This new condom campaign is a clever approach to a pressing environmental issue. The condoms have been marketed with colorful wrappers that display pictures of various endangered species like jaguars and polar bears. Each image has an appropriate slogan attached to it like, “Cover your tweedle, save the burying beetle,” or “Wrap with care, save the polar bear.” Over 3,000 people have volunteered their time to help distribute these condoms in various public places including schools, concerts, bars and grocery stores. The executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, Kieran Suckling, states, “It’s a way to make people laugh, shock people a little bit and get them talking.”

He reminds us that there are a number of different ways that the growth of the human population daily affects these endangered species, including new housing developments, highways, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and water resources that are going by the wayside. Suckling goes on to inform us that one of the main goals of this new campaign is to get a global conversation going about these overpopulation issues that have become taboo topics.

Suckling states, “Overpopulation is the driving force behind virtually all environmental problems — air pollution, water pollution, the extinction crisis, global warming, yet it is rarely ever addressed by conservation groups. They are really afraid of touching the issue and appearing antihuman.” The topic of overpopulation has been known to ruffle some feathers. One example is a study recently done by researchers from Oregon State University that determined the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that could be attributed to bearing a child. Paul Murtaugh, a professor of statistics from Oregon State University, states, “In discussions about climate change, we tend to focus on the carbon emissions of an individual over his or her lifetime. Those are important issues, and it’s essential that they should be considered. But an added challenge facing us is continuing population growth and increasing global consumption of resources.” Many people immediately responded to this research project. One reader wrote, “So to save the world, we need to destroy our species. Great theory.”

This new condom initiative is, naturally, not without its own critics. One person wrote, “This is sick. Not that condoms are bad. But the reasoning behind this is disturbing and seems driven by sociopaths.” On the flip side, in a poll taken in a website referencing this new condom campaign, the question is asked, “Should environmental activists distribute free endangered-species condoms in Orange County?” Approximately 50 people responded and 30 of these responded with a “yes.”

The Center for Biological Diversity revealed that the first 100,000 condoms ran out fairly quickly. Currently an order for half a million condoms to continue this mission has been made. Despite the campaign’s apparent success, Mr. Suckling assets that he never intends to make a profit on this campaign by selling the condoms. He states, “The value of getting these out there means more to us.”

All donations will be given to the Millennium Foundation through this new MassiveGood initiative. This organization works hand-in-hand with the United Nation and aims to fight diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. The foundation was only recently developed in 2008 and had a hefty goal of designing inventive ways to fundraise for and financially back health goals established by the UN. This foundation is joining resources with UNITAID, an organization backed by the UN that aims to supply lower-cost drugs to developing countries.

Recently, Travelport, Sabre Holdings Corp. and Amadeus (all distributors of airline tickets) made announcements that they would add the option of donating for travelers by early 2011. Naturally, the donation is optional for all those involved in the process of ticket selling and buying, including travel agents, corporate buyers and online travel websites. One part of the process that has not been fully determined is how the travelers who are buying their airline tickets will know they are able to make such a donation. For example, those websites that offer buyers to purchase their tickets online are not going to be part of this new initiative. In addition, there has not been a solid decision whether or not those purchasing for corporate travel will be allowed to make donations.

Pam Wong, the spokeswoman for Sabre, says that her company is currently working on a pilot program “with a small number of agencies, with the goal of having a seamless process in place for travelers to make donations to the Millennium Foundation by early next year.” Wong did not remark on the fate of these changes within Travelocity (a website where buyers can search for discount airfare, hotels and car rentals), which is owned by the Sabre company.

The CEO of Travelport, Jeff Clarke, stated that the option to donate will be available on those tickets purchased in Germany, the U.K. and the United States in the early part of 2011. The option to donate should be as easy as choosing an option to add a hotel stay or car rental to the buyer’s itinerary. He states, “This is just one more choice for the consumer.” He also noted that the companies that provide this option to donate will not receive one cent of the donated money. He adds, “We view it as an investment in goodwill for our customers and the industry.”

Brazil calls itself “the best public party on earth.” During this week of debauchery, thousands of locals and tourists will line the streets and fill up all surrounding hotels. Meanwhile, parades will be held and floats will be topped off by women who are dressed in nothing more than delicately placed sequins and feathers. Both rich and poor dress up in masks and costumes while they dance in the streets. The anonymity afforded by such costumes coupled with the booze creates a sexy and sweaty atmosphere perfect for casual sexual encounters.

This is why health officials in Brazil have instigated an AIDS awareness campaign that has a goal of distributing 55 million condoms during this weeklong festival. Advertisements have already hit the airwaves to promote this new initiative. One such advertisement has a talking condom as its spokesperson and it alerts viewers (especially the younger crowd) to carry condoms at all times when attending the festivities.

Jose Temporao, Brazil’s Health Minister, stated that the focus of the 2010 campaign is to educate the youth that condoms need to be use for protection against unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The slogan for this year’s campaign is “The condom. For love, passion or just sex. Always use it.” It sounds clear and to the point to me. In 2009, the Brazilian government distributed close to half a billion free condoms throughout the country. This comes to over two and a half condoms per Brazilian. As of yet, the Brazilian government has not published how many condoms they plan to distribute throughout the current year.

According to data from the Guttmacher Institute, the teenage pregnancy rate rose approximately three percent that year which also included an overall increase in births of four percent and an accompanying increase in rate of abortions of one percent. Overall, of all the Western industrialized countries, the United States has highest rates of all three (teenage pregnancy, births and abortions). The data shows that per every thousand girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen in 2006, there were 71 pregnancies. The rates were highest for black and Hispanic teenage girls in comparison to white teenage girls.

Larry Finer, the director for domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute, states, “We’re not quite sure yet whether this is just a blip or whether it’s the beginning of a longer upward trend. It’s interesting to note that this flattening out of the rate and the increase in the rate is happening at the same time that we’ve seen substantial increases in funding for abstinence-only programs. We do know that when we saw the big decline in the ’90s, that a lot of that decline was due to improved contraceptive use among teens.” Since the arrival of the Obama administration, the debate between abstinence-only programs and abstinence-plus programs (those programs that promote abstinence but also include education on contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases) has greatly intensified.

Since the late 1990s, the federal government has allocated over one billion dollars to these abstinence-only programs. These types of programs are strongly supported by conservatives who feel any education about contraceptives should be kept out of schools. In contrast, when the Obama administration took over, the 2010 federal budget got rid of all funds allocated to these abstinence-only programs and instead redistributed them to those initiatives that promote abstinence in addition to “medically accurate and age-appropriate” information. Those states that had the lowest teenager pregnancy rates include Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine and New Hampshire. The state with the highest pregnancy rate amongst teenagers was New Mexico at nine percent. Texas, Nevada, Mississippi and Arizona trailed closely behind.

To enter, all you are required to do is to recall the worst or best sex advice an adult has ever given you from the disturbingly far-fetched to the elegantly poignant to the hysterically hilarious. Simply call (310)736-6760 and leave a recording of your story and you could win a trip to Los Angeles where you can participate in a Funny or Die sketch. Whichever story makes the judges go, “Say what?!?” will win the contest. The winner will be announced on www.sextech.org on February 12th. Entries will be accepted up until 11:30am PT on that day, so you have a week to fine-tune your story. The video of the winning story will be shown on February 26th in San Francisco. For complete rules and submission guidelines, visit www.saywhatcontest.org. To see examples of the types of hilarious videos being submitted, go to funnyordie.com.

Their first pick was a study out of The Journal of Neuroscience that determined that a man’s sweat smelled differently depending on whether it was stimulated by regular exertion from exercise or from being sexually aroused. In addition, women were determined to be able to note the difference between the sweat smells. That must have been a fun and smelly study to work on.

Conception magazine published a paper that stated utilizing withdrawal during sex was “almost as effective as the male condom” in preventing unwanted pregnancies. In fact, the failure rate of withdrawal was found to be 18% with the failure rate of condoms coming close behind at 17%. That sound you just heard was a million college students simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.

A study emerging out of Iowa State University determined that one-quarter of young children between the ages of 11 and 16 that come from household that are considered low-income have admitted to having sex. In fact, for this group of children, the average age of reported first sexual experience was 12.77 years old. This one is just plain scary.

Any men out there wishing their genes had made their manhood just a tad longer? You might be in luck. The University of Turin issued a study that determined that some products meant to extend the penis might actually work. In fact, one brand they studied that utilizes traction to slowly stretch out the penis proved successful. In fact, some men reported a length growth of almost one full inch.

We all do our best to remain healthy to avoid heart attacks and cancer by eating right and getting exercise. Unfortunately for men who want to avoid prostate cancer, having above-normal sexual activity in their 20s and 30s and frequently masturbating puts these men at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a study out of the University of Nottingham. As a man advances in age, however, this risk starts to decline. So, there is a silver lining, men.

Women who dread their annual pap smear, raise your hands. Fortunately, there have been new guidelines established by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that states women should not get their first Pap smear until the age of 21. Also, instead of being checked annually, women can get checked every three years instead.

Family Planning, another New Zealand organization, has begun a new campaign that is striving to open the dialogue about condoms. According to the press release, “the focus of the campaign is designed to get New Zealanders talking about condoms and safer sex.” Right to Life admits that it is honorable of Family Planning to attempt to lower the teenage pregnancy rate as well as the sexually transmitted infection rate with this campaign. Right to Life, however, feels that the entire campaign does nothing but promote promiscuity. They express their disappointment that the Family Planning association continues on an unsuccessful campaign (in their opinion) that pushes an immoral agenda of fornication, teenage pregnancy, promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. It is their opinion that by encouraging condom use, teenaged boys are encouraged to act more like sexual predators who cannot differentiate between true love and temporary lust.

Right to Life speaks of sexuality, “Our sexuality is a gift of our Creator; He invites us to co-operate with Him within the institution of a loving marriage, procreation and the loving lifelong union of husband and wife. This is God’s plan for or happiness.” Right to Life makes it very clear they do not support Family Planning’s claims that condoms are the number one protection against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies.

 Right to Life asserts that Family Planning feels it is okay to use abortion as a backup in case a chosen contraceptive does not work; thus, in their opinion, the lives if innocent unborn children are sacrificed. They cite a 2008 report from the Abortion Supervisory Committee which showed that close to 5,000 women who underwent an abortion actually got pregnant despite the fact that they were using condoms as a contraceptive. This, they believe, is evidence that the “safer sex” campaign that Family Planning supports is failing. Right to Life asks that Family Planning stop its initiative of promoting “safe sex” and instead push for people to abstain from sex until marriage.

Now, I understand vegan food. I Had another friend in college who would annoy the rest of us by begging to go out to eat with us and then proceeding to send back her meal ten times because she “tasted something meaty-ish” in her vegetable platter; all the while the rest of us sat there and prayed the cooks and waiters were not spitting in ALL of our meals. Like I said…vegan food, I get. Vegan condoms? Am I missing something?

What exactly is a vegan condom? This is a little hard to say considering there is currently no perfect system or federally regulated standard that defines what makes an item truly and certifiably vegan. In terms of condom production, the use of the ingredient casein is what most vegans seem to zero in on. Casein is a protein found in milk that many condom manufacturers use to create latex for condoms. Vegans feel strongly about not drinking, eating or using any milk products or any by-products of milk. Currently, there are only three latex condoms currently being sold that do not have casein listed as an ingredient.

The Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) is a sexual health organization that produces vegan condoms. In 2009, the distributor for this organization’s condoms was able to declare their condoms as being certified vegan by the Vegan Action Foundation in America. Another manufacturer in Europe that produces vegan condoms is called Condomi. Instead of casein, this manufacturer utilizes cocoa powder in their production of condoms; however, these vegan condoms are not yet available for purchase in Canada or the U.S. simply because they are making sure they meet all standards and requirements in order to sale within the United States. Glyde manufacturers vegan condoms that are available in the United States.

Vegans also steer clear from any product that has been tested on animals, so some may wonder whether or not that means they also will steer clear of condoms that have lubrication on them. After all, most ingredients that comprise the lubricant were tested on animals at one point in time. In order to avoid this possibility, vegans can choose to buy only condoms that do not have lubricants on them just to be safe….pardon the pun.

Before this law took effect, the state had a requirement that physicians were to administer HIV tests to pregnant women during the initial prenatal visit and when the child was born; however, a woman’s HIV status can alter through the course of her pregnancy with neither the woman or her obstetrician even knowing it. Once a woman goes into labor, it could cause irreparable damage to the baby. The law would change this by requiring physicians to test women for HIV in their third trimester unless the woman objects to doing so.

The law took effect on January 1st, 2010 and was introduced in House bill 1795. In it, any pregnant woman who has a positive HIV test can immediately receive antiretroviral drugs which would help them lessen the risk of transmitting the virus to their baby. In addition, any child whose mother tests positive for HIV can also get treatment immediately after birth and for six weeks thereafter. If a woman decides not to get tested, they can choose to do so and will be shown how to take the test anonymously. They will also get information on the risks associated with HIV transmission. According to the spokesperson for the Department of State Health Services, Allison Lowery, the pregnant women will be billed in order to take the HIV test but the test should be covered by Medicaid or personal/group health insurance.

Researchers feel the testing during the first prenatal visit is vital because it allows the obstetrician and pregnant woman to create a birth plan which may need to include a delivery by cesarean section if the woman contains high rates of the virus in her blood. The HIV test is very important because a mother can transmit the virus to her newborn baby during delivery when the baby is exposed to his/her mother’s blood. The statistics of mother-to-child transmission are alarming. Twenty-five percent of women who are HIV-positive will infect their babies if they are not treated correctly. If a woman receives proper treatment during her pregnancy, this number goes down to a risk of only one percent. Dr. Judy Levison, a professor of obstetrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Waco, Texas hopes laws like these will substantially reduce the number of mother-to-child HIV transmissions. She states, “No woman should deliver without knowing her HIV status.”

According to Jaimee Grubbs, a twenty-something cocktail waitress who stepped forward saying she was one of Tiger’s mistresses, Tiger never liked to use protection during their sexual encounters. She states, “He didn’t use a condom. It wasn’t even discussed. He just never used one.” Grubbs also mentioned that Tiger never even inquired whether or not Grubbs was using other methods of birth control to protect herself. Evidently, this was a pattern as Mindy Lawton, another one of the alleged mistresses, says they never used condoms during their times together. Lynn, Lawton’s sister, states, “She said he never wore condoms. I was so worried she might catch a disease, especially as we suspected he was promiscuous.” Promiscuous may be an understatement, Lynn.

It does not take an expert in sexual health to know that this type of behavior not only put Woods’ life at risk, but also the lives of his wife Elin Nordegren and their two young sons, Sam (2) and Charlie (10 months). Rhonda Findling, a psychotherapist who penned the book Don’t Call That Man! States, “It’s self-destructive behavior. Sometimes it’s just momentary stupidity, but this seems like sexual addiction.” She says a tell-tale sign that it could be an addiction is the face that he would not even think about protecting himself during these encounters because “the only thing he cared about at that moment was feeling good.”

Lynn Harris who wrote Breakup Girl to the Rescue chimes in, “If you’re having an affair, you’re not all of a sudden going to be responsible. A lot of times, people who have affairs get this attitude, like, ‘I am larger than life – I’m unstoppable. Plus, he has no impulse control, clearly.” Harris also cites the multitude of sexually transmitted diseases that he could have contracted and that ultimately it is Woods’ wife Elin who “is the one paying the price” for these unprotected episodes. Harris goes on to say, “This is the mother of his children, and by doing this, he’s demonstrating that he’s not caring about Elin’s physical or mental health. She’s raising his children, and he’s left her stressed out, humiliated, devastated, destroyed.”