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Travel & Party News
Hormones in Semen Shown to Make Women Feel Good
LONDON (Reuters) - Hormones in semen may help to ease female depression
because women whose partners don't use condoms are less likely to feel
down.
Scientists at the State University of New York suspect
the mood-altering hormones are absorbed through the vagina and make
women feel good but they stressed that their results are not an excuse
for unprotected sex.
"I want to make it clear that we are not advocating that
people abstain from using condoms," Gordon Gallup, who led the study,
told New Scientist magazine on Wednesday. "Clearly an unwanted pregnancy
or a sexually transmitted disease would more than offset any advantageous
psychological effects of semen," he added.
The researchers assessed the moods of 300 female students
using a standard questionnaire. A score of more than 17 was considered
moderately depressed. Women whose partners never used condoms scored
about eight on the test while those who never had sex without condoms
scored 11.3. Women who weren't having sex at all scored about 13.5.
Depression in the students who sometimes or never used
condoms was more severe the longer they went without sex. The scientists
said they looked at other factors, such as the use of oral contraceptives,
frequency of sex and personality type, but found that none could account
for the findings.
The magazine said the results are not a complete surprise
because scientists know that semen contains several mood-altering hormones
including testosterone. "Some of these have been detected in a woman's
blood within hours of exposure to semen," the magazine said. The scientists
suspect semen will have the same effect on women regardless of how they
are exposed to it.
Cambodia Government Brings New Meaning to Getting
"Tanked!"
From our friends at www.Cyberstuff.net:
"This is too goofy not to report:
"PHNOM PEHN, Cambodia (Dec 26, 2001) -Prime Minister Hun Sen,
who has launched a stern crackdown on Cambodia's nightlife, unveiled
a new punishment Wednesday for rogue karaoke bars -- destruction by
tanks.
'If we know of any karaoke parlor still open, go to close it immediately
and take tanks to knock it down,' Hun Sen told a military commander
during a speech broadcast on state radio.
Last month Sen ordered thousands of nightclubs, discotheques and karaoke
parlors to close in a nationwide crackdown on vice. The move sparked
protests from thousands of people who said their livelihoods had been
destroyed.
Talk about killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer!"
It's "E-Day" As Euro Attacks Europe
It had to happen sometime.
For better or worse – and many Americans fear it
will be the latter – Europe's common currency became a realithy
on January 1.
Official euro currency will hit the streets that day in
the 12 EU states. Officials – who referred to Jan. 1 at "E-Day"
– are hoping to withdraw use of national banknotes and coins
by Feb. 28.
"Colorful" euro banknotes (in Euro PR-speak)
will be issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros,
while coins will be worth 2 euros, 1 euro and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1
"cents."
The designs on the banknotes are symbolic for Europe's
architectural heritage. They do not represent any existing monuments.
Windows and gateways dominate the front side of each banknote as symbols
of the spirit of openness and cooperation in the EU . The reverse side
features a bridge from a particular age, a metaphor for communication
among the people of Europe and between Europe and the rest of the world
(again, this message brought to you in Euro-speak).
Every euro coin will carry a common European face. Each
Member State will decorate the coins with their own motifs. No matter
which motif is on the coins they can be used anywhere inside the 12
Member States.
Participating states are Deutschland, España, France,
Ireland, Italia, Luxembourg, Nederland, Österreich, Portugal, Suomi
and Greece.
We will have to see how it goes, and not just at banks
but at bars, restaurants, clubs and small and family-operatd hotels.
In short, all the places we really care about visiting.
For more, check out the Euro's
Internet site.
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