Courtesy Mainichi Daily News

Slow Life, Slow Sex: Twelve steps to stopping sexlessness

Ending the undignified state of sexlessness isn't simply a matter of saying, "Right, let's go at it then," and racing off to the nearest bed. And even if you complain that masturbation is pretty ridiculous as it fails to give you somebody else's warm touch, it will never bring your spouse to your bed. It's pretty easy to see what lies behind the problem of middle-aged sexlessness -- communication. But communication problems are easy to talk about and difficult to solve. So that's where British zoologist Desmond Morris's 12 steps to ending sexlessness. There's no need to hurry. All you need to do is follow the 12 simple steps that lead to a final goal of having sex.

The first step is From the Eyes to the Body. Gaze at your partner until you start thinking, "Gee, that's a bit of all right." The second step is From the Eyes to the Eyes. Wait until your eyes meet, then stare at each other. If you feel uncomfortable, avert your eyes. Stage three is From Voice to Voice. Tell your partner about a great new restaurant and invite them to dine with you there. If they agree, you move on to stage four and touching. The next stages are From Hands to Hands, From Arms to Shoulders and From Shoulders to Waists. As the touching becomes more intimate, the amount of skin contact being made broadens. By stage seven -- From Mouth to Mouth -- you've moved on to kissing. Then, there's From Hand to Head, From Hand to Body, From Mouth to Breasts and From Hands to Genitals. Needless to say, the 12thand final stage is From Genitals to Genitals. CONTINUED ...

Dr. Kunio Kitamura was born in 1951. He graduated from Jichi Medical School and through his 30 years of research, is now the "voice of Japanese sexuality." Among his many books are "Shiawase no Sex (Happy Sex)," "Piru (The Pill)" and "Karada no Hon (The Body Book)."

A Chinese edition of Esquire magazine. The censors aren't as zealous as they used to be.
( Tony Cenicola/The New York Times )

A people's sexual revolution in China
By David Barboza
Courtesy: International Herald Tribune
Published: March 4, 2007

SHANGHAI: When Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue hit the newsstands last week in mainland China for the first time, with the sexy singer Beyoncé on the cover, the competition was fierce.

Readers here had already seen the February issue of For Him Magazine, which features a Chinese singer, A Duo, on its cover wearing a white V-neck leotard that reveals every other inch of her rather substantial figure.

Inside, A Duo poses like a dominatrix, clutching her breasts, wrapping her naked body in celluloid and bending, sweat-drenched, over a submissive man.

The racy For Him Magazine also offers tips on "how to do it in five minutes" (because a "sex break is the same as a coffee break") and features stories with titles like "The Dangerous Sex Journey of QiQi."

The images and text would hardly be shocking to North American or European readers. And the magazine's photographs are tame compared with what appears in magazines in Japan and other parts of Asia, including the rest of China — Hong Kong and Macao. CONTINUED ...