continued, evocative of the "same nostalgia, perhaps, of the good morals of the Balzacan bourgeoisie."
The article also mentions a prostitution crackdown in Bourdeaux and two censorship cases involving novels depicting pedophilia. (Thanks, Mazoola.)
