Manglide or Astroglide?

We've been racking our heads down here at condom central trying to figure out the difference between Manglide and Astroglide. Is one designed for men and the other for astral-projectors? Can any of our esteemed audience gives us the 411?

Baby Boomer Sex Survey

Researchers at Indiana University are doing a study on safer sex and baby boomer women. We are looking for baby boomer women (born between 1946-1964) who meet specific eligibility requirements to participate. For more information please click here.

Men Needed for Research Study on Condom Use

The Kinsey Institute is seeking men to complete a brief, on-line questionnaire on condom use and erection-enhancing substances.

Study eligibility: Must be a man, at least 18 years old, who used a male condom for vaginal intercourse within the past 30 days.

For more information and the questionnaire visit the Kinsey Institute.

UPDATE: This study has been closed.

Good Intentions Gone Awry?

The Washington Post is reporting that there are concerns about the quality of condoms in a current free condom initiative by the city of Washington DC.

Consumerist has the right take on it. "We would be remiss not to point out how cool the NYC subway condom is. It's free and cool looking, and as far as we know it doesn't explode in your purse."

Condoms & Global Climate Change

"Efforts to slow global warming will never work if conservatives of all kinds keep blocking women's access to contraception", says William Laurance, a biologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Balboa, Panama.

Shrinking Market in the UK?

We don't usually post press releases but this one seems appropriate.

UPDATE More on condom related news from the UK.

Enrique's Small Penis

Over at Art Condoms we took note of LifeStyles new campaign to get people's attention by pointing to Enrique Inlgesias' admittedly small penis and his problem getting condoms to fit it. Apparently the marketing department at LifeStyles figures he won't step up to the plate and model his LifeStyles condom clad penis.

Enrique's point is well taken. At Condomania our biggest seller by far is the Snugger Fit Sampler & the LifeStyles Snugger Fit condoms. As we've been saying for years: the industry does not serve the needs of the unusually large guy or the unusually small guy.

Condoms Coming Out, Again?

Closed: NYC - The Reviews Start to Come In

Well if you've been paying attention you might have noticed that we shut down our store in NYC. It was a really hard decision. After all the store has been there for 16 years. We were a vital part of our neighborhood there. Our employees are valued members of the Condomania family and we tried without success to keep the store open but at the end we only had one rational choice and that was to shut the place down. The neighborhood is quickly gentrifying and the costs to keep the store open with our rising rent would have simply made it impossible to make any money or continue with our mission.

All of us here in Condomania Los Angeles, where we shut down our retail store in 2001 to focus on the internet, know how hard this has been for both our long time clients in NYC and our team in NYC.

Apparently a few blogs around NYC have taken notice of our store's passing. Back in October ShopHound noticed the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood and asked how long Condomania would be able to stay afloat. Then a few days ago ShopHound discovered we had in fact shut down our operations. No need to gloat ShopHound. But we know you do it from a place of affection when you write: [Condomania] had an audaciously novel concept with a genuinely admirable social purpose. Everybody should have a shame-free, user-friendly place to buy condoms, lube and various other accessories you might need in the bedroom. Thanks for the kind words!

UPDATE: It appears that TowelRoad: A Blog With Homosexual Tendencies, Racked - with photo confirmation of our empty store, Gawker - that's all you can do remainders?, Notes On Napkins, & Manhattan Chowder have all posted notes on our demise. So sad.

COPA Defeated Again

"A federal judge has once again overturned the controversial 1998 Child Online Protection Act. In an opinion handed down today, US district court Judge Lowell Reed Jr. ruled that COPA was unconstitutional and issued a permanent injunction against its enforcement."

Eric Bangaman Ars Technica

Rufus Griscom Blogs the COPA Trial

As some of our customers and readers may know Condomania is involved as a plaintiff in ACLU v. Gonzales, Civil Action No. 98-CV-5591 (Child Online Protection Act). Adam is out in Washington right now as he prepares to take the stand on Thursday November 26, 2006.

Rufus Griscom of Nerve has been live blogging the affair. I hope you have a chance to check it out. We'll be posting more on this throughout the next few days and I hope to get word from Adam on his experiences in Washington.

New Look

Well it's been a long while but the blog is finally starting to look like our new site. As some of our more regular readers might have noticed Condomania switched to a new platform for our store back in the fall and up until last night we still had our old look and feel applied to our blog. Well that has now changed. Hopefully this transition will be finished soon. But for now please bear with me as we wrench ourselves into the present with a new look and feel.

Oral HIV testmaker addresses false results

In December 2005, a number of specific sites in San Francisco and New York City, and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center reported levels of false positive results while using OraQuick® ADVANCE™ with oral fluid that were higher than expected based on the previously established performance for the product. Immediately after receiving these reports, OraSure Technologies initiated a scientific and systematic evaluation of each situation and has been working in collaboration with affected customers, health care officials and government agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the cause or causes for these unexpected results.
(source: orasure.com)

"When the test was approved in 2004, it had a 98.6 percent specificity, which means you could expect about two false positives out of a thousand results," said Richard Klein, a HIV/AIDS program director in the FDA. "Now the results from Los Angeles and San Francisco are showing approximately nine false positives out of a thousand, which the FDA still considers good specificity."

On the Radio

Adam will be interviewed on the Derek & Romaine Show on Sirius Radio today. Listen in and let us know what you thought!

Condomania & iPost

Recently we spoke to iPost and here's the results.

World Aids Day Field Report

World AIDS Day - December 1st - is an international day of action on HIV and AIDS. It's a time that we focus on getting people the facts about HIV and AIDS. It's also a day for people to get involved and there are many ways in which you can do so. You can find some ideas here.

Click the link below for a field report from our NY Store Manager, Joy Lynn Alegarbes, on some work she's doing with the Condom Project in Nigeria.

Greetings from Abuja, Nigeria! I am here with The Condom Project doing work for World AIDS Day, preparing for the International Conference on HIV and STIs in Africa, and piloting our video program here in Nigeria.

We are having a fantastic time. We have an entourage that consists of myself, Franck, Yonas, and George. The four of us are constantly sandwiched between Austin and Ubani, our Nigerian security personnel.

Our flight into Abuja was insane; not only does customs in Nigeria ask for 100% duty on all electronics being brought into the country, but we received many warnings that the baggage handlers usually steal anything of value out of your luggage before you can claim it. As a result, Franck and I bribed our way onboard with 6 digital video cameras, 8 laptops, and an unfathomable amount of carry-on baggage, which we proceeded to drag through the airports in DC, Frankfurt, and Abuja. We made it across the border with everything that we had packed in the States... except for 1,000 condoms that some hopeful baggage handler stole before our suitcases made it onto the conveyor belt. Hilarious.

Yonas, the head of our video program in Ethiopia, had never been on an airplane before and did not realize that he had to change planes in order to meet us in Abuja. He ended up waiting for hours at the airport in Lagos, at which time he was swindled by some kid offering to change currency for him. He was finally rescued by a kind taxi driver that got him a hotel for the night, food, and a plane ticket to Abuja the next day. We finally got word from him on our first morning here, and he made it safely to us later that day.

Things have been quite exciting, and I wanted to share some photos of the work we are doing here so far :)

The first photo: Within the first two days of our visit, we were asked to appear on a TV show called Young Hearts, which is on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Channel 5. Our taping was earlier today, and they are doing a follow-up story on us this Thursday, World AIDS Day. I got to put a condom on a ketchup bottle, make a condom explode, and turn a condom into a hair tie using only my teeth... all on national television! This photo was taken in the studio this afternoon.

The second photo: we will be launching our video program, 30 Seconds:
A Visual Voice, with this youth group in Abuja. We met them through the Society for Family Health, which is similar to Planned Parenthood in the States. One condom poster that I saw in SFH's facility said, "Use Condoms for More Effective Child Spacing," which I thought was such an interesting way to put it :-)

Oh, just in case you are not aware - when we begin a video program within a given community, we always leave them with a digital video camera, a laptop with editing equiptment, a DVD burner, and discs`.
That explains why we had to carry all of that contraband onto the airplane!

Yonas took the third photo for me; this is a mosque that we see every day upon leaving our hotel.

The last photo is Franck, Yonas, and me fielding a Q&A with the studio audience of Young Hearts :-) We are flanked by the co-hosts of the program, Constance and Randy.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to meet with the Spiritual Advisor to the President of Nigeria! We are also branstorming ways in which we can take The Condom Project to the tribes in the Nigerian countryside.

Condomania.com Site Upgrade

On October 12th, Condomania upgraded it's website to provide additional functionality to our customers. For a short transition time following, some users may encounter difficulties in surfing or ordering. Please don't hesitate to email us or give us a call at 800-926-6366 (M-F 9am -5pm PST) with any questions or problems. Thanks!

Hurricane Katrina

Our hearts go out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and their loved-ones. It goes without saying that shipments from Condomania to affected areas likely will encounter difficulties. Please don't hesitate to contact us to make alternate arrangements for lost or delayed packages. We will do our best to accommodate you. American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the hardest hit areas of Katrina’s destruction, supplying hundreds of thousands victims left homeless with critical necessities. Please visit their website for ways that you can help.

Oh No N-9!

FDA Failure To Update Nonoxynol-9 Labels To Mention Increased Risk of Contracting HIV Puts People At Risk, GAO Report Says

Play Massager

Durex has revealed a massager, er, vibrator. Wow it looks great! Here's hoping it proves to be a success. The march of vibrators into the mainstream continues.

Yellow Pages @ Amazon

Condomania has a spanking new entry (with pic) at Amazon for our store in the village in NYC.

YUCS

Renatt Brodsky in the December 2003 issue of Glamour reminds us that YUCS is slang for young unmarried condoms shoppers. Apparently young lovers full of giggles and lust consitute their own demographic category. Who knew?

(It should go without saying that we see an awful lot of such couples around Condomania!)

Product Update

LifeStyles "Dual Pleasure" Condoms replace "X-tra Pleasure"

Same condom, different name & package.

Canada Post reports a serious delay in the delivery of incoming international mail

If you're waiting for some mail from abroad, it could take a lot longer to arrive at your door.

Canada Post said there's a serious delay in the delivery of incoming international mail.

Nearly 120,000 federal government workers -- including many Canada Customs officials -- have walked off the job (more)

Charities Should Disagree With Government

By James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, in Washington.

I should have known my organization was in trouble in the summer of 2003 when the call came from our program officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, informing us that we would be subjected to our third govern-ment audit in eight months. The organization I serve, Advocates for Youth, has been a government grantee for more than 20 years, through Republican and Democratic administrations, and never once had it been subjected to an audit.

But that had changed, and as one government employee told us, we had a "bull's-eye on our back."

What had we done wrong? Had we embezzled government funds, paid for an all-inclusive vacation in Cancun with federal dollars, pulled an "Enron" with our books?

No. In fact, we passed each audit with flying colors. The independent auditor who conducted the most recent review stated that "overall financial systems and organization at Advocates for Youth are strong and well managed."

Our offense, it seemed, was that we had questioned the Bush administration's "abstinence only until marriage" policy on sex education one too many times.

Regardless of which political party is in the White House, the potential for abuse in the relationship between government and nonprofit groups will always exist. Since one of the most important functions of the nonprofit world is to "speak truth to power," it is important that all nonprofit organizations stand together when the ability of any one of us to speak out is threatened by government officials. The experience of Advocates for Youth offers a cautionary tale about what can happen to a nonprofit group's ability to carry out its mission when government agencies become overly politicized and nothing is done to stop it.

In my case, I should have seen the proverbial handwriting on the wall in 2001 when an internal Department of Health and Human Services e-mail message found its way into The Washington Post.

The memo attacked Advocates for Youth as an "ardent opponent of the Bush administration" and criticized a project supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help parents effectively communicate with their children about sex because the effort failed to comport with the "Catholic beliefs" of Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. The secretary's office, clearly embarrassed by the message's suggestion that public health projects were being reviewed based on religious criteria, declared that the memo had been "withdrawn," whatever that meant.

However, the message had been delivered loud and clear: If you receive government money, you had better not dispute government policy, or you'll end up on an "enemies list."

How did we end up in this situation? Did we go looking for a political fight? Hardly.

Our job at Advocates for Youth is to develop programs and promote policies that protect young people from pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV. In 2000, the Institute of Medicine, the nation's leading authority on science, published a major report on youth and HIV that was highly critical of abstinence-only programs and called them "poor fiscal and public-health policy."

The Institute of Medicine called for an end to those programs because they lack credible evidence of their effectiveness. In addition, numerous mainstream health organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have gone on record in support of a comprehensive approach to sex education, one that includes messages about both abstinence and contraception -- the very approach that Advocates for Youth promotes.

My colleagues and I work with young people every day, and we knew at the time from the research and our own experience that a one-size-fits-all solution to the complex issues young people face simply wasn't going to be effective and was a waste of government dollars. So, we felt obliged to speak out publicly. Our organizational integrity and, more important, the health of the young people with whom we work were on the line.

The result was a series of audits of our organization, demanded by conservative members of Congress, who were adamant in their support for the president's abstinence-only approach. In September 2002, 24 members of Congress sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, asking it to "investigate" Advocates for Youth and "take into consideration" Advocates for Youth's actions when "examining funding and grant proposals."

I understand and respect the need for government audits of nonprofit groups that receive federal dollars. Our books should be open, and Advocates for Youth welcomed the auditors with open arms and coffee and doughnuts on the table. But three audits in less than a year suggests that politics — not good government — is at play. When Rep. Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, questioned Secretary Thompson about whether his department was also auditing abstinence-only groups, Mr. Thompson responded in a letter saying that his agency was not, and had no plans to do so. That, despite the fact that Congress has approved nearly $1-billion for abstinence-only programs since 1996, with the largest increases occurring since President Bush took office.

Advocates for Youth is hardly the only organization that has faced punitive action for having the temerity to raise public-policy issues that did not accord with "official ideology."

The Global Health Council, one of the most well-respected nonprofit groups that specializes in international health issues, had $365,000 in federal aid pulled from its national conference in June because the list of speakers included critics of some administration policies. (The organization has received federal money for its conferences for the past 30 years.)

Stop AIDS, a San Francisco nonprofit group devoted to HIV prevention among sexually active gay men, was subjected to three government audits in 18 months because the Department of Health and Human Services found its materials too explicit, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Each audit found that the organization had fully complied with federal laws.

For decades, the partnership between the federal government and the nonprofit world has been a fruitful one. Nonprofit groups provide a tremendous range of expertise and services in the areas of education, health, the environment, social welfare, and many other social concerns.

Nonprofit groups provide not only valuable programs but also substantive and timely policy analysis that can inform the public debate and influence public policy.

It is perfectly appropriate for new political administrations to come in and put their stamp on public policy. That is part of the political process. But it is also perfectly appropriate for nonprofit groups to speak up, particularly when those policies fail to meet basic public-health standards or run contrary to scientific or research findings.

It is also perfectly appropriate for nonprofit groups to lobby Congress on policy issues, so long as they abide by Internal Revenue Service regulations and do not use federal grant dollars. Our democratic system not only tolerates such tensions between government and nonprofit groups, but it also encourages them by preserving, in law, nonprofit groups' right to pursue advocacy.

Using the government audit process to intimidate nonprofit organizations that raise concerns about policy threatens the foundation of the government-nonprofit relationship that has endured for the last 30 years.

Government functions best when it functions openly, and nonprofit groups play a critical role as "canaries in the coal mine," providing an early warning when government policies are getting out of line with longstanding principles and with what are considered to be the best practices in a particular field. This watchdog role may create conflicts, but those conflicts are generally healthy ones that encourage the public debates that are central to the mission of democracy.

The apparatus of government should never be used to censor or put pressure on organizations that raise policy concerns. A nonprofit group's ability to attract government funds should not be tied to its willingness to remain silent on major policy issues of the day. People who work at nonprofit groups do not leave their civil liberties at the door.

Major public-policy issues are now at stake. My organization believes that decades of public-health science are being undermined by current practice.
Fact sheets on condom use have been censored, scientific research findings have been removed from government Web sites, and ideological firebrands with little or no public-health background have been appointed to government review panels.

And the current controversy goes well beyond the field of public health or the stem-cell research issue that has received so much public attention. More than 5,000 scientists — including 48 Nobel Prize winners — have signed a letter decrying the manipulation of science in numerous public-policy fields, from the environment to the staffing of government advisory committees.

The last thing the nonprofit world should tolerate is those in power making an example of organizations that raise important issues in the public debate. If they do, nonprofit groups will internalize the message that government ideologues want to send: "Remain silent or lose your government grant."

Silencing our voices won't make the problems go away. Nonprofit officials have a right, indeed an obligation, to make our views known, for it is in the public discourse that democracy flourishes.

Condomania Sponsors Showgirls Interactive Screening

The outrageously provocative camp classic, Showgirls, returned for a one-night-only performance in celebration of the release of the Showgirls V.I.P. Edition DVD Set. Members of the cast (as well as several Condomania employees) were on hand for a "Rocky Horror" style show at Hollywood's Vista Theatre on July 27th. Fans received a goodie bag of "interactive" props that included fake $100 bills, Condomania Condoms, and more. DVD sets were handed out to fanatic attendees that answered trivia questions, told Showgirls stories, or stripped for the audience.

Deadline Extended for Free Condoms Contest

We're giving away over 30,000 free condoms to nonprofits! Out of respect for our contestants on an academic calendar, we've extended the deadline to October 8th. Grand prize is 21,000 condoms, but every organization that enters will receive 100 free condoms.

Complete details are at:

Free Condoms Contest

Condomania Gives Away Over 30,000 Condoms!

Are you a nonprofit agency that would love to get your hands on some FREE condoms? Look no further! Enter Condomania's Free Condom Contest for a chance to win 7000 Madonna Condom 3-packs. Yes, that's 21,000 condoms for the grand prize! 2000 3-packs will be given away to the runner up and 1000 3-packs will be sent to the 3rd prize winner. All you have to do is come up with a fun and unique way to use the condoms in your outreach or fundraising activities, and promote safer sex at the same time. Only the best entries will win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize, but every other valid entry will receive 100 free Condomania Condoms, just for sending in a proposal.

Entry deadline is October 8th, 2004. Winners will be announced October 15th, 2004. One entry per organization only. Contest rules are subject to change without notice.

You must be a U.S. nonprofit organization to enter, so please send proof of your nonprofit status along with your entry. You may send this, along with your proposal, plus your organization name, address, telephone number and contact person's name and e-mail address by fax or mail to:

Madonna Condom Giveaway
Condomania
1009 N Orange Dr.
Los Angeles CA 90038

or fax 323-969-0119

For any questions contact .

Condomania Produces Condoms For Friendster.com

This Spring Condomania has proudly created a custom-branded condom for the popular online community, Friendster.com. After a successful initial test run with our inexpensive cellophane-wrapped custom condoms (which they distributed at events like the Sundance Film Festival), Friendster decided go all the way with a foil-wrapped, fully-branded condom. Friendster.com now has over 7 million users, so if your Friendster connection blossoms into a romance, don't forget to use those Friendster condoms!

Condomania Sponsors "Wasabi Tuna" Premiere and After-Party

Future cult classic "Wasabi Tuna" is about a group of friends who take Halloween way too seriously and kidnap Anna Nicole Smith's beloved pet Sugar-Pie. It's up to a bunch of drag queens dressed as Anna to bring Sugar-Pie back. Stars Anna Nicole Smith, Alexis Arquette (in drag), and Antonio Sabato Jr. were all in attendance, as was Condomania who supplied condoms for the event.

Longtime Condomania employee Diana called the flick "really funny." Among the highlights of the after-party at a nearby private residence were an abundance of tasty sushi and the musical stylings of DJ Z-Trip. Here's some pics!

UPDATE Here's an article in the LA Business Journal on Coochie Power!

Burglary: The Hollywood Lube Bandits Strike

At approximately 4:40am this morning (10/31) there was a break-in at the corporate offices of Condomania.com located at 1009 N Orange Dr. in Hollywood.

Before police officers from the Hollywood Division of the LAPD arrived at the scene, the intruders made off with approximately $2,000 worth of sexual lubricants. Curiously, the thieves were not interested in the computers, condoms and other merchandise readily within their reach.

Condomania is offering a reward of 1,000 condoms for information leading to the capture of the "Hollywood Lube Bandits."

For more information, please contact Adam Glickman at 323-969-0102 x 201.

The End of Spermicide As We Know It

It's only a matter of time. Either the market or the government will eventually move the condom market away from its reliance upon nonoxynol-9. We can all only benefit from such a development.

Out Out Damn Spot

California lawmakers, HIV activists, and women's advocacy groups on Wednesday sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration and companies that manufacture condoms asking them to stop making condoms that include the spermicide nonoxynol-9, the Los Angeles Times reports. The request was made based on studies showing that the spermicide may actually make it easier to be infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases by irritating epithelial cells in the vagina and anus. About 35% of all condoms sold in the United States include nonoxynol-9.

Editorial Attacks Shift Away from Condoms in HIV Prevention

In a direct attack on the Bush administration's stance on HIV prevention, authors from a leading US sexual health and family planning organisation asserts that consistent use of condoms can reduce the risk of HIV transmission in discordant couples to "near zero" in an editorial in the August edition of the journal 'Sexually Transmitted Infections'. The authors also note that although condoms are extremely cost effective, their importance to HIV prevention seems to have been forgotten in the push for global treatment access, and that other substantial obstacles still exist to effective condom distribution schemes.

Condom Sales Rise in Australia

The single fastest-growing grocery items are incontinence pads, sales of which rose 28 per over a year, while sales of acne products and cosmetics each rose 20 per cent.

Condom sales rose 10 per cent.

Nice to know incontinence pads are outselling condoms! Smirk!

Kenyan Women Reject Sex 'Cleanser'

"How many women have you slept with?" she asked, smiling and trying to prod the information out of him.

"Never," he responded. "They won't be really cleansed if the condom was there."

This is a cultural habit which really really needs to die out. Education, education, education.

Gay New Yorkers More Likely To Use Condoms

The New York City Health Department has found that gay New Yorkers are more likely to use condoms than straight New Yorkers. It seems rather obvious to me that these numbers should track each other prety closely. I wonder why straight folk would be less likely to use condoms than gay folk? After all, sexually transmitted infections do not discriminate between gay and straight hosts.

Sad Spam

This is just sad. This company sent millions of spam messages to unsuspecting folk who want a "larger penis" only to leave their identities exposed to the world. No wonder spam is such a scourge.

We've been using Cloudmark around here for a while now. It works really well. Previously we used a plethora of other solutions but none of them lived up to their promise. If your whole machine stalls while your email is being scanned for spam you know something is wrong.

Brian McWilliams is absolutely correct though: if you do the math it's no wonder spammers do what they do. Fortunately even if, by some weird twist of fate, these suckers do get their HUGE penis they'll be able to wrap the rascal with Condomania's about to be launched TheyFit condoms.

These suckers are HUGE!

More on Gene Simmons

A typical exchange might go something like this, Simmons says: " 'Hi, it's Gene Simmons, can I speak to the president?' 'I'm sorry?' 'Ya know, Gene Simmons, the guy from Kiss; I stick my tongue out.' 'Yeah, right! Jerry, is this you?'...It happens all the time."

Since trademarking its logo and its signature face-makeup designs in the mid-'70s, Kiss has licensed those internationally known rock icons--the logo and all four faces are owned by Simmons and Stanley exclusively--to more than 2,000 companies, from makers of toilet paper and Matchbox cars to manufacturers of caskets and automobiles.

It all began during the '70s, with the creation of such items as comic books, lunch boxes, bubblegum cards and, of course, the Kiss dolls.
And while it's got to the point where companies are constantly approaching the band about new products, a good number of the ideas that have seen the light of day—like the Kondoms 8212;are engineered by Simmons himself.

Big Dawgs Need Big Condoms

Hary Terrell wants to bring out a new line of condoms called Jimmie Hatz. I wonder if he's aware of Homeboy Condoms?

Adam in Washington Post

from NAMES & FACES (washingtonpost.com)

"I get a voicemail on my cell phone, saying, 'Hi, Adam, this is Gene Simmons, that crazy guy from Kiss. Let's talk about condoms. Call me.' And the next day — no joke — I'm in his Beverly Hills kitchen eating melon balls like we've been friends for 20 years."

— Adam Glickman, CEO of Los Angeles-based Condomania, about the creation of his company's newly launched Kiss Kondoms.

Missing Out On WWI

Wendell Wagler in a letter to the editor of the Oregonian argues that promoting condoms is ineffective.

Shepherd Smith, president of the Institute for Youth Development in Washington, D.C., says the broad social marketing of condoms has not been shown to be effective. In fact, there is no instance in any country where broad-based marketing of condoms reduced HIV infection rates.

Apparently Wendell Wagler missed that whole period of history when the Comstock laws were in effect and the US military eventually started making condoms available to soldiers because so many of them were catching syphilis.

And sure enough the use of condoms and education brought about a very large decline in the numbers of US soldiers infected with these veneral diseases.

Here's a great paper on the Treatment of Syphilis in 1915. Sounds terrible, doesn't it Wendell?

Here's another quote from Scarleteen, a great resource for questions about teenage sexuality:

In the realm of sex "education" disinformation, we're currently in a very similar place to where we were back during the First World War. As part of a WWI "chastity campaign," “social hygienists" pushed the military to ban condom distribution among US troops, while all other countries involved in the war freely provided their soldiers with condoms. Guess whose troops had the highest rates of syphilis and gonorrhea of all those in Europe? Guess whose troops brought the disease back to their wives? Guess whose ideas -- that condoms weren't helpful and could be replaced by abstinence, and that marriage provided a safe haven from sexually transmitted disease -- were proven, without a shadow of a doubt, to be both fallacious and deadly, providing our young nation with its first serious nationwide wave of sexually transmitted diseases and infections? That's right, baby, Uncle Sam's.