Donating Sperm can be emotional and a threat

An electronics company engineer who the U.S. government considers a one-man sperm bank has fathered an estimated 14 children through free donations of his semen that he advertises over the Internet.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the San Francisco Bay-area sperm donor poses a threat to public health and has ordered him to stop or face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
But Trent Arsenault, a healthy, 36-year-old bachelor who professes a strong religious upbringing, sees his sperm giveaways as acts of compassion and insists he's not abandoning his genetic generosity without a fight.
"Whatever happens with me sets a precedent, which could mean a lot of childless couples," he told Reuters on Monday. "Does the government need to be in people's bedrooms?"
He and the FDA are now embroiled in what is believed to be the first legal battle of its kind, one that has drawn national media attention and could test the limits of the agency's authority to regulate private donations of sperm offered as gifts directly to prospective mothers rather than through commercial sperm banks.
Such donations, often provided by men who are close friends of the recipients, have grown more frequent as single women, lesbian partners and heterosexual couples with fertility problems increasingly turn to alternative sources for artificial insemination.
Arsenault's prolific willingness to share his genetic material, which he promotes on a website touting his fitness as a donor, caught the scrutiny of the FDA.
PROLIFIC DONOR
During the past five years, he has given his sperm on more than 328 occasions to at least 46 women, resulting in 14 births, according to the FDA's best estimates from documentation Arsenault himself provided. This, the agency maintains, poses a risk to public health.
"Under FDA's regulations, sperm donors are required to be screened for risk factors that may increase the chances of transmitting a communicable disease," FDA spokesperson Rita Chappelle explained in an email.
Sperm banks must comply with precise requirements that include a battery of tests to ensure that the donated sperm does not carry human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B or C, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, human T-lymphotropic virus, cytomegalovirus or various genetic disorders.
Arsenault gets himself screened every six months for that entire list of diseases but cannot afford the specific FDA-approved tests he is supposed to undergo within seven days of each sperm donation, at a cost of $1,700, he said.
The stringent, costly testing regimen is the main reason sperm banks charge hundreds of dollars for their services, says Sherron Mills, executive director of the Pacific Reproductive Services in San Francisco.
Rates there range from $425 to $600 or more per insemination, and any woman who finds such a sum too onerous to pay is probably unable to afford routine costs associated with being a parent, Mills said. "Once you have kids, it costs every bit as much every month," she said.
INSPECTORS AT THE DOOR
FDA regulators paid four visits last year to Arsenault's home in Fremont, California, a few miles east of San Francisco, to inspect what they regarded as his sperm-bank operation there, even though he only provides his own semen and does not charge for his services.
The FDA's inquiry culminated last fall with one final visit by agency officials to his home, accompanied by police, to hand-deliver the cease-and-desist order.
Chappelle declined to say whether the agency is investigating any other freelance sperm donors, many of whom advertise their services on the Internet. But Arsenault has retained a lawyer who is handling his court challenge.
Pending the outcome of the case, the FDA has refrained from enforcing its order, and Arsenault said he has continued to donate sperm.
Besides providing greater health safeguards, Mills said, sperm banks offer their customers stronger legal protection from donors who might try to assert their paternity rights after a child is born.
Arsenault signs forms waiving any parental rights. But Mills said such agreements have been voided in some California cases when a medical doctor was absent from the transaction.
Eleanor Nicoll, spokeswoman for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said the involvement of a physician is beneficial in and of itself. "If you're trying to address a medical problem, you should seek medical treatment," she said.
But Arsenault argues that outlawing the kind of free service he provides runs the risk of driving some women to seek sperm donations from more questionable sources.
"If you shut out the sperm donors, they are going to have to meet some bar dude," he said. "Spouses would have to cheat on each other."
Arsenault said he gets to know couples before donating to them and maintains relationships with many of the children conceived with his sperm, one reason he doesn't want to stop.
"I have made a commitment to families I donated to," he said. "It's a big emotional process to partner with a donor."

Santa vs Satan

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40 psyche-pop tunes serve as the soundtrack for the bizarre Santa Claus vs.The Devil (1959) in a special Christmas Eve mix from us to you.
01. “Is Anybody Home” - The Mirage
02. “Henry Adams” - The Frederic
03. “Princess Of The Gingerland” - Glitterhouse
04. “Travelling Circus” - The Epics
05. ‘Punch And Judy Man” - Pop Workshop
06. “Red, White And You” - Sounds Around
07. “The View” - Gary Walker and The Rain
08. “Tomorrow Today” - Kippington Lodge
09. “You’ll Find Me Anywhere” - Hi-Revving Tongues
10. Mix within the mix featuring The Groop, The Kinks,
    The Tages, The Exceptions, The Cyrkle, Frank Zappa,
    The Zombies, Mark Eric, The Sidewalk Skipper Band,
    The Beach Boys, Stained Glass, The Shaggy Boys,
    Free Design, Eternity’s Children, Summer Snow,
    The Counts, Johnny Cobb and The Attractions,
    The Family Tree (courtesy of FCR)
11. “What Are You Gonna Do” - The Summer Set
12. “Stop” - The Pan Pipers
13. “My Race Is Run” - The Motleys
14. “Buses” - The Hung Jury
15. “Alfred Appleby” - The Carnival Connection
16. “You Gotta Be With Me” - The Onyx
17. “Midnite Thoughts” - The World Column
18. “In The Land Of Make Believe” Jennifer’s Friend
19. “Walk In The Sky” The Crackerjack Society
20. “Your Way To Tell Me Go” - Plastic Penny
21. “Green Circles (Italian version)” - The Small Faces

There are so many - albeit unintentionally - disturbing elements to Rene Cardona’s film that it’s difficult to select just one. Advertised as “an enchanting world of make-believe”, it’s a whacked out battle between Father Chrimbo and Satan, who sends his minion, Pitch, to interfere in the spreading of comfort and joy. Prime nuggets? Pitch whispering to the young ‘uns that Santa’s actually a murderer (classy!) and Santa’s cloud-borne castle that looks less like a cheery base for making toys and more like something from a Bond villain’s architectural wet dream.

Santa Claus vs. The Devil vs. Psyche Pop from Django's Ghost on Vimeo.



Enjoy the music. I don’t think you’ll miss the dialog. Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Drunk History Christmas

It has Eva Mendez, so it's not that bad

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Happy Bday Lucy

Senior Sex

Ewwwww!

What a bunch of idiots at Bunche Beach.
First clue it's a trap: You're a senior between 62-81 years old and a younger man indicates that he may be interested in having sex with you — at a public park.



Lee County Sheriff's Office undercover detects conducted a sting operation at Bunche Beach after receiving complaints of men participating in acts of lewdness in public, according to a Lee County Sheriff's Office news release.
During the two-hour sting, three men approached undercover male detectives at separate times and engaged in conversations indicating they were looking for some sexual action. All three men exposed themselves to the detectives.
Busted and deflated:
Larry Dean Richardson, 62, of Deerfield, Illinois; Martin Schasel, 73, of Holland, New York, and James Tobin, 81, of Fort Myers, were all charged with engaging, committing or offering lewdness.

6 Offbeat Holidays remain

1. December 18th: National Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day
Allegedly there once was a Hallmark card for National Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day, therefore it must be a real holiday. If you choose to celebrate, let’s everyone agree to use new plungers.
2. December 20th: Louisiana Purchase Day
On this day in 1803, France officially relinquished its control of New Orleans to the United States, thus giving America over 800,000 square miles of new territory. The Louisiana Purchase did not actually include what we know today as the entire state of Louisiana; only the territory west of the Mississippi, as Spain still had ownership of the rest of it.
3. December 22nd: The Shortest Day of the Year
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, December 22nd is the shortest day of the year — the day when the Earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. While there’s no official ceremonial observance, it is believed that mystical structures such as Stonehenge and Newgrange were built with the sunrise and set of winter solstice in mind. And for all the Jim Henson fans out there, you can awaken the Great Bell at the center of Fraggle Rock by giving gifts and ringing tiny bells.
4. December 22nd: Head to Plymouth for Forefathers’ Day
Observed primarily in Plymouth, Massachusetts, since the late 1700s, Forefathers’ Day commemorates the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock in 1620. The traditional celebratory dish served for Forefathers’ Day is Plymouth Succotash, with corned beef, fowl, salt pork, beans, potatoes and green-top turnips.
5. December 23rd: A Day to Air All Grievances
Then of course, there’s always Festivus for the rest of us. Invented by fictional Seinfeld character Frank Costanza, this secular holiday that involves gathering around an aluminum pole and airing out your grievances has continued to gain a following since its introduction in 1997. If you haven’t seen the episode, there’s an entire website that spells out how to celebrate Festivus from start to finish. (Note: It wasn’t technically invented by Frank Costanza. As reader Mike points out, it was the creation of Seinfeld writer Dan O’Keefe’s father. Test your Festivus knowledge with this quiz.)
6. December 26th: Alms for the Poor and Goals for the Soccer Players
Boxing Day may have been inspired by King Wenceslas, who one December 26th decided to gather up all of his leftover food, wine and gifts and bequeath them to a peasant. While he inspired the holiday, it is believed the Church of England technically founded it. There’s also speculation that it happened to be the day aristocrats give presents to their servants, and Boxing Day evolved from there. Today, Boxing Day has no real religious connotation and is more of an extra day off to drink and watch sports. Nonetheless it is still a national holiday in the UK and many countries once part of the British Empire.
* * *
Does reading this list make you think just about anyone can start his or her own offbeat holiday? You’re probably right. Feel free to lobby for your own new day of celebration in the commen

Where to go for a drink

Finally a website to help you find drinking establishments

45 Best Mugshots of 2011

Scoth anyone

As a Christmas present to the world, Johnnie Walker recruited the voluptuous ginger queen Christina Hendricks to model their product. Simple yet sexy, it's the hottest fully-clothed marketing campaign we've come across in a while. After browsing, that sudden compulsion to throw on a John Coltrane LP ("My Favorite Things," perhaps?) and kick back a few Scotches-on-the-rocks in the yuletide glow of your Christmas tree is no coincidence, my friend. Ah, a smooth, blended-whisy toast to the refined things in life. Just save some of the Blue, please. Proceed to the next few pages for 10 slides of Hendricks as a JW pitchwomen. Happy holidays.

Man prints fake obituary of own mom to get day off work

A 45-year-old Pennsylvania man has been charged with a crime after publishing a fake obituary of his own mother in order to get time off work.
It sounds like the sort of unfeeling stunt worthy of "Seinfeld" character George Costanza, but Scott Bennett has been charged with disorderly conduct after sending in the fake obituary to the Jeffersonian Democrat newspaper, which then ran the story. Democrat editor Randy Bartley said the obituary was accepted in good faith, even though his staff had been unable  to confirm the funeral arrangement details as of press time.
And to paraphrase the famous Mark Twain line, reports of the woman's death were greatly exaggerated.
Bennet's mother was, indeed, the whistleblower in the case, placing a series of calls to Bartley and Democrat staffers, insisting she was in fact still alive.
But like any good journalism outlet, the Jeffersonian Democrat needed more facts. So Ms. Bennett showed up to the paper in person to prove her existence. Bartley said that, all things considered, she was "very understanding" about her own falsely reported death.

Police Chief Ken Dworek says Bennett wrote up the memorial notice because he didn't want to get fired for taking time off.

Swingers Club Shut Down

Seffner, a community of about 5,500 people, apparently housed a new attraction: A swingers pad.
But authorities shutdown the swingers house, an unassuming home that sat behind a white picket fence well off the street, and arrested four people accused of operating the business, reports the St. Petersburg Times.


Inside the swingers club, detectives found three bedrooms lined wall to wall with beds. The living-room had some unique decor: A dancing pole, a spanking table and large-screen TVs playing porno films, according to reports.
Busted: Owners and operators Steven Bowers, 56, and his wife, Cynthia Lynn Bowers, 55, both of St. Petersburg, plus an Orlando couple, Ricky Zabala, 55, and his wife, Pamela Zabala, 54, who ran the club when the owners were away.
Authorities say they saw as many as 50 folks at one time inside the home when they were in the full swing of things.

Happy Bday Jennifer

Santa 2 weeks away

Ready or not, he is coming down your chimney in 2 weeks

Hangover Cure for sale

The "Alka-Seltzer like tablet" is not an actual new ingredient, but rather a potent combination of caffeine, aspirin and an antacid. ABC News reports that the product, called "Blowfish," is already available at the Ricky's pharmaceutical chain in New York City and is scheduled to be introduced nationally in January.
"It's the only over-the-counter drug that's specifically hangover related," Blowfish creator Brenna Haysom told ABC News. "The [Food and Drug Administration] has specifically said our formula is effective for treating hangover symptoms."
Technically, the FDA did not have to approve of the product as a "hangover cure," since it is composed of ingredients already available for over-the-counter sales. But agency officials did have to approve of the drug's packaging.
"Like all drug packaging, it has a lot of warnings for people with certain conditions," Haysom said. "And pregnant women should not take it, but hopefully they don't need to be taking it!"

Is Blowfish the long-sought "hangover cure?"

Of course, there's no proof that this self-described cure would be any more effective than taking aspirin, caffeine and antacid in separate forms. But in spite--or maybe because of--the paucity of scientifically tested cures, the hangover remedy has become its own cottage industry, with various treatments ranging from greasy food to Kung Fu. The most commonly accepted way of mitigating the harmful effects of alcohol, short of abstaining, is drinking water. But the Blowfish pill does pack a powerful punch, containing 1,000mg of aspirin and 120 milligrams of caffeine, more than what's found in the typical cup of coffee.
"Almost no research at all has been done on the hangover state," said Dr. Timothy Collins, associate professor of medicine and neurology at Duke University Medical Center's Pain and Palliative Care Clinic., told ABC. "One of the things we know from headache clinical trials is that at least 25 percent of patients getting a placebo say it worked really well for them. One in four people are going to say this helps, but we just don't know."
Nonetheless, the makers of Blowfish are confident enough in their product's performance to offer a money-back guarantee.

Kid Enjoys A Beer During A Soccer Match

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How long does it take a child to drink a beer at a soccer game?  No one knows the exact answer to that question, but after watching the following clip of a youngster enjoying a beer during Sunday’s Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Schalke, we are led to believe that the answer lies somewhere around 25 minutes.
That conclusion was drawn from the evidence in the video below, which shows a child enjoying a beer and wiener schnitzel in the 62nd minute of the match, before washing said beer and schnitzel down with a water (or full glass of vodka) in the 89th minute.
The legal drinking age in Germany may be 16, but I guess it is never too early to begin expanding your child’s palate.
 

Best Photos of the Year - Brew Crew choice

Best Photos of the Year - Reuters choice

Why do we watch tennis?

Sweet Caroline (GIF)

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I’m not quite sure if this move makes Caroline Wozniacki look good or bad with her fans.  On the one hand, anyone would love to be seated behind the sexy tennis star as she lifts her skirt and gives the viewers a sneak peak at her backside.  However, the last time I checked, no one likes being teased, which is exactly what I would call it when a woman shakes her booty in your face

Prius was safe

Click to view image gallery (Photo: AFP Photo/Yomiuri Shinbun)

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Authorities in Japan were still reconstructing Monday how eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and a few Mercedes-Benzes wrecked on an expressway Sunday morning, coating the road in an Italian red metal sauce worth more than $1 million. It’s not a sight for those squeamish about totaled supercars.

Some 14 cars in all were involved in the chain-reaction crash on an expressway named China Road in Yamaguchi prefecture, leaving 10 people with minor injuries. While the injuries were light, several of the vehicles appear totaled.

How did so many Ferraris end up on the road together? The group — which Japanese police officials called “a gathering of narcissists” — were driving to a supercar meet-up in Hiroshima, where about 100 vehicles were expected to show. As one driver who was invited along but passed noted, it was unusual for such a drive to take the expressway — where speeds are closely monitored and traffic can be thicker due to lower tolls on Sundays. Even so, the Ferraris were estimated to have been running between 80 mph and 100 mph when the crash happened.

Police and video reports say the wreck began when a 60-year-old businessman from Fukushima driving a Ferrari F430 attempted to pass a Toyota Prius, but instead hit the guardrail. That set off a chain reaction among the cars driving in a tight formation behind the lead Ferrari, eventually wrapping up seven other Ferraris — namely a 360 Modena, F355 and a white Testarossa — along with a Lamborghini Diablo and a couple of high-end Mercedes.

The Prius sustained some rear bumper damage, but escaped relatively unharmed

Bacon Lover Rejoice!

You've always been a lover of bacon.
Now you can be a bacon lover,
with baconlube™, the world's first
bacon-flavored personal lubricant
and massage oil.

Kentucky church bans interracial marriage

A small Kentucky church has chosen to ban marriages and even some worship services for interracial couples. The Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church, located in Pike County, made the vote in response to a longtime member who is engaged to a man whose birthplace is in Zimbabwe.
Other pastoral leaders in the area were quick to denounce the church's vote. "It's not the spirit of the community in any way, shape or form," Randy Johnson, president of the Pike County Ministerial Association, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The small congregation, which usually hosts about 40 members each Sunday, held the vote after longtime member Stella Harville, brought her fiancé Ticha Chikuni to church with her in June. The couple performed a song together at the church in which Chikuni sang "I Surrender All," while Harville played the piano.
Chikuni, 29, who works at Georgetown College, is black--and Harville, who was baptized at the church but is not an active member, is white. Dean Harville, Stella's father, said he was told by the church's former pastor Melvin Thompson that his daughter and her fiancé were not allowed to sing at the church again. However, Thompson recently stepped down and the church's new pastor, Stacy Stepp, said the couple was once again welcome to sing.
Stepp's decision prompted Thompson to put forth a recommendation saying that while all members are welcome at the church, it does not "condone" interracial marriage, and that any interracial couples would not be received as members or allowed to participate in worship services. The only exception? Funerals.
The Harville family has formally requested the congregation to reconsider the interracial ban, and Thompson has also said he would like to resolve the issue, the area CBS affiliate WYMT has reported.

A copy of the recommendation, obtained by WYMT, reads in part:

That the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals. All are welcome to our public worship services. This recommendation is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity among the church body and the community we serve.

Members of the church held a vote on Thompson's proposed language, with nine voting in favor and six voting against. The other members in attendance chose not to vote.
Gawker notes that Pike County is 98 percent white and home to the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud.
The Harville family doesn't see Gulnare's new policy promoting anything like unity or civil peace. "They're the people who are supposed to comfort me in times like these," Stella Harville said.
And Stella's father was much more forceful in his denunciation of the interracial ban. "It sure ain't Christian," Dean Harville said. "It ain't nothing but the old devil working."

Mountain Dew and Doritos cupcakes

Mountain Dew and Doritos cupcakes, Coca Cola and Ruffles cupcakes, Nehi Grape and Cheerwine cupcakes… hooooly fuck yeah. These junk food cupcake creations are the invention of John Rivers, owner of 4Rivers Smokehouse in Orlando and the soon to be opened 4River Sweetshop.

“I love dishes that mix the sweet and savory,” he told TODAY.com. “I’m just having a lot of fun developing these recipes.”

Rivers, the man behind 4Rivers Smokehouse in Orlando, is opening a bakery called 4River Sweetshop that will feature some wild new treats, including Coke and Ruffles cupcakes, Mountain Dew and Doritos cupcakes, Cheerwine cupcakes and, still in the works, Nehi grape soda cupcakes.

We got a chance to sample some and we have to say, Coke and Ruffles come together to make one beautiful cupcake, baby. The soda-flavored icing is not too sweet and balances really well with the salty, crunchy chips that top the cupcake and are also added to the cake batter.

Rivers says that he hopes to create a whole line of chips and soda cupcakes. He’s currently looking for a mate to go with Nehi grape soda, after deciding that pretzels just weren’t the right fit.

Ideal

Case Closed.