Just a quick one — we received an email from our old pal Mom today telling us about this cool little application.

Sick of seeing your ex’s face/image/name everywhere you turn online? Fixed. For a longer write-up, check out JESS3′s blog.

Stay frosty.

-Janak

Good news for fans of casual sex — the University of Minnesota recently released a report which quantified that those who’s last sexual encounter was casual in nature are not more prone to suffer adverse psychological conditions. The study was overseen by Dr. Marla Eisenberg of UM’s medical school, and it looked at a universe of just over 1300 young adults who are sexually active. This group was divided into approximately 575 males and 725 females. This disparity was not explained, but one can assume male researchers preferred to select females in order to query about their sexual dalliances.

Out of the respondents, 55% indicated that their last encounter was with a partner in a serious dating relationship, 25% were last with a spouse or fiance and the remaining 30% last got naked within the context of a casual hook-up. It was no shocker that twice as many males reported that their last fuck was of the random variety as compared to their female counterparts. After reviewing the psychological history of all participants in the study for several years after their sexual habits were quantified, the study was able to definitively show that those prone to engage in casual sex had equal — and in many cases superior — mental health compared to the monogamous subsets. True, STD’s are always a risk — but it now appears that your peace of mind is not put at risk by random sex.

It used to be that the term “sugardaddy’ came along with all sorts of negative connotations. The recent emergence of a plethora of sugardaddy websites seems to indicate that is no longer the case. Sites like Sugardaddie.com, SeekingArrangement.com and SugarDaddyForMe.com are seeking to capitalize on the legions of wealthy older men looking to hook-up with the hordes of young women desiring to become semi-hookers. Finding wholesome, gorgeous, intelligent, nice girls online who are willing to suck your dick for cash is not an easy task. Weeding through scammers, liars and would be car-bombers on Craigslist is tedious, and other “hook-up” sites are notorious for leading users to fatties, whackos and various polysyllabic STD’s.

An increasingly attractive option for investment bankers, professional athletes and Russian oligarchs with spare cash burning a hole in their pockets is to procure a few sugarbabies via one of the aforementioned sites. Travel to the West Coast often? Then $7500 a month will get you a hot USC sorority girl on standby for your post-meeting entertainment. If you’re bored on frequent business trips to Omaha — then that cute hostess at the Cheesecake Factory very well may be advertising her wares in return for her reasonable monthly rent and payment on her 2008 Kia. Wanna celebrate that seven figure bonus earned for fleecing your counterparties with indecipherable CDO transactions? A pair of bisexual party-girl roommates at Arizona State could be yours. Women can join in the fun as well — most of these sites have sections for cougars in search of a new boytoy.

It appears that unprecedented numbers of women are now willing to take it up the ass — and the New York City Department of Health does not approve. According to recently released statistics, more than 100,000 women in NYC alone have anal sex at least once a year. Although most men would surely view this as a positive development, there are some concerning consequences emanating from the opening of these previously closed orifices.

Whereas gay men now use a condom 61% of the time during anal sex, only 23% of women insist a condom be deployed before rolling over onto all fours. Researchers theorize that the main motivator among females for condom use is pregnancy prevention — obviously not an issue when it comes to buttsecks. If they were aware that the odds of contracting HIV increases by a factor of 30X during unprotected anal sex, then this behavior could change. However, experts fear that behavioral changes might come too late to avoid a serious flare-up of HIV transmissions.

The problem is further compounded by the unwillingness of women who have unprotected anal sex to get tested. 63% of women who insist upon condom use consequent to anal sex get tested regularly, but only 35% of women who prefer bareback get at least annual HIV tests. There appears to be a generational component of this phenomenon — women who are 18-24 are six times more likely to engage in unprotected anal sex than women in the 25-40 demographic. Consequently, HIV is being transmitted at an alarming rate among these reckless young women. This begs the question — where can one find a nice old fashioned girl who only has Gonorrhea?

Breasts. This blog supports them (pun only half intended) and we think you all need to be better informed with regard to them. In light of this fact, enjoy and rejoice.

1. 9 Sex Myths you Shouldn’t Believe.
2. Men who help clean get more sex.
3. Hustler publisher sues nephews for making “inferior porn”.
4. Behold: the condom pillow.
5. Creepy kids’ books that really exist.
6. Strippers. (Oh go on, it’s really funny. We promise.)
7. Touch my balls. Touch them.
8. Sexual bases throughout the decades.
9. Give this man a Nobel Prize.
10. The Porn Rangers. Watch out.

Someone with way too much time on his or her hands has come up with this splendid visual guide to things to say during sex. My favorite might be “I rule!”, though I’m not planning to try it on anytime soon.

Click through for the full-sized image.

Oral sex. We all want it. Many of us would like more of it than we’re getting. But bringing up the subject can be tricksy and awkward for some. But fear no longer! From the demented minds at Cracked comes this handy dandy unisexual tip chart. Read on and start getting the genital nomming you want and deserve…

Hooray! Another product on the market designed to make women feel insecure! “Linger: The Internal Feminine Flavoring” is exactly what it sounds like—a mixer for vaginal cocktails. In the web site‘s own words:

A small, naturally sweetened flavoring, free of artificial dyes, which was created to flavor the secretions of a woman when she is sexually aroused. Linger is shaped for comfort during insertion and use, and is formulated to dissolve slowly, so the effects last and last…

This fruity vaginal suppository takes 45 minutes to an hour to dissolve completely, but the flavor lasts and lasts! Hoorah! No more biting down on the bacteria farm! No more cunnilingual clambake coupled with creamy cooter curveball!

However, Jen Phillips at Mother Jones has a different take on the product:

Linger-Mints A little digging revealed that Linger is made/distributed by a company called Admints, which just happens to make trade show mints. And the Linger samples just happen to have have the exact same shape, taste, and ingredients as Admint’s sample mints. So how does Linger manage to pass off breath mints as vaginal Tic Tacs in $7.99 packs?

Despite the salacious creation story and testimonials on its site (”It gets a little warm as it starts to dissolve which took just under an hour. Then, it is SO good!!”), the mint is labeled “for novelty use only.” This is a common practice in the sex-products industry, explains Charlie Glickman, the education program manager at Good Vibrations. It gives manufacturers some cover if something goes awry, he explains. “They could say, ‘It’s just a novelty toy. You weren’t actually expecting to use this were you?’” And if you actually do expect to use Linger to “flavor the woman in a manner that is safe and effective,” be warned: its primary ingredient is sugar, which is not safe for the vagina. It messes up the pH and can lead to a really painful yeast infection, a condition that definitely doesn’t make someone want to “linger.”

Having had a few horrifying yeast infection experiences with less-than-sanitary ladies myself I can’t really come down in favor of anything that’s going to be responsible for further fungal fiascos, but don’t let me make up your minds for you. Anyone out there actually tried these mints? Let us know! Holla!

Spice up your lonely masturbatory adventures with these amusing and potentially helpful suggestions from some guy, somewhere.

Click through on the image for the full-size version.

Casual Encounters Blog absolves itself of any responsibility for injuries incurred in the attempted imitation of any of these positions (especially the “Sylvia Plath”.)

Stay safe!

I’ve recently collected another daunting pile of questions regarding the health benefits of sex. Through the years of my career, and I imagine through the ages of all humanity, this has been a resurfacing question. Typically I answer questions pertaining to the health benefits of sex on a one-on-one basis, but since I know that there are many more men out there who are asking themselves the same question I thought it admissible to address the topic here.

Many people simply enjoy a healthy sex life because sex is pleasurable. Now there’s another reason to stay under the sheets; there are substantial health benefits of sex.

Enjoying a rigorous romp can do wonders for everyone both physically and psychologically. Now, men everywhere can tell their ladies that sex is not only for fun, but, since there are health benefits of sex, their lives may depend on it.

The following are six different reasons why sex and sexual activity may help you live a longer, happier life due to the health benefits of sex:

Sex Can Cure Headaches

All those times that you were told, “Not tonight honey, I have a headache,” all you had to do was inform your woman that one of the health benefits of sex is its ability to act as a pain reliever. The hormone oxytocin (a nine amino acid peptide that is synthesized in hypothalamic neurons and transported down axons of the posterior pituitary for secretion into blood) secretes within your body whenever you engage in sexual activity.

Because of this secretion, endorphins (hormone-like chemicals that bear a close functional resemblance to morphine) are released.

When a person is aroused or excited, oxytocin levels not only begin to increase, they are the reason that orgasms come about. Studies have shown that a rise in oxytocin levels can relieve pain; everything from headaches, cramps and overall body aches can be diminished with a simple roll in the hay.

Sex Reduces Stress

A recent survey revealed that people who have more sex reported that they felt more at ease, happier and learned how to handle stress better. So perhaps the term “sexual frustration” is not too far from the truth.

After an orgasm, an intense wave of calm and relaxation overcomes humans (that’s why men usually fall asleep) and it’s a time when people can truly liberate themselves and let go. Plenty of people who enjoy a regular dose of sex convey that they sleep much better during the night and feel alive and refreshed throughout the day. So, one of the health benefits of sex is a better nights sleep, which allows you to handle day-to-day stress much more efficiently.

Sex Increases Blood Flow

It goes without saying that when we get aroused our blood starts to pump at a quicker rate and, thus, blood flow to our brain increases. Both an increased heart rate and more blood pumping through the brain result in better performance (in and out of the bedroom).

What this ultimately means is that the fresh supply of blood pumping through your body provides the organs with a healthy dose of oxygen and rids the body of old and wasteful products. So, another health benefit of sex is a cleansed system. Treat your temple right with the help of a little excitement.

The health benefits of sex will give you more hormones and keep you younger.

Sex Maintains your Body

One of the health benefits of sex is that it helps to keep you fit and it can keep you in constant awareness of your body image. Everyone likes to know that they have a nice physique and continually being naked in front of another person can be somewhat of a good incentive to stay in shape.

Believe it or not, sexual intercourse burns off 150 calories every half hour. Although the average couple engages in sex for approximately 25 minutes a session only three times a week, it still accounts for 450 calories that are better taken off than put on.

If you’re more active than average, then that will only make things more beneficial for you and that lucky gal. A health benefit of sex, particularly a rigorous hour of sex, is that it may burn even more than 300 calories depending on how rigorous you get.

Orgasms Increase your Lifespan

Although the orgasm is sometimes referred to as the “little death,” having at least two orgasms a week can increase your life span. Every time you reach orgasm, the hormone DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) increases in response to sexual excitement and ejaculation.

DHEA can boost your immune system, repair tissue, improve cognition, keep skin healthy, and even work as an antidepressant. Therefore, a health benefit of sex if you keep the orgasms coming, is potentially a longer life.

Sex Boosts your Hormone Levels

Both testosterone and estrogen levels experience a boost through regular sexual activity. Testosterone does more than just boost your sex drive, it helps fortify bones and muscles, and it keeps your heart in good working condition as well.

In women, sex increases the levels of estrogen, which protects against heart disease. Ever wonder why women love the touchy, feely stuff so much? It’s because of their rise in estrogen levels. This hormone also plays a huge role in a woman’s body scent. While estrogen makes women sentimental, a rise in their testosterone levels is what makes them desire penetration.

Men also produce estrogen and as they age, their estrogen levels increase while their testosterone levels drop. This reversal often results in men becoming somewhat calmer as they get on in years.

Sex Will Make you Healthy and Happy

It’s quite evident that there are many health benefits of sex. It increases brain power, heart rate, it can help fend off diseases and ailments, and it makes individuals feel good about themselves.

In today’s stressful society, it has become a little more difficult to engage in intimate sexuality as often, but as long as you incessantly make the effort, you’ll realize that it’s always worth it.

The health benefits of sex will make you feel wonderful within and without and you will gradually notice that the more sex you have, the more bounce you will have in each step. Happiness isn’t sex itself, but sex does ultimately play a role in human happiness.

Article by Donald Zimmer

1. Make your own sex toys.
2. More housework == more sex.
3. Veeery disturbing Japanese clay animation short film.
4. Woman accuses gay boss of rape.
5. How to tell if your son is gay.
6. Uhm. Pardon?
7. Ignatius: the Ultimate Youth Pastor.
8. AIEEEEE.
9. Whale penis leather car interior. You read right.
10. When You Marry, a 1962 textbook for highschoolers.

1. Asexual and proud.
2. Vagina mints, seriously.
3. Dirty laundry… on facebook.
4. Halloween costume of win.
5. The Onion calls that shit.
6. Al Franken trolls John Ashcroft.
7. This is what the Internet does to young men.
8. Keep it classy, Australia.
9. “Why I slept with 1300 women.”
10. Meghan McCain: Not A Slut.

While most online dating sites are legitimate, there are plenty of scammers out there looking to take advantage of the members of such sites. Even on reputable paid dating sites, scammers may find it worthwhile to pay for memberships in order to use them to scam other paid members out of money. In this article we’re going to look at the different scams that exist and give you some tips on recognizing them and avoiding them, as well as giving you advice about how to spot fake user profiles, hopefully enabling you to avoid scammers before they even have a chance to interact with you.

One disclaimer before going further: I don’t mean to suggest that profiles or people you contact exhibiting (or even all) of the features and behaviors I am going to describe are necessarily scams—some may very well not be. The sad fact is though, most will be. If it looks too good to be true, guys, it usually is.

Ways to spot a fake user profile

There are a number of features that many fake profiles will have in common. We’ll list some of them here. If a profile you’re looking at ticks any of these boxes, it should be a warning bell—proceed with caution (if at all!)

Suggestive usernames, particularly on female profiles

Even on explicitly “adult” dating sites, genuine female members will very rarely choose sexually-suggestive usernames. Scammers (and hookers) often do use such names, as they know the names will attract attention. Genuine women won’t, because they don’t want the deluge of lewd and sleazy attention that such names provoke.

Glossy, glamorous, “model-looking” photos

Genuine women will occasionally get glamor shots done for their dating profiles, but this should be thought of as the exception rather than the rule. Genuine photos tend to be in natural settings (not studios, or obviously “lit” environments) and tend to be taken by regular consumer cameras, not by professional ones.

Only a single photo

Because scammers are only usually creating multiple fake profiles, a person having only a single photo can be grounds for suspicion, especially if the photo looks like  it might be of a model.

“Unnatural” language and answers on a profile

The language in fake profiles will often seem unnatural and forced. For female profiles, language that is flirty, suggestive and implies an eagerness to quickly embark upon a physical relationship (without preconditions, specifics, or partner criteria) should be seen as highly suspicious. Likewise a man’s profile that mentions wealth.

Poor English in profile (on an English-speaking site)

Unfortunately it is common to see women from poorer countries trying to attract men from wealthier ones in order to gain access to the wealthier country for reasons of economic opportunity. Poorly-written English full of semantic, spelling, and grammatical errors can be the clue that will help you spot these profiles early.

Profiles that claim to be local, but aren’t

If you find a profile that claims that the indicated individual lives near you, yet once you start communicating with you they reveal they live overseas, walk away. Don’t listen to any excuses they may offer: it’s almost certainly a scam.

Incomplete profiles or profiles that try to be too “generically attractive”

Such profiles “widen the net” the scammer is casting  for his prospective victims.

Profiles that are “too good to be true”

You need to ask yourself what the odds are of finding someone on an online dating site who likes exactly all the things you like and, additionally, is super-attractive, super-attracted to you, and super charming.

The profile asks you to visit a webpage

If a profile suggests that you visit a web page, that may be a clue that it’s fake. Many such profiles will link directly to signup forms for adult or adult dating websites, or perhaps to a small fake “personal” site that tries to convince you to join a paid site. Also be wary of profiles where the user tries to get you to go straight to Yahoo messenger or another IM client; usually these profiles are directing you to a bot or to linkspam.

An example of a fake profile

Now just for fun, let’s take a look at a known fake profile, and look at how the tips I’ve given above should help us to figure out that it’s probably fake.

Here’s the profile. It was recently submitted to localsex.com, a free adult dating site, and was quickly reported and deleted by a sharp-eyed member. Take a look at it, and think about why it doesn’t ring true (you can click on it to see the full-sized version.)

How about that username? It’s sort of borderline. “msalisonangel” isn’t quite “readyforsexnow”, but it’s still a little cutesier than genuine women tend to go for. The real giveaways are:

1) The photos. She’s extremely attractive, which is always a red flag. More importantly though, the photos are clearly professionally-taken, and in the second photo (thumbnail at the bottom) “msalisonangel” is striking an obvious “model pose”. I’d be prepared to call “fake” based on the photos alone.

As it turned out, the reason this profile was identified as fake was because a member recognized the photos as being those of a well-known soft-porn star.

2) The language. The title and “About Me” language is designed both to have an extremely broad appeal and to make the woman appear eager for sex. She wants “a soulmate for the eventide years of her life” (and seriously, what 22-year-old even uses the word “eventide”?) and yet also says “Committment-wise, I’m pretty casual”. The language also feels quite forced and unnatural (not to mention “confused”), and the opening “Sexually, I’m an explorer” gambit should ring alarm bells.

Common online dating scams

How much fun was that? Of course, fake profiles are just the tip of the iceberg as far as online dating scams go. The bait to tempt you, if you will. We also want to be more broadly aware of what sort of scams fake profiles might lure us into, so here’s an overview of the more common ones to watch out for:

The damsel in distress scam

A (usually female) site member with an attractive photo claims to be in need/trouble, and requests that you help her out financially. A variation on this scam is the travel scam, where the person claims to need money so they can afford to travel to meet you, with a view to pursuing a long term relationship.

The phishing scam

Email from contacts that press you for detailed personal information such as your financial information, your home address, full name, phone number, or social security number are almost certainly scammers. These people either try to scam the online dating users outright, using the information to masquerade as the victim for pecuniary gain, or are collecting the data to sell to some third party who will exploit the data in the same way.

The laundering scam

The fraudster may not ask you for any money directly. Instead, he may ask you to cash money orders or cheques and to wire (or perhaps Western Union) him the proceeds, or some fraction of the proceeds. The money orders or cheques will later turn out to be fake or stolen and you will be left out of pocket and possibly be held responsible for receiving stolen funds.

Prostitute scam

Prostitutes advertising illegally on dating sites tend to be straightforward. They place profiles to solicit business. Such profiles are usually easily recognized by sleazy user names, suggestive photos, and explicit self-descriptions. They don’t waste time letting you know what they are after.

Phonesex scam

The person will ask you to call them, and after you do you‘ll get a bill in the mail for hundreds of dollars. In the United States such phone numbers will start with 1-900, but pay lines in other countries will have different numerical prefixes. The scammer in this case might try to allay your fears of having to pay for a call by making up some story explaining why you won’t have to. Don’t be fooled.

The “Nigerian” postal scam

The person pretends to be a relative of a deceased government official or some other dignitary who asks for your help in a financial transaction. Sometimes mention of a lottery having been won, but the winner being able to collect the winnings himself for some reason. The author of the email will offer a huge reward if you help him to transfer a large sum of money. It’s called the Nigerian postal scam because the first such scams originated in Nigeria, but the scam “type” has now spread, and may originate from other countries as well.

I hope I’ve given you some good pointers and ideas about what to look out for in profiles so you don’t fall victim to online dating scams. Just to lighten the mood a little, though, check out this “Nigerian Scam Dating” parody site–it’s good for a chuckle or two.

Stay smart and safe out there!