- Culture
- 26 Jul 06
News and views from around the world, stimulation for the eyes and ears, Sexton's Miscellany plus this week's Top Sex Tip...
Condoms protect against cervical cancer
If you need another good reason to practice safe sex, here it is. A study by the University of Washington has found that women whose partners always wear a condom during sex are 70 percent less likely to become infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV) than those whose partners use condoms rarely or never. HPV is often killed on contact with the immune system, however it can take hold and form lesions that can cause cervical cancer, genital warts and cancer in the vagina, penis and anus.
The threat of HPV may soon be a thing of the past though. The American government recently approved a vaccine against the virus. In the future it is likely that all young girls will receive the vaccine before becoming sexually active.
Do it for your country!
The Japanese Family Planning Association has reported that the country’s declining birth rate is due to a lack of interest in sex. A survey of by the association of 16 to 49 year olds found that 31 percent of the respondents had not had sex for more than a month without there being any particular reason to abstain. 44 percent of the respondents also felt that relationships were ‘tiresome’. According to the Durex Global Sex Survey, the Japanese are bottom of the table in the sex league reporting having sex a mere 45 times a year. This is less than half the global average of 103 times annually.
Web
- All about Oral
The Tongue 2 is a great little vibe for any body wanting more oral action. The Tongue 2 has a flexible jelly tip, 5 speeds and a licking motion. It even comes with taste buds to recreate the feeling of oral sex. Use it with a good water-based lube such as Durex Play or Astroglide. The Tongue 2 is available from www.sextoys.ie for €49.85
Love Honey UK is looking for sperm testers to try out a new product that promises to change the taste of semen. If you enjoy oral sex, but are not too fond of the taste, log on to www.lovehoney.co.uk and apply.
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Sexton’s Miscellany
It’s good to be human…
Compared to certain mammals, the average human penis may seem a bit tiddly. The blue whale has a whopper of over ten feet long and a foot in diameter. But all in all, sex in animal kingdom is likely to be short and brutish.
- Gorillas have tiny penises of about 1 1/4 inches and mate for about a minute.
- Our nearest relatives – chimpanzees – get the job done is about 7 seconds.
-The chimp seems positively slow compared to the mosquito, which mates for all of 2 seconds.
- Banana slugs are hermaphrodites and exchange male and female roles during mating. It all sounds very egalitarian, until you learn that Banana slugs are not above biting off their partner’s penis in the middle of the fun.
- Certain types of earwigs have two penises. They are brittle so a ‘backup’ is needed in case one breaks off.
- After mating, the male bee’s penis explodes. Ouch!
- Some animals secrete a fluid during mating which seals up their partner’s vagina. This is to prevent rival males mating with her.
But it’s not all bad for our furry, feathers and scaled friends:
- Orang-utans mate for around 15 minutes – excluding foreplay, that’s more than the human average
- Rattlesnakes are marathon maters. The record for a pair is almost 23 hours!
- Bibionid flies can mate for up to 56 hours. It’s no wonder they only live for a few days – they must be exhausted.
From ‘Sex: A User’s Guide’ by Stephen Arnott
This issue's top sex tip
Ever considered yourself a writer? Try writing an erotic tale with your partner. One person sets the scene by scripting the scenario; the second person takes up the tale and adds the next scene. You send the story back and forth; each adding to it until you are both satisfied that it’s complete.
Writing an erotic tale together can be a good way to explore each other’s fantasies if you find it difficult to talk about them in person. Each person gets a chance to decide what kind of sexual fantasy the tale will involve. The kind of action your partner describes will be a good indication of what turns them on.
This is a particularly good game for those in long distance relationships or for couples who spend long periods apart. The point of writing the erotic tale is to be able to act it out when next you meet – so don’t get too complicated.