Betty Dodson's blog

Esther's article below addresses my most frequently asked question. All married and committed couples need to read her book "Mating in Captivity." I solved the problem by moving along which is a luxury that most couples don't have, especially with children:

While the diversity in the couples I work with is infinite, one complaint rings true across all cultures: couples who describe themselves as loving, trusting and caring complain that their sex lives have become dull and devoid of eroticism.

Why is it that great sex so often fades for couples who claim to love each other as much as ever? Can we want what we already have? Why does good intimacy not guarantee great sex? Why is the forbidden erotic? Why does the transition to parenthood deliver such an erotic blow? And when we love what do we feel and when we desire how is it different?

These are some of the questions that occupied me when I set out to the nature of erotic desire in long-term relationships for my book Mating In Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic. I wanted to look at the obstacles and anxieties we experience when our quest for secure love clashes with our pursuit of passion.

As a heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, butch-dyke, feminist, Daphne Merkin's article on Rachel Maddow and the rise of lesbian chic knocked me out.  It's about time we make room for every type of woman not just those that have been blessed with the genetics that cater to the limited ideal of beauty in our culture:

"In the ongoing dance of the sexes, women who remain partnerless are referred to as ‘‘wallflowers'' while unpartnered men are simply that - not yet taken. The former become invisible; the latter become ever more conspicuously valuable. In the sense that lesbianism might be said to mirror the condition of straight women raised to an exponential power of God knows what, their minor status in gay culture reflects the secondary status of straight women in the culture at large. For in truth, until fairly recently, lesbians have been the wallflowers at the homosexual dance, waiting to get their share of recognition"

Well, we have and have not come a long way, especially when it comes to politics according to the study below. In order for a woman to get elected in 2012, she'll have to have sex appeal, be a "good sport" and not remind men of their ex-wives, demanding female bosses, or mother. Never mind that she's smart, qualified and well-suited for the job if she has A cup titties!

I know many women do the same when it comes to male politicians, but sometimes we'll vote for a guy even if we can't have cocktails with him, discuss the latest best selling book we've read or the size of his dick! If we want to deal with a person's sexuality, let's request a look at each canidates orgasms.

According to CNN, more men than women believed that the Alaska governor was qualified to be president, and more men than women felt like questions raised about the governor's experiences were unfair. In fact, contrary to the enormous media attention directed at Palin's likely impact on women voters -- what became commonly referred to as the "Palin Effect" -- we now know that it was the positive reaction among men within the electorate that drove the governor's initial popularity and propelled her to the superstar status that she enjoys today!

Carlin and I bought our business rings at the Gem show in Tucson on Valentine's Day (we didn't plan it) to celebrate our one year anniversary.  After drooling over two $3k pave diamond rings, we ended up with silver bands for $340.00.  Designed by an unknown Russian who we predict will soon be a huge name, the texture of the silver is made from tree bark used as the cast for the ring.  Peridot is my birthstone and Carlin has one with a blue aquamarine that matches her new bracelet.

Our rings symbolize our partnership to put women in charge of their sexuality worldwide.  We will need your love and support to accomplish our goals.  Thank you for your submissions to the genital art gallery, sharing the intimate details of your lives, and participating in our dialogue on sexual politics.

Pretty blond women who are spies?  I say you better watch out for the redheads and brunettes.  Rumor is that they're hotter in bed and that's when you guys give it up!

The European Union has issued a warning to its workers about the dangers of 'pretty, blonde spies'. The warning came in a security note circulated to human resources staff at the commission - the EU's executive arm, which drafts legislation.

Commission spokeswoman Valerie Rampi said the note gave advice on the recruitment of non-EU nationals. It said the espionage threat to the commission was "increasing day by day". Ms Rampi said the information seekers included lobbyists, journalists, private agencies and IT experts.

I grew up with images of women that were strong, sexual, and independent. First of all, my mother adored Mae West and my nickname was "Betty Boop".

The modern Hollywood portrayal of women is increasingly a heroine who is hysterical, weight-obsessed and only thinks of men, an Oxford academic claims.

Dr Diane Purkiss, a feminist historian and fellow of Oxford University , has argued that over the past five decades the movie industry has made its female leads 'dumber and dumber'.

She suggests that these cartoon protagonists are merely reflecting a decline in our own culture into one that, for women, is image-obsessed.

Dr Purkiss referred to latest chick flicks such as He's Just NOt That Into You and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

They fell into the 'worst king of regressive, pre-feminist stereotype of misogynistic cliche'.

This is a great piece by my friend Greg Palast  who wrote for suicidegirls.com on the current financial crisis.  John Thain is the guy that looks like a Clark Kent doll you saw grinning from page one of your paper Friday morning. Thain was just fired by Bank of America because the square-jawed executive demanded a $30 million bonus after losing $5 billion in just three months at the bank's Merrill Lynch unit. In addition, Thain spent over a million dollars redecorating his office - including installation of a $35,000 toilet bowl - while the U.S. Treasury was bailing out his company.

There is no justice. Thain shouldn't have been fired; he should have gotten a $60 million bonus -- and Obama should immediately hire him as Secretary of the Treasury in place of that tax-dodging lightweight that's been nominated, Timothy Geithner.

From my friend Sabine. Many thanks for sending us such a happy view of safe sex: 

Here's an email from my dear friend Myrtis Mixon who lives in San Francisco. Back in the early seventies we got kicked off the local Aspen TV station for showing a group of women shaving their heads. That was back in our radical feminist days when we were saying "Fuck beauty, fashion and hair-do's." It totally freaked out the powers that be and we loved it all the more.

Dear Betty, 

The Emily's list luncheon was worth the money... great speeches by fantastic women: Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Bev Perdue and Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Nancy Pelosi from our district, Shaheen from N.H. and a charming Ellen Moran, White house communication director to be... and they showed a mock West Wing intro ..from YouTube i think, and it was climaxed by Hillary's speech... She is really pretty... i didn't get pictures because I'd forgotten to bring a camera, and hadn't learned yet, but Maria taught me later how to take pics with my phone. ... I could have gone up and taken Hillary.'s picture.

Baby Food by Jill Lepore demonstrates that we are a nation filled with sexual ignorance and bigotry. This piece on breast feeding and the difficulty new mothers face nursing their children in public, pumping their breast milk at the office, and the failure of the Family & Medical Leave Act to support working women's role as mother is an eye opener.  We produce the most porn and have sex on the brain 24/7, but expose one female nipple and Americans fall apart. Who are these people?

Mother told me I was too weak to suckle as a premature baby. She got a breast pump and fed me with an eye dropper until I grew stronger. She actually used a Wet Nurse for her first baby. By the time she had her last two; she was healthier and made sure her babies got their "titty dinners."

I found this petition and had to post it.    

Yes, intelligence is important...and labor...and education BUT what about the arts? Most other countries have a Secretary of the Arts and we should too.  Please, sign this petition and ask the Obama administration to appoint a Secretary of the Arts.

Betty: George Senior has his hands in his pockets feeling for his lost balls that Barbara has locked away, Obama has his hands folded in front of his crotch to protect his big dick, George Jr. looks to his Daddy as usual with limp helpless arms and Clinton has just spied some hot chick reporter on the front row.

Jimmy Carter stands alone as he looks to the future- the only humanitarian in the rotten presidential Old Boys Club. Except for Jimmy, they're all a bunch of bums. We gotta get some women in the White House besides wives.

Carlin: I remember voting for Carter in our 5th grade mock presidential election.  He put solar panels on the White House and set 2008 as the year to cut our carbon emissions by 50%.  Then, Reagan came in and undid every environmental initiative he pioneered.  If only...

Carlin and I were discussing whether or not we should post the Atheist Bus again and we decided "Yes". After all, religion is what damages more people's sexuality than anything else on the planet.  

Ariane Sherine, the woman behind the Atheist Bus Campaign, has just announced that 800 buses - instead of the 30 they were initially aiming for - are now rolling out across the UK with the slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", in locations all over England, Scotland and Wales, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Devon, Leeds, Bristol and Aberdeen. Click here to watch the video.

Thank you, Marty Klein, for this story covered in your blog Sexual Intelligence.  Yet another teenager has been arrested on felony charges of assaulting other teens' eyes with a deadly weapon-nude pictures of herself.

This Ohio case is particularly smirky because the crime occurred immediately after a County prosecutor visited the kid's high school, warning students about the prison sentences awaiting them if they receive or send sexual images of classmates on their cell phones. In classic teen fashion, the girl apparently took the warning as a dare. Or perhaps she was just really aroused by the law enforcement presentation.

Women are the future. Always were and always will be. Michelle Goldberg has put out a new book, The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World about the global battle over reproductive rights, which pits feminists and family planning advocates against an international alliance of Christian, Mormon and Muslim religious fundamentalists.

To write it, she spent two years traveling the world, reporting on issues like population control, abortion, female circumcision, Asia's missing girls and Europe's birth dearth to show how the battle over women's bodies has been globalized.