The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. agency UNAIDS received a happy surprise last week.  A new vaccine proved to be somewhat successful in preventing one strain of the HIV virus in a sampling of 16,000 volunteers in Thailand classified as individuals at  average risk to contract AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

According to various sources, including the Scientific American website, 51 individuals in the vaccinated group contracted HIV by the end of the three-year trial, while 74 in the placebo group contracted the virus that causes AIDS.

Participants received condoms, sexual counseling and treatment for any STDs contracted during the study. They received an AIDS test every six months.
These numbers amount to a 31.2 % efficacy rate; the scientific community typically looks for vaccinations with an effectiveness of 70 % or higher.

Nonetheless, the results show a glimmer of hope where, previously there was none. The series of six injections were made up of Sanofi-Aventis SA’s ALVAC and VaxGen Inc.’s AIDSVAX, which each proved ineffective on their own. The vaccines are not made from whole virus and cannot cause HIV.

The scientists and researchers involved in the project report “cautious optimism” about the possibility of discovering an even more effective vaccine, and possibly even a vaccination that could prevent the HIV virus from turning into a full-blown AIDS infection.

This set of vaccinations had no effect on HIV levels of infected individuals – somewhat disheartening news as it shows that researchers may not know what factors contribute to HIV immunity, even after decades of research.
It’s also important to stress that this combination of vaccines only proved marginally effective (30 percent) in this particular strain of HIV prevalent in Thailand.

More Research Needed

In the past, I’ve spoken out quite passionately against vaccines, most notably the HPV vaccine. I don’t want to rain on the “cautiously optimistic” parade this news has evoked, but my fears about acting too hastily with any immunizations remain.

Obviously, more research is necessary in regard to the HIV vaccination and it’s nowhere near ready for FDA-approval to bring it into the U.S. market.  We haven’t heard any reports of the side effects reported with the new vaccination, either, so I’m sure that requires additional research.

However, for the scientific community to go from point zero: “We’re never going to find a vaccine against AIDS, it may not exist,” to such promising test results truly is cause for celebration.

We’re living in an exciting time when researchers may have found vaccines against certain strains of both cancer and AIDS. This is news that, growing up in the 80s, I’d never imagined.

Encouraging Promiscuity?

As with the HPV vaccine, some fear the promise of an HIV vaccine may encourage lackadaisical sexual behavior, increasing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS. Let’s hope that, if the day comes when an HIV vaccine receives FDA approval, it will be close to 100 percent effective. Who knows? With enough people receiving immunization and the herd immunity that develops over time with immunizations, it may be within our lifetimes that we see AIDS eradicated.

Even if this happens, condoms still prevent against a large number of other sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Safe sex and the use of condoms will continue to be important consideration for the prevention of a number of diseases – not to mention an easy, inexpensive and hormone-free way to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

And, it’s important to remember that we may still be years, if not decades, away from a truly effective AIDS vaccine. In the meantime, education and safe sex remain paramount.

Summer’s over, the kids are back to school. Between new schedules to follow, braving the malls for back-to-school shopping, and finances stretched too thin, all this stress can make anyone’s libido lose its lustre.

Here are five of the more common, seasonal sex-drive busters… and how to combat them.

Libido-buster #1: Cooler weather. Studies have linked warm weather to an increased sex drive, especially in women. Sunlight elevates the production and secretion of Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH), along with increasing the production of feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. Both chemicals are linked to increasing your sex drive.  It stands to reason, then, that as the days get shorter, bringing a little less sunlight into our lives, our sex drives drop.

Libido Enhancer: Take a walk. Treasure those last lingering days of warmth. Get as much sun as possible. Take a walk outside during lunch, savoring the scent of the fresh autumn air. The exercise and sunlight will boost your mood and put you IN the mood.

Libido-buster #2: Cold & allergy medications For some, the change in seasons brings about a cold or allergy symptoms. We often obliterate the runny nose and sniffles with a decongestant, but decongestant, by definition, are designed to dry us out – and they don’t affect just our nose and sinuses, unfortunately.

Libido Enhancer: Look to natural remedies, including neti-pots and Vitamin C. If you suffer from pollen allergies, eating a few spoonfuls of natural honey from your region may help. If you take a decongestant, use plenty of extra lube to counter the natural effects.

Libido-buster #3: Stress: The holidays haven’t even arrived but many of us are a bundle of nerves already. The good news is that sex is a great stress-buster… but you have to get in the mood first.

Libido Enhancer: Fake it till you wanna make it! I’m not advocating faking an orgasm, but there’s nothing wrong with pretending to be in the mood during foreplay. Turn your bedroom into a love sanctuary that allows you to lock out the world. Then relax and revel in the closeness between you and your lover and soon, you’ll find that your actions have actually changed your mood!

Libido-buster #4: Fatigue: New fall schedules may throw your entire household off-kilter, leaving everyone short on sleep and irritable.

Libido Enhancer: A good night’s rest: Remember, it really is best to get a full eight hours every night, and kids need more. Make sure the kids are going to bed early enough to rise without a fight. Get up (and go to bed) at the same times on weekends as weekdays to fight fatigue with a consistent schedule.
One big benefit of fall? The shorter days mean longer nights – think about turning in early after you put the kids to bed to rekindle the romantic spark of summer.

Libido-buster #5: Weight gain: Now that bikini season’s over, you may feel as if there’s less reason to watch what you eat. Cooler weather brings cravings for comfort food, which make it easier to pack on the pounds. Extra layers of clothing, too, can leave you feeling less than desirable.

Libido-enhancer: A new wardrobe? Back-to-school shopping isn’t just for the kids. If budget permits, treat yourself to a sexy new outfit. And don’t forget the lingerie. Then go home, take a hot bath, complete with candles around the tub and sensual suds. Slip on your new ensemble, and prepare to seduce your lover. You look wonderful, dah-ling!

The world mourned another entertainment icon when Patrick Swayze, 57, lost his two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Swayze’s career skyrocketed in 1987 with the release of the sleeper hit, Dirty Dancing. In more recent years, he went into film production and theatre work and also had a continuing role on The Beast television series. IMDB quotes Swayze as saying: “How do you nurture a positive attitude when… statistics say you’re a dead man? You go to work.”

In 1991, he was named Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine. It’s not surprising, then, that Swayze starred in two of what many consider the sexiest movies of that time: Dirty Dancing (1987) and Ghost (1990).

So let’s rewind to the 1980s for a moment – an era when movies began evolving from the subtle onscreen sensuality seen in previous generations to more blatant sexuality. It was the Reagan era: skirts were short, paychecks were large, Madonna danced “Like a Virgin,” and these were the eight sexiest films of the eighties…

Nine and 1/2 Weeks (1986)– In an informal poll, every single person over the age of 35 listed Nine and Half Weeks as the number one sexiest film of the era. I suspect those younger weren’t permitted to watch this film when it was released! With its blatant sexuality and much more than just BDSM “overtones” this movie created scandal when it was first released in 1986. Starring the always sexy Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke, Nine and ½ Weeks was about as close to soft porn as you could get at that time and still earn an R-rating in U.S. theatres.

Dirty Dancing (1987) - Jennifer Grey’s innocence contrasted with Patrick Swayze’s sheer sensuality epitomized everything a good romance should be. Dirty Dancing entertained us, made us laugh, made us cry, and changed the way we danced. Patrick Swayze also showed off his singing voice in this one; She’s Like the Wind reached #3 on Billboard’s Top 100 and #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

Bull Durham (1988) – “I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.” This quote alone places Bull Durham in the number three slot, and also set pretty high standards for make out sessions of the time. Kevin Costner. Susan Sarandon. Baseball. Poetry. Handcuffs. ‘Nuff said.

Footloose (1984) – I honestly can’t think of anything Kevin Bacon was in that wasn’t incredibly sexy on some level, including Waterworld. (You have to love a man who can breathe through his ears.) But this movie launched his career and from those first dance moves to his moving speech in the church, passion is what puts Footloose on my list.

Weird Science (1985) – This one didn’t come to my mind immediately, but in an informal poll enough people endorsed it that I want to add it to the list. Granted, decades later Anthony Michael Hall grew into quite the heartthrob (hey, in a post about the 80s, I get to use words like “heartthrob”) but the film’s real appeal is Kelly LeBrock as the lab-created “Lisa,” who puts the most realistic-looking RealSkin blow-up doll to shame.

Dangerous Liaisons (1988) – The risqué plot involving love games and casual sex puts this one on the list. Hot as can be, with an all-star cast. Michelle Pfeiffer adds to the appeal, although personally, I liked her better as Catwoman in the 1992 Batman Returns.

This list really could go on and on. Honorable mentions include Basic Instinct, American Gigolo, Fatal Attraction and so many others. What’s your favorite sexy movie of the 80s?

As many readers and frequent customers to this website know, we are based in New York. Perhaps that’s why, eight years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, I feel compelled to write something – a memory, a tribute, some acknowledgment of the anniversary of an event that impacted not just New Yorkers, but all Americans.

What could 9-11 and sex possibly have in common? More than you might imagine, according to several sex researchers, including New Yorker Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and author of Why Him, Why Her?

Chemical Attractions

Unusual experiences, or novelty, Fisher notes in an article in Obit Magazine, increases the release of dopamine in the brain, which then triggers an increase in testosterone. That hormone enhances the sex drive in both men and women. Death – the great unknown – is novel and unusual enough to cause the “funeral sex” effect in our brains.

Highlighted, and lampooned, in movies like The Wedding Crashers, post-funeral sex is actually quite common. When we look into that casket, we face our own mortality then seek to celebrate our life. Few things make you feel quite alive as truly great sex. Also, following funerals, we seek comfort, and that, too, can be found in the primal connection between two people.

Sex after September 11

Now consider a day like September 11, 2001 – few living Americans ever experienced a tragedy of that magnitude before (and hopefully never will again). Fear, danger and novelty abounded. Not surprisingly, then, in the weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 11, more New Yorkers were having sex, at least according to some accounts.

The LA Times ran an article in October of that year describing a phenomenon called “terror sex” or “end-of-the-world” sex. Some experts attribute it to a biological desire to procreate in the face of death; bad things are happening around us but the species must survive.

Other experts say people used sex as a means to cope with the fear and vulnerability we felt. We sought comfort in others, because we all had the same feelings: grief, sadness, anger, fear. Nearly everyone in the New York area experienced a mere two degrees of separation from someone who had been killed in the attack.

A third theory for the increased sex following September 11 cites people acting impulsively as they faced their own mortality. Thoughts of: “It could have been me” made people live more in the moment, sharing feelings they may not have shared otherwise and taking greater risks. In some cases, those risks involved sex with strangers. In others, it was finally marrying a long-time lover, starting a family, or leaving a secure career to pursue their passion.

Maybe that, eight years later, is the “good” we can take from the terror attacks that changed America. In a post-9-11 world, we still never know what lurks around the bend, individually or as a nation.

Take a risk. Follow your passion. Say, “I love you.” Have wild, uninhibited sex with a partner, or partners, of your choice (but be safe.) Celebrate life.

It seems that about five minutes after paper was invented, someone invented porn. The Turin Erotic Papyrus, sometimes called Papyrus 55001, is a collection of 12 erotic “stories” discovered on ancient Egyptian scrolls.

In each of the 12 pictures, couples enjoy different sexual positions – some highly unlikely, or, at the very least, extremely uncomfortable. Since the scrolls’ discovery, people have been speculating whether the 12 drawings are a message to the gods, a fertility ritual, or  evidence of the earliest erotica. Maybe a combination of all three.

In his report “Eros in Egypt,” scholar David O’Connor describes the scrolls: “In each vignette a grotesquely aroused, unkempt man has sexual relations with an attractive young woman. The woman, while virtually naked, is decidedly more elegant than her partner. The sexual positions are varied and extremely vivid.”

That sounds eerily like the DVD I watched last night. It seems porn hasn’t changed much in 3,200-or-so years.

The scrolls depict Egyptians drinking alcohol, gathered around tables partying, and having sex. More evidence not much has changed.

The most surprising thing about the scrolls is that it seems to contradict the Egyptians’ other, more chaste drawings, particularly  hieroglyphs carved into cave walls. For instance, a man and woman may sit side-by-side at a table, symbolizing their marriage and union, but they rarely touch.

The Egyptians also leaned toward euphemistic symbols. A bow and arrow, used to depict “shooting,” may mean “ejaculation.” Some drawings would feature a burly man shooting his “arrow” directly at a female figure.

Aside from the erotic papyrus, the really juicy drawings were found on the cave walls where Egyptian kings were buried. While ancient Egyptians were extremely discrete about sex between mortal men and women, for the gods, life was one big orgy. Many photos of the well-endowed god of fertility, Min, grace cave walls. One would never see a human male unclothed in most Egyptian drawings.

Even between gods, however, sex between a male and female in human form was taboo. Instead, gods cavorted in animal form. The most famous example is a love scene between Osiris and Isis, in which Osiris lies aroused, face up, while Isis flies over him in the form of a bird. Apparently, for the ancient Egyptians, bestiality was okay.

But, moving back to the scrolls – one of the most interesting panels depicts an orgy, with at least three couples engaged in different sexual activities. In the center of the panel, a naked woman sits perched on a cone-like seat, as her partner’s hand gropes her. Is this evidence of the first ancient sex toy?

Perhaps the real question is, “Who cares?” We all know sex has been around as long as there were beings around to reproduce, but it’s fascinating to think about ancient civilizations enjoying the same pleasures we do — complete with friends, spirits and even sex toys!

As a professional sex blogger, my job is to keep readers entertained and informed. In some posts, I seek simply to instruct, sharing an array of tips and tricks you can employ in your own bedroom.

But in my spare time, I’ve been known to pen some pretty creative erotica. I’m talking fantasies that make Penthouse letters look tame. Group sex, sex in public places, sex with celebrities, sex with elves… Okay, I’m kidding about the last part.

But you don’t need a BA in journalism or a fancy title like professional sex blogger to write stories that will entice your lover while giving depth, breadth and realism to your fantasies. If I had to share the biggest benefit to writing erotica, it’s the opportunity to lay out intricate fantasies on plain white paper, making them one step closer to reality.

How do you write erotica? The rules for writing good erotica are the same rules that apply to writing anything. These tips will make the entire process easier. But above all, don’t worry about the quality. Are you enjoying the process of writing? Does your lover enjoy reading it? That’s all that matters.

These five tips will help you get over any fears of the blank screen and permit you to pen pornographic prose that will delight readers – and yourself!

1. Be yourself. People think writing (any sort of writing) is difficult because they think it should sound different from how they talk. Just be yourself. Sit down and share a story.

2. Remember your characters. Most unpublished fiction falls flat because the characters don’t have personalities. Much amateur erotica doesn’t make the grade because the characters have no motivation other than to, by the end of the story, get Point A into Slot B.To avoid this common faux pas, write out a quick “character sketch” of your main characters. What is their history? What do they look like? What are their key personality traits and their motivations? Incorporate these details throughout the story to help create living, breathing characters. For beginners making a foray into erotica, you may wish to pattern the characters after yourself and your lover. Not only is this easy – it’s hot!

3. Give it a plot. It’s definitely okay to write to “get to the sex scene,” in the style of most porn flicks. But if you strive to raise your story above the level of “porn” to “erotica,” incorporate a plot. Let your imagination run wild. This is your fantasy, after all. Just remember, conflict drives your plot. The simplest version is: character A wants something. Character B is blocking them. Most plots derive from some variation of that basic formula. See? Writing is easy!

4. Show, don’t tell. If you’ve ever taken a creative writing course, you’ve heard this adage. But what does it mean? Use details to permit your story to unfold naturally.Telling: He climbed on top of her and they started fucking.Showing: He looked down at her naked body, glistening with sweat and sprawled spread-eagle across the downy white comforter. Her big brown eyes seemed to say, “Take me.” And he did. He wasted no time in bending over her form, pushing himself forcefully inside her. They both moaned with pleasure from the first penetration. The mattress seemed to groan from the added weight, and soon, his thrusts kept time with the squeaking springs.

5. Use all five senses. Sex is about so much more than visual and tactile sensations. There’s your lover’s unique scent. Gentle moans, soft groans, and loud squeals. And don’t forget the exciting tastes – lips, tongue, love juices. Write your story to appeal to all five senses… and soon, you’ll find your lover appealing to you to write the sequel – or maybe enact it in real life!