Weblog Archive: February 12, 2006 to Feb 18, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Speaking of penis size, Rachel Kramer Bussel wrote about dicks big and small and average in her Village Voice column recently. Guys Reveal How Much Penis Length — and Race — Really Matter.
You can't talk honestly about penis size without talking about race. The elephant in the underwear is the widespread belief that all black guys are huge. A white college friend likened her black lover's penis to a small water bottle as she moaned in mock pain. But, like all stereotypes, the extra-large black dick is not a given.
RKB talks to Scott Poulson-Bryant, author of Hung: A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America, browses some big penis porn and notes her responses, and links to a blog entry entitled "An Open Letter From A Black Guy To His Average-Sized Penis" which is worth reading in full.
I [penis] NYC? Probably not going to be on NYC's new free condoms, but we'll see.
An announcement that the city's health department plans to develop a "memorable" wrapper for its free condoms had New Yorkers dreaming Tuesday about the possibilities: little subway maps, for instance, or a classic "I {heart} New York," or the noble visage of Lady Liberty.
The city has been distributing 1 million condoms a month since June 2005, when Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden kicked off the Free Condom Initiative to try to stop the spread of AIDS and other diseases.
But there has been no way for clinicians to monitor who is using the generically packaged condoms, and therefore no way to gauge the program's effectiveness. The new packaging, which should be available within six months, will help the city keep track.
"We wanted to develop condom packaging that was noticeable and memorable so that we can later track the effectiveness of our distribution. We also aim to use the packaging to promote condom use and awareness," health department spokeswoman Sandra Mullin said in a news release.
Adam Glickman, founder of the condom shop Condomania, called the plan brilliant, and said a New York-themed logo would almost certainly draw interest. Customers in his Bleecker Street business — tourists, especially from Europe — frequently request New York condoms.
"New York is a very sexy place," Glickman said. "It's sort of a dirty, sexy, fast-paced place. It's a natural on a condom."
Appealing packaging can reduce self-consciousness about carrying condoms, he said.
"A charming condom can affect behavior," Glickman said. "More people may end up using a charming condom than an ordinary prophylactic."
Now here's the part just no one could possibly have predicted:
The idea of promoting free condoms with New York wrappers was less amusing to the Rev. Bill Banuchi, executive director of the state's Christian Coalition.
"To bring New York City to such an obscene level — it's absurd," he said.
What's the true obscenity?
Although death rates from AIDS have fallen, New Yorkers continue to become infected at alarming rates, according to statistics released this month by the health department. Heterosexual sex has become the most common means of transmission.
More than 95,000 New York City residents have AIDS, and city epidemiologists estimate that 10,000 more are infected with HIV and don't know it.
No, no: clearly it's condoms that are the truly horrible things to focus on.
Here is the NY Times version.
Keep in mind: A private company already markets a condom with an Empire State Building design.
The task, as the informal panel saw it, was twofold: come up with a catchy design that somehow says "New York City," and do it within the extreme constraints of taste, politics and municipal decorum that a client like the health department must contend with. It would also have to be in tune with the serious public health issues involved, and with the sensitivities of religious groups that may object.
Alan Siegel, chairman and chief executive of Siegel & Gale, a strategic branding firm, was asked what the condom might be called.
"City Planner," Mr. Siegel said.
Very nice. Tasteful, actually.
And what might the city condom look like?
Paula Scher, designer of graphic icons like the Citibank logo, took a crack at it.
"Maybe something black or checkered," she said. "It should have a very distinct form, so that when you recognize it in the street you know it's a New York City one. Maybe black with yellow overtones, a taxi graphic. Something simple, powerful, loud. Tough, powerful urban graphics."
Davin Wedel, owner of Global Protection Corporation, makers of the Empire State Building condom as well as a wide range of custom condom packages for individual clients, was thinking a cityscapes series.
"I would take landmarks and things that people in New York relate to," he said. "I'd take the Statue of Liberty and I'd say 'A Beacon for Safety.' And you'd have to do one for the Brooklyn Bridge."
No, you wouldn't, said Allen Adamson, a managing director at Landor Associates, who worked on the NYC2012 Olympic bid and other campaigns.
"I would stay away from the Brooklyn Bridge, the overused icons, and try to get more of the nitty-gritty," he said. "Cobblestone streets, the narrow buildings — that sort of urban gritty. It's got to have a 'Rent' feel, not a '42nd Street' feel. Or even an uptown urban look. Black and grays and narrow streets."
The trick to reaching today's savvy youth consumer, Mr. Adamson said, was to say New York without screaming it.
"You'd need to be in the know that it was N.Y.C.," he said. "If it becomes cliché, who'd want to be caught dead wearing it?"
Seniors in the packaging design program at Fashion Institute of Technology were also consulted. The department chairwoman, Marianne Klimchuk, reported the results.
They saw the outside packaging as "a design like a manhole cover, with peepholes in the manhole covers so you can see the colors of the products inside."
How about a slogan? Tucker Viemeister, a designer and vice president of Studio Red at Rockwell Group in Union Square, suggested this one: "If you see something, do something." Nice. Manages to convey both responsibility and wantonness.
The client was consulted. A spokeswoman for the health department declined to comment on the slogan.
Posted by "Richie Tenenbaum." (RT is a pseudonym of a slightly-well-known blogger not trying to hide his other name from anyone other than Google, who is guest-supplementing at DR.)
Are you a male? I'm sure you've never wondered how large your penis is compared to others'.
No siree! Men are always completely secure about that.
How long is the average penis?
As a Valentine's Day gift, I shall solve the mystery.
[...]
The penis elongation industry has created the need for careful studies to determine who should and should not be considered for "augmentation." Urologists worldwide are busily stretching and measuring and reporting their findings. Most recent articles hail from outside the United States—the Italians, Turks, and Greeks seem especially engaged. There is a fascination with determining the dimensions of newborn boys of different ethnic pedigrees. From Ben-Gurion University in Israel, we have "Clitoral and penile sizes of full term newborns in two different ethnic groups" (Jewish and Bedouin), and from Singapore General Hospital, "Penile length of [Chinese, Malay, and Indian] newborns in Singapore."
The modern story begins in 1942, when American researchers W.A. Schonfeld and G.W. Beebe set out to define normal genital growth and variation in males from birth into their 20s. They measured penis length (using a wooden ruler), circumference (using a series of graded rings), and testis volume (using an instrument called the orchidometer) in 1,500 volunteers of various ages. But it wasn't so easy.
Indeed! Click the link for the many-inches-longer story. No word on whether the size of the story lengthens depending upon how interested you are.
Posted by "Richie Tenenbaum." (RT is a pseudonym of a slightly-well-known blogger not trying to hide his other name from anyone other than Google, who is guest-supplementing at DR.)
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
We're all grateful that Hokkaido looks to outlaw purchase of used underwear from teenage girls:
SAPPORO -- The Hokkaido Prefectural Government is considering outlawing the purchase of used underwear from teenage girls, local government officials said.
The prefectural government is expected to revise the ordinance on the wholesome education of youths to incorporate a clause that would ban adults from buying used underwear directly from girls aged below 18. Violators would face up to one year in prison or a fine of not more than 500,000 yen.
It will refer the draft ordinance to an advisory council on issues relating to youths before submitting it to the prefectural assembly.
Prefectural government officials made the decision after deeming that a growing number of girls have fallen victim to sex-related crimes through the sale of their used underwear. The current ordinance bans the sale of used underwear to those aged under 18.
Seven prefectural governments -- Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Gifu and Osaka -- have already enacted ordinances prohibiting adults from buying used underwear directly from girls under 18 years of age. (Mainichi)
Seems rather anti-capitalistic, though, doesn't it?
Posted by "Richie Tenenbaum." (RT is a pseudonym of a slightly-well-known blogger not trying to hide his other name from anyone other than Google, who is guest-supplementing at DR.)
Sharon Stone decries badly-presented boobies; takes bold stand:
STONE TELLS HOLLYWOOD: 'PUT YOUR BREASTS AWAY'
Movie beauty SHARON STONE is disgusted by the cleavage display on Hollywood's red carpets.
The actress, who has appeared nude in BASIC INSTINCT and SLIVER, believes other parts of the naked body are much sexier than breasts and is baffled by the amount of attention bestowed on famous chests.
Stone says, "You look around at women's dresses that are so low cut, you can see acres of boobies.
"Frankly, I find the acres of shoved-up booby so much more horrifying than a calm bit of walking across the room nude.
"One is much more honest and other looks like you have you a*s on backwards."
Clearly a major and uplifting distinction.
Posted by "Richie Tenenbaum." (RT is a pseudonym of a
slightly-well-known blogger not trying to hide his other
name from anyone other than Google, who is
guest-supplementing at DR.)
NEWSWEEK's cover story on "Sex & The Single Boomer" offers a variety of articles.
Amongst them, we have a pop quiz "
on the half century of sexual high jinks" during the Baby Boom era, and "
Tips to rev up your sex drive" comes to us from the MS-NBC/
Today Show part of the company.
Study before you take the quiz!
Apparently, decrepit old folks over the age of 40 are allowed to still have sex; as
Newsweek puts it:
who knew? Via Reuters, also a survey on which nationalities are "the world's best sex? The worst?":
Married South Korean women are the least happy with their sex lives, Japanese men are the most likely to try and dodge a certain sex problem and French men are the most fond of their frolicking, according to a recent survey.
[...]
Less than one in three South Korean women said they were at least “slightly happy” about sex with their husbands, which was the lowest of the four groups of women.
About half the South Korean men, however, said they were satisfied in bed with their wives.
“Not often enough” topped the list of complaints by men in all four countries while the main complaint of wives was not enough romance.
Less than one in three Japanese men said they would seek help for erectile dysfunction, which was the lowest among the four groups of men, the survey said.
Less than one in 10 French men had any complaints about sex, which was also the lowest.
Posted by "Richie Tenenbaum." (RT is a pseudonym of a
slightly-well-known blogger not trying to hide his other
name from anyone other than Google, who is
guest-supplementing at DR.)
Do 11th-century abbeys turn you on? They make this Briton randy:
RANDY Alana May was nabbed having sex in public by police THREE times in 30 MINUTES, a court heard yesterday.
Two of the romps were at a floodlit abbey in the middle of a town. The third was on land also owned by the church.
Officers first saw Alana, 25, with her pants down with a semi-naked man outside Selby Abbey, North Yorks. They ticked her off and told her to go home.
But they returned 15 minutes later and discovered Alana performing a sex act on the man against the 11th century abbey’s walls.
She was again told to go home. But just 15 minutes after that the pair were spotted having sex in church parkland.
Alana and the romeo were arrested. She said of the romps: “I couldn’t wait until I got home.”
She was fined £50 for outraging public decency. Her unnamed lover, who has no previous convictions, got a caution.
And possibly rubbed a bit raw.
Posted by "Richie Tenenbaum." (RT is a pseudonym of a slightly-well-known blogger not trying to hide his other name from anyone other than Google, who is guest-supplementing at DR.)
Monday, February 13, 2006
"Do You Take It?" is a witty music video tribute to anal sex. Written and performed by The Wet Spots, directed by Kirby Ferguson. Back in the day this would have been a buzz clip.
