Is there such a thing as too much sex? (A visit to the Museum of Sex)

In this case, the short answer is "yes."

Though Stephen Colbert once quipped that "museums were only for things that no one uses anymore," after recently spending over an hour at the Museum of Sex in New York City, I would have to disagree.
































Visiting the Museum of Sex gift shop, conveniently located at the front of the museum, right when you walk in, it was clear that sex is alive and well, at least in New York City. Though the actual exhibits at the Museum of Sex portray sex in a much darker, more depressing light -- literally broadcasting the message "sex kills" in its current exhibit on Rubbers, which features pictures of men and women suffering from syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases and dark tales of HIV/AIDS.

And things didn't get much sexier as my friend, A., and I proceeded through the various exhibits. Despite the sign inviting me to gently touch the genitalia of "real [sex] dolls" in the permanent collection, I passed. (Who knows where that penis had been and who else had touched it.)

And call me naive or a prude but I nearly passed out at the sight of (and accompanying descriptive text for) some of the BDSM equipment on display. And just try going to the bathroom with a video clip of people heatedly "making out," (yes, that's a euphemism) in stereo, blaring just a few feet away.

Indeed, upon leaving the Museum of Sex, wondering if I would ever want to have sex again, I felt it was all some evil plot to lure in unsuspecting souls and turn them off sex.

Thank God for you blog readers, one of whom, who shall remain nameless, sent me this naughty (though safe for work) -- yet funny -- ad for Axe.


- Watch more free videos

Btw, using sex to sell a product, especially a male grooming product, is nothing new, as evidenced by these ads.

Bonus video: "I'm too sexy":



And for those who have yet to see it, and have a strong stomach, here's a link to Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video, featuring Beyonce.

UPDATED 3/15/10: Just found this recent hard-hitting report from CBS News about the "Rubbers" exhibit at the Museum of Sex (which refers to itself as "MoSex.") It's actually worth a look (if nothing else for the John McCain, Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama condom wrappers, which I was unable to photograph).

From Sarah Palin to Jenna Jameson: It's porn week on Oprah!

And I gotta hand it to the queen of the talk show. She knows how to get an audience aroused!

First Oprah warms us up with a little soft (or political) porn, i.e., former GILF and Sean Hannity wet dream Sarah Palin on Monday*. Though while the approximately 60-minute interview may have gotten the job done for some Conservative Republican males, I have to say it left me dry. (Far more titillating would be watching/listening to what Oprah said to Gayle King after the interview, though I doubt we'll ever get to see or hear that conversation.)

Now today Oprah has on Jenna Jameson, "an American entrepreneur" and the "Queen of Porn," to discuss why more and more women are using porn and erotica. (Though why Oprah needs 50 minutes to discuss this is beyond me.) Doing the reporting for this hard-hitting segment is Lisa Ling. (And boys, correct me if I am wrong but is there anything sexier than a sexy Asian chick discussing porn, okay, after performing it?)

Whoever said sex doesn't sell?

*If you missed Oprah's interview with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin yesterday, check out this post/recap from Wonkette. You will not regret it. H/T to Kevin K. at Rumproast.

Why women have sex

Apparently there are other reasons -- 236 of them -- besides "to get him to help out more around the house," according to a new book out titled Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between. (Though according to a University of Michigan study, 9 percent of women indulge in "economic sex." Hey, if it gets him to do the dishes and fix my computer....)

You can read a quick overview of the book, which reveals some of the authors' more interesting findings (it helps ease migraines!), at Newsweek.com.

You can also take this quiz to find out how much you really know about women and sex.

UPDATED: Forgot about this classic New Yorker cartoon friend of the blog "Vubbie" (aka "Anonymous") sent me a while back.

Sex! Pirates! Football!

This blog post has something for everyone! (Don't like a topic? Scroll down.)

First up, SEX!

Though this should really come as a surprise TO NO ONE.... Once again, a married with children "Family Values" Conservative Republican lawmaker, Michael D. Duvall, of Yorba Linda, CA (aka the OC), has been caught with his pants down.

In this particular incident, Assemblyman Duvall really only had himself -- and his big fat mouth -- to blame. The goods: During a legislative session this summer, which, btw, was being taped on the legislature's in-house TV station, Mr. Duvall, in his infinite wisdom, bragged, in front of a live mike, to his colleague, about his two spanking hot mistresses -- one of whom is (was?) an energy lobbyist he worked very closely with as -- ahem (you cannot make this stuff up) -- vice chair of the Committee on Utilities & Commerce.

TPM has all the juicy (and I mean "juicy") details here, including a (censored) YouTube clip of the incident.

Btw, unlike a certain adulterous governor of South Carolina, Mike Duvall resigned -- albeit only after the story broke this month.

[Note: I know my Anonymous Conservative Republican friend will be jumping up and down about my seeming singling out of a Republican and not listing all the dumb Democratic pols who've been caught with their pants down. And to him I say: It's my blog, and I can write what I like. Don't like it? Get your own blog.]

Next up, me hearties... tomorrow (Saturday) is Talk Like a Pirate Day 2009!

What's "Talk Like a Pirate Day," you ask? Aarrr. Just go to the "one and only, official, accept-no-substitutes Talk Like A Pirate Day Web site" to find out! And be sure to check out the Top 10 Pirate Pickup Lines, which include "Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?" and "Pardon me, but would ya mind if I fired me cannon through your porthole?" (Hmm... I wonder if Mike Duvall used one of those...)

And last but certainly not least... FOOTBALL!!!

This Sunday, both New Jersey -- I mean New York -- NFL teams have HUGE matchups. HUGE, people. At 1 p.m. The New York Jets (of East Rutherford, New Jersey) take on the New England Patriots at home in the Meadowlands. I think (hope, pray) this will be a close one (with the Jets beating Mr. Gisele Bundchen and the Patriots) -- and a true test of the Jets new defense, coach (Rex Ryan), and QB (Mark Sanchez) -- and will be GLUED to the TV.

Similarly, in another huge divisional matchup, Sunday night the New York Giants (also of East Rutherford, New Jersey) will be taking on the Dallas Cowboys down in Dallas, at the monstrous new stadium down there. And again, I think this one could easily go either way (as do the oddsmakers), though, OF COURSE, I am rooting for the G-Men. Go Big Blue! Earn that $106.9 million, Eli Manning!

Got an opinion on either game or team -- or any of the above? Leave me a comment... on the blog. Bonus points if your comment makes you sound like a pirate!

Wishing you a sun-filled weekend....

More powerful than the Large Hadron Collider, it's Facebook! Plus, a stimulating new migraine cure!

While scientists and journalists have been debating whether the Large Hadron Collider, the gigantic particle accelerator located under the border of France and Switzerland, could create a life-sucking black hole that would slowly pull all of mankind into its maw when it is finally switched on in September (by actor Tom Hanks, no less), they have entirely neglected an existing, much more life-threatening, life-sucking, gigantic instrument of destruction. I am, of course, referring to Facebook.

Don't believe me? Well then, what about the numbers? And we all know numbers don't lie.

Facebook currently has more than 175 million active users (including yours truly), with the over 30 crowd being the fastest growing user group. If Facebook was a country, it would be the sixth most populous, just behind Brazil and ahead of Pakistan. And according to Facebook, its citizens spend more than 3 billion minutes (combined) each day on the site. Three billion minutes, folks, gone. Never to return again. Scary.

And just like the Large Hadron Collider has lured scientists to do unspeakable things in the name of science, Facebook has lured hundreds of thousands of application developers and entrepreneurs to create unspeakable applications and tools for the site. But that's just the tip of the iceberg -- or event horizon of the black hole that is Facebook (to not mix metaphors).

Every day, millions of Facebook users go to the site, ignoring their work, their families, and loved ones to post photographs (more than 850 million photos are uploaded to the site each month), videos (more than 5 million of which are uploaded each month), leave comment-inducing status updates (more than 15 million of them each day), form or join groups, and create fan pages.

Can this be good for productivity? I think not.

Case in point, on Friday I was writing an article, which happens to be about managing social media (i.e., Facebook) in the workplace, when I get a ping from Facebook, from a girl I went to elementary school with, who I haven't heard from in, like, over 30 years, who commented on a picture of me from third grade, which a mutual Facebook friend put up.

So I, of course, had to write her back.

Then I go back to my article and the spouse walks into my office. And, of course, I now have to show him the photo of me (and this girl), which I put on my Facebook profile, again taking time away from working on my article.

The spouse looks at the photo, then looks at the notes on my desk, and he says "Facebook is the reason this country is in a recession." I think that might be a little harsh, but I'm going to put the question up for comment on my Facebook page and see if others think it's true.

In other scientific news... As many of you know, I suffer from migraines. I have tried many cures and methods of prevention over the years, with varying degrees of success, but it never occurred to me that a cost-free cure had been right next to and available to me all the time. I am, of course, referring to sex.

Yes, dear readers, scientists have found that having sex may actually alleviate a headache, especially a migraine. Of course, when I first heard about this new cure, I thought it was simply a male plot, but I have actually experimented with this concept several times now and it does, in fact, work, or at least alleviate the pain temporarily. (For more on this stimulating topic, click on the link, which includes a short video.)

I would write more, but I feel a headache coming on, and I have yet to check Facebook this morning.