Smoking

July 1, 2009

Smoking
Via: www.matiastroncoso.com

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The Little Bit Naughty book of Sex Positions

July 1, 2009

Sex PositionsImagine that you are in the middle of sex; you look down to make eye contact with your partner only to realize that they have this dazed, bored look in their eyes. As she lies on her back starring at the ceiling, you’re trusting away in the basic missionary position not noticing that she is uninterested.  That’s when it sinks in: your sexual relationship has hit a rut. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the act and realizing that your partner is bored to death.

Siobhan Kelly’s The Little Bit Naughty book of Sex Positions can help.  This book includes 50 rocking sex positions.  The positions are detailed out as how to do them, what does and doesn’t work well with the position, variations of the position, and includes pictures for the visual learner.

I picked this book up at the 2007 LA Erotica show in June and it quickly became a way to spice up sex with new and fun positions.  There is more to sex than missionary, doggy style, and having the girl on top.  This book will teach you how and what to do to increase pleasure and have a blast during intercourse.

Now I can’t discuss all the positions with you that would take all the fun out of trying them for yourself.  However, I can tell you about my favorites listed in The Little Bit Naughty book of Sex Positions.  This will hopefully provide some insight on the crazy, limb-bending positions that you can try with your partner to spice up your sex life.

One of my personal favorites in this book is called “Reverse Rodeo”.  In this position, the man lies on his back while the female sits backwards on top of him facing away from him.   She gently lowers herself onto his penis and leans back all the way until she is resting on his body, lying on his chest.  This position enables the male to manually stimulate her clitoris with his hand while she rocks back and forth for penetration.  This is a great position because it is mostly female-dominated.  The male has little-to-no movement but can touch her body, stroke her breasts, and stimulate her clitoris.  These additional sensations increase the female arousal by adding more pleasure.

Another position that rocked my world was “The Mexican Wave.”  Don’t ask why it’s called that, I couldn’t figure that out either.  This position is more difficult than normal but it’s worth the try.  During this position the woman lies on her back with legs wide open while the male positions himself on top facing the opposite direction on all fours.  It’s similar to 69 with the man on top but his penis goes in the vagina not in her mouth.  The male puts his legs outside the female’s body and over her hips while he gently inserts himself into the vagina.  The woman wraps her legs around his body for stability.  This position enables the focus to remain on the lower-portions of the body.  Because this is a different type of stimulation, it feels more intense.  Another added bonus is that in this position the woman can play with the male’s testicles or anus during intercourse.

These are just two of the positions I enjoyed from this book.  Next time you are in need of some sprucing up in the sack, pick up a copy of The Little Bit Naughty book of Sex Positions.  I’m sure one of the 50 positions recommended will take your sexual experience to a new level.  If not, at least she shouldn’t have that bored look in her eyes.

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Liberal V Conservative

July 1, 2009

Exercising the right to vote may be more important this year than it has ever before. After eight years of a Republican run White House that has put us at war with several foreign nations, led us into a record deficit, and left us with a teetering economy filled with skyrocketing oil and gas prices, increased home foreclosures, rising unemployment rates, and on the brink of a depression, the way you cast your ballot this November may just be the most important choice ever made.

It’s not fair to say that the cause of all our woes is the responsibility of a political party, republican or democrat. It is rather the responsibility of one man, George W. Bush. Either way, the next person elected to fill those shoes and help lift the American people from the ashes in which we are smoldering in will bear the greatest challenge faced by a candidate in decades – cleaning up this mess of an American presidency. Whether it is democratic nominee Barack Obama or republican nominee John McCain, the next shoulders the United States falls on will have a lot of important decisions to make.

Our concerns as citizens don’t just stop at the economy, how much taxes will change, what we’ll pay for gas, how healthcare and social security will be provided, or how much inflation will rise. There is much more at stake than these obvious issues commonly debated between the political parties. What will happen to our rights which we have worked so hard to earn? How will we more forward as a country struggling to create more equality among its people regardless of ethnicity, sex, religion, or sexual orientation?

Social issues such as abortion and gay rights are some of the other hot buttons the candidates are touching on. These topics are the foundation for the rights we have earned and those we are longing to achieve. For the most part each candidate stays along the lines their political parties have set for their beliefs on these issues. However, the standpoint of the Obama campaign and the McCain campaign may surprise you. These are topics that swing partisan voters. So, whether you have already decided how you will vote next month or if you’re one of these partisan voters that are “on the fence” – you may want to know how your vote could jeopardize what we been fighting for.

The Right to Choose – Roe vs. Wade

Abortion is always a focus for debate between politicians, especially during an election. Roe vs. Wade is a law that many voters feel is in jeopardy of being repelled. The historic Supreme Court decision legalized abortion in the United States back in 1973 after analyzing the constitutionality of state anti-abortion laws. The decision overturned a Texas interpretation of abortion law that said a woman could only terminate her pregnancy if it threatened her life. The Supreme Court ruled the Texas law to be unconstitutional and that a woman, with the aid of her doctor, could choose abortion. This was based on the woman’s right to privacy provided by the Fourteenth Amendment, and a decision by the court stating unborn fetuses are not persons with the right to equal protection of the law.

During the next presidential term there are three to four Supreme Court seats that will be up for grabs. Because of this, worry has spread over just who Obama or McCain would elect to fill those seats. Depending on if the elected persons are conservative or liberal; the ruling of Roe vs. Wade could be in question.

This actually raises the question of where do Americans stand on abortion now compared to where they did in 1973? Zenit a “non-profit international news agency comprising a team of professionals and volunteers who are convinced of the extraordinary richness of the Catholic Church’s message, particularly its social doctrine” according to their website, released the results of a nationwide poll on October 17, 2008 to see where the people of American stand on abortion. Conducted by the Marist College Institute of Public Opinion between September 24 and October 3, 2008, the poll compared the views of Catholic voters to those of the general public. They asked participants to rank out of six different statements on abortion, which was closest to their beliefs.

The results where surprising - 90 percent of the people favored restrictions on abortion.  Eight percent thought that women should have the right to terminate pregnancy at any time throughout pregnancy with no restrictions. Another eight percent felt as though women should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy but only within the first six months of pregnancy. Twenty-four percent said that abortions should be limited to the first three months only.  Fifteen percent thought that abortion should only occur to save the life of the mother, while 32 percent expanded that to include cases of rape and incest. Only 13 percent of the U.S. residents polled thought that abortion was never an option under any circumstance.

“The poll also indicated that even among those who describe themselves as pro-choice, 71 percent favored restricting abortions. Of these, 43 percent would restrict abortion to the first trimester and 23 percent would restrict abortion only to cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother,” according to Zenit. We do not know how many participants were polled in the study or what percentage of the participants where Catholic or the general public, we only now the results, with that said let’s see where our candidates stand on abortion.

Obama Administration

Due to his Christian faith, Obama has doubt about abortion itself. Though his faith is against abortion, he supports abortion rights and feels that medical procedures offered to women should not be limited by the government. However, Obama thinks that the number of unwanted pregnancies can be reduced with government efforts. Obama also supports Roe vs. Wade, does not want it overturned, and is against outlawing abortion through a constitutional amendment.

McCain Administration

John McCain on the other hand, believes that Roe vs. Wade is a flawed decision. He supports the overturning of Roe vs. Wade but wants to mandate abortion laws to a state decision, instead of a ruling by the federal government. However, McCain would oppose an abortion ban if it did not allow cases of rape, incest, or endangerment of a mother’s life as grounds for terminating the pregnancy.

John McCain instead supports adoption. In 1993, he and his wife, Cindy, adopted a young girl from Bangladesh. This has been one of many inspirations for his belief in adoptions. According to McCain’s official website, “As president, motivated by his personal experience, John McCain will seek ways to promote adoption as a first option for women struggling with a crisis pregnancy.”

Gay Marriage and Gay Rights

The rights of gay men and women are one of the most sought after social issues of equality. Just because a man loves a man or a woman loves a woman, does that make them any less human than heterosexuals? Does that mean that after years of monogamy and love that one should have less rights or more restrictions to marry, have children, collect inheritance, or make life-altering decisions for their partner?

Moving forward and initiating change is never easy when you are battling the majority in America. But, we have seen change in recent years. In May 2004, Massachusetts began marrying gay and lesbian couples and California legalized gay marriage back in June. Other states offer civil unions for gay and lesbian couples such as Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. This is not the same as marriage. Married gay couples are entitled to the same state rights and benefits as married heterosexual couples, whereas civil union couples are restricted to many of these benefits. These benefits can include the right to help a loved one in times of an emergency, the right to equal health insurance, and employment benefits, and even property rights.

There are a few areas that both campaigns agree on involving same-sex couples and benefits such as the government not intervening with health insurance benefits offered to gay couples. On the other hand, there are huge differences in how each candidate feels about other gay rights and gay marriage itself.

Obama Administration

Obama is not a supporter of gay marriage but does support civil unions. With civil unions, he does support them having full equality under the law, which means that civil unions would receive the same benefits under the laws that married couples have. The Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996 to protect the union of marriage as one between a man and a woman. Obama supports reversing this act and allowing those entered into gay marriages or civil unions to receive full federal legal benefits just as heterosexual marriages receive. He plans to enact legislation that would enable couples to benefit from nearly 1,200 rights not supported under the current administration.

Yet, Obama wants to let the state governments decide whether a civil union is called marriage within the state or if it is called by another title. This is slightly confusing because he opposes the California ballot initiative, Proposition 8, which would reverse the legalization of same-sex marriages that occurred in June. He doesn’t support gay marriage but he opposes the constitutional amendment that would ban them. Maybe it’s just the title he has a problem with?

According to Obama’s official website he has stated “I am a strong supporter of civil unions, but I also believe that civil unions have to have the equivalent legal rights as a marriage license. Right now, there are about 1,200 legal rights that are available to married couples that aren’t available to same-sex couples, even if the state recognizes

civil unions, and that’s not fair - that’s discriminatory, and it’s going to need to change.”

Because many same-sex couples want to become parents and there are few options for them, adoption is an important topic. Obama believes that all LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Trans-gender) individuals should be allowed to adopt with the all the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.

Another area of gay rights that Obama supports is the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the military. In order to meet the goals of our national defense, he believes that service members should be able to fight for our country as “open” patriots. According to the Obama official website, “The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic.” If elected he will work with military leaders to reverse the policy.

McCain Administration

McCain openly opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions. He has stated that marriage is only a union between a man and a woman, not those of the same sex. According to his official website, “John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.”

McCain also supports amending the constitution with ballot initiatives to ban gay marriage, although he has previously voted against the amendment while in the senate. He currently supports the Proposition 8 initiative on the California ballot to overturn the court ruling that legalized gay marriages in June. States such as Utah have already passed a constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage, as well as McCain’s home state of Arizona. He fully-backed the ban and stated he was “proud to have led an effort in my home state to change our state Constitution to protect the sanctity of marriage between man and woman.”

LGBT people won’t advance much under a McCain Administration. Not only does he oppose gay marriage, civil unions, most gay rights and benefits, but he also opposes adoption for gay couples and plans to enforce the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy for the military. He has stated in the past, “I believe that the don’t ask, don’t tell policy is working in the military” and in a 2007 letter to the military that the law “unambiguously maintains that open homosexuality within the military services presents an intolerable risk to morale, cohesion and discipline.” But in an October written interview with the Washington Blade, McCain said, “On ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ I’m going to defer to our military commanders. So far they have told me it’s working. I’m willing to have the policy reviewed to make sure that’s the case, but at the end of the day, I’m going to rely on the commanders who will be impacted by a change in the law.”

Sexual Education in Public Schools and Contraception for Youth

Teen pregnancy has been a big topic this year. For the first time in 15 years, the teen pregnancy rate increased according to research data from July. Some believe that the glorification of teen pregnancy in the Oscar-winning movie “Juno” and celebrity teenagers such as Jamie Lynn Spears have contributed to the 3 percent rise in teen births. Most do not realize that the results are for 15-to-19-year-old girls between 2005 and 2006, so be can’t put the blame on today’s Hollywood embracing on it.

According to the Washington Post, “experts said it was unclear what may be causing the reversal, the new data reignited debate about abstinence-only sex-education programs, which receive about $176 million a year in federal funding. Congress is currently debating whether to increase that by $28 million.”

Does abstinence only sex education programs work if we are already pumping $176 million annually into them? Some say yes, others say no. “The United States is facing a teen-pregnancy health-care crisis, and the national policy of abstinence-only programs just isn’t working,” said Cecile Richard, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, according to the Washington Post. “It is time for everyone who cares about teenagers to start focusing on the common-sense solutions that will help solve this problem.” So do we teach sexual education with contraception use? “[The results] show that the contraceptive message that kids are getting is failing,” said Leslee Unruh of the Abstinence Clearinghouse. “The contraceptive-only message is treating the symptom, not the cause. You need to teach about relationships. If you look at what kids have to digest on a daily basis, you have adults teaching kids about the pleasures of sex but not about the responsibilities that go with it.”

Either way, it seems like we can’t decide on the best solution for teaching today’s youth how to properly prevent unwanted pregnancy. Both Obama and McCain both disagree on the best way to teach America’s youth about sex and contraception, as well.

Obama Administration

Barack Obama co-sponsors the Prevention First Act. Established in January 2007, the program focuses on legislation to increase access to contraception and health information, as well as services aimed at preventing and reducing unwanted pregnancies. The Act teaches safe sex methods and abstinence, emergency contraception knowledge, and offers aid to rape victims. Obama utilizes both sex education methods in preventing pregnancy instead of limiting himself to only one campaign that may or may not be successful.

McCain Administration

The McCain campaign has seen a great deal of scrutiny after it was announced that Sarah Palin would join the Republican ticket as vice president. When she announced that her 17-year-old-daughter Bristol was pregnant, that only fueled the fire. McCain has always been a big supporter of abstinence only sexual education programs. “To do otherwise is to send a mixed signal to children that, on the one hand they should not be sexually active, but on the other, here is the way to go about it,” according to a statement provided by his campaign to the L.A. Times. “As any parent knows, ambiguity and equivocation leads to problems when it comes to teaching children right from wrong.”

Sarah Palin supports both abstinence only and contraception sexual education. In a 2006 radio debate with KTOO she stated, “I’m pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues. So I am not anti- contraception. But, yeah, abstinence is another alternative that should be discussed with kids.”

Conclusion

The United States was founded by people trying to flee oppression, a group of individuals wanting to escape the ideas being forced upon them. America was a land of new beginnings, of choices, of equality, of freedom. We as a country have strayed far from the ideas set out by our founders. We do have the freedom to believe how we want to, the freedom to choose what we think is right and wrong, and the freedom to be who we want to be. There is always a price for freedom though. What we think is right, may not be right for all, what we feel is best may not be best for all.

No matter who you decide is the best choice to run this country next month - remember when you cast the ballot that you are voting for freedom. When you step into the voting booth on November 4, think about all our country has worked so hard for. It’s not only about the economy, the war, healthcare, social security, and alternative energy. It is also about what we have fought for to get where we are – the rights we have earned and the ones we hope to achieve.

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