For instance: Do you prefer a bath or a shower? Do you tend to have chapped lips or use Chapstick? Do you drink lager or gin and tonic? But! Does being a man who likes to bathe really mean he's in touch with his feminine side? Does being a woman who likes to shop and spend a day at the spa really mean she's a "typical" female?

According to the scoring of this questionnaire, (put together by Phillip Hodson, of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), even if you're a woman who watches football and hates to shop, you're not necessarily a tomboy, "just a girl who dares to be different." Dares? And! If you're a man who moisturizes and can't find his keys, you're "in touch with your femininity," which could help you "empathize with the opposite sex."

The question is: If we're living in an age when women box and race cars and men wax their hair and shop, is there such a thing as "typical" behavior for your gender anymore? (And! What kind of score did you get? I'm a 9, which is in the "middle ground" but closer to the manly side, heh.)

Questionnaire: Are you gender typical?, Scoring [The Independent]

Seriously, given that you got attacked from the left for appearing a little squishy on abortion during your time in the Illinois legislature and you've still got Hillary supporters to court, it probably wasn't the most prescient time to say this:

I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that "mental distress" qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions.

Baby, that ain't what we need to hear. I miss the days when you used to whisper sweet nothings in my direction, things about that timely Iraq withdrawal and supporting a woman's right to choose. I'll admit my heart beat faster hearing you yell "Yes we can," and "We are the change that we have been waiting for." But, Barry, baby, "as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions" is a total lady-bonerkiller.

And, honey, you totally put the kibosh on my mood with this little nugget:

I think we know that abortions rise when unwanted pregnancies rise. So, if we are continuing what has been a promising trend in the reduction of teen pregnancies, through education and abstinence education giving good information to teenagers. That is important—emphasizing the sacredness of sexual behavior to our children. I think that’s something that we can encourage. I think encouraging adoptions in a significant way. I think the proper role of government. So there are ways that we can make a difference, and those are going to be things I focus on when I am president.

Barry, ignorance is not sexy. Abstinence education? Oh, Barry, we all know that's not effective even though the fundies love hearing about it. Whose love do you want? Ours or theirs?

Look, I'm not trying to be clingy here. I know that everyone needs friends in their life, and I'm all about you making new friends. Don't think this is about that. I'm trying really hard not to be worried about your fidelity or to how you'll live up to the promises you made, but you're not making it easy. You can't just whisper "January 2009" in my ear anymore and send tingles up my spine. You have to say things like "universal health coverage" and "your body, your choice" and "comprehensive sex education" and "complete withdrawal from Iraq" and you have to mean it if you want to get my juices flowing again. Just try it, you'll remember how damn good it feels, and so will I.

— Me

Obama: Most Liberal Senator In 2007 [National Journal]
A Q&A With Barack Obama [Relevant]
Obama Supports FISA Legislation, Angering Left [Washington Post]
Bush's Faith-Based Programs Will Remain [San Francisco Chronicle]
Obama May Consider Slowing Iraq Withdrawal [Washington Post]
Abstinence-Only Education Ineffective In Preventing, Delaying Sex Among Teens, Study Says [Medical News Today]

In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Marybeth T. Hagan says that when she first heard about the transgender child, she exclaimed, "Where is the school? California?" (It seems that in Marybeth's world, transgender students are a product of new age methodology and organic produce.) Hagan, shocked to find out that this was occurring in her own backyard, objected to the way the situation was handled, because she feels that parents were not given enough advanced warning. "Introduction of sexual abuse prevention programs over the years should have taught these educators that most parents like to have a say in all aspects of their children's sexual education - particularly one that could be controversial," she reasons.

Other parents have spoken out harshly on the Haverford Township blog and eight parents called the principal to ask that their children not attend the transgender counseling session, according to the Inquirer. I have no doubt that the educators thought long and hard about how to present this issue to their students — according to reports, they consulted transgender experts, the student's family, and child psychologists. One parent, Valerie Huff, whose daughter is friends with the transgender student, thinks that the letter didn't need to go out in the first place, as "The kids don't make any big deal about it at all." It's not surprising in the least that 9-year-olds are being more open minded about differences than some of their parents.

School Challenge: Transgender Student Is Age 9 [Philadelphia Inquirer]
3rd-graders Asked To Help Classmate in Gender Change [World Net Daily]
School's Sensitivity Is Off-Target [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Earlier: Parents Of Transgender Boys Take Different, Provocative Paths
Controversial Treatment Allows Transgender Children To Delay Puberty

"Sooo, sad girls? of course. that was my jam when i was younger. i think i thought sad = smart," said Don. Added Alex helpfully: "Well, troubled + hot = hotter." And Jeff: "Hmmm, kind of. i think a lot of people think they're gonna be the "solver" of problems. usually you learn after a little interaction that you're just gonna get to witness." Right. And you can't do anything about them. Because human life is meaningless. So...best to hook up with chicks who don't bother worrying about all that? Fuck if I know, but I think I just got bored with my own torment.

In A New Generation Of College Students, Many Opt For The Life Examined [NYT] (Btw, far be it from me, but I don't think this story is actually supported by any real data, not that it matters, especially considering we don't even know why we're here.)
Bonus: Something on Sartre and de Beauvoir for your pointless enjoyment [Literary Review]

The laws in Virgina, Maryland and Washington, D.C. consider sexual offenses by schoolchildren to be "improper physical contact against a student that is offensive, undesirable, and/or unwanted as determined by the victim." There's no debate that unwanted touching is an offense. But the schools are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy that involves the authorities: The police were contacted after Randy Castro's playground spank. (Since the episode in November, Randy has been calling himself a "bad boy," his mother says.) The girl's mother, Margarita DeLeon, was also contacted by the school, and says her daughter admitted that she didn't like being hit but quickly forgot about it. "[Randy] didn't mean anything by it. I'm upset with the school," DeLeon says.

It would be easy to blame hip-hop videos, Bratz and reality TV for these kids turning into "sexual harassers." But isn't exploring boundaries and figuring out what's a "no-no" just something kids do? (Whom among us never touched a classmate or played doctor?) Human development is about testing, learning, trying things out. Says psychologist Ted Feinberg: "Kids can be exploratory in behavior, they can mimic what they see on TV." Does that mean that they should have the "sexual harasser" label forever in their school files?

For Little Children, Grown-Up Labels As Sexual Harassers, Harassment Under the Law [Washington Post]
Earlier: Two Colorado 5-Year-Olds "Investigated" For Sexual Harassment

Nicola says, "I was worried he might find me inadequate," but "being with someone with so much experience has its perks. He's by far the best lover I've ever had."

So what is it about "the number"? Do you feel the same way about a 40-year-old virgin as you do about the 18-year-old girl who has slept with 50 men? Is it weird if a guy has had fewer partners than you have? And if you liked someone, and then found out he'd been with 63 women — or more — would it change the way you felt about him?

Between You, Me And The Bedpost [Guardian]
How Many Lovers Has Your Bloke Had? [Mirror]
I Was Sex Addict At The Age Of 16 [The Sun]
Earlier:Teens: Virginity Is Really Overrated

Try traditional gender roles: Men may become more sexually assertive if they feel more in control, and women may feel more desire for a mate with newfound machismo. "You don't have to get his slippers," explains Berman. "You just have to give him some control." She suggests a date where the man chooses everything — her clothes, the restaurant, the food — as a starting point.

Short sex the best - experts [News.com.au]
Sex Therapists: Best Sex Is 7 To 13 Min. [UPI]
Only 44 Percent Satisfied With Sex Life [UPI]
Sexual Incompatibility Troubles Marriages [CNN]
Related: Need A Little Spark In Your Marriage? Try A Little Gender-Role Revanchism! [Feministe]

While we applaud Levkoff's initiative, we can't help but wonder if she's fighting an uphill battle because things have gone so far off the rails. When we were young and Madonna writhed on MTV singing about being "like a virgin," it was pretty scandalous. But we never actually saw the lips of her vagina like we have in pictures of Britney Spears. (It's true that we saw more of Madonna later, in her Sex book.) Levkoff says a 6th grade girl asked her what a dildo was. "I think she heard it on Sex And The City, Levkoff says. "Networks will air ads during prime time for Viagra and birth-control pills and herpes medications, but the majority of them will not air condom ads [then], even if there's no mention of the word sex." Here's a question: it's easy to joke about, but are things getting worse and worse? Are the younger generations doomed? Because we really can't see the positive spin on this.

Not Your Parents' Third Base [MSNBC]