Dear readers,

Sometimes people have such burning questions about sex that they cannot wait for us, or Dan Savage, or Dr. Laura, or any other self-enthroned sexperts of the world - and so they turn to that most reliable of counselors, Google.
Sometimes, wisely, Google and its ilk direct the wonderers here - and hopefully, the askers find the answers they seek. In many cases, however, the questions are not directly addressed by the site, and the asker may be hard pressed to find a conclusive answer on our pages.
But the questions are almost always easily answered. Thus, we present: Burning Questions, Vol.1

Does rite aid sell levonelle in america?

Rite Aid does not sell Levonelle in America. Rite Aid should sell Plan B without a prescription everywhere in the United States, although many pharmacies reserve the right to refuse to sell it to you.
Levonelle and Plan B are both brands of emergency contraception, a type of drug with a chemical composition similar to that of oral contraceptives. Plan B is the brand that has been approved by the FDA for sale in the United States; Levonelle is popular in Italy, Portugal, and Italy. Princeton has an excellent website that can provide you information about where particular brands of EC are sold, and what brands of EC are sold in particular countries.
Emergency contraception should be taken before pregnancy occurs: that is, after the act of intercourse but before the egg adheres to the lining of the uterus. If are concerned that you might become pregnant after unprotected sex or unsuccessful use of contraceptives, you should try to take emergency contraceptives within the 72 hours following intercourse - the sooner the better! If you are in a position where it is difficult or impossible to obtain emergency contraception without a prescription, you may try going to a hospital to request a prescription - that worked for one of our panelists.

Is EC okay while taking birth control?

Yes. Even if you take oral contraceptives regularly, you may need to back them up with emergency contraceptives if you’ve recently missed one or more pills, particularly the active pills; if you are taking antibiotics or other types of medication that are known to reduce the effectiveness of the pill; if you have been suffering from vomiting or diarrhea and may not have absorbed the pill into your system. If you are not sure whether EC is necessary in one of these situations, check the information booklet that came with your daily contraceptive, or check the website for that brand, or call your doctor! Different brands use different combinations of hormones and those hormones vary by week, so there will be a number of factors that determine your risk of pregnancy.
Taking either or both emergency contraception and daily contraception is fairly safe; however, introducing a high concentration of hormones into your body may make you feel nauseous or cause you to vomit. Naturally, all of these factors are highly variable by brand of BC and EC - so again, check with your instruction booklet, your doctor, and the website.
Additional note: Some, but not all, forms of daily birth control may be used in place of emergency contraception - but dosage varies by brand. Princton, again, has a useful list.

Sex advice: how often is normal?

As often as is comfortable and desirable for you, with the enthusiastic consent of your partner(s)! Our writers offer some of their own exerience in this on the Running Numbers panel.

What’s cum taste like?

The taste of a man’s semen varies from man to man, and the taste of a woman’s vaginal fluid varies from woman to woman. If you are considering oral sex for the first time and want to get the lay of the land first, we recommend dipping a gentle finger in your partner’s cum or pre-cum and having a taste!
Some basics, though: Semen is not just sperm, but secretions from various parts of male reproductive system that carry with them a number of components that safeguard sperm on its way out: potassium, zinc, citric acid, fructose, phosphorylcholine, spermine, free amino acids, prostaglandins, among other things. Also, semen is basic (as opposed to acidic) so it may smell slightly of ammonia - but as you can see, its flavor is complicated by the presence of sugars and ordinary body salt. Vaginal secretions, on the other hand, are more acidic - the acids are the product of the vaginal’s natural bacteria that keep the inside clean and healthy - and may also contain carbohydrates, amino acids, and proteins. (Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?) The fluids of both men and women may be joined by smegma, which is basically shed skin cells, skin oils and sweat that can collect in the folds of genital tissue or in pubic hair.
Beyond the essential chemistry, the taste of sexual fluids may vary due to diet - some green vegetables like broccoli, spices like garlic and curry, and fluids like alcohol and fruit juice can make their presence known. And of course, individuals tend to have a unique taste that is the product of their own personal chemistry.

Do partners always climax simultaneously?

Hee hee, hee hee.
There. Now that the giggle is out of the way, Sex Calumny will be happy to answer this question: No, and that’s okay!
Partners can climax simultaneously, and many find it fulfilling and pleasurable to do so. However, one reason that many people don’t climax simultaneously is that human bodies can take such different journeys to orgasm.
Consider: Male and female orgasms follow more or less similar phases. First, stimulated arousal or excitation, during which blood begins to flow to the genital area and engorge the pleasure centers. Second, a phase of sustained pleasure in which blood continues engorge the sex organs, which remain sensitive to pleasure: for men, this is erection; for women, it is called plateau and is not so easily discerned. Men and women alike typically need continued stimulation during this phase. Third, orgasm, a series of highly pleasurable muscle contractions; for men, this is usually concurrent with ejaculation. Finally, resolution, during which the muscles release their tension and the sex organs return their normal size. So men and women are not as different as is commonly understood! But for many heterosexual couples, intercourse may begin when the male partner is in phase two, erection, but the female partner is still in phase one; vaginal intercourse usually gives the male partner the stimulation he needs to sustain erection and trigger orgasm while the female partner is not always stimulated satisfactorily by thrusting. You can see why mens’ and womens’ bodies are not exactly equipped for simulataneous orgasm on their own. And here’s another catch: womens’ bodies may differ widely from other womens’ bodies in terms of sexual needs and desired stimulation; likewise for men. Even same-sex partners aren’t equipped to come together.
How does anyone do it, then? Sometimes by luck; more often, though, simultaneous orgasm might be encouraged by being aware of your own phases of sexual pleasure and what it takes to get you there, by communicating openly about these, by observing your partner’s pleasure during sex and modifying your behavior, by experiencing additional stimulation from seeing/feeling your partner close to orgasm.
Sex Calumny enthusiastically embraces the pleasure of simultaneous orgasm, but discourages readers from making it THE goal of sex. Sex can still be successful if one partner comes first and assists the second partner to a degree specified by the second partner. Sex can still be successful if one partner comes twice and the other partner comes once. Sex is even successful you stop fucking, do something else for awhile (such as talk or caress each other), and return to pleasuring each other when you’re ready later. The most important things to remember, we think, are to be conscious of what gives each other pleasure; talk about it before, during, or after the act; try to agree on when sex ends the way you try to agree on when it begins.
For more thoughts on the importance of orgasms in general, see our panel on The Importance of Orgasms.

Good champagne to eat with strawberries?
Your Sex Calumny admins enjoy prosecco, themselves - a drier, often citrusy sparkling wine that makes a delicious and palate-stimulating aperitif, dessert wine, or fruit and cheese accompaniment. But to give you some options, we checked wine network Snooth for recommendations. Among the top rated sparklings were: Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin’s Champagne Brut Rosé Vintage Reserve; and last but possibly most, Louis Roederer Brut Champagne Cristal.
Any of those bottles will run you $60-$250 (the Louis Roederer) a pop. Fortunately, Snooth has search controls for champagne lovers on Sex Calumny’s budget: consider Pommery Brut Champagne or Bollinger Brut Grande Annee, both rated highly by Snooth and available for $30 or less. ; )