The Other Guys - It's Raining Men

Via the Courier:

A St Andrews-based all-male a cappella group who made their name with a video marking the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton are back with a new charity single. The Other Guys have recorded It’s Raining Men in support of Prostate Cancer UK. Musical director Andrew Pattie said: “We felt it was time for another release. With exams in full swing the students here could do with a bit of light relief. “We also hope to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK, a charity which is very close to a number of us within the group.”

(Tipped by JMG reader Mark)

Transgender Man Leads Contest To Appear On Cover Of Men's Health Magazine

Via USA Today:

A transgender man is leading in popular votes for the 2015 Men's Health cover contest. Aydian Dowling, a video blogger, activist and the creator of a clothing line called Point 5cc, has more than 46,000 votes as of Monday afternoon. If he wins the contest, which is open for entries until June 21, his photo will appear on the cover of the magazine's November issue. "I maintain a healthy lifestyle by making sure my life is in a balance," Dowling wrote on his contest entry post. "As a Transgender Male, having a healthy body and mind is my ultimate goal to find peace within my soul."

Reader votes count for only 10% of the final ranking, which includes a number of other criteria. Earlier this year a photo of Dowling recreating a famous pose by rocker Adam Levine was widely circulated on social media.  (Tipped by JMG reader Cricket)

Kegel Exercises With An Assist

Last week I got pitched to promote glow-in-the-dark underwear with a padded bottom. Oy. Today I got pitched on this possibly more useful product:

The Private Gym, LLC announced today the release of its groundbreaking, innovative fitness program, Private Gym, the first FDA approved exercise program that strengthens the muscles supporting and controlling the penis. In less than 10 minutes a day, three days a week, men can experience more rigid erections, reduce premature ejaculations and heighten orgasms, as well as support prostate health. Private Gym promises to boost a man’s sexual performance as well as help prevent the onset of erectile dysfunction. The rationale behind Private Gym is simple and well established: work out a muscle and it gets stronger. These are the same well-known exercises performed by millions of women to increase pelvic tone, particularly after childbirth.

This is how it's described on Amazon, where the kit sells for $100.

The Complete Training Program starts with four weeks of Basic Training, which guides the user through a series of pelvic muscle exercises specifically designed to create initial pelvic muscle strength. Once Basic Training is complete, the program incorporates an additional four weeks of resistance training and the Private Gym's patented, FDA registered weighted penis ring and magnetic weight. The weighted ring is placed comfortably around the erect penis and lifted up and down, thereby placing just the right amount of resistance to maximize pelvic muscle growth and strength.

You lazy slob, get off that couch and exercise your penis! And for inspiration, there's a super very extremely not-even-remotely office-safe instructional video featuring porn stars Johnny Hazzard and Austin Wilde. This product makes me wonder if there's also a butt version of the Thighmaster.

Scientists To Test Lab-Grown Penises

Via the Guardian:

Penises grown in laboratories could soon be tested on men by scientists developing technology to help people with congenital abnormalities, or who have undergone surgery for aggressive cancer or suffered traumatic injury. Researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, are assessing engineered penises for safety, function and durability. They hope to receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and to move to human testing within five years. Professor Anthony Atala, director of the institute, oversaw the team's successful engineering of penises for rabbits in 2008. "The rabbit studies were very encouraging," he said, "but to get approval for humans we need all the safety and quality assurance data, we need to show that the materials aren't toxic, and we have to spell out the manufacturing process, step by step." The penises would be grown using a patient's own cells to avoid the high risk of immunological rejection after organ transplantation from another individual. Cells taken from the remainder of the patient's penis would be grown in culture for four to six weeks.

Minor League Baseball Manager Gets Prostate Exam Live On Stadium Cameras

Via ESPN:

Staying true to his word, a minor league baseball general manager underwent a prostate exam while singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch on Thursday night in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Andy Milovich, GM of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, pledged to undergo the procedure on the team's Prostate Awareness Night if the Facebook page of local 10-year-old Fallon Emery got roughly 4,000 more likes. Emery was diagnosed with brain cancer in December. Dr. Glenn Dangi performed the exam in the team's radio booth as cameras filmed Milovich from the neck up for a feed aired live on the scoreboard. "It wasn't bad," said Milovich, 45, who had never before had the procedure. "The doc was done maybe 15 seconds into the song. I think my next exam is going to be a significant letdown."

(Tipped by JMG reader Elroy)

Baldness Pattern Linked To Heart Disease

According to a new study, the manner in which you are losing your hair may indicate whether you are more likely to develop heart disease. 

The cohort studies revealed that men who lost most of their hair were 32 percent more likely to develop coronary artery disease than those who did not have hair loss. When looking at balding subjects below the age of 60, 44 percent were more likely to develop coronary artery disease. The other three studies showed that balding men were 70 percent more likely to have heart disease, with younger balding men's risk rising to 84 percent. Vertex balding -- meaning balding on the top of the head and crown -- was shown to be an issue.

Researchers discovered that those with extensive vertex balding had a 48 percent higher risk of coronary artery disease. Moderate vertex balding went up by 36 percent, and mild went up to 18 percent. However, those who had frontal balding had no additional risks. All six studies together showed that the people who had vertex and frontal balding were 69 percent more likely to have heart disease than those with a full head of hair.

Just so you have something new to plotz over today.

Shrinkage Is Real

From WebMD's article Life Cycle Of A Penis:

Recent research confirms what men have long suspected and, in some cases, feared. The penis itself undergoes significant changes as a man moves from his sexual prime -- around age 30 for most guys -- into middle age and on to older age. The penis tends to undergo an actual (and irreversible) reduction in size. The reduction -- in both length and thickness -- typically isn't dramatic but may be noticeable. "If a man's erect penis is 6 inches long when he is in his 30s, it might be 5 or 5-and-a-half inches when he reaches his 60s or 70s," Goldstein says. What causes the penis to shrink? At least two mechanisms are involved. One is the slow deposit of fatty substances (plaques) inside tiny arteries in the penis, which impairs blood flow to the organ. This process, known as atherosclerosis, is the same one that contributes to blockages inside the coronary arteries -- a leading cause of heart attack.

Testicles also tend to shrink by one-third by age 60. (Via Queerty)

Live Nude Testicle Exam On British TV

JMG reader Michael notes: "Here's something you'll never see on Dr. Oz or US TV in a long long time. I can only imagine the Million Moms caterwauling if it did ever air."  British tabloid The Sun has the story and the photos might not be work-safe.  Which is a shame.