l'm with Lee here. You need their permission first. lf they have the copyrights, you're treading dangerous legal waters.

Frankly, you shouldn't be asking this question of us, you should be asking it of them. That way, you kill two birds with one stone - those who don't want you to publish don't give you the rights, and those who are okay with it do. That way, you know where you stand with all parties. lf in doubt, better to be safe than sorry.

l read and posted an article on this very topic a couple of years back somewhere. The general consensus was that given the crap men have to deal with in regards to homosexuality, and the double standard where women are often encouraged to engage in bisexual or homosexual acts, that it's a natural effect that women are more comfortable with exploring it, engaging in it, and adopting it as a lifestyle. They are also likely to deal with less of a backlash.

Which is pretty much what Rachel and Heather said, and l agree the times they are a-changin. l just wanted to throw in my own opinion based on what l've read and identify with.

l'm surprised l haven't seen the answer l'm about to provide. l lived in a ghetto (and l mean ghetto, as in l was the only white chick living there who wasn't a prostitute, and with daily murder rates) in Atlanta when l was in my early twenties, and one day -doing my best not to seem like an ignorant white chick- l asked one of the older gents in the area who worked the local grocery about it. He said that in his generation, it commemorated the death of community member, often during times when lynching was a regular practice.

Since it was considered extreme disrespect to the dead to remove their valuables or items of clothing if found (and the rule was to return all possessions to the families), the practice after they died was that the relatives could choose to donate their shoes to commemorate them, and if they threw them over a power line, it would be harder for the neighborhood hooligans/kids to steal, thus preventing vandalism, and preserving the memory. This also applied to young enlisted men who died serving. lf anyone found men who happened to be anonymous in that neighborhood, their shoes were thrown up, and the rest of their belongings donated to community centers or churches.

l've heard this version of it several times since.

To explain question number 1:

Question 2: No. l'd wager it's about even, and possibly the other way around, where a few more men prefer it than women. l have no stats on that so don't quote me. However, given the various pre-existing psychological issues many women could typically have with bondage and forced submission, it might be harder for many of them to enjoy it on a sexual level, whereas you'll find a good number of men who have never had the experience of being submissive (and therefore, no pre-existing positive or negative views of it), try it, and discover they love it.

Question 3 and 4: No! l doubt it's a cultural thing at all versus an individual thing. l can think of no culture of women off the top of my head that is collectively into bondage. Overtly sexual in a culture that includes bondage, yes, but bondage as a widespread practice, no.

Question 5: As Allena points out, many reasons. For me -and l'm very specific about the type of bondage l like, why, and under what circumstances- it's not about giving up control. lt's purely, inherently selfish - it's about someone doing all the work, which includes giving me pleasure. lt's dominating from a submissive position, if you will, and the challenge of maintaining control in a situation where one would assume l have none. (This is not typical of a number of bondage scenarios and perspectives, where a specific dom/sub dynamic may be involved, but l'm a switch, and apply that to any sexual situation l engage in.) Sure, you can do what you want as long as we agree on the terms beforehand, but there are certain things l require as well while in that position. lt's what feels to me like a good blend of two satisfied desires and boundaries, while neglecting neither. That differs from other dynamics, however, but that should be obvious.

lt's certainly not inappropriate, since it's the best way anyone has of understanding the people they're communicating with. Does that make it appropriate, though? Yes, yes it does. While it may depend on the circumstances, the medium really doesn't matter if one wants to be understood.

You can make one of these just fine. lt's a crescent-shaped or curved blade. Cardboard wrapped in foil. Unless you're going for high quality, it doesn't need to be fancy. Here are a few images. Don't worry about it too much. Hell, most won't even know it's a machete unless you tell them, even it's homemade. A machete is not a typical American weapon, so you can pretty much make it whatever way you want, and people will be impressed, if they don't assume it's a sword. But it essentially is, just prettier. Make one yourself. lt's more cost-effective.

Also, tell them it's called a 'panga' in Kiswahili and aside from the useful function of cutting crops, it's meant to threaten and kill people.  That should help.

Hash. Some bacon/sausage/beef/whatever-other-meat-you're-into and some potatoes, onions, peppers, spinach, garlic and spices (and whatever else takes your fancy). Cut them all up the night before, toss them with olive oil (you only need a little) to let them soak and meld flavors, and then throw them in a pan the next morning and saute. Beat an egg and toss it in to make an omelet or scramble and you're good.

lf you don't learn the language, a dictionary is only going to help you so much. l was forced to learn French when my parents moved me to Belgium, and it took FOREVER to learn all the tenses and conjugations. This isn't a language you can bullshit your way through, which l suspect is why you're now failing at it.

Sorry to be blunt, but honey, you need to learn the language. lt will be obvious to any professor that you're bullshitting, because even a basic translation is drastically different from what your original statement is. Every language moves things around, so when you say "Music is my best friend" in one language, it might be translated as "My best friend is music" in another - a subtle difference, but a significant one, depending on the language. lf you don't know the difference between imparfait and passe compose, you're screwed. That was my biggest pain in the ass when it came to French.

You can't bullshit your way through language, no matter how you try. Even if you have a dictionary, tense and conjugation play a huge part, especially in a language like French. lt took me a good, steady year of regular French to get it down, and that was fourth grade level. l don't know what level you're operating on, but l can pretty much guarantee that if you are looking to breeze through this course based on a dictionary, it won't happen. That's not how Latin-based languages work. Or any language, for that matter. lf you don't know it, if you don't study it, you won't pass. lt's that simple. A dictionary will do you no good.

l suggest you find yourself a tutor.

Yes. l responded in your other thread about this; it depends on what you've been doing and therefore where to go. But we need specifics in order to provide better advice.

Define "throwing yourself". l'll be silly for a moment. Did you throw yourself off of something, into something, or against something? What exactly was that something? The basic answer to your question is yes, you can pull a muscle throwing yourself (into/onto/against something). This is natural law. So what happened?

What are your activities? A muscle being twisted up can mean a number of things; we need specifics, and a doctor can't always take care of it. You might need a chiropractor, a massage therapist, a physical therapist. But if you're in pain, and there's any way to diagnose it based on what you've been doing, then it's important to know what you've been doing so we can point you in the right direction.

So...what have you been doing? Are you an athlete? A dancer? Just pulled something at work? All of this helps.