Sperm-killer Seat

Men who enjoy warming their bottom on a heated car seat should beware, for they may also be frying their chances of fatherhood, New Scientist reports in its latest issue. Sperm production is best when the temperature of the scrotum is one or two degrees Celsius (1.8-3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) below the core body temperature of 37 C (99 F). Testicle-testing German researchers fitted sensors to the scrotums of 30 healthy men who then sat on a heated car seat for 90 minutes. After one hour, the average scrotal temperature had risen to 37.3 C (99.5 F), and in one volunteer reached a whopping 39.7 C (103 F). By comparison, men who sat on unheated car seats reached an average scrotal temperature of only 36.7 C (98 F). The study, led by Andreas Jung at the University of Giessen, did not verify the volunteer's sperm count or sperm mobility, but the researchers fear that only a slight increase in temperature is enough to damage the sperm-production process, the British weekly says. Previous work in this field has already found that sitting in a car for more than three hours, even on an unheated seat, can impair a man's ability to conceive. The report appears in next Saturday's issue of New Scientist. The study appears in full in a specialist journal, Fertility and Sterility. (AFP via MSN/ Photo: Hanif Nashrullah)

Parent's Worst Fear isn't Sex or Drinking

A new survey claims the worst parents fear for their kids is not underage drinking or sexual content.

An informal poll conducted by What They Play, a sort of Rotten Tomatoes site for video games, recently pointed to parents' areas of concern in video game content. The fist poll, conducted on April 4-10 this year, asked participants to select from a list of choices which item would they find most offensive in a video game. The responses were: a man and woman having sex (37%); two men kissing (27%); a graphically severed head (25%); and multiple use of the F-word (9%). This survey had 1,266 participants.

The site's second poll, which took place in the first week of August, asked more than 1,600 parents what they would be most concerned about their 17-year old child doing at a sleepover: smoking marijuana (49%), playing the video game Grand Theft Auto (19%), watching pornography (16%) and drinking beer (14%).

While these findings do not represent any widespread departure from the notion that violence in video games is the source of violent behavior in their players, it does illustrate the controversy still associated with sex in games. Were it not for the 2005 controversy surrounding the "Hot Coffee" scene in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the game's violence may never have attained the level of discussion it has.

Interestingly, in game, drug use was not listed as a concern for parents, despite being their primary real-life concern, and despite the recent controversy over Fallout 3 in Australia, for its inclusion of morphine as a health recovery item. The game by Bethesda will reportedly be released there, but only after all references to the drug have been removed. (Tim Conneally/ BetaNews/ Photo: community.theknot.com)

Drama in the Pool

Barred from wearing suits that made them look like waterproof Christmas trees, the Spanish team took a different tack. Gangsta. They marched onto the deck at the Water Cube in costumes embroidered with a menacing cartoon character across the front and back, his cap backward and carrying a stick in a threatening manner. Somewhere, Martin Short is smiling. This is synchronized swimming, a sport that requires as much strength, stamina and skill as any in Beijing—but still draws snickers from those who believe the gelled-up hair, caked-on makeup and outlandish suits are better suited for a Vegas show than an Olympic pool. A hilarious “Saturday Night Live” bit from 1984 is usually a convenient starting point for any discussion with the uninformed. Adorned with noseclips, Short and Harry Shearer played brothers who dream of being the first males to compete at the Olympics in synchronized swimming. Never mind that Short has to wear a lifejacket because “I’m not that strong a swimmer.” “You would be surprised,” said Andrea Nott, who competes for the United States in both the team and duet events—and, no, she doesn’t wear a flotation device. “That was more than 20 years ago and people still say, ‘Hey, I saw the ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit.” Her response? “We do it because we love it and there’s enough satisfaction in it for us,” Nott said. “If some people think it’s dorky, well, they don’t have to watch it.” Judging from the packed stands at the Water Cube this week, plenty of people enjoy a sport that combines the artistry of a ballet with the athleticism of an acrobat show, all in the water. These are true athletes, practicing up to 10 hours a day, six days a week to coordinate the intricate moves and build up enough lung capacity to perform strenuous underwater techniques, often upside down, while holding their breath. “There’s something about the breath holding that makes the lactate acid come on a little sooner,” Nott said after a duet routine that lasted nearly four minutes. “By 30 seconds into the piece, we’re burning.” American coach Tammy McGregor, a gold medalist in Atlanta, said many misconceptions about the sport originate in her own country, even though the U.S. was a powerhouse when synchro swimming was added to the Olympics at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Winning gold didn’t reduce the ridicule. “Our country is very focused on football, basketball and baseball,” McGregor said. “When we go to Japan, people go nuts for synchro. A venue like this one here would be sold out wall-to-wall for the world championships. When we go to Europe, it’s the same way. It’s really only the Americas” where people seem hung up on the is-it-a-sport-or-not debate. There have been tasteless jokes: If one member of the duet team drowns, does the other one have to drown, too? And the derision shows no sign of stopping. Disney reportedly has a comedy in development entitled “Synchronicity,” the story of (stop us if you’ve heard this one before) two guys who are synchronized swimmers. Before every competition, synchro swimmers wet their hair, pull it back in a tight bun using old-fashioned bobby pins, then apply a gel to remove any chance of it getting in their face during the routine. It goes on as a warm, thick paste and hardens while drying, which leaves the hair shining like a car just off the assembly line. They say it can be washed out with very hot water, but a chisel might work better. There’s no skimping on the makeup, either. Apparently, one must look like a Kabuki performer to attract the notice of the judges; the garish blue eye shadow might be a little excessive even for a lady of the night. Then there’s the routines. Nott and her duet partner, Christina Jones, went with the theme “metamorphosis,” accompanied by music from Mozart’s “Lacrimosa.” A giant butterfly was emblazoned across their chests. “We were showing the whole part,” Jones said. “The playful part, the death and then the rebirth at the end. We were trying to show every kind of emotion.” McGregor, who studied fashion in college, designs most of the suits worn by the Americans. “It needs to communicate what you’re doing,” she said. “It needs to be visible from very far away. There can’t be a lot of stuff on it. Just one idea that’s really big. It also depends on whether you’re indoors or outdoors. You sparkle a whole lot more outdoors than indoors.” With the Olympics being held inside, the Spaniards came up with a novel way to stand out. They developed a suit embedded with waterproof lights, figuring it’s just the next step in a sport where sequins are almost mandatory. Alas, the governing body of swimming ruled the luminaries were a violation of the rule against using extra props. But apparently, there is no rule against invoking rap culture in the pool. There are other issues. Much like figure skating, the scoring sometimes seems to be preordained, removing much of the drama. The Russians won gold in duet and no one believes they won’t do the same in Saturday’s team final. “It’s hard not to get upset about things you can’t control,” Nott said. Another thing. For some reason, every performance begins with the pair or team marching onto the specially built deck with an exaggerated waggle, throwing themselves around as though they were playing a game of Twister, then turning to the judges with a freeze-frame smile before they dive in. “It’s really just setting you up,” McGregor said. “It’s that first impression. If you didn’t have the most amazing deck pose, I don’t think that would really make a difference. But a lot of times, you’re setting up a theme or a mood, while showing some flexibility or strength. It’s just a bonus deal.” On the other hand, synchronized swimming should look no more out of place at the Olympics than rhythmic gymnastics, where competitors prance around the mat using clubs, hoops, balls, ribbon and rope. Or race walking, which is sort of like letting those who can’t swim very well compete in the dog paddle. And we haven’t even mentioned figure skating, which takes Winter Olympic fashion to new lows and revels in having a kiss-and-cry area for over-dramatic performers to receive their scores. No one can deny that synchronized swimmers are bona fide athletes. Anyone who has seen the sport up close and studied the moves on underwater cameras realizes that it takes astonishing skill to pull off what is essentially a ballet without a leg to stand on. Remember, no touching the bottom. “There is art in this sport,” Russia’s Anastasia Davydova said after winning gold in the duet. “We perform to music, and if you have music you have art. But today all my muscles ached, were completely numb—except for the ones in my brain—so I don’t know how they could kick us out of the Olympics.” Her partner, Anastasia Ermakova, agreed. “At the last Olympics, when (Davydova) was undergoing a doping test, someone said, ‘But why would you need doping for synchro?’” she said. “I don’t think people understand how hard it is to do what we do. They should be put underwater to see how hard it is.” (written by Paul Newberry of AP via Yahoo/ Photo by Martin Bureau of AFP via GettyImages)

Long Life The King!

With a fortune estimated at 35 billion dollars, Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world's richest royal sovereign, and oil-rich Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi is far back at No. 2, Forbes magazine reported Thursday.

King Bhumibol, 80 and, at 62 years on the throne the world's longest-serving head of state, pushed to the top of the richest royals list by virtue a greater transparency surrounding his fortune, Forbes said.

It said that the Crown Property Bureau, which manages most of his family's wealth, "granted unprecedented access this year, revealing vast landholdings, including 3,493 acres in Bangkok." Forbes called it a good year for monarchies, investment-wise.

"As a group, the world's 15 richest royals have increased their total wealth to 131 billion dollars, up from 95 billion last year," Forbes said on its website. With oil prices soaring, the monarchs of the petro-kingdoms of the Middle East and Asia dominate the list.

Sheik Khalifa, 60, the current president of the United Arab Emirates, was estimated to be worth 23 billion dollars, on the back of Abu Dhabi's huge petroleum reserves. In third was the sovereign of the world's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, 84, who inherited the Al-Saud family throne in 2005, came in with a fortune of 21 billion dollars.

The previous king of kings, wealth-wise, 62 year old Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of tiny, oil-endowed Brunei on the Southeast Asia island of Borneo, fell to fourth place with 20 billion dollars. "The sultan, who inherited the riches of an unbroken 600-year-old Muslim dynasty, has had to cut back on his country's oil production because of depleting reserves," Forbes explained of his dwindling fortune. Fifth was Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, 58, of another Emirate, Dubai, with a net worth of 18 billion dollars.

One of two Europeans on the list, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, 63, ranked six on the list with 5 billion dollars in wealth. However the bank that is a key source of his family's wealth, LGT, is under investigation by the United States for helping wealthy people evade taxes. Qatar's Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, 56, came in at seventh, worth two billion dollar; eighth was King Mohammed VI of Morocco, 46, his 1.5 billion dollar fortune based on phosphate mining, agriculture and other investments.

Number nine was Prince Albert II of Monaco, 50, his diverse fortune in the southern European principality put at 1.4 billion dollars. Tenth on the list was Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, 67, worth 1.1 billion dollars.

Rounding out the top 15 were: The Aga Khan Prince Karim Al Hussein, 71 (1.0 billion); Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, 82, 650 million dollars; Kuwait's Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 79, 500 million dollars; Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands, 70, 300 million dollars; and King Mswati III of Swaziland, 40, with 200 million dollars.

Forbes noted that because many of the royals inherited their wealth, share it with extended families, and often control it "in trust for their nation or territory," none of those on its list would qualify for the magazine's famous annual world billionaires ranking. "Because of technical and idiosyncratic oddities in the exact relationship between individual and state wealth, these estimates are perforce a blend of art and science," it added. (Text and Photo: AFP via Yahoo!News)

Condom Ringtone Launched

A cellphone ringtone that chants "condom, condom!" has been launched in India to promote safe sex and tackle the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The "condom a cappella" has been designed to break down Indians' reluctance to discuss condom use and to make wearing a condom more acceptable.

Organisers of the campaign, funded by the foundation, set up by Microsoft mogul, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, hope the ringtone will become a craze among young Indians.

About 2.5 million people live with HIV in India, said the BBC World Service Trust, the charity behind the ringtone, which was released this month.

It can be downloaded at condomcondom.org. "Ringtones have become such personal statements that a specially created condom ringtone seemed just the right way of combining a practical message with a fun approach," said Radharani Mitra, creative director of the BBC World Service Trust.

"The idea is to tackle the inhibitions and taboos that can be associated with condoms," she said. India is the world's fastest-growing mobile telephone market with 270 million users according to the latest official figures, up 57 percent in just one year. (AFP via msn/ Photo: Hanif Nashrullah)

Swimsuit Controversy

Spain’s synchronised swimmers have been banned from wearing a swimsuit with embedded waterproof lights which they had hoped would give an extra sparkle to their Olympic routine.

“It got very sophisticated because obviously the battery doesn’t last long and then we had to look at circuits and interrupters, so we have been working on it around two months with a crack team,” swimmer Andrea Fuentes said.

“It looks a bit like Christmas lights,” added the Spaniard, one half of the team that won silver at the last world championships and are favourites for a medal in Beijing.

Swimming’s world governing body, which sets swimsuit rules for a sport where sequins are almost obligatory, said the lights were an accessory but Fuentes still hoped they might back down.

“This is a very conservative sport … their excuse that is you cannot have accessories on your swimsuit, but they are sewn in. If you use those standards, sequins are a type of accessory.” (written by Emma Graham-Harrison of Yahoo!Sports/ Photo by Martin Bureau of AFP via GettyImages)

Why Divers Always Shower?

Over the last three nights, NBC has led its primetime Olympic coverage with synchronized diving. Everyone could see, after completing a dive, competitors swim to a ladder, climb out of the pool and head immediately to a bank of showers that sit adjacent to the diving boards.

Then, in full view of the crowd and NBC cameras, they shower off. Divers keep their suits on, of course, usually appearing only to rinse off their hair and arms.

Oftentimes, the divers will receive their scores while still showering off. What's the purpose of this? It's a mystery of why Olympic divers have the peculiar habit of showering every time they get out of water. There must be a reason why!

Theories have ranged from 'to get the chlorine off' to 'they want to have fun' -- seriously, that last one is a direct quote from NBC's diving analyst, Cynthia Potter. Neither are the reason.

Divers shower in between each dive to keep their muscles warm after getting out of the pool.

The temperature of the pool water and the air are usually different (the pool is usually around 80 degrees, with the air temperature between 68 and 72 degrees). This difference can cause muscle tightness. To combat this, divers warm up in either the showers or a hot tub.

Hopefully the last explanation could solve the mystery. Although we're still a bit unclear as to why the showers are out in the open while The Water Cube, the building where the Olimpic divers compete, cost over $200 million to build---Couldn't they (the divers) have put a privacy wall in?! (written by Chris Chase of Yahoo!Sports/ Photo by Julian Finney via GettyImages)