Cardamom oil is called the Fire of Venus because of the attraction its smell is supposed to exert over the opposite sex – as applicable to the wearer, I assume.
The phrase has been around for a fair while, and the concept for millennia: like cures like! It’s the basis of homeopathy, many proverbs, and several countries’ standard way of getting past a hangover.
Naturally it’s this last we want to have some fun with today.
I know, I know, a guy named Giovanni making bad Italian accent jokes. It’s really from that Men At Work song, Down Under. In the song, the Brussels giant responded to the question with a smile and a Vegemite sandwich. He did speak that Aussie’s language, and more than just the verbal kind.
Everyone by now knows that a huge amount of communication is nonverbal. We’ve discussed it here several times and doubtless will again. What communicates successfully can seem a bit random, though – what works for one won’t for another, and a wrong guess will have the opposite desired effect. Frustrating.
Fortunately, there is actually a structure beneath it all that can make sense of it. A little observation, a little self-awareness, and a little selflessness, and things can suddenly be going in a much better direction.
I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though
I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along
the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with
their women and children
and a keg of beer and an
accordion.
Calamus (Acorus calamus), or sweet flag, has many, many other common names. It is found, known and used worldwide, and has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Aphrodisiac recipes from India and Ayurvedic medicine call for this swamp plant, and Arabs, Iranians and certain Native Americans use it alone to help boost libido.
If you haven’t heard of it yet, it sounds like a goofy joke: International Talk Like A Pirate Day! That’s because it started out as one. You should go have a look at the site I just linked and read the hilarious story behind the thing. The important point to note for our purposes here is that parties of hearties convene all over the world every September 19 for this most unlikely of celebrations, and aside from the obvious movie-pirate speech, people most often dress like a pirate at the parties.
Naturally, they also drink like pirates as well. Which brings us to today’s topic.
While sex is well known for adding life to your years, it can also add years to your life. Research is mounting (ahem) that a healthy, regular sex life allows people to age slower, live longer, and avoid a wide variety of lethal health issues.
Suma (Hebanthe eriantha) is often referred to as Brazilian ginseng, though it’s not even in the same family as the Panax genus. It does, however, have some similar qualities. Continue reading →
Stranger, here you will do well to tarry; here our highest good is pleasure.