Beyond Tattoo Regret: The Public Health Dangers of Ink

- By Michael Yaremchuk, M.D. - 03/07/2013

Despite all the warnings and taboos in certain social circles, a 2012 Harris Poll found that 21 percent of Americans (one in five) has a tattoo, up from 14 percent in 2008. In the poll, 86 percent of people claimed to not regret the tattoo, but this varies. According to a study reported by The Huffington Post last July, close to one-third of people who have gotten a tattoo regret it.

Not surprisingly, with the rise of tattoos, we see a rise in demand for tattoo removal. Laser tattoo removal procedures increased 32 percent from 2011 to 2012 according to one survey, with "employment" often cited as the reason.

Given tattoos' increased popularity and decreased taboo factor in recent years, many people are under the impression that tattoos are extremely safe, especially if they visit a well-respected tattoo artist in a sterile setting. However, a 2012 New England Journal of Medicine article looks at the public health issues resulting from nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), a bacterial infection caused by contaminated tattoo ink -- ink that was contaminated before distribution to the parlors.

According to the FDA, which is looking into these issues: "M. chelonae, one of several disease-causing NTM species, can cause lung disease, joint infection, eye problems and other organ infections."

NTM infections are easy to misdiagnose, with symptoms that appear much like an allergic reaction (red papules, or solid, raised spots on the skin that often appear soon after a new tattoo). The infections are also difficult to treat, with some treatment plans lasting more than six months.

Due to the serious risks posed by contaminated ink, the FDA is encouraging health care providers, consumers and tattoo artists alike to report in with its MedWatch program in the hopes that these efforts will extend regulation beyond the tattoo parlor. A full list of recommendations on what to do if you suspect you might have NTM, as well as the causes of contaminated ink, are on the FDA's website.

Even for those who do not become infected with contaminated ink-related illnesses, the decision to get any permanent cosmetic procedure should not be made lightly. As with plastic surgery, the results of these procedures will become a part of you. Even with modern tattoo removal technology, your skin will never look the same -- scar tissue takes the place of the "removed" ink.

Before undergoing such a permanent procedure, I'd urge you to weigh the medical implications as well as the personal and professional ones. With the risks of infection, as well as the pain of laser tattoo removal, remember the permanent part of permanent ink. Despite the technological advances in laser surgery, it is very difficult to get rid of a tattoo's traces completely. Consider celebrities such as Angelina Jolie or Johnny Depp who still sport traces of tattoos with the name of their exes, though they've attempted to cover up with new tattoos or remove them with laser surgery. Tattoos become a permanent piece of your skin, and along with the emotional distress of choosing an image you might not want to live with after all, many find the remorse of infection or of inadequate removal to be equally painful.

For more by Michael Yaremchuk, M.D., click here.

For more on personal health, click here.

Lack of proper and early sex education, (porn is not sex education, porn trains men how to sexually abuse women) which includes masturbation techniques for healthy sexual release and satisfaction would have stop this and many other tragedies like it, and generally sexual crimes against girls, boys and women. If your school district is not teaching your children sex education, you the parents must do!

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Video Rant, Then Deadly Rampage in California Town, Sexual Frustration Kills - The Elliot Rodger Story

- By IAN LOVETT - MAY 24, 2014 - The New York Times

ISLA VISTA, Calif. — A college student who posted videos that documented his rage against women for rejecting him killed six people and wounded 13 others during a spasm of terror on Friday night, the police said. He stabbed three men to death in his apartment and shot the others as he methodically opened fire on bystanders on the crowded streets of this small town.

The gunman, identified by the police as Elliot O. Rodger, 22, was found dead with a bullet wound to his head after his black BMW crashed into a parked car following two shootouts with sheriff’s deputies near the University of California, Santa Barbara. The police said he had apparently taken his own life. Three semiautomatic handguns, along with 41 loaded 10-round magazines — all bought legally at local gun stores — were found in his car.

Barely 24 hours before the killing spree, Mr. Rodger, a student at Santa Barbara City College, had posted a video on YouTube in which he sat behind the steering wheel of his black BMW and for seven minutes recounted the isolation and sexual frustrations of his life, pausing for an occasional self-mocking laugh.

The gunman is believed to be Elliot Rodger, 22, who in a YouTube video above said he was sexually frustrated and about to go on “a mission of retribution.”

He spoke of the women who rejected him, the happiness he saw around him, and his life as a virgin at the age of 22. He called his message “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution,” and said it was the last video he would post.

“It all has to come to this,” Mr. Rodger says, his voice at once placid and chilling. “Tomorrow is the day of retribution. The day I will have my retribution against humanity. Against all of you. For the last eight years of my life, ever since I hit puberty, I’ve been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires. All because girls have never been attracted to me. In those years I’ve had to rot in loneliness.”

“I do not know why you girls aren’t attracted to me,” he said, “But I will punish you all for it.”

On Friday, at 9:27 p.m. in this town just north of Santa Barbara, the police said that Mr. Rodger started what turned out to be the second part of his revenge, which began shortly after he left his apartment, the first of the 12 crime scenes along Mr. Rodger’s route.

Witnesses said they saw three body bags being taken out from the apartment complex; the police said all three victims had been stabbed multiple times. Sheriff Bill Brown of Santa Barbara County described it as “a pretty horrific crime scene.”

In addition to the video, Mr. Rodger had prepared a 141-page manifesto laying out his plan for the killings, starting with luring potential victims to his apartment.

“We have obtained and are analyzing written and videotaped evidence that suggests that this atrocity was a premeditated mass murder,” Sheriff Brown said.

Mr. Rodger’s decision to target young women — in his video, he spoke bitterly of “stuck-up blonde” women who had refused his advances, preferring the “obnoxious young brutes” he saw walking on the beach or the tree-lined campus — was particularly chilling. This was what should have been a festive Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer; instead, the day was filled with images of women sobbing. In one case, a young woman recounted how a bullet had narrowly missed her head.

Kyle Sullivan, 19, a student at Santa Barbara City College, told CNN that he saw three women sprawled in the grass in front of the Alpha Phi sorority house. Only one of them appeared conscious and she had called her mother on her cellphone and told her in a frantic voice that she was not sure if she would survive.

In his manifesto, which he called “My Twisted World: The Story of Elliot Rodger,” Mr. Rodger said the police had visited his apartment in April, acting on the complaints of his mother, who was alarmed by videos he had posted online. He said he had managed to convince the police that there was nothing to worry about, and quickly took down the videos — posting them again in the days before what he called his “Day of Retribution.”

The sheriff acknowledged that deputies had visited Mr. Rodger’s apartment on April 30, but said he had appeared courteous and polite, and did not meet the conditions that would have permitted them to confine him.

“You’ve got to understand that this is a fairly routine kind of call that is quite commonplace,” he said. “The deputies are well trained and are adept at handling these kind of calls.”

Trail of Violence in Isla Vista

A gunman, identified by the police as Elliot O. Rodger, killed six people and wounded 13 others during a shooting rampage Friday night in a small town near the University of California, Santa Barbara. Sheriff Bill Brown of Santa Barbara County described a sequence of 10 locations of violence along the route.

They reported two other encounters with Mr. Rodger, including once when he reported that he had been attacked and once when he called because he wanted to file charges against a roommate for stealing three candles with a value of $22.

In his videos, a blog, his Facebook and the manifesto, Mr. Rodger portrayed himself as a loner in a perpetually sunny college town on the California coast. He spoke of going to beaches and watching with rage as couples held hands or kissed and of escaping to serenity on the local golf course because he knew, he said, he would not see a couple there.

He posted on sites where other young men shared their rages and frustrations at being virgins, and complained to classmates about the difficulty of meeting women. He referred to himself as an “INCEL,” short for “involuntary celibate.”

“Why do girls hate me so much?” was the name of one of the videos he posted. His agitation appeared to grow over time.

His father, Peter Rodger, who is British and lives in Los Angeles, has written screenplays and was the second unit director on the film “The Hunger Games.” His son boasted, on his Google Plus page, of attending the world premiere of that and other films.

The family, through a lawyer, issued a statement expressing their sympathy for the victims.

“We offer our deepest compassion and sympathy to the families involved in this terrible tragedy,” said the statement, read by the lawyer, Alan Shifman. “We are experiencing the most inconceivable pain and our hearts go out to everyone involved.”

Mr. Rodger was, from a young age, emotionally disturbed, particularly since the divorce of his parents when he was in first grade, family friends said. Patrick Connors, 23, a former classmate at Crespi Carmelite High School, a Catholic school for boys in Los Angeles, said Mr. Rodger had left school before graduation. He said that Mr. Rodger was treated by his classmates as an oddball and that students mocked him and played jokes on him; once when Mr. Rodger fell asleep in his seat, classmates taped his head to his desk, he said.

“We said right from the get-go that that kid was going to lose it someday and just freak out,” he said. “Everyone made fun of him and stuff.”

George Duarte, who attended a mathematics laboratory with Mr. Rodger at the college, said he complained about his roommates for having a water pipe in the room, but mostly about girls.

“He kept talking about how annoying the girls were,” Mr. Duarte said. “He was stuck on the same topic.”

Kathy Bloeser, a family friend of Mr. Rodger’s, said he was “emotionally troubled.”

“We used to have him over here almost every day with his sister,” she said. “He would hide. He wouldn’t say much, I think he was bullied a bit.”

She said Mr. Rodger had recently posted on Facebook that he was a virgin and was met with a barrage of taunts, so he took the post down. “He was so tired of being made fun of,” she said.

The six people killed, as well as Mr. Rodger, were declared dead at crime scenes scattered across the grid of streets he traveled. In addition to the three killed at his apartment, Mr. Rodger killed two women in front of the Alpha Phi sorority at the University of California campus — leaving another woman there severely wounded — and one young man eating at the IV Deli Mart on Pardall Road, a Friday night gathering spot.

The sheriff said Mr. Rodger, apparently trying to act on what he threatened to do to sorority women in his video and manifesto, headed to the sorority and banged on the door for two minutes. When no one answered he fired on people outside.

The identities of the victims were slowly emerging, some in distraught posts on Facebook by devastated parents. “Veronika Weiss. 1995-2014. Innocent victim of the Goleta shooting rampage last night,” read a post by Bob Weiss. Another was Katie Cooper, whose death was confirmed by her mother, Kelli, in a telephone conversation before she broke down in tears and said she could not talk anymore.

The father of Christopher Michael-Martinez, the man killed in the delicatessen, offered a wrenching denunciation of gun advocates and policies that he said lead to the death of his child.

“This death has left our family lost and broken,” said the father, Richard Martinez. “Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven irresponsible politicians and the N.R.A. They talk about gun rights. What about Chris’s right to live? When will this insanity stop?”

On Saturday evening, posts on Twitter said people were gathering for a candlelight vigil at a park here.

Witnesses said bystanders, confused at first by the pop-pop-pop of gunshots, began diving to the ground or running for cover as Mr. Rodger drove through the neighborhood.

Ian Papa, 20, a student at Santa Barbara City College, said he was going to get a slice of pizza when he encountered Mr. Rodger, who drove his car swiftly and wildly through the streets, at one point knocking down two bicyclists and mangling the leg of one of them.

“We saw a BMW driving slowly, and then in seconds it hit the accelerator — it was going 60-plus,” Mr. Papa said. “He hit two bikes. One he barely grazed. The other was plowed down. The biker went through the windshield, and the driver took off.”

The university is about 10 miles from downtown Santa Barbara and has just over 22,000 students.

Santa Barbara sheriff’s deputies pulled dozens of bags of evidence out of his apartment complex. The bags were labeled “handwritten journal,” “2 machetes, 1 knife, 1 hammer,” and “Bags of empty Ammo boxes found under bed.”

An earlier version of this article misstated one word in the name of the college where Elliot Rodger was a student. It is Santa Barbara City College, not Santa Barbara Community College. In addition, a picture caption with this article misstated the name of the college campus near the shooting. As the article correctly notes, it is the University of California, Santa Barbara — not the University of Santa Barbara.

Ian Lovett reported from Goleta, and Adam Nagourney from Los Angeles. Reporting was contributed by Kimiya Shokoohi from Woodland Hills, Calif., Matt Kettmann from Santa Barbara and by Alan Feuer, Joan Nassivera and Jennifer Preston from New York. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.

Eleven Ways To Blow A Woman’s Mind In Bed

- By Preston Waters - Jun 13, 2012

Did you know that women have the ability to experience eleven different forms of an orgasm? Imagine being the type of sexual lover that knows more about a woman’s body than she does. How many women know about this intense and pleasurable subject? Not many.

And we have found hundreds of women asking this same exact question. The point is, you are not the only one who is clueless in bed, and greater communication and attention for your partner’s needs will only boost her endorphins.

Simply put: she will want to do more for you as well.

We have never entertained the idea of asking a man this question; most men are honored if they have the knowledge that a woman is capable of having a orgasm at all. But of course, there exists a modest group who can claim knowledge to these esoteric methods. We know because we have learned from them. The vast majority of the male species is ignorant about their feminine bed-lusts. And the sad fact is that they are okay with this.

So what is the origin of this issue? The answer is basic, and coincidentally unexpected: men harbor an intense fear of feminine sexuality in our society.

The majority of women are only aware of two orgasms that their bodies can encounter (whether or not they have ever experienced them is another thing), and, unfortunately, this even holds true in the post-Feminist community. Ladies, looks like you’ve been cheating yourselves.

I will explain to you how this came about. You have taken back many of your rights, but you have mixed liberation with hostility.

Metro-sexuality has become a fashionable word. But in fact, there are not many men available to teach women about the miracle known as the female body. Tearing men away from their masculinity has been a great success – it is great for the economy. However, women are missing out on quite a lot.

A small portion of men are good sexual lovers. Ask any woman and she will confirm this. Becoming a sexpert starts from knowing how to please her, especially knowing how to give her an orgasm. This requires going a little deeper and finding out the different ways that a woman can orgasm.

Add some love and awareness to the world of relationships and sexuality. Love dissolves fear; awareness dissolves ignorance. Let’s start with the one orgasm you probably know:

1. The Clitoral Orgasm

This orgasm results from direct contact with the clitoris. Strong feelings stem from the clitoris and send pleasurable waves throughout a woman’s entire body. A woman’s clitoris is the most sensitive area on her body – with twice as many stimulatory nerve endings as the male penis. If you are a guy, picture all of the nerve endings in the penis compacted into an area as tiny as a marble. The clitoris is so important to receiving pleasure that feelings of arousal are always felt there on some degree. That is why the clitoris is so responsive to different kinds of touch.

Although, it’s not equal for all women. The clitoris’s sensitivity can be completely opposite from woman to woman. There are the women that may prefer a lighter touch. Other women get enjoyment from a more intense stimulation. And for a portion of women, the clitoris is so delicate that contacting the clit directly is often not comfortable and can sometimes be aggravating.

After an orgasm, the clit often becomes extremely sensitive, to the point where physical contact could be painful. As a good sexual partner, you must be aware of this and grant a woman some minutes of rest before going at it again.

This kind of female orgasm can be done in a few different variations: There is oral stimulation. Ladies, if your partner is not aware of how to perform oral sex on women, still let your partner do it for you. But guide him as you would guide Stevie Wonder driving an eighteen wheeler on a dark New York City street. When using your hand, be sure to use her own natural lubrication, or a water-based lubricant. With sex toys, use lubrication as well.

A clitoral orgasm can be very intense, but many women describe it as “less deep” than others. Nevertheless, it is extremely pleasurable, and good clitoral stimulation adds much to the stagnant sex life.

2. The Vaginal Orgasm

This kind of female orgasm concerns the vaginal walls, and remains focused in either the pelvic or lower stomach areas. It can also spread upward and out depending on the intensity of the experience. The uterus, pelvic muscles, and sometimes the anus will start to contract. These contractions are strong and may even push out anything stimulating the vagina.

This kind of orgasm takes a bit of time to reach, and rhythmic thrusting is often the best way to get there. A great sexual partner will communicate with their woman to figure out which position is best for her to achieve an orgasm. And a great will partner will also try not to ejaculate before she does: “Ladies always come first.”

A good deal of women describe it to be “less intense” than clitoral stimulation, however, they do feel it a bit more “deeply.” This orgasm is felt as a pressure that slowly grows and explodes from deep inside the vagina.

3. The G-Spot Orgasm

This orgasm starts in the G-Spot and can stay there while climaxing, or it will intensely rush throughout the entire female body. When a woman is sexually aroused, the tissue around her will urethra becomes filled with blood from her paraurethral glands that produce and fill with prostatic fluid. This area on the front wall of the vagina is that same mysterious and sensitive spot: the G-Spot.

The process is actually similar to a male erection. And, a result, the urethral sponge becomes “erect.” If you touch it, it feels firm. In other words, this is a female “boner.” The only thing separating the two is that, for women, it all happens on the inside of the vagina. There are a few ways to stimulate a woman’s G-Spot. Rhythmic pushing or circular friction motions are the best for reaching this type of orgasm. Try using a special Tantric sensual massage – it tends to stimulate this section of a female’s body. This orgasm will often lead to female ejaculation.

This kind of female orgasm takes a good amount time to build up to, and many women say that it is a special, deep, intense carnal pleasure, that builds up until their whole lower abdomen and pelvic area explodes. And they are often carried away for a decent amount of time by the strong rush of euphoric energy – often fully unconscious of where they are and what is happening around them.

4. Squirting Orgasm (Female Ejaculation)

In short, this powerful orgasm is achieved by using ancient Tantric techniques. It exercises unwanted emotions and fills a woman with light, delightful energy and a feeling of happiness and peace. Squirting makes other kinds of female orgasms look meek in comparison.

This type of orgasm causes a deep bond to form between a woman and her partner. This has to be the most sensual thing a woman can experience with you.

5. The A–Spot Orgasm (The Anterior Fornix Orgasm)

This kind orgasm is reached by stimulating an area far deep in the vagina (about 7-10 cm, or 3-4”) on the front wall – the same exact wall where the G-spot is located. In other words, this is a section of delicate tissue at the inner front end of the vaginal tube, in between the cervix and the bladder.

This orgasm is most easily achieved using your hand. Use the same technique you use to stimulate the G-Spot, but in this case, go as deep as your fingers can reach. You simply just try to “scoop it out” with your fingers – a “come hither” motion. In the basic missionary position, a man should be short-thrusting while deep inside a woman during sexual intercourse.

Many women find the feeling incredibly pleasurable while others do not like it at all, so be sure to keep this in mind.

After orgasming, the A-Spot does not become sensitive like the clitoris, and you can easily continue stimulation, bringing women to new levels of pleasure. Again, communication is the key here, so make sure to ask her if she is enjoying what you are doing.

This orgasm is described by women as a type of soft burst of electricity bringing them to a sharp, erotic climax. Some women find this orgasm similar to the G-spot, while some find it closer to an extremely strong vaginal orgasm. Either way, your partner will be excited about the fact that you even know about this.

6. The Deep Spot Orgasm (The Posterior Fornix Orgasm)

This king of orgasm is reached by stimulating the section of the vagina that is positioned at the deepest part of the back wall, right before the cervix.

Direct stimulation of the deep spot will cause intense orgasms. Some ladies compare it to having anal sex. When this orgasm is performed it gives off excited responses like: “This is the first time I have ever felt like this,” or, “Wow! What’s going on!” This particular section of the vagina is not well known, so not many women have not been able to experience it. This kind of female orgasm can also be performed by using the fingers, also using “come hither” motions. Use both deep and shallow strokes, and you can even use two fingers if you’d like.

Note: First ask the woman what she feels when you touch her cervix – some women love it and others completely hate it.

7. The U-Spot Orgasm

This type of female orgasm results from stimulation along a small area of erectile tissue located just above and on either side of the urethral opening – a small section of skin in between the urethra and the vagina. If this region is gently stroked with the finger, the tongue, or the tip of the penis, there will be a powerful erotic response.

Any woman can experience any of the above listed female orgasms. However, a few more orgasms are not so common. They are:

8. The Breast Orgasm

This type of orgasm happens during a peak of stimulation toward the breasts. A woman’s nipples are connected to nerve endings in the female genitals, and a large amount of women experience a direct connection with their clitoris when their nipples are stimulated.

Many women feel increased sexual excitement when their nipples are stimulated. However, not all women can experience the breast orgasm, so this mainly depends on the sensitivity of her nipples.

9. The Oral Orgasm

This orgasm can be experienced by women who are very sensitive orally. The mouth plays a huge role in a human’s sexual nervous system. This is the reason that kissing causes arousal in both men and women. The mouth orgasm can take place during any intimate activity done orally such as kissing, licking, sucking, or performing oral sex.

It has been described by women as a feeling beginning in their lips and then rushing from the mouth to the genitals, followed by the rest of her body.

10. The Skin Orgasm

This orgasm can come about by sensually rubbing certain areas of female body that are not directly in connection with the sexual nervous system. Examples include orgasms experienced by many women during the typical massage session, face treatments at the cosmetologist, and so on.

11. The Mental Orgasm

This kind of female orgasm can happen during visual and auditory stimulation. Examples of such stimulation are movies, videos, sexual behavior exhibited in front of others, and sexually-charged talk during foreplay. Women become so turned on that they can actually experience an orgasm from excitement alone.