Now there are the obvious, drink less, don’t smoke, lose weight, limit your coffee intake and try not to overheat, no long soaks in a hot bath…  but there is more to it than that.

Make sure you get plenty of vitamin C, this protects sperm from oxidative damage and improves a condition called ‘agglutination’ where sperm may stick together. Vitamin C should be consumed daily as it cannot be stored by the body for long periods of time. You can take supplements by try eating vitamin C rich foods each day such as capsicums, citrus fruit), kiwi fruit, broccoli, peas, sprouts and tomatoes (I’ll pass on the tomatoes).

Vitamin E is also powerful anti-oxidant which destroys ‘free radicals’ found in the body, These are a result of toxic society we live in (who cheery I hear you say). These have been shown to cause DNA damage to a man’s sperm. A  daily intake of Vitamin E will help protect each sperm cells membrane, preventing DNA damage.

The other more commonly known aspect is that Zinc can restore testosterone levels and increase both fertility and potency. Again there are plenty of brands that offer this in a tablet form, but you can also get it by eating oysters, diets high in protein (meats and legumes), whole grains, brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, wheat germ, pumpkin seed, sunflower seeds, mushroom, seafood, egg yolk & organ meats (I do love a bit of offal).

Now the good part…. Arginine is an amino acid found in protein which increases cellular replication, just what is needed if you want to produce more sperm. It also becomes a physical part of the sperm’s structure (it forms part of the head). Some protein foods have high levels, and some low levels of Arginine, so it is important to try and get the balance right. Foods high in Arginine; Dairy, meat and poultry, and fish are good sources, and nuts, chocolate and watermelon – the good part being we don’t have to feel guilty for eating all that chocolate.

A deficiency of Vitamin B12 leads to reduced sperm counts and reduced sperm motility (the good swimmer part).  Again you can get this into your diet by eating beef liver, cheese, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt and butter. If supplementing Vitamin B12 apparently the sublingual tablets (dissolve under the tongue) are much better absorbed by the body or your doctor can inject it.

Selenium is a mineral which improves the motility of sperm cells, which means they swim better and will increase your chance of conception. Studies show that it helps make up the physical structure of the sperm ‘tails’. This can be sourced by eating Brazil nuts, seafood, oysters, whole grains, yeast, sesame seeds, wheat germ and wheat bran

And finally, be sure to get some Ginseng in you. The Chinese have been using it for thousands of years, and now research has confirmed the chemicals in ginseng stimulate the hypothalamus in the brain to direct the production of hormones that stimulate cell growth in the sex organs. It also promotes blood circulation for erectile strength and raises testosterone levels.

Now with all that in mind, go forth and multiply….

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,700 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

My father worked at the Sasol refinery (which is where most men in the town worked) and I remember at night it would glisten on the horizon all ablaze in light, it looked so magical.

Men drove bakkies (a van), we wore takkies (not trainers) and had a braai (BBQ) at the weekend.

We had a huge garden (well to a child it seemed huge) and playing outdoors was the norm. The Baker family lived close by, a Scottish family with four girls; I think my brother and I were both in love with the eldest Lisa (she and I became pen pals after we both moved away).

There was no cinema in the town back then but there was a Drive In which we used to go to occasionally. It would get cold in the evenings so us three kids would all huddle on the back seat under blankets and more often than not fall asleep before the movie ended.

There were some fields close to our house that we used to play in for hours with other kids and our dog Simba would love to role in the mud and dung of wild animals coming home pleased as punch and stinking up the whole house.

Life seemed simpler then and my adulthood so far away, now it’s my childhood that seems so far away and although life is a little less simple it is far richer for having had the experiences I did back then, and for that I thank my parents.

This post is part of a series inspired by the Prevent Abuse of Children Today (PACT) campaign, hosted by Stepping Stones Nigeria. Please add your name to the PACT petition to prevent abuse of innocent children in the Niger Delta and visit the site to find out more: www.makeapact.org

It seems odd to think that a whole year has gone by since she died, she was a bright light in many people’s lives and this past year has been a little darker without her in it.

Tania was a much respected intellectual and her achievements in both the academic and LGBT scenes were highly regarded. Many remember her for the good work she did with Aids Council of New South Wales (ACON) in the Northern Rivers area where she was manager. Tania’s last role was working with the University Department of Rural Health in Lismore where she was co-ordinating a primary health care research development programme. Tania always applied a great deal of passion to provide and improve services to the gay and lesbian community. She really did make a difference to people’s lives.

Earlier this year a number of community members and past colleagues of Tania’s along with Tania’s partner Deb established an annual memorial lecture in Tania’s honour, ‘The Dr Tania Lienert Memorial Lecture for Social Justice and Diversity’. The first lecture took place in June this year, with the renowned writer and human rights activist, Arnold Zable, delivering the lecture which had as it’s subject these as ‘The Healing Power of Story’.

About 300 people attended the lecture which is testament to the great affection she was held within the community at large.  Tania had an immense sense of compassion, understanding, respect and forgiveness for others and I thank her for the impact she has made on my life and  remember her fondly, she will forever be in my heart.

I always told myself I would keep my first one and have it framed on a balk background and displayed proudly somewhere in my home. After all he does usher in a new phase of my life.

I am actually really looking forward to this next phase and am curious to see where it takes me, I know some people suffer from gerascophobia (a fear of growing old) but I am not one of those people. Admittedly when I was younger I did, but now I am just grateful to have got as far as I have and welcome the chance to grow old.

I noticed in my early 30’s that my perspective with regards to how I felt about getting older started to shift, and this made me look at life on a whole different level. I felt free of the some of the fears I associated with aging and this helped me to really live in the moment, something that I had always strived to do and something I am now a big fan of.

The arrival of my new friend has surprisingly made me think about what is ahead for me rather than make me think about what has come before, where I have been and what I have done.  So welcome I say, and your arrival is a unexpectedly welcome one.

They also offered ‘special discounted’ fairs to those stranded passengers and did a great job at targeting Qantas’ corporate travel customers. Members of the exclusive Qantas Chairman’s Lounge and those with Platinum status in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program were welcome to make use of the Virgin Australia lounge.

All this means that many who had not experienced the Virgin brand before will have done so at a time when their frustration and anger at the Qantas brand is at a real low point and surely the Virgin brand can only compare well at a time like this. Their spokesperson did a fantastic job at the weekend talking directly to the traveller and positioning the Virgin brand as the hero in all this, there to step in and help the traveller in their time of need. Job well done, let’s hope they see some long-term benefit for their efforts.

He is back in town after having spent some time serving in the Army (a man after my own heart) and not only does he tell his fellow comic book friends that he meet Mr Right but he announces his wedding.

When he was first on the scene (no pun intended) it was Veronica that was trying to make a play for him, although I was hoping it would be Jughead that Kevin would make his move with, alas that will have to remain a fantasy of mine….

Kevin’s upcoming same-sex marriage (not civil partnership) is another first for the Archie Comics, and will be the first one depicted in mainstream comic books in general. We wished him well in his adventures back in September and it’s great to see the character, grow and be so well received.  In fact writer Dan Parent, was nominated for a GLAAD award for his creation. Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater said last year in relation to the creation of Archie’s first gay character: “The introduction of Kevin is just about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive.” And it is great to see that they are continuing the good work.

Kevin’s wedding will appear in the January 2012 issue of Life With Archie, a spin-off series that follows the central characters as twenty-something adults, with his own solo series rumoured for a release early next year also. Watch this space….

1 – Turn the power off at the switch, according to Origin leaving appliances on standby cost the average home $180 a year

2 – Hang the washing up to dry, don’t use the tumble dryer.  Apparently is you use a dryer on average twice a week you would save $300 a year

3 – If you insist on using the dryer be sure to keep the filter nice and clean, having a lint free dryer makes it 50% more efficient

4 – Get your hands wet, in other words stop using the dishwasher, or alternatively put it on just before you go to bed, this would mean it runs during the ‘off peak’ which cost you less and electricity providers don’t have to work so hard to meet demand

5 – Use a frontloader washing machine instead of a toploader (yes people in the UK top loaders are still being sold in Australia).  Frontloaders tend to not only use less water but also use less energy to run

6 – Turn the computer off when you are done using it, apparently this could save the average user $240 a year and of course less energy

7 – Turn the lights off, an oldie buy a goody, I mean why does the light need to be on if you are not in the room!

8 – Only boil what you need, in other words don’t fill up the kettle if you are only making one cup

There you go some nice simple steps which mean you will be using less energy and hence saving money while at the same time helping the planet to breathe a little more easily.