mattbell

Amsterdam is one of the most impressive cities I've been to so far. It's architecturally picturesque, with long rows of pretty but not overly ornate brick house, . The construction of its extensive canal system only adds to the beauty and gives the city a unique, quirky, and romantic charm. While the canals were initially strictly practical, they now give the city a great deal of character. Amsterdam is also extremely international. It certainly helps that the Dutch have a very open society. People of all races, beliefs and cultural persuasions can feel comfortable here. (There are many benefits to a diverse multicultural society, though the one coming to mind at the moment is the access to good food.) Progressive cultural forces have a strong voice. Unlike other countries, the Netherlands is too small to get pushy about having everyone speak their language, so it's relatively easy for English-speaking foreigners to settle here. The government is also highly generous with art grants and invests heavily in education. Overall, it's the perfect formula for success. I definitely will return to the Nethetlands.

While the transmission rates per sex act for HIV are roughly known, they are not known for all the other lovely STDs out there (herpes, gonohhrea, syphilis, HPV etc). This knowledge would be really valuable in fighting the spread of these diseases. But hey, I know a place where I can gather a ton of data. If the prostitutes in Amsterdam are having large (and meticulously recorded) amounts of regular always-protected sex, we can get a good sense for the transmission rates of various STDs with a condom. If we assumed that the clients had STD infection rates similar to or greater than the general male population (a reasonable thing to assume) then we could get an upper bound on STD transmission rates per sex act for all the major STDs. My guide on the tour thought this was unliekly – prostitution is still heavily stigmatized in Holland, and most prostitutes do not like any invasions of their privacy, especially an expiriment that tracked them over time.

Tourist: "Hey, you'll do anything, right?"
Prostitute. "Yeah, whatever you want."
Tourist: Okay. I want you to take me through the canals on the pedal boat while I sit in back and smoke a joint."