Sex in Outer Space

Weddings in outer space are already possible. The Japanese firm First Advantage and the U.S.-based private spaceflight firm Rocketplane Global, Inc., announced last summer they can host weddings in space for about $2.3 million apiece.

So what about sex in outer space? For all we know, sex in space has already taken place. But NASA officials aren't talking about that much.

"To say that astronauts are some superior beings who cannot have interests in any kind of sexual feelings for three years ... I just don't buy it," said Jason Kring of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. Kring also pointed out the possibly negative consequences of pregnancies in a micro-gravity environment.

"Are we going to sterilize our crew members before sending them to Mars?" said Kring, who studies the psychological effects of long-duration space missions.

Has "it" has happened already?

"We don't study sexuality in space, and we don't have any studies ongoing with that," said NASA spokesman Bill Jeffs of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "If that's your specific topic, there's nothing to discuss," he added, referring to "sex in space."

Science journalist Laura Woodmansee, wrote a book, "Sex in Space," in which she states "honeymoons in space and out-of-this-world sex will be a reality within a decade."

How to do it: The key to successful sex in space is about dealing with micro-gravity as you float around.

In "Sex in Space," Woodmansee describes several positions that might work, ranging from the modified missionary position to seated with "interlocking Y legs."

You would also need props, including a shared elastic waistband or tethers to hold one partner to a stable structure so you don't go flying off from each other.

The Tragedy of Michael Jackson's Sexuality

Many people never believed Michael Jackson was a pedophile. According to Jacob Weisberg of Slate, he didn't fit the profile: "Child abusers tend to do the same thing again and again. According to one study, the average molester of boys commits 280 crimes over a lifetime. Yet despite the lure of getting rich by making accusations against Jacko, only two alleged victims have ever come forward with detailed allegations.

"What's more, those two accusations, separated by 10 years, don't conform to a pattern. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the accuser in the recent case—the cancer victim—alleged groping by Jackson. Jackson's previous accuser, whose family settled a civil suit in 1993 for $20 million, accused the singer of more extreme abuse, including oral sex."

But the main reason Mr. Weisberg, "Never bought the prosecutor's depiction of Jackson as a premeditating sexual predator "grooming" his victims, is that it doesn't ring true in psychological terms." Whether or not he had ever touched a boy inappropriately, Michael Jackson seemed, "Too emotionally stunted to act in any grown-up way, including a deviant sexual one. Naive, juvenile, and terribly damaged, he seem(ed) pathetically incapable not just of criminal intent, but of adult consciousness."

Why? By now we know that as a boy, Michael Jackson was forced to work by a cruel and physically abusive father starting at the age of 7. He did not go to school, have friends, or play.

Instead, Michael was made, according to Weisberg, "into a performing sexualized freak, a boy whose soprano voice kindled passion in grown women. He was made to witness adult sexuality at an age when it can only have been terrifying and incomprehensible to him. By 10, he was performing in strip clubs and hiding under the covers in hotel rooms while his older brothers got it on with groupies. At 11—the age at which his psyche seems frozen—he was a superstar."

'My childhood was completely taken away from me,' MJ said. And Weisberg returns with: "Almost everything that seems freakish about him can be explained by his poignant, doomed effort to get his stolen childhood back."

A child in his own mind, Jackson saw all of his behavior as completely innocent. It was a sleepover party, not a seduction. May his tormented soul rest in peace as we all seek to understand and to forgive.

Sexting is Stupid

abc news

One in five U.S. teens engages in sexting, according to a recent survey. Sexting is sending or receiving sexually suggestive, nude or nearly nude photos by e-mail or cell phone.

The findings are the result of interviews conducted last April by Harris Interactive, which surveyed 655 teens ages 13 to 18 about their use of computers and cell phones.

One in four teens said they knew someone who had a bad experience because of information posted on the Internet and 20 percent reported being harassed or threatened online or by text message.

"Teenagers underestimate the risk they take online," says David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family. "The part of their brain that puts the brakes on things is under major construction."

The danger with sexting is that material can be very easily and widely distributed, over which the originator has no control.

The Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication (I.R.O.C.) is a New Jersey-based organization dedicated to educating communities about protecting themselves online with digital responsibility through their "Sexting is Stupid" program. This is just one of the many programs that are emerging all over the world, including Australia's "Safe Sexting: No Such Thing" campaign.

Against the law
Several legal cases have come about as a result of sexting. In 2007, 32 Australian teenagers from the state of Victoria were prosecuted as a result of sexting activity. Child pornography charges were brought against six teenagers in Greensburg, Pennsylvania in January 2009 after three girls sent sexually explicit photographs to three male classmates.

In 2008, a Virginia assistant-principal was charged with possession of child pornography and related crimes after he had been asked to investigate a rumored sexting incident at the high school where he worked. He found a student in possession of a photo on his phone tof the torso of a girl wearing only underpants, her arms mostly covering her breasts. The assistant principal showed the image to the principal who instructed him to preserve the photo on his computer as evidence. While the court later ruled that the photo did not constitute child pornography because under Virginia law, nudity alone is not enough to qualify an image as child pornography; the image must be "sexually explicit" and "lewd." Loudoun County prosecutor James Plowman stands by his initial assessment of the photo and says he would not have pursued the case if the assistant principal would have agreed to resign. The assistant principal had to get a second mortgage on his house and spend $150,000 in attorneys' fees to clear his name.

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a teenage boy was indicted on felony obscenity charges for sending a photo of his privates to several female classmates. Another boy was charged with child pornography in a similar case.

Police investigated an incident at Margaretta High School in Castalia, Ohio in which a 17-year-old area girl allegedly sent nude pictures of herself to her former boyfriend, and the pictures started circulating around the high school after the two got into a fight. The 17-year-old girl was charged with being an "unruly child" based on her juvenile status.

Two southwest Ohio teenagers were charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a first-degree misdemeanor, for sending or possessing nude photos on their cell phones of two 15-year-old classmates.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Wyoming County district attorney George Skumanick Jr. on March 25, 2009 for threatening to prosecute teenage girls for distributing nude photos of themselves. On CBS News's The Early Show, Skumanick stated in an interview with Julie Chen that his office decided to make an offer of limiting penalties to probation if they attend a sexual harassment program.

Laws
Vermont lawmakers introduced a bill in April 2009 to legalize the consensual exchange of graphic images between two people 13 to 18 years old. Passing along such images to others would remain a crime.

In Ohio, a county prosecutor and two lawmakers proposed a law that would reduce sexting from a felony to a first degree misdemeanor, and eliminate the possibility of a teenage offender being labeled a sex offender for years. The proposal was supported by the parents of Jessie Logan, a Cincinnati 18-year-old who committed suicide after the naked picture of herself which she sexted was forwarded to people in her high school.

Utah lawmakers lessened the penalty for sexting for someone younger than 18 to a misdemeanor from a felony.

Suicide
18-year-old Jessica Logan had sent nude pictures of herself to a boyfriend. When they broke up, he sent them to other high school girls. The girls were harassing her, calling her a slut and a whore. She was miserable and depressed, afraid even to go to school. Two months later, Jessica Logan hanged herself in her bedroom.

Sexting is certainly stupid. Once you send that nude picture, you cannot get it back or cancel the "send." It's out there for all to see. And the consequences go beyond the innocent joke or harmless flirting. Of course, such material can be very damaging if it falls into the wrong hands.

Once these images are online or on a phone, anyone anywhere in the world can access them. It is then impossible to retrieve and delete them. They are there forever and can damage future career prospects or relationships. Especially damaging are the reports of girls as young as 13 sending sexually explicit images to their boyfriends on their mobiles phones, which were then passed on to other friends and even further once the relationships ended.

Teenage actress Vanessa Hudgens, star of the successful "High School Musical" franchise, last year had to live down the scandal of her semi-nude pictures, meant for boyfriend Zac Ephron, ending up online.

Privacy is a luxury in today's world. Sexting is one more example of the show-all tell-all culture that refuses to leave anything to the imagination. When malice and death enter into the picture, sexting is not only stupid, it's deadly.

You Might Have an STD and Not Know It

Many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) don't show up for a long time, or do not present symptoms to the naked eye. If you have gonorrhea and are a male, it will show up as dripping, oozing. But in women the symptoms are often confused with signs of a bladder infection. Chlamydia, may not have any symptoms at all. They are often not apparent in the mail organ. They may only show up later in the female when the disease has already messed with her internal organs to the point where she may not be able to bear children.

Here, according to webmd.com is a look at the six most common STDs, including a brief summary of specific symptoms and how the diseases are treated.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most frequently reported and fastest growing sexually transmitted disease in the United States. Still, most cases go undiagnosed.

Symptoms: Often, people with chlamydia experience no symptoms; those who do may notice abnormal vaginal discharge, discharge from the tip of the penis or burning when urinating, and spotting between periods.

Time until symptoms show up: If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1-3 weeks of exposure.

How you get it: Chlamydia can be transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. It can also be passed from mother to baby during vaginal birth.

Consequences if left untreated: The disease can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is not easily cured. PID can cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes and uterus, resulting in chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and the potential of fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus). It can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth. Up to 40 percent of women with untreated Chlamydia infections develop PID, and up to 20 percent of those may become infertile.

Untreated infections in men can lead to epididymitis, an inflammation of the coiled tubes in the back of the testicles. This can result in testicular swelling, pain, and even infertility.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States, but like chlamydia, it is under-diagnosed.

Symptoms: Symptoms are usually mild and can be mistaken for a bladder infection. They can include pain or burning during urination, yellowish or bloody vaginal/penile discharge, abdominal pain or tenderness, heavier menstrual flow, and spotting between periods.

Time until symptoms show up: On the rare occasions when symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 10 days of infection.

How you get it: Gonorrhea is transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. It can also be passed from mother to baby during vaginal birth.

Consequences: Gonorrhea can lead to PID, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and infections that can damage joints and heart tissue. Gonorrhea can also increase your risk of acquiring HIV if you are exposed to the virus.

Genital herpes

Herpes symptoms can come and go, but the virus remains in the nerve cells of your body even when you are not exhibiting signs.

Symptoms: Many people will have no sores or minimal symptoms. But during an outbreak, women with genital herpes may experience small red bumps, blisters, or open sores on areas near or on the vagina along with vaginal discharge, fever, headaches, muscle aches, pain during urination, and itching, burning, or swollen glands in the genital area. Sores heal after 2-4 weeks, and most symptoms are relieved. Symptoms can recur, however, sometimes in just weeks or months after the last outbreak, particularly when you are under stress.

Male herpes symptoms usually begin with an itching or tingling sensation in the genital location. Following this first warning sign, the infected area may become swollen, eventually producing red bumps on the penis, anus or buttocks. These red bumps will gradually turn to blisters, and then into more painful, open sores. The healing process begins once these open sores begin to scab over.

Time until symptoms show up: Symptoms usually start within 2 weeks of transmission.

How you get it: Herpes is frequently passed through sexual contact, and it is particularly contagious during an outbreak of open sores. But if your sex partner has the condition, be aware that you can also contract herpes in the days and hours before your partner experiences a breakout if you are intimate during this time.

Consequences: There is no cure for genital herpes, since the virus will always be in your body, hiding out in your nerve cells. But there are drugs that can shorten outbreaks, make them less severe, or even prevent them from occurring.Pregnant women can pass the virus on to their children during delivery. Herpes infections present during birth are one of the leading causes of blindness in newborns.

Genital warts

According to Webmd.com, "At least half of sexually active Americans will contract genital Human Papilloma Virus (warts) at some point in their lives. Out of the 100 or so strains of the virus, there are about 40 strains of genital HPV, and fewer still are linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer. Other HPV-related cancers include vulvar cancer, vaginal cancer, penile cancer, and anal cancer."

Symptoms: Some women have no symptoms. Those who do may have warts in the genital area or on the inner thighs and lesions on the cervix or in the vagina. Some strains that cause no symptoms can also increase the risk of cervical cancer.

Time until symptoms show up: When warts appear, they can form anywhere from weeks to months to even years after contact with an infected person.

How you get them: Sexually transmitted strains of HPV are passed through vaginal, anal, and possibly oral sex. They can also be spread by direct skin-to-skin contact in the genital area.

Consequences: There is no treatment or cure for HPV, although a new vaccine to prevent HPV infection is now available. The vaccine is approved for girls and women age 9 to 26 years. The vaccine prevents transmission of four strains of the virus. These strains are responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts.

Trichomoniasis

Also called "trich," trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite that can be passed during sexual contact.

Symptoms: Symptoms include strong-smelling yellow, green, or gray vaginal discharge, discomfort while urinating, pain during intercourse, and an itchy, irritated genital area. Men usually exhibit no symptoms of trichomoniasis. The parasites that cause the infection stays well inside the urinary tract, making symptoms rare and diagnosis difficult. About 40% of men will experience mild symptoms. If you are male and have trich you may feel a tingling sensation inside your penis accompanied with painful urination and ejaculation. Your penis may also produce a thin, white discharge. Your symptoms will probably go away on their own within a couple of weeks. This does not mean that you are no longer infectious. You will still be able to spread trichomoniasis to your sexual partners.

Time until symptoms show up: Symptoms usually appear 5 to 28 days after exposure.

How you get it: The parasite that causes trichomoniasis is usually passed sexually, either from penis to vagina or from vulva to vulva. Trichomoniasis can also be contracted by genital contact with damp or moist objects like towels, wet clothing, or toilet seats. The trichomoniasis parasite can live outside the body for up to 45 minutes.

Consequences: Trichomoniasis increases your chance of getting HIV. Babies born to mothers with trichomoniasis may be born early or weigh less than 5.5 pounds at birth.

HIV/AIDS

Between 1999 and 2003, the estimated number of AIDS cases increased 15 percent among women and only 1 percent among men, according to a report from the CDC. In 2006, a quarter of persons infected with HIV were women. About 21% of people infected with HIV in the US have not been diagnosed.

Symptoms: Many people will not have symptoms for many years. Symptoms may include extreme tiredness; rapid weight loss; fevers and night sweats; long-lasting infections; diarrhea; swollen glands; coughing; oral and vaginal yeast infections; pelvic inflammatory disease (PID); menstrual cycle changes; red, brown, or purplish blotches on the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids.

Time until symptoms show up: Symptoms may stay dormant for 10 years or more.

How you get it: HIV/AIDS is transmitted through sexual intercourse (oral, anal, or vaginal), receiving a blood transfusion with infected blood, or sharing needles with an HIV-infected person. Women can also pass on HIV to their children during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.

Consequences: There is no known cure for HIV/AIDS, but there are medicines that can slow the disease's progress. HIV can weaken the immune system, making one more vulnerable to infections. HIV disease can progress to AIDS, which can kill you.

Know each other, know yourself
As much as sex is sold and obsessed about in the world, the dark underbelly is exposed in the number of people who die each year. That blissful one night stand when you were too entranced by the mood and the chemicals swimming in your brain to get down and look at your partner's genitals, could result in permanent disease or death. This is a terrible price to pay for some moments of orgasmic pleasure.

But even if you do play Inspector Clousea and decide to give your partner's genitals a thorough examination, some of the above diseases don't show up anyway. How are you going to know if a male is carrying chlamydia? How will you know if a woman has genital warts if they are up inside her and you can't see that far up?

This is why it is important to know your sex partner well and to be in a relationship of trust with them. It's a dangerous jungle out there. A few moments of sexual satisfaction are not worth dying for.

Man Sues Match.com for over $5 Million for Disappointing Him

These days being disappointed can be grounds for suing. A Brooklyn man sued Match.com on June 9 for inflicting "humiliation and disappointment" on date-seekers "who feel rejected when their e-mails get no reply."

The New York Post reported that Sean McGinn stated that the popular matchmaking Web site dangles phony date bait by posting profiles of people who no longer subscribe to its $39.99-a-month service.

As a result, Mr. Lonelyhearts like him have been "defrauded" out of millions of dollars and countless hours spent sending heartfelt e-mails in vain, the 37-year-old TV producer says.

He claims that most members of Match.com -- which has 86 million searches a month in the United States -- are actually unavailable because they "are canceled subscribers or never subscribed at all," according to his suit filed in Manhattan federal court.

The class-action complaint doesn't state damages, but says they exceed $5 million.

McGinn is also demanding that the Internet's biggest dating site "cease and desist its deceptive practices," which he claims are "willfully causing emotional harm to the consumer and social harm to society at large."

"Match's policy causes severe emotional distress and anxiety for some [subscribers], including those who keep writing e-mails to one member after another and never hear back because he/she is writing to people who've canceled," his suit says.

"Because the writer has no way of knowing this, he or she may experience profound personal anguish, suffering which is easily preventable by Match."

The suit also alleges that "Match induces canceled members to log in . . . creating the appearance that inactive members are active" by sending bogus BlackBerry notifications that read, "Someone has winked back at you."

Ironically, McGinn, according to his his lawyer "met someone he's happy with" through the site.

"We're not saying that Match doesn't provide a valuable service, but they don't have to misrepresent what they're offering you," attorney Norah Hart said.

About 15 other disgruntled Match.com users have joined the case, she said.

McGinn's suit is the latest in a series of fraud allegations lodged against Dallas-based Match.com and other social-networking sites.

This is a sad commentary on how people meet each other these days and what their expectations are. Are we so spoiled rotten that we now sue for disappointment because we can't get a date? If the Mr. McGinn has so little game that he can't even get satisfaction out of a dating site, is that cause for taking them to court? Especially after he met someone he liked on the site? If a person is inherently undesirable and can't meet people on their own, do they have the right to squeeze money out of a dating site for not solving all their problems and sending them the love of their life?

You might say, "They were misrepresenting themselves and he has a right to sue." Really? If we sued every business and person for disappointing us, the courts would be backed up with cases for centuries. But if Mr. McGinn does win the $5,000,000, perhaps he will all of a sudden seem like the best catch in town.