CARNAL NATION

Did you know men who have ring fingers the same length as their index fingers are more likely to have fertility problems compared with men whose ring fingers are longer? Researchers have found that boys conceived using an assisted reproduction technique where a single sperm is injected directly into the egg, instead of many sperm being mixed together with an egg, may have the same problem.

The technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection and known as ICSI is increasingly being used for men with low sperm counts or where there are motility problems or abnormalities in the shape. The method has only been in widespread use since the early 1990s so the children conceived this way are not yet old enough to have their own offspring.  [Read more]

Sexting, which involves sending sexy texts or photos with a cell phone, has become all the rage for both teens and adults. A recent survey by MTV revealed that 30 percent of youth have either sent or received nude photos on their cell phones or the web indicating one way in which technology has impacted communication, dating and sexual exploration.

In response to this new form of sexual expression, legislators have used child pornography laws to prosecute both offenders and victims. In Pennsylvania, House Bill 2189 would make it a crime for teens 13-17 to sext. The legislation’s proponents argue that they are protecting children, while critics and experts suggest that the new bill would criminalize victims.  [Read more]

Rather than spending Valentine's Day with their partner, one fifth of adults would prefer to be with their pet, according to a joint global poll by Reuters/ Ipsos.

The survey of 24,000 people in 23 countries found 21 percent of adults would rather spend February 14 with their pet than their spouse, although the French were least likely to choose a furry friend over a human with only 10 percent taking that option.  [Read more]

I really hate to bring up the subject of Hitler's sex life on this perfectly lovely weekend, but a new book entitled Was Hitler Ill? talks in great detail about that very thing, reports Spiegel.

The book, written by Professors Henrik Eberle and Hans-Joachim Neumann, claims that the dictator took 82 different medications as he led Germany,  including an extract of testosterone that worked as a "primitive Viagra."  Theodor Morrell, the so-called "Reich syringe master," served as Hitler's doctor during World War II, and according to his letter in 1944 he began giving Hitler shots of testosterone along with the semen and prostate glands of young bulls.  (Hitler was 32 years older than his lover, Eva Braun; they married just one day before committing double-suicide in April of 1945.)  [Read more]

We all know how well gay rehabilitation programs work--they don't--but that doesn't stop ex-gay ministries from aggressively pursuing young people dealing with their identities.  Website teachthefacts.org reports that an ex-gay group calling itself PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays) recently took advantage of a Maryland public school district, disseminating information about ex-gay outreach programs along with high school students' report cards.

Montgomery County, just to the north of Washington, is one of the most affluent counties in the country, with just over a million residents.  But the County lost a 2006 lawsuit filed by PFOX for violation of First Amendment rights.  A judge ruled that the school must distribute any literature distributed by non-profit groups, as long as the literature wasn't considered hate speech.  [Read more]

Who hasn't heard humorous stories about names getting lost in translation? There is, of course, the old urban legend of the Chevy Nova being a sales "no go" in Spanish-speaking countries, and what red-faced American student in France hasn't been politely told that the "préservatifs" he or she requested at the breakfast table aren't, in fact, preserves to spread on your tartine but condoms. However, one distinguished Pakistani diplomat, Miangul Akbar Zeb, isn't laughing about how his name translates into Arabic.  [Read more]

The Pulitzer Prize is awarded annually for great literary journalism and news reporting.  And this year, no source has provided more in-depth, breaking coverage of important political news than The National Enquirer.

Uhhh.... Wait a sec, really?

No, it's true.  In a Gawker story, John Cook outlines all the reasons that the Enquirer coverage of John Edwards' adulterous downfall has trumped that of any other media outlet.  “The exposure of Edwards’ pathological lies and frantic corruption is precisely the sort of journalistic behavior that the Pulitzer Prizes were designed to encourage," he says, noting how they reported first on his cheating, his pregnant mistress, the hush money, and the existence of a federal grand jury investigation.  And that's why the Enquirer is campaigning for the prize.  [Read more]