Diverse and Interesting Topics

[David]

There are many toys and tools to stimulate your pecker when alone but here is special one.

Get a long glass eye-dropper, you know, the one with the plastic cap and rubber nipple usually used to suck up the medicated liquid into the eye-dropper.  There are short and long one.  Get a long one.

Spray the glass shaft with hydrogen peroxide or colloidal silver.

Insert the glass shaft into you penis, rotating it slowly to help  it move through the urethera.  It will likely be a teensy bit painful, but feeling that, and adjust the trajectory into the penis so as to eliminate to tinge of pain will feel wonderful.

As the shaft slide into your penis it will begin to stimulate and stiffen it.

Once it is completely into your penis and the plastic screw cap is resting on the end of your penis, let go!  Your penis will begin to eject the dropper in a slow, smooth thrill.  You can push it in and let it eject over and over.

I have a dropper hand in the bathroom so I can "give myself a quickie" erection any time I go to take a pee. Yay me!

Of course, this can be used wherever you go to wank and ejaculate as an "erection starter", or be done as a quick pleasure throughout the day.

And this is only the beginning!

[Sandra]

The documentary "Casa Susanna" explores the Catskills boardinghouse community that allowed denizens to express their identity when that was taboo.

Four figures are lined up against a gauzy red curtain and looking at the camera. They're all wearing dresses and high heels.
Guests at Casa Susanna, the subject of a documentary coming to PBS. "The creation of this refuge was something extraordinary," Sébastien Lifshitz, the director, said.Credit...via the Art Gallery of Ontario and Arte
Four figures are lined up against a gauzy red curtain and looking at the camera. They're all wearing dresses and high heels.

Sébastien Lifshitz's documentary "Casa Susanna" remembers a community of cross-dressing men and transgender women who found refuge in the Catskills in the 1950s and '60s. Their gathering place, a Victorian boardinghouse, was christened Casa Susanna after one of its founders, Susanna Valenti, a translator and broadcaster, who was married to Marie Tonell, a New York wig maker. The couple ran Casa Susanna until the late 1960s, but its existence came to broader awareness with the 2005 publication of a book collecting Casa Susanna snapshots that had been found in a New York flea market.

Lifshitz, who is French, has been making movies about gender and identity since the early 2000s. "The story of Casa Susanna wasn't supposed to be visible, or 'out,' so it is still a miracle that we are able to know the whole story today," he said. He interviewed two alumnae, Katherine Cummings and Diana Merry-Shapiro, who shared their journeys and struggles, and revisited their stomping grounds in the Catskills. (A version of the house's story was portrayed in "Casa Valentina," a 2014 play by Harvey Fierstein.)

I spoke with Lifshitz about making this documentary, which airs on PBS on Tuesday as part of "American Experience." at a moment of increased visibility and turmoil around issues of identity. Here are edited excerpts from our conversation.

How did you first encounter Casa Susanna?

The first time I heard of it was the publication of the book in 2005. I bought it then because I'm also a photo collector. For many years I've bought snapshots at flea markets and garage sales in France. I've been into queer pictures and all these invisible people since I was a kid. In 2015, I did a big exhibition with the photographs I was collecting on cross-dressing, and I talked with a historian of photography, Isabelle Bonnet, who had made a memoir about Casa Susanna. I said we should do a film about it [the documentary credits her as a collaborator], because it is a very important story about pre-queer culture, this underground network of cross-dressing.

What struck you as special about Casa Susanna?

The creation of this refuge was something extraordinary. If you had the desire to cross-dress, nothing around you could help you to understand it at the time. These very intimate questions were impossible to talk about with anybody else. Most of the men in the Casa Susanna community were white people from the middle class that had good jobs and a bit of money, and were married, some with kids. What is also fascinating is that this community was created with certain rules. For example, homosexuals or transsexuals were forbidden. They only accepted people who presented themselves as men who cross-dress. So it's weird to think that, in a way, they had re-created conservative rules within this setup, probably because they were afraid.

What was it like for Katherine and Diana to talk about their memories?

It was very important to them because, as they say, it's a part of who they were. For Diana, it was the first time that she was outing herself. She's 82, but this is the first time that she could say to everyone, "This is my life. This is who I am." Probably because she is this very mature age, she felt the need to be true with herself and all the people that are still around her. She also wanted to pay tribute to all the pioneers she met. And she should be proud, because she was very brave. What is also fascinating about Diana is that she had [gender confirmation surgery] when she was young, and from that moment, she became an invisible woman in American society. We were so lucky to find her and Kate. Kate died just a few months after the filming. That's why all these invisible stories are so precious.

For Betsy [Wollheim], it was the first time that she could tell the story of her father, Donald Wollheim. He was a science-fiction writer and publisher, but people didn't know his secret story. I thought it was interesting to understand through Betsy what it was for a traditional American family to have a father as a cross-dresser and probably a transgender person. And through Gregory [Bagarozy], we see how he understood his grandma, Marie, and Susanna.

The Casa Susanna guests followed a code of female representation that aimed for a "woman next door" feel.

Where did you get the colorful Kodachrome photographs in the film?

I had the pictures from the book, of course, which are now in the Art Gallery of Ontario. But a second part comes from the collection of Cindy Sherman. I knew that Cindy had pictures of Casa Susanna because she found an album in a flea market in New York. So I contacted her and she was really into it and said, of course you can use them. Cindy's work is about Americana and stereotypes of representation in America, and she was fascinated by the way people are staging themselves in the pictures, because she stages herself. The way the men at Casa Susanna used female representation and respected a code in terms of clothes, they didn't want to look like a pinup or a Hollywood queen. Most of them probably wanted to look like their mothers, sisters or wives. Like the woman next door, in a bourgeois way.

A third source was the pictures that Betsy's father had, because he was completely obsessed with questions of identity. He had all the documentation he could find at that time, and Betsy kept everything from his archives.

How do you view this slice of American history in light of new anti-trans laws in this country?

I am shocked that today you still can hear all these words against the transgender community. These are attitudes and words from another time, and I thought that it could never happen. We used to think that the civil rights that were won are for forever, but they are not. We need to be the guardians of these rights. Films, books, exhibitions and all these things are a way to educate and make people understand that identity is diverse, and this diversity is so important. In French we say richesse. It's a treasure you need to protect. I love to see what makes you who you are.

[Sandra]

    How Does Urethral Sounding Work?
    Potential Health Complications of Urethral Sounding
    Is Urethral Sounding Safe?

The pursuit of sexual satisfaction has led to an emerging practice among men known as urethral sounding. This practice involves inserting a glass or metal object or fluid into the urethra. The aim is to enhance sexual pleasure by encouraging your partner to explore your penis in several ways. But health specialists have seen an increase in cases of urethral infections, complaints, and sexual function issues as the practice becomes mainstream.
How Does Urethral Sounding Work?

Medically, urethral sounding refers to inserting an object into the urethra for urological surgery. The process helps to dilate the strictures to provide access to the bladder. Medical experts use sterile metal or plastic dilators in the process. Usually, the procedure helps in removing a retained foreign body within the urethra and bladder.‌

Beyond the scope of medical practice, urethral sounding is common among individuals for a variety of reasons. It encompasses a sexual habit to heighten sexual pleasure and arousal. According to medical literature, there's a high risk of injury associated with the practice. The sounding devices can disappear deep into the urethra and no longer be retrieved by the user.
Potential Health Complications of Urethral Sounding

When you insert objects into your urethra, you run the risk of injury and could bring a variety of psychological illnesses upon yourself. Research shows that the practice is becoming widespread, with Google producing more than 5,550 results for the search phrase "urethral sounding." Most of these come back with complete instructions and diagrams for the recreational procedure.‌

Injury. There's variability in the techniques and types of tools people use in recreational urethral sounding. This puts them at risk for urinary tract infections (UTIs), urethral strictures, loss of the foreign body, and healthcare expenditures.

Ordinary household objects people use for this purpose include:

    Pencils
    Screws
    Wires
    Glue containers
    Clips
    Phallus-shaped fruits and vegetables‌

Most who end up in the hospital complain of their inability to remove the objects after becoming lodged in their genital cavities. Fortunately, the simple act of seeking medical attention in good time reduces the risk of developing significant complications, especially in individuals without mental health disorders. Concerning complications, they include:

    Penile necrosis
    Fistulae wounds
    Perforation
    UTIs

Unfortunately, some repeatedly injure themselves for sexual gratification, much to the frustration of their healthcare providers.‌

Psychiatric disorders. Differentiating between individuals with known psychiatric histories and those without is essential. This is because of the forensic implications of the self-introduction of foreign bodies into the urinary tract. The habit could potentially be due to self-destructive behaviors in an individual. If these behaviors aren't recognized in a clinical setting and a person self-inflicts injury or commits suicide, problems could follow for the clinician, becoming a case of negligent clinical care.

Whether clinicians should perform a psychiatric test on all individuals who come to the emergency room for failed urethral sounding is still controversial.  ‌

Much of the literature available on urethral sounding refers to case reports of individuals who experienced harm from the practice. There's little evidence about the prevalence of the habit in the general population. Still, it could be at 11%, according to a 2012 report. It's also unknown whether this sexual practice poses any additional health risks beyond the injury that requires immediate medical intervention. An in-depth understanding of prevalent, risk-taking behaviors among people who engage in the practice, though, would help further existing research.‌

One documented case is of a middle-aged man who reported to the emergency department with a telephone wire stuck in his bladder. This was after he introduced it through his urethra, intending to gratify himself through masturbation. His case required open surgery, unlike in most cases where foreign body extractions are done through endoscopy. The man's healthcare providers found no evidence of a psychological disorder in him.‌

Urethral Strictures. Inserting foreign objects in the urethra blocks the productive flow of urine. This leads to other complications like:

    Leaking
    Incontinence
    Infections of the bladder and urethra
    Chronic renal failure

In most cases, medical experts will investigate the penis and urethral tube and recommend surgical correction. In extreme cases, implants will be necessary to alleviate pain and pressure and return the penis to its previous abilities.
Is Urethral Sounding Safe?

Men who are interested in urethral sounding for sexual gratification should first understand the issues around it. Introducing objects into this sensitive passageway poses a health risk. They should purchase the items they use from reputable businesses only and embrace proper cleaning practices of those foreign bodies. They also should use lubrications specially designed for sensitive areas.

[David]

Thank you, Sandra, for doing the research and bringing this cautionary information to us.

At the end, your information source (The Rock & Roll Poet's Cafe?) said:
"Men who are interested in urethral sounding for sexual gratification should first understand the issues around it. Introducing objects into this sensitive passageway poses a health risk. They should purchase the items they use from reputable businesses only and embrace proper cleaning practices of those foreign bodies. They also should use lubrications specially designed for sensitive areas"

I note that they speak of reputable businesses supplying items appropriate for the activity. For instance, pencils would be foolish because they could shed foreign material inside the penis.  Or even ball point pens would be bad because they have crevices where dirt and bacteria can collect.  A non-fragile glass or metal rod that is appropriately thin and smooth is easy to clean and won't shed.

I am a big fan of hydrogen peroxide, colloidal silver, the healing aid, ASEA, and water-based vaginal or anal lubricant as clear fluids to use for preparation of the object or the orifice.

Of course, never never never insert anything, whether professionally manufactured or not, that could disappear into the penis and potentially pose an extraction issue.

As usual, moderation and common sense, are the rules that would keep the sex play safe and healthy long term.

I still use my hollow glass dropper because it meets all the safety concerns of material type and sterility if adequately cleaned with EACH use.  And I get to pee through it as well which creates a little back pressure which feels yummy. If it gets too strong I just let the tube eject and the pee stream flow full strength.

If you use an slender shaft that poses no difficulty in entry, there won't be long term abrasion or sudden injury.

I haven't had a partner assist yet to orgasm but that kind of shared play is high on my list.

Be hard, be safe, be satisfied

[Sandra]

Jan Saudek is an art photographer and painter. Jan Saudek's art work represents a unique technique combining photography and painting.
In his country of origin, Czechoslovakia, Jan was considered a disturbed artist and oppressed by authorities.

[HornsUp]

[Redwingsfan]

Are dad bods attractive and sexy or no?

[useitorloseit]

Are dad bods attractive and sexy or no?

God I hope so!!!  I'm 54, I spent the best 20+ years of my life on active duty in the military, I used to be ten feet tall and bulletproof- now I'm 6'2" and 215lbs,  carrying 20 more than I really should-  I'm active, working out not as often as I should, I enjoy a drink more than I "should",  I put about 2000 miles a year on my bike,  but I'm certainly in no danger of showing up on the cover of a fitness magazine.    My wife of 30+ years is only rarely interested in sex any more, but I flirt a little bit with certain women and get good vibes.  I guess the long and short of it is I'm still in good enough shape to make ME happy.... LOLOLOLOL  but to say I'm conditioned like I was when I was 30, or 35, or even 40 is a stretch.   

[useitorloseit]

BTW my wife, who is 60 now,  is in the gym 5 or 6 days a week, and for many years was a professional fitness instructor,  certified personal trainer, and competitive cyclist... has an ass and legs and waist that still makes me drool and chase after her like I did when I was 20....   Point is,  life happens, things change, I'm not getting any action "outside" so does it matter?     It's all what makes you happy.   If someone is happy and confident (not arrogant), body type is a secondary characteristic. 

[Sandra]

At least here in the USA. For fear of being banned, I will stop now. 

That's a bit sad, the American attitude towards porn is very different to the attitude taken in Europe.

[Brafetish]

How is it so different?

[Sandra]

How is it so different?

anonymous

I'd say America is a lot more sexualised but they have a weird relationship with bodies.

A woman's body can be used to sell everything, from tires to burgers but if a young girl shows a bra strap a hint of leg skin at school she's sent to detention or sent home, effecting her education.

In Europe in places like germany, skin is skin, no one really cares about bodies other than a few more conservative places, but Europe as a whole does not have the same warped relationship with bodies as America