Condoms and Earth Day: Wrap Your Willie and Save the World?

Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the Center for Biological Diversity distributed 250,000 latex condoms to counter what it says is the harsh environmental impact of an expanding global population.

Ah, but there was a hitch to their pitch. Leslie Kaufman, writing in the Green blog on the website of the New York Times, points out that critics note the condoms given away by the organization are made of latex, which doesn’t break down easily when discarded (think landfills) and might be considered a somewhat odd choice for a group promoting environmental responsibility.

Is Oral Sex “Sex”? The Original Matryoshka Doll

According to an article by Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health a study conducted in 2007 by the Department of Family Studies at the University of Kentucky in Lexington indicates that only about 20% of the participating 477 university students regarded oral-genital contact as “sex.” The article cites similar data collected in 1991 where approximately twice the amount of survey participants regarded oral-sex as sex. Students surveyed in 2007 had a lot more information readily available and more efficient tools to access it than students in 1991. So it can’t be that today’s college students don’t get it… but rather that they just disagree with their predecessors.

Wisconsin’s Tussle Over Sex Ed

Wisconsin’s Governor recently signed into law the Healthy Youth Act, a measure that requires schools in the state to update their human growth and development curricula to offer age-appropriate comprehensive sexual education. This includes information on the use of birth control and contraceptives.

Good for them, and I hope they have thick skins and steeled nerves. They’ll need them.

Is Infidelity Okay?

In the eighties singer Sade released the hit “Smooth Operator.” Today, she’s returned to radio after a long hiatus, but before I can listen to her latest hit, I’m interrupted by radio DJs weighing in on some modern day smooth operators. These smooth operators-Tiger Woods and Senator John Edwards-have me agitated not only because their scandals are generating buzz that takes airtime away from my smooth R&B but because they are now part of the problem rather than the solution. The problem I’m referring to is infidelity.

What would you do if you couldn’t fail?

A friend of mine, Cindy, recently reminded me of an old but great quote that says, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” In the past my answer would have been about different careers I would have pursued or instruments I would have learned to play, but I’m older now and my aspirations take me in different directions.

What would I attempt if I knew I couldn’t fail? Since joining ASHA my answer has changed to be that I would …find a way to make every adult sexually healthy.