GETTING YOUR FREAK ON / SPEAKING OUT

At last, a resource for the rest of us. I was tickled to discover the 10 Kinkiest Cities in America ~ "a guide to where you can let your inner freak flag fly. Some cities cater to their constituents' wanton needs with festivals, clubs, or plain old randy reputation. Other cities get their sexy on thanks to the Internet .... America's sexual pastimes have long been at odds with our puritanical roots. Despite America's sometimes shameful misgivings around sex, we can't seem to keep it in our pants .... Whatever your preferred desire, the following places can definitely show you a good time."

Each city's listing includes specific reasons why it made the list, and there are a few surprises. One would expect San Francisco, Las Vegas, or New Orleans. But Roselawn, Indiana? Hurley, Wisconsin? Click on the link to satisfy your curiosity, and start planning your next road trip.

In a similar vein, here is The Kinky States of America Map (see image above), which breaks down regions within each state into more and less kinky, based on self-descriptions culled from multitudes of online dating sites, and broken down by gender. Vivid blue means wilder men, hot pink means wilder women. Duller colors, kinda tame. Who'da thought that southern New Mexico and southern West Virginia would be the respective gender hot spots of the nation? 'Course, a lot depends on sample size within each area. It's all in good fun.

Not so much fun is the life of Timema, a genus of western U.S. stick insects which reproduce by parthenogenesis (asexually). Two species in particular have not engaged in sexual reproduction in over one million years. That. Is. Just. Sad.

A couple of videos are making the rounds by email and on social network sites. In one, actor Matt Damon defends teachers against a (expletive) cameraman. Matt, whose mother is a teacher, is one of the more genuine, grounded people in Hollywood, and it was fun to watch his south Boston upbringing show through. You go, MD.

In the second video, the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, uses a tank to crush a luxury car parked blocking a bicycle lane (see image below). The article describes the action, and the video is narrated by the mayor. It's a nice touch that after the car owner comes out, discovered he's been caught with his pants down, and reacts with shame and horror, the mayor sweeps up the broken glass and then rides off on his bicycle. Lest you think Lithuanians are madmen, the sequence was a public service stunt, with a car bought especially for the occasion to make a point. Still, how many times have we wished for just such a service for those arrogant S.O.B.s who block bicycle lanes or park illegally in handicapped spaces?