News Briefs
Chelse McKee (Staff) and Margaret Sheridan (Interrobang, Fanshawe College)
Highest secondary school drop out rate
According to a recent study, entitled MB Check-up, released on Oct. 18 by the Chartered Accountants of Manitoba, Manitoba has the second highest percentage of high school dropouts.
In 2006, 12.2 per cent of people aged 19-24 had no high school diploma, second only to Alberta with a percentage of 12.5. However, Manitoba’s percentage has dropped since 2005, when the number of high school dropouts was 14.1 per cent.
There is no report of which areas of the city are most affected by these percentages.
62.7 per cent of Manitobans aged 15-29 had completed high school compared with only 33.7 per cent of Manitoban First Nations.
Let’s get it on
The first installment of a global sexual health survey conducted by the condom manufacturer Durex is now available on the company’s website and provides the findings of the rates of sexual satisfaction of 26,000 people in 26 countries including Canada, Brazil, France, Nigeria, and Thailand.
The 2007-08 study found that 60 percent of people said that “sex is fun, enjoyable, and a vital part of life.”
On the other hand, only 44 per cent of those surveyed said that they “are fully satisfied with their sex lives.”
The survey also reported findings that said sexual satisfaction decreases with age for both sexes but more so for men, due to longer relationships and less sexual activity that makes “things less exciting and more monotonous.”
The study noted that there was no negative correlation associated with sexual satisfaction and having children.
Durex is the first company to produce lubricated condoms, anatomically shaped condoms, and non-latex condom, according to their website.
Sexy spray-on
A German company is in the testing phase of a new spray-on condom. The Institute for Condom Guidance, located in Baden-Wurttemberg in southern Germany, has been working on the condom since 2006.
“We had a very big interest in Germany,” said Jan Vinzenz Krause, the condom’s inventor and project coordinator.
“We got around 9,000 guys from all over the world who registered as a tester.”
The condom itself works in much the same way as a regular condom. By creating a thin latex barrier between two bodies, it lowers the risk or pregnancy
and the transfer of infections.
But its application differs from what we’re used to.
“The man puts his erect penis into a tube-like device, then you have to push a button and within a few seconds the penis will be sprayed with latex and the condom is ready for use,” said Krause.
Removal is just as simple as a conventional condom. It rolls off the penis and it can then be tossed into the garbage.
The condoms are aimed at about 20 percent of the male population. The Institute’s market research found that about 10 percent of men had a smaller penis size, while another 10 percent tipped the scales on the other side.
Those 20 percent told the Institute that they had a harder time finding conventional condoms that fit comfortably, and were excited to hear that a spray-on version was being tested.
“You buy the tube [for] around 15-25 Euros ($20-35 CAD) and you can use the tube many times, so it’s one investment,” said Krause. “Then you buy the latex, and one box is seven -10 Euros ($10-14 CAD) and you can make around 10-20 condoms with the latex material depending on how thick the condom is.”
Coloured latex has proven popular during testing. Popular colours so far include red, blue, and yellow.
Sales in North America are at least another year away.
