US TOP COURT SIGNALS IT COULD NIX GAY MARRIAGE LAW

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Supreme Court signalled Wednesday it could throw out a US law that defines marriage as strictly between a man and a woman, in a second day of hearings on the thorny issue of same-sex marriage.

For nearly two hours, the nine justices who make up the nation's highest court grilled lawyers on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- with five of them appearing to lean in favor of striking it down.

The controversial 1996 law denies married gay and lesbian couples the same federal rights and benefits that heterosexual couples take for granted, from tax breaks and welfare benefits to access to a hospitalized spouse.

The plaintiff is Edith Windsor, 83, who was ordered to pay federal inheritance taxes of $363,000 following the 2009 death of Thea Spyer, her partner of more than 40 years. The couple had married in Canada in 2007.

Under DOMA, the surviving half of a heterosexual couple would not have faced the same tax burden.

In an exchange with lawyers arguing the two sides of the case, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg suggested DOMA represented, in her view, two kinds of wedlock -- "full marriage and skim milk marriage."

Her colleague Elena Kagan went further, saying that DOMA was "infected by animus, fear and dislike."

Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative whose swing vote on gay rights could decide the outcome, said he was "troubled" by how the DOMA case would impact the rights of each of the 50 states to set out their own marriage laws.

Outside the court, hundreds of marriage equality supporters chanted "Edie! Edie!" as Windsor exited the stately building with her legal team and told assembled reporters: "I think it was great. I think it went beautifully."

"I thought the justices were gentle. They were direct. They asked the right questions," said the retiree, who wore a circular diamond brooch -- a de facto engagement token from Spyer from early in their relationship -- on her lapel.

"The justices asked all the questions we expected them to ask," added Windsor's lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who declined to speculate on how the court would rule in the coming months.

President Barack Obama's administration initially opposed Windsor's bid to repeal DOMA as it progressed through the lower courts, where the law has already twice been ruled unconstitutional.

But the White House has since switched sides. Now it is calling for the law to be overturned, leaving DOMA to be defended by a group of Republican lawmakers, along with a coalition of religious and conservative groups.

Opponents of Windsor's stance include Republican lawmakers and Christian groups. One of their lawyers, Paul Clement, argued DOMA was constitutional in that it applied only to laws on the federal level.

On Tuesday, the court trod cautiously as it weighed the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that saw a majority of voters in the nation's most populous state ban same-sex marriage.

While it will take several months for them to issue a ruling, several Supreme Court justices indicated Tuesday they would be in no hurry to make a verdict that could extend the right to same-sex marriage to the entire country.

Forty-one states currently ban or limit such marriages.

Legal experts cautioned Wednesday it can be hard to predict what the Supreme Court will do based on oral arguments, but Thomas Keck of Syracuse University in New York anticipated a "mixed decision" on the same-sex marriage question.

It could hold that Washington is "constitutionally required to recognize same-sex marriages from states that allow them," but at the same time decline to rule on whether other states must allow gay marriages, he told AFP.

"If the court does get to the merits (of DOMA), I think it will find DOMA's pervasive system of discrimination unconstitutional," added Elizabeth Wydra of the Constitutional Accountability Center, a Washington legal think tank.

Successive public opinion polls have indicated that a majority of Americans now accept the principle of same-sex marriage, including an overwhelming number of younger citizens.

In May last year, Obama became the first serving US president to publicly back gay marriage.

"I think it is time for the justices to examine this issue," Obama said Wednesday in an interview with Spanish-language television network Telemundo.

"States have defined marriage and the federal government has followed the lead of the states. And so my hope is that the court reaches these issues. And that we end up living in a country where everybody is treated fairly."

New pope cites grandma's folk wisdom at his first Palm Sunday

By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The new pope began Holy Week on Sunday with a sermon invoking the folk wisdom of his grandmother, further emphasizing a new-look papacy that aims to be closer to the people.
Leading his first major service since his election, Pope Francis addressed a vast crowd gathered for Palm Sunday with simple language, urging them to shun corruption and greed and reach out to "the humble, the poor, the forgotten".
Departing from his prepared text and referring to wealth, he said: "You can't take it with you, my grandmother used to say".
Since his election on March 13, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has broken with the more esoteric and, some would say, ostentatious style of his predecessor Benedict, saying he wants to move the Church closer to the poor and suffering.
"Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation," he said.
Francis has decided to hold Holy Thursday service this week in a juvenile jail on Rome's outskirts rather than in the Vatican or in a Rome Basilica, where it has been held by all his predecessor in living memory.
He has also invited simple workers, such as the Vatican gardeners and street cleaners, to attend his morning Masses in the Vatican hotel where is still living ahead of moving into the papal apartments in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.
The service before some 250,000 people waving palm and olive branches in St. Peter's Square gave the new pope another opportunity to stress that he wants a Catholic Church that has been riven by scandal to be more austere and just.
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem five days before he died. At the end of the service, Francis was driven around the square several times in an open jeep so he could be seen by more people in the huge throng, which overflowed and stretched for blocks down to the River Tiber.
The Church today, he said, like Jesus 2,000 years ago, wanted to transmit a message of hope, "especially in the hearts of the simple, the humble, the poor, the forgotten, those who do not matter in the eyes of the world".
After blessing palm and olive branches - both symbols of peace - Francis, wearing red and white vestments, walked to the altar on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica to conduct the outdoor Mass.
He again urged defense of the environment, speaking of "our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbor and towards the whole of creation".
BRAZIL TRIP
Francis confirmed that he will go to Rio de Janeiro at the end of the July to take part in the Church's World Day of Youth, a gathering of Catholic young people that takes place in a different city every two years.
The new pope has inherited a Church riven by problems that include sexual abuse scandals in many countries and allegations of corruption in the central Vatican bureaucracy.
Many people have expressed a wish that Francis could give the Church and the Vatican a better image.
"We are very happy. We are praying and hoping for good things from the pope and from the Church," said Alessandra Paillalef, a fellow Argentine who came to Rome to see her countryman lead Holy Week celebrations, which end on Easter Sunday, next week.
On Saturday afternoon Francis flew by helicopter to the papal summer residence south of Rome at Castel Gandolfo, where his predecessor, now called "Pope Emeritus Benedict" has been living since he abdicated on February 28.
It was the first time in at least 600 years that a reigning pope and a former pope faced each other.
While the Vatican did not disclose what they discussed, it was likely that the conversation included problems of Vatican administration.
Before he resigned, Benedict left a secret report for Francis on the so-called "Vatileaks" scandal in which sensitive papal documents were stolen from the pope's desk and leaked to the media by his butler, Paolo Gabriele.
Last year Gabriele was arrested and sentenced by a Vatican court to 18 months in prison but Benedict pardoned him and he was freed last Christmas.
(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Pope Francis tells Benedict: "We're brothers"

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Francis traveled Saturday to this hill town south of Rome to have lunch with his "brother" and predecessor Benedict XVI, a historic and potentially problematic melding of the papacies that has never before confronted the Catholic Church.
The two men dressed in white embraced warmly on the helipad in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo, where Benedict has been living since he stepped down Feb. 28 and became the first pope to resign in 600 years.
In a series of gestures that ensued, Benedict made clear that he considered Francis to be pope while Francis made clear he considered his predecessor to be very much a revered brother and equal. They clasped hands repeatedly, showing one another the deference owed a pope in ways that surely turned Vatican protocol upside down.
Traveling from the helipad to the palazzo, Francis sat on the right-hand side of the car, the traditional place of the pope, while Benedict sat on the left. When they entered the chapel inside the palazzo to pray, Benedict tried to direct Francis to the papal kneeler at the front of the chapel, but Francis refused.
"No, we are brothers," Francis told Benedict, according to the Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi. He said Francis wanted to pray together with Benedict, so the two used a different kneeler in the pews and prayed side-by-side.
Francis also brought a gift to Benedict, an icon of the Madonna, and told him that it's known as the "Madonna of Humility."
"I thought of you," Francis told Benedict. "You gave us so many signs of humility and gentleness in your pontificate." Benedict replied: "Grazie, grazie."
Benedict wore the simple white cassock of the papacy, with a quilted white jacket over it to guard against the chill, but minus the sash and cape worn by Francis. Walking with a cane, the 85-year-old Benedict looked frail compared to the robust 76-year-old Argentine.
Outside the villa, the main piazza of Castel Gandolfo was packed with well-wishers bearing photos of both popes and chanting "Francesco! Francesco!" But the Vatican made clear they probably wouldn't see anything.

The Vatican downplayed the remarkable reunion in keeping with Benedict's desire to remain "hidden from the world" and not interfere with his successor's papacy. There was no live coverage by Vatican television, and only a short video and still photos were released after the fact.
The Vatican spokesman said the two spoke privately for 40-45 minutes, followed by lunch with the two papal secretaries, but no details were released.
All of which led to enormous speculation about what these two popes might have said to one another after making history together: Benedict's surprise resignation paved the way for the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit, and the first to call himself Francis after the 13th century friar who devoted himself to the poor, nature and working for peace.
That the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was second only to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 conclave that elected Ratzinger pope has only added to the popular imagination about how these two popes of such different style, background and priorities might get along.
Perhaps over their primo, or pasta course during Saturday's lunch, they discussed the big issues facing the church: the rise of secularism in the world, the drop in priestly vocations in Europe, the competition that the Catholic Church faces in Latin America and Africa from evangelical Pentecostal movements.
During their secondo, or second course of meat or fish, they might have gone over more pressing issues about Francis' new job: Benedict left a host of unfinished business on Francis' plate, including the outcome of a top-secret investigation into the leaks of papal documents last year that exposed corruption and mismanagement in the Vatican administration. Francis might have wanted to sound Benedict out on his ideas for management changes in the Holy See administration, a priority given the complete dysfunctional government he has inherited.
Over coffee, they might have discussed future of Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, Benedict's trusted aide who has had the difficult task of escorting his old pope into retirement and then returning to the Vatican to serve his successor in the initial rites of the office.
Gaenswein, who wept as he and Benedict made their final goodbyes to staff in the papal apartment on Feb. 28, has appeared visibly upset and withdrawn at times as he has been by Francis' side. The Vatican has said Francis' primary secretary will be Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, who had been the No. 2 secretary under Benedict.
Both Xuereb and Gaenswein were present for lunch. Start to finish, the meeting lasted about 2 ½ hours, with Benedict escorting Francis back to the helipad for the ride back to the Vatican.
Benedict's resignation — and his choices about his future — have raised the not-insignificant question of how the Catholic Church will deal with the novel situation of having one reigning and one retired pope living side-by-side, each of them called "pope," each of them wearing papal white and even sharing the same aide in Gaenswein.
Before Benedict announced his decision to be known as "emeritus pope," one of the Vatican's leading canon lawyers, the Jesuit Rev. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, penned an article suggesting that such a title would be inappropriate for Benedict since in renouncing the papacy he had "lost all the power of primacy" conferred on him by his election as pope.
The alternate title — which Vatican officials had suggested would be likely be chosen — was that of "emeritus bishop of Rome," since bishops routinely retire and are known as "emeritus bishops."
But Benedict opted instead for "emeritus pope," ''Your Holiness" and also chose to keep wearing the white cassock of the papacy, leading to questions about both his own influence on the future pontiff and whether Catholics more favorable to his traditional style might try to undermine his successor's authority and agenda by keeping their allegiance to the old pope.
Clearly aware of that potential, Benedict in his very last meeting with his cardinals on Feb. 28 pledged his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to the then-unknown future pope, who was nevertheless in the room.
Lombardi said he understood Benedict repeated that pledge of obedience to Francis on Saturday. Asked how the popes addressed one another, Lombardi demurred, saying he didn't think they addressed one another as "Your Holiness" or "Pope," saying the exchange was too familiar and warm for such titles.
After a few months in Castel Gandolfo, Benedict is to return to the Vatican to live in a converted monastery in the Vatican gardens, just a short walk from St. Peter's Basilica and the shrine devoted to the Madonna where Francis went to pray on one of his first walks as pope.
Despite Benedict's expressed intent to fade away, Francis on virtually every occasion afforded him has made clear he has no intention of letting his "venerable predecessor" disappear from memory: Francis called Benedict right after his election, urged prayers for him in his first papal Masses, and called the former Joseph Ratzinger to congratulate him on the feast of St. Joseph on March 19.
The Vatican has similarly made clear that the ex-pope hasn't completely lost interest in the matters of the church, following on television Francis's inaugural appearance on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after his election, when he charmed the crowd with a simple "Brothers and sisters, good evening."
The two men couldn't be more different in style and background: The Argentine-born Francis has made headlines with his simple gestures — no papal regalia, simple black shoes, paying his own hotel bill — and basic message that a pope's job is to protect the poor.
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio worked in the slums, celebrating Masses for prostitutes and drug addicts. He plans to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass this week at a juvenile detention center, where he will wash the feet of 12 inmates in a show of humility echoing that of Jesus.
The German-born Benedict is an academic, one of the world's leading theologians who spent more than 30 years in the frescoed halls of the Vatican where he was its chief doctrinal watchdog and then its pope. His primary concern was to remind Christians in Europe of their faith and bring back a more traditional Catholic identity, and with it many of the brocaded trappings of the papacy. His Holy Thursday Masses included the traditional foot-washing, but it involved clerics at the St. John Lateran basilica.
While there is a difference in style, there is a "radical" convergence between the two men in terms of their spirituality, according to Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine whose articles are approved by the Vatican before publication.
"They are two figures of the highest spirituality, whose relationship with life is completely anchored in God," the magazine wrote. "This radicalness is shown in Pope Benedict's shy and kind bearing, and in Pope Francis it is revealed by his immediate sweetness and spontaneity."

Nicole Winfield reported from Vatican City.

5 Easy Ways To Increase Your Manpower

A testosterone shortage could cost you your life. As if losing muscle mass, bone density, and your sex drive to low T levels wasn't bad enough, new research shows the decline can also increase your risk of prostate cancer, heart disease, and even death. Follow these steps to lift your levels and lengthen your life.

1. Uncover Your Abs

As your waist size goes up, your testosterone goes down. In fact, a 4-point increase in your body mass index, about 30 extra pounds on a 5'10" guy, can accelerate your age-related T decline by 10 years. For a diet that'll help keep your gut in check, try the all-new Men's Health e-book, The Six-Pack Secret. You'll learn how to sculpt rock-solid abs in 4 weeks. We believe it's the most effective muscle-up weight loss program ever.

2. Build Your Biceps

Finnish researchers recently found that men who lifted weights regularly experienced a 49 percent boost in their free testosterone levels. "As you strengthen your muscles, the amount of testosterone your body produces increases," says David Zava, Ph.D., CEO of ZRT Laboratory. You need to push iron only twice a week to see the benefit.

3. Fill Up On Fat

Trimming lard from your diet can help you stay lean, but eliminating all fat can cause your T levels to plummet. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that men who consumed the most fat also had the highest T levels. To protect your heart and preserve your T, eat foods high in monounsaturated fats, food such as fish and nuts.

A Fat MORE Dangerous than Trans Fat?

4. Push Away From The Bar

 Happy hour can wreak havoc on your manly hormones. In a recent Dutch study, men who drank moderate amounts of alcohol daily for 3 weeks experienced a 7 percent decrease in their testosterone levels. Limit your drinking to one or two glasses of beer or wine a night to avoid a drop in T.

5. Stop Stress

Mental or physical stress can quickly depress your T levels. Stress causes cortisol to surge, which "suppresses the body's ability to make testosterone and utilize it within tissues," says Zava. Cardio can be a great tension tamer, unless you overdo it. Injuries and fatigue are signs that your workout is more likely to lower T than raise it.

Smash Your Stress

12 rules of being a better lover

1. THE GREATER YOUR FOCUS, THE HOTTER THE SEX

What's the best way to unlock a woman's wildest desires in bed? "Passion," said 42 per cent of the women we surveyed. "That means being in the moment and not being distracted," says US psychologist Dr Joel Block, the author of Secrets of Better Sex. "Sex is a conversation, and she doesn't want to feel like you wish you had your BlackBerry."

A woman takes attendance during sex in many ways, and the strongest signal you can send comes from your mouth. More than 90 per cent of women we surveyed said a man's primal panting turns them on. But use words over Tarzan grunts, if you can. "You want to reassure her: 'Do that more', 'That feels so good' or 'Oh, I love that'," says Dr Logan Levkoff, a US sexologist and the author of Third Base Ain't What It Used to Be. Beyond giving her a confidence boost, the extra sensory seduction intensifies the experience.

Nonverbal communication is important, too. Bursts of eye contact, lip nibbles and any other kind of physical or verbal communication shows her she's the one pushing your buttons, not some fantasy fembot in your head. If the soulful eye lock's not for you, bury your face in her neck, run the tip of your tongue from her collarbone to her earlobe and whisper why she's driving you crazy.

2. FOREPLAY CAN BE THE MAIN EVENT

"‘Foreplay' is a terrible word because it implies that it's leading to something more important," says sexuality counsellor Dr Beverly Whipple, a co-author of The G Spot and Other Discoveries About Human Sexuality. “You'll both have more fun if you think of it as sex play and make it about discovering and enjoying each other, not just reaching the finish line."

The women we surveyed agreed: two in five said their last orgasm occurred during foreplay itself, not intercourse. What's more, when asked to rank their partners' bedroom skills, the women's top two complaints were a lack of sexual creativity and sub-par manual sex skills, in that order. Ouch.

Your move? Tell her you want to go three sack sessions without penetration. Ditching the same old script – foreplay, sex, cuddling – will help your creative instincts spring to life. Bonus: sexual novelty recreates those early relationship, take-me-now hormones, says psychiatrist Dr Daniel Amen, the author of Sex on the Brain: 12 Lessons to Enhance Your Love Life.

3. PLEASURE DOESN'T ALWAYS EQUAL SATISFACTION

The good news is you can give a woman both. In a Kinsey Institute study in the US, women and men agreed that sex without condoms feels better – but women said using protection actually helps them feel more satisfied overall in the sack. Even those using hormonal birth-control methods felt the effect: when they used condoms, they reported a 17.5 per cent higher rate of overall satisfaction with their sex lives.

Why? This one's a no-brainer. When women worry less (say, about sexually transmitted infections), they enjoy themselves more.

Our pick for the condom that packs both pleasure and satisfaction: the Ansell Zero, which at just 0.05 millimetres thick is the thinnest on the Australian market.

4. "GENTLE" MEANS MORE THAN JUST "EASY, BUDDY"

“That word is a woman's code telling you to be more sensitive to her cues," says Block. The more nerve dense the hot spot is on a woman's body, the more careful your approach should be.

Clitoral contact in particular feels abrasive without a proper warm-up, says Lou Paget, a sex educator and the author of How to Be a Great Lover. If a woman yips or inhales suddenly when you go there – instead of purring or moaning – you've jumped the gun. Use indirect stimulation first, paying careful attention to her reactions as a guide.

The nerve-packed clitoris actually extends several inches under the skin on either side of her vagina (like a wishbone), which means you can massage it without direct pressure to the bud. Trace the extensions with flat, wide, extra-wet tongue strokes or slow finger zigzags (and don't forget to use a lubricant). Then rub a slow spiral around the top, drawing closer with each pass. The combo of anticipation and indirect contact will bring her pleasure centres to life. If she purrs, you've found her sweet spot. If she fidgets or gasps, take a step back.

5. CLIMATE IS CRUCIAL FOR CLIMAX

Egyptian cotton and dimmer switches can't hurt, but your love chamber's thermostat is just as important, according to Dutch sex researchers. “At the beginning of our trials, only 50 per cent of our female subjects were able to reach orgasm," says study author Dr Gert Holstege, chairman of the centre for uro-neurology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. “But we learned they were uncomfortable because they had cold feet. We gave them socks and 80 per cent reached orgasm."

The socks aren't the secret, though. "The amygdala and prefrontal cortex – the brain areas responsible for anxiety, fear, and danger signals - strongly decrease their activation during orgasm." says Holstege. "A pleasant environment, which includes the room temperature, is an important part of making her feel safe, secure and comfortable."

"Imagine the ideal day at the beach," says Tristan Taormino, a director for adult movie company Vivid Entertainment in the US. "You want it just warm enough that she's happy to shed a layer or two, but not so hot that you'll end up drenched once you exert yourself."

6. POSITIONS ARE POINTLESS WITHOUT A PURPOSE

"There's no need to be overly fancy during sex – the very best positions are the ones that focus on the clitoris," says Levkoff. Want to amp up her pleasure without risking a hamstring cramp? Ditch the outrageous contortions for these modified standards. They're all designed to boost stimulation to her clitoris, which has even more nerve endings than the head of your penis.

A) MISSIONARY
Instead of in-and-out thrusting, "have her grind against you in circles", says sex expert Tracey Cox, the author of Secrets of a Supersexpert. "Keep as much of the base of your penis in contact with her outer lips as possible." Another option: place two or three pillows under her bum to lift it off the bed at an angle. You'll rub against her more when thrusting.

B) GIRL ON TOP
Make a V with two fingers and place it so the point of the V (just between the two knuckles) is directly over her clitoris. Your fingers should come down on either side of your penis as she rides you. "This will stimulate the clitoris, inner labia and urethra – as well as add intensity for you," says Cox.

C) DOGGY-STYLE
"Have her lift her bum up or spread out your legs to move down and touch the supersensitive vaginal wall," says Cox. Then reach around to play with her clitoris using your fingers. (Use a small vibrator for extra intensity.) For over-the-top stimulation of her most nerve-packed parts, "keep thrusting short and shallow, rather than deep and fast", advises Cox.

7. CLUB ORGASM ISN'T "MEMBERS ONLY"

Only one in five women we surveyed said their last orgasm came during penetration. "Most younger women want their partners to slow down and use their hands and mouths more," explains Australian sex researcher Dr Juliet Richters, who surveyed more than 19,000 people for her book Doing It Down Under.

In her survey, more than 90 per cent of women were able to reach orgasm when their partners used only oral and manual stimulation. Here's the rub: fifty-two per cent of the women we surveyed said they've made a guy stop because they were afraid of taking too long. So how can you be sure she's not letting you off easy? "Say, 'I love doing this, I could do this all day. Are you sure you want me to stop?'," says Whipple.

If you're the one worried about 20-plus minutes of exhausting oral sex, though, "don't go faster - it won't make her reach orgasm sooner", says Cox. "If anything, slow down. The gentler, slower and more consistent you are, the quicker she'll arrive."

Another option: enlist help. A small vibrator on her clitoris and your moist lips everywhere else should do the job.

8. A QUICKIE SHOULDN'T END WITH "THANKS!"

Only half of all women can reach orgasm when sex lasts 10 minutes or less, according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. "That means during a quickie, you'll probably finish and she won't," says Levkoff.

If she doesn't orgasm, make sure you'll have access to future rapid-fire sessions by saying, "Later tonight, it's going to be all about you." Then follow through on that promise. Leave her hanging too many times and she won't stick around for long.

9. THE G-SPOT HAS FRIENDS. GET TO KNOW THEM

You're goal-oriented. Good. But the G-spot and the clitoris aren't the only bull's-eyes. "The most recent anatomical research suggests that the clitoris is perhaps better described as the 'clitoral complex', where the vagina, urethra and clitoris all function as a unit rather than as individual parts," explains Kinsey Institute researcher Dr Debby Herbenick.

Try working that clitoral complex by hitting multiple hot spots at once. Some researchers believe there's something called an A-spot, located far inside the vagina on the side closest to her belly button. "Stroke this spot and she'll lubricate almost instantly," says Cox. "Put one lubed finger into her vagina as far as it will comfortably go. Use the whole length of your finger to explore the front wall of her vagina." Now triple the sensation: stick both index and middle finger inside her, and stick out your thumb like you're hitchhiking. It'll pull your fingers more snugly against her vaginal walls, stimulating A-spot and G-spot simultaneously. Then use your thumb to also stimulate her clitoris, and gently twist your hand.

10."READY" IS ALL RELATIVE

"Just because a woman is lubricated doesn't mean she's ready for sex," says Richters. Your woman's real prime time comes once she reaches a phase of arousal called "uterine tenting". It's just like it sounds: the uterus backs out of the way and the vagina grows in length by as much as three centimetres.

"You'll experience deeper penetration and the vagina will provide an intense grip to the head of your penis," says Dr Barbara Keesling, a lecturer on human sexuality at California State University at Fullerton and the author of Men in Bed. "The orgasms are incredible."

Keesling says the best position is the butterfly. "Have her lie on her back and pull her knees up to her shoulders, tilting her pelvis so her vagina points up almost to the ceiling," she advises.

Since tenting can take anywhere from 30 seconds to, well, forever, focus on synchronising the stimulation between your penis and her outer lips before entering her. Lie pressed against each other with your penis snug between her legs, allowing her to slide and rub against you while you use your hands and mouth elsewhere. The warm, slick and firm contact will bring her to a boil in no time.

11. WANT TO HAVE SEX? THEN DO THE DISHES

"If a woman is distracted by anything – work, lack of sleep, chores, a fight she had with a friend - it can interfere with her arousal," says Whipple. Seven in 10 women we surveyed said helping around the home was a turn-on, but Australian women spend an average of two hours and 52 minutes a day on domestic activities, compared with the one hour and 37 minutes of Australian men, according to a 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey.

The women we surveyed said they'd be most grateful if you did the dishes, cooked dinner and did the laundry, in that order. Score bonus points: don't brag about it.

12. DON'T MAKE ORGASM YOUR ONLY GOAL

Desperation sinks her sex drive: a 2008 study by the University of Texas at Austin published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that stress about sexual performance significantly decreases female arousal. "Whatever you do, don't look up and ask, 'Are you close?' or 'Did you come?'," says Whipple. "It's distracting and it adds unnecessary pressure."

See if you're on the right track by asking questions such as: "Do you like that?" and "Should I keep doing that?" instead. And if you're waiting for her to reach orgasm during penetration, it's sometimes better to finish first rather than holding out for half an hour. "Women don't have orgasms every time, and they know it's not necessarily their partner's fault," says Whipple. So take turns, advises Levkoff. "You can always go back and use your hands and fingers to please her, if she's still turned on."


Photo by Rodale

Underage girls 'Used as prostitutes in Sydney

Police fear more young girls may have been victims of a child prostitution ring in Sydney and are too frightened to come forward.

One of the girls who was enticed into having sex in cars and motels with male clients was 13, police will allege.

Officers of Strike Force Woodvale arrested a 22-year-old woman at Warwick Farm, in the city's southwest, at about 8.30am (AEDT) on Friday and charged her with armed robbery and child prostitution offences.

Liverpool crime manager Danny Doherty said the woman preyed on girls living on the street and in refuges for the homeless.

"These girls may be too scared to come forward or may be traumatised by the acts, but I urge them to contact police so they can get the necessary support they need," Detective Inspector Doherty said.

Police suspect the woman lured at least three girls into the prostitution ring that operated for about three months.

She allegedly contacted her clients by phone and arranged for them to meet the girls in cars and motels.

"It's a sad reflection on society when you've got a 22-year-old woman soliciting and making money out of kids as young as 13," Det Insp Doherty said.

Detectives are yet to determine how she advertised, but they believe she offered the sexual services of young girls.

"It's obviously very unusual for a young woman to be arranging other young women to engage in acts of prostitution," Det Insp Doherty said.

Police also allege the woman was involved in an armed robbery of a person in February.

She was charged on Friday with promoting child prostitution, obtaining benefit from child prostitution and armed robbery.

The woman was refused police bail and is to appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

Anyone who may have been a victim of the alleged prostitution ring or anyone who has information about the matter is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


By Vincent Morello, Police Reporter, AAP

10 Tips On How To Get Rich Fast

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could get rich tomorrow? What would you do with all that money? Well believe it or not it can be done. Now I didn’t say it would be easy I just said you could do it. Here are 10 tips on how to get rich fast.

1. Invest - Start young. In fact start while you are in elementary school, kindergarten is even better. It’s the beauty of compound interest and over time your money will grow into a nice nest egg. Okay if you are reading this you are probably too old to start in elementary school but you can get your kids hooked. As for you the best plan of defense is to invest 50% of your salary in a high risk market fund or the penny stock market. You’ve got a 50-50 chance. You’ll either make a million or be broke in 90 days.

2. Marry Rich - Now how difficult can this be? All you need to do is find someone who has loads of money and marry them. Okay I didn’t say you’d be happy just rich. Perhaps not a solution for most of us but it apparently works for a few.

3. Win The Lottery - Ya ya I know the odds of getting struck by lightening are better than the odds of winning the lottery but you can’t win if you don’t try and it’s one of the few ways I know of that you can get rich fast.

4. Rich Parents - If you come from a wealthy family then you are half way there. All you have to do is stay in their good books and convince mom and dad to not spend their money and leave it to you when they pass. After all why should your parents get to enjoy the wealth they reaped?

5. Get An Education - Go to school for lots of years, accumulate plenty of debt, and choose a career that pays big bucks. After about 10 years in your profession you should be rolling in the dough and you might even be filthy rich before you get old

6. Become A Star - Heck if Jennifer Aniston or Nicolas Cage can do it why can’t you. A couple of acting lessons and you should be set. All you need to do is head to Hollywood and strike it big. One good movie and you’ll be set for life.

7. Invest In Real Estate - Buy high sell low – whoops I think I got that backwards. Buy low, wait 10 years, 20 years, maybe even 30 years but inflation will have your investment growing by leaps and bounds and you could be filthy rich especially if you bought in an up and coming city while house prices were still low. Now if you bought in Hicksville USA you may have a problem. It might take more than your lifetime to see any dramatic increases. Oh well you can leave it to your kids who can leave it to their kids and in another 100 years or so someone’s going to be sitting pretty.

8. The Internet Way - Heck where have you been. A quick search on the Web will reveal plenty of sites that will teach you how to make $50,000 a day. Now I think most of us could live quite comfortably on that don’t you? All you need to do is part with about $500 and they’ll tell you the secrets of wealth in one page or less. If the first one doesn’t do it for you perhaps you might want to try a few more. Oh wait a minute. Perhaps what you need to do is set up one of these sights, then you’ll be the one getting rich off the other poor fools that part with their $500.

9. Bank Robbery - Okay highly illegal and could land you a lifetime in the slammer but desperate needs require desperate measures. After all if you get caught you might not be rich but you’ll have free room and board for the rest of your life and then you could write a book about what not to do when robbing a bank and well see you could get rich from your book. And even better, you’ll stay rich because there is really no place to spend it while in jail.

10. High Risk Work - Take on those high risk jobs no one else wants. You know counselor in Iraq, bean counter in Afghanistan, Oil tycoon in Iran. But hey if you live through it you’ll be rolling in the dough. What does it matter that 99% never live through it. You’ve got a 1% chance and when it comes to getting rich those are pretty good odds.

Sure most of these ideas are pretty off the wall but if getting rich fast was easy wouldn’t we all be rich? Then what fun would there be in that? We’d all have too much money and probably be bored to tears. So why not aim for better life with good friends, love, happiness, and enough money to live comfortably but not so much that you stop dreaming about what you would do if you were rich.

Jude Minar