Is Sex Necessary? Can you Have Too Much?

I have to give credit to this to Scott who has a different take on many things than I, but that is what makes the world more interesting.

Forbes has an interesting article titled Is Sex Necessary.

"NEW YORK - Fans of abstinence had better be sitting down. "Saving yourself" before the big game, the big business deal, the big hoedown or the big bake-off may indeed confer some moral benefit. But corporeally it does absolutely zip. There's no evidence it sharpens your competitive edge.

The best that modern science can say for sexual abstinence is that it's harmless when practiced in moderation. Having regular and enthusiastic sex, by contrast, confers a host of measurable physiological advantages, whether you're male or female. (This assumes that you are engaging in sex without contracting a sexually transmitted disease.)

In one of the most credible studies correlating overall health with sexual frequency, Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, tracked the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade. The study was designed to compare persons of comparable circumstances, age and health. Its findings, published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal, were that men who reported the highest frequency of orgasm enjoyed a death rate half that of the laggards."

So what we see is that sex is good for both men and women. No shock 0r surprise there. On to the next question of can you have too much. According to the Forbes article:

"The answer, in purely physiological terms, is this: If you're female, probably not. If you're male? You betcha.

Dr. Claire Bailey of England's University of Bristol says there is little or no risk of a woman's overdosing on sex. In fact, she says, regular sessions will not only firm a woman's tummy and buttocks but also improve her posture.

Dr. George Winch Jr., an obstetrician/gynecologist in Elko, Nev., concurs. If a woman is premenopausal and otherwise healthy, says Winch, having an extraordinary amount of intercourse ought not to pose a problem. "I don't think women can have too much intercourse," he says, "so long as no sexually transmitted disease is introduced and there's not an inadvertent pregnancy. Sometimes you can have a lubrication problem. If you have that, there can be vaginal excoriation--vaginal scrape."

Women who abstain from sex run some risks. In postmenopausal women, these include vaginal atrophy. Winch has a middle-aged patient of whom he says, "She hasn't had intercourse in three years. Just isn't interested. The opening of her vagina is narrowing from disuse. It's a condition that can lead to dysparenia, or pain associated with intercourse. I told her, 'Look, you'd better buy a vibrator or you're going to lose function there.' "

As for men, Eid says it's definitely possible to get too much of a good thing, now that drugs such as Viagra and Levitra have given men far more staying power than may actually be good for them.

The penis, says Eid, is wonderfully resilient. But everything has its limits. Penile tissues, if given too roistering or prolonged a pummeling, can sustain damage. Or, in cases you'd just as soon not hear about, permanent damage."

Now I have to admit that I am the guy who wants to know how much is too much. I am very curious. How much is too much, when do you know? I am willing to bet that like all things relating to people there is no one standard answer.

Bush: U.S. Has Disrupted 10 Al Qaeda Plots

"President Bush said today the United States and its allies have disrupted at least 10 serious plots by the al Qaeda network in the past four years, as he sought to rally the nation against international terrorists and warned foreign governments against supporting them.

In what the White House billed as a major speech, Bush told the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington that of the "10 serious al Qaeda terrorist plots" that he said have been disrupted since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, three involved "al Qaeda plots to attack inside the United States."

President Bush said today the United States and its allies have disrupted at least 10 serious plots by the al Qaeda network in the past four years, as he sought to rally the nation against international terrorists and warned foreign governments against supporting them.

In what the White House billed as a major speech, Bush told the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington that of the "10 serious al Qaeda terrorist plots" that he said have been disrupted since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, three involved "al Qaeda plots to attack inside the United States."

In his speech, Bush outlined what he said was a broad strategy by Muslim terrorists to dominate much of the world.

"The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," he said. "With greater economic and military and political power, the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation."

I spent a few minutes surfing various blogs and was somewhat dismayed by the responses to the president's speech. There is so much anger and distrust of this administration that I am concerned about whether people take the threat of terrorism seriously.

Here is a sample of the comments:

It's hard to claim credit for the absence of an event.

Booga Booga. Poll numbers going down? Time to bring out the scare tactics.

Meanwhile, Bush remarked that the US has successfully thwarted 10 Al-Qaeda plotted attacks on the US. Not to offend anybody or anything, but am I the only one who wonders if this is actually true, or just a strategy to up support for the war??

Something has got to be done about the divisive attitude and approach so many take in the US. It is not about Red versus Blue state, it is about understanding that we waste so much energy attacking each other. If we could just channel that energy.

BTW, FWIW, I have no doubt that AQ has made multiple attempts to attack the US. If you read OBL's fatwa you know that he is trying to restore the caliphate. And if you look at the number of incidents that preceded 911 and those worldwide that followed it then it makes sense to me to say that it is likely that they have tried to hit us again.

Time passes and people grow complacent at our own peril.

Posts From Around The Web that Caught My Eye

This is just a random sample of posts/articles that I have read that caught my eye.

The Problem of Pleasure

Fasting for Gedaliah

Perils of perineum

The Arab Heart of Darkness

My Favorite Machzor

A Two Year Blogiversary

The Talking Penis

Logic

Air Force Sued Over Religious Intolerance

For those of you who have been following this story about the religious intolerance problems at the Air Force here is an update.

"ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A New Mexico man sued the Air Force on Thursday, claiming Air Force Academy senior officers and cadets illegally imposed Christianity on others at the schoolhe suit was filed in federal court by Mikey Weinstein, an academy graduate and outspoken critic of the school's handling of religion.

Over the past decade or more, the suit claims, academy leaders have fostered an environment of religious intolerance at the Colorado school, in violation of the First Amendment.

Weinstein claims that evangelical Christians at the school have coerced attendance at religious services and prayers at official events, among other things.

"It's a shocking disgrace that I had to file this thing," Weinstein told The Associated Press.

The Air Force declined immediate comment.

Cadets, watchdog groups and a former chaplain at the academy have alleged that religious intolerance is widespread at the school. On Aug. 29, the Air Force issued guidelines discouraging public prayer at official functions and urging commanders to be sensitive about personal expressions of religious faith.

There have been complaints at the academy that a Jewish cadet was told the Holocaust was revenge for the death of Jesus and that another Jew was called a Christ killer by a fellow cadet. A banner in the football team's locker room read: "I am a Christian first and last ... I am a member of Team Jesus Christ."

Also, there have been complaints that cadets were pressured to attend chapel, that academy staffers put New Testament verses in government e-mail, and that cadets used the e-mail system to encourage others to see the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ."

Weinstein, who is Jewish and lives in Albuquerque, said the Air Force has violated cadets' right to worship as they choose.

"My problem is not with Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity or even evangelical Christianity," he said. "It's that whenever a religion — in this case a group of people — tries to engage the machinery of the state, it is constitutionally repugnant and violative."

The lawsuit, which names the Air Force and its acting secretary, Pete Geren, as defendants, asks the Air Force to prohibit its members — including chaplains — from evangelizing and proselytizing or in any related way attempting "to involuntarily convert, pressure, exhort or persuade a fellow member of the USAF to accept their own religious beliefs while on duty."

In June, an Air Force task force said it found no overt religious discrimination but observed a lack of sensitivity among some and confusion over what is permissible in sharing one's faith.

After a July visit to the academy, a team from the Yale Divinity School issued a report last month saying it found lingering problems among the academy's chaplains, whose activities may conflict with the goals of school leaders and the Air Force overall."

Spinning In Circles- I Am The Anti-witness

I have received numerous comments and more than a few emails about my post on witnessing. So I thought that I'd write another post on this and throw it out to see what sticks.

This discussion irks me and it is something that gets beneath my skin for a variety of reasons so I have to try hard not to really speak my mind because my goal is not to offend people. Although the reality is that I see witnessing as being exceptionally offensive.

Religion is a very personal matter and considerate people understand that. Considerate people are careful in trying to open a dialogue about religion. That means that they take a soft and subtle approach to see if there is interest in speaking about their religion and why it is meaningful to them.

Unfortunately the world is filled with people who are blinded by their own faith and allegiance, who have such tunnel vision that they will make excuses for the most shameful and worst kinds of behavior.

They think nothing of using deception, coercion and subterfuge to try and convince people to support their line of thinking. They are so wrapped up in this conceit that they are unable to see why it is offensive and why it is problematic.

I realize that this is very general and that it doesn't contain specific references to people or things but that is intentional. I have no problem speaking my mind and am not shy about calling people onto the carpet if I think it is necessary. This is just general venting.

Python Bursts After Trying to Eat Gator

This story is wild.

"MIAMI - The alligator has some foreign competition at the top of the Everglades food chain, and the results of the struggle are horror-movie messy.

A 13-foot Burmese python recently burst after it apparently tried to swallow a live, six-foot alligator whole, authorities said.

The incident has heightened biologists' fears that the nonnative snakes could threaten a host of other animal species in the Everglades.

"It means nothing in the Everglades is safe from pythons, a top-down predator," said Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor.

Over the years, many pythons have been abandoned in the Everglades by pet owners.

The gory evidence of the latest gator-python encounter — the fourth documented in the past three years — was discovered and photographed last week by a helicopter pilot and wildlife researcher.

The snake was found with the gator's hindquarters protruding from its midsection. Mazzotti said the alligator may have clawed at the python's stomach as the snake tried to digest it.

In previous incidents, the alligator won or the battle was an apparent draw.

"There had been some hope that alligators can control Burmese pythons," Mazzotti said. "This indicates to me it's going to be an even draw. Sometimes alligators are going to win and sometimes the python will win."

It is unknown how many pythons are competing with the thousands of alligators in the Everglades, but at least 150 have been captured in the past two years, said Joe Wasilewski, a wildlife biologist and crocodile tracker.

Pythons could threaten many smaller species that conservationists are trying to protect, including other reptiles, otters, squirrels, woodstorks and sparrows, Mazzotti said.

Wasilewski said a 10- or 20-foot python also could pose a risk to an unwary human, especially a child. He added, however, "I don't think this is an imminent threat. This is not a `Be afraid, be very afraid' situation.'

For those who are curious this comes from a different story about this event.

"When extracted from the snake, the alligator was largely intact except for two open wounds, one to the top of the skull behind the eyes and one on the shoulder," he said adding that it was unclear how the python's gut was ruptured, or how the snake died.

Theocracy Meet My Ass

I have been mulling over whether I should tell the tale of what happened on a blind date gone wrong versus a serious post regarding the direction of the country. I am not quite sure which one I want to write although I can say that they both deal with slinging shit.

Now the real question is whether I can pull off a merger of the two ideas. That is, can I speak about a date in which my dysfunctional digestive system went hogwild and at the same time offer some thoughts about the country, none of which have to do with foreign policy, just domestic.

Many of you may ask yourself why I would limit my excretions and secretions solely to the domestic front when there is so much that can be said about the foreign policy. That my friends is because I disagree with many of you about the state of affairs and most importantly I want to narrow the focus somewhat.

Unfortunately my reservoir of humor is running low and my idea for merging the two is now working all that well. Just for the heck of it I may try and force it. Which leads me to a thought, where is heck in relationship to hell. Is it a couple of levels above hell, or maybe it is a notch or two below heaven. I am not real sure.

For that matter have you ever considered the possibility that heaven lies below and hell is above. If you want to aggravate someone try pointing up the next time you tell them to go hell. Don't forget to smile when you say it.

Speaking of hell that leads me to the new nominee for the High Court. I find much of this to be very troubling. As many of you know I have had issues with the evangelicals. I wrote about that recently here and I cannot help but be concerned with some of the language that is being bandied about regarding her.

"Conservative activist Manuel Miranda also voiced disappointment with Bush's choice of Miers on grounds she lacks a clear record.

``The No. 1 hook that allows us to take a leap of faith, even those who don't share her faith, is she is an evangelical Christian,'' said Miranda, executive director of the Third Branch Conference, a Washington-based advocacy group. ``I respect that, but it isn't quite enough.''

I don't want a justice who bases their decisions upon religious views. I want it based upon the law of the land, the US Constitution.

"The words the president used in his news conference Tuesday conveyed his deep admiration for the woman he employed as a private attorney, campaign adviser and, most recently, White House counsel. He spoke not only of her intellect but also of her character, of his confidence that she shares his "strict constructionist" judicial philosophy, and of his certainty that she will not change. She will have the "same philosophy 20 years from now," he said."

I am not sure that I like that either. In my perfect world we all strive for growth as people and I am not sure that I want someone who is going to be stagnant. Now I realize that the description above is from Dubya, but just the same it bothers me.

More to come on this. Now onto more interesting stories.

Tags: News and politics