Vaginal contraceptive film(VCF) is really a soluble film – a super thin, wafer-like substance filled up with spermicide, usually nonoxynol-9 – that’s inserted into the vagina before intercourse and then “melts,” delivering spermicide (chemicals that kill sperm) into the vagina. Nonoxynol-9 spermicide can also be available in jelly, cream, foam, suppository, and tablet forms, and is coated on some lubed condoms; however, these condoms have been found to provide no more protection against pregnancy than those without spermicidal lube.

VCF, when used alone, is far less effective against pregnancy than a condom, which, when used consistently and properly, offers a 97 percent protection rate. VCF seems to be most effective when used as a duplicate with another form of contraception.

As far as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are concerned, VCF doesn’t protect against them. The only type of contraception effective for STI prevention is really a condom.

The following ideas can help increase the contraceptive effectiveness of VCF:

Using dry, clean fingers, insert one VCF sheet into your vagina, ensuring it’s placed on or near your cervix.
Wait at the least fifteen minutes after insertion to permit the VCF to dissolve within the vagina before having intercourse.
Use a fresh VCF for each sex session as a single application is nice for nearly only one hour after initial insertion.  Read more...

Types of biodegradable polythene film

Polythene or Polyethylene film will naturally fragment and biodegrade, but it can take many decades to do this, and can in the meantime cause an environmental problem. There are two methods to resolve this problem. One is to modify the carbon chain of polyethylene with an additive to improve its degradability and then its biodegradability; the other is to make a film with similar properties to polyethylene from a biodegradable substance such as starch. The latter are however much more expensive.

===Starch based or biobased (hydrodegradable) film=== (Trade Associations for this industry are “Biodegradable Products Institute” (BPI); European Bioplastics, and “SPIBioplastics Council”

This type is made from corn (maize), potatoes or wheat. This form of biodegradable film meets the ASTM standard (American Standard for Testing Materials) and European norm EN13432 for compostability as it degrades at least 90% within 180 days or less under specified conditions.

However, actual products made with this type of film may not meet those standards.

Examples of polymers with which starch is commonly used

Polycaprolactone (PCL)

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)

Polylactic acid (PLA)

The heat, moisture and aeration in an industrial composting plant are required for this type of film to biodegrade, so it will not therefore readily degrade if littered in the environment.

Pros & cons of starch based film/bag

Pros

It is “compostable” under industrial conditions.

Reduced fossil fuel content (depending on loading of filler.  Read more...

The film “Bingo Bongo” is a widely known Italian family comedy film released in 1982. It was directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, a director best known for his 1963 film “The Leopard”.

Bingo Bongo stars Adriano Celentano as a Tarzan-esque character that’s able to communicate with every kind of animal. The film begins with the story of how Bingo Bongo was stranded in an African jungle as a young baby when his plane crashed (in story elements very similar to and in parody of the original Tarzan). The baby was thrown out of the plane by parachute at the last moment and subsequently adopted by chimpanzees.

As the years pass, and Bingo Bongo becomes a grown man (although still wearing his parachute harness) with animalistic behaviour (due to his jungle upbringing), he is hunted and captured by an expedition and brought back to an anthropology institution in Milan. Although he is intended to be studied and shut in a cage, Bingo proves not only to be extremely strong, but highly intelligent and perceptive too. One of the female researchers, Laura, catches him eye and he develops a crush on her. He also bonds with her pet chimpanzee Renato due to his jungle skills that come naturally to him. Laura the researcher on the other hand, attempts to reintegrate Bingo Bongo into human society.  Read more...

Director George A. Romero isn’t known for his more subtle work but for the bombastic gore and visceral images conjured up from his films Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow, and Day of the Dead, so, it comes as a surprise that he has taken on the psychological thriller Monkey Shines as one of his films that marks him as a filmmaker that can transcend his gore-filled roots.

Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is a professional runner who one day while training is hit by a car that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. His best friend Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow) decides to help him through the physical training and adjustment of his new life by allowing him access to Ella a chimpanzee that he has been experimenting on and that has abilities that far extend those of any other of its kind. As Allan becomes adjusted to the help of Ella he starts to experience terrifying nightmares that leads him to the suspicion that he and Ella are somehow psychically connected and that Ella has been escaping the confines of his home secretly.

When Allan tries to give Ella back to Geoffrey things get out of hand and Ella escapes returning to Allan’s house where Ella will stop at nothing to be the only “one” for him.  Read more...

Director George A. Romero isn’t known for his more subtle work but for the bombastic gore and visceral images conjured up from his films Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow, and Day of the Dead, so, it comes as a surprise that he has taken on the psychological thriller Monkey Shines as one of his films that marks him as a filmmaker that can transcend his gore-filled roots.

Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is a professional runner who one day while training is hit by a car that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. His best friend Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow) decides to help him through the physical training and adjustment of his new life by allowing him access to Ella a chimpanzee that he has been experimenting on and that has abilities that far extend those of any other of its kind. As Allan becomes adjusted to the help of Ella he starts to experience terrifying nightmares that leads him to the suspicion that he and Ella are somehow psychically connected and that Ella has been escaping the confines of his home secretly.

When Allan tries to give Ella back to Geoffrey things get out of hand and Ella escapes returning to Allan’s house where Ella will stop at nothing to be the only “one” for him.  Read more...