Condomunity Quality of Living

As Zurich (my hometown) tops the quality of living survey for the seventh time in a row, I’d like to share my “Condomunity Quality of Living 2008″ list.

There are 10 cities that have made the list this year because of various (and not always very important) reasons:

• Buenos Aires
  This city covered its Obelisk of Buenos Aires in a huge condom as part of an awareness campaign for the 2005 World Aids Day. Buenos Aires probably also has one of the most beautiful streetart examples for condom use “usa preservativo“.
  

  
  Picture credits Marcelo Tourne.

  
  Picture credits ClixYou.

• Chennai, India
  If you ever asked yourself where Female Condoms and the Inspiral Condom come from, here’s your answer. This Indian company has a very innovative approach on condoms and their products are often featured in magazines like GQ, Cosmopolitan etc.

  

• Condom, France
  This one is pretty easy. There is a city in the South of France called - Condom. Although the word condom isn’t really used much for a prophylactic device, you can visit a condom museum in this little city.

  
  Picture credits Nick in exsilio.

• Cape Town
  Many may already know the Pronto Condom from the press and youtube. It is the fastest condom on earth. The condom can be put on in a second or so using this little applicator down here. The inventor of this device lives in Cape Town.

  

• London
  Unfortunately this brand isn’t available anymore. But it’s a good story nevertheless. Many of you might know Ramses the II as an Egyptian pharaoh. It’s said that Ramses Condoms were named after him, who had fathered about 160 children (or 110).
• New York
  New York has an own condom brand. I think this is a pretty fair argument.

  
  Picture credits victoriapeckham.

• Beijing
  Not too long ago China officially had no Aids cases at all. Of ourse that’s not true and as part of an awareness campaign China held a condom fashion show in 2007. The fashion show was organized by China’s largest condom manufacturer Guilin Latex. A step into the right direction I think.
• Rio
  The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is one of the biggest parties in the world. The Brazilian government has handed out about 19.5 million condoms across Brazil to make sure the party lasts for more than just the five days.
• Singen, Germany
  We have covered the stories about the spray-on condom. The home of this particular invention is in Singen in the South of Germany.
• Tokyo
  Japan is something like the country of condoms. About 80 per cent of women use condoms as a preferred birth control method. The main reason is propably that the birth control pill was illegal for quite some time. It doesn’t come as a surpise that many of the world’s largest condom manufacturers are based in Japan.

  
  Picture credits Failed Heterosexual.

Not in the list:

• Rome
  At the end of the end of 2007 Italy sees the word “condom” for the first time in an Aids awareness advertisement. This was a big taboo in the Catholic country Italy.
  Only a few days ago Italy’s Supreme Court sentenced Gabriele Paolini to a three-month suspended sentence. Gabriele Paolini is something like the Aids educator of Italy. He takes every chance to interrupt TV broadcastings with a simple message: use condoms.