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Jan 21st 2006 Exactly 3 years from today I died. Then I was just another teenager, blinded, seeking direction, thirsty for knowledge, beautiful things, all the time holding hard a rope that directed me in the good and the bad. It wasn’t suicide, or normal biological death. To be completely honest, I do not know what kind of death it was, why I died, nor was there anyone or anything that caused it. All I know is that I died, and with me died the little teenager, the blindness, those insecure illusive directional arrows, and the hard rope broke. The thirst for knowledge and the beautiful things remained there forever. I daresay they became stronger, deeper, and somehow sucked the contrast, tone and values away from everything else imaginary. Even from death itself. I still remember vague sequences from that sad day for the people who knew me. It was raining. The sky, or something that looked like one, had gray nuances and the wind deformed softly their empty eyeshades, freezing their sad numb faces and bringing tears of sorrow. For me was completely different. I felt secure watching my coffin surrounded by people. By people... And as everyone cried I felt for the first time happy, somehow… I cannot never explain it fully how I really felt. Is it right to feel happy when someone dies? And when you see yourself inside the tomb, should you smile? What would ‘the world’ say? Does that make me evil? I remember that I left them for a while doing their own rituals… Suddenly it became dark, very dark, and I also remember myself not being scared, but surprised. I was always being told that in the end, if you’re a good person you’ll see only white. Again, I thought: ‘Was I a bad person?’ Part 1 – God Is Evil I started walking, maybe for a very short time, until I saw three doors. I stared at the first one. It said HEAVEN. I open it and enter inside. The first thing that catches my attention is a priest. I cannot see his face, but I do not think too much detail of this is needed anyways… He is holding a child in his lap and apparently is playing with him something. A new game, I think, because I cannot recall memories of myself when I was much younger playing with sexual organs and other’s genitals. The priest’s voice started to get louder though, and the kid did not seem to be having much fun. I stepped forward; they both saw me. I simply looked at them. The priest covered his face, ‘God forgive me!’, and run. I didn’t bother, just continued walking, thinking about the priest my good catholic parents had hired for my funeral… On another corner lay a dark colored man and, believe it or not, sitting on a chair there was Jesus Christ talking to him. Up in a big golden throne was God. I walked up to them, but I did not say anything to Jesus. Apparently, since the first moment I was dead, the being I dedicated my whole short life seemed to me just an emotional poet who sacrificed everything for human literature. ‘Hello, my son. Welcome home!’ ‘Why did you kill me God?!’ I said simply. My question surprises the other man and as he stands up he asks: ‘Yeah! Hey God, I never asked you… why did you let me die too? You are evil god!’ ‘My good son… You were praying while TITANIC was taking you deep down the pacific. You should have swim. I gave you your brain so you can learn how to swim! You are an ignorant fool!’ ‘But… but… I thought that you gave me my brain, my body, my whole life so I can believe and follow your path.’ God is quiet. After a while he smiles and answers: ‘Forget about that. Now you are here with me.’ I look at the man indifferently: ‘That is right. You can wonder all day in the magnificent holy fields of Heaven, listening to quiet and peaceful beautiful melodies; no more stupid people from whom you can get second hand smoke. Now you are going to enjoy Eden’s fresh air. Give it a try and maybe you will find Led Zepplin here.’ ‘Wow! That sounds cool! Hey God, is that true?’ ‘Yes, my son’ comes his voice. ‘Thank you father! I had always faith in you. Bless thy word, the Holy Spirit and…’ ‘But there is no more sex.’ I add with a diabolical smile. God gives me a look that can make even the devil run away… and then says to the man: ‘Sex is for the animals like the Devil. Animals are only good for food, plus they evolve. Did you know that catholic priests and nuns are not allowed to reproduce or get married?’ I give another smile to these words. God raises his voice more. ‘They are devoted to me, so I shall give them peace here. If you carnal pleasure I will send you in Hell to the Devil. There is the place for it, and that is like going back to life. Misery! He is very evil for every good thing that he gives to you! Always! Come on my son (God winks at him) you have been living in earth for 32 years…’ As God finishes the man becomes sad and all I can hear are the words ‘GOD YOU ARE EVIL!’ I walk away. I know I will not find any answers here. Part 2 – Other forms of religion are evil The second door opened easily as the first one. On the golden placate was written ‘Allahu Akbar*’. I enter and I see two silhouettes talking quietly inside a cave. ‘I am sorry Mohammed. I’ve been bad, a cheater, killer, liar, evil… Forgive me.’ ‘I’m sorry, but it is up to Allah to decide’ (crying; murmuring the Kuran) ‘By the way, your niece, I heard, is posing “artistic” nudes for the GC!’ The other guy gets very angry and starts to scream. ‘And I thought you were the Good One! But you are evil too! Allah, Allah…’ ‘Please, estakfurulla, bismilah… I just mentioned a fact, just to open a conversation, you know, until he comes for your final judging.’ ‘Okay, okay. I am sorry Mohammed, but you are a little bit evil; just a little bit. (He shows his pinky’s nail) ‘Most of us Muslims live in poor countries; we have to grow to grow beard even when it’s hot; our women have to be covered in black head over heels. They are never independent. Sometimes we beat them up to death just for showing without consent their lips in public when they eat. They do not say anything. And what’s this mental tradition of cutting the skin of the penis? It hurts man… And not to mention the 5-times-a day- praying. Come on! (Whispers in the others ear) Did you know that Christians, Catholics and others pray to their God only once a day, usually, before they go to sleep? I kind of envy them…’ ‘Are you questioning Allah’s rules?!’ ‘No, no! I’d be evil to do that, I accept everything for Allah’ ‘Then are you being evil to yourself?!’ he asks. The other does not answer just bites his dirty nails. ‘How many wives does He allow you now?’ the questioning continues. ‘Only four. He took my other four because he said I did too much killing’ The person who was questioning before looks around once or twice and says: ‘That’s kind of evil if you think about it. You’ve got to have fun once in a while, you know… That’s what females are made for…’ I smile and leave as they continue to talk. Part 3 – Humans are evil There it is. The last door… It looks beautiful and seductive from the outside. It doesn’t have a name. I wonder why… To my surprise I do not see anything else except a very artistic, big, blood on canvas painting of The Universe and some kind of book. I get closer to admire the many colors** and the beautiful red tones used. It was amazing and it opened my eyes even more. The details were stunning. People Killing Cheating Lying Stealing Committing adultery Taking advantage Being hypocrites Sexually abusing I look down at the black space, on the corner of the canvas. The signature reads HUMAN. I smile again; this time a more intelligent smile. Suddenly I am reminded of the book. I open it and realize that it is a guestbook. I start to read: ~ People will ignore their misfortunes and their interests when they are in competition with their pleasures. ~ The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it. ~ There surely is in human nature an inherent propensity to extract all the good out of all the evil. ~ Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. ~ Death? Why this fuss about death. Use your imagination, try to visualize a world without death! ... Death is the essential condition of life, not an evil. ~ Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster and if you gaze into the abyss the abyss gazes into you. I cannot stop smiling. I take the pen and write on a blank page with a grotesque calligraphy Human Nature Is Evil Then I sing my name into the infinite list and realize that there is more to come. I close the book and everything becomes white, clear. I am back at my funeral. People are crying sadly. I smile; a diabolic evil smile... buy penis enhancement pills penis enargement fact compare penis enlargement pills penis enhancement surgery photo penis enlarement device vig rx review compare penis enlargement pills penile enlargment excersizes

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Penile Implants These are the most irreversible and drastic ways of achieving artificial erection. Only when all other measures have been exhausted with no longer-lasting effects are achieved is that penile implants are warranted. These are prosthetic devices made of inert silicone, which are surgically inserted into the penis. Normal erection cannot be achieved after that. There are two kinds of penile implants: Passive Implants: Two rods of silicone are inserted into the penis, which remains erect all the time. The silicone rods can be put in different angles, but this may be an embarrassment in public occasions such as swimming. Orgasm may be achieved unless there are hormonal or neural factors which impede it. Active Implants: These are inflatable silicone pouches which are also implanted into the penis. The penis remains in flaccid state until a proper manipulation of the prosthesis causes its inflation and consequent erection. One type of implant is activated by pressing the glans (the head of the penis) with one hand. Liquid is transferred from a reservoir to the main inflatable pouches. In another type, the liquid reservoir is implanted into the scrotal sac, and can be pumped by hand. Other Treatments Other surgical and non-surgical treatments for impotence are being tried in an experimental basis, and there may be a promising future for some of them. For instance, groups of physicians in Russia and Germany have been experimenting with electrical stimulation of the pelvic area using an external pad applied to the abdomen and back. There are already commercial devices using this principle, which seems to increase the blood flow in the genital area. Direct stimulation of pelvic nerves (leading to a nerve-induced erection) by using implanted electrodes and an electrical pacemaker-like device are also being considered. "Natural" or alternative methods do abound. They range from "natural" foods which have high testosterone or DHEA levels, such as green oats (marketed under the brand name of SEXATIVA) or saw palmetto; to yoga exercises to increase muscle tone and blood flow in the genital area. It is hard to say whether there are real effects or they are just the effect of suggestion or placebo phenomena. One thing has been scientifically determined, however. The blood levels of testosterone increase just after exercise, or by loosing excessive weight. Thus, a natural way of combating mild hypogonadism might be frequent exercising and keeping a normal weight. Controversial and unapproved treatments Controversial and unapproved treatments Bremelanotide The experimental drug Bremelanotide (formerly PT-141) does not act on the vascular system like the former compounds but increases sexual desire and drive in male as well as female. It is applied as a nasal spray. Bremelanotide works by activating melanocortin receptors in the brain. It is currently in Phase IIb trials. Ginseng A double-blind study appears to show evidence that ginseng is better than placebo: see the ginseng article for links and more details. Enzyte Enzyte is a product that has been advertised by saturation coverage on television channels such as Court-TV. However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about Enzyte for deceptive advertising. It is manufactured by Berkeley Nutritionals, which is alleged to be the subject of an investigation by the Attorney General of Ohio and the defendant in class-action lawsuits. Enzyte is a supplement that claims to increase the male libido or frequency of erections of the penis. Commercials for Enzyte are shown regularly on television. These commercials feature a man named Bob who never stops smiling, apparently because he had taken Enzyte and improved the size of his sex organs. The commercials are riddled with symbolic phallic imagery, e.g. golf clubs, remarkably tall glasses of iced tea, and a hose spraying barely a trickle of water (carried by someone who doesn't use Enzyte). The effectiveness of Enzyte is in dispute. Some medical professionals in fact advise against taking Enzyte, saying that it can lead to damage. The Center for Science in the Public Interest have urged the Federal Trade Commission to disallow further television advertising for Enzyte due to a lack of proper studies supporting claims. Enzyte maker Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, Inc., is currently under a class action lawsuit for false advertising. Enzyte is said to contain: Tribulus terrestris; Yohimbe Extract; Niacin; Epimedium; Avena sativa; Zinc Oxide; Maca; Muira Pauma; Ginkgo biloba; L-Arginine; Saw Palmetto. Other ingredients: gelatin, rice bran, oat fiber, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide. Herbal and other alternative treatments These are generally ineffective when tested blind, but may be useful for their psychological (placebo) effect: if a good result is expected, any highly-praised, and often expensive, treatment can be effective. Reputable drugs can also benefit from the same effect. Uncontroversial treatments for erectile dysfunction PDE5 Inhibitors The prescription PDE5 inhibitors sildenafil (Viagra®), vardenafil (Levitra®) and tadalafil (Cialis®) are prescription drugs which are taken orally. They work by blocking the action of PDE5, which causes cGMP to degrade. cGMP causes the smooth muscle of the arteries in the penis to relax, allowing the corpus cavernosum to fill with blood. Vacuum pump An external vacuum pump will produce an engorged penis with success approaching 90%; a penis ring will maintain this state, although it should be removed after not more than 30 minutes. The erection is not as rigid or hard as a natural erection; drugs or injections, when they work, may be preferable. Various studies show the degree of satisfaction of users and their partners to be vary variable, even when drugs and injections do not work; in one study, about 20% of men who tried a (high-priced) pump decided to proceed to purchase one. Other studies show higher percentages of satisfied users. In some cases frequent use of a vacuum pump can eventually improve the degree of erection attainable without use of the pump. Claims of cheap "penis pumps" to permanently increase maximum penis size should be viewed with caution, however. Some vacuum pumps are sold at a higher price with 100% refund within 90 days to dissatisfied users, with a somewhat lower price with 50% refund guarantee (Osbon Erecaid, [7]). This pump is supported by medical insurance schemes, including the UK's NHS and US Medicare and private insurers. The better-known pumps sell for prices of around 200 GBP/400 USD (2006). There is at least one vacuum pump with rings which sells for around one-fifth of this price (Noogleberry, [8]). Specific devices are mentioned for information only; mention should not be taken as endorsement. vimax pennis enlargement product truth about penis enlargement natural penile enlargment exercise safe penis enlagement best penis enargement free penis enargement tip penile enlargement pills product magna rx patch

Surgery is one of the most controversial approaches to penis enlargement. While it does come with the coveted “mainstream” label, it is by far the most expensive option. Many people think that surgery is less hassle and the bringer of instant results. They should think again. First and foremost, men who have willingly chosen the knife to improve their lives also have to go through a period of exercises designed to help the penis recover. Second, sex is out of the question after surgery. So there’s no instant use for those instant results. Third, things may go wrong. And if you think that nothing can happen to spoil your attempt to better your sex life, then neither did Charles Lennon, the not so proud owner of a ten-year hard on. In theory a perpetual hard on may sound fun for certain desperate men who haven’t gotten laid in a while, but let me tell you this is not as good as it sounds. Charles Lennon was in his late 50s when he received an implant made of plastic and steel called Dura-II. The device was supposed to help men suffering from erectile dysfunction raise their penises for sex and then lower them down afterwards. Problem is Lennon’s device remained stuck in the up position. In one short moment of unlucky malfunction, Charles Lennon lost the chance to ride a bike again, hug people, wear tight clothing or go for a swim. He has turned into a recluse who is embarrassed to meet people and is uncomfortable around his own grandchildren. And the worst part of it is that there is no going back for Charles Lennon. The implant is not working properly and cannot be taken out due to health-related problems that prevent Lennon for going through surgery again. And even if doctors could somehow take the implant out, there is no way Lennon would get an erection because the implant replaced part of the penis tissue. This means that Charles Lennon is stuck with the malfunctioning implant for the rest of his life. While it’s true that he had brought the manufacturer before a court and won compensatory payments, money cannot undo the implant, nor fix a man’s life. It’s not my intention to imply that surgery is a disaster waiting to happen every time. I’m sure that many people went through penis enlargement surgery and everything was perfect for them. But you have to realize that when things go wrong, there is no turning back. Once the knife goes through the tissue, there is no way to undo the cut and, for good or for worse, you have to live with the consequences. And, as told above, the consequences can sometimes be pretty dire. Permanent erection, irreversible impotence, loss of feeling due to damage sustained by nerves, scars – these are the hazards of a male enhancement technique that is outside your control. Therefore, my advice to all the men considering penis enlargement is: choose carefully. male penis elargement pnis enlargement traction device pennis enlargement surgery photo herbal penis enlagement pills penis enlarement traction device enlargement forum free matter penis size penis enlarement pic before and after pennis enlargement pic before and after magna rx patch

An erection happens when the penis fills with blood and gets hard. The penis has 2 main chambers that run along side the top of the penis shaft. This area, the corpora cavernosa, is made up of spongy tissue, veins, arteries, spaces, and smooth muscles that hold in-flowing blood. Erections happen when more blood flows into the penis and less blood flows out. The erection process is perfectly normal and can happen at any time throughout the day. Most healthy males get erections during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (the time of sleep when dreams happen). Also, erections when waking up are a sign of good penis health. Usually, erections happen during physical arousal or fantasizing, but other things can cause it to occur. Such causes include pressure on the genital area and pressure from the urinary bladder from the need to urinate. For an erection to happen, some kind of stimulation makes the brain and penile nerves to get excited. They tell the smooth muscles of the corpora cavernosa to let blood in, and stop blood from flowing out. This has the effect of expanding the penis size. As the penis gets larger in length and girth, it is normal for it to rise at an angle. This angle is usually anywhere from parallel to the floor to pointing almost straight upward. Sometimes men are stressed out and can't get an erection. This is just the body's way of dealing with stress (or the “fight-or-flight” response). Worrying about a small penis size or having an unattractive partner can make it impossible for a man to keep an erection. Other things that affect erections are: the amount of sleep a guy gets, how active he is, and in general, age causes changes in hormone levels, like testosterone. Erection problems If a man can't keep an erection for 25% of the time, he may have erectile dysfunction, or ED. Treatments for erectile dysfunction can include penile injections, vacuum pumps, surgery, prosthetic devices, Viagra, hormone therapy, counseling, and natural penis exercises. Some of these methods try to physically help a guy get an erection, while others improve his sex drive so he can perform better. Methods like injections, prosthetic devices, and vacuum pumps do not require arousal, as they are based on an automatic response. Other methods like pills and the natural exercises improve the blood flow into the penis, and make erections possible upon sexual arousal. Some pills work each time you take them, while others work for more long lasting benefits. Regular erections are a natural part of good male sexual health. The ability to get erections decreases with age, but there are things men can do to improve themselves. Erection problems can be forever cured with modern methods like surgery, counseling, pills, and even exercises. male penile enlargement pennis enlargement photo penis enlarement pills best penile enlargement surgery vimax free penis enlargement pills vimax penis enlargement herb guide to penile enlargment penis elargement herb magna rx patch

Alan Pease, author of a book titled "Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps", believes that women are spatially-challenged compared to men. The British firm, Admiral Insurance, conducted a study of half a million claims. They found that "women were almost twice as likely as men to have a collision in a car park, 23 percent more likely to hit a stationary car, and 15 percent more likely to reverse into another vehicle" (Reuters). Yet gender "differences" are often the outcomes of bad scholarship. Consider Admiral insurance's data. As Britain's Automobile Association (AA) correctly pointed out - women drivers tend to make more short journeys around towns and shopping centers and these involve frequent parking. Hence their ubiquity in certain kinds of claims. Regarding women's alleged spatial deficiency, in Britain, girls have been outperforming boys in scholastic aptitude tests - including geometry and maths - since 1988. On the other wing of the divide, Anthony Clare, a British psychiatrist and author of "On Men" wrote: "At the beginning of the 21st century it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that men are in serious trouble. Throughout the world, developed and developing, antisocial behavior is essentially male. Violence, sexual abuse of children, illicit drug use, alcohol misuse, gambling, all are overwhelmingly male activities. The courts and prisons bulge with men. When it comes to aggression, delinquent behavior, risk taking and social mayhem, men win gold." Men also mature later, die earlier, are more susceptible to infections and most types of cancer, are more likely to be dyslexic, to suffer from a host of mental health disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and to commit suicide. In her book, "Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man", Susan Faludi describes a crisis of masculinity following the breakdown of manhood models and work and family structures in the last five decades. In the film "Boys don't Cry", a teenage girl binds her breasts and acts the male in a caricatural relish of stereotypes of virility. Being a man is merely a state of mind, the movie implies. But what does it really mean to be a "male" or a "female"? Are gender identity and sexual preferences genetically determined? Can they be reduced to one's sex? Or are they amalgams of biological, social, and psychological factors in constant interaction? Are they immutable lifelong features or dynamically evolving frames of self-reference? Certain traits attributed to one's sex are surely better accounted for by cultural factors, the process of socialization, gender roles, and what George Devereux called "ethnopsychiatry" in "Basic Problems of Ethnopsychiatry" (University of Chicago Press, 1980). He suggested to divide the unconscious into the id (the part that was always instinctual and unconscious) and the "ethnic unconscious" (repressed material that was once conscious). The latter is mostly molded by prevailing cultural mores and includes all our defense mechanisms and most of the superego. So, how can we tell whether our sexual role is mostly in our blood or in our brains? The scrutiny of borderline cases of human sexuality - notably the transgendered or intersexed - can yield clues as to the distribution and relative weights of biological, social, and psychological determinants of gender identity formation. The results of a study conducted by Uwe Hartmann, Hinnerk Becker, and Claudia Rueffer-Hesse in 1997 and titled "Self and Gender: Narcissistic Pathology and Personality Factors in Gender Dysphoric Patients", published in the "International Journal of Transgenderism", "indicate significant psychopathological aspects and narcissistic dysregulation in a substantial proportion of patients." Are these "psychopathological aspects" merely reactions to underlying physiological realities and changes? Could social ostracism and labeling have induced them in the "patients"? The authors conclude: "The cumulative evidence of our study ... is consistent with the view that gender dysphoria is a disorder of the sense of self as has been proposed by Beitel (1985) or Pfäfflin (1993). The central problem in our patients is about identity and the self in general and the transsexual wish seems to be an attempt at reassuring and stabilizing the self-coherence which in turn can lead to a further destabilization if the self is already too fragile. In this view the body is instrumentalized to create a sense of identity and the splitting symbolized in the hiatus between the rejected body-self and other parts of the self is more between good and bad objects than between masculine and feminine." Freud, Kraft-Ebbing, and Fliess suggested that we are all bisexual to a certain degree. As early as 1910, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld argued, in Berlin, that absolute genders are "abstractions, invented extremes". The consensus today is that one's sexuality is, mostly, a psychological construct which reflects gender role orientation. Joanne Meyerowitz, a professor of history at Indiana University and the editor of The Journal of American History observes, in her recently published tome, "How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States", that the very meaning of masculinity and femininity is in constant flux. Transgender activists, says Meyerowitz, insist that gender and sexuality represent "distinct analytical categories". The New York Times wrote in its review of the book: "Some male-to-female transsexuals have sex with men and call themselves homosexuals. Some female-to-male transsexuals have sex with women and call themselves lesbians. Some transsexuals call themselves asexual." So, it is all in the mind, you see. This would be taking it too far. A large body of scientific evidence points to the genetic and biological underpinnings of sexual behavior and preferences. The German science magazine, "Geo", reported recently that the males of the fruit fly "drosophila melanogaster" switched from heterosexuality to homosexuality as the temperature in the lab was increased from 19 to 30 degrees Celsius. They reverted to chasing females as it was lowered. The brain structures of homosexual sheep are different to those of straight sheep, a study conducted recently by the Oregon Health & Science University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, revealed. Similar differences were found between gay men and straight ones in 1995 in Holland and elsewhere. The preoptic area of the hypothalamus was larger in heterosexual men than in both homosexual men and straight women. According an article, titled "When Sexual Development Goes Awry", by Suzanne Miller, published in the September 2000 issue of the "World and I", various medical conditions give rise to sexual ambiguity. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), involving excessive androgen production by the adrenal cortex, results in mixed genitalia. A person with the complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) has a vagina, external female genitalia and functioning, androgen-producing, testes - but no uterus or fallopian tubes. People with the rare 5-alpha reductase deficiency syndrome are born with ambiguous genitalia. They appear at first to be girls. At puberty, such a person develops testicles and his clitoris swells and becomes a penis. Hermaphrodites possess both ovaries and testicles (both, in most cases, rather undeveloped). Sometimes the ovaries and testicles are combined into a chimera called ovotestis. Most of these individuals have the chromosomal composition of a woman together with traces of the Y, male, chromosome. All hermaphrodites have a sizable penis, though rarely generate sperm. Some hermaphrodites develop breasts during puberty and menstruate. Very few even get pregnant and give birth. Anne Fausto-Sterling, a developmental geneticist, professor of medical science at Brown University, and author of "Sexing the Body", postulated, in 1993, a continuum of 5 sexes to supplant the current dimorphism: males, merms (male pseudohermaphrodites), herms (true hermaphrodites), ferms (female pseudohermaphrodites), and females. Intersexuality (hermpahroditism) is a natural human state. We are all conceived with the potential to develop into either sex. The embryonic developmental default is female. A series of triggers during the first weeks of pregnancy places the fetus on the path to maleness. In rare cases, some women have a male's genetic makeup (XY chromosomes) and vice versa. But, in the vast majority of cases, one of the sexes is clearly selected. Relics of the stifled sex remain, though. Women have the clitoris as a kind of symbolic penis. Men have breasts (mammary glands) and nipples. The Encyclopedia Britannica 2003 edition describes the formation of ovaries and testes thus: "In the young embryo a pair of gonads develop that are indifferent or neutral, showing no indication whether they are destined to develop into testes or ovaries. There are also two different duct systems, one of which can develop into the female system of oviducts and related apparatus and the other into the male sperm duct system. As development of the embryo proceeds, either the male or the female reproductive tissue differentiates in the originally neutral gonad of the mammal." Yet, sexual preferences, genitalia and even secondary sex characteristics, such as facial and pubic hair are first order phenomena. Can genetics and biology account for male and female behavior patterns and social interactions ("gender identity")? Can the multi-tiered complexity and richness of human masculinity and femininity arise from simpler, deterministic, building blocks? Sociobiologists would have us think so. For instance: the fact that we are mammals is astonishingly often overlooked. Most mammalian families are composed of mother and offspring. Males are peripatetic absentees. Arguably, high rates of divorce and birth out of wedlock coupled with rising promiscuity merely reinstate this natural "default mode", observes Lionel Tiger, a professor of anthropology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. That three quarters of all divorces are initiated by women tends to support this view. Furthermore, gender identity is determined during gestation, claim some scholars. Milton Diamond of the University of Hawaii and Dr. Keith Sigmundson, a practicing psychiatrist, studied the much-celebrated John/Joan case. An accidentally castrated normal male was surgically modified to look female, and raised as a girl but to no avail. He reverted to being a male at puberty. His gender identity seems to have been inborn (assuming he was not subjected to conflicting cues from his human environment). The case is extensively described in John Colapinto's tome "As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl". HealthScoutNews cited a study published in the November 2002 issue of "Child Development". The researchers, from City University of London, found that the level of maternal testosterone during pregnancy affects the behavior of neonatal girls and renders it more masculine. "High testosterone" girls "enjoy activities typically considered male behavior, like playing with trucks or guns". Boys' behavior remains unaltered, according to the study. Yet, other scholars, like John Money, insist that newborns are a "blank slate" as far as their gender identity is concerned. This is also the prevailing view. Gender and sex-role identities, we are taught, are fully formed in a process of socialization which ends by the third year of life. The Encyclopedia Britannica 2003 edition sums it up thus: "Like an individual's concept of his or her sex role, gender identity develops by means of parental example, social reinforcement, and language. Parents teach sex-appropriate behavior to their children from an early age, and this behavior is reinforced as the child grows older and enters a wider social world. As the child acquires language, he also learns very early the distinction between "he" and "she" and understands which pertains to him- or herself." So, which is it - nature or nurture? There is no disputing the fact that our sexual physiology and, in all probability, our sexual preferences are determined in the womb. Men and women are different - physiologically and, as a result, also psychologically. Society, through its agents - foremost amongst which are family, peers, and teachers - represses or encourages these genetic propensities. It does so by propagating "gender roles" - gender-specific lists of alleged traits, permissible behavior patterns, and prescriptive morals and norms. Our "gender identity" or "sex role" is shorthand for the way we make use of our natural genotypic-phenotypic endowments in conformity with social-cultural "gender roles". Inevitably as the composition and bias of these lists change, so does the meaning of being "male" or "female". Gender roles are constantly redefined by tectonic shifts in the definition and functioning of basic social units, such as the nuclear family and the workplace. The cross-fertilization of gender-related cultural memes renders "masculinity" and "femininity" fluid concepts. One's sex equals one's bodily equipment, an objective, finite, and, usually, immutable inventory. But our endowments can be put to many uses, in different cognitive and affective contexts, and subject to varying exegetic frameworks. As opposed to "sex" - "gender" is, therefore, a socio-cultural narrative. Both heterosexual and homosexual men ejaculate. Both straight and lesbian women climax. What distinguishes them from each other are subjective introjects of socio-cultural conventions, not objective, immutable "facts". In "The New Gender Wars", published in the November/December 2000 issue of "Psychology Today", Sarah Blustain sums up the "bio-social" model proposed by Mice Eagly, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University and a former student of his, Wendy Wood, now a professor at the Texas A&M University: "Like (the evolutionary psychologists), Eagly and Wood reject social constructionist notions that all gender differences are created by culture. But to the question of where they come from, they answer differently: not our genes but our roles in society. This narrative focuses on how societies respond to the basic biological differences - men's strength and women's reproductive capabilities - and how they encourage men and women to follow certain patterns. 'If you're spending a lot of time nursing your kid', explains Wood, 'then you don't have the opportunity to devote large amounts of time to developing specialized skills and engaging tasks outside of the home'. And, adds Eagly, 'if women are charged with caring for infants, what happens is that women are more nurturing. Societies have to make the adult system work [so] socialization of girls is arranged to give them experience in nurturing'. According to this interpretation, as the environment changes, so will the range and texture of gender differences. At a time in Western countries when female reproduction is extremely low, nursing is totally optional, childcare alternatives are many, and mechanization lessens the importance of male size and strength, women are no longer restricted as much by their smaller size and by child-bearing. That means, argue Eagly and Wood, that role structures for men and women will change and, not surprisingly, the way we socialize people in these new roles will change too. (Indeed, says Wood, 'sex differences seem to be reduced in societies where men and women have similar status,' she says. If you're looking to live in more gender-neutral environment, try Scandinavia.)"