sex | My Blog

Seal, skinned & left to rot on the ice floes

With all the hype surrounding the Canadian seal cull, regular readers of this blog will know I decided to focus my attentions on the lesser known, but far more violent and cruel, Namibian seal slaughter. I began an intensive campaign called “The Seals of Nam” to spread the word and hopefully draw more attention to this heinous annual onslaught on the Cape Fur seals. Each year, 85 000 baby seals, still nursing from their mothers teats, are savagely beaten to death on the beaches of Namibia. Their pelts are sold for a paltry US$7. A further 6 000 bull seals are shot at point blank range so that their penises can be used to make an ineffective aphrodisiac. Read further and join me in fighting this madness.

When I first began, I approached Francois Hugo, a man many believe to be the worlds leading expert on these animals. I informed Hugo of my intentions, not only with regards to an awareness campaign, but also to set up international protests and to even go so far as to institute an economic boycott of Namibia. Initially, it appeared as though Hugo was in favour of my plan. He willingly provided me with information and encouraged and supported my efforts. I used some of the info he provided me with on social media sites and credited him accordingly. However, for reasons still unclear to me, Hugo abruptly changed his tune. He accused me of stealing his info and labelled me with all manner of things. In his eyes, I was relegated to persona non grata, and (quoting) “a stupid prick behind a keyboard.” He publicly let it be known that he thought protests and a boycott were a complete waste of time. HIS plan was the only solution to ending the cull. Basically it entailed giving him vast quantities on money. Some US$16 million if I am not mistaken. Personally, I find this amount rather distasteful and amounts to nothing more than emotional extortion.

Boycott Namibia

Never one to be shy of controversy, I did not allow his personal attack to dampen my enthusiasm for the project I had come to embrace. On the contrary, it strengthened my resolve to find an alternative solution and I began to achieve a certain measure of success. Protests sprang up all over the world, and top notch organizations such as Sea Shepherd, Fur Free SA, Beauty Without Cruelty, Bite Back, Seal Pup Defenders and the International Anti Fur Coalition sprang to my aid. Within a matter of weeks, we had celebrities endorsing our campaign and media were (and still are) reporting on our plans to BOYCOTT NAMIBIA . I am forever indebted to these organizations and cannot begin to thank them enough for their massive contributions.

But how can YOU, the reader of this humble blog, predominantly from countries FAR removed from Namibia, possibly get involved? Well, we have put together a list of simple actions that would undoubtedly help the cause.

To find out which companies are the major contributors to the Namibian GDP, who you can write to and how you can support the boycott, CLICK HERE

To sign petitions, CLICK HERE

To find a list of things you can do to support us further, CLICK HERE

to go for their coffers

FOR a long time women have compared chocolate to sex. Now doctors have discovered a scientific link between the two.

According to Italian researchers, women who eat chocolate regularly have a better sex life than those who deny themselves the treat. Those consuming the sugary snack had the highest levels of desire, arousal and satisfaction from sex.

The urologists from San Raffaele hospital, Milan, questioned 163 women about their consumption of chocolate as well as their experience of sexual fulfilment.

The study, which will be presented at the European Society for Sexual Medicine in London next month, found: “Women who have a daily intake of chocolate showed higher levels of desire than women who did not have this habit. Chocolate can have a positive physiological impact on a woman’s sexuality.”

.Dr Andrea Salonia, author of the study — funded from a university research budget, not by the confectionery industry — said women who have a low libido could even become more amorous after eating chocolate. He believes chocolate could be particularly medicinal for women who shun sex because they are suffering from premenstrual tension.“Chocolate is not like a food, it is like a drug. Women who suffer mood swings as a result of their menstrual cycle may also suffer a dip in their sexual function. I strongly believe eating chocolate may improve their sexual function,” said Salonia.

The research looked at the lifestyle habits that affect women’s sex lives. It also looked at smoking and coffee consumption but found no links with sexual enjoyment. Some might argue, however, that women who like chocolate are simply more sensually attuned.
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Since you were a child you’ve been told that chocolate destroys your teeth and makes you fat; well, now, scientists in fact recommend chocolate as being even more efficient than many drugs in preventing and treating various conditions. On one condition, though: it must have as much cocoa as possible, even 60-75%

A chocolate’s quality is determined by the properties of the cocoa seeds it’s made of, especially the amount of flavonoids, also encountered in wine, green tea, and bilberries. Milk chocolate has less flavonoids, and white chocolate has almost none. But flavonoids such as epicatechin are usually removed for commercial cocoas (employed for producing chocolate) because they induce a bitter taste.

In fact, the chocolate’s compounds that are pharmacologically active, like serotonin, tryptophan, phenylethylamine, tyramine and cannabinoids, are found in higher amounts in other types of food that are less appealing than chocolate.

Chocolate was first produced by the civilizations of Central America and when the Europeans arrived to America, cocoa was employed in making sauces and beverages, both sweet and bitter, exclusively destined to noble people. In fact, chocolate comes from the Nahuatl (Aztecs’ language) word “chocolatl”. Chocolate should literally melt in your mouth: its melting point being 36.1� C.

1. Chocolate reduces blood pressure. The flavonoids found in cocoa help in the control of the arterial tension, by increasing the amount of nitric oxide in the blood. Studies showed that dark chocolate is as effective as the antihypertensive drugs are.

2. Dark chocolate can decrease by 50% the risk of a heart attack, coronary disease by 10%, and premature death by 8%.

3. It improves blood circulation to the brain for two to three hours after you eaten chocolate. The flavonoids dilate the blood vessels in the brain, allowing a larger blood flow (implicit of oxygen). This way, the brain fights off exhaustion, insomnia and aging, improving memory and learning.
A special cocoa that retains the naturally occurring chemicals called flavonoids, which are abundant in fresh cocoa, could help maintain the normal functioning of the brain and could be used for future therapies against cognitive decline and dementia.

4. Chocolate gets into a good mood. Phenylethylamine, a neuronal disinhibitor released by the brain, is also found in chocolate, and induces a stage of euphoria and excitation during the sexual prelude, by turning on the brain’s pleasure nuclei. This molecule increases the feeling of excitement, giddiness and boosts the sex drive; consequently, it gives you more or less the same sensation that the alcohol does, but without the secondary effects of the latter. (you know what they say… ‘Flowers or chocolate to your girl!’)
Anyone knows the “I feel good” sensation induced by chocolate. Chocolate does not contain serotonin, the “happiness” hormone, but tryptophan, a serotonin precursor, that the brain can transform into serotonin.

High serotonin levels stimulate the release of endorphins. Actually, what the antidepressant drugs do is simply increase the brain’s serotonin levels, since low levels of serotonin induce depression.

4. Chocolate increases the quantity of sugar in your blood, due to the above-mentioned flavonoids. Chocolate helps the process of sugar metabolization, and dark chocolate helps reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
5. Chocolate fights off chronic fatigue. Eating 50 grams of chocolate (85 % cacao) daily decreases the symptoms of this disease.

6. Chocolate increases “good” cholesterol and lowers the “bad” one, due to the antioxidants, similar to those found in fruits, vegetables, tea and wine.

7. This food can also be a remedy against coughing. A chemical from cocoa can be more efficient against coughing than many medicines are, and it doesn’t have the adverse effects that the latter have.
8. Improved circulation induced by flavonoids also boost…erection! So �.what will it be: Viagra or chocolate?

9. Chocolate contains iron. That’s why it is recommended for pregnant women. Chocolate is also abundant in magnesium, proven to ease pre-menstrual symptoms (PMS). The calcium in milk induces the same effect, so milk chocolate could ensure the men’s peace and relaxation in certain… ‘special moments’.

10. Just like coffee, cocoa contains caffeine too

11. The researches showed that chocolate consumers live almost one year more than those who do not eat chocolate.

12. Studies have shown that chocolate impedes cell deterioration and cancer.

13. The bitterest chemical found in chocolate, theobromine, an alkaloid similar to caffeine, was found to fight off tooth decay, being more efficient than the fluoride in strengthening the crystalline structure of teeth against erosion by acid-producing bacteria (linked to tooth decay)
So…. what’s so great about chocolate as opposed to SEX???

1) You can get chocolate.

2) ”If you love me you’ll swallow that” has real meaning with chocolate.

3) Chocolate satisfies even when it has gone soft.

4) You can safely have chocolate while you are driving.

5) You can make chocolate last as long as you want it to.
6) You can have chocolate in front of your mother.

7) If you bite the nuts too hard the chocolate won’t mind.

8) Two people of the same sex can have chocolate without being called nasty names.

9) The word ”commitment” doesn’t scare off chocolate.

10) You can have chocolate on top of your desk during working hours without upsetting your coworkers.

11) You can ask a stranger for chocolate without getting your face slapped.

12) You don’t get hairs in your mouth with chocolate.

13) With chocolate there’s no need to fake it

14) Chocolate doesn’t make you pregnant.

15) You can have chocolate at any time of the month.

16) Good chocolate is easy to find.

17) You can have as many kinds of chocolate as you can handle

18) You are never too young or too old for chocolate.

19) When you have chocolate it does not keep your neighbors awake.

20) With chocolate size doesn’t matter; it’s always good.

1. We’ve heard of rice and pasta, but chocolate as a staple? Yes, ask the South Mexico Olmec tribe back in 1000 B.C. They ate chocolate all the time! Strange, but true!
2. Talk about sweet ceremonies! The Maya drank liquid chocolate during weddings, engagements, baptisms and even funerals! Whoever thought there was something ceremonial about chocolate!
3. Some chocolates may cost you but did you know that Cacao or chocolates beans were used as currency by Aztec and Maya tribes? If we had that today we would be eating out of our wallets!
4. So who thought of solidifying chocolate? Thank Mexican nuns from the 1700’s as they created and exported the first chocolate product as a fund raiser for their convent.
5. Here’s another fact. Not just 10 or 50 but chocolate remarkably has over 500 flavors in it! No wonder it tastes so good. Vanilla and strawberry don’t even come close to this figure.
6. Heard of Mexican Emperor Montezuma? He drank liquid chocolate before getting busy in his harem. Since chocolate make you feel good, it is considered an aphrodisiac.
7. Those gory scenes in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, was all chocolate syrup! Although the scene finishes in about 45 seconds, it took 7 days to get that shot done perfectly! Now that’s a sticky plot!
8. Chocolate was re-born in 1879 when Daniel Peter and Henre Nestle introduced milk chocolate to the world. In the same year Rudolphe Lindt introduced the conching process which makes chocolate smooth and soft.
9. Napoleon was great in many ways. Did you know he took chocolate along with him during his military campaigns. Now that was a clever move as chocolate gives you added energy and restores carbohydrates.
10. For all those of you out there dreaming about those chocolate bars, dream away! You can’t blame chocolate for raising your blood cholesterol. Now that’s a fact so eat!
Chocolate has changed the way we eat, romance and live. But don’t go overboard as too much of a good thing can be bad!