Wands & apparating, Majorca, Chocolate and dementors

[Brooks A. Rowlett]

No: HPFGUIDX 2552

1) I think it is pretty well demonstrated that wands are NOT something
needed for apparating.  We don't see anybody apparate and then stow
his/her wand in the robe after arrival.  I contend that it is an
'internally spoken' spell, one you just *think* to make happen.
Sirius may not apparate because he is one of the wizards who cannot, or
else doesn't like it.

2) Majorca is one of the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean, due
south of Barcelona.  Other islands include Minorca ('Major' and 'minor',
get it?) and Ibiza; IIRC, Ibiza is considered the most upscale of the
resorts.  Majorca is indeed a popular European vacation spot.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sp.html
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/maps/sp-map.jpg  <----map alone

3) Chocolate is good for Dementor effects because it is good for you.
:-)  

Seriously, chocolate is known to cause a slight increase in endorphins -
 brain chemicals which give some sense of pleasure and well-being, and
also some suppression of pain.  Since the effect of Dementor gaze is in
essence identical to major depression, anything which enhances a state
of wellbeing helps recovery.  Note that while commercial chocolate
produdcts tend to have too much fat or sugar for health, chocolate
itself (think of it as a spice that is used to flavor other things -
so-called 'white chocolate' is in fact the other things without the
spice) has recently been demonstrated to have some arterial
anti-blocking properties, and it provides a general sense of
pleasantness and well-being without the consequences of some other drugs!

Supposedly, the endorphin stimulation of chocolate is insufficient to
make a noticeable difference in a human brain, but other research now
shows that the craving and sense of deprivation in many people who are
denied chocolate actually does appear to have some physical, not just
psychological cause - some 2/3rds of women and 1/3 of men have chocolate
cravings, which is interesting since women are also twice as likely as
men to be diagnosed with depression 

-Brooks A Rowlett