In the news

I think I'm a bit worn out after compiling that "100 Things" list last night. It's time to take a break from writing, and spotlight a few newsworthy items on the web right now.

How many women like chocolate? I love chocolate, but my husband likes to give me a hard time about eating too much of it (the words "gruba dupa" come to mind). However, this story reports that chocolate may actually be good for you in various ways. Hell, we knew this years ago.


Chocolate-fed women have better sex lives

Is chocolate better than sex? While some may argue yes, it turns out you may not have to make the call. Chocolate may just be good -- both to eat and for sex, according to a recent study.

Italian researchers found that women who ate chocolate on a daily basis had higher libidos than those who didn't. They also found that chocolate-fed women had better sexual arousal and more sexual satisfaction. Their scientific conclusion: The craving of choice for many women has some real benefits for our sex lives.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/berman/cst-ftr-berman21.html




Severed penis retrieved from toilet is reattached

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A 44-year-old Anchorage man has had his penis surgically reattached after it was cut off by an angry girlfriend and flushed down a toilet, local police say.

The events unfolded about midnight on Saturday, after the pair had been arguing over an impending breakup, an Anchorage Police Department statement said on Sunday. At some point, the two decided to have sex and the man agreed to let the woman tie his arms to a windowsill.
But the woman used a kitchen knife to amputate her partner's penis and flushed it down the toilet, police said. She untied the man, drove him to a local hospital and was cleaning up the bloody scene when police arrived at the home, according to the statement.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=856&ncid=856&e=15&u=/nm/20050221/od_uk_nm/oukoe_crime_penis

Just remember: you better really trust someone before you allow them to tie you up!




Florida man finds python in the potty

MIAMI (AFP) - A Florida man got a rude awakening when he reportedly found a six-foot (two-meter) python in his potty, rearing its diamond-shaped head out of the toilet bowl.

Shannon Scavotto immediately grabbed his camera phone, snapped a few shots and called for help.

But the reptile expert from animal control was out of town and a snake rescue company wanted 150 dollars, so Scavotto decided to take matters into his own hands.

The St. Petersburg resident lassoed the African rock python out of the toilet, under the watchful eyes of his wife and three-year-old daughter, the St. Petersburg Times reported.

He then called work to say he'd be late, but his boss found the story a little hard to swallow, until Scavotto showed up at his office with the snake.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1516&ncid=1516&e=1&u=/afp/20050224/od_afp/ussnakeoffbeat_050224202313

I found "Palmetto bugs" coming up through the shower drain when I lived in Florida, but this is ridiculous...

And finally...




Man's sperm got ex-lover pregnant, but U.S. appeals court nixes theft charge

CHICAGO (AP) - An appeals court said a man can press a claim for emotional distress after learning a former lover had used his sperm to have a baby. But he can't claim theft, the ruling said, because the sperm were hers to keep.

The ruling Wednesday by the Illinois Appellate Court sends Dr. Richard Phillips' distress case back to trial court.

Phillips accuses Dr. Sharon Irons of a "calculated, profound personal betrayal" after their affair six years ago, saying she secretly kept semen after they had oral sex, then used it to get pregnant.

He said he didn't find out about the child for nearly two years, when Irons filed a paternity lawsuit. DNA tests confirmed Phillips was the father, the court papers state.
...
The judges backed the lower court decision to dismiss the fraud and theft claims, agreeing with Irons that she didn't steal the sperm.

"She asserts that when plaintiff 'delivered' his sperm, it was a gift - an absolute and irrevocable transfer of title to property from a donor to a donee," the decision said. "There was no agreement that the original deposit would be returned upon request."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1835&ncid=1835&e=2&u=/cpress/20050224/ca_pr_on_od/oddity_sperm_theft