I’ve become obsessed with a television series, which I’m sure you’ve heard of (though if not I highly recommend it) called The Big Bang Theory. In the programme, the viewer is witness to the day to day lives of a group of scientist friends, and their actress neighbour. The first scene of the series starts with two characters, Sheldon Cooper and Leonard, on their way to a sperm donation centre to try and make a bit of money. Though it’s a funny scene because of what happens, it still surprises me how easy it seems to be for people to go to these kinds of places to donate eggs, and sperm in exchange for money.

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just that we maybe have to think a bit more about the consequences of these actions. In 2005, the United Kingdom modified the Law of Assisted Reproduction, removing anonymity. The consequences were fast, and the number of sperm donors drastically reduced. This meant that the country’s clinics had to import semen from abroad – and some patients who wanted to be inseminated even had to travel abroad themselves. And the UK is not the only one to lift anonymity – Norway, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Germany have also done, with other countries in the process.

Obviously, if the donante isn’t protected, then less people are going to do it. The maxim that the donor isn’t the mother or father has to be considered, a donor is always just a donor. There are exceptions, and for example some countries offer the possibility of letting the donor know when they have been accepted, at the request of the young person from 18 years old. Spain however, maintains the old policy, and for now there are no plans to change the law, given that donations are bound to go down. If there’s something good to be taken from this, its that tourism has risen for countries like Spain and Denmark, who have kept the protective law – and many travel to these countries to donate.

The prices vary according to place, and the sex of the donor. Men can make around 30 euros, and women up to 800 euros, as the process of egg donation is more complicated than that of semen – but be sure to find out about it first.

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It’s not a bad idea; organise a trip to Spain, or more specifically, Seville, where you can discover an amazing city, and donate semen at the same time. And don’t worry about accommodation – it’s easy to find great apartments in Seville

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Translated by: Poppy
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We are currently living in an era where we seem to have time for practically everything except actually getting to know someone, and establishing new relationships. It now seems that if you don’t have an online contact base, you don’t have a future, since flirting in a club is getting a bit complicated. And just as in the past when things have gotten complicated, a new, simpler option arises – so it is with ways of meeting people. The internet created a new form of address book, but for those who need face to face, there is Speed Dating.

Nobody said it was the best solution, just an alternative solution, whereby for anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes, you have to be like a director of human resources and make a rapid character analysis. However, these super fast dates are for many a solution to their problems, since it offers the chance to meet someone special in record timing.

The way it works is simple – there are two circles of seats separated by a table, on which there tends to be food. The time starts, and one has to use up their minutes to find out as much as they can about the person sitting opposite them before the bell goes, and the line rotates again. At the end, you write down who you would like to meet again, properly, and depending on how the event is organised, the contact is then made.

In Seville, there a number of companies organising these dates, for example; www.singlessevilla.es

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Nothing more than a fun way to pass the evening – and who knows, you might even leave with a few phone numbers. Rent Seville accommodation make yourself at home, and you are sure to find someone special in such a beautiful city.

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Translated by: Poppy
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The Andalusian Centre of Contemporary Art is showing exhibition “Prensadas,” from artist Inmaculada Salinas, until the 12th of June. The show, commissioned by María Luisa López Moreno, is part of the series La constitución política del present, and looks at how the Spanish artist has dealt with themes such as women as a social subject.

Inmaculada Salinas was born in Guadalcanal, Seville, in 1967. Having studied Fine Art at Seville University, her work came to tackle the complex narrative of the woman in society, through different means of communication, and to reflect upon how painting has historically made ornaments of women, and used them as the objects of power.

The exhibition Prensadas is comprised of works completed between 2008 and now, which have been organised into four series; Espejos, Visión de las vencidas, Prensadas and Como fondo.

The first series, Espejos, is made up of 40 small white cards created in 2008, on which Salinas writes the word woman with both hands, drawing attention to the dramatic tension between the two different brushstroke styles. This conceptual idea of the visible and the invisible, as expressed through the repetition of an image, has become an important part of her work with the image of woman as a social subject.

La visión de las vencidas takes its title from a book by anthropologist Miguel León Portilla about the writings of the indigenous Mexicans, and is a series of works from 2008-09, which identify and point out the parts of the book where the word “woman” appears, in relation to her role in society.

Prensadas is related to the word “press” – and is based on the presence, or absence of women in the press, and how they are represented by it, with a collection of pieces from 2009.

Como fondo refers to the role of painting in the public sphere, using press cuttings of people in the public eye. Salinas devalues the prominence of the different people by covering them with her art work.

This interesting intellectual, artistic approach is a reflection of the extensive work Salinas has done in developing the discussion of the social representation of women – by using themes such as invisibility and visibility within the media, and publicity. Her objective is not to offer any answers, but confront the ways in which the woman’s image, and the idea of “feminine” is manipulated and distorted, whilst identifying the collective stereotypes which have no bearing on the reality.

For more information http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/caac/programa/inmsal11/frame.htm

Nancy Guzman

To understand better the social representation of women in art, this is great opportunity to see things in a new way – especially if you are already renting Seville accommodation

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Translated by: Poppy
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I never expected it, because I’m still young and up until a few months ago thought it was only a problem for men over 50, but it happened to me too. I wouldn’t have solved the problem so quickly if I hadn’t spoken openly about it to my girlfriend. I suffered a loss of sexual appetite because of stress and a bout of depression that lasted longer than I expected. It was thanks to my girlfriend and the advice of a psychologist that I regained my full and satisfying sex life.

While recovering, I reflected on how difficult it is for men to talk openly about our sexual problems. Machismo is a mental handicap that has prevented us from being honest about our sexuality. Although it’s true that we were never repressed and have always been free to talk about sex as much as we wished, it’s also true that we have being doing so in the shadow of machismo – something that obliges men to portray themselves as outstanding and insatiable lovers, vigorous and all-powerful in the bedroom.

While women were liberated from sexual repression in the 1960s, and became sexually empowered, men have continued to hide their problems and hang ups behind exaggerations and lies. Fortunately, these days this is no longer the case. Today, for example, we can admit that we also make up excuses for not having sexual relations, and the motive for this is often that we are suffering from some kind of sexual dysfunction, whether that be physical or mental in origin.

Regarding the myths about sexual dysfunction I would like to say three things: it does not only affect older men, it is not irreversible, and it cannot be solved just by waiting for time to pass – it is essential to receive treatment from a professional.

If sexual dysfunction has a physical origin, the causes could be cardiovascular or they could be related to endocrine disorder, drug abuse (legal or illegal), hormone deficiency, or blood flow problems, among other things. It is absolutely imperative that you consult a doctor about the problem, because sexual dysfunction might just be a symptom of a more serious illness.

If the source of the problem is emotional, you should see a psychologist and speak as openly as possible about the trauma, depression, anxiety or whatever else you are feeling.

In both cases, talking freely and without taboos is the key to a swift recovery from sexual dysfunction. And if you can count on the support of your partner then that is even better. That’s why it’s important to trust her and to maintain good communication in your relationship. Sex is too important to avoid dealing with promptly and transparently.

Miruton

Sometimes monotony can diminish our sex drive. One good way to solve this problem is to go on holiday to another city. Seville offers an intense nightlife, friendly people and easy sex. What’s more, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to apartments in Seville so don’t think twice: come and enjoy the city.

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Translated by: Ben Palmer
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Until the 26th June, The Museum of Art and Popular Customs is holding the exhibition Plegarias Atendidas. Colección de exvotos mexicanos. The show is an interesting collection of Mexican exvotos, or alterpieces compiled over the years by Margarita Contreras and Luís Vicente Elías Pastor, the result of extensive ethnographic investigations in Mexico.

Religious art in Mexico, as in the whole of Latin America, is without a doubt the most remarkable and rich part of the legacy of religion and the Spanish rule between the 16th and 18th centuries. Of the Baroque era, the art pieces are a symbolic representation of the religious beliefs which formed much of the popular imagination – likewise the churches, sculptures, furniture, and religious objects.

Popular religious art developed from the 17th century, with an intense wave of paganism and Christianity along with the Spanish cultural dominion which the indigenous world in crisis. Of this process, Octavio Paz writes “it was not only a military and political conquest, but a spiritual one too,” referring to the radical shifting from one culture to another – not just materially, but in terms of religious imagination too, with the previous more or less eradicated to make way for the new. This was how the ritual of offerings to the Gods was transferred to Catholicism with the “exvotos” (offerings), and alter pieces.

Exvotos are small paintings of religious thanks, or appreciation which ask for miracle or favour. The giver prays to the Virgin or their chosen saint, requesting to be granted a miracle or a favour – if these come to pass, a kind of shrine is made to illustrate the situation, in return for the favour.
In other words, exvotos are the illustration of a miracle which acts as an offering to who might make it happen.

In these rituals is a strange mix of elements – the popular imagination, people and situations which reflect a cosmogony previous to Catholicism, reflecting the paradoxes of faith.

Behind every exvoto is a personal story, and a story of the country. They are imprinted with the most important values of each generation, and the things that move, and motivate a society. In their images, historians find a perfect window through which to see the social changes suffered by Mexico. For instance issues such as, “is the current conceptualisation of miracle the same as it was the beginning of the 20th century and during previous centuries? or, how does religion manifest itself nowadays? These are the sort of questions which arise from the imagery of the exvotos.

For more information http://www.museosdeandalucia.es/cultura/museos/MACSE/index.jsp?redirect=act_expo_ficha.jsp&tip=4&pagina=1&idActExp=12683&novedades=1

Nancy Guzman

This interesting show, which narrates on the the stories from Mexico and Spain’s past, has been so popular that the museum has extended it. So if you are renting Seville accommodation there’s no excuse to miss out on this glimpse of history of popular art.

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Translated by: Poppy
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Even if you have never been, it probably won’t have escaped your notice how many reasons there are to visit Seville – that bewitching city of orange trees, and the blossom trees, which for over a century was one of the most important, populated, multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. After the Spanish conquest of much of the American continent, the Casa de Contratación de Indias was founded, which along with the University and the Consulado de Mercaderes, controlled, regulated and directed the voyages to the “New World,” and the riches they brought.

In the old quarter, one of the largest in Europe, one gets the sense that each thing has its own unique place, and is just where it belongs – just as with the colours of the buildings. Attracted by the commercial activity of the city during its height and splendor (the 16th and 17th centuries), Seville came to also include Chinese and Japanese communities, which have left an almost spectral presence in the city, especially the small streets next to the river, where you can escape to day or night.

We have no idea if Jim Jarmusch knows this history, but we suspect that he wouldn’t care either way, considering his profound interest in all things related to wandering round a city, where you discover the place for yourself – the richness of the languages not understood, and the possibilities that come with feeling like a foreigner. Jarmusch has himself remarked how much he loves lying on his hotel bedroom floor at twilight, in a country whose language he doesn’t know – preferably in Asia – closing his eyes, so as to hear better the indecipherable noises from the street, letting them take hold of him. The director has also commented on his love for Seville – especially since he filmed a part of his latest film there, the fascinating The Limits of Control (2008), in which the mysterious protagonist, played by Isaac de Bankolé, makes an allegorical journey to Spain, not knowing a word of Spanish, to fulfill a mission which ends in Almeria, helped along by the visual language of certain works on show at Madrid’s Reina Sofia Museum.

After Jarmusch’s first time in Seville, the exact evening he had returned to New York, feeling completely captivated by the place – in spite of exhaustion and jet lag – he turned on the black and white TV he had picked up from the street on one of his strolls, and there on the screen appeared Orson Welles, saying that his favourite city in the world was Seville.

Paul Oilzum

The reasons for finding Seville accommodation are endless. Perhaps The Limits of Control wouldn’t be a bad one…

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Translated by: Poppy
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Do women have orgasms because of natural selection to improve their health? Or are women simply receptors of developmental patterns, favored by selection to produce orgasm to men?

For those who answered affirmatively the first question, the female orgasm is an adaptation and for those who answered yes to the second question, it is a consequence.

In the case of male orgasm, people seem to agree that it is an adaptive phenomenon, a trait for which there is evidence that has evolved; in other words, men have been able to gradually improve their reproductive action.

How can we demonstrate that a phenomenon is an adaptation? Generally, for evolutionary biologists, an attribute is considered as an adaptation when it was designed for a function that improves the health of an individual. There are many different patterns of inheritance, reproductive differential, etc, but measuring these in the orgasm is virtually impossible.

With regard to female orgasm, the best-known adaptive hypothesis is the one that talks about the sperm competition. This would favor the larger testicles and the rapid evolution of proteins produced during ejaculation in men. These features are more prominent in humans than in gorillas, in which sperm competition is lower. If female orgasms were an adaptation, then it would be meant to increase female fertilization by males with better genetic quality. According to this, it is possible to consider that female orgasm would produce patterns of brain activation and hormones releasing that ease uterine contraction as well as the movement and retention of semen in the uterus, increasing the probability that a female had sex again with a male with whom she had an orgasm.

But there are other researchers who believe that there is no evidence (or inadequate) to validate any adaptive explanation for this phenomenon. From the perspective of the consequence hypothesis, the female orgasm is like male nipples, a consequence of the development of natural selection with a feature on the opposite sex. Just as men have nipples because of a shared development with women, women have nipples because of adaptation and have orgasms because of the shared development with men, for whom the orgasm is an adaptation. Finally, according to these experts, uterine contractions occur constantly and hormones are released during the female stimulation, and whether she has an orgasm or not, which negates the hypothesis of sperm competition.

There are studies that suggest that about 12% of women never have orgasms with their partners while between 5 and 10% have never experienced orgasms in their lives. This could suggest that female orgasm does not depend on the natural selection. Feminists have criticized this hypothesis, because it could be interpreted as female pleasure depends on male satisfaction.

Undoubtedly, the history of evolutionary explanations of female orgasm is a history full of missteps, misuse of evidence and with missing references.

Ara

The case remains open and this is the most appropriate time to make a deep research in this scientific field. It is also the time to rent Seville accommodation and to change the male mindset about both male and female orgasms.

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Translated by: Hans
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We are living in an era where our physical appearance is everything. Never before in the history of humanity has the physical appearance played such an important role like it has in this day and age, a trend that congealed in the 80′s with the emergence of super models, gyms and workout videos. These days being beautiful is an mandatory obligation which we are tied to like to a dictatorship and where being attractive is the goal you must reach and cannot escape from unless you want to be doomed at the bottom of the pit of ignobility.

Parallel to this phenomenon, mental problems related with our physical appearance have become visible: anorexia, bulimia and obesity are the three main health manifestations that a person can experience due to that crucial necessity to fulfill the authoritarian aesthetical parameters that society imposes upon us

But food disorders are not the only problemthis terrible and sick trend has brought to us, another common problem known as Body dysmorphic disorder or dysmorphophobia is much more widespread than we thought. The American magazine Glamour requested an investigation about what women thought about themselves and it was confirmed that an incredible 97% of women hate their bodies. According to this study, the vast majority of women have regular thought such as “I am a dirty pig” “Ugly, Fat and Repugnant” or “You are too skinny, nobody will love you with a body like that” Thoughts that infect and poison the female mind and which can cause severe problems such a depression or food disorders

However  many experts reassure that the problem is not the body itself,but that the physical appearance or body is used as a target and excuse for all kind of insecurities and problems that will arise in our daily lives. Nevertheless its extremely important to silence this interior voice because it hinders having a healthy relationship with ourselves

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Heloise Battista

So, forget about social pressure, care your body and mind by renting Seville accommodation

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Translated by: Marc
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Luar na lubre is a folk band that since 1987, -the year or their formation-, have created and cultivated traditional music from Galicia with massive success nationally and internationally. During these 24 years of career they have taken their music to such distant places such as Argentina, Palestine and Canada, being currently one of the bands with most global projection from Galicia.

The story of this band starts in La Coruña, where they started working and investigating Galicia traditional music, taking into account that music is one of the elemental aspects of the culture and the identity of any region, in this case the Galicia region. Saying this, they have always considered field work as a fundamental facet for their artistic creation, attribute that is reflected in their extremely high quality music of the band. The bands recordings have obtained numerous acknowledgments. Its worthwhile mentioning Plenilunio y Cabo de mundo which both sold over 50.000 copies

Their latest album is called Sosticio, album that has been nominated with the 2011 music prize award and with which they will kick off their 2011 tour. In addition to the amazing musicianship of all its members, the incredible voice of Sara Vidal  stands out, This singer and poet from Lisbon joined the band in 2005, adds a beautiful melodic sweetness to the four records she has sang for since joining the band

During the Solsticio tour 2011 they will be performing in Seville at the Central Theater in the city on the 26 of may. The show will begin at 21:00h and will end at 23:00. Let me tell you, if you are in Seville that day, going to this concert is one of the best activities you can do. I wouldn’t miss them if I was you

More info: http://www.mirmidon.com/agenda/concierto-de-luar-na-lubre-en-sevilla

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Luz Obscura

Get Seville accommodation and enjoy live Luar na Lubre.

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Translated by: Marc
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Celibacy is a pledge to a usually religious order whereby any form of sexual relation is totally prohibited – including anything practised in private (ie masturbation). In any case, celibacy is a choice which continues to be made today, on the belief that it keeps the mind completely occupied by the faith and the divine of whatever religion – rather than the body and the physical. This appears to be the only motive for a man or woman to commit to the strict rules of celibacy. Theoretically, if somebody breaks it, and maintains some form of carnal relation, then whatever ranking or position held within their religion is immediately withdrawn – titles such as monks, priests and nuns.

Celibacy is practised not only within the Christian faith, but also amongst Buddhists and Taoists, who treat it with different techniques, such as meditation and mind-preparation, and incorporate it into other pleasures such as eating, regarding it as a total cleansing process for the body and soul.

Celibacy may seem an inconceivable idea for the modern times, since sex is now considered as a basic physical need. Studies show that a person who deprives themselves of sex can develop emotional imbalances in their daily life, such as disorientation, memory loss and depression.

As part of the study, 300 men and 300 women were banned from sex of any type (including masturbation) for 15 weeks. In the case of the men, 68% started forgetting how to do their ties, and forgetting to heat up their food before eating it, and 78% became very irritable. Amongst the women, there was not such a dramatic change in memory or mood, and the 67% of women who displayed depressive tendencies attributed it not to lack of sex but of physical contact with themselves.

In any case, it certainly demonstrated that sex is a primitive necessity for human beings – so lets not deprive ourselves, or we might make ourselves ill.

Isabel Pérez

Good sex is good for you – leave the celibacy to others. But if you want to visit places where people practice celibacy, you could rent Seville accommodation , and make a tourist visit to the convents – where you can also sample some of the delicious puddings made by the nuns.

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Translated by: Poppy
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