Anti-Rape Condoms “Rape-aXe”

A South African doctor has created a female condom that puts teeth in the fight against rape.

Literally.

The anti-rape condom, called “Rape-aXe,” features rows of jagged hooks designed to attach to a man’s penis during penetration. Once attached, the condom can only be removed by a doctor – hopefully when authorities can arrest him, Dr. Sonnet Ehlers, the condom’s designer, told CNN.

“It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it’s on,” she said. “If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter… however, it doesn’t break the skin, and there’s no danger of fluid exposure.”

Ehlers said she sold her house and car to launch the project, and she planned to supervise the distribution of 30,000 free devices in cities hosting the World Cup soccer matches. After the trial period, they’ll be available for about $2 apiece, according to CNN.

“The mother of two daughters said she visited prisons and talked to convicted rapists to find out whether such a device would have made them rethink their actions,” CNN reported. “Some said it would have.”

Critics say the condom makes women vulnerable to violence from men trapped by the device.

It’s also a form of “enslavement,” Victoria Kajja, a fellow for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the east African country of Uganda, told CNN. “The fears surrounding the victim, the act of wearing the condom in anticipation of being assaulted all represent enslavement that no woman should be subjected to.”

Kajja added that the device reminds women of their vulnerability.

“It not only presents the victim with a false sense of security, but psychological trauma,” she added. “It also does not help with the psychological problems that manifest after assaults.”

But she acknowledged that the device might allow justice to be served.

Rape convictions are rare in most African countries, according to CNN. Victims don’t get immediate access to medical care, and DNA tests to provide evidence are too expensive.

Women take drastic measures to prevent rape in South Africa, Ehlers said. Some go so far as to insert razor blades wrapped in sponges in their private parts.

Critics have said the device is like something out of the Middle Ages.

“Yes, my device may be medieval, but it’s for a medieval deed that has been around for decades,” she told CNN. “I believe something’s got to be done … and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman.”

More information at the Rape-aXe website

Check the level of toxicity of your cosmetics

I’m being more aware of the products I use in my bathroom in terms of packaging but also of what ingredients they contain. I felt like a little research was needed to finally know what I’m putting on myself every day.

I found this great website where you can search for products and it tells you in details what’s in it and what it does to you. It will scan every single ingredient. It also gives you an overall ranking from 0 to 10 (0 being the best).

If you can’t find a product you can build your own report that will be ony be visible to you. Just google your product and will find the list of ingredient fairly easily. All you need to do is a quick registration, enter your email, they send you a password and you can start.

Go to http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

Remember that the words like “natural” and “organic” are words that can be used and abused on the most hazardous products and trust me they are widely used! You can only trust the “Bio” certifications and even then you have to be a little careful since sometimes they have only a few organic ingredients out of 10 and they can put the Bio stamp. It doesn’t make them 100% organic.

I just scanned some of the products I use and let me tell you: quite a few just hit the trash…If we really want to know what’s in our products we’ve got to check ourselves.

I wish you a happy Scanning ;)

On a related note do watch this great video: “Story of cosmetics”

If you want to read more in depth, read this pdf:
http://iehn.org/filesalt/IEHNCosmeticsReportFin.pdf 

You can now comment on my blog!

At laaaaassst I have added a comment box on this blog, after deleting the original function it took me forever to find out how to put it back!  So you can now comment by just writing your name, email and website (if you have one) or you can choose to post using your wordpress.com, facebook, twitter and open ID account (See image below).

Looking forward to read your feedback :)

BYO CUPS a silicone cup…for coffee :)

An english company created the BYO CUPS  ”The only reusable cup that´s made of silicone” so they say. I’m sorry to break the news to them but reusable menstrual cups made out of silicone do already exist and have for a long time now :D But may be not for coffee!

Check out all those super cute design! Silicone cups looking like paper cups. How nice would it be if we could all go to our coffee shop with our reusable cup. They also offer branding on quantity over 500+. Would be a great if coffee shop could provide some cups for the regulars so you could go and get your refill every day. I want one!!!

“The BYO Coffee Cup is made from food-grade silicone, using the world´s most abundant natural resource, silica. We have purposely chosen this material to ensure we don´t use presious natual resourses like petro-chemicals. So the Cup it not plastic, and is entirely BPA free.

The BYO Coffee Cup has been invented to reduce waste by encouraging you to Bring-Your-Own Coffee Cup every time you buy a Take Away Coffee or Tea.

If you buy a take-away coffee every workday morning, you´re discarding at least 250 paper coffee cups and plastic lids every year. In UK, we use billions of paper cups a year, and most of them are none compostable and end up in landfields.

Let´s stop the habit, and help save the planet one coffee cup at a time with a reusable BYO Coffee Cup.

Here´s why the BYO Coffee Cup is a better choice

• It’s made from food-grade silicone, a synthetic rubber made using the world’s most available natural resource, silica.
• It is not a plastic or a petrochemical product. So we are not wasting precious resources.
• Silicone is light, yet flexible, will withstand up to 200 celcius heat. It keeps your coffee warm and your fingers cool.
• It’s dishwasher friendly, microwave friendly, user friendly and eco-friendly.
• Both 8oz and 12oz size cups fit easily under the group head on the espresso machine. The silicone cup won’t slip or slide on the pouring platform, and the lid fits snugly, gripping the cup. The action to put the lid on is the same as a paper take-away cup. Start at one sid and run your finger all the way around the cup.
• Biro or water based marker can be used on the cup to indicate customers’ order for the barista – then easily wiped off when cleaned.
• When tested with baristas, it’s had universal approval. We’ve made it to industry standard measures – so the barista makes the right coffee shot with perfect crema.
• It’s much nicer to drink from than paper or plastic.
• Fits bike and car cup holders.
• Guaranteed for 3 years.
• Will not harbour bacteria.
• Will not breakdown with normal use.
• So easy to clean, because there are no crevices or hard to clean removable bits

Conventional Paper Coffee Cups have a huge environmental impact.

• Most disposable coffee cups are not recyclable or compostable.
• UK use billions of paper cups every year.
• Typical they are made using 100% bleached virgin paperboard and has a plastic lining made from a petrochemical to make it waterproof, and most of them ends up in landfill because they cannot be recycled.
• Switch to a reusable BYO Coffee Cup and help save the planet one Coffee at a time.”

Check out all the colors and sizes on the BYO CUPS shop.
Price starts at £7.50. Visit byo-cup.com

added 12th of june:

I just found these flashy cup also called the keepcup from Australia

“KeepCups are ‘barista standard’ because a trained barista can make awesome to go coffee in them.  They come in the four standard takeaway sizes and fit under the group handles of most espresso coffee machines. When your coffee is made in a KeepCup the crema on the shot is not broken and the portioning of milk to coffee will be correct.  KeepCups have thermal properties similar to paper so they are not a thermos. Replicating the functionailty of disposable cups KeepCups are splashproof, not a sealed container.

Many small acts make a phenomenal difference.

We chose plastic to manufacture the KeepCups.  They are made from single component materials, they are lightweight, easy to carry and have low embodied energy in manufacture.

KeepCups are BPA free and non-toxic.

To ensure they are user friendly they are also dishwasher and microwave safe and fit  into most bicycle and car cup holders.”

They have a very cute store where you can customize you own cup by combining the colors of the lid, the cup, the band and the plug. Go have a look!!

They keep their boobies cool in japan

“Ladies looking to keep cool this summer might want to invest in the latest piece of lingerie – an ice pack bra. Triumph’s new Super Cool Bra, unveiled in Tokyo, comes complete with gel pads which should be placed in the freezer for up to two hours before inserting into the cup area. The bizarre piece of underwear, which comes in two different colours, is also adorned with a sprig of mint and miniature wind chime which offer a ‘refreshing fragrance and sound’, according to the maker.

Both bra cups have been designed to look like fishbowls, with the blue gels pads slipped behind a fish and seaweed pattern. And if the cooling pads don’t do the trick, wearers can take choose from miniature bamboo ladle – which can be uses to splash water over the body – or a miniature hand fan, which are attached at the side of the garment.

Women can also keep the bottom half of their body cool with novelty bamboo screen and mosquito net mini skirt, as demonstrated by the models. However the cooling piece of fashion will not be going on sale, and was created by the underwear giant to encourage Japanese citizens to cut down on air conditioning. The country is facing a number of energy issues following the Fukushima nuclear power disaster in March 2011.

Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda said: ‘The whole nation, especially the Kansai region, is expected to suffer from a shortfall of electricity.

‘Companies and families now have to deal with higher electricity bills, so we decided on this theme as we felt we had to increase awareness of saving electricity.’ Triumph International is an international underwear manufacturer. originally founded in Germany 1886 by the two families Spiesshofer & Braun.

The first foreign subsidiary was established in Zurzach, Switzerland which has become the company’s headquarters.
Today it operates in 120 countries around the world and is one of the leading underwear producers in the world and with an annual turnover of 2.2 billion Swiss francs, and over 36,500 employees.”

Article from http://www.dailymail.co.uk

My opinion: I’m guessing this is just for fun and a little advertising. There is still some work to do to find a normal bra that is actually comfortable, offer good support and look good. But who knows we may start seeing those ice bras around but I doubt it, no electricity shortage could make me wear this. Putting cold on boobies, could that makes them shrink? wouldnt the water make the bra heavy…anyway it’s fun enough to blog about it :)