Indian Villages Rattled…Shaken…but More Satisfied

Sorry to scoop Willy on this one, but more news from the world of latex. Strangely, India, the land of the Kama Sutra, bans pornography and sex toys (but not condoms).

Now, according to the BBC, an Indian company and the Indian government have teamed up to bring to market a condom that vibrates. At about $3 for a pack of 3, this product has stirred up more than it’s users. Problem is: if it waddles–or vibrates, in this case–like a duck, is it a duck?

The government backed the launch to promote condoms to be used to slow the spread of AIDS. (A huge problem in India, as they have the world’s largest population of people with AIDS.)

So far, the company says the condom has been well received, but an outcry from more conservative Indians has spewed forth, particularly in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Opponents argue it’s a banned sex toy masquerading as a condom. A particularly outspoken critic is that state’s minister for roads and energy, who, presumably, must want folks to focus on the use of cars for driving, rather than using the backseats.

The only thing I can think of is that he was concerned after reading my post on the ranking of the best cars to have sex in. Either that, or he’s afraid the vibrations could adversely impact the performance of India’s favorite car, the Ambassador, thereby damaging roads and leading to unnecessary energy usage? Hard to say, I’m just trying to make sense of it all.

World AIDS Day

December 1st is recognized as World AIDS Day and as a traveler of this great big planet I saw it fit to post a short something on the deadly epidemic which has killed 25 million people to date according to the United Nations. Yahoo News has an article that summarizes the very basics on areas with high HIV numbers, how you can lend a in helping eliminate AIDS or find a cure. Fighting the battle against HIV/AIDS doesn’t have to involve a coach class flight into Africa to help and teach orphans or teens about the disease, you can start right here, right now, where ever you are. I think many Americans are starting to discover AIDS is hitting a lot closer to home than they previously thought. Wake up and be smart folks. That’s my word and now I’m off to the Red Hot & Riot show at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Red Hot & Riot in Brooklyn

When I read the news on the Red Hot & Riot Live concert going down at the Brooklyn Academy of Music next weekend, December 1 & 2, I nearly flipped my wig. With a friend of mine leaving for Africa today to play in a series of concerts (one of which includes a World AIDS Day show) and this too-good-to-be-true-to-believe concert line-up right in Brooklyn I could barely contain myself. Not only will my friend and I be connected in spirit by an echoing drum beat moving waves across oceans, we’ll be celebrating and contributing what little we can to help the AIDS situation in Africa and locally. I can’t speak on the details of the show my pal will be performing at only because I do not know, but I can share with you all that I know about the one going down at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Performers for the two-night event include Tony Allen, Amadou & Mariam Cheikh Lo, Dead Prez, Keziah Jones, Les Nubians, Meshell Ndegeocello and Yerba Buena. Created as a tribute to the late Fela Kuti and Afrobeat music, the two nights of music will bring acclaimed African artists together with a younger generation of international artists in addition to raising HIV/AIDS awareness in the community. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the African Services Committee. The organization is NY based and promotes the health and self-sufficiency of local African and Caribbean immigrant communities through the provision of HIV/AIDS care and support services. In other words you’ll want to be there if your calendar happens to be bare on December 1 and/or 2, 2006. I’ll be in the building both nights.

See bam.org for ticket information.