TresSugar

Are You Loud in Bed?

TresSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Englishwoman Caroline Cartwright likes to be loud when she makes love - so loud that her "unnatural" screams that sounded like "murder" and which were heard by the neighborhood children and postman got her convicted for a statutory noise violation.

Cartwright tried to appeal the conviction on grounds that it violated her right to privacy, but a magistrate upheld the conviction. The court reasoned:

"It certainly was intrusive and constituted a statutory nuisance. It was clearly of a very disturbing nature and it was also compounded by the duration - this was not a one-off, it went on for hours at a time. It is further compounded by the frequency of the episode, virtually every night."

Well, now we know that Caroline was having hours-long sex almost every night. Not bad! While I'm sure none of you would get a noise violation for your sexual screams, do you consider yourself loud in bed?

Condoms vs. the Pill: Which Do You Prefer?

TresSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0700

When it comes to preferred methods of contraception among women, condoms have now caught up to the contraceptive pill in the UK. According to a new survey, condoms and the pill are equally popular among women, and those who said they preferred condoms cited its ability to protect against STDs. Of course I'm sure many cautious women use both methods, and with all the other contraception options out there, maybe you use neither! But if you had to choose between the condom and the pill, which do you prefer?

British TV Tries to Capture Truth About Domestic Violence

TresSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0700

The BBC has put together a five-part thriller about domestic violence just in time for domestic violence awareness month. The TV series, titled Criminal Justice 2, is being hailed as an accurate and moving depiction of abusive relationships.

Criminal Justice 2 takes a critical look at Britain's criminal justice system through the eyes of one individual: an abused woman who retaliates against her abuser. The main character, Juliet, suffers abuse at the hands of her husband, a handsome and respected lawyer. After stabbing him, she lands in the criminal justice system, where she meets much scrutiny. The movie explores questions of psychological and sexual abuse and tries to uncover whether society helps victims of domestic violence regain their sense of self, or whether it makes their problems worse.

I wish I saw thoughtful programs like this on American television more regularly. Would you tune in?

Say What? The Brits Know the Truth About Beauty

TresSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700

“The English at heart know that beauty is a cheat; it is an unfair advantage, a distraction from the real qualities that you want in a girl: the ability to fry a breakfast with a hangover, have sex in the rain without complaining, flatten an intruder with a left hook, sink a pint, tell a joke, take a joke, be a brick, be a mate, be a mum."

- Reporting from the south of France, British columnist AA Gill explains that while French women might have the chic, unattainable beauty thing down, English women know that a free spirit is a beautiful thing, too. Perhaps the male writer's extensive musings on the differences between women is just another way to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Front Page: Huge Gender Pay Disparity in UK's Financial Sector

TresSugar — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:00:36 -0700

Women who work in the UK financial sector can earn about 80 percent less than men, according to a new inquiry. - The Guardian
An Obama adviser who came under fire for being tied to the 9/11 Truth movement has quit. - AP
President Obama will make the case for a public insurance plan when he speaks to a joint session of Congress about health care on Wednesday. - AP
As many as 800 fake polling sites were set up in Afghanistan where no one voted, but thousands of votes were recorded mostly for incumbent President Hamid Karzai. - New York Times

One in Three Teen Girls in UK Reports Abuse by Boyfriends

TresSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:25:56 -0700

Results from an in-depth study paint a depressing picture of widespread sexual abuse across the UK. One-third of teen-girl participants reported suffering unwanted sexual acts while in relationships, and a quarter of them said they had been physically assaulted by their boyfriends.

Nine out of 10 of the 13- to 17-year-old girls surveyed said they had been in an intimate relationship. The research revealed that a girl in a relationship had a higher risk of abuse from a partner if she had previously been physically abused by an adult family member or if she had an older boyfriend. In fact, three-fourths of the young girls with a significantly older boyfriend said they were victims of abuse.

The girls reported that they put up with the abuse, which ranged from slapping, punching, and biting to forced kissing, sexual touching, or rape, because they felt scared, guilty, or fearful that they would lose their boyfriend.

Let's hope this knowledge will help parents, teachers, and others who work with young people find ways to protect them from abuse and stop the cycle of domestic violence.

Britain to Impose Booze-Ban on "Antisocial" Drunks

TresSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Starting today, anyone who behaves "antisocially" while drunk can be banned from pubs, bars, and other public places in England and Wales for up to two years.

Many people in Britain believe that drastic policing like this must be used to change the culture of heavy drinking. But not everyone is on board with the latest crackdowns - or booze antisocial behavior orders (ASBO). One civil liberties activist says:

It will be jelly bean ASBO for sugared-up kids next. Surely it's time to call last orders on endless new legislation.

While this is the first time antisocial behavior orders will be handed out for public drunks, British courts have been using them to curb other bad behavior for some time now. So what else counts as anti-social behavior in the UK? Earlier this month, a man was given an animal ASBO after bees from his hives repeatedly stung the neighbors. The beekeeper was ordered to move his hives. And a magistrate judge gave another Brit an ASBO for throwing shopping carts outside a supermarket two or three times per week. The ASBO makes it criminal for the man to throw shopping carts going forward. That sounds about right.

Do you think this sort of targeted justice is the best way to solve societal problems like excessive alcohol consumption? Will telling a drunk that he can't go to pubs and bars for a couple of years change anything?

Say What? Women Can't Look Like the Back End of a Bus

TresSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:05:07 -0700

"You can't look like the back end of a bus, and you do have to scrub up quite well. But do you have to be a beauty? No. Do you have to pay more attention to your appearance than the blokes do? Yes. If you look like the back end of the bus, as a woman you won't get the job. If you look like the back end of a bus as a bloke, you might get the job."

- Accomplished British journalist Fiona Bruce explains the important role a woman's appearance plays in advancing a television career. Bruce, 45, is probably Britain's most senior broadcaster, or you might say, the most trusted woman in news.

Have you found that women who look good and "scrub up quite well" get ahead more in your field of work?

Stats on Staring! What Do You Know About Ogling?

TresSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Everyone had a good laugh last month when an inconvenient photo of President Obama "checking out" a woman in Rome hit the Internet. (Was he or wasn't he?) Fascinated with the topic of ogling, a British firm decided to research how much time men and women spend with their eyes fixed on the opposite sex. The results are pretty fun! See if you can guess the lecherous tendencies of both sexes.

Source

Take the quiz

Say What? Why Teen Wants a Boob Job

TresSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:41 -0700

"The things I don't like about my body are my breasts. . . . I spend almost 100 percent of my life thinking about it."

- 13-year-old Kianna explains why she thinks a boob job will improve her self-esteem. She says she's envious of her more-developed friends who don't stand out like she does.

A new survey reveals that nine out of ten of teenage girls in the UK are unhappy with their bodies. In a recent program, the BBC had young girls considering plastic surgery, like Kianna, meet with women who have regrets about their own surgeries. After the experience, Kianna changed her mind for now.

Source: Flickr User This Is A Wake Up Call