5 That’s The Magic Number

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BBC Sex change op

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George Jorgensen (Aimee)

Sex change ops remain a fascination in modern society and like many, I am drawn to the stories of thousands who feel they were born into the wrong body.
I don’t think I had thought about the history of the sex change procedure but I certainly didn’t know the first op took place in the 1952 with George Jorgensen returning from a trip to Denmark as the glamourously reformed Christine.
The 27-year old woman from New York returned after being the first person to undergo surgery and hormone surgery.
The best piece of the article was to read that she was fully supported by her family and embraced by the media and public with not just curiosity and fascination but most importantly, respect.
She went on to receive a flood of Hollywood offers and was even crowned Woman of the Year by the Scandinavian Society in New York.
Thousands dismiss transsexualism as a real condition and are completely ignorant to those who suffer from it. I doubt this article could change the views of thousands but it is a must read.

POKERTOX (Lewis)

If you play or watch poker you know the difficulty in trying to keep a ‘poker face’ when you have a good hand. One little smirk could completely give away what you have and if you are playing with the top professionals in Vegas, they could crush you like a little bug once they get a read on your face. Now it looks like a New York doctor is claiming that poker stars will be the next big wave to hit the botox market, with the aim of having the perfect still ‘poker face’.
Could this really be the way forward for poker? A table full of Mickey Rourke lookalikes trying to bluff each other of a hand and win some cash. It will make for some interesting television I suppose.

GET YOUR SKATE ON (Louisa)

We all enjoy a good ice skating session at this time of year. In Afghanistan however the locals have taken to a different kind of skating. 
In 2007 Aussie skate boarder Oliver Percovich travelled to Kabul to ride the streets and in doing so sparked off an interest in the sport amongst the local youth.  Interest spread like wildfire and two years later Oliver went back and founded Skateitsan, a skate school dedicated to getting children between the ages of 5 to 18 involved in something that can unite them and work to bridge cross-cultural differences. 
The school takes children from right across the social and economic spectrum. Girls make up 40% of the schools participants alongside hundreds of street working children and children with disabilities.  
Skateistan has expanded its schools to Pakistan as well as Cambodia so when you’re out there trying to control your feet on the ice and rubbing your hands together for warmth it’s great to know that the children of Kabul are also now able to enjoy a good skate, albeit on a board and in the hot sunshine.

BACONTREPRENEUR (Aoibhinn)

I completely struggle when it comes to buying and choosing Christmas gifts, I’m not sure why I find it so difficult as I am an outstanding shopper when it comes to treating myself. However, ask me to purchase presents for other people, I cripple under the pressure and break into a cold sweat. 
While browsing the net this morning I came across a peculiar new product. An American company (of course they’re American) has released crackling flavoured shaving foam. 
The ‘innovative’ product has been depicted as a “high end, luxurious bacon-scented shaving cream”, yes you heard me…bacon scented. 
I’m not entirely sure any of the males in my life would appreciate this ingenious present, on the other hand who doesn’t like to wake up to the smell of bacon in the morning? 

WHAT A BOOB, FACEBOOK (Sarah)

Ever mistaken a breast for an elbow, or vice versa? No? Well me either, but it seems things aren’t quite as clear cut for Facebook. The social network recently removed a misleading photo of a woman in a bathtub because it mistakenly thought her elbow was in fact her breast, complete with visible nipple (in actual fact the ‘nipple’ was the attractive red patch of dry elbow skin us mere mortals seem to accrue). I wouldn’t personally post a pic of myself in the bath on Facebook, regardless of which parts of my anatomy made an appearance above the bubbles, and if this photo were genuine I’d have no problem with it being removed. However, it turns out it was posted precisely in order to test Facebook’s terms of service, which prohibits the posting of “pornographic” content. Smart stunt or waste of time?
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/facebook-mistakes-elbow-for-breast-20121129-2ah88.html