Creationism, Religion, And Mafia Morality

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Anyone who has seen at least one movie about the mafia has a good idea for how they do business. They take the whole “might makes right” approach to its logical conclusion. Being in the right means being strong. Being strong means being able to dictate what is right. It’s circular reasoning, but that’s how the mob justifies its activities, from loan sharking to protection rackets.

The setup is simple. You find someone who is inherently weaker, tell them what will happen to them if they don’t pay them, and let fear of death or bodily harm do the rest. The weak usually pay up, whether it’s money, respect, silence, or a combination of the three. The foolish will try to resist and often face serious consequences.

Most reasonable people find this kind of morality deplorable. However, this kind of morality is often employed by another organization that is not only legal. It doesn’t even have to pay taxes in many countries. That powerful entity is organized religion it can take mafia morality to a far greater extreme.

Before I go any further, I want to make clear that I’m not claiming that religion is worse than the mafia. Most religious people are kind, decent people who would never dream of employing this kind of morality. Only a subset of exceedingly dogmatic adherents resort to such extreme and I’m not just talking about the Spanish Inquisition.

These people aren’t pages in history or fodder for a Monty Python sketch. They’re real, they run official ministries, and even manage to obtain tax incentives for major projects. Their brand of religion isn’t just conservative. It’s unapologetically strict. They don’t just garner theological insight from holy texts. They take it as literally as the evening news.

That includes stories like Genesis, despite considerable evidence that it was derived from earlier flood-based stories from ancient Mesopotamia. They read that the god of the bible created the world in six days and they interpret that as six 24-hour days. There’s no room for metaphor or translation errors. This is infallible truth and any effort to contest that is met with the fiercest resistance.

While this kind of dogmatic adherence manifests in many ways, including justifications for slavery and anti-gay discrimination, one of the most overt manifestations occurs in the form of creationists. Now, as much as I respect the faith that many place in their particular religion, I’ve always had a hard time respecting creationists.

They’ve always struck me as a form of Christianity that’s as misguided as it is absurd. It’s not just that they believe the bible literally. They go so far as to say that everything science has concluded about life, evolution, cosmology, and physics is wrong. Some go so far as to claim that it’s an anti-Christian conspiracy on the level of the Illuminati and shape-shifting lizards.

If that was the extent of their faith, then I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Plenty of non-religious people believe in absurd conspiracy theories. However, creationism is especially pernicious in that a key factor in that dogma has a basis in mafia morality. It’s rarely stated overtly, but when it does show, it brings out the worst in its adherents.

Most recently, it reared its head in a surprisingly overt way during a debate between Aron Ra, the director of the Texas state chapter of American Atheists and a popular YouTube personality, and Kent Hovind, a well-known creationist evangelical who has made a career out of debating opponents.

This is the least absurd photo of Mr. Hovind I could find.

While I have my opinions about Mr. Hovind, who I feel has a serious credibility problem in terms of credentials, his methods for contesting evolution leave a lot to be desired. If you got more than a B-minus in a high school science class at a legitimate public school, even in America, you’re capable of seeing through his poorly-rendered ideas.

However, there are times when he, and other creationists like him, skip the part where they pretend to understand the science they deny and resort to the kind of mafia morality that they feel vindicates their beliefs. In essence, they threaten their opponent on behalf of their deity that believing in science will lead them to an afterlife full of eternal torture and suffering.

Never mind the inherent Problem of Hell that many religious and non-religious people have debated for centuries. By their logic, not believing in the holy texts of their religion is an outright affront to their deity and, for the same reason you don’t want to offend a powerful mafia boss, you don’t want to offend an all-powerful being.

Most creationists are subtle about this, but in his debate with Aron Ra, Mr. Hovind basically resorted to this tactic at the end of the nearly two-hour debate. These were his exact words:

“I would like to remind you guys, you’re gonna die one day and you’re gonna be dead for a long time. I hope you can take what you believe to the grave. You’re happy with it?”

While he doesn’t say outright that his deity is going to punish non-believers like Aron Ra for all eternity, the subtext is there. While non-believers may not be at all concerned with what happens after they die, it’s a genuine concern for someone like Mr. Hovind. He truly believes that his God is the kind of deity that would severely punish people for not believing in a specific translation of a holy text.

Ignoring for a moment the absurdities inherent in that attitude, take a moment to appreciate the kind of world Mr. Hovind and others like him believe. In their world, there’s an all-powerful, all-knowing being that wants human beings to think a certain way and accept certain concepts. Even if there’s evidence to the contrary, they must believe it. If they don’t, they’re punished with the full wrath of an all-powerful being.

That’s not just a scary thought, even for a devout believer. It’s the ultimate extreme of mafia morality. No matter how much evidence there is for evolution or how many errors in the bible are documented, the sheer might of an all-powerful deity trumps all of it. No matter what every tool of science or sense of the mind says, deviating in the slightest means punishment in the utmost.

While I’ve noted in the past how eternal punishment and eternal bliss tend to lose meaning in the long run, I suspect it’s a significant concern for creationists like Mr. Hovind. I even have some sympathy for them, if it is the case they genuinely fear the eternal torture referenced in their theology. It may be the case that they’re just charlatans or trolls and they wouldn’t be the first who used religion to aid their efforts.

Even if the Kent Hovinds of the world are just trying to get out of paying taxes, and failing to do so at times, the extreme mafia morality of their theology still has a major impact on adherents and religion. It’s worth noting that Mr. Hovind’s brand of creationism is on the decline among Christians. His kind is an extreme version of a faith that most people don’t accept.

It’s still a dangerous and distressing concept to espouse, that an all-powerful deity would punish reasonable people for accepting what evidence and reason tell them. That’s a tactic that ruthless mob bosses utilize, much to their detriment. Unlike the mafia, though, all-powerful deities don’t risk anything by being so ruthless and those caught in their path are bound to suffer.

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On Martin Luther King Jr. Day And Escaping Hate

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To everyone out there who values peace, justice, and equality, I wish you a happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. To some, this is just a day where kids get an extra day off school. To others, it’s a reminder of just how far we’ve come in the struggle against racism, injustice, and bigotry. Even though it seems like we’re stagnating at times, we’re still world’s better than we were in the days of Dr. King.

It’s hard to for young people today to understand just how entrenched racial attitudes were 60 years ago. For generations, inequality and bigotry wasn’t an aberration. It was the norm. Fighting that was like fighting the tides for a lot of people, but unlike the tides, hearts and minds can change.

That’s something Martin Luther King Jr. believed in. He dedicated his life to confronting hate and pursuing justice for everyone, regardless of race. His legacy lives on today for minorities of all kinds, from the LGBT community to immigrants. It may seem like an uphill battle at times and even after Dr. King’s death, there are still plenty of bigoted attitudes in the world today. Some people cling to those attitudes more than most.

However, it is possible for someone to let go of their hatred. It’s not easy, but it does happen. In the spirit of this day that I’m sure brings out a lot of conflicting passions in today’s society, I’d like to share one of my favorite Ted Talks.

This one is from Christian Picciolini, a former Neo-Nazi and white supremacist who managed to leave his hateful past behind. His story is one that’s especially relevant on a day like today because it doesn’t just reveal how people end up in hate groups. It shows just how difficult it is to get out. It can be done, though, and Mr. Picciolini’s story is one worth telling.

Whatever your politics, prejudices, and attitudes, we are all still human. We all inhabit this planet together. We all want a better future for ourselves and our loved ones. Ultimately, we can achieve much more by working together than by hating one another. That’s what Dr. King fought for and his legacy is worth celebrating, now more than ever.

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Jack Fisher’s Sexy Sunday Thoughts: Anniversary Celebration Edition

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People have mixed feelings about anniversaries. Whether they’re celebrating a wedding, a first kiss, or the first time two people willingly got naked together, it evokes different emotions for many people. As a romantic, I have a strong appreciation for them, but I can also understand why some roll their eyes at the concept.

Some people genuinely love celebrating anniversaries. It’s not just an excuse to have sex on a bed of rose petals. It marks an important milestone for a relationship. Some lovers really value those milestones and they should. Quality relationships take a lot of hard work and that work ought to be celebrated.

At the same time, anniversaries can be an unnecessary burden on an otherwise functioning relationship. People can see an anniversary as nothing more than an arbitrary date that doesn’t reflect the true strength of a relationship. I know couples who just don’t think they’re worth celebrating and they’re still as happy as ever.

I’m of the opinion that anniversaries are worth celebrating, if only because love and all its sexy connotations are worth celebrating. This week’s edition of my Sexy Sunday Thoughts is an ode to the inherent value that anniversaries harbor. Regardless of whether you think they’re meaningful, they’re the landmarks of a relationship and I say they’re worth cherishing.


“Mini-skirts and crotch-less panties implies that some people are too lazy to get undressed before sex.”


“Opening your heart will strengthen bonds, but opening your legs will expand opportunities.”


“A man is only as strong as his ability to shield his balls.”


“Good lovers see afterglow as a victory celebration, but great lovers see it as halftime show.”


“There are few ailments whose symptoms cannot be tempered with a good orgasm.”


“A good singer faces higher standards when it comes to the noises they make during sex.”


“It’s very likely that an orgy was the first act of teamwork.”


I hope this gives you a better appreciation of the romantic potential of anniversaries. There are a lot of things that go into a successful relationship and there are plenty of other forces working against it. An anniversary is a nice way of appreciating how well a couple has done. If nothing else, it’s a good excuse for extra sexy time and we can never have too many of those.

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“Bending Over Becky” A Sexy Short Story

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The following is a sexy short story that was inspired by one of my old college roommates. He had a girlfriend for the entire time we shared a dorm and they had a very overt sex life, to say the least. Enjoy!

Some couples treated sex like an elaborate spectacle. It couldn’t just happen on a whim. They needed to set a certain mood, creating just the right environment for a sensual, satisfying experience. Becky Raven didn’t understand those couples and that was not the kind of sex life she had with her long-time boyfriend, Richard Wyatt.

“Bend over.”

That was all he said to her one muggy Saturday afternoon after walking into the home office of the townhouse they shared. He didn’t offer any details. He didn’t ask whether she was in the mood because he didn’t need to. Richard knew the dynamics/quirks of their sex life as well as her. After all the years they’d been together, they were past the point of words.

Not saying a word, Becky stopped what she’d been doing on her laptop and rose up from her chair. Richards, looking more stressed than usual, stormed over like a man on a mission. Having just gotten home from some unexpected overtime at the office, he had more energy than usual and Becky knew how he wanted to spend it.

Already feeling his lustful gaze on him, Beck leaned over her desk and kicked the chair aside. As soon as her lover arrived, he didn’t waste any time and grabbed the hem of her pants.

“Get these off,” Richard said intently.

Not waiting for a response, he pulled them down to her ankles, along with her underwear. Then, with her pants and panties down at her ankles, he dropped to his knees and started eating her pussy out.

“Ooh Richard!” she gasped. “Rough day at the office?”

He didn’t answer. She doubted he’d heard her. Richard wasn’t easily distracted, especially when he got horny. He also loved giving her oral sex. He once claimed pussy was both his favorite desert and his favorite appetizer. On top of that, he knew how to hit all those sensitive spots in her depths. That kind of insight that could turn a lazy afternoon into a full-blown fuck fest.

Richard must have been hornier than usual, putting extra urgency into his oral sex. While on his knees, he used both hands to push Becky’s folds apart, allowing him to probe deep with his tongue and hit all the right areas. That got all the right juices flowing. Becky, now holding onto the side of the desk, could only moan blissfully as a steady stream of sensual sensations coursed through her body.

“Ohhh!” she moaned. “It must have been a really rough day.”

Richard remained focused on his oral teasing, letting out deep grunts as he gorged on her folds. Becky also sensed him undo his belt buckle and unzip his pants. With one hand still caressing her pussy, he began stroking his cock. It must have already been half-erect when he entered the room because he got fully aroused pretty quickly.

Either something went really wrong at the office or something went really right. He worked in the sales department of an investment firm, which often required people to be intense and energetic. As it just so happened, that was also what got Richard really aroused. It meant that having a functioning sex life with him required that they skip a few steps.

“If it was that bad…just do it, Richard,” she said. “You clearly need it more than I do.”

Her lover definitely heard that. After giving her pussy one last thorough lick, he rose up from the floor, kicked off the khakis he’d worn to the office, and positioned himself behind her. She felt the tip of his rigid dick rub up against her wet entrance. He ached for her sex and the release it offered. With a firm thrust of the hips, he entered her.

“Oh yeah!” Richard moaned. “I need this…so much.”

His member now deep within her folds, he grabbed hold of her waist and began pumping his cock inside her. He didn’t take it slow or steady, either. He went right for the rough stuff. There was no sweet, tender lovemaking. There was just fucking…raw, unfiltered sex.

“Oh fuck! Ooh fuck!” Becky moaned out. “That’s it, love! Fuck me as hard as necessary!”

She clung harder to the desk, bending over more so that her breasts pressed up against her closed laptop. Richard took her vulgar urgings to heart. That was another kink about their sex life. She loved to talk dirty. She was downright crude, at times, even when they made love. Some men found that disorienting. Richard just thought it was hot.

It showed in how he fucked her. He did it harder and faster, rocking the desk and knocking over some files in the process. He also did it rougher, grabbing her hair and pulling her head back, another unique kink that heightened their sex. That feeling of hard, manly flesh thrusting in and out of her pussy sent surges of sensations up through her body. Having been lazily reading emails just moments ago, it was quite a change.

That confluence of quirks, on top of whatever sparked his need, helped Richard get to his peak in short order. He wasn’t too quick. Even when he was really horny, he always made an effort to share the joys of sex with Becky. He still made it to that special domain where the feeling morphed from a blissful heat to a raging wildfire of ecstasy.

“I’m coming, Becky! I’m going to…come!” Richard said with a deep grunt.

Becky just held onto the desk, spreading her legs a little wider so that he could get in extra deep when he got his release. His thrusting slowed and his member throbbed inside her in accord with the pleasure. Hot streams of manly juices shot up into her depths, creating a hot, intimate feeling. It contrasted greatly with the hardcore fucking she’d just experienced, but that only made it more satisfying, creating a sense of balance.

Now short of breath and awash in pleasure, Richard withdrew his cock from her and fell back into the office chair she’d been sitting in before he arrived. Still bent over the desk, Becky had to catch her breath too. When she turned to face her lover, though, she smiled.

“Feel better now?” she asked him.

“Yeah…much better,” Richard said with a grin.

“I bet. Since you usually don’t fuck me that hard without a reason, I won’t ask for details. I’ll just assume your brain, your nerves, and your dick were in agreement, for once.”

“Thanks,” he said. “You’re a damn good girlfriend, Becky.”

“You’re damn right!” she said proudly. “I’d tell you not to forget it, but I’d rather remind you.”

She trusted her lover to fill in the sub-text. He knew as well as she did what had to happen next. As Richard sat lazily in the chair, she stepped out of her pants and took off the light cotton shirt she’d been wearing. Since she hadn’t been wearing a bra, it rendered her fully naked, a sight her lover always appreciated. She let him admire her exposed body in the afternoon son for a brief second. Then, she approached him with a crude request of her own.

“Sit back,” she said, mirroring the same tone he’d used with her.

He did so without hesitation. Still breathing heavily, she climbed onto his lap and kissed him hungrily. As their lips and tongues twirled together, she undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. He’d probably worked up a sweat by fucking her and it was probably really itchy.

After getting it off, she tossed the rest of his clothes aside and slipped off the chair. She then dropped to her knees, just as he had done earlier, and focused her attention on his still-throbbing manhood. It had somewhat softened after his climax, but Becky knew her lover’s anatomy as well as he knew hers. One good orgasm after a stressful day wasn’t enough to get the job done.

With that in mind, she grabbed the base of his dick with one hand and began giving him oral sex. A fresh round of sharp grunts followed.

“Damn!” Richard moaned. “This my kind of reminder.”

Becky responded only with a hungry moan, one that let him know that she was still horny. She still wanted a release of her own. It was one of the official rules of their sex lives. If one of them came in needing a good fucking, then they could get it. However, every time one of them got off, they had to give the other a chance to match them.

Sometimes, that wasn’t possible. If the rate at which Richard got hard again was any indication, Becky doubted that would be an issue. Driven by her own burning need, she sucked his member hard, sliding her lips and tongue along the length of his shaft. Just as he knew the intricacies of her pussy, she knew the subtleties of his dick. She knew how to blow him in just the right way to get him hard again.

Most men couldn’t get hard for hours after blowing their load. Others took even longer. Richard was a special kind of man in a great many ways. His ability to keep fucking her after coming was just one of them.

“You ready?” she asked after giving his dick an extra thorough lick.

“I’m ready,” Richard said.

No further assurance was necessary. With his manhood now erect, Becky rose back to her feet, turned around, and positioned herself over him so that her pelvis was aligned with his. She made sure he had a good view of her butt, a sight he always appreciated. She then lowered herself back onto his dick, his manly flesh penetrating her depths once more.

“Bend me over again,” Becky told him. “Fuck me until I come!”

Richard gladly obliged, grabbing hold of her butt and resuming the hard fucking they’d shared moments ago. He showed off his arm strength, guiding her hips up and down so that the folds of her pussy slithered perfectly along his dick. Becky even showed off her flexibility, bending over far enough that she could watch the spectacle from behind. Having not been able to see much when he bent her over the first time, she sought to take in the sights.

“Ohhh yeah! Fuck me! Fuck yeah!” she moaned, her love of dirty talk showing. “Harder! Do it harder!”

Richard replied with more determined grunts, squeezing her butt harder and stepping up the pace. The flimsy office chair could barely hold together, testing her orgasmic efficiency as much as her flexibility. Thankfully, Becky didn’t need to damage any furniture to achieve her goal.

As her inner muscles throbbed with increasing intensity, she felt her orgasm coming up fast. Richard certainly did his part, rubbing her butt just like she licked. He even reached around and fondled her clit, applying just the right amount of pressure to accelerate the orgasmic process. When it hit, it came at her like tsunami.

“Oohhh I’m coming, Richard! I’m coming!” she cried out.

Just as she crossed that fine line between exertion and ecstasy, her love grabbed her hair again and pulled her head back. It was just in time too because it allowed her to proclaim her ecstasy to the heavens.

She made it a point to be extra loud as she soaked in the euphoria. White hot surges of pleasure coursed through her system, filling her with the kind of raw bliss that could only come with her and Richard’s unique brand of sex. Some might call it kinky. Some might call it rough. That didn’t make it any less intimate.

After the ecstasy passed, Becky let out a content sigh and rose up off her lover’s cock. She then casually sat with him in the chair, their naked bodies glistening in the afternoon son. They were silent for a while, not needing to say much. It might have been the most meaningful trait of their relationship. They didn’t need to sweet talk each other to affirm their love. They already knew how much they loved each other. As a bonus, it allowed them to be more efficient with their sex lives.

“Guess we both needed that,” Richard said.

“Guess so,” Becky said coyly.

“I’m so lucky…having such an awesome girlfriend,” he went on, “one who doesn’t mind me bending her over on a whim.”

“And I’m just as lucky to have a boyfriend who knows how to fuck me right!”

“I’m glad you appreciate it as much as I do,” he said, “because after the day I’ve had, you might want to stay naked for the rest of the day.”

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Gender, Psychopaths, And The (Revealing) Differences

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Psychopaths are akin to the nastiest side-effects of the human condition. They are, by their nature, an extreme manifestation of certain traits that often run counter to humanity’s best strengths. A big part of our success, as a species, is our ability to coordinate, cooperate, and empathize with one another in ways that balance selflessness with survival. Psychopaths completely throw off this balance.

Between popular misconceptions and a glut of TV shows and movies that glorify psychopaths, most people don’t know the specifics of these twisted minds. In a medical context, psychopathy isn’t considered a mental illness like schizophrenia or OCD. It’s a personality disorder in which individuals exhibit a set of common traits such as:

Having little to no empathy, conscious, or capacity for guilt

Poor impulse control and reckless disregard for the consequences of their actions

A low threshold for boredom coupled with a high capacity for stimulation

Little respect for authority and a predilection for controlling others

Excessively high self-esteem and strong inclination towards selfish behavior

Basically, these are traits consistent with every classic supervillain ever made. Look at all the defining traits for a character like Lex Luthor. That’s the essence of a psychopath. It’s not just that they’re more selfish and less likely to regret bad behavior. They take their selfishness to an extreme and regret doesn’t even enter the equation. Guilt, for a psychopath, may as well be an alien concept.

Naturally, that kind of deviant behavior ensures that psychopaths are highly represented in prison. While they’re not always violent, they tend to be cold and calculating in their actions, not caring for mortality, law, or social norms. From an evolutionary standpoint, this makes them useful as ancient blood-thirsty warriors and modern dictators. In ordinary society, though, they can be dangerous.

However, and this is where discussions generally get heated, that danger manifests differently when gender enters the equation. While men, women, and everything in between are equally prone to becoming psychopaths, an emerging body of research is showing that the effect is not entirely equal.

One recent study revealed that while female psychopaths share most of the same traits as their male counterparts, those traits vary in a few key ways. They’re just as inclined to selfishness, manipulation, and deviance. They just go about it differently. You could even argue they’re more cunning in their approach.

That same study also showed that female psychopathy is frequently attributed to mental illness or other disorders, such as borderline personality disorder. While there often is overlap, it’s actually somewhat convenient from the perspective of a psychopath. It allows them to cloak their psychopathic behavior as an illness that warrants sympathy.

That approach does plenty to serve the interest of the psychopath because sympathy is an easy emotion to manipulate. Others don’t see them as selfish, callous, or reckless. They see them as victims. That means they need treatment, attention, and care, which can both stroke their ego and serve their interests. It’s working smarter and not harder.

While it’s difficult to know for sure whether someone has a legitimate issue with mental illness, the fact people are more prone to attribute psychopathic behavior with illness in women reveals something critical about our approach to gender. We’re perfectly fine labeling a man a psychopath if he fits the criteria, but we’re more inclined to make excuses for women.

Some of that, in my opinion, has more to do with popular culture than gender politics. When most people think of a psychopath, the first image that comes to mind isn’t some devious woman who emotionally manipulates everyone around her to get what she wants. They tend to conjure images of villains like Lex Luthor and serial killers like Ted Bundy.

That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of female psychopaths in popular culture. From the Wicked Witch of the West to Regina George in “Mean Girls,” most people can think of at least one female psychopath in fiction. Some can even identify a few notable female psychopaths from history. However, the fact they’re not the first image that comes to mind when we think of psychopaths is telling.

On some levels, we don’t want to believe that women can be as psychotic as men. Historically, society has been less inclined to attribute heinous crimes to women. More recently, especially with the anti-harassment movement, there’s an even greater tendency to give women the benefit of the doubt, even when there are documented cases of deceit.

Another major difference manifests in the preferred tactics that psychopaths utilize. One study by the International Journal of Women’s Health concluded that female psychopaths are more included to use flirting and sexuality to manipulate others into serving their selfish ends. While I doubt that’ll surprise anyone familiar with the traits of a psychopath, it further plays into a distinct gender-driven narrative.

Some of that is due to logistics. Male psychopaths tend to bully others more directly because of basic strength differences. A female psychopath is less capable of imposing their will on someone physically, but emotions can be every bit as powerful as muscles. When sex enters the equation, the incentives get even stronger.

These methods can be both effective and devious, but they serve the same goal. It helps the psychopath get what they want, be it attention, money, power, or just a good thrill. Psychopaths have a low threshold for boredom and a high threshold for satisfaction so they need to use whatever tactics work best for them. Women just work with different tools.

The end results for male and female psychopaths is just as striking. While all psychopaths care little for law or morality, female psychopaths are less inclined to commit homicide. They’re also less likely to end up in prison, but that may just be a byproduct of having different tactics that make killing less appealing to a psychopath’s interests.

Now, and I wish I didn’t have to make this disclaimer, none of this is to imply that female psychopaths are worse than male psychopaths. At the end of the day, the damage done by psychopathic behavior is gender neutral. Using, abusing, and manipulating people for selfish ends is deplorable, regardless of what body parts someone has or doesn’t have.

There’s still something to be said about how psychopaths conduct themselves and how we react to their behavior. In some ways, we may be doing female psychopaths a favor by approaching them differently than their male counterparts. Psychopaths don’t need much incentive to take advantage of other peoples’ more considerate tendencies. Our attitudes towards gender are only making their job easier.

Like it or not, psychopaths are part of our society. Some of them even wield a distressing amount of power and influence. This is one domain in which we have to be brutally honest and exceedingly fair in how we deal with psychopaths of any gender because they most definitely won’t.

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Daily Sexy Musing: Practice Makes Sexy

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We’ve heard it from every coach, teacher, and parental figure all our lives. Practice makes perfect. If we want to get good at something, we need to practice. There’s a popular notion that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to get really good at something. While there’s reason to believe that’s a gross oversimplification, it still emphasizes the value of practice.

We encourage practice to anyone who seeks to master a skill. When it comes to sex and love-making, though, we’re a lot more tepid. Some of that is due to long-standing taboos about sex. Some of it is also due to potential health risks. Then again, you could say the same about practicing other skills like juggling, driving, or contact sports. Whatever the case, we do a lot of special pleading when it comes to sex.

I think that’s both a disservice and a missed opportunity. We’re expected to practice for every other skill, but when it comes to one of the most intimate acts two people can experience, we’re supposed to just know. That’s a problem and a likely contributor to the ongoing orgasm gap and the decline in sexual satisfaction.

We clearly want our lovers to be good at sex, but we get anxious whenever we contemplate them practicing too much. I believe that should change. For the sake of our collective love lives, we should embrace and encourage practice the same way we do with every other skill. The following Daily Sexy Musing is my attempt to sweeten the idea. Hopefully, it inspires and encourages many amateur lovers out there.

I’m ready, my lovely coach.

I’m rested, energized, and ready to show you what I’ve got.

It’s not the night of a big game. There isn’t even a game scheduled. This is just us, taking the time to hone our skills. I want to be better. I know you want it too. We can only do that with practice, albeit a very intimate kind of practice.

It’s not enough to just be decent at making love to you. It’s not even enough to be consistently competent. I seek to master such a powerful skill. I don’t just want to make the team. I want to win the championship and make your hall of fame. I want to raise the bar for loving you. I want it so high that others tremble at the thought of attempting.

To do that, we must practice our lovemaking.

By practicing, we get better at it.

By getting better at it, we enjoy it more.

By enjoying it more, we want to do it more.

By wanting to do it more, we want to keep getting better.

It’s the ultimate cycle, one in which practice need not make perfect. It need only fuel the passion that’s already there. Like any skill, it helps us channel what we already feel. It emboldens us to strive for something greater. Anyone can simply take their clothes off and entwine their bodies. It takes a special kind of skill to entwine body, heart, and soul.

Such skill requires great practice. It means listening and learning, pushing ourselves and trying new things. At times, there will be failures and setbacks. That’s okay, though. Amateurs may get discouraged, but masters learn and work harder. With time and dedication, we gain greater mastery.

There are many skills one can learn.

There are many ways to master such skill.

When it comes to making the best possible love to you, no other skill is worth greater mastery.

When it comes to mastering the skill of lovemaking, no other skill is warrants more practice.

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Jack Fisher’s Quick Pick Comic: Uncanny X-men #10

Every Wednesday, fans of comic books and superheroes are blessed with fresh batch of comics. It’s like Christmas every week and you don’t have to suck up to some jolly fat guy who lives at the North Pole. You just have to have a few extra bucks and a Comixology account.

This week, however, those extra bucks go a lot further than usual for X-men fans. That’s because “Uncanny X-men #10,” the final issue in a story arc that assembled almost every notable character associated with X-men has come out. Some weeks are harder than others when it comes to picking the most worthy comic from the bunch. This was not one of those weeks.

Make no mistake. “Uncanny X-men #10” is both a game-changer and a major upheaval for the X-men. It acts as a culmination of a battle that began with the return of Nate “X-man” Grey, but in a powerful new form. He’s not just another displaced character from a dystopian timeline, of which there are many in comics. His agenda is different and his personal connections to the X-men make him a daunting foe.

He’s not Apocalypse. He’s not Magneto. He’s not even some uneasy ally who was once an enemy and the X-men have had plenty of those. Nate Grey is out the save the world, but not by protesting injustice or signing an online petition. He literally wants to destroy it and remake it. Given the insane breadth of his power, that’s entirely possible.

For the past nine issues, he’s gone about his plan with the subtly of a hurricane. He’s abducted senators, mind-controlled powerful mutants, and waged war on anyone who might stand between him and a better world. The X-men, who have a strict policy against over-powered mutants destroying the world to remake it, oppose him at every turn.

Uncanny X-men #10” is just the final showdown and it’s a battle for the ages. The writing talents of Matthew Rosenberg, Ed Brisson, and Kelly Thompson team up with the artistic talents of Pere Perez to craft a mutant-powered spectacle that never slows down. It’s the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe against a threat who wasn’t just a close friend. To characters like Jean Grey, he’s family.

This is where “Uncanny X-men #10” shines in a special way. While a good chunk of the comic is dedicated to epic mutant battles, there’s never a point where the action is mindless and impersonal. In between all the fighting, there are major personal stakes for Nate and his alternate universe mother, Jean Grey.

Their interactions is what really gives dramatic weight to the spectacle. I won’t spoil the details of their exchange. I’ll just say that it’s beautifully done. It’s genuinely heart-wrenching to see Jean having to battle her own son. Even if he’s from an alternate universe, she sees him as family and that makes fighting him all the more difficult.

That kind of heavy drama is what brings out the best in the X-men. It’s what makes for the best moments in superhero comics, as a whole. However, what really makes “Uncanny X-men #10” worth getting is how it sets up the future of the series.

Again, I won’t spoil it. I’ll just say that the aftermath of the battle creates a very different world for mutants, humans, the X-men, and everyone in between. It’s a world where all the hopes and dreams of the X-men are effectively moot. What does that mean for them and those they protect? There are some telling hints, but there’s definitely an impact when all is said and done.

I’m sure there will be plenty of X-men fans who feel both excitement and dread after reading “Uncanny X-men #10.” If you’ve been following X-men comics in any capacity for the past several decades, then you know that’s not unusual. However, this feels like one of those issues that people will be referring to for years to come. Whether they love it or hate it, this comic marks a major turning point for the X-men.

Most X-men fans knew that 2019 was going to be a major year for the Children of the Atom. Between two movies, the pending Disney/Fox merger, and the return of multiple major characters, there’s a lot get hyped about. “Uncanny X-men #10” is just the latest catalyst that can only help the X-men’s prospects in 2019.

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How Technology Will Change Professional Sports

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In 2008, the International Association of Athletics Federations issued a momentous ruling. From that day forward, double-amputees who used specialized blade prostheses were not permitted in Olympic competition. However, it wasn’t because that double-amputees were at an inherent disadvantage. It was because these high-tech prostheses made runners too fast.

Think about that for a moment. When someone loses their legs, it’s devastating. Their lives will never be the same. Never mind hindering their ability to participate in Olympic-level events. They will be forever handicapped, unable to conduct themselves in an able-bodied society. For most of human history, this was a sad reality.

Suddenly, advances in technology have flipped the script. Existing research on these blade prostheses shows that those using them expend significantly less energy to sustain their top running speed compared to their able-bodied counterparts. Now, a double-amputee actually has an advantage in a race, especially one that relies on stamina.

The implications go beyond helping double amputees live normal lives. This marks a critical turning point for technology and sports, alike. For once, able-bodied athletes are at a disadvantage and that gap is only going to get wider. I’ll go so far as to say that in the next few decades, professional sports will undergo enormous change due to technology.

That’s not an overly bold prediction. Technology and medicine have been enhancing sports for decades. I’m not just talking about the use of performance enhancing drugs, either. There are certain medical procedures, such as Tommy John Surgery, that can give professional athletes a competitive advantage. They’re so common these days that neither athletes nor fans think much of it.

On top of that, advances in medicine have made injuries that once ended careers into extended injuries. Just a few decades ago, an NFL player who tore their ACL was likely finished. Today, such an injury still means an extended stay on the injured list, but players can come back from it. Some even manage to have MVP caliber seasons.

In the future, more advanced treatments involving stem cells or lab-grown body parts will further improve injury treatment. Given the billions in profits generated by professional sports and the massive incentives to keep star athletes healthy, there’s are plenty of reasons to push this technology forward. Before long, star quarterbacks in the NFL playing into their 40s might not be so extraordinary.

However, recovering from injuries is only a small part of a much larger upheaval that’s set to occur in the world of sports. The entire concept of competition may need revising as technology reaches a point where maintaining parity is almost impossible. Unlike performance enhancing drugs, it won’t be possible to test for them or remove them.

Today, it’s easy to appreciate how gifted the best athletes in the world are. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and effort to achieve the mental and physical prowess that allows these individuals to be at the top of their game. To build muscle, you need to spend hours in the gym. To master a skill, you need to spend years practicing and honing your mechanics.

All that work and training, however, has the same goal. The intent is to strain the body to make it stronger and wire the mind to make it more capable. At a fundamental level, it’s just restructuring the body and brain with a mix of brute force and mental effort. Modern medicine and technology can help supplement those efforts, but only to a point.

That point, however, keeps changing and will continue to change. Think back to emerging technology like Neuralink’s brain implants. Instead of spending years learning the mental aspect of a sport, why not just use an implant that mirrors the neural patterns of athletes like Tom Brady or LeBron James? They’ve already done the work. In theory, all you have to do is mimic their neural connections.

That technology is a long way off, but accelerated learning is already an emerging field in the military. It’s only a matter of time before some enterprising sports league attempts to use it. A technology that may be closer and more controversial is biohacking. I’ve mentioned it before, but it has the potential to complicate any competition.

We already know how to use genetic engineering to build bigger muscles without steroids. That same technology could be refined to impart other advantageous traits like better reaction time, quicker reflexes, and enhanced bone strength. Unlike other drugs, it wouldn’t require athletes to take pills. These skills would be written right into their genetics, which means it won’t show up on a typical drug test.

Push this technology even further and the world of professional sports gains even more complications. As time goes on, the forces of medicine, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and machine/human interface will steadily converge. We’ll get to a point where enhancing the human body is akin to upgrading our computers.

Instead of regular natural cells, we’ll rely on entirely synthetic cells that are programmable and capable of achieving more than even the best athletes of today.

Instead of intense mental training, we’ll be able to link our brains to computers to effectively learn the skills we need, whether it involves throwing a baseball or weaving baskets.

Instead of waiting for damaged body parts to heal, we’ll just swap them out for newer, better models that are much more efficient and capable.

Under such conditions, the current system for professional sports just couldn’t work. If every new quarterback could just copy the skills and experience from Tom Brady’s brain, then what’s the point of competing in the first place? If every NBA team has as much talent as the 2018 Golden State Warriors, then how does competition even work at that level?

The questions get even more profound when applied to Olympic competition. If we get to a point where double amputees run faster and those with robotic arms throw harder, then that changes the entire approach. Sure, some may still prefer seeing non-enhanced humans compete, but their feats won’t be as spectacular.

Instead, imagine events where javelin throwers can use robotic arms or swimmers could use bionic lungs. The feats they’ll achieve won’t just be better, in terms of stats. They’ll be a far greater spectacle. Given the declining ratings of the Olympics in recent years, I suspect future events will need those spectacles to maintain interest.

Personally, I would definitely watch the Olympics if it had athletes that utilized cybernetic enhancements, be they artificial limbs or brain implants. It would require a mix of both athletic training and applied science to achieve championship status. It won’t be the same as simply winning the race through sheer grit, but it will still be an achievement worthy of a metal.

What is the future of professional sports?

What is the future of professional athletes?

How will people compete in a world where the human body can be enhanced, programmed, and modified at will?

These are questions that none of the major sports leagues have to answer immediately, but they will start to become more relevant in the coming years. The fact that some of the prosthesis we give double-amputees are better than regular human legs is the first tangible step towards a very different future for professional sports.

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Daily Sexy Musing: Sharing A Hot Bath

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What could be sexier and more romantic than sharing a hot bath with your lover? That’s not a rhetorical question. As a self-professed romantic and a writer of both sexy novels and short stories, I honestly don’t know a scenario that checks that many boxes. I try to contemplate them. They always seem to come up short.

It’s one of those moments that takes a little extra effort, but it pays off in a major way. Once you get the candles, the hot water, and the bubbles going, the sexiness is inherent in every possible form. Regardless of whether you and your lover have had a hard day, there’s just something about sharing a hot bath that both relaxes and arouses us in all the right ways.

It’s so sexy that it doesn’t always have to result in actual sex. Sometimes, couples just value the ambiance and the extra intimacy. Being naked in a hot, steamy environment in close proximity to a lover can be satisfying enough in its own right. Just sitting there, holding someone in your arms, can evoke feelings every bit as powerful as those associated with more direct forms of intimacy.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before one of my Daily Sexy Musings focused on this particular scenario. It’ll likely be a setting for a future sexy story, be it a novel or a short story. In whatever way it manifests, this is one sensual situation that the inner romantic in all of us can appreciate. Enjoy!

It’s been a long day. Muscles are strained, nerves have been worn thin, and everything feels sore without hurting. Just coming home feels like a million-mile journey. Every step may as well be through quicksand during a raging storm. We still made it home and it’s so worth it.

I take you in my arms.

You embrace me in yours.

Our bodies are ready to give out, but we don’t let them.

There’s only one remedy that can alleviate the strain. An embrace is a good start, but it’s hardly sufficient. We skip whatever plans we had for the rest of the evening and head straight to the bathroom. You gather the candles. I start the bath and add in our favorite brand of bubbles. The wait is brief. It’s still too long, but still so worth it.

Before we know it, the scene is set. We dim the lights, arrange the candles, and shed our itchy clothes. Then, like two wounded animals seeking shelter, we guide one another into the bath where our naked bodies join.

We submerge ourselves in the suds.

We soak in the steamy heat.

We savor wet flesh touching wet flesh.

We cleanse ourselves of the day’s rigors.

It’s like a steady rain that ends a long drought, bringing nourishment to a barren landscape. Every day, we push ourselves to live our lives, achieve our goals, and survive another day. Somewhere along the way, we try to make time for each other. There’s never enough, but that makes scenarios like this so precious.

It takes few words and fewer actions. We need not entwine our bodies beyond our arms and legs. We don’t require extensive exertion or elaborate activities. In that moment, we’re just too lovers, sharing a hot bath in a loving embrace.

That’s all we need.

That’s all that’s necessary.

That’s all it takes to heal our bodies and ignite our passions.

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Jack Fisher’s Sexy Sunday Thoughts: Fancy Dinner Edition

Couple for romantic Dinner or lunch in a gourmet restaurant drin

I’m not a fan of overpriced food, but I’ve learned from experience that you get what you pay for. Like many, I survived college on cheap food that ruined my pallet for years. I’ve also made the mistake of buying cheap ingredients for meals I thought I could turn into something better. Even though I’m a good cook, trust me when I say you can taste the difference.

A fancy meal may seem like an overpriced luxury, even for frugal couples, but make no mistake. It’s value that goes beyond overpriced appetizers. It’s not just part of a typical date with someone you’re trying to impress. I believe a fancy meal, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, is like an investment into your romance. It shows what you’re willing to put into it and not just in terms of dollar value.

Even if the meal is nothing more than fancy presentations by people with fake accents, it’s the sentiment that really counts. A fancy dinner, complete with undersized appetizers and rose-colored candles, show that you’re willing to put something extra into a relationship. It’s not just that you love someone. You’re willing to make it a spectacle.

I’m a fan of spectacles, sexy or otherwise. A fancy meal is just one way of going about it and it just happens to be the most delicious. Coming from a family of skilled cooks, I can appreciate these meals more than most. That’s why I dedicate this week’s edition of my Sexy Sunday Thoughts to the fancy dinners that fill our stomachs and inspire our passions. Bon appétit!


“Both literal and figurative flexibility can improve anyone’s sex life.”


“Hate sex is the ghost pepper of sex.”


“Romantic vacations are just more elaborate versions of thrill sex.”


“Appetizers are like foreplay for your stomach.”


“Every great kink starts with a dirty mind and an awkward boner.”


“When you think about it, orgasms were the first bonuses.”


“The ultimate thrill seeker is one who is willing to receive oral sex from a cannibal.”


I hope that helps make everyone’s next meal feel a bit fancier, among other things. Like most things sexy, there’s a time and a place for it. I encourage every couple to make the effort. Every now and then, we should make the effort to wine and dine our lovers to make them feel special. Whether you’re rich or poor on paper, a fancy dinner can help you and your lover feel like royalty.

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