Oooo la la!
The French say they need the largest condoms in Europe while Greeks get by on smaller ones, according to a Europe-wide study by a German consultancy that provides advice on condoms.
The study by the Singen-based Institute of Condom Consultancy was done by asking 10,500 men in 25 countries to measure their penis and enter the number into a database.
The results show Frenchmen on average claim to need 15.48-cm (6.09-inch) long condoms, about 3 cm longer than Greeks, whose condom-size requirement was the most modest.
Jan Vinzenz Krause, the institute's director, told Reuters Friday the data was collected over a period of eight months.
He did not want to comment on how honest he thought the Frenchmen had been in reporting the data.
The survey was aimed at educating youngsters about the importance of effective contraception.
The institute also offers online condom-size advice and hosts "Pimp Your Condom" -- an annual fair organised in cooperation with the national Aids Trust -- with the aim of educating teens about sexually transmitted diseases.
Krause was in the spotlight in the past when he produced a prototype of the "spray-on condom" -- an aerosol can which contains latex that creates a perfectly fitting condom. But the idea was not developed further.
Northern Rock and lots of C's
As if having to be taken over by the British government is not enough, an expensive "government" employee - we own the bank! - gets jail for his side business, but at least he encouraged safe sex!!
A 80,000£ a year IT boss at Northern Rock has been jailed for setting up a brothel with his Thai mistress.
Stephen Hodgkiss, 44, funded the sex den for his partner Waraporn (what a name!) Dodds, who sent the profits back to her family in Thailand.
Dodds, 38, took all the money her workers made selling massages, but told them they could make cash by providing "extras".
Hodgkiss lived with Dodds in Jesmond but had a wife and daughter in Thailand, Newcastle crown court heard.
He maintained he never personally profited and that Dodds sent the money from the brothel in Darlington to her parents, who were looking after their son.
Police closed down the two-bedroom terraced viceden in February this year.
It had been operating as a brothel since June 2006.
Hodgkiss had rented the property in his name, furnished it, and spent pounds 7,253 advertising its " services" in a national newspaper.
Over a nine-month period he bought nearly 1,800 condoms, the court heard.
Tom Moran, defending, said Hodgkiss lost his job when Northern Ro ck collapsed last year and had debts from overseas property deals. Mr Moran said: "Mr Hodgkiss has gone from a high flying consultant in the IT industry to the pretty miserable position he finds himself now."
Hodgkiss and Dodds admitted running a brothel.
Jailing Hodgkiss for eight months and Dodds for six months, Judge Christopher Prince said he accepted the women were not coerced into working at the brothel.
He told the pair: "You both played equal roles. You were partners in this and in life."
The condom's messy overseer
In the 1930s, to the great dismay of condom manufacturers, the American government in its wisdom decided - because of a study that revealed what "everyone" knew about condoms of old, they often had tiny holes, making them less than useless. Well, to solve that problem, they were placed under the umbrella of the Federal Drugs Administration, better know as the FDA. There they have remained ever since. But as "everyone" knows, that organization is a mess, a bureaucratic behemoth, and easy target for politician anxious to curry favour with drug companies...and so much more.
Now, Obama is faced with having to appoint a new head of this disaster and oh, what he faces:
From the Los Angeles Times:
Taking its name from both the color of its cover and the fact it lists the "plum" positions in government, the volume <of available jobs within the federal government> contains more than 7,000 jobs, 4,000 of which are political appointments.
One of the most important of the Obama administration's political appointees will be the head of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates products worth more than $1 trillion, 25 cents of every consumer dollar.
Finding an FDA commissioner (as the agency head is called) will be difficult. In fact, the job long has been considered not a "plum," but a "prune, " in part because the incumbent receives a constant barrage of criticism from various quarters, and the pay is far less than comparable jobs in the private sector.
The FDA is desperately in need of renewal: It is dysfunctional, suffering from cultural, organizational and management problems that have been exacerbated by congressional mandates and meddling. As a result, drug development by major U.S.-based drug companies is in dire straits, with costs up and regulatory approvals down.
Draining the FDA swamp will be one of the toughest jobs in Washington, and the nominee will need several qualities:
* Superior management skills and experience. The agency's scope is so sweeping - encompassing cardiac pacemakers, X-ray machines, condoms, home pregnancy-testing kits, drugs, vaccines, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes, among other products - that a single person cannot be expected to master the body of science, medicine, pharmacology, toxicology and engineering (to say nothing of the law and "regulatory science" ) involved. One must assume that the FDA's own professional staff can frame the issues and options; the function of the agency head, then, should be primarily to manage the far-flung empire and to make the final decision on difficult policy questions.
* Unassailable integrity and honesty. The commissioner's decision-making must meld law, science and regulatory precedents, in a way that maximizes the public interest. The incumbent needs to earn the respect of those who have a stake in the FDA's policies and decisions - consumers, industry and public interest groups. But in the end, science - not public opinion or congressional grandstanding - must dictate policy- and decision-making.
* Distanced from politics. The position should not be awarded as a political plum, as are Cabinet posts and many ambassadorships. Politics should be banished from the agency head's role insofar as that is possible, with the commissioner taking the heat for unpopular decisions. Some previous commissioners have deferred to political appointees, not only on matters of policy (which is often appropriate), but also on decisions that concerned individual products or civil service personnel. Such actions are at least unethical, and possibly criminal. A corollary is that the agency head should probably not aspire to higher political positions in government: Doing the job right makes plenty of enemies.
* Committed to regulatory reform. At a time when drug development should have been spurred by huge increases in R&D expenditures - which tripled to more than $45 billion between 1995 and 2007 - and by the exploitation of numerous new technologies, drug approvals have actually dropped. The 19 new medicines approved in 2007 was the lowest figure in 24 years, and 2008 approvals are running behind last year's. Bringing a new drug to market now requires on average 12 to 15 years, and costs have skyrocketed to more than $1.2 billion - in no small part because the average length of a clinical trial increased 70 percent between 1999 and 2006. Perhaps the most ominous statistic of all is that drug manufacturers recoup their R&D costs for only one in five approved drugs.
These trends are likely to become even worse: Several recent developments at the FDA will further increase the time and costs of drug development - bad news for the developers of medicines and for the sick and infirm who need new therapies. The FDA needs to streamline its existing regulatory procedures and requirements, and the agency's senior and midlevel managers must be made more accountable for their decisions - especially those that delay the availability of new drugs, vaccines and medical devices to patients in need of them.
These are stringent, but not impossible, qualifications. However, early returns are not encouraging: In 2007, the Center for American Progress, dubbed "the official Hillary Clinton think tank" and headed by Obama transition team co-director John Podesta, proposed changes in regulation that would only worsen the agency's existing problems, lengthening the time required to develop a drug and further increasing R&D costs. Its report, "Prescriptions for Drug Safety," is a prescription for additional obstacles to U.S. drug development. (The think tank is the beneficiary of millions of dollars from anti-free-market billionaire George Soros.)
Moreover, the transition team for the Department of Health and Human Services (of which the FDA is a part) is headed by Bill Corr, a former senior staffer to former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala in the Clinton administration and currently executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco Free-Kids. He has long lobbied for additional authority and power for the FDA.
By appointing an FDA commissioner with the qualities enumerated above, the Obama administration can demonstrate that it puts patients' needs first and that "change" is more than a hollow campaign slogan. But for this and similar political appointments at other agencies, we are far more likely to get someone who shares the radical, pro-regulatory, anti-industry views of Mr. Podesta, Mr. Soros, Mr. Corr and Hillary Clinton.
Henry I. Miller is a physician and a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. He headed the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Biotechnology from 1989 to 1993.
Man boobs or just weird?
Bra for the boys an online bestseller in Japan Who said bras are only for women? A Japanese online lingerie retailer is selling bras for cross-dressing men and they've quickly become one of its most popular items.
Since launching two weeks ago on Rakuten, a major Japanese web shopping mall, the Wishroom shop has sold over 300 men's bras for 2,800 yen ($30) each. The shop also stocks men's panties, as well as lingerie for women.
"I like this tight feeling. It feels good," Wishroom representative Masayuki Tsuchiya told Reuters as he modeled the bra, which can be worn discreetly under men's clothing.
Wishroom Executive Director Akiko Okunomiya said she was surprised at the number of men who were looking for their inner woman.
"I think more and more men are becoming interested in bras. Since we launched the men's bra, we've been getting feedback from customers saying 'wow, we'd been waiting for this for such a long time'," she said.
But the bra, available in black, pink and white, is not an easy sell for all men.
The underwear has stirred a heated debate online with more than 8,000 people debating the merits of men wearing bras in one night on Mixi, Japan's top social network website.
Obama, AIDS, and the world outlook
From the African Times, November 11
Politics and Policy
Obama is likely to undo U.S. family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention efforts that long linked funding to antiabortion and abstinence-only policies, Susan Wood -- co-chair of Obama's advisory committee for women's health and a professor at George Washington University's School of Public Health and Health Services -- said recently, Bloomberg reports. Wood said that although President Bush's global health programs -- such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- have brought more HIV/AIDS treatment to developing countries than under any other president, spending requirements for abstinence-only education have hampered family planning and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections worldwide.
"We have been going in the wrong direction, and we need to turn it around and be promoting prevention and family planning services and strengthening public health," Wood said. She added that Obama"is committed to looking at all this and changing the policies so that family planning services -- both in the U.S. and the developing world -- reflect what works, what helps prevent unintended pregnancy, reduce maternal and infant mortality, prevent the spread of disease."
According to Bloomberg, one of Bush's policies that has been cited for hindering STI and HIV/AIDS prevention efforts is restrictions on condom education. Gill Greer, director-general of the International Planned Pregnancy Federation, said CDC has pulled some condom information from its Web site. Greer said, "The U.S. administration has certainly succeeded in demonizing condoms rather than showing that they can be part of prevention of both unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections."
Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, said the Bush administration's emphasis on abstinence and fidelity "been shown to have demonstrable success in Africa," adding, "It would be more than unfortunate if that policy was changed." According to Huber, both Republicans and Democrats have cited support for PEPFAR's focus on abstinence and education, which has reduced the spread of HIV in countries such as Uganda. "If the president-elect wants to be science-based in foreign sex education policies, it would be wisest to continue this way because it's shown to be effective," Huber added.
Wendy Turnbull, a senior policy analyst with Population Action International, said that because of the "Mexico City" policy -- which restricts U.S. international foreign aid to family planning programs abroad using their own funds to provide abortion services or lobby their governments regarding abortion rights -- many family planning associations that rejected the terms of the rule "lost funding ... lost technical assistance and ... lost contraceptives." Under the basis of the policy, Bush also halted support for the United Nations Population Fund in 2002, saying it supported "coercive" abortion programs in China, an allegation the agency has denied, Bloomberg reports (Gale/Lauerman, Bloomberg, 11/10). The Los Angeles Times "Top of the Ticket" blog reports that the Mexico City policy is likely to be "quickly rescinded" after Obamantakes office.
According to Wood, the U.S. government in recent years has influenced and "tightly vetted" international organizations to reflect its own policies. She added that Obama will bring "back a sense of balance and perspective and the use of good science and good medicine in these positions, and not just this narrow, political ideology."(Bloomberg, 11/10).
USA Today on Monday examined the future of efforts to address HIV/AIDS and other issues in Africa under Obama's administration. According to USA Today, Obama's commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and addressing other issues might be hindered by the global economic crisis and large U.S. military commitment overseas.
Although expectations "have been high" in Africa since Obama traveled to the continent as a senator in 2006, some African leaders "have tried to tamp down their own peoples' hopes" because they are "[a]ware of the limitations now that Obama is president-elect," according to USA Today. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said, "Africans must not ask extraordinary things from [Obama], must not expect ... that through the miracle of his election, America will drain money on Africa to change our continent." John Norris, executive director of the Enough Project, said that issues such as HIV/AIDS in Africa are "clearly issues that [Obama]
is passionate about and serious about," adding, "There's a lot of goodwill and a sense of optimism. But that new approach is being tempered by a lot of realism about the magnitude of the problems that he has to deal with."
According to USA Today, HIV/AIDS is an "issue where the money crunch could be particularly acute." Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that even though Congress passed legislation that increases PEPFAR's funding to $48 billion over five years, the economic crisis could force cuts in funding for other critical foreign aid programs. Garrett said, "If they cut the rest of foreign assistance by 50% or more, we're going to be funding a U.S. foreign assistance that is just basically three things: Iraq, Afghanistan and AIDS."
Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, last month said that even if U.S. foreign aid remains at current levels, AIDS-related deaths worldwide could reach three million annually by 2011, an increase from two million in 2007. In addition, providing treatment to HIV-positive people under PEPFAR is becoming more expensive as many people develop resistance to first-line drugs and require more expensive second-line therapies. "The dollar has declined so much in value," Garrett said, adding, "There is the food crisis, the economic crisis and energy crisis, and when you put it together, the cost of doing anything is far greater today than it was a year ago" (Alsop, USA Today, 11/10).
A good vigilante...
Residents in St. Petersburg, Florida who live along corridors near 34th Street N were getting fed up.
Pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers and users had basically taken over the neighborhood. The paraphernalia from their late-night shenanigans sometimes littered nearby streets.
Leftover pipes, used condoms and other unsightly items have been left in view of children.
Jim Van Matre and the Guardian Angels offered help. For six weeks, the men in red berets have lined the street, between Fifth and Seventh avenues N, on Friday nights. Their imposing presence alone has made a difference.
The illegal activity has begun to die down. "We're just trying to give them some relief," Van Matre said in a phone interview. "Their kids are seeing it."
The Guardian Angels chapter, based in Tampa, started receiving calls more than a month ago from concerned neighbors who thought the area was spinning out of control. The team started visiting the street from 7:30 p.m. to the early morning on weekend nights.
If ill-reputed transactions were taking place, the men would swarm the area. That action alone appears to be enough to push most of the drug peddlers and street pariahs elsewhere.
The effort was met with appreciation by Lou Del Prete, with the 34th Street Federation Crime Watch.
"The more the merrier. We can always use some help," Del Prete said.
Mary Watkins, who lives in the area, said the drug pushing and prostitution had become bolder. She said prostitutes have been seen in broad daylight.
"I do not consider it small potatoes because there is a supplier that is higher up on the food chain that is sending people up to our neighborhood," Watkins said.
"These kids, they do not live in our neighborhood. These aren't kids that we can go and say, 'Oh, Johnny, we're going to go talk to your parents.'"
And where are the police? They could not be reached by the St. Petersburg Times when this information was being reported on.
Texting for condoms...
In hopes of reaching Australian school leavers through a "language" they understand, the government has sponsored a freebie program by which all kiddos have to do is text the TXT 4 Free Condomz sexual health campaignwith their address and the health care group Marie Stopes International will be send two free condoms in plain packaging. They hope because texting is such a familiar process, that the youngsters will actually enjoy doing it - no pun intended - AND it will overcome any embarrassment that is such a problem when it comes to buying frenchies.
Practice safe sex, for pete's sake!
The Trojan condom brand recently kicked off its largest online initiative, 'Evolve One, Evolve All,' in partnership with MTV Networks Digital Fusion. The condom maker hopes to provide young US consumers with an outlet to discuss sexual health in an engaging environment.
Building on its ongoing sexual health campaign 'Evolve,' Trojan will use its new Web site, Evolve OneEvolveAll.com, to connect with sexually active young adults, ages 18 to 34, on issues involving STDs and teen pregnancies. In addition to sexual health statistics, the site provides consumers with the chance to upload videos concerning their opinions about condom use. Digital content from celebrities is also included According to the level of interaction a consumer has with the site, Trojan will donate a certain number of condoms to at-risk Americans.
'We're very disappointed with the vast amount of government spending only on abstinence education ... America has some of the worst sexual health statistics in the world,' said Jim Daniels, VP of sexual health marketing, pointing out that 19 million Americans contract an STD every year.
AOR Edelman is supporting the efforts, which began in late October. Media outreach will include entertainment and media trades, and pop culture bloggers. It will target social networks with embeddable widgets that users can download from the site and upload to social networks.
'(Online), we have fewer restrictions about what we can do and say,' Daniels added. 'We looked at our consumers and saw that they were spending significant amounts of time online.'
Trojan has also recently engaged in several initiatives to educate young consumers, from college surveys of sexual health practices to on-campus promotions.
From a disturbing study ... no food, no condoms
Food Insufficiency Is Associated with High-Risk Sexual Behavior among Women in Botswana and Swaziland
From: Physicians for Human Rights, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Background
Both food insufficiency and HIV infection are major public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa, yet the impact of food insufficiency on HIV risk behavior has not been systematically investigated. We tested the hypothesis that food insufficiency is associated with HIV transmission behavior.
Methods and Findings
We studied the association between food insufficiency (not having enough food to eat over the previous 12 months) and inconsistent condom use, sex exchange, and other measures of risky sex in a cross-sectional population-based study of 1,255 adults in Botswana and 796 adults in Swaziland using a stratified two-stage probability design. Associations were examined using multivariable logistic regression analyses, clustered by country and stratified by gender. Food insufficiency was reported by 32% of women and 22% of men over the previous 12 months. Among 1,050 women in both countries, after controlling for respondent characteristics including income and education, HIV knowledge, and alcohol use, food insufficiency was associated with inconsistent condom use with a nonprimary partner (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27–2.36), sex exchange (AOR 1.84, 95% CI 1.74–1.93), intergenerational sexual relationships (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.03–2.08), and lack of control in sexual relationships (AOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.24–2.28). Associations between food insufficiency and risky sex were much attenuated among men.
Conclusions
Food insufficiency is an important risk factor for increased sexual risk-taking among women in Botswana and Swaziland. Targeted food assistance and income generation programs in conjunction with efforts to enhance women's legal and social rights may play an important role in decreasing HIV transmission risk for women.
______________
Children are recruited by pimps in arcades, malls, entertainment centers, at tourist attractions and concerts. The pimp seduces a new recruit with the lure of wealth and the luxury of designer clothes, fancy cars, and exclusive nightclubs. Pimps move from city to city looking for children who are easy prey: alone, desperate, and alienated. Once he moves a child from her hometown into a strange city, the pimp can easily force her to work as a prostitute. Thousands of children are victimized by this horrible con game every year. Child prostitution is an immense and devastating problem that nobody wants to recognize, nobody wants to talk about, and everyone wants to cover up. Child prostitutes are not only abandoned by their parents, but by the social services system as well.
Child prostitutes are typically victims of incest at an early age. Without intervention, these children run to the street during adolescence to escape the terrifying sexual exploitation by a trusted caretaker.
Sexually abused children respond differently than children abused in other ways. They are defenseless and lack the aggression required for survival on the streets. They are more vulnerable to the manipulations and skillful con games of pimps.
Prosecuting Pimps is Part of Our Commitment to Our Children
CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT is actively involved in the prosecution of pimps all over America. Each child who testifies is accompanied by a seasoned staff member who has extensive experience protecting the rights of young victims. Often, our children are accompanied by Dr Lois Lee herself, our founder, who also serves as an expert witness for the state and federal prosecutors.
Children of the Night participates in court cases nationwide, prosecuting vile pimps who force children to prostitute for food and a place to sleep. Our involvement in these cases includes filing police reports, providing victim services to children who are required to testify in lengthy, emotionally charged court proceedings against these powerful criminals, accompanying children to court, and sometimes testifying ourselves.
_______________________
Where did those Mexican rubbers go??
The police have recovered a missing truck used by safe-sex advocates to distribute condoms throughout the country, but the thieves who took the ''condom mobile'' last weekend made off with 5,000 prophylactics. Also missing was a motor used to inflate a 23-foot-long condom that was part of a government-financed H.I.V.-AIDS awareness campaign. The vehicle -- which features images of a peeled banana on the side and a shirtless man asking, ''I protect myself, do you?'' -- was found Wednesday. Officials said 800 rapid H.I.V. tests and the inflatable condom were intact, but the small truck had been stripped of its sound system.
Oh, dear!
No safe sex at Cambridge...
From the Daily Telegraph:
CONDOMS handed out by Cambridge University's debating society have been recalled because they did not meet safety standards.
An emergency email to all students telling them not to use the free contraceptives was issued by the Cambridge University Student Union.
The suspect condoms, bearing the slogan "For a more perfect Union'', were handed out at a freshers' fair to promote the Cambridge Union Society debating club.
The student union welfare officer, Andrea Walko, recalled the condoms because they did have not the BSI Kitemark symbol, a sign certifying that the products have been independently tested.
The union condoms had only the CE mark, showing they have met the European Union's health and safety requirements.
The student union said this was not good enough. It has promised to hand out free replacement condoms, lubricant and a safe sex guide.
The debating society's president, Adam Bott, said the condoms were safe and accused the union of nitpicking.
"Although they do not have the BSI Kitemark they do carry the CE mark, so they are safe,'' he said. "In fact, they are a brand used by the NHS.
"The union takes the health of its members seriously - and their sexual satisfaction.''
But Mark Fletcher, president of the Cambridge University Student Union, said his organisation was right to be cautious.
He said: "The union society may think we are picking on them but this is just based around student concerns.
"We do not want anyone to suffer untoward consequences from using the condoms.
"We follow fairly strict advice on sexual health issues and we did not feel that was being upheld.''
Brazil's new boom industry and what's in a name...
Emerging markets investors can now access a bulging growth market in Brazil: condom manufacturing.
Brazil's government's new initiative to save the rainforest is to open a condom factory in the northwestern town of Xapuri, thus intersecting the investment potential of a Bric economy exposure with SRI.
Brazil currently imports almost all of its condoms despite Amazonian trees being perfectly suited to rubber tapping to make the required latex. Rubber tappers in the region currently produce 6.2m tonnes of latex a year, but demand is set to rise to 500,000 tonnes annually.
Naming the sprawling Chico Mendes forest reserve after a renowned rubber tapper eco activist shot dead by cattle rustlers might put a bit of a downer on things though.
Brand new low at the Beeb - poor old Fawlty Towers!
No on ein the UK has not heard about the latest mess at the BBC - Russell Brand has quit and his "partner" in crime's long history as a broadcaster is in doubt...my heart is not broken! (and I kept waiting for the defence to be "but I said I wore a condom!")
From the Belfast Telegraph:
No one really expects much decency these days from what used to be endearingly referred to as Auntie but the BBC still hit a new low with Russell Brand (below) and Jonathan Ross's obscene answer phone messages for 78-year-old actor Andrew Sachs.
Boasting beforehand to listeners that he'd had sex with the Fawlty Towers' actor's granddaughter, Georgina, Brand phoned Sachs for a pre-arranged interview. When he failed to answer Ross threw in his tuppence-worth by yelling: "He ****** your granddaughter."
The pair then phoned back Sachs to tell him Brand wore a condom, while Ross informed the OAP: "Your granddaughter ... she was bent over the couch ... '" Indeed, Brand even speculated that Sachs might consider suicide because of their comments: "The main news: Manuel Andrew Sachs hung himself today."
Pure comedy genius, eh?
Sachs' agent said that he was "deeply upset" and "terribly hurt". Georgina's mother was distraught while the 23-year-old woman herself has refused to comment. This wasn't a live programme that got out of hand. The show had been recorded and passed by senior BBC execs.
But the real question is, of course, why? Why did Brand want to interview Sachs in the first place? Was the motive precisely so he could have the 'pleasure' of telling him he'd had sex with his granddaughter? Before ringing Sachs, Brand said, a la Candid Camera: "In a minute we're going to be talking to Andrew Sachs, Manuel actor. The elephant in the room is, what Andrew doesn't know is, I've slept with his granddaughter." Which certainly suggests it was planned as an entertainment feature. Was the idea mooted in production meetings and passed by the producers? From start to finish, it seems a disgusting set up.
No wonder Sachs has made a formal complaint to the BBC. The only 'humour' in it was the desire to hurt and humiliate an old man. And why was it ok to do that? Because Sachs wasn't as hip as Brand and Ross? Or simply because they - like two overblown egos who long ago lost any sense of modesty - knew they could do as they please because the authorities would dismiss it as late night 'edgy' broadcasting, as if decency somehow clocked off at 9pm.
The casual, cruel misogyny of Brand and Ross is also breathtaking - their ridiculing in graphic terms a voiceless young woman is ok with the BBC? That's entertainment? If Ross and Brand talked like that down the pub, someone might hit them a slap. And rightly so. But in BBC world, they get wodges of licence-payers' money. Result.
Brand and Ross edgy? Alternative? They're just well-paid smarmy smart-arses picking on old men and young girls to show how big they are. Not even the 'bully' Bernard Manning stooped that low.
Scouts Honour...they catch up to those little Brownies (see below)
Scouts may be taken on trips to sexual health clinics after new guidance was issued to help young people Be Prepared.
Related photos / videos Scouts could be given condoms The visits are suggested for explorer scouts aged 14 to 18 in the new advice issued by The Scouting Association.
Chief Scout Peter Duncan said: "We must be realistic and accept that around a third of young people are sexually active before 16 and many more start relationships at 16 and 17."
He added: "Scouting touches members of every community, religious and social group in the country so adults in Scouting have a duty to promote safe and responsible relationships and, as an organisation, we have the responsibility to provide sound advice about how to do that."
The new guidance says scout leaders can even give out condoms but "only if they believe the young person is very likely to begin or continue having intercourse with or without contraception".
Contraception can only be offered if without it "their physical or mental health are likely to suffer". The guidance says leaders should "encourage young people to resist pressure to have early sex" and to talk to their parents or carers but "should be prepared to offer appropriate information" if it is needed.
A visit to, or by, a sexual health clinic may help to "break illusions of what these services are and improve the uptake of advice". The Scouting Association said young people may feel more comfortable discussing sexual issues in the informal setting of a Scouts group.
Mr Duncan said: "I firmly believe that the confidence, skills and self esteem young people gain through the incredible range of activities Scouting offers is the best way to equip them not to feel pressured into a sexual relationship before they are ready."
Minister for young people Beverley Hughes welcomed the new guidance.
"While our teenage pregnancy rates are coming down and are at the lowest rate for over 20 years, there is much more to do to ensure young people have the knowledge they need to prevent early pregnancy and look after their sexual health."
Those Naughty Norwegians
The leading chain of sex stores in Norway is in trouble with health inspectors. It seems that they are not in compliance with standard food package labeling. Their penis shaped pasta, chocolate body paint, along with other edible sexy stuff, does not comply with health laws. In typical Scandinavian style, when employees were asked about the problems with this lack of compliance, one of them replied:
"We were a bit surprised to have the food safety authority on inspection. Food is not really our core product. We have panties, bras, handcuffs and suspender belts made out of candy."
Interesting choice of words!
BBC's International Campaigns...focus on India
BBC has been working on educational campaigns about safe sex - most specifically condom use - since 2006. Here is their own description of that campaign. My take is in Aine's...
Start date: 2006
End date: 2009
Media types: advertisements on television, radio, cinema, outdoor media and print
Issue: health
Country: India
Making condoms acceptable
“It's a sign of manhood... but it's not a moustache”
The focus of the campaign is to get men talking about condoms. Research shows that men who talk about sex are more likely to use condoms consistently.
The campaign aims to position condoms as a product that men use to show they are responsible and care about themselves and their families.
By the end of the campaign, the advertising on television, radio, cinema, print and outdoor media will have reached an estimated 52 million men.
The number of high risk men reached by the campaign will be an estimated 6.5 million.
Most will have been exposed to more than one promotional message about condoms.
He who talks, wins
The mass media campaign launched on the eve of World AIDS Day 2007 with a competition designed to get men talking about condoms.
The three-week campaign asked people to answer a riddle. Here's one of the clues: "It's a sign of manhood... but it's not a moustache."
Participants competed to win a mobile phone with free talk time.
The campaign reached 18 million men in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and was the first campaign of its kind in the country.
Nearly 400,000 people responded to TV, radio and outdoor advertisements by making a local call.
The strength of the creative idea behind the campaign is that instead of an ad that tells people to talk, it actually stimulated people to talk.
The riddle enticed people to talk about condoms with their friends in order to arrive at the answer.
A parrot, which represents talking and smartness, has been chosen as the campaign's mascot.
The advertisements were broadcast in five languages across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Condom, condom, condom!
The second phase of the campaign launched in March 2008.
Once again, we want men to talk freely about condoms. The confidence and the smartness required to do so are also being linked to being a "real man".
The ad shows a kabaddi match - kabaddi is a team sport originally from the Indian subcontinent where chanting the word "kabaddi" during play is a crucial aspect of game.
In the ad, the protagonist wins the match against an obviously macho team by chanting "condom" instead of "kabaddi".
This campaign will be seen and heard on TV, radio, cinema, outdoor and print advertisements for a six week period.
We are amplifying our core message of 'smart men talk about condoms' in other media by fictionalising the kabaddi match and the discussion and debate it generates.
In this phase too, there is an interactive element with an SMS poll around our core message.
Focus on mobile phones
In the third phase of the campaign launched in August 2008, a ringtone campaign is used to promote the use of condoms.
In a scene played out at a wedding: a mobile ringtone buzzes with a loud refrain "condom! condom!".
Embarrassing for the person holding the mobile phone? Not a bit of it - the reaction of those around the red-faced man is to see him as smart and responsible.
The phase's theme Jo Samjha Wohi Sikander - "the one who understands is a winner" - reinforces the message that those who use condoms are winners in life. More.
Research and impact
A 'baseline' survey has been carried out in the four target states to assess existing knowledge, attitudes and practices related to condoms.
An endline survey will be carried out at the end of the campaign to measure progress on increasing positive attitudes and changing behaviour around condom use among men.
It ain't for flushing!
What do Australia, Ireland, England, Scotland, a variety of countries in Africa, even the Louisiana Bayou have in common? They are all plagued by floating condoms in their waterways. In Scotland and Australia, for instance, river sailing regattas have had to be cancelled due to the floating flotsum AND the flapping condoms that have caught up in trees and bushes along waterways. The River Frome, for instance, has a huge problem with them, as the local waste authority can't seem to stem their tide, with residents madly flushing their used noddies down the loo.
Perhaps packaging needs to include proper procedures for placing used rubbers into the correct recepticle :)
Aw, those little Brownies!
(I found out about this in a short article in the China Daily News, October 8th)
An English mother who had just moved to Hong Kong was a bit surprised when she was flipping through the Brownie Guide she'd just bought for her 8-year-old; it is published by the Hong Kong Girl Guide Assoc, and includes new badges for learning to make a tomato and lettuce sandwich, how to boil an egg...and how to use a condom!
The girls in the Brownies are between 7 - 10 years, and seem to take it all in their stride, as do most parents. The only requirement for earning the AIDS Badge is to be able to tell how to prevent HIV by using a condom, and to name three modes of transmission for HIV.
But the new mother was not convinced that her child needed to know this at such a young age. The Girl Guides disagree and the badge stays...probably another attempt to stem the tide of an ever-growing number of AIDS cases in Hong Kong and mainland China.
A lost condom mobile...what a strange thing to steal!
Who has it and why??
Oct. 1, 2008
From the:
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY - Missing in Mexico: One truck carrying 5,000 condoms, 800 HIV tests and a 23-foot inflatable prophylactic.
The coordinator of an HIV/AIDS awareness tour, Polo Gomez, said Wednesday that the "Condomovil" was parked in front of a friend's house in Mexico City when it disappeared Sunday evening. He believes the truck was stolen, but he doesn't know why. Police are still investigating.
The truck should be easy to spot. It features painted images of a peeled banana, the exposed part shaped like a condom, and a shirtless man saying: "I protect myself. Do you?"
Gomez estimated $19,000 worth of material is missing, including the truck, its contents and sound equipment.
As many as 440,000 Mexicans are living with HIV, according to 2005 estimates from UNICEF.
The Condomovil program has toured Mexico since 1998 promoting safe sex practices while distributing 1.2 million condoms to more than 700,000 people, Gomez said. The inflatable condom was used to draw attention from passers-by.
Gomez said a scheduled tour of Mexico's south would likely be canceled unless the truck is found.
The group bought the truck with a grant from Mexico's federal Health Department. The department also donated the 5,000 condoms in the truck when it went missing.
it??
More fallout from the Credit Crunch, or...
Perhaps I'm naive, but I find this really strange...and pretty unappetizing! But the scariest bit - which I've copied from further on in the article - is this:
"People who, having grown up watching the Aids awareness stuff on telly, say they judged how safe someone was by talking to them or by whether they appeared clean."
Oh, GOOD GRIEF!!!
KING OF THE SWINGERS;
AUTHOR ASHLEY LISTER LIFTS THE LID ON THE BIZARRE WORLD OF WIFE SWAPPING AND SEX WITH STRANGERS By Samantha BoothFrom the Daily Mail (July)THERE are an estimated one million swingers in the UK and according to the author of a new book, the sexy pastime could become even more common place thanks to the credit crunch.
Ashley Lister, who wrote and researched Swingers: Female Confidential, reckons that in the coming months more people will shun expensive restaurants and nights out in favour of cheaper pleasures.
And for many that means meeting regularly to have sex with someone other than their partners.
Ashley, from Blackpool, says: "With a recession on its way, swinging is about to go through a boom period because it is such a cost effective way for people to enjoy themselves and to get maximum enjoyment from minimum outlay.
"And it is just as popular in Scotland as it is anywhere else in the UK."
The married father-of-one, who says he's never been physically involved in swinging, started researching the scene after discovering some of his friends were involved. He said: "The majority of books written about swinging are by swingers who are extolling the virtues of the lifestyle while the majority of newspaper and magazine articles condemn it as seedy or immoral.
"As I had a few friends who enjoyed the swinging scene, I thought if I could speak to them and some of their friends, then I could find out what swinging really is like nowadays."
From there Ashley's first book on the pass-time, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Swinging Scene, was born.
And through his research, he learned that swinging in the UK is rife among people of all backgrounds.
He spoke to students, single mums in their 20s, unemployed swingers, top lawyers and even swinging doctors - of every age, size and shape imaginable.
And he discovered that contrary to popular belief, most shun the notorious swingers parties in favour of getting to know a small number of similar minded people socially. Then it is simply a case of consenting adults taking part in whatever sexual practice they desire generally, with the full support and encouragement of their partner, husband or wife.
Ashley said: "I found it riveting to talk to these people about a subject that is normally forbidden. They really are just normal people, it's just they have a liberated attitude towards sex.
"They could be your neighbour, your boss or even the person who sits next to you at work and you would never know.
"But what I enjoyed about it all was the openness among themselves and they actually seemed empowered by what they do in that they could state exactly what they want and just do that."
Ashley also discovered that being a swinger does not necessarily mean your relationship is dysfunctional.
He said: "I suppose it depends on your view of healthy but if a couple are smiling at each other, caring for each other and supporting each other then that seems healthy and I certainly saw a lot of that between swinging couples.
"But I also encountered couples who were trying to get over a rough patch in their marriage by trying swinging and that obviously doesn't work. It was like watching a car crash because you knew how it was going to turn out.
"Most swingers I met were in couples.
Single swingers are much harder to come by, especially single bisexual women, which is a bit odd considering they're the ones most swinging couples are hoping to come into contact with."
Having researched and written his insight into the world of swinging, Ashley was only left with one question about the ever growing phenomenon - why do women do it?
That also seemed to be the one question readers of Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Swinging Scene were left with. They seemed to take it for granted that men were in it for the sex, but the motivation of females was harder to understand.
Ashley said: "Nobody asked me why men did it, they seemed to understand men would do that kind of thing for more sex, but everyone asked what motivated women, so I decided to look into it and write swingers: Female Confidential." That led him to meet Amy, a medical receptionist from the Manchester area who estimates that she has had around 500 extra-marital partners in the 24 years she has been married.
Amy, 43, always considered herself promiscuous before she met her husband and while she managed to stay faithful through their engagement, she slept with someone else just two weeks into their marriage.
Amy was devastated by the slip-up but the indiscretion led her and her husband to come to a liberating arrangement.
Ever since, Amy has regularly gone out to meet people for sex and to take pictures of herself during her encounter.
Once home, she tells her husband all about the meeting and shows him the pictures before they too have sex, although Amy is adamant that while she has sex with any number of men, she only makes love to her husband.
Ashley said: "Amy's husband supported her and they both got a lot from their set-up. Her motivation for swinging was simple - she liked sex.
"They had come up with a situation which seemed to suit everyone and I believe that is now possible because society is moving towards a kind of sexual equality never seen before.
"The taboos around sexual equality in the bedroom are finally being broken down and if we continue in the current vein they will be ultimately vanquished.
"It used to be that a woman with a libido was considered to be dangerous or insane and there has long been the double standards between male and female promiscuity.
"To some extent that is still true today, but I don't think it has the same severe connotations that it used to have.
"Society has become more open, we have the Ann Summer shops on the high street, we have erotic fiction in print and there is an acceptance now that women are allowed to be sexual creatures unrestricted by the double standard hierarchy imposed on them by a patriarchal society.
"And liberated women are more free to do what they want and that's why I think they turn to swinging." Ashley also met 43-year-old Joyce, who'd never consider herself a swinger, but gets a great deal of pleasure from posting the pictures her husband takes of her on the internet so she can read the comments from web users.
Ashley said: "Many people don't like the term swingers because of the negative connotations, but really that's what they are doing by bringing other people into their sex life.
"But like many of the couples I met, Joyce and her husband both got a lot out of their activities, they were both totally open and supportive of each other and Joyce was rightly very proud of her body and sexuality."
Such openness in fact seemed to be the norm among swingers, which is why Ashley was so shocked to encounter Mrs XXX who, despite swinging with her husband, decided to indulge in lesbian experimentation behind her husband's back.
Ashley said: "Other couples would talk about anything in front of each other so I was surprised that given that they were already swingers, that she did it behind her husband's back. It seemed to break the rules of swinging."
And the other thing which left Ashley reeling was his discovery that a small minority of swingers still take part in unprotected sex. He said: "It horrified me that there were a few people who didn't use protection.
"People who, having grown up watching the Aids awareness stuff on telly, say they judged how safe someone was by talking to them or by whether they appeared clean.
"It was really horrifying, especially as there are always condoms about in these situations.
"Their idea of staying safe is getting tested regularly, which to me just isn't right. That's like shutting the stable door long after the horse has bolted."
The Republican Convention
For the first time in American political history, the condom played a "serious" role at the recent Republican convention; 30,000 of them were distributed by Planned Parenthood representatives. Their purpose? On the packages were listed the flaws of Republican candidate, John McCain, who really got the pro-birth control organization's anger up when, after being asked if birth control methods could prevent against STDs spread, his answer was an impressive wow, you've "stumped me." The PP folks hoped to use their condoms to get the word out the this guy is, well, shall we say, a bit on the clueless side.
Australia's condom girl has no regrets
From the Daily Times: (July '08)
Pope's message `was stupid'
A TERRITORIAN who blew up a condom in front of the Pope is unrepentant about her protest.
Jessie Abraham, 27, was demonstrating against the Catholic Church's ban on contraception. She said
Pope Benedict XVI needed a ``reality check''.
``I would rather sin than apologise,'' she said.
Ms Abraham staged her protest at the World Youth Day gathering in Sydney last week.
``We decided to create a safe-sex message for the pilgrims,'' she said. ``The message was, `condoms rock'.''
Ms Abraham, a Darwin-based women's rights activist and sexual health professional, said the protest was ``about awareness not politics''.
``I am not religious at all -- I don't even understand religion.
``It was not a religious, political or nasty message.
``Putting 300,000 youths in one place and saying `don't use condoms' was stupid and it made me angry.''
Ms Abraham said the anti-contraceptive papal message led to a spike in sales of the morning after pill during the Catholic celebration.
``People from 170 countries got together. They were passionate and lively -- they were going to have sex,'' she said. Ms Abraham said she did not know what reaction to expect from the crowd.
``I didn't expect a good reaction -- but it was a nice relief when the reaction was good,'' she said.
``People commented that they agreed with us.''
Hermes goes condom!!
That very expensive fashion design house has added a bit of a twist to one of its new scarf designs!!
The winter collection of Hermes contains not only new and sporty variations on the Kelly and Birkin bags, it has a trendy new scarf which is made of dark silk - Hermes has called this new design "Life in a Pocket," because it has a little red ribbon woven on the reverse and a secret pocket at the wide end for holding a condomf. A percentage of the sales of this innovative condom holder are being donated to a French Aids charity.
Gotta love it!!
But did that naughty priest use a condom?
Italian man catches wife in bed with priest An Italian husband returned home early from work to find his wife in bed with their local priest. 14 Sep 2008
Following the shock discovery, the man stormed into the local bishop's office in Chioggia, near Venice, and demanded an explanation. Later police were called to calm him down.
Details of the incident in Chioggia near Venice emerged on Sunday in Italian newspapers and the local bishop Angelo Daniel has now confirmed that the adulterous priest has been sent to another parish for "reeducation".
The 53-year-old priest was described as a specialist on the Bible and had been a good friend of the couple.
The husband, 39, and his wife, 37, have two children.
Bishop Daniel added: "I have always respected the priest in question and I will continue to respect him. You cannot discount all the good a person has done in their life just because of one mistake."
Condom ring tones???
From: The Financial Post (Canada)
September 12, 2008 Friday
A ring tone that sings "condom, condom, condom" has attracted more than 270,000 downloads since its launch in India last month, spreading the message of safe sex to many more cellphone users in the country and abroad. The Condom a Capella ringtone, in which the word "condom" is sung in many overlapping melodies, is the work of Rupert Fernandes and Vijay Prakash. The Web site www.condomcondom.org, (check it out!!) where it can be heard, has had more than two million hits. The campaign was produced by the BBC World Service Trust in India and aims to target the increasing number of Indian cellphone users, estimated at more than 250 million. According to the latest figures, 2.4 million people are living with HIV in India. Never before has a mobile ring-tone been used to communicate a social or public health message, said Yvonne MacPherson, country director, India, for the trust. "We wanted to create a conversation piece that would get people talking and ultimately break down the taboo about condoms."
Macho or what?
From the New Zealand Herald, September 12th
Tracey Barnett: Why macho firms push Viagra instead of the pill for men
Gentlemen, it's an insult.
There is an entire multimillion-dollar industry out there that won't put money on the odds that men are willing to take responsibility for the number of children they father.
Some guys with big cigars and bigger expense accounts probably sat in a Mad Men-style office decades ago and sniggered: "A contraceptive pill for men? Forgettaboutit." And we haven't budged since.
Big Pharma is happy as Larry to flood your junk email in-boxes with 50 ads a day touting Viagra to help start the ball rolling. Now, there's a market. But when it comes to controlling the repercussions of that amour, pharmacologically we're stuck in 1962.
A male pill? File that under man-bras and man-mascara. For every article you see touting the newest research to develop a male pill, patch, cream or injection, it's inevitably followed by a little disclaimer that mentions the reality is still five to seven years away.
The only problem is, that refrain has been repeating for more than 40 years now.
That's what happened when Wyeth, Schering and Organon were touting their breathless breakthroughs on the horizon, until they weren't. German drug giant Schering halted its research two years ago after its acquisition by Bayer. Other companies quickly jumped ship and folded their projects too.
The truth is, drug companies still aren't interested enough. For decades, Big Pharma has been skittish, to say the least. There is always the subtext: Men won't take it. Men don't want the risks that women are willing to tolerate. Women are already taking care of birth control in established couples.
Why spend millions splitting the market to men when the women's dollar is already captured? Women won't trust men to take it. Men fear it will affect their sexual performance. It's too expensive to develop. Think of the potential lawsuits. Were these the same list of questions on the Viagra research criteria?
When the pill came into being and revolutionised women's sexual freedom, there was plenty of cause to celebrate. Women hadn't known what it was like not to fear unwanted pregnancy.
Today women have the choice to use dozens of different types of pills, as well as sponges, patches, injections, IUD's and morning-after medications. While men are still stuck in the dark ages of condoms or a Hail Mary [vasectomy being a realistic option only later after a man has had children.]
Amazingly, there hasn't been a viable new form of male contraception for 100 years.
Until Aids crept on to the scene in the 1980s, when both men and women turned to condoms for safety, the domain of birth control had become a woman's job.
Today women take responsibility for contraception in two-thirds of all couples. It is the woman who now largely assumes the health risks behind whatever her choice, from increased risk of some cancers and blood clots with the pill, to infection and ectopic pregnancy from IUDs, on down the line. For my generation, it has always seemed like weighing the least worst evil.
What was once a heralded new freedom 40 years ago has now morphed into a women's problem. Today, adolescent women are taught they even have to carry the condoms, and back it up with whatever else feels safe.
How did we women get from taking control of our sexuality to relinquishing our right to spread the health risks with men?
Why aren't women angry that more money hasn't been put into developing male contraceptive products that are now well within scientific reach?
It would be different if Big Pharma got their 1962-tinged portrait of today's man right, but their own studies tell us otherwise.
A 2005 global survey by Schering of 9000 men from ages 18 to 50, reported that more than half were interested in "new male fertility control", with roughly 40 per cent of American respondents saying they would be willing to use an implant or receive regular injections.
Other surveys done in Cape Town, Edinburgh, Shanghai and Hong Kong put those numbers even higher, at 67 per cent, according to Slate magazine.
There are 100 million female customers for the pill worldwide. Think about what even a fraction of those male numbers would translate into global revenue.
Dr David Handelsman, a leading male contraception researcher from Sydney's ANZAC Institute, told Time Magazine: "The pharmaceutical industry is completely disconnected from the public and medical perceptions of need."
You bet. What's more, we women are suckers for not demanding it decades sooner.
Dirty dancing or practicing safe sex??
September 11
Naughty naughty!!
CANBERRA (Reuters) - The police minister in Australia's most populous state was forced to quit on Thursday over reports he "dirty danced" in underwear over the chest of a female colleague in a drunken late-night office party.
Matt Brown resigned just three days after being sworn in as police minister of New South Wales state, which includes Sydney.
"I'm a human being and I made a mistake and I am going to cop the consequences," Brown told reporters. "I am not wanting to duck or weave this issue. As you can imagine this is a pretty tough day for me."
Witnesses said Brown stripped down to his underpants and danced to loud techno music on a green leather Chesterfield lounge before he "mounted the chest" of a female politician and simulated a sex act.
Brown did not deny stripping, but said he had not tried to simulate sex with his colleague. The party occurred in parliament three months before Brown was sworn in as police minister.
The resignation was a blow to the centre-left state government, already reeling from months of political scandal, leadership instability and poor opinion polls. NSW accounts for 30 percent of Australia's $1 trillion (571 billion pound) economy.
State Premier Nathan Rees, sworn in with Brown after a leadership tussle, promised a more accountable government and said Brown had to go because he initially promised that "absolutely nothing untoward" occurred during the party.
"I subsequently put it to former minister Brown late last night that 'there are too many reports of you in your underwear for me to ignore'," Rees told local radio.
"Embarrassed doesn't begin to describe it. He conceded he'd been in his underwear and that gave me no option but to demand his resignation," Rees said.
Sex on the beach not all it's cracked up to be!
Ah, those fun loving Middle Easterners!!
September 9
The case of two Britons accused of having sex on a Dubai beach has been adjourned after one of them fell ill.
Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south east London, and Michelle Palmer, 36, were due in court for another hearing when court officials said the case was being adjourned for a month.
The pair deny they got intimate in public - something which is strictly forbidden in the Gulf Emirate state.
Their case was listed at Dubai's Court of First Instance but is now on hold until October 7, their lawyer, Hassan Matter, said.
Mr Matter said Ms Palmer had not attended the proceedings because she was "not well". He would not go into further details of her illness.
He claims DNA and medical tests have failed to prove the duo had sex.
The police officer who arrested the pair was due to give evidence at the latest hearing. He had previously described Miss Palmer as sitting on Mr Acors with her shirt off.
During the last court hearing in Dubai, the pair's appeal for a quick ruling that would let them return to Britain was rejected.
But Mr Matter said: "Medical reports for Michelle said that she didn't have sex. The DNA from Michelle said she didn't have sex.
"They were arrested at about 1am and they went for a medical report at about 8.30am. The medical examination of Vincent didn't give any sure findings."
Miss Palmer and Mr Acors were arrested hours after attending a £60 all-you-can-drink champagne brunch at Le Meridien hotel, close to Dubai airport.
Sex outside marriage is illegal in Dubai.
Miss Palmer, who worked as a publishing executive in Dubai, was sacked following her arrest.
Condom Crime Wave in Dallas Texas!
September 5th
Dallas police today are searching for a man who robbed a 7-Eleven convenience store in his wheelchair, stealing 10 boxes of condoms and an energy drink before rolling himself out the door, authorities said.
The man wheeled into the store in the 8400 block of Park Lane in northeast Dallas around 2 a.m. Wednesday clutching a baseball bat and a knife, said Senior Cpl. Kevin Janse, a Dallas police spokesman.
The man, who appeared to be in his 30s, went straight to the cash register and began beating it with the bat until it opened, Cpl. Janse said.
But he didn’t steal any money.
Instead, he wheeled himself past other customers around the store, grabbing boxes of condoms and an energy drink before leaving, Cpl. Janse said.
By the time police arrived, the man was nowhere to be found. He is described as a black male, 5-10, weighing about 170 pounds.
Police do not have any suspects, but they believe he may be homeless.
Cpl. Janse said he couldn’t recall another robbery involving a person in a wheelchair. He believes the culprit was probably intoxicated at the time.
“This certainly isn’t something we see everyday,” Cpl. Janse said.
Dreadful findings from the Poppy Project
The London-based Poppy Project, a "feminist think tank," has done an extensive study of off street prostitution in London and has found that every borough has extensive unlicenced brothels, where "very very young girls" are available for sex for as little as 15£, though the cost for all services and ages ranges from 15 - 62£, and the average age of the girls is 21. Most of these women come from Asia and Eastern and Central Europe, many are illegal aliens, and most are caught up in a life of violence, fear, and extreme health risks - the worst of these? For an extra 10£, sex without a condom is widely available.
What are the "authorities" going to do about it?
No one is saying as yet, but it is hard to imagine that government agencies that have recently admitted that they don't even know how many LEGAL aliens have crossed into the country in the last few years are likely to get a handle on this one. And the contribution to HIV/AIDS? It boggles the mind, given that this twilight, unregulated part of a much bigger business is netting at least 62 million £ a year...there is a huge market for sex, avec condom and not.
So, men, you really are the problem!
Swedish researchers said Tuesday what women have suspected all along: that marital woes can often be attributed to men's genetic make-up, according to a study linking a common male gene to relationship problems.
The gene variant, which is present in four of 10 Swedish men, can explain why some men are more prone to stormy relationships and bond less to their wives or girlfriends, a team of researchers at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute said.
"There are, of course, many reasons why a person might have relationship problems, but this is the first time that a specific gene variant has been associated with how men bond to their partners," Hasse Walum, one of the researchers, said in a statement.
The team found that men who carry one or two copies of a variant of the gene often behave differently in relationships than men who lack the gene variant, called allele 334.
"The incidence of allele 334 was statistically linked to how strong a bond a man felt he had with his partner," the statement said.
Men who had two copies of allele 334 were twice as likely to have had a marital or relationship crisis in the past year than those who lacked the gene variant, it said.
Their wives or girlfriends also noticed the difference.
"Women married to men who carry one or two copies of allele 334 were, on average, less satisfied with their relationship than women married to men who didn't carry this allele," Walum said.
He stressed however that the effect of the genetic variation was relatively modest and could not be used to predict with any real accuracy how someone would behave in a future relationship.
The study surveyed 550 twins and their partners or spouses in Sweden.
Martin Ingvar, a professor of neurophysiology at Karolinska Institute, said the results were "very exciting."
"These are original findings which shed light on the fact that all of our behaviours are influenced by both nature and nurture. Even complex, cultural social phenomens such as marriage are influenced by a person's genetic make-up," Ingvar said.
The gene in question controls the production of a molecule receptor for vasopressin, a hormone that is found in most mammals.
The same gene has previously been linked to monogamous behaviour in male voles, a mouselike rodent.
The researchers said they hoped greater knowledge of the effect of vasopressin on human relations could also help understand the causes of diseases characterised by problems with social interaction, such as autism.
The results of the study were published Tuesday in the US scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
IVF run amock!!
You've got to read this one!!
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1045815/Worlds-oldest-mother-70-pleased-male-heir-declares-daughter-burden.html
Safe sex at the Olympic village
From USA Today, August 13
"Citius, Altius, Fortius.
There are a lot of things athletes may run out of at the Olympic Village in Beijing but condoms should not be one of them.
Organizers have supplied 100,000 for the 10,500 athletes housed in the village. Organizers have handed out condoms at every Olympics since 1992 in Barcelona to raise awareness of AIDS prevention.
At Sydney, the 70,000 condoms supplied, ran out and officials ordered an additional 20,000 more.
"There are many young, strong, single people in the athletes' village and, like everywhere, some will fall in love or other things, so we need to make condoms available," Ole Hansen, spokesman for UNAIDS China, told Reuters. "A lot of these young people are not married or in relationships so we want to make sure they have the information and tools to protect themselves if they have sexual encounters."
So not to offend any athlete, the condoms are not put in rooms but are available at medical sights and at the athlete's center.
Elasun, a condom maker in China, has been running funny ads showing Olympic stickman performing alongside condoms shaped like bicycles, basketball hoop and net and an archery target."
The 17th Annual AIDS conference in Mexico - some interesting ads!
"Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Use a condom."
From an Irish Catholic "underground" website: Sote Voce
That’s one of the slogans adopted by two Catholic youth groups who are taking advantage of the world AIDS conference in Mexico to distribute pamphlets and hang posters in subways and buses with their message.
The ads also include other quotes from the Bible's "Song of Solomon" such as "Under your tongue you will find milk and honey," and "Your breasts are like clusters of grapes and your breath as sweet as the scent of apples."
"These sayings show that the Bible has not always condemned sexuality and, even that it has allowed for pleasure," Minerva Santamaria, spokeswoman for Catholic Women in Favour of the Right to Decide (CPDD), told the Argentinian daily Pagina 12.
"Misinterpretation!," responded theologian Fray Julian Cruzalta at a press conference, adding that, for the Church, the Song of Solomon is "an allegory of the love between God and his Church."
At the same press conference, the Archdiocese of Mexico denounced "the desecration of sacred scripture," and added that "the Bible makes no mention of condoms."
"The position of the conservative Catholic hierarchy," Santamaria told the Argentine newspaper, "has had a devastating effect on the youth. You cannot proclaim a culture of life while at the same time prohibiting the use of condoms and advocating abstinence only instead."
Mexico has the second-highest rate of HIV infection in Latin America, after Brazil, with more than 200,000 Mexicans infected with the virus, according to the UN programme on AIDS.
Every year, some 8,000 new cases of infection are detected.
Brand new research on HIV prevention...
This is a brand new study abouthttp://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/B0CE9F2C-6143-49AD-9DCC-74F2C8200460.asp circumcision and its connection with HIV prevention: well worth the read!
Condoms at school - the battle goes on...
The Sunday Times (London)
July 20, 2008
Parents protest as schools hand out free condoms
BYLINE: Kathleen Nutt and Julia Belgutay
SECTION: HOME NEWS; Scotland News; Pg.7
LENGTH: 614 words
SCHOOLS have been criticised for encouraging underage sex by giving pupils free condoms.
Teenagers at secondary schools in Edinburgh and West Lothian have received the contraceptives, in a bid to curb unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
But parent groups and education campaigners say that the scheme encourages youngsters to have sex.
Broughton High School, in Edinburgh, North Berwick High School in East Lothian, Newbattle High School, in Midlothian and West Calder High School in West Lothian have given out contraceptives.
NHS Lothian was unable to say what age the pupils were who had received the contraceptives and whether they were over 16. The schools' sexual health clinics also offer pregnancy tests and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
Free condoms have also been handed out to pupils at Sandwick Junior High School in Shetland under a one-year pilot scheme which is set to be extended to the seven other secondaries on the islands.
A spokesman for Shetland Isles' schools said that parents' permission is not required if the pupils are aged over 16. He said that it was "extremely rare" for underage pupils to receive condoms.
Some school nurses in secondary schools in the Borders have also obtained permission to give out free contraceptives to pupils.
However, the local authority does not keep information on how many contraceptives have been issued.
"Handing out free contraceptives to school children simply encourages teenage sexual activity," said Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education. "It is extremely worrying that condoms are being given out to pupils without the permission of their parents."
Stan Martin, one of the founders of Parents for Consultation, a group that wants parents to have more influence over sex education in schools, said: "Initiatives like these just sexualise children at an earlier and earlier age."
Scotland has one of the worst teenage pregnancy records in the world, with almost 30% of girls aged between 15 and 19 giving birth. In a league table of teenage pregnancy rates, produced by the children's charity Barnardo's, Scotland was 28th out of 31 countries. Only America, Mexico and Turkey had more teenage mothers.
Last year The Sunday Times reported that almost 5,000 underage girls, some as young as 11, were being prescribed the contraceptive pill.
Figures published last year revealed the number of cases of the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia rose by 4% cent, to 17,926. More than 70% of the patients suffering from the disease, which can cause infertility, were aged under 25.
Jim Reyner, quality improvement manager at Shetland Isles' schools service, said: "From our perspective we would rather condoms were available than kids were left ignorant. They are issued responsibly."
If any child under 16 asked for a condom, parents and child protection staff would be informed, he said.
A spokesman for Scottish Borders council said: "Contraceptives could be given out by school nurses in the drop-in sessions, but it is a private matter between the pupil and the school nurse. The sessions are confidential and designed to discuss all health issues."
Shona Robison, the public health minister, said: "It is important for local agencies to provide high-quality, consistent information in a range of settings. This includes easily accessible drop-in services, staffed by health professionals and youth workers, services we know young people respond well to.
"How these services are delivered is a decision for local health boards and local authorities to make in partnership with their sexual health strategy groups."
Is there a connection?
Today, the Conservatives have suggested that the silly - and horribly sexist! - magazines loved by the 16-22 year old British male may be contributing to the huge problem of uninvolved father...too narrow a view?
'Hedonist' Lad Mags Slammed
So-called 'lad mags' like Zoo and Nuts are helping to fuel a rise in feckless fatherhood, according to the Conservative Party.
Shadow education secretary Michael Gove says the magazines encourage young men to view women as sex objects.
In a high-profile speech on the family he will accuse the magazines of celebrating "instant hit hedonism".
Mr Gove will link the titles - which sell around half a million copies a week to men aged 18-30 with a diet of topless photos, football and jokes - to the social problems of relationship breakdown and fatherless children.
And he will suggest that the drive to reduce teenage pregnancy should put more emphasis on making young men come to terms with their responsibilities.
In a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research in London, Mr Gove will stress the Conservative commitment to supporting marriage and the family, including through the tax system.
His speech says: "We are committed to supporting family life, and stability and commitment in relationships, precisely because the secure start in life a stable family background provides is the best guarantee of maximising opportunity."
But he will argue that the lad mags' contents promote a negative picture of the family and of women.
"I believe we need to ask tough questions about the instant-hit hedonism celebrated by the modern men's magazines targeted at younger males.
"Titles such as Nuts and Zoo paint a picture of women as permanently, lasciviously, uncomplicatedly available.
"We should ask those who make profits out of reveling in, or encouraging, selfish irresponsibility among young men what they think they're doing."
Mr Gove rejects the argument that the editorial content of a magazine is not a subject for politicians to get involved in.
"The relationship between these titles and their readers is a relationship in which the rest of us have an interest.
"The images they use and project reinforce a very narrow conception of beauty and a shallow approach towards women. They celebrate thrill-seeking and instant gratification without ever allowing any thought of responsibility towards others, or commitment, to intrude.
"The contrast with the work done by women's magazines, and their publishers, to address their readers in a mature and responsible fashion, is striking."
Mr Gove is expected to say that a Conservative government would give greater support to the majority of fathers who play an active role in bringing up their children.
Uganda's shortage...if they'd only read the book!
Uganda;
Country Could Face Condom Shortage By October, 08
Africa News
USAID no longer funds the procurement of condoms yet the Government has not released funds to buy them. Lillian Agasha and Halima Shaban explore the hard reality
A WALK into the numerous washrooms of most corporate premises in Kampala will reveal almost one identical thing - a box of condoms placed strategically for any user to pick. When you see these condoms in the morning, be sure they will not be there by evening.
In addition to its role as a crucial and reliable family planning method, the condom is one of the major strategies in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Yet, if the Government does not urgently release funds for the importation of condoms, there will be no condoms in the country by October, says the United Nations Population Fund deputy country representative, Hassan Mohtashami.
In the past, procurement and distribution of condoms was done by social marketing organisations such as PSI and Marie Stopes with funds from development partners; KFW and United States Aid for International Development (USAID). The ministry of health also procured condoms using funds from USAID.
But, with the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, which charges countries with the responsibility of owning and funding reproductive health commodities supplies, this trend is changing.
KFW, USAID and other development partners are no longer funding the procurement of condoms and other reproductive health methods, yet the Government has not put in place a budget to procure condoms.
"There is an urgent need for a specific budget on condom programming in the Ministry of Health (MOH) in addition to mobilisation of resources to meet the current condom stock gaps," Dr. Mohtashami told participants during a reproductive health commodity security advocacy capacity building workshop in Djibouti recently.
Uganda has one of the highest fertility rates in the world. Every woman has an average of seven children. Yet family planning is low.
The contraception prevalence rate (the number of married women using a family planning method) is only 24%. On the other hand, HIV prevalence is going up from 6.4% to 7.1%, according to UNAIDS. The condom is both preventive for HIV and unwanted pregnancy.
Using the ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms) approach, Uganda was able to reduce its HIV prevalence rate from about 30% in the 1980s to 15% in the early 1990s and to about 6% in 2002.
However, with the current rise in the HIV prevalence rate, the future looks gloomy, if the Government does not make the issue of condom supplies a priority.
Development partners in the distribution of condoms have requested the Government to come up with long-term sustainable measures to ensure an adequate and reliable supply of condoms to the population.
Uganda's total condom requirement is about 120 million condoms per year and 10 million condoms are needed per month to meet the basic need for HIV prevention in the country.
In a 'good' year, according to the MOH, actual supplies would be 120 million condoms. But the past years have seen rapidly diminishing supplies of and capacity for distributing condoms.
Mohtashami says the Government has not been procuring condoms and yet it procures other contraceptives. For the public sector, condoms were traditionally supplied by the health ministry with funds from USAID and for the social marketing organisations such as PSI and Marie Stopes, condoms were procured with funds from KFW, a development partner.
With the Paris Declaration, USAID and KFW have since stopped funding condom supplies, leaving a huge gap.
Condoms supplied by social marketing organisations currently cost between sh500 and sh1,000 a packet of three, but the price is likely to shoot up when these condoms run out and the importation is left to the profit-oriented private sector.
This will impact negatively on the HIV/AIDS fight and also increase the number of women dying from abortions.
Dr. Ismail Ndifuna, the national programme officer in charge of reproductive health at the UNFPA country office, says in accordance with the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness, UNFPA is supposed to promote programmes that are government-owned and led.
He says UNFPA will accordingly align its support to the sector in accordance with this principle. In this regard, UNFPA would like to support capacity building systems development and offer technical assistance to the sector and only procure condoms as a provider of last resort.
"We are not seeing adequate government commitment to condom programming. When there is an epidemic, the health ministry quickly puts in place measures to arrest the situation. We would like to see this happening with condoms," Ndifuna says.
Dr. Anthony Mbonye, the assistant commissioner of reproductive health at the ministry, says basing on the current situation, it is imperative that the Government mobilises resources to procure an extra 40 million condoms for the remaining part of 2008 and 120 million required for 2009.
Dr. Moses Muwonge, the national reproductive health commodity security coordinator at the ministry says: "Procurement planning needs to take care of a total of 160 million condoms for the remaining part of 2008 and 2009.
This is estimated to cost $6.4m (about sh8.05b) inclusive of procurement, clearing, post-shipment, warehousing and distribution."
In 2004, there was a condom crisis after a public outcry that Engabu condoms were of poor quality. The Government withdrew the consignment and halted their distribution.
Muwonge says the country has mainly two funders; UNFPA and USAID who only provide 60 million condoms out of the the 120 condoms required per year. He said because of the current gap, UNFPA has procured 20 million more condoms.
"If UNFPA had not added the 20 million condoms, the available stock would have taken us up to June. We now need 40 million condoms to take us up to the end of the year, otherwise we shall have no condoms in October," says Muwonge.
Mbonye says the Government is looking for funds to avert the problem. However he advises the public to consider condoms as a necessity that should be purchased from the social markets.
Rosemary Kindyomunda, the national programme officer in charge of HIV/AIDS at UNFPA, says failure by the Government to make condoms available to those in need will put thousands of people at the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Muwonge argues that the Government would not be able to avert the crisis even if it got funds to procure condoms for the remaining part of the year, because the four months that are remaining up to October are not enough to complete the procurement and shipment process.
He adds that the procurement process through the Government systems takes about nine months while the process takes six months if it is done by other development partners.
Muwonge says there were some few stocks of Engabu condoms at the National Medical Stores which the health ministry was planning to distribute to the areas where they will be readily acceptable.
He says they have introduced a condom distribution strategy where they will use a district focal person to identify areas where the condoms will be accepted.
"The condom situation has been discussed and the ministry is trying to find a budget line for next year.
They are also planning to procure a large quantity of condoms using funds from the Global Fund," says Muwonge.
The condom crisis was brought up during a workshop in Djibouti, organised by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretariat and UNFPA recently.
The workshop was attended by parliamentarians, government officials, media representatives and UNFPA country representatives from IGAD member states.
The condom and the Church...
When I read articles like this, I can't help but think of the old chestnut - history repeats itself!!
The Chronicle Newspaper / Africa
The Condom and The Church
At a time when government is mobilizing resources and appealing for concerted efforts aimed at finding effective alternatives to scale down the escalation of HIV and AIDS, there still remains the religions and faith beliefs that need to be ironed out in the promotion of condom use and sex education.
Despite overwhelming evidence in favour of it, the faith community still regard the practice of using condoms as protection against HIV/AIDS as a taboo and have said the condoms have pinprick size holes that let the virus through.
Despite the stand of the faithful the evidence in favour of sex education and condom use is too strong to permit religious taboo to prevent their use, particularly where HIV/AIDS, STI's and unwanted pregnancies are prevalent
National AIDS Commission (NAC) complained that their efforts in promoting condoms as a shield to help contain the spread of the disease are not bearing the much needed results because of a stand taken by some religious organisations that are in the forefront condemning condom use.
"Yes it is true that the use of condoms has received resistance from the faith community. We have had discussions with them (faith community) and indicated to them that we are not saying that condoms are 100% perfect," commented NAC Chairman Nicholas Chitimba. He pointed out that even the users are clearly told that condoms are not of maximum protection "but better use them than nothing."
"What we are saying is that among the weapons we have against HIV/AIDS, STIs and unwanted pregnancies, a condom is one of them and even if we are saying that condoms are 80% effective, better use them than nothing," Chitimba emphasised. " Yes there is perceived resistance from the faith groups based on religious beliefs but all in all, we are doing everything to make them understand and soften their stance."
However, Chitimba explained that it is interesting that though faith leaders do not come in the open to say condoms are effective in minimising the spread of HIV/AIDS and other related problems, they still admit that a lot of people fail to live up to expected standards when it comes to abstinence.
"Surprisingly they have admitted that indeed there are certain people who do not behave the way they should behave in terms of abstinence and if those individuals are in that sort of position, who are the faith groups to insist that they should not use condoms," he queried.
He said the option of using a condom is a human right issue and people should be left to make an individual decision to use or not to use a condom.
Chitimba advised those who failed to abstain from sex to make sure that they use some protection against HIV infection
"These religious groups will not let you use the condoms, they do not come in the open but if you are in a dangerous situation, always use a condom. It is an individual decision to use a condom or not."
Referring to the perceptions that condoms are promoting bad behaviour in terms of sex especially among the youth Chitimba challenged those who have the research evidence to expose it. "No let them show me research paper that shows that this is the case," he says bluntly.
"My own stand is that I would not deny people access to condoms. If indeed there are other means available on the market where people can protect themselves from getting infected with the virus, then I would encourage people to explore all those options," says Executive Director of Malawi Network of Religious Leaders living or personally infected by HIV/AIDS (MANERELA) Reverend Father MacDonald Sembereka. "And without encouraging and compromising one's faith, I would encourage them to use the best option that we have so far which is basically a condom."
He explained that if the role of faith community is to preserve human life and if there is enough data that condoms are also measures for protecting people's lives, people should explore it.
"Basically the role of faith community is to preserve human life which emanates from the fact that life is sanctity and as such we have to protect it.
"If condoms are at all measures for protecting life and there is enough data to substantiate the fact that it is not to the contrary as the faith community puts it, then I would not have any problem," he said.
Father Sembereka said he is very aware that what is preached to the faithful every Sunday will make people abstain from casual sex "and it would be foolish to indulge in unprotected sex which on most occasions leads to HIV/AIDS, STIs and unwanted pregnancies and on the over-all, untimely death."
"I would not have problems if people use condoms as long as they use them within the defined context. Of course I know pretty well there are people we preach to but very often they still go out and have sex. They will be foolish if they do it without protecting themselves," emphasised Father Sembereka.
He said he does not subscribe to ideologies that condoms promote promiscuity.
"No, for a long time people have been promiscuous not that the advent of condoms has escalated the levels of promiscuity. I don't think there is a research to that effect. We are aware of incidences where people have condoms right in their pockets and they do not use them when having sex and we are mindful of the fact that within the faith community, we are talking of people who have the virus. Do we encourage them to abstain, can we encourage married couples to abstain, can we encourage people who are staying together to abstain, what are the option that we give them?" Father Sembereka wondered.
With regard to condom use and sex education, maintaining an open dialogue and exploring arguments objectively rather than through heated debates may help everyone to review the evidence and consider their stand and come up with a compromise that will benefit people in all walks of life.
Surely the aim of everyone is to see a reduction in teenage and unwanted pregnancies and reduced infection of HIV/AIDS and STIs within the nation.
Travel Writer's take on American "puritanism"
By RICK STEVES
Author of the ubiquitous "Europe Through the Back Door" books and host of the popular public television travel program, "Rick Steves' Europe, " Rick has some interesting insights into the American psyche. He is, if you've not heard of him, also an American! (this is a year or two old, but well worth the wait AND is still current!)
Should America lighten up about sex?
Europe's light and easygoing approach to sex and nudity leaves many U.S. travelers culture-shocked.
In Munich's Central Park, office workers spend their summer lunch breaks sunbathing nude, Mediterranean beaches are topless, Germany's steamy mineral spas are co-ed and from Norway to Naples, modern billboards with lathered-up breasts advertise soap.
But can this (as many fear) breed a land of perverts and sex predators and erode all respect for the beautiful physical union of a man and woman in love? Mingling with ordinary Europeans as I do for a third of my year, it's clear to me it hasn't. In fact, Europeans point out that the United States has more domestic violence, rape, child porn, venereal disease, criminal activity around prostitution, sexual dysfunction ... and frustrated people.
Meanwhile, in the USA, we're getting more sensitive and conservative about sex. In the wake of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction," Bono's Irish passion for the F-word and Howard Stern's determination to offend, the Federal Communications Commission has upped the fine for "indecency infractions" tenfold -- now charging TV stations $275,000 per offense.
This sends a chill through the TV production community. Last week, many local ABC affiliates refused to air "Saving Private Ryan" uncensored. This week, we hear that football broadcasts may need a five-second delay to bleep foul language. My own travel shows, which feature timeless classics of art, now actually come with a tally listing how many seconds marble penises and canvas breasts appear in each episode so PBS programmers can assess the risk of showing art from ages when the human body was considered beautiful. They fear being put out of business by a big FCC fine (and it's not clear if "infractions" are per nipple).
Tourists once laughed at puritan fig leaves on great art. But today in the United States, it seems fig leaves are coming back into fashion.
Can we learn from Europe? Does Europe cheapen sexual intimacy or do Americans make it dirty?
Condoms and HIV
Both drugs and condoms needed to stop HIV - study
addImpression("1045751_Related Video"); removeImpression(); addImpression("1045752_Related News"); removeImpression(); HONG KONG, July 25 (Reuters) - HIV infections could quadruple over 10 years if HIV-positive people who are taking antiretroviraldrugs become complacent and stop using condoms, researchers in Australia warned.
The warning, published in The Lancet, comes after the Swiss Federal Commission for HIV/AIDS said in a controversial statement earlier this year that HIV-positive people on effective treatment were sexually non-infectious.
But the Australian researchers stressed that while the risk of transmission from people on effective therapy was low, it was unlikely to be zero.
"Factors such as incomplete adherence to therapy or the presence of other sexually transmitted infections could increase the risk of HIV transmission," they wrote.
"A false sense of security might lead to reductions in condom use, as was documented in a behavioural study among men who have sex with men in Australia."
HIV infections have been rising among homosexual men in a number of countries in recent years despite high treatment rates -- something often attributed to reductions in condom use.
Using mathematical models, the team at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research in Sydney showed that, while the risk of HIV transmission by people on treatment was fairly small for each sexual contact, that risk would be substantial over large numbers of sexual contacts.
They based their calculations on 10,000 couples -- one partner being HIV-positive -- having 100 unprotected sexual encounters a year over 10 years.
"The expected number of HIV infections would be 215 for female-to-male transmissions, 425 for male-to-female transmission, and 3,524 for male-to-male transmission, corresponding to an increase in incidence of four times compared with incidence under current rates of condom use," they wrote.
Jonathan Anderson, president of the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, said the Swiss advice was misleading.
"When the viral load goes down in the blood due to antiretrovirals, it might not go down in the semen or vaginal and anal fluids," said Anderson, who did not participate in the study.
"Antiretrovirals can complement consistent condom use but replacing condom use with medications may end in disaster."
The Cost of AIDS
This is an excellent article from BBC, talking about the 'bigger picture' of the AIDS crisis. /news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3223567.stm
Pope's apology...
By Philip Pullella Reuters - 37 minutes agoSYDNEY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Saturday apologised directly for the first time for sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, but victims' groups in Australia said they wanted action and not words.
he pope, making some of his most explicit comments on the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Church in several countries, also said unequivocally that those responsible should be brought to justice.
Benedict made a last-minute addition to his prepared homily in St. Mary's Cathedral, adding one powerful and personal sentence -- using the word "I" three times -- the Vatican had hoped would satisfy victims groups.
"Indeed, I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that as their pastor I too share in their suffering," he said.
Acknowledging the "shame which we have all felt," he called sexual abuse of minors an "evil" and added that "those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice".
But minutes after he spoke, victims' groups said it was not enough and an anti-pope protest was held as some 250,000 young pilgrims in Sydney for World Youth Day celebrations marched to a suburban racetrack for an evening prayer vigil with the pope.
"Sorry is not enough. Victims want action, not just words," said victims' group Broken Rites, which has been pushing for an open and accountable system of investigating abuse claims. They say the Church in Australia continues to try to cover up abuse.
"A remote apology does not carry anywhere near the weight as a personal, direct apology," said Anthony Foster, whose two daughters were raped by a Melbourne priest.
"This is only an apology, it is only words, it doesn't commit all the resources of the Church to this problem ... he needs to meet with victims and victim support groups to understand what is required," Foster said.
"NO POPE" PROTEST
Around 1,000 protesters marched against Church teachings on sexual morality. Some chanted: "Pope is wrong, put a condom on," and threw condoms into the air as young pilgrims marched across the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge to the vigil site.
On pilgrim was arrested for punching an anti-pope protester in the face.
The pope confronted sexual abuse in the Church in the United States during a visit there in April, meeting victims and vowing to keep paedophiles out of the priesthood.
But his words in Australia were stronger than those he used in the United States, where the biggest of the scandals broke in 2002 and where Boston Cardinal Bernard Law resigned in disgrace that year.
Bishops in the United States and elsewhere were discovered to have moved clergy who had sexually abused minors from parish to parish instead of defrocking them or handing them to authorities.
In the United States alone, dioceses have paid more than $2 billion (1 billion pounds) to settle suits with victims, forcing some dioceses to sell off properties and declare bankruptcy.
The Catholic Church in Australia has paid millions of dollars in compensation, but has capped individual payments to tens of thousands of dollars, with many payments undisclosed due to confidentiality settlements. Victims say they are inadequate.
After praying with the pope at the vigil the crowd of young people prepared to spend the chilly night outdoors ahead of the culminating event of the celebrations -- a Mass on Sunday.
The 81-year-old pope, who appears to be holding up well despite the long trip, leaves for Rome on Monday.
Spanish library surprise!!
19th century condoms found in Salamanca library book
The two condoms are now on show in the University in Salamanca -
The condoms were wrapped in a newspaper dating from 1857.
Two condoms have been found inside a medicine book dating from the XVI century at Salamanca University. Made from pig gut, and with a blue ribbon used to tighten, the condoms came to light during a revision and cataloguing of the historical books in the library.
Library Director, Margarita Becedas, said that the two condoms were perfectly wrapped in a newspaper dating from 1857, and are thought to date from the 19th century.
Historians say that condoms were used as a hygienic measure in Roman times, but they were not considered to have been officially invented until the XVI century.
Testing for Gayness??
July 16th
Openly gay actor John Barrowman has undergone a series of tests to determine the cause of his homosexuality, as part of a new documentary.
The Dr Who star is fronting new series The Making Of Me, in which he undergoes experiments to determine if he was born gay or whether his sexuality was affected by his environment.
And he is now urging the parents of gay teens to watch the programme to better understand their children.
He says, "When I first started in my career, I thought I'm here to entertain people, nothing more.
"But as I've got older, my career has gone in a different direction... Now I get a lot of letters from young people who are either in the position of being shunned by their families or are fearful of coming out.
"I thought I could help those people and help everyone understand. It's a question: Is it nature or is it nurture?
"If you're a parent with a gay child, watch it."
The Making Of Me airs on the UK's BBC One on 24 July. (don't forget, if you miss current BBC programs, many are available on the BBC I player (online) for 7 days after airing...it's a GREAT tool!)
What are we doing wrong?
The newest numbers just published today document another steep rise in the STD rate in the UK; 2007 saw a 6% (90,000 cases) rise - these are the cases that have been identified! - the majority of the "victims" are between the ages of 16-24. This is the second hike in numbers like this in the last 2 years, as '06 was no better.
So what are we doing wrong? Condoms are free or incredibly cheap, sex ed is in the classroom starting around10...but so many kiddos are not getting it.
Is this really news??
A doctor in the US is telling us that though it has been proven that by maintaining a hormonal balance after menopause, women's cognitive abilities are not only preserved, they are enhanced. Is this really a new news?? Probably not, says this doc - from Weymouth Massachusetts' medical center - what's "new" is that she is wondering why this fact is not factored into the way women are treated before and after menopause; in other words, preventative strategies so that women are not so prone to memory loss and all the other nasties associated with hormonal ups and mostly downs.
Profound differences across the Pond...
Although there is a small, but sometimes-vocal group that speaks out against any loosening of the abortion laws in the UK, there has never been a question of limiting access or tightening laws which have governed the process for many years. But, MPs have for the first time in 40 years, eased the abortion laws in the UK. Nurses will be able to prescribe abortion drugs, which will then be taken by women in their own homes. A doctor's approval will also no longer be required, with nurses allowed to carry out early term terminations. This plan will also include allowing for abortions in local clinics rather than hospitals. Although there are some "pro-life" - anti -abortion - MPs who are not happy with this legislation, it is expected to pass without too much fuss.
Convictions for rape all about post codes??
Map reveals rape 'postcode lottery' The "postcode lottery" experienced by rape victims has been depicted in a new map based by campaigners on official figures.
Women's equality group the Fawcett Society, which compiled the map, claimed it "reveals huge deficiencies in police responses to rape" in many parts of the UK.
In some areas, women who report they have been raped are almost five times less likely to see their attacker convicted than in others, the group said.
The charity added that the conviction rate had got worse in 18 out of 43 police areas since it last looked at the figures in detail in 2004. For example, in Bedfordshire the conviction rate four years ago was 8.3% but had dropped to just 3.2%.
The map showed that fewer than one in 30 women who reported a rape in Leicestershire saw a conviction, while in Cleveland the figure was far higher, at about one in seven.
Fawcett Society director Katherine Rake said: "These disturbing figures reveal that women face a postcode lottery when reporting rape to the police.
"It is entirely unacceptable that the standard of service rape victims receive is dependent on where they live. Even more worryingly, in many areas of the country the conviction rate has fallen dramatically since 2004."
Ms Rake added: "We are calling on the Home Secretary to end the postcode lottery faced by victims of sexual violence by ensuring that every case of rape is properly investigated.
"The Government needs to drive cultural change within the criminal justice system, to ensure that rape is given a high priority by every police force in the country and to invest in a national network of rape crisis centres."
The table was compiled from data on court proceedings from the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office's recorded crime figures and population numbers from the Office for National Statistics.
So men can be too old!! Or, yes, sperm ages too!!
Father's age found to affect pregnancy Fatherhood may already be moving out of reach for men in their mid-thirties, a new study has said.
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It is the first time paternal age has been seen to have such a strong effect on reproductive success.
Although the study involved thousands of men and women being treated for infertility, its findings are relevant to all couples, say the researchers.
Study leader Dr Stephanie Belloc, from the Eylau Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Paris, said: "Until now, gynaecologists only focused on maternal age and the message was to get pregnant before the age of 35 or 38 because afterwards it would be difficult.
"But now the gynaecologists must also focus on paternal age and give this information to the couple."
Dr Belloc's team followed up a total of 21,239 artificial insemination procedures carried out between January 2002 and December 2006.
The 12,236 couples had decided to try intra-uterine insemination (IUI) after having difficulty conceiving.
IUI involves spinning sperm in a centrifuge to separate it from seminal fluid and then inserting it directly into the womb.
Artificial insemination can involve the use of donors but every male participant in the study was a husband.
Before each procedure, researchers noted the quantity, activity and shape of the man's sperm.
Pregnancy, miscarriage and delivery rates were also recorded. Detailed analysis allowed the scientists to separate out male and female factors relating to pregnancy success or failure.
As expected, both pregnancy and miscarriage rate were significantly reduced for women over the age of 35.
But the study unexpectedly found that being older than 35 also made it harder for men to become fathers.
For men aged 34, the miscarriage rate was 16.7 per cent. But between 35 and 39 it rose to 19.5 per cent, with almost one in five pregnancies ending in miscarriage. By the age of 44 it had reached 32.4 per cent.
Pregnancy rates only began to change significantly when husbands reached the age of 40. As men's age increased from 39 to 44 the proportion of treatment cycles producing a pregnancy fell from 13.4 per cent to 10.9 per cent.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Barcelona, Spain.
While the effect of a woman's age on her ability to conceive is well known there is controversy about the impact of age in men.
Many reports show an overall decline in sperm count and quality as men age, but experts have disagreed on whether or not this is simply the result of getting older.
Lifestyle factors such as smoking and obesity have also been blamed for reduced fertility in older men.
Over 45...then you don't need condoms! (???)
LONDON (Reuters) - Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Britons aged over 45 has more than doubled in less than a decade with Internet dating and drugs that counter erectile dysfunction partly to blame, a report said on Monday.
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Although the vast majority of the patients were young, they found that in 1996, 344 people over 45 were diagnosed with an STI. By 2003, that number had risen to 780.
Men in the 55-59 age bracket were more likely to have an STI than anyone else, while rates were highest in women aged 45-54, said the study published in the Sexually Transmitted Infections magazine.
The most commonly diagnosed infections were genital warts, which accounted for almost half of cases, and herpes while the number infected with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis also rose sharply.
While the number of STIs among younger people rose 97 percent during the period studied, it increased by 127 percent among the over 45s.
The report suggested that changes in social and behavioural patterns were partly responsible, with older people less likely to use protection, which they associated with preventing unwanted pregnancy.
"There is also growing evidence that the Internet is being used to identify casual sexual partners by all age groups," it said, adding that meeting partners online was linked to an increased risk of acquiring an STI.
"It is also recognised that the introduction of drugs to counter erectile dysfunction has altered the quality of life and sexual experience of older individuals."
The researchers argued that health officials had focused almost exclusively on the sexual health of young people and that older age groups had been ignored.
They said that as people with more liberal sexual attitudes got older, the situation was likely to get worse.
The Family Planning Association (FPA) said it had noticed a rise in the number of people over 45 contacting its helpline.
"Tragically, the sexual health of men and women of this age group is largely neglected and it's something FPA is increasingly concerned about," said Julie Bentley, its chief executive.
"Once the worry of pregnancy goes away, it's easy to forget about sexually transmitted infections and the importance of using condoms."
No safe sex, but a great movie
Four Weddings and a Funeral has beaten off stiff competition to be named the best British movie of all time.
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