And I Quote...

“I couldn't commit suicide if my life depended on it.” --George Carlin

"Vice Pioneers" : Suicide

The Death of Chatterton by Henry Wallis, 1856


Aokigahara Forest: 2nd most popular location


Arthur Schopenhauer: proponent of suicide for all

With the news that several celebrities are planning to kill their online personas (see yesterday's news post), I thought it would be fitting to look into suicide, the actual act of killing oneself. Not to be taken lightly, it has become a very popular issue as of late with the rise of gay youth committing the act as a means to escape bullying and ridicule. The information is moreso a look into the ins and outs of suicide opposed to its history, but it is informatibe nonetheless.

From Wikipedia: Suicide (Latin suicidium, from sui caedere, "to kill oneself") is the act of a human being intentionally causing his or her own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair, or attributed to some underlying mental disorder which includes depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse. Financial difficulties, troubles with interpersonal relationships and other undesirable situations play a significant role.

Over one million people commit suicide every year. The World Health Organization estimates that it is the thirteenth-leading cause of death worldwide. It is a leading cause of death among teenagers and adults under 35. There are an estimated 10 to 20 million non-fatal attempted suicides every year worldwide.

Views on suicide have been influenced by broader cultural views on existential themes such as religion, honor, and the meaning of life. The Abrahamic religions consider suicide an offense towards God due to religious belief in the sanctity of life. In the West it was often regarded as a serious crime. Conversely, during the samurai era in Japan, seppuku was respected as a means of atonement for failure or as a form of protest. In the 20th century, suicide in the form of self-immolation has been used as a form of protest, and in the form of kamikaze and suicide bombing as a military or terrorist tactic. Sati is a Hindu funeral practice in which the widow would immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre, either willingly, or under pressure from the family and in-laws.

Medically assisted suicide (euthanasia, or the right to die) is currently a controversial ethical issue involving people who are terminally ill, in extreme pain, or have (perceived or construed) minimal quality of life through injury or illness. Self-sacrifice for others is not always considered suicide, as the goal is not to kill oneself but to save another; however, Émile Durkheim's theory termed such acts "altruistic suicide."

Philosophy
Some see suicide as a legitimate matter of personal choice and a human right (colloquially known as the right to die movement), and maintain that no one should be forced to suffer against their will, particularly from conditions such as incurable disease, mental illness, and old age that have no possibility of improvement. Proponents of this view reject the belief that suicide is always irrational, arguing instead that it can be a valid last resort for those enduring major pain or trauma. This perspective is most popular in continental Europe, where euthanasia and other such topics are commonly discussed in parliament and has a good deal of support.

A narrower segment of this group considers suicide something between a grave but condonable choice in some circumstances and a sacrosanct right for anyone (even a young and healthy person) who believes they have rationally and conscientiously come to the decision to end their own lives. Notable supporters of this school of thought include German pessimist philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Scottish empiricist David Hume.

Bioethicist Jacob Appel has become the leading advocate for this position in the United States. Adherents of this view often advocate the abrogation of statutes that restrict the liberties of people known to be suicidal, such as laws permitting their involuntary commitment to mental hospitals.

Locations
Some landmarks have become known for high levels of suicide attempts. The four most popular locations in the world are reportedly San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Toronto's Bloor Street Viaduct (before the construction of the Luminous Veil), Japan's Aokigahara Forest and England's Beachy Head. In 2005 the Golden Gate Bridge had a count exceeding 1,200 jumpers since its construction in 1937, in 1997 the Bloor Street Viaduct had one suicide every 22 days, and in 2002 Aokigahara had a record of 78 bodies found within the forest, replacing the previous record of 73 in 1998. The suicide rate of these places is so high that numerous signs, urging potential victims of suicide to seek help, have been posted.

Religious views
In most forms of Christianity, suicide is considered a sin, based mainly on the writings of influential Christian thinkers of the Middle Ages, such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas; suicide was not considered a sin under the Byzantine Christian code of Justinian, for instance. In Catholic doctrine, the argument is based on the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (made applicable under the New Covenant by Jesus in Matthew 19:18), as well as the idea that life is a gift given by God which should not be spurned, and that suicide is against the "natural order" and thus interferes with God's master plan for the world. However, it is believed that mental illness or grave fear of suffering diminishes the responsibility of the one completing suicide. Counter-arguments include the following: that the sixth commandment is more accurately translated as "thou shalt not murder", not necessarily applying to the self; that taking one's own life no more violates God's Law than does curing a disease; and that a number of suicides by followers of God are recorded in the Bible with no dire condemnation.

Judaism focuses on the importance of valuing this life, and as such, suicide is tantamount to denying God's goodness in the world. Despite this, under extreme circumstances when there has seemed no choice but to either be killed or forced to betray their religion, Jews have committed individual suicide or mass suicide (see Masada, First French persecution of the Jews, and York Castle for examples) and as a grim reminder there is even a prayer in the Jewish liturgy for "when the knife is at the throat", for those dying "to sanctify God's Name". These acts have received mixed responses by Jewish authorities, regarded both as examples of heroic martyrdom, whilst others state that it was wrong for them to take their own lives in anticipation of martyrdom.

Suicide is not allowed in Islam; however, martyring oneself for Allah (during combat) is not considered the same as completing suicide. Suicide in Islam is seen as a sign of disbelief in God.

In Hinduism, suicide is generally frowned upon and is considered equally sinful as murdering another in contemporary Hindu society. Hindu Scriptures state that one who commits suicide will become part of the spirit world, wandering earth until the time one would have otherwise died, had one not committed suicide. However, Hinduism accept a man's right to end one's life through the non-violent practice of fasting to death, termed Prayopavesa. But Prayopavesa is strictly restricted to people who have no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in this life. Jainism has a similar practice named Santhara. Sati, or self-immolation by widows was prevalent in Hindu society during the Middle Ages.

In other animals
Suicide has been observed in salmonella seeking to overcome competing bacteria by triggering an immune system response against them. Suicidal defences by workers are also noted in a Brazilian ant Forelius pusillus where a small group of ants leaves the security of the nest after sealing the entrance from the outside each evening.

Pea aphids, when threatened by a ladybug, can explode themselves, scattering and protecting their brethren and sometimes even killing the lady bug. Some species of termites have soldiers that explode, covering their enemies with sticky goo. There have been anecdotal reports of dogs, horses, and dolphins committing suicide, but little hard evidence. There has been little scientific study of animal suicide.

"Sex 101"

This week's OMGFactsSEX stats:

* Mercury used to be used to treat syphilis.
* 18 was the “peak marriage age” in the 1950s.
* Pope Innocent VIII fathered 2 illegitimate children.
* Dendrophilia: preferring trees as sex partners instead of humans.
* Formicophilia: Fetish for having insects crawl on your genitals.
* The Egyptian Book of the Dead contains the first known written condemnation of masturbation.
* Hamsters can have sex up to 75 times a day.
* A whale penis is called a “dork”.
* White women with a college degree are the most receptive to anal sex.
* In Nevada, prostitution is only legal in towns with a population of less than 2000.
* 1% of adult females can achieve orgasm from breast stimulation
* Acrotomophilia: a sexual attraction to amputees.

News Spotlight: Sacrifice of the Twitter Celebrity

In self-absorbed, obnoxious celebrity news: some of your favorite online celebrities will be taking part in a staged online massacre. To bring them back to life, you get to donate money to save children. Yes, that's right. Alicia Keys came up with the brilliant idea to get several famous folks to stop using Twitter and Facebook until a certain amount of money is raised to her Keep a Child Alive charity.

There is no doubt this was done with good intentions, but when you think about it, doesn't it seem like blackmail and a platform for these celebrities to feed into their egos just a bit more? But in the grand scheme of things, the fact it's for charity makes the fiasco okay. If people are going to be obsessed with Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga, I guess it's not so bad if $10 is the price for being a borederline stalker.

From MTV News: "If you see headlines this Wednesday about Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian giving up on social media, don't be alarmed. Along with Usher, Elijah Wood, Justin Timberlake, Khloe Kardashian and Jennifer Hudson, they're participating in a stunt to promote World AIDS Day in which they will kill off their cyberselves for one day as part of a Digital Life Sacrifice.

The idea was hatched by singer Alicia Keys to raise money for her charity, Keep a Child Alive, and as part of the Buy Life promotion the celebrities will urge fans to donate to the charity in order to buy back their online presence. Fans can text the first name of the celebrity they are mourning to 90999 and $10 will instantly be donated to the cause.

Kardashian is among the participants who have posed for a poster to bring attention to the effort. In it, she lies in a casket while wearing a cocktail dress and clutching her cell phone. Celebrities such as mega-tweeter Ryan Seacrest have agreed to sign off all social networks on Tuesday until they raise $1 million for World AIDS Day. Seacrest has even videotaped a "Last Tweet and Testament" representing his digital death for his Facebook page that will be linked to from his final tweet early Tuesday morning.

In another taped plea, Jennifer Hudson says, "Come on, y'all. Buy my life back. Go on a shopping spree and buy as much of it as you can." Keep a Child Alive helps provide money for medical care and support services for children and families impacted by HIV and AIDS in Africa and India.

Janelle Monáe and Keys' husband, producer Swizz Beatz, have also filmed "Last Tweet and Testament" clips and been photographed in coffins.

"It's so important to shock you to the point of waking up," Keys told The Associated Press. "It's not that people don't care or it's not that people don't want to do something, it's that they never thought of it quite like that. ... This is such a direct and instantly emotional way and a little sarcastic, you know, of a way to get people to pay attention."

And I Quote...

"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before.” --Mae West

"Dirty Joke" : Slopes

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"Sexpot of the Week" : Christina Aguilera

Blonde bombshell time. At this point, Chrsitina Aguilera is a seasoned veteran and most of us have formed an overall opinion of her. She's gone through many phases--starting out as a pop idol teen and now marketing herself as classic Marilyn Monrie type. Remember that awkward "Dirty" phase when she tried as hard as she could to be as unappealing as possible? Well, despite her identity crises over the years, she seems to finally be in control at 29. Her marriage did crumble last month, but she has had a longer career than most will ever have. She also scored her first starring role in "Burlesque," which debuted this week. She doesn't take the subtle approach. She flaunts her sexuality blatantly, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work. It obviously does--she's still around and keeps kicking.

"Bad (Not Bad Ass) Tattoo" : Chevy Head

Ok so it's a known fact that men have a love for cars. It's a respectable obsession that many have fell victim to. However, getting a tattoo of an automobile manufacturer's logo may be taking it a little too far. This guy not only opted to get Chevy's logo tattooed, but he opted to get it done on the back of his head. Let's hope they are planning to cut him a check sometime soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now this is what you call a happy turkey day!

"Sex in Art" Weekly Picks

Photographer and video director Timothy Saccenti


Illustrator Barbara Canepa

"The Hard Sell" : Taboo In Advertising

This is a case of people taking things too seriously. This ad was banned in Britain because it supposedly insinuates beer causes confidence with women. Wells and Young's, the makers of Courage beer, tried to defend the ad, saying it's a humorous approach to a situation its drinkers can relate to. Europeans are usually very comfortable with this kind of stuff so it's surprising such a drastic approach was taken to such a light ad.

And I Quote...

“Condoms should be marketed in 3 sizes-jumbo, colossal, and super colossal-so that men do not have to go in and ask for the small.” --Barbara Seaman

"Vice Pioneers" : The Condom

Casanova: condom entertainer


Falloppio: first documented condom reference


Charles Goodyear: tire namesake, condom innovator

This week's "Vice Pioneers" takes a look at the most important invention for sex--the condom. Without it, we'd be in trouble in our whorish, lust fulfilling culture. The history of this "device" is long so this is just a tidbit of history (the very early years) regarding our beloved baby/disease preventer.

From Wikipedia:
Etymology
The term condom first appears in the early 18th century. Its etymology is unknown. In popular tradition, the invention and naming of the condom came to be attributed to an associate of England's King Charles II, one "Dr. Condom" or "Earl of Condom". There is however no evidence of the existence of such a person, and condoms had been used for over one hundred years before King Charles II ascended to the throne.

A variety of unproven Latin etymologies have been proposed, including condon (receptacle), condamina (house), and cumdum (scabbard or case). It has also been speculated to be from the Italian word guantone, derived from guanto, meaning glove. William E. Kruck wrote an article in 1981 concluding that, "As for the word 'condom', I need state only that its origin remains completely unknown, and there ends this search for an etymology." Modern dictionaries may also list the etymology as "unknown".

Before the 19th century
Whether condoms were used in ancient civilizations is debated by archaeologists and historians. In ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, pregnancy prevention was generally seen as a woman's responsibility, and the only well documented contraception methods were female-controlled devices. In Asia before the 15th century, some use of glans condoms (devices covering only the head of the penis) is recorded. Condoms seem to have been used for contraception, and to have been known only by members of the upper classes. In China, glans condoms may have been made of oiled silk paper, or of lamb intestines. In Japan, they were made of tortoise shell or animal horn.

In 16th century Italy, Gabriele Falloppio wrote a treatise on syphilis. The earliest documented strain of syphilis, first appearing in Europe in a 1490s outbreak, caused severe symptoms and often death within a few months of contracting the disease. Falloppio's treatise is the earliest uncontested description of condom use: it describes linen sheaths soaked in a chemical solution and allowed to dry before use. The cloths he described were sized to cover the glans of the penis, and were held on with a ribbon. Falloppio claimed that an experimental trial of the linen sheath demonstrated protection against syphilis.

After this, the use of penis coverings to protect from disease is described in a wide variety of literature throughout Europe. The first indication that these devices were used for birth control, rather than disease prevention, is the 1605 theological publication De iustitia et iure (On justice and law) by Catholic theologian Leonardus Lessius, who condemned them as immoral. In 1666, the English Birth Rate Commission attributed a recent downward fertility rate to use of "condons", the first documented use of that word (or any similar spelling).

In addition to linen, condoms during the Renaissance were made out of intestines and bladder. In the late 15th century, Dutch traders introduced condoms made from "fine leather" to Japan. Unlike the horn condoms used previously, these leather condoms covered the entire penis.

Casanova in the 18th century was one of the first reported using "assurance caps" to prevent impregnating his mistresses.

Rubber and manufacturing advances
In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered a way of processing natural rubber, which is too stiff when cold and too soft when warm, in such a way as to make it elastic. This proved to have advantages for the manufacture of condoms; unlike the sheeps' gut condoms, they could stretch and did not tear quickly when used. The rubber vulcanization process was patented by Goodyear in 1844. The first rubber condom was produced in 1855. The earliest rubber condoms had a seam and were as thick as a bicycle inner tube. Besides this type, small rubber condoms covering only the glans were often used in England and the United States. There was more risk of losing them and if the rubber ring was too tight, it would constrict the penis. This type of condom was the original "capote" (French for condom), perhaps because of its resemblance to a woman's bonnet worn at that time, also called a capote.

"Sex 101"

This week's OMGFactsSEX stats:

*The inner nose swells during intercourse.
*The first official vasectomy was in 1893.
*Masturbation is more common among white-collar workers than blue-collar workers.
*Redheads are the least popular call girls.
*Jazz fans and gun owners are among the most sexually active Americans.
*The number of female eggs needed to repopulate the world could fit into a chicken egg.
*The number of sperm that could be fit into an aspirin capsule would be enough to repopulate the earth to its present numbers.
*Proof that sex is a prerequisite for cervical cancer: devoted nuns never get it.
*More Americans lose their virginity in June than any other month.

News Spotlight: Sheen vs. Porn Star

Another day, another male celebrity in a catfight with a porn star/call girl/insert sex worker title. This week all the buzz surrounds Charlie Sheen and Porn Star Capri Anderson. Anderson says she feared for her life during the hotel fiasco made public a few weeks ago and is now planning to file charges against him for throwing things at her and acting in rage. Sheen's lawyer is discrediting her on the "whore wanting to cash in on the incident "defense and saying it's completely false. Your know the drill. Same story, different characters.

From Us Magazine: "The war of words isn't over between Capri Anderson and Charlie Sheen.
An attorney for porn star Anderson says she plans to file a criminal complaint against Sheen, 44, over his reported naked, intoxicated meltdown in his suite at NYC's Plaza Hotel last month.

"She's filing a police report against Mr. Sheen today," Anderson's lawyer Keith Davidson told Good Morning America Monday. "She's going to the NYPD and report the action."

Anderson says she was paid $3500 to keep Sheen company that night, which began with a rowdy dinner at posh eatery Daniel followed by drinks. (Sheen's ex-wife Denise Richards was present for the meal.)

"I never expected the night would unfold the way it did," Anderson told GMA.

"He definitely was growing more intense as the night grew and went on. It's hard to say being that it was my first time hanging out with him if it was normal of his everyday behavior or not," Anderson said.

By the time the pair were alone in his hotel room, Anderson said Sheen was "serving us both drinks and he was snorting something...a white powdery substance."

Claiming she feared for her life, Anderson said that Sheen "started throwing things at me...I became shocked, scared."

"There was just stuff coming from every angle," she explained of Sheen's tirade. "He was just -- anything he could pick up, he was trashing the place," she said.

Anderson also claimed she was offered $20,000 to stay quiet about the headline-making incident.

Sheen's attorney denies all of her accusations.

"We will defend this lawsuit vigorously and will never pay her a dime," Yale Galanter told ABC.

"These allegations against Mr. Sheen are completely false, and are a blatant attempt to cash in on his celebrity."

Happy Gory Thanksgiving

A not so Happy Thanksgiving from Eli Roth.

And I Quote...

“It serves me right for putting all my eggs in one bastard.” --Dorothy Parker

"Sexpot of the Week" : Eva Longoria

And while we're on the subject of Eva Longoria, let's just go ahead and put this out there too. She's smoking. She may have lost her husband this week, but it's doubtful that she will have a problem bouncing back. Great career. Perfect body. Seemingly fun personality. She'll be boo hooing for a little while, but I see plenty more athlete suitors in her future. Definitely worthy of "Sexpot of The Week" status.

News Spotlight: Another Basketball Player, Another Cheating Spree

Making generalizations about groups of people is wrong and unacceptable. Except let's just go ahead and put it out there that athletes don't know how to keep their dicks in their pants. If anyone was the poster boy for a sweet, loving husband, it was Tony Parker. But the poster is being pulled off the wall as Eva Longoria has filed for divorce because of his infidelity.

What makes the story more interesting is that the mistress in this case is also married to an athlete. Reports are stating that the fling only graduated to text messaging, but I'm pretty sure people don't get divorces over texts. This serves as the best proof that temptation is irresistible. The fact Parker is married to one of the most beautiful women in entertainment couldn't keep his roaming erection at bay.

From NY Daily News: Tony Parker wasn't surprised when Eva Longoria filed to divorce him on Wednesday, even if the split seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Eva and I have been discussing our situation privately," he said in a statement released through his rep to People magazine. "I was aware that she would be filing for divorce in Los Angeles."

Parker also hit back at TMZ's early report on Tuesday that he had filed for divorce in Texas.

"I did not file for divorce in Texas and did not hire divorce attorneys in either Texas or California," Parker says in the statement Thursday. "We plan to continue to keep our discussions of this matter private."

Though TMZ later retracted the story, the gossip site now cites sources who claim Tony did intend to file for divorce in Texas, but Longoria convinced him not to "because she wanted to file in Los Angeles."

In fact, far from being a shock, the divorce was reportedly heavily orchestrated.

Longoria planned to file the papers for at least a week before actually doing so, according to TMZ, and timed the announcement to coincide with the UsWeekly story, which reports that she split from Parker after finding hundreds of inappropriate texts he sent to another woman.
Thursday marked the first time Parker has spoken out on the split.

He also took to Facebook to post virtually the same statement Longoria released Wednesday.
"It is with great sadness that after 7 years together, Eva and I have decided to divorce," he wrote. "We love each other deeply and pray for each other's happiness."

"Dirty Joke" : Third Times a Charm

A couple just got married and on the night of their honeymoon before passionate love, the wife tells the husband, "Please be gentile, I'm still a virgin." The husband being shocked, replied, "How's this possible? You've been married three times before." The wife responds, "Well, my first husband was a gynecologist and all he wanted to do was look at it. My second husband was a psychiatrist and all he wanted to do was talk about it. Finally, my third husband was a stamp collector and all he wanted to do was...oh, do I miss him!"