It being Valentine’s day- I thought I’d do a little research on a wonderful substance we use in our food and drinks, and which is associated with love. Can you guess what it is.? No, it’s not  what’s in those horrible red candy hearts, that many kids like (but which I never could stand). It’s the food of the gods… chocolate.

Chocolate is made from the cacao bean, which was first cultivated by the mother culture of the ancient native americans, the Olmecs.This ancient civilization centered in the area that is now the Mexican province of Veracruz.

The Olmecs, the Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs and other native nations that came after the Olmecs, did not eat chocolate bars like we do today.

The cacao beans were ground into a course paste and mixed with spices , water and chili to create a variety of hot and cold drinks.  Or they were mixed with corn and flavorings to make an assortment of porridge like meals, or incorporated into sauces to accompany meat dishes.

These forms of chocolate drinks and food might not  suit  the taste buds of many contemporary chocolate afectionados but they were packed with nutients and antioxidants and prized as for their health enhancing values.

Cacao flowers were also used in perfumed baths in Aztec times, and thought to cure fatigue. The Aztec  prized cacao so much that they used it as a form of currency.

Like to discover more about the history of chocolate, as well as many other fascinating facts about enjoying chocolate, along with recipes and health tips? Then visit this site at http://www.allchocolate.com.

And how about munching on some good quality chocolate, or warming up some hot chocolate to celebrate with your friends and  loved ones. That’s what I will be doing!

Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.

– Brendan Francis

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain.  An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.

– Harold B. Melchart

Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
– Dr. Dale Turner

Feast on the gorgeous images of this video, and the timeless wisdom of Rumi…..

Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.
– Mary Kay Ash

There’s a lot of serious stuff going on in the world, but also a lot to laugh about too.
Watch this robot charm his audience and have a good laugh. The wonders of technology!

Art can be the voice of hope, in even the most desperate of situations. Be sure to check out this inspiring video and transcript which shows how “creativity is the true wealth of Haiti”

Here’s one of the gems contained in this video:

INTERVIEWER: When there are so many needs out there, basic needs, what — what point does literature serve? Why write?

EVELYNE TROUILLOT: Because you need the voice. You need the voice of hope. You need a voice of revolt and resistance. And I think, for me, literature can do that, poetry can do that. And when you are in a situation that is very, very difficult, I think a human being need that, needs the beauty of literature, the beauty of creation to make them go through it and to carry them further.

Go to:

Charles Limb is a surgeon who studies sound and music, and  how the brain is able to be creative. Here’s some of his findings on what happens with musical improvisation.