Author: Davinos Greeno
Source: articledashboard.com
The UK government is aiming for a 60% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 but we will not be able to meet our goals on climate change without curbing the demand for air travel. At present the experts predicts that only 5.5% of the UK carbon emissions is due to air travel and that the government should concentrate on the other 94.5% as the UK air travel industry generates thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in revenue and these figures are set to increase as the airline industry wants to increase the number of passenger movements in UK airports from about 200m per year now to about 470m by 2030. If this happens then air travel will account for over 10 % of carbon emissions in the UK. It will be more than 10% if other polluting sectors such as car travel are reduced due to an increase in public transport use and cleaner fuels.
What can we do to prevent this growth in flying?
The government has said it wants aviation included in the next round of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. What is this? Well…
There is an emissions trading scheme in operation internationally but many people are not aware that this is perceived to be the cornerstone of the climate change policy in the EU and USA.
Firms are set quotas on how much carbon dioxide they can produce per year, if they produce more than this allowance, then they buy an allowance from another firm that has not reached its quota on how much it can produce in one year! Get it?
Emissions Trading is particularly suited to the emissions of greenhouse gases, the gases responsible for global warming, which have the same effect wherever they are emitted. The idea of the carbon-trading scheme was to raise the cost to firms of continuing to pollute while creating a market to give an incentive to become more environmentally efficient.
Another suggestion to curb travel is airlines paying higher taxes on short haul European flights to reflect emissions, even if this results in higher fares. The thinking is that taxation through passenger duty would be easier and quicker than focusing on the Emissions Trading Scheme but any proposed increase in taxation would need to be enough to slow down the growth and eventually decrease the number of short haul flights.
A decrease in flights would be bad for airports and airlines as they would see a decrease in airport generated profits and could lead to a number of job losses and competitiveness for the UK economy, but other sectors of the UK economy such as domestic tourism would benefit thus creating jobs and revenue for the tax man to get his greedy hands on.
Most of the wealthier nations in Europe are developing an air dependent culture and its clear that something needs to be done. Frequent flying for business and pleasure and second homes abroad is fuelling this growth in air travel. Other forms of public transport such as rail are getting more expensive making domestic flights within the UK more affordable and convenient. In the USA this tends not to be the case due to the distance between major cities.
Carbon offsetting helps you to offset the carbon dioxide that you use when flying by planting trees or installing solar panels and thereby removing your contribution to global climate change. You contribute to pollution by flying; you reduce the pollution by planting trees! You are carbon neutral!
China vacations info - Xiangshan Moutain Park travel
Author: Shane Lee
Source: articlesbase.com
This article is about the China vacations and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your China vacations now. Xiangshan ( means Fragrant Hill in Chinese ) Mountain is also called "Jingyiyuan". It is located in the west of the Haidian District, Beijing, about 20 kilometers far away from the downtown of Beijing. It occupies 160 hektares. In the April and May of every year, there will be flower exhibitions holding in Xiangshan Mountain. You can see hundreds of beautiful flowers here if you visit Xiangshan Mountain during this period of time. The most famous thing of Xiangshan Mountain is the red autumn leaves. Every autumn, the whole Xiangshan Mountain is covered with red leaves of the Rhus glabra trees. These red autumn leaves look like fire, very beautiful. Thousands of people come to see them every day in autumn. These Rhus glabra trees are planted 200 years ago (during the Qing Dynasty of China). Now there are more than 94,000 glabra trees in Xiangshan Mountain. Generally, the best time to see the red autume leaves of Xiangshan Mountain is October and November and you can have a very good view at Banshanting, Yuhuashanzhuang or Langfengting. (info for your China vacations and travel) Why is this mountain called " Fragrant Hill " ?(1). The stalactites of the Fragrant Hill look like Chinese incense burners. Because of this, this mountain is called Fragrant Hill by the local people.(2). The flowers of the apricot trees in this mountain make it fragrant and lots of people start to call it the Fragrant Hill.(info for your China vacations and travel) Two main routes through the Xiangshan Mountain Park: One route goes through the north area, with Spectacles Lake (Yanjing Lake) and the bridge, Study of Reading Heart (Jianxin Zhai) and Bright Temple (Zhao Miao). Study of Reading Heart was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) and is a landscaped park inside Fragrant Hills Park. Bright Temple is a large Tibetan style lamasery complex built in 1780 as the residence for the sixth Panchen Lama during his visits to Emperor Qianlong. Buildings in the complex have partially been burned down. Among the surviving treasures are a majestic glazed-tiled archway in front of the complex, a terrace and a glazed-tiled pagoda. Bells hung on the eaves of the pagoda chime in breeze. The second route leads through the south area of the park. Main attractions along the route include Tranqulity Green Lake (Jingcui Lake), Shuangqing Villa, Fragrant Temple, and Incense Burner Peak. This route is more difficult because it leads across the highest peak, Incense Burner Peak. Admission fees: 10 rmb for the peak season (04/01 - 11/15), 5 rmb for the slack season (11/16 - 03/31).10 rmb for the Biyunsi Temple.(info for your China vacations and travel)30 rmb for the Rope way (none holiday or weekend), 50 rmb for holidays or weekends. ( price for kids is 10 rmb ) How to get here? The best option is to take the public transportation. The Line 733, 833, 714, 360, 318, 904, 331 city buses can take you to the Xiangshan Mountain. If you like the subway, you can take the Line 2 subway to the station named "Jishuitan", then transfer to the Line 331 city bus. Xiangshan Mountain is at the terminal of the Line 331 bus. You can take the Line 2 subway to the station named "Xizhimen" too. Then transfer to the Line 904 city bus. Date: 05/04/2009. Copyright belongs to Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM . You can find more information about china vacations, lhasa travel guide and travel tips from our web site.NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article's source URL Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.
Source: articlesbase.com
This article is about the China vacations and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your China vacations now. Xiangshan ( means Fragrant Hill in Chinese ) Mountain is also called "Jingyiyuan". It is located in the west of the Haidian District, Beijing, about 20 kilometers far away from the downtown of Beijing. It occupies 160 hektares. In the April and May of every year, there will be flower exhibitions holding in Xiangshan Mountain. You can see hundreds of beautiful flowers here if you visit Xiangshan Mountain during this period of time. The most famous thing of Xiangshan Mountain is the red autumn leaves. Every autumn, the whole Xiangshan Mountain is covered with red leaves of the Rhus glabra trees. These red autumn leaves look like fire, very beautiful. Thousands of people come to see them every day in autumn. These Rhus glabra trees are planted 200 years ago (during the Qing Dynasty of China). Now there are more than 94,000 glabra trees in Xiangshan Mountain. Generally, the best time to see the red autume leaves of Xiangshan Mountain is October and November and you can have a very good view at Banshanting, Yuhuashanzhuang or Langfengting. (info for your China vacations and travel) Why is this mountain called " Fragrant Hill " ?(1). The stalactites of the Fragrant Hill look like Chinese incense burners. Because of this, this mountain is called Fragrant Hill by the local people.(2). The flowers of the apricot trees in this mountain make it fragrant and lots of people start to call it the Fragrant Hill.(info for your China vacations and travel) Two main routes through the Xiangshan Mountain Park: One route goes through the north area, with Spectacles Lake (Yanjing Lake) and the bridge, Study of Reading Heart (Jianxin Zhai) and Bright Temple (Zhao Miao). Study of Reading Heart was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) and is a landscaped park inside Fragrant Hills Park. Bright Temple is a large Tibetan style lamasery complex built in 1780 as the residence for the sixth Panchen Lama during his visits to Emperor Qianlong. Buildings in the complex have partially been burned down. Among the surviving treasures are a majestic glazed-tiled archway in front of the complex, a terrace and a glazed-tiled pagoda. Bells hung on the eaves of the pagoda chime in breeze. The second route leads through the south area of the park. Main attractions along the route include Tranqulity Green Lake (Jingcui Lake), Shuangqing Villa, Fragrant Temple, and Incense Burner Peak. This route is more difficult because it leads across the highest peak, Incense Burner Peak. Admission fees: 10 rmb for the peak season (04/01 - 11/15), 5 rmb for the slack season (11/16 - 03/31).10 rmb for the Biyunsi Temple.(info for your China vacations and travel)30 rmb for the Rope way (none holiday or weekend), 50 rmb for holidays or weekends. ( price for kids is 10 rmb ) How to get here? The best option is to take the public transportation. The Line 733, 833, 714, 360, 318, 904, 331 city buses can take you to the Xiangshan Mountain. If you like the subway, you can take the Line 2 subway to the station named "Jishuitan", then transfer to the Line 331 city bus. Xiangshan Mountain is at the terminal of the Line 331 bus. You can take the Line 2 subway to the station named "Xizhimen" too. Then transfer to the Line 904 city bus. Date: 05/04/2009. Copyright belongs to Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM . You can find more information about china vacations, lhasa travel guide and travel tips from our web site.NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article's source URL Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.
About the author: Shane Lee. Copyright belongs to China vacations info . Source of this article: China vacations, Xiangshan travel . More China tours and vacations attractions info (kung fu martial arts) at: kung fu - China vacations attractions.
Environmentally Tree Friendly Stone Work in River Oaks Landscape
Author: Jeff Halper
Source: isnare.com
Whenever we are working on a property distinguished by large, stately trees, we have to sometimes use very innovative landscaping strategies to protect tree roots. Structures built too closely to the trunks of trees require a certain amount of digging to be secured to the earth, and the sheer force of gravity will settle any structure of significant weight even further into the ground. To avoid damaging trees that may be hundreds of years old, we employee a variety of tree root protection strategies to ensure that tree roots are protected anytime we are laying stone work or foundation nearby.
A recent example of this occurred in River Oaks on a property where we were hired to perform a number of landscaping upgrades and new constructions. One of the new constructions that the homeowner requested we complete on this project was the creation of a new walkway that would encircle a portion of the front yard, cross over a primary walkway, and wind around the home to the back, where the swimming pool was located. This secondary walkway was a proposed new structure which would run underneath several very stately oak trees. To install it, we would need to utilize some very innovative and environmentally friendly stone work to ensure tree root protection.
The reason we have to be so careful is due to the way that tree roots grow. Roots fan out in all directions, and many of the larger ones run parallel to the surface of the earth, just underneath the ground. One of the things that stoneworkers must avoid at all costs is digging too deep into the ground with tools. Spades and other implements can cut a root deeply enough to kill it and severely injure, or even possibly kill, even the largest of trees. This represents a significant challenge to the landscaper, who typically digs down six inches, lays a concrete slab as a base, then sets the stones over this concrete and fixes them together with mortar. This simply could not be done on this project, because even if we had somehow avoided cutting into the tree roots, there would have been no way to protect them from the pressure of people walking over them and pressing a concrete slab directly down upon their surfaces. In order to fulfill our clients expectations, we would either have to landscape around the tree roots, or devise a strategy of securely laying stones far enough above the roots that they would be protected from the weight and pressure of human foot traffic.
After careful study of both the landscaping plan and the trees themselves, our designers came up with a plan that would protect tree roots and still create a very solid, sturdy walkway for people to travel on. First, we replaced standard digging implements with air and water tools known as an air space and hydrovac. These allowed us to remove a layer of dirt and water without destructive impact to the tree roots. Once we excavated to an appropriate depth, we laid down plastic rather than concrete, then custom cut each stone so precisely that the individual limestone blocks fit together seamlessly. To prevent them from slipping when people walked on them, we secured the edges of the flat blocks with just enough mortar to bind them together in much the same manner that glue would bind two pieces of wood.
This process both protected tree roots both during construction of the walkway and after completion of the walkway. There is no concrete slab pressing down on the tree roots, and the stones and surrounding earth absorb the weight of people traveling the walk way.
If you have been hesitating on moving forward on plans to renovate or recreate the landscape features surrounding your home because you are concerned about damage to your trees, please give us a call at (713) 827-2255 and schedule a free evaluation with one of our designers. We can explain in detail how we will protect tree roots and other indigenous vegetation while simultaneously adding an entirely new look to your property.
Jeff Halper is passionate for Landscaping and wants to share infomation about that passion. At Exterior Worlds you can read more about Landscaping and stone work in River Oaks or Landscape Design
Source: isnare.com
Whenever we are working on a property distinguished by large, stately trees, we have to sometimes use very innovative landscaping strategies to protect tree roots. Structures built too closely to the trunks of trees require a certain amount of digging to be secured to the earth, and the sheer force of gravity will settle any structure of significant weight even further into the ground. To avoid damaging trees that may be hundreds of years old, we employee a variety of tree root protection strategies to ensure that tree roots are protected anytime we are laying stone work or foundation nearby.
A recent example of this occurred in River Oaks on a property where we were hired to perform a number of landscaping upgrades and new constructions. One of the new constructions that the homeowner requested we complete on this project was the creation of a new walkway that would encircle a portion of the front yard, cross over a primary walkway, and wind around the home to the back, where the swimming pool was located. This secondary walkway was a proposed new structure which would run underneath several very stately oak trees. To install it, we would need to utilize some very innovative and environmentally friendly stone work to ensure tree root protection.
The reason we have to be so careful is due to the way that tree roots grow. Roots fan out in all directions, and many of the larger ones run parallel to the surface of the earth, just underneath the ground. One of the things that stoneworkers must avoid at all costs is digging too deep into the ground with tools. Spades and other implements can cut a root deeply enough to kill it and severely injure, or even possibly kill, even the largest of trees. This represents a significant challenge to the landscaper, who typically digs down six inches, lays a concrete slab as a base, then sets the stones over this concrete and fixes them together with mortar. This simply could not be done on this project, because even if we had somehow avoided cutting into the tree roots, there would have been no way to protect them from the pressure of people walking over them and pressing a concrete slab directly down upon their surfaces. In order to fulfill our clients expectations, we would either have to landscape around the tree roots, or devise a strategy of securely laying stones far enough above the roots that they would be protected from the weight and pressure of human foot traffic.
After careful study of both the landscaping plan and the trees themselves, our designers came up with a plan that would protect tree roots and still create a very solid, sturdy walkway for people to travel on. First, we replaced standard digging implements with air and water tools known as an air space and hydrovac. These allowed us to remove a layer of dirt and water without destructive impact to the tree roots. Once we excavated to an appropriate depth, we laid down plastic rather than concrete, then custom cut each stone so precisely that the individual limestone blocks fit together seamlessly. To prevent them from slipping when people walked on them, we secured the edges of the flat blocks with just enough mortar to bind them together in much the same manner that glue would bind two pieces of wood.
This process both protected tree roots both during construction of the walkway and after completion of the walkway. There is no concrete slab pressing down on the tree roots, and the stones and surrounding earth absorb the weight of people traveling the walk way.
If you have been hesitating on moving forward on plans to renovate or recreate the landscape features surrounding your home because you are concerned about damage to your trees, please give us a call at (713) 827-2255 and schedule a free evaluation with one of our designers. We can explain in detail how we will protect tree roots and other indigenous vegetation while simultaneously adding an entirely new look to your property.
Jeff Halper is passionate for Landscaping and wants to share infomation about that passion. At Exterior Worlds you can read more about Landscaping and stone work in River Oaks or Landscape Design
The Legend of the Dewadaru Tree
Author: Leonard Lee
Source: download
The Dewadaru tree is mostly found to the north of the island of Java, among the Sunda islands of Karimunjava, in the Java Sea, bearing the coordinates of Latitude 5ฐ 52' S, and Longitude 110ฐ 26' E. It has a human population of approximately 20,000 people. The Dewadaru tree had been sanctified by the local inhabitants of the island for countless generations as a result of a myth perpetuated by the elders of the society. In one of the local dialects, "daru" means "blessing from heaven," while "dewa," (derived from Sanskrit) is the Indonesian term for "god." "Dewadaru" is thus interpreted as the "gift of the gods," implying that this tree genus is a tangible symbolic gift from the gods/esses to the islanders. To the local inhabitants, the Dewadaru represents the wisdom of the gods in maintaining the harmony, stability, and peacefulness of Nature. The Dewadaru is believed to be the protective guardian of the living souls on the Karimunjava islands.
According to the legend, there was once a man living on the island of Java who was furious with his son for constant disobedience. The man, although he loved his son dearly, strove to inculcate in him a certain hard lesson. So one day he drove his son away from home with the warning that he was not to set foot on Java again.
Not willing to disobey his father again, he prepared himself for the journey. In sadness, the son left Mt. Muria where they dwelt and moved on to the open seas to the north. He sailed on a boat for many days through stormy weather and amidst huge waves, not really knowing his destination and perhaps with little will to survive. Then one day, his boat landed on the shores of a small, uninhabited island.
Meanwhile, from the peak of Mt. Muria in Java, the boy's father was secretly watching over his son clairvoyantly. But for some reason his vision was vague and unclear, and thus lost track of the whereabouts of the boy on that island. In the old Javanese language, the word "vague" is translated as kerimun. Thus the island became known as "Karimun-java."
The boy continued his journey inland bearing two wooden staffs as walking sticks to assist his journey. He retrieved these from the shore. These two short poles wounded him while his boat was capsized to shore by the sheer power of the waves. In the middle of the forest he poked the two staffs to the ground and started to rest from the tiresome journey. Miraculously, in that very instant the two staffs grew into magnificent trees. In awe of the incident, he named them "Dewadaru." In the present day, the place where he rested now stands the village of Nyamplungan.
Nowadays, although not too numerous, there is a substantial amount of Dewadaru trees growing on the islands-the descendants of the very first two. The remains of the original, fabulous Dewadaru trees may still be seen. The humps are there as if to substantiate the truth of the legend. The descendants of the magickal trees grow in hill-slopes of the islands and are not easily accessible.
In proximity to the once glorious trees is a grave that until now is still being sanctified by the locals. On certain nights-such as Jumat Kliwon (a Thursday night occurring once in 35 days) of the Javanese calendar, the grave would be visited by pilgrims desiring the blessings of the spiritual adept to whom the grave belongs. The adept was known as Sunan Nyamplungan from whence the village received its name.
For centuries, the Dewadaru tree or wood is believed by the inhabitants of Karimunjava to possess magickal powers. Tested through time, the wood is said to heal poisonous bites, and aches or illnesses in the abdominal region. Dewadaru wood is often carried as an amulet for personal protection against evil persons as well as a weapon against evil spirits. It is said that unlike other types of wood, the Dewadaru, even a small piece of it, sinks when placed in water.
Seventy-five kilometers away, as the crow flies, from the town of Jepara in Java, the Karimunjava islands has a scary myth related to the Dewadaru. There is supposed to be a warning by the regional spirits that the sacred Dewadaru wood or tree is not to be taken out of the islands without the concession of the spiritual guardians of the area. Whosoever violates this, even by taking a small piece of the wood, incurs the wrath of Nature and calamity befalls him or her not long after. The usual mishap is the sinking or the immobility of the vessel that the person travels on to journey back to the mainland. Sometimes it could be a fatal illness after the trip. Often the person dies a tragic death in a freak "accident." At first this myth was regarded as a superstition, but several instances of this have been recorded.
In regards to the sinking of unfortunate vessels transporting the wood, some observers have noted of unusual events beforehand. Signs and warnings are given from the invisible world. Tales of these spirit communications and unheeded warnings abound. One story in particular relates of an old woman appearing to the captain of a vessel warning that the boat or ship was carrying the sacred wood and that this was taken from the region without permission and the required ceremony. Before disappearing, she warned the captain to unload the illicitly gained item. The captain did not heed her request and as a result, the vessel that he commanded en route to the Java mainland sank to the watery depths. Before the ship sailed even the villagers of the island were given omens that the vessel was doomed. Many of them heard blasting sounds on the nearby Nyamplungan hill. Careful investigations revealed nothing that could have produced those noises. It is said that to this day these sounds still occur whenever a ship or a boat is destined to plunge into Davy Jones' locker. In 1981 a mishap was prevented from occurring. There was a ship on its way to Java from the Karimunjava islands. Somewhere in the middle of the sea its engine stalled and it became immobile. Moments later everyone on board, passengers and crew, panicked. Out of the calm sea, huge waves suddenly appeared, threatening to capsize the vessel. The captain realizing what was wrong in haste called upon the passengers to throw into the sea any Dewadaru wood that they were carrying. One person confessed that he had some of the wood in his possession. This was quickly cast into the sea with apologies to the spirit guardians of Karimunjava. Amazingly, minutes later the waves subsided.
There are always two sides to a coin. The above myth also has a different aspect: if by any chance the Dewadaru wood finds its way outside of the Karimunjava islands, the wood would double its potency and act as a powerful catalyst to awaken the dormant occult faculties within its possessor or user. The energy of the wood itself is a potent amulet against all forms of black magick and it also wards off negative entities, as mentioned previously. Dewadaru is also worn as protective amulets against the jettatore, the evil eye. From the metaphysical viewpoint, the dryads or spirits of the trees are especially empowered and their power or virtues are occultly inherent within the wood. The energy of the Dewadaru wood has a beneficent influence upon the psychosomatic system of man. The village shamans say that the Dewadaru is an exclusive gift to the people on the island, one reason why the spiritual guardians of the region do not permit the wood to be exported unless with special concession.
There are numerous strange stories related to the magickal Dewadaru tree or its wood. To the local inhabitants these are no longer a matter of belief but knowledge and conviction gained from day to day experience. Being sacred, the Dewadaru is used only for devotional and protective purposes. One hardly finds the villagers using this wood for the fashioning of furniture or as a building material; and only the courageous would use it in their spiritual activities. The trees are not too numerous on the islands nowadays and therefore they are forcefully preserved. The Dewadaru is esteemed highly for their traditional and cultural value, and regarded as the totem guardians of the island. Because the occult power of the Dewadaru is well known, many disrespectful outsiders plunder the wood seeking to possess and misuse the power within it for egoic purposes. But it is also believed that Sunan Nyamplungan, the guardian of the island, or his proxy, plays a role in protecting the place from pilferers. Some say that the Adept sometimes appear as a gigantic bat to those who carry-out their negative intentions.
In 1992, the faculty of biology of the University of Gajah Mada conducted some research on the Dewadaru and the report of their analysis states that this tree is quite rare and not easily propagated. There are two strains to be found in the Karimunjava islands: the first strain is Dewadaru Baccaurea Sumatrana from the Euphorbiaceae family. The second, Fagraea Elliptica from the Loganiaceae family.
The Dewadaru is supposed to be found solely in the Karimunjava islands. Although almost unheard of, there is at least one Dewadaru tree to be found in Java in the area of Mt. Kawi in the region of Malang, East Java. Strangely enough, those living in this area sanctify the leaves rather than the wood.
Mt. Kawi is well-known for its pilgrimage site for those seeking wealth. The tree grows nearby a grave of someone who was known as Eyang Jugo, a metaphysical practitioner of royal descent. It is said that those sitting underneath the Dewadaru tree and is fortunate enough to have a leave or two fall on their heads out of their own accord, then this is a sign that great financial blessings or wealth will be bestowed upon them. It is thus not surprising to find people sitting or even spending the night 'neath the shade of the tree hoping to catch a leaf-fall. People come from all over Java hoping to transform their fate with a simple sitting. However, even with strong winds, seldom does a leaf detach itself from the branches with the hope and expectation of the sitters. Many return to their normal lives in disappointment. At times those standing quite a distance from the tree are often blessed with a falling leaf, often blown by a non-existing wind. There are tales of those who disbelieved in the sacredness of the tree and mockingly place a leaf upon their own heads. The result was that on their way home from the mountain they encountered tragic mishaps.
The origin of the Dewadaru tree at this particular site of pilgrimage has a similar tale as the one of Karimunjava. Both were the result of the insertions of walking staffs into the grounds. According to the legend, Eyang Jugo once journeyed with a companion to his close friend R.M. Imam Soejono, who lived on Mt. Kawi. Along the way he rested in a shady area. It was there that he received intuitively from the spirit planes that his life was drawing to a close. He advised his travel companion that where he died, it was there that he was to be buried. Further along the way Eyang Jugo suddenly stabbed the ground with his staff and expired. The staff filled with the power of Eyang Jugo, suddenly grew into a tree. The Chinese people living in the precincts of Eyang Jugo's gravesite called the tree "Shian Toho," and this was translated into Javanese as "Dewadaru."
As mentioned above, the Dewadaru wood is often carried as an amulet. Those able to acquire a rosary fashioned from it for spiritual or devotional purposes is indeed fortunate, for it is rare that anyone is given the permission to secure this wood from the islands and to tap into its inherent magickal virtues.
Copyright ฉ 2006 Luxamore
Luxamore
Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia.
http://www.indotalisman.com/
http://www.bezoarmustikapearls.com/
Source: download
The Dewadaru tree is mostly found to the north of the island of Java, among the Sunda islands of Karimunjava, in the Java Sea, bearing the coordinates of Latitude 5ฐ 52' S, and Longitude 110ฐ 26' E. It has a human population of approximately 20,000 people. The Dewadaru tree had been sanctified by the local inhabitants of the island for countless generations as a result of a myth perpetuated by the elders of the society. In one of the local dialects, "daru" means "blessing from heaven," while "dewa," (derived from Sanskrit) is the Indonesian term for "god." "Dewadaru" is thus interpreted as the "gift of the gods," implying that this tree genus is a tangible symbolic gift from the gods/esses to the islanders. To the local inhabitants, the Dewadaru represents the wisdom of the gods in maintaining the harmony, stability, and peacefulness of Nature. The Dewadaru is believed to be the protective guardian of the living souls on the Karimunjava islands.
According to the legend, there was once a man living on the island of Java who was furious with his son for constant disobedience. The man, although he loved his son dearly, strove to inculcate in him a certain hard lesson. So one day he drove his son away from home with the warning that he was not to set foot on Java again.
Not willing to disobey his father again, he prepared himself for the journey. In sadness, the son left Mt. Muria where they dwelt and moved on to the open seas to the north. He sailed on a boat for many days through stormy weather and amidst huge waves, not really knowing his destination and perhaps with little will to survive. Then one day, his boat landed on the shores of a small, uninhabited island.
Meanwhile, from the peak of Mt. Muria in Java, the boy's father was secretly watching over his son clairvoyantly. But for some reason his vision was vague and unclear, and thus lost track of the whereabouts of the boy on that island. In the old Javanese language, the word "vague" is translated as kerimun. Thus the island became known as "Karimun-java."
The boy continued his journey inland bearing two wooden staffs as walking sticks to assist his journey. He retrieved these from the shore. These two short poles wounded him while his boat was capsized to shore by the sheer power of the waves. In the middle of the forest he poked the two staffs to the ground and started to rest from the tiresome journey. Miraculously, in that very instant the two staffs grew into magnificent trees. In awe of the incident, he named them "Dewadaru." In the present day, the place where he rested now stands the village of Nyamplungan.
Nowadays, although not too numerous, there is a substantial amount of Dewadaru trees growing on the islands-the descendants of the very first two. The remains of the original, fabulous Dewadaru trees may still be seen. The humps are there as if to substantiate the truth of the legend. The descendants of the magickal trees grow in hill-slopes of the islands and are not easily accessible.
In proximity to the once glorious trees is a grave that until now is still being sanctified by the locals. On certain nights-such as Jumat Kliwon (a Thursday night occurring once in 35 days) of the Javanese calendar, the grave would be visited by pilgrims desiring the blessings of the spiritual adept to whom the grave belongs. The adept was known as Sunan Nyamplungan from whence the village received its name.
For centuries, the Dewadaru tree or wood is believed by the inhabitants of Karimunjava to possess magickal powers. Tested through time, the wood is said to heal poisonous bites, and aches or illnesses in the abdominal region. Dewadaru wood is often carried as an amulet for personal protection against evil persons as well as a weapon against evil spirits. It is said that unlike other types of wood, the Dewadaru, even a small piece of it, sinks when placed in water.
Seventy-five kilometers away, as the crow flies, from the town of Jepara in Java, the Karimunjava islands has a scary myth related to the Dewadaru. There is supposed to be a warning by the regional spirits that the sacred Dewadaru wood or tree is not to be taken out of the islands without the concession of the spiritual guardians of the area. Whosoever violates this, even by taking a small piece of the wood, incurs the wrath of Nature and calamity befalls him or her not long after. The usual mishap is the sinking or the immobility of the vessel that the person travels on to journey back to the mainland. Sometimes it could be a fatal illness after the trip. Often the person dies a tragic death in a freak "accident." At first this myth was regarded as a superstition, but several instances of this have been recorded.
In regards to the sinking of unfortunate vessels transporting the wood, some observers have noted of unusual events beforehand. Signs and warnings are given from the invisible world. Tales of these spirit communications and unheeded warnings abound. One story in particular relates of an old woman appearing to the captain of a vessel warning that the boat or ship was carrying the sacred wood and that this was taken from the region without permission and the required ceremony. Before disappearing, she warned the captain to unload the illicitly gained item. The captain did not heed her request and as a result, the vessel that he commanded en route to the Java mainland sank to the watery depths. Before the ship sailed even the villagers of the island were given omens that the vessel was doomed. Many of them heard blasting sounds on the nearby Nyamplungan hill. Careful investigations revealed nothing that could have produced those noises. It is said that to this day these sounds still occur whenever a ship or a boat is destined to plunge into Davy Jones' locker. In 1981 a mishap was prevented from occurring. There was a ship on its way to Java from the Karimunjava islands. Somewhere in the middle of the sea its engine stalled and it became immobile. Moments later everyone on board, passengers and crew, panicked. Out of the calm sea, huge waves suddenly appeared, threatening to capsize the vessel. The captain realizing what was wrong in haste called upon the passengers to throw into the sea any Dewadaru wood that they were carrying. One person confessed that he had some of the wood in his possession. This was quickly cast into the sea with apologies to the spirit guardians of Karimunjava. Amazingly, minutes later the waves subsided.
There are always two sides to a coin. The above myth also has a different aspect: if by any chance the Dewadaru wood finds its way outside of the Karimunjava islands, the wood would double its potency and act as a powerful catalyst to awaken the dormant occult faculties within its possessor or user. The energy of the wood itself is a potent amulet against all forms of black magick and it also wards off negative entities, as mentioned previously. Dewadaru is also worn as protective amulets against the jettatore, the evil eye. From the metaphysical viewpoint, the dryads or spirits of the trees are especially empowered and their power or virtues are occultly inherent within the wood. The energy of the Dewadaru wood has a beneficent influence upon the psychosomatic system of man. The village shamans say that the Dewadaru is an exclusive gift to the people on the island, one reason why the spiritual guardians of the region do not permit the wood to be exported unless with special concession.
There are numerous strange stories related to the magickal Dewadaru tree or its wood. To the local inhabitants these are no longer a matter of belief but knowledge and conviction gained from day to day experience. Being sacred, the Dewadaru is used only for devotional and protective purposes. One hardly finds the villagers using this wood for the fashioning of furniture or as a building material; and only the courageous would use it in their spiritual activities. The trees are not too numerous on the islands nowadays and therefore they are forcefully preserved. The Dewadaru is esteemed highly for their traditional and cultural value, and regarded as the totem guardians of the island. Because the occult power of the Dewadaru is well known, many disrespectful outsiders plunder the wood seeking to possess and misuse the power within it for egoic purposes. But it is also believed that Sunan Nyamplungan, the guardian of the island, or his proxy, plays a role in protecting the place from pilferers. Some say that the Adept sometimes appear as a gigantic bat to those who carry-out their negative intentions.
In 1992, the faculty of biology of the University of Gajah Mada conducted some research on the Dewadaru and the report of their analysis states that this tree is quite rare and not easily propagated. There are two strains to be found in the Karimunjava islands: the first strain is Dewadaru Baccaurea Sumatrana from the Euphorbiaceae family. The second, Fagraea Elliptica from the Loganiaceae family.
The Dewadaru is supposed to be found solely in the Karimunjava islands. Although almost unheard of, there is at least one Dewadaru tree to be found in Java in the area of Mt. Kawi in the region of Malang, East Java. Strangely enough, those living in this area sanctify the leaves rather than the wood.
Mt. Kawi is well-known for its pilgrimage site for those seeking wealth. The tree grows nearby a grave of someone who was known as Eyang Jugo, a metaphysical practitioner of royal descent. It is said that those sitting underneath the Dewadaru tree and is fortunate enough to have a leave or two fall on their heads out of their own accord, then this is a sign that great financial blessings or wealth will be bestowed upon them. It is thus not surprising to find people sitting or even spending the night 'neath the shade of the tree hoping to catch a leaf-fall. People come from all over Java hoping to transform their fate with a simple sitting. However, even with strong winds, seldom does a leaf detach itself from the branches with the hope and expectation of the sitters. Many return to their normal lives in disappointment. At times those standing quite a distance from the tree are often blessed with a falling leaf, often blown by a non-existing wind. There are tales of those who disbelieved in the sacredness of the tree and mockingly place a leaf upon their own heads. The result was that on their way home from the mountain they encountered tragic mishaps.
The origin of the Dewadaru tree at this particular site of pilgrimage has a similar tale as the one of Karimunjava. Both were the result of the insertions of walking staffs into the grounds. According to the legend, Eyang Jugo once journeyed with a companion to his close friend R.M. Imam Soejono, who lived on Mt. Kawi. Along the way he rested in a shady area. It was there that he received intuitively from the spirit planes that his life was drawing to a close. He advised his travel companion that where he died, it was there that he was to be buried. Further along the way Eyang Jugo suddenly stabbed the ground with his staff and expired. The staff filled with the power of Eyang Jugo, suddenly grew into a tree. The Chinese people living in the precincts of Eyang Jugo's gravesite called the tree "Shian Toho," and this was translated into Javanese as "Dewadaru."
As mentioned above, the Dewadaru wood is often carried as an amulet. Those able to acquire a rosary fashioned from it for spiritual or devotional purposes is indeed fortunate, for it is rare that anyone is given the permission to secure this wood from the islands and to tap into its inherent magickal virtues.
Copyright ฉ 2006 Luxamore
Luxamore
Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia.
http://www.indotalisman.com/
http://www.bezoarmustikapearls.com/
Taking "The Road Less Traveled"
Author: Haley Sparks
Source: articleage.com
Think back on all of the things you set out to do at the beginning of the year. Think back further to those things you promised to do by the time you reached thirty or forty or fifty. Any regrets? How many things on that list have you set out in full determination to do, but in the end, that devil on your shoulder warned you against starting, telling you that you're too old, too young, too out of shape, too afraid? Too often we listen to that nagging voice telling us that we "can't" or we "shouldn't." Too often, that voice leads to opportunities lost. Now think back on all the times you went with your gut feeling, not that voice in your ear. I would bet that nine times out of ten, despite the fear and the doubt, you came out feeling like you were on top. Pretty remarkable feeling, wouldn't you say?
It's so easy to succumb to the "voice of reason," we hear screaming inside. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that is the voice to heed. But I'm talking about dreams here, not those decisions that bring into question our duties or responsibilities. I'm talking about that personal something that you've always wanted to accomplish for yourself, but were too afraid. Those goals we set at the beginning of the year like running a marathon, losing 15 pounds, taking a trip solo, or conquering a phobia. When we have a dream or a goal, we mean well, don't we? We set out to do it. But something keeps us from it. There's that voice, that deafening voice that serves as an insurmountable barricade, and keeps us from taking that first step. It whispers, taunting us by saying that we're not good enough, not serious enough, not ambitious enough, not smart enough, and not brave enough. Ironic isn't it that all too often that voice echoes in the same timbre of our mother, our father, our husband or wife, even our children. Imagine your dream; it could be ambitious, something that will take years to accomplish, or even something small and personal to bring you a little happiness. The possibilities abound when you are able to ignore the voices, and take that first step forward. I did, and it completely altered my perspective on where I was headed in life.
My fianc้ and I just recently relocated from sunny Florida to the green and rolling horse farms of central Kentucky. We had both grown up in the Sunshine State and had little desire to leave until he was offered a scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky's School of Law. It was with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to friends and family, 100% humidity, and the tourist-filled streets. Once we arrived in Lexington, we found that there were more than hurricanes and humidity missing. People's accents were different, there was no Cuban food to be found in any of the ethnic food aisles, and jobs that had been abundant in the South were not as easily available up in the bluegrass.
It was after a month of job-hunting (as though it were my job), that I decided I needed to take myself on an outing. I had been cooped up in the apartment, sending resumes, sending thank you letters, desperate for human interaction and even more desperate for a job. The pressure and the disappointment were mounting. Yes, it was definitely time for an outing. I consulted my handy "Welcome to Kentucky" guide that the Kentucky Visitor's Bureau had graciously supplied me with, skeptical of what I might find. I searched for attractions in the area, and one caught my eye right away: The Raven Run Sanctuary. "A Sanctuary," I thought to myself, "Now there's just the thing I need." The description sounded promising, "a 470 acre nature sanctuary with over 10 miles of hiking trails."
I was intrigued. But something kept me from walking out the door just then. That voice, far in the back of my mind whispering "do you really thing this is a good idea?" I began to doubt myself. I picked up the phone and called a friend. Single and in her early twenties, it was practically effortless to get her to side with my wilder, adventure-seeking half. It only took a few minutes of conversation to convince me that I needed to change into a pair of shorts, a tank top and some good walking shoes, and head out the door. My more cautious side prompted me to grab a small backpack into which I threw a Swiss army knife, a sweater, and a bottle of water. I was dressed and out the door within ten minutes of having spoken to my friend.
The drive to the nature sanctuary was calming and pleasant. I rolled all of the windows down and turned the radio off, enjoying the sounds of tractors, the smell of fresh cut grass, and the feel of the blowing wind along the way. The sanctuary was about forty minutes from where I live in Lexington, and the further I drove, the more I was reminded of the film "Deliverance" and the unforgettable "You ain't from these parts, are ya'?" scene, complete with "Dueling Banjos" orchestrating my imagination. Again, the voice came back warning "this is foolish, anything could happen out here!" A slight bump in the road had me worried that my tire had gone flat, a wrong turn wondering if I might be shot at for having trespassed.
After having unknowingly driven past the entrance to the park twice, I was almost ready to give up, but I thought "what the hell, I've come this far!" I had finally made it to the parking lot, and to my horror, there was only one other car parked there. "Oh lord," the voice said, "you're going to be murdered or worse out here in the woods by yourself, and no one will find your body for weeks, or even months." I took some solace in knowing that at the very least I had told my friend where I was headed. Even my fianc้ had no idea of my intention to go hiking on a whim.
There was a sign that pointed to the "Nature Center." I figured there would be someone there whom I could ask about the safety of a young girl hiking on her own. I picked up an abandoned walking stick, and started down a cemented path that lead through a wood. It was quiet. I looked ahead, and saw nothing but the path. I looked behind, and saw the same. On either side were trees, and trees, and more trees. But I kept on, and eventually came to an opening where there sat a small house with a sign marking it as the Nature Center. A barn sat behind the house.
There was not a soul to be seen, although there were four cars parked near the small building. Employee's cars I guessed, although I did not see any employees. At the window there was a sign in sheet and a pile of maps with a rock laid on top to keep the wind from blowing them away. I glanced down the list. There had been six sets of visitors that day, all of which had already come and gone except for one couple. No one had come on their own I noticed, and most had remarked that this was not their first visit to the sanctuary. I carefully wrote in my name. I wanted to be sure that it was legible in case I was killed or bitten by a snake or attacked by a bear. I listed the make and model of my car, the number in my party (one), and stated this was my first visit to the park. "Maybe I should lie," I pondered, just in case some sick bastard chanced a look and decided to hunt down some ignorant city girl in the woods that day. I decided I'd take my chances. I opened my map, gripped my walking stick anxiously, and took my first steps down the path, starting my journey. It took me about a half hour of walking to get used to the idea that I would not be running in to other people.
There was a sign posted that said "Overlook." "That sounds nice," I thought, and headed in the direction it pointed toward. I came to a fork in the road, and consulted my handy, Xerox-copied map. Either path would lead me to the overlook, so which one to take? Robert Frost's "The Road Less Traveled" came to mind. Both looked pretty well defined, but feeling inspired, I took notice that the path to the right led into the woods, the other through a flowered field, and I made the decision that any reader of that poem would make, "and I took the road less traveled by." It led me deep into a forest. Not a sound could be heard save for the fall of leaves and my own labored breathing as I trekked up and down the hillside. Then came the echo of my fianc้'s voice in my head wisely stating "you should not be doing this by yourself." I kept on with some trepidation. And then I stopped dead in my tracks. A doe with her fawn were lunching on a bush. It was the closest I had ever been to nature. I stood quite still until my joints felt stiff and I became eager for a better look. My step forward alerted them to my presence and they dashed off, leaping further into the wilderness. I kept on. I was beginning to feel better about this, until I had a moment of dread recalling scenes from the "Blair Witch" film. What if the paths were changing continuously and I ended up lost forever? What if I was reading the map incorrectly? I took a deep breath, and with great effort, worked again to quiet these voices of the skeptical city girl.
After about an hour of hiking, I realized that I was walking quite near a Cliffside. Again fear. Fear of heights this time. I thought I could see water below, but was too nervous to bend over the side and take a better look. I decided just to keep on my path. It wasn't long until I reached the end. There were several large boulders in front of me, and I mustered up the courage and climbed from one down to another. I had not prepared myself for the spectacular view that surrounded me. It had all been worth it; all the fear, all the anxiety, all the doubt. I stood about thirty stories above a river, and across me and on all sides of me were cliff walls, cutting sharply into the grey-blue waters below. And for the first time since I had set out on this outing, on this search for sanctuary, I felt peace. And more than that, I felt accomplishment. I had conquered all of my urban fears to venture out into a breathtaking timeless moment, hidden away from everyone else at that particular point in time, feeling as though all of the trees and cliffs and the river below were available only to me. It was as though I had traveled through Alice's looking glass into another world, another time.
I don't recall how long I sat there, breathing in the fresh air, exhaling all of the tension I had carried with me from the start. The voice stopped then, and a new voice chimed in. "You did it," it said. "You weren't bitten by a snake; you weren't attacked by bears, or killed or raped by some mad man, or attacked by poison ivy." I felt like I could do anything just then. I had even braved sitting near the edge of the cliff to get a better look. And then I suddenly felt silly, realizing that I had spent all this time applying my knowledge and wariness of the asphalt jungle to this far less dangerous and far more inviting rural wilderness.
I started my hike back worry free and filled with vigor and pride and a sense of accomplishment. I thought back over all the pedicures and shopping sprees I had treated myself with. I thought back on the safe choices I had made that, in their own way were rewarding, but lacked any real challenge and therefore any reaffirming sense of "you can." I thought back and realized that this outing, this desperation for sanctuary turned adventure, was the best thing I had done for myself in years. And that has made all the difference.
The Road Less Traveled
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
Haley is a graduate from Florida State University's Department of Anthropology. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her fianc้, and spent most of her life in Florida. Interests are Latin American and Caribbean cultures, religion, symbol and ritual, issues concerned with self and social identity, and the arts (particularly opera, theatre, and especially musical theatre).
Source: articleage.com
Think back on all of the things you set out to do at the beginning of the year. Think back further to those things you promised to do by the time you reached thirty or forty or fifty. Any regrets? How many things on that list have you set out in full determination to do, but in the end, that devil on your shoulder warned you against starting, telling you that you're too old, too young, too out of shape, too afraid? Too often we listen to that nagging voice telling us that we "can't" or we "shouldn't." Too often, that voice leads to opportunities lost. Now think back on all the times you went with your gut feeling, not that voice in your ear. I would bet that nine times out of ten, despite the fear and the doubt, you came out feeling like you were on top. Pretty remarkable feeling, wouldn't you say?
It's so easy to succumb to the "voice of reason," we hear screaming inside. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that is the voice to heed. But I'm talking about dreams here, not those decisions that bring into question our duties or responsibilities. I'm talking about that personal something that you've always wanted to accomplish for yourself, but were too afraid. Those goals we set at the beginning of the year like running a marathon, losing 15 pounds, taking a trip solo, or conquering a phobia. When we have a dream or a goal, we mean well, don't we? We set out to do it. But something keeps us from it. There's that voice, that deafening voice that serves as an insurmountable barricade, and keeps us from taking that first step. It whispers, taunting us by saying that we're not good enough, not serious enough, not ambitious enough, not smart enough, and not brave enough. Ironic isn't it that all too often that voice echoes in the same timbre of our mother, our father, our husband or wife, even our children. Imagine your dream; it could be ambitious, something that will take years to accomplish, or even something small and personal to bring you a little happiness. The possibilities abound when you are able to ignore the voices, and take that first step forward. I did, and it completely altered my perspective on where I was headed in life.
My fianc้ and I just recently relocated from sunny Florida to the green and rolling horse farms of central Kentucky. We had both grown up in the Sunshine State and had little desire to leave until he was offered a scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky's School of Law. It was with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to friends and family, 100% humidity, and the tourist-filled streets. Once we arrived in Lexington, we found that there were more than hurricanes and humidity missing. People's accents were different, there was no Cuban food to be found in any of the ethnic food aisles, and jobs that had been abundant in the South were not as easily available up in the bluegrass.
It was after a month of job-hunting (as though it were my job), that I decided I needed to take myself on an outing. I had been cooped up in the apartment, sending resumes, sending thank you letters, desperate for human interaction and even more desperate for a job. The pressure and the disappointment were mounting. Yes, it was definitely time for an outing. I consulted my handy "Welcome to Kentucky" guide that the Kentucky Visitor's Bureau had graciously supplied me with, skeptical of what I might find. I searched for attractions in the area, and one caught my eye right away: The Raven Run Sanctuary. "A Sanctuary," I thought to myself, "Now there's just the thing I need." The description sounded promising, "a 470 acre nature sanctuary with over 10 miles of hiking trails."
I was intrigued. But something kept me from walking out the door just then. That voice, far in the back of my mind whispering "do you really thing this is a good idea?" I began to doubt myself. I picked up the phone and called a friend. Single and in her early twenties, it was practically effortless to get her to side with my wilder, adventure-seeking half. It only took a few minutes of conversation to convince me that I needed to change into a pair of shorts, a tank top and some good walking shoes, and head out the door. My more cautious side prompted me to grab a small backpack into which I threw a Swiss army knife, a sweater, and a bottle of water. I was dressed and out the door within ten minutes of having spoken to my friend.
The drive to the nature sanctuary was calming and pleasant. I rolled all of the windows down and turned the radio off, enjoying the sounds of tractors, the smell of fresh cut grass, and the feel of the blowing wind along the way. The sanctuary was about forty minutes from where I live in Lexington, and the further I drove, the more I was reminded of the film "Deliverance" and the unforgettable "You ain't from these parts, are ya'?" scene, complete with "Dueling Banjos" orchestrating my imagination. Again, the voice came back warning "this is foolish, anything could happen out here!" A slight bump in the road had me worried that my tire had gone flat, a wrong turn wondering if I might be shot at for having trespassed.
After having unknowingly driven past the entrance to the park twice, I was almost ready to give up, but I thought "what the hell, I've come this far!" I had finally made it to the parking lot, and to my horror, there was only one other car parked there. "Oh lord," the voice said, "you're going to be murdered or worse out here in the woods by yourself, and no one will find your body for weeks, or even months." I took some solace in knowing that at the very least I had told my friend where I was headed. Even my fianc้ had no idea of my intention to go hiking on a whim.
There was a sign that pointed to the "Nature Center." I figured there would be someone there whom I could ask about the safety of a young girl hiking on her own. I picked up an abandoned walking stick, and started down a cemented path that lead through a wood. It was quiet. I looked ahead, and saw nothing but the path. I looked behind, and saw the same. On either side were trees, and trees, and more trees. But I kept on, and eventually came to an opening where there sat a small house with a sign marking it as the Nature Center. A barn sat behind the house.
There was not a soul to be seen, although there were four cars parked near the small building. Employee's cars I guessed, although I did not see any employees. At the window there was a sign in sheet and a pile of maps with a rock laid on top to keep the wind from blowing them away. I glanced down the list. There had been six sets of visitors that day, all of which had already come and gone except for one couple. No one had come on their own I noticed, and most had remarked that this was not their first visit to the sanctuary. I carefully wrote in my name. I wanted to be sure that it was legible in case I was killed or bitten by a snake or attacked by a bear. I listed the make and model of my car, the number in my party (one), and stated this was my first visit to the park. "Maybe I should lie," I pondered, just in case some sick bastard chanced a look and decided to hunt down some ignorant city girl in the woods that day. I decided I'd take my chances. I opened my map, gripped my walking stick anxiously, and took my first steps down the path, starting my journey. It took me about a half hour of walking to get used to the idea that I would not be running in to other people.
There was a sign posted that said "Overlook." "That sounds nice," I thought, and headed in the direction it pointed toward. I came to a fork in the road, and consulted my handy, Xerox-copied map. Either path would lead me to the overlook, so which one to take? Robert Frost's "The Road Less Traveled" came to mind. Both looked pretty well defined, but feeling inspired, I took notice that the path to the right led into the woods, the other through a flowered field, and I made the decision that any reader of that poem would make, "and I took the road less traveled by." It led me deep into a forest. Not a sound could be heard save for the fall of leaves and my own labored breathing as I trekked up and down the hillside. Then came the echo of my fianc้'s voice in my head wisely stating "you should not be doing this by yourself." I kept on with some trepidation. And then I stopped dead in my tracks. A doe with her fawn were lunching on a bush. It was the closest I had ever been to nature. I stood quite still until my joints felt stiff and I became eager for a better look. My step forward alerted them to my presence and they dashed off, leaping further into the wilderness. I kept on. I was beginning to feel better about this, until I had a moment of dread recalling scenes from the "Blair Witch" film. What if the paths were changing continuously and I ended up lost forever? What if I was reading the map incorrectly? I took a deep breath, and with great effort, worked again to quiet these voices of the skeptical city girl.
After about an hour of hiking, I realized that I was walking quite near a Cliffside. Again fear. Fear of heights this time. I thought I could see water below, but was too nervous to bend over the side and take a better look. I decided just to keep on my path. It wasn't long until I reached the end. There were several large boulders in front of me, and I mustered up the courage and climbed from one down to another. I had not prepared myself for the spectacular view that surrounded me. It had all been worth it; all the fear, all the anxiety, all the doubt. I stood about thirty stories above a river, and across me and on all sides of me were cliff walls, cutting sharply into the grey-blue waters below. And for the first time since I had set out on this outing, on this search for sanctuary, I felt peace. And more than that, I felt accomplishment. I had conquered all of my urban fears to venture out into a breathtaking timeless moment, hidden away from everyone else at that particular point in time, feeling as though all of the trees and cliffs and the river below were available only to me. It was as though I had traveled through Alice's looking glass into another world, another time.
I don't recall how long I sat there, breathing in the fresh air, exhaling all of the tension I had carried with me from the start. The voice stopped then, and a new voice chimed in. "You did it," it said. "You weren't bitten by a snake; you weren't attacked by bears, or killed or raped by some mad man, or attacked by poison ivy." I felt like I could do anything just then. I had even braved sitting near the edge of the cliff to get a better look. And then I suddenly felt silly, realizing that I had spent all this time applying my knowledge and wariness of the asphalt jungle to this far less dangerous and far more inviting rural wilderness.
I started my hike back worry free and filled with vigor and pride and a sense of accomplishment. I thought back over all the pedicures and shopping sprees I had treated myself with. I thought back on the safe choices I had made that, in their own way were rewarding, but lacked any real challenge and therefore any reaffirming sense of "you can." I thought back and realized that this outing, this desperation for sanctuary turned adventure, was the best thing I had done for myself in years. And that has made all the difference.
The Road Less Traveled
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
Haley is a graduate from Florida State University's Department of Anthropology. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her fianc้, and spent most of her life in Florida. Interests are Latin American and Caribbean cultures, religion, symbol and ritual, issues concerned with self and social identity, and the arts (particularly opera, theatre, and especially musical theatre).
Singapore Travel Guide - What to Do in Singapore
Author: Sylvia Van De Logt
Source: ezinearticles.com
This is a report on what living in Singapore is like. It can also serve as a travel report for your next visit to Singapore. Singapore is a city in South East Asia and it is situated just underneath Malaysia and to the West of Indonesia. It is a very small island and presently has about 5millioninhabitants. It is very tropical and hot with temperatures always above 30C. It usually only rains about once a day for about half an hour but there are also periods (like now) when there is hardly and periods when there is more. The majority of the population are Chinese descendants that came to Singapore in the early 1800s to work in the newly established port. Most of them speak mandarin although everyone in Singapore is taught in English with mandarin and Malay also being taught. The other 3 population groups are the Malays, the Indians and the Caucasians. All these groups have a very different culture and practice a different religion but Singapore prides itself on its diversity and everyone here seems to get on well. Singapore is a very clean and safe place to live which is one of the reasons I like being here. All the streets are really clean and look beautiful and in many places they are surrounded by lush tree and plants.
So what can you do here as a tourist?
Explore the different cultures Singapore is the perfect place to go if you want to have a taste of Asia, but still like the luxury of a very clean city, people that speak English and fantastic shopping. Although it is a very modern city there are still places in Singapore where you can still experience the Asian culture.
Places to visit
Arab street: this is the traditional neighborhood of the Malay people. You can find the mosque here and some wonderful quaint streets with little shops.
Little India: As soon as you step foot in this part of town, most of the people on the streets are Indian as are the restaurants and shops and you really get a sense of being in India.
Chinatown: lovely antique shops, temples and many beautiful old shophouses makes this a fun place to explore.
Raffles Hotel: this place served as a place of tranquility for the Europeans in colonial times. Today it is a lovely place to explore the museum, browse through some shops, have a drink at the long bar or sit on the outside terrace.
Enjoy the nightlife
Although Singapore seems to have a reputation of being 'boring" the city is working hard to get rid of this image. The formula 1 race is now held here once a year and 2 casinos are being built. There are already many nice cafes and restaurants here. I just love to go outside in the evening with minimal clothes on when the temperature is so lovely and sit at one of the many terraces outside.
Places I like:
Clarke quay: if you think that Singapore is not a happening place then visit Clarke quay. A very bustling part of town with many trendy restaurants, bars and nightclubs. One place I like there is the 1NiteStand comedy bar where they have excellent stand-up comedy and life bands.
Although I now prefer Clarke Quay this is still a fun and happening place where many expats and tourists hang out.
Dampsey Hill: this used to be where the former British army barracks were, but it has now been turned into a trendy area with upmarket restaurants and specialty shops.
Holland village: a fun and casual place to meet up for drinks, coffee or visit one of the many restaurants.
Raffles Hotel long bar: traditionally THE place to go for a Singapore sling.
Hawker centers: if you want to eat the Singaporean way try one of the many hawker center where you can eat very cheaply.
Enjoy beautiful nature walks
Few cities are as green and luscious as Singapore. There are many places to go for a stroll and discover new trees and plants. Here are some of my favourites:
Singapore botanical gardens: beautiful big park with wonderful gardens
Bukit Timah nature reserve: for those that want to be in the jungle and have a more challenging walk
McRitchie nature reserve: lots of lovely and peaceful walks here.From here you can also do theTree Top Walkwhich gives you a different perspective on the Singapore's trees.
The Singapore zoo is a beautiful nature walk all by itself. The zoo grounds are wonderfully lush and of course it's fun to encounter some amazing animals along the way.
Lots of activities for the kids
Singapore has a lot of interesting activities for children
Forest adventure: a fun and challenging course across trees and over water. Children love this!
Sentosa Island: too many activities here. Some examples are: The luge, butterfly garden, laser show, trapeze, underwater world, dolphins, images of Singapore museum, beach, airlifts, dinosaur walk, etc. If you are traveling with kids then this would be the best place to stay.
Zoo and Night Safari: I believe that Singapore's zoo is one of the best (if not the best) zoo in the world. Both zoo and night safari are fantastic so that will be a tough choice to make (or you can just do both)
Wet and Wild and Jurong Swimming complex: fun places for swimming, complete with lazy rivers and slides
Jacob Ballas children's garden in the botanical gardens: a lovely free playground for the kids with water, cubby houses, slides etc (and shade for the parents to sit and chat). The botanical gardens also have a lot of ducks and fish that children love to feed.
East Coast Park: this is a park next to the sea, although you should not expect to do a lot of swimming here. People come here for walking, rollerblading, cycling but there are also lots of activities like a fair, watersports, sailing, taiqi, fishing etc.
Go Shopping!
Singapore is famous for its shopping which is the people's favorite pass time. There are so many malls here that I don't think I will ever be able to visit them all. Check these ones out:
General shopping: The most famous shopping street in Singapore is Orchard Road. Ngee Ann City is the home of Takashimaya, a big Japanese superstore. You will find many of the major brands here, and also the great book store Kinokuniya.You can walk from Ngee Ann City to Wisma Atria where there is a great variety of shops. Paragon is opposite Ngee Ann city and has a good variety of shops also. Another favorite is Singapore's newest mall Vivo City which is close to Sentosa.
Sports: for sport shoes and lots of other sports articles go to Queensway shopping centre. But my personal favorite, as many of my local sport friends will know, is theThe Velocity Sports Mall at Novena square for some great deals on Adidas clothes.
Computers and electronics: Lots of variety of electronics and computers at Sim Lim Square. Another good one (less messy) is Funan DigitaLife mall. A good place for bargaining for electronics on Orchard Road is Lucky Plaza.
Singaporean: for Chinese products head to the Yue Hwa store. Arab street is good for baskets, textiles, mats and dry goods. In the Tekka Centre you can buy gold, (Muslim) food and clothes.
Children: The Forum shopping mall tends to be focused on children but it is very expensive.
Close to Singapore
One of the great things of living in Singapore is that it is so close to a lot of other interesting places and you can take advantage of that as a visitor too. Malaysia, Indonesia (Bali), Thailand and other interesting countries are only a few hours away. So if you would like to visit Singapore but still would like some relaxing days on a nice beach then you can combine it with a tropical beach in one of those countries. The closest to Singapore is Bintan Island which is a small Island in Indonesia. It's very easy to get there from Singapore with a 40 min trip by ferry.
Of course I've only scratched the surface on all the things you can do here. To know more you will need to buy a good guide book like Malaysia and Singapore (Eyewitness Travel Guides) To view this report with links or to see other travel reports be sure to visit my website.
Source: ezinearticles.com
This is a report on what living in Singapore is like. It can also serve as a travel report for your next visit to Singapore. Singapore is a city in South East Asia and it is situated just underneath Malaysia and to the West of Indonesia. It is a very small island and presently has about 5millioninhabitants. It is very tropical and hot with temperatures always above 30C. It usually only rains about once a day for about half an hour but there are also periods (like now) when there is hardly and periods when there is more. The majority of the population are Chinese descendants that came to Singapore in the early 1800s to work in the newly established port. Most of them speak mandarin although everyone in Singapore is taught in English with mandarin and Malay also being taught. The other 3 population groups are the Malays, the Indians and the Caucasians. All these groups have a very different culture and practice a different religion but Singapore prides itself on its diversity and everyone here seems to get on well. Singapore is a very clean and safe place to live which is one of the reasons I like being here. All the streets are really clean and look beautiful and in many places they are surrounded by lush tree and plants.
So what can you do here as a tourist?
Explore the different cultures Singapore is the perfect place to go if you want to have a taste of Asia, but still like the luxury of a very clean city, people that speak English and fantastic shopping. Although it is a very modern city there are still places in Singapore where you can still experience the Asian culture.
Places to visit
Arab street: this is the traditional neighborhood of the Malay people. You can find the mosque here and some wonderful quaint streets with little shops.
Little India: As soon as you step foot in this part of town, most of the people on the streets are Indian as are the restaurants and shops and you really get a sense of being in India.
Chinatown: lovely antique shops, temples and many beautiful old shophouses makes this a fun place to explore.
Raffles Hotel: this place served as a place of tranquility for the Europeans in colonial times. Today it is a lovely place to explore the museum, browse through some shops, have a drink at the long bar or sit on the outside terrace.
Enjoy the nightlife
Although Singapore seems to have a reputation of being 'boring" the city is working hard to get rid of this image. The formula 1 race is now held here once a year and 2 casinos are being built. There are already many nice cafes and restaurants here. I just love to go outside in the evening with minimal clothes on when the temperature is so lovely and sit at one of the many terraces outside.
Places I like:
Clarke quay: if you think that Singapore is not a happening place then visit Clarke quay. A very bustling part of town with many trendy restaurants, bars and nightclubs. One place I like there is the 1NiteStand comedy bar where they have excellent stand-up comedy and life bands.
Although I now prefer Clarke Quay this is still a fun and happening place where many expats and tourists hang out.
Dampsey Hill: this used to be where the former British army barracks were, but it has now been turned into a trendy area with upmarket restaurants and specialty shops.
Holland village: a fun and casual place to meet up for drinks, coffee or visit one of the many restaurants.
Raffles Hotel long bar: traditionally THE place to go for a Singapore sling.
Hawker centers: if you want to eat the Singaporean way try one of the many hawker center where you can eat very cheaply.
Enjoy beautiful nature walks
Few cities are as green and luscious as Singapore. There are many places to go for a stroll and discover new trees and plants. Here are some of my favourites:
Singapore botanical gardens: beautiful big park with wonderful gardens
Bukit Timah nature reserve: for those that want to be in the jungle and have a more challenging walk
McRitchie nature reserve: lots of lovely and peaceful walks here.From here you can also do theTree Top Walkwhich gives you a different perspective on the Singapore's trees.
The Singapore zoo is a beautiful nature walk all by itself. The zoo grounds are wonderfully lush and of course it's fun to encounter some amazing animals along the way.
Lots of activities for the kids
Singapore has a lot of interesting activities for children
Forest adventure: a fun and challenging course across trees and over water. Children love this!
Sentosa Island: too many activities here. Some examples are: The luge, butterfly garden, laser show, trapeze, underwater world, dolphins, images of Singapore museum, beach, airlifts, dinosaur walk, etc. If you are traveling with kids then this would be the best place to stay.
Zoo and Night Safari: I believe that Singapore's zoo is one of the best (if not the best) zoo in the world. Both zoo and night safari are fantastic so that will be a tough choice to make (or you can just do both)
Wet and Wild and Jurong Swimming complex: fun places for swimming, complete with lazy rivers and slides
Jacob Ballas children's garden in the botanical gardens: a lovely free playground for the kids with water, cubby houses, slides etc (and shade for the parents to sit and chat). The botanical gardens also have a lot of ducks and fish that children love to feed.
East Coast Park: this is a park next to the sea, although you should not expect to do a lot of swimming here. People come here for walking, rollerblading, cycling but there are also lots of activities like a fair, watersports, sailing, taiqi, fishing etc.
Go Shopping!
Singapore is famous for its shopping which is the people's favorite pass time. There are so many malls here that I don't think I will ever be able to visit them all. Check these ones out:
General shopping: The most famous shopping street in Singapore is Orchard Road. Ngee Ann City is the home of Takashimaya, a big Japanese superstore. You will find many of the major brands here, and also the great book store Kinokuniya.You can walk from Ngee Ann City to Wisma Atria where there is a great variety of shops. Paragon is opposite Ngee Ann city and has a good variety of shops also. Another favorite is Singapore's newest mall Vivo City which is close to Sentosa.
Sports: for sport shoes and lots of other sports articles go to Queensway shopping centre. But my personal favorite, as many of my local sport friends will know, is theThe Velocity Sports Mall at Novena square for some great deals on Adidas clothes.
Computers and electronics: Lots of variety of electronics and computers at Sim Lim Square. Another good one (less messy) is Funan DigitaLife mall. A good place for bargaining for electronics on Orchard Road is Lucky Plaza.
Singaporean: for Chinese products head to the Yue Hwa store. Arab street is good for baskets, textiles, mats and dry goods. In the Tekka Centre you can buy gold, (Muslim) food and clothes.
Children: The Forum shopping mall tends to be focused on children but it is very expensive.
Close to Singapore
One of the great things of living in Singapore is that it is so close to a lot of other interesting places and you can take advantage of that as a visitor too. Malaysia, Indonesia (Bali), Thailand and other interesting countries are only a few hours away. So if you would like to visit Singapore but still would like some relaxing days on a nice beach then you can combine it with a tropical beach in one of those countries. The closest to Singapore is Bintan Island which is a small Island in Indonesia. It's very easy to get there from Singapore with a 40 min trip by ferry.
Of course I've only scratched the surface on all the things you can do here. To know more you will need to buy a good guide book like Malaysia and Singapore (Eyewitness Travel Guides) To view this report with links or to see other travel reports be sure to visit my website.
Sylvia is a web consultant and web publisher. She blogs about all issues relating to leading your best life at http://bestlifeweb.com She also runs a web design strategy business and effective web design and promotion blog at http://escalawebstrategy.com
The History of Christmas Trees
Author: Enid Edginton
Source: articleage.com
Many historians and anthropologists agree that the history of christmas trees begins in post-primeval times, just as agricultural societies were developing across the globe. Christmas did not exist. It was simply, in one culture or another, a pagan celebration of the winter solstice. The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year which usually occurs on the 22nd or 23rd of December. The boughs of evergreen trees were brought indoors to protect inhabitants from the evil spirits that could cause starvation and illness.
Ancient peoples also scattered evergreen boughs over their floors, doors and around the windows. In fact, the tradition of hanging an evergreen garland comes from the tradition of hanging evergreens over the mantelpiece to keep witches, ghosts and spirits from traveling down the chimney and into the house.
Evergreen boughs were also used to keep away illness. Scents such as pine, juniper and balsam are still used by aromatherapists today to fend off illness and winter depression.
Even the ancient Egyptians were thought to play a role in the history of christmas trees. Of course there were no evergreen forests in ancient Egypt but during the solstice they filled their homes with palm rushes to protect themselves from evil and celebrate the return of their Sun God Ra.
European and Mediterranean cultures also have episodes in the long saga that is part of the history of christmas trees. On the solstice, known as Saturnalia, the Romans decorated their homes with evergreen boughs. This honored the God Saturn whose domain was agriculture. Further north, the Celtic Druids used evergreens on the darkest day of the year to symbolize eternal life. These trees were not decorated as we know them today. They were not much more decorative than the famous Charlie brown christmas tree. This is because the function of these evergreen boughs was more protective than celebratory.
By the 12th century indoor trees were brought inside. Nobody is sure why but originally Christmas trees were hung upside-down from ceilings at Christmastime. This was a popular custom in Central Europe. The upside down tree was seen as both as a symbol of Christianity and a pagan symbol. At that point Christianity was not wide spread and the tree may have been a nod to both pagan and Christian traditions.
It is widely believed that the history of the Christmas tree as we know it began in Germany in the sixteenth century. However few people realize that the tree was not brought inside and that in fact, the first decorated christmas tree was a pyramid made of wood. These German indoor pyramids were decorated with boughs and candles. Often jars of pickles were set on the steps. The pyramid shape was not a direct inspiration from ancient Egypt but rather, the triangular shape was thought to represent the three points of the Holy Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The person credited with adding lighted candles to a real tree is Martin Luther - a German Protestant reformer who lived in the mid 1600s. The legend is that he was inspired to do so by the sight of stars in the night sky peeking through the limbs of an evergreen while he was on a walk.
The next big development in the history of christmas trees was tinsel. Tinsel was invented in Germany around 1610. At that time, tinsel was made of real silver and it tarnished easily thanks to the smoke from the christmas tree candles. Silver was used for tinsel right up to the mid-20th century when it was replaced by aluminum.
The history of christmas trees was non-existent in America until about the 1840s. They were sometimes displayed as curios in traveling sideshows. The christmas tree decorating ritual was considered sacrilegious for most of the 17th and 18th century. It was seen as a mockery of the sober celebration of the birth of Christ. In fact in 1659, people were fined for hanging decorations. This law continued until the 19th century when the tradition was brought more into common practice by German and Irish immigrants to the United States. The practice was also made more acceptable when Queen Victoria decided to make a right side up floor-to-ceiling xmas tree part of her d้cor in 1846.
One difference between European customs and American customs seemed to be that Europeans were more inclined to decorate their trees with food, cookies and candies (and even pickles!) whereas Americans were more into glitzy decorations. Also the European christmas trees tended to be shorter (three to four feet in height) while the Americans preferred their trees to be sky-high. Both cultures however enjoyed decorating their trees with garlands of popcorns and electric lights.
In the 1950s America saw the advent of the first artificial christmas trees. This event was celebrated by Charles M. Schulz famous fable about the Charlie brown Christmas tree. In this fable Charlie Brown is told by Linus, Lucy and Shroeder to go out and find the biggest flashiest aluminum tree to use as a decoration for their Christmas play. Instead Brown falls in love with the most pathetic tree ever and finds the true meaning of Christmas. You can buy a replica of this type of tree which is often called the "pathetic charlie brown christmas tree" online. True to the original cartoon, the tree boasts just one red Christmas ball ornament on a single bare limb.
The argument about which is better - a fake christmas tree or a real christmas tree still rages on today. The most recent development in the history of Christmas trees is the return of the upside down christmas tree, which is disapproved by the church just as it was in the sixteenth century. If history keeps repeating itself the next trend we will see in xmas trees is the ancient wooden pyramids that served as artificial trees in pagan times.
Source: articleage.com
Many historians and anthropologists agree that the history of christmas trees begins in post-primeval times, just as agricultural societies were developing across the globe. Christmas did not exist. It was simply, in one culture or another, a pagan celebration of the winter solstice. The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year which usually occurs on the 22nd or 23rd of December. The boughs of evergreen trees were brought indoors to protect inhabitants from the evil spirits that could cause starvation and illness.
Ancient peoples also scattered evergreen boughs over their floors, doors and around the windows. In fact, the tradition of hanging an evergreen garland comes from the tradition of hanging evergreens over the mantelpiece to keep witches, ghosts and spirits from traveling down the chimney and into the house.
Evergreen boughs were also used to keep away illness. Scents such as pine, juniper and balsam are still used by aromatherapists today to fend off illness and winter depression.
Even the ancient Egyptians were thought to play a role in the history of christmas trees. Of course there were no evergreen forests in ancient Egypt but during the solstice they filled their homes with palm rushes to protect themselves from evil and celebrate the return of their Sun God Ra.
European and Mediterranean cultures also have episodes in the long saga that is part of the history of christmas trees. On the solstice, known as Saturnalia, the Romans decorated their homes with evergreen boughs. This honored the God Saturn whose domain was agriculture. Further north, the Celtic Druids used evergreens on the darkest day of the year to symbolize eternal life. These trees were not decorated as we know them today. They were not much more decorative than the famous Charlie brown christmas tree. This is because the function of these evergreen boughs was more protective than celebratory.
By the 12th century indoor trees were brought inside. Nobody is sure why but originally Christmas trees were hung upside-down from ceilings at Christmastime. This was a popular custom in Central Europe. The upside down tree was seen as both as a symbol of Christianity and a pagan symbol. At that point Christianity was not wide spread and the tree may have been a nod to both pagan and Christian traditions.
It is widely believed that the history of the Christmas tree as we know it began in Germany in the sixteenth century. However few people realize that the tree was not brought inside and that in fact, the first decorated christmas tree was a pyramid made of wood. These German indoor pyramids were decorated with boughs and candles. Often jars of pickles were set on the steps. The pyramid shape was not a direct inspiration from ancient Egypt but rather, the triangular shape was thought to represent the three points of the Holy Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The person credited with adding lighted candles to a real tree is Martin Luther - a German Protestant reformer who lived in the mid 1600s. The legend is that he was inspired to do so by the sight of stars in the night sky peeking through the limbs of an evergreen while he was on a walk.
The next big development in the history of christmas trees was tinsel. Tinsel was invented in Germany around 1610. At that time, tinsel was made of real silver and it tarnished easily thanks to the smoke from the christmas tree candles. Silver was used for tinsel right up to the mid-20th century when it was replaced by aluminum.
The history of christmas trees was non-existent in America until about the 1840s. They were sometimes displayed as curios in traveling sideshows. The christmas tree decorating ritual was considered sacrilegious for most of the 17th and 18th century. It was seen as a mockery of the sober celebration of the birth of Christ. In fact in 1659, people were fined for hanging decorations. This law continued until the 19th century when the tradition was brought more into common practice by German and Irish immigrants to the United States. The practice was also made more acceptable when Queen Victoria decided to make a right side up floor-to-ceiling xmas tree part of her d้cor in 1846.
One difference between European customs and American customs seemed to be that Europeans were more inclined to decorate their trees with food, cookies and candies (and even pickles!) whereas Americans were more into glitzy decorations. Also the European christmas trees tended to be shorter (three to four feet in height) while the Americans preferred their trees to be sky-high. Both cultures however enjoyed decorating their trees with garlands of popcorns and electric lights.
In the 1950s America saw the advent of the first artificial christmas trees. This event was celebrated by Charles M. Schulz famous fable about the Charlie brown Christmas tree. In this fable Charlie Brown is told by Linus, Lucy and Shroeder to go out and find the biggest flashiest aluminum tree to use as a decoration for their Christmas play. Instead Brown falls in love with the most pathetic tree ever and finds the true meaning of Christmas. You can buy a replica of this type of tree which is often called the "pathetic charlie brown christmas tree" online. True to the original cartoon, the tree boasts just one red Christmas ball ornament on a single bare limb.
The argument about which is better - a fake christmas tree or a real christmas tree still rages on today. The most recent development in the history of Christmas trees is the return of the upside down christmas tree, which is disapproved by the church just as it was in the sixteenth century. If history keeps repeating itself the next trend we will see in xmas trees is the ancient wooden pyramids that served as artificial trees in pagan times.
Taking "The Road Less Traveled"
Author: Haley D. Sparks
Source: articleage.com
Think back on all of the things you set out to do at the
beginning of the year. Think back further to those things you
promised to do by the time you reached thirty or forty or fifty.
Any regrets? How many things on that list have you set out in
full determination to do, but in the end, that devil on your
shoulder warned you against starting, telling you that you're
too old, too young, too out of shape, too afraid? Too often we
listen to that nagging voice telling us that we "can't" or we
"shouldn't." Too often, that voice leads to opportunities lost.
Now think back on all the times you went with your gut feeling,
not that voice in your ear. I would bet that nine times out of
ten, despite the fear and the doubt, you came out feeling like
you were on top. Pretty remarkable feeling, wouldn't you say?
It's so easy to succumb to the "voice of reason," we hear
screaming inside. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that is the
voice to heed. But I'm talking about dreams here, not those
decisions that bring into question our duties or
responsibilities. I'm talking about that personal something that
you've always wanted to accomplish for yourself, but were too
afraid. Those goals we set at the beginning of the year like
running a marathon, losing 15 pounds, taking a trip solo, or
conquering a phobia. When we have a dream or a goal, we mean
well, don't we? We set out to do it. But something keeps us from
it. There's that voice, that deafening voice that serves as an
insurmountable barricade, and keeps us from taking that first
step. It whispers, taunting us by saying that we're not good
enough, not serious enough, not ambitious enough, not smart
enough, and not brave enough. Ironic isn't it that all too often
that voice echoes in the same timbre of our mother, our father,
our husband or wife, even our children. Imagine your dream; it
could be ambitious, something that will take years to
accomplish, or even something small and personal to bring you a
little happiness. The possibilities abound when you are able to
ignore the voices, and take that first step forward. I did, and
it completely altered my perspective on where I was headed in
life.
My fianc้ and I just recently relocated from sunny Florida to
the green and rolling horse farms of central Kentucky. We had
both grown up in the Sunshine State and had little desire to
leave until he was offered a scholarship to attend the
University of Kentucky's School of Law. It was with heavy hearts
that we said goodbye to friends and family, 100% humidity, and
the tourist-filled streets. Once we arrived in Lexington, we
found that there were more than hurricanes and humidity missing.
People's accents were different, there was no Cuban food to be
found in any of the ethnic food aisles, and jobs that had been
abundant in the South were not as easily available up in the
bluegrass.
It was after a month of job-hunting (as though it were my job),
that I decided I needed to take myself on an outing. I had been
cooped up in the apartment, sending resumes, sending thank you
letters, desperate for human interaction and even more desperate
for a job. The pressure and the disappointment were mounting.
Yes, it was definitely time for an outing. I consulted my handy
"Welcome to Kentucky" guide that the Kentucky Visitor's Bureau
had graciously supplied me with, skeptical of what I might find.
I searched for attractions in the area, and one caught my eye
right away: The Raven Run Sanctuary. "A Sanctuary," I thought to
myself, "Now there's just the thing I need." The
description sounded promising, "a 470 acre nature sanctuary with
over 10 miles of hiking trails."
I was intrigued. But something kept me from walking out the door
just then. That voice, far in the back of my mind whispering "do
you really thing this is a good idea?" I began to doubt myself.
I picked up the phone and called a friend. Single and in her
early twenties, it was practically effortless to get her to side
with my wilder, adventure-seeking half. It only took a few
minutes of conversation to convince me that I needed to change
into a pair of shorts, a tank top and some good walking shoes,
and head out the door. My more cautious side prompted me to grab
a small backpack into which I threw a Swiss army knife, a
sweater, and a bottle of water. I was dressed and out the door
within ten minutes of having spoken to my friend.
The drive to the nature sanctuary was calming and pleasant. I
rolled all of the windows down and turned the radio off,
enjoying the sounds of tractors, the smell of fresh cut grass,
and the feel of the blowing wind along the way. The sanctuary
was about forty minutes from where I live in Lexington, and the
further I drove, the more I was reminded of the film
"Deliverance" and the unforgettable "You ain't from these parts,
are ya'?" scene, complete with "Dueling Banjos" orchestrating my
imagination. Again, the voice came back warning "this is
foolish, anything could happen out here!" A slight bump in the
road had me worried that my tire had gone flat, a wrong turn
wondering if I might be shot at for having trespassed.
After having unknowingly driven past the entrance to the park
twice, I was almost ready to give up, but I thought "what the
hell, I've come this far!" I had finally made it to the parking
lot, and to my horror, there was only one other car parked
there. "Oh lord," the voice said, "you're going to be murdered
or worse out here in the woods by yourself, and no one will find
your body for weeks, or even months." I took some solace in
knowing that at the very least I had told my friend where I was
headed. Even my fianc้ had no idea of my intention to go hiking
on a whim.
There was a sign that pointed to the "Nature Center." I figured
there would be someone there whom I could ask about the safety
of a young girl hiking on her own. I picked up an abandoned
walking stick, and started down a cemented path that lead
through a wood. It was quiet. I looked ahead, and saw nothing
but the path. I looked behind, and saw the same. On either side
were trees, and trees, and more trees. But I kept on, and
eventually came to an opening where there sat a small house with
a sign marking it as the Nature Center. A barn sat behind the
house.
There was not a soul to be seen, although there were four cars
parked near the small building. Employee's cars I guessed,
although I did not see any employees. At the window there was a
sign in sheet and a pile of maps with a rock laid on top to keep
the wind from blowing them away. I glanced down the list. There
had been six sets of visitors that day, all of which had already
come and gone except for one couple. No one had come on their
own I noticed, and most had remarked that this was not their
first visit to the sanctuary. I carefully wrote in my name. I
wanted to be sure that it was legible in case I was killed or
bitten by a snake or attacked by a bear. I listed the make and
model of my car, the number in my party (one), and stated this
was my first visit to the park. "Maybe I should lie," I
pondered, just in case some sick bastard chanced a look and
decided to hunt down some ignorant city girl in the woods that
day. I decided I'd take my chances. I opened my map, gripped my
walking stick anxiously, and took my first steps down the path,
starting my journey. It took me about a half hour of walking to
get used to the idea that I would not be running in to other
people.
There was a sign posted that said "Overlook." "That sounds
nice," I thought, and headed in the direction it pointed toward.
I came to a fork in the road, and consulted my handy,
Xerox-copied map. Either path would lead me to the overlook, so
which one to take? Robert Frost's "The Road Less Traveled" came
to mind. Both looked pretty well defined, but feeling inspired,
I took notice that the path to the right led into the woods, the
other through a flowered field, and I made the decision that any
reader of that poem would make, "and I took the road less
traveled by." It led me deep into a forest. Not a sound could be
heard save for the fall of leaves and my own labored breathing
as I trekked up and down the hillside. Then came the echo of my
fiance's voice in my head wisely stating "you should not be
doing this by yourself." I kept on with some trepidation. And
then I stopped dead in my tracks. A doe with her fawn were
lunching on a bush. It was the closest I had ever been to
nature. I stood quite still until my joints felt stiff and I
became eager for a better look. My step forward alerted them to
my presence and they dashed off, leaping further into the
wilderness. I kept on. I was beginning to feel better about
this, until I had a moment of dread recalling scenes from the
"Blair Witch" film. What if the paths were changing continuously
and I ended up lost forever? What if I was reading the map
incorrectly? I took a deep breath, and with great effort, worked
again to quiet these voices of the skeptical city girl.
After about an hour of hiking, I realized that I was walking
quite near a Cliffside. Again fear. Fear of heights this time. I
thought I could see water below, but was too nervous to bend
over the side and take a better look. I decided just to keep on
my path. It wasn't long until I reached the end. There were
several large boulders in front of me, and I mustered up the
courage and climbed from one down to another. I had not prepared
myself for the spectacular view that surrounded me. It had all
been worth it; all the fear, all the anxiety, all the doubt. I
stood about thirty stories above a river, and across me and on
all sides of me were cliff walls, cutting sharply into the
grey-blue waters below. And for the first time since I had set
out on this outing, on this search for sanctuary, I felt peace.
And more than that, I felt accomplishment. I had conquered all
of my urban fears to venture out into a breathtaking timeless
moment, hidden away from everyone else at that particular point
in time, feeling as though all of the trees and cliffs and the
river below were available only to me. It was as though I had
traveled through Alice's looking glass into another world,
another time.
I don't recall how long I sat there, breathing in the fresh air,
exhaling all of the tension I had carried with me from the
start. The voice stopped then, and a new voice chimed in. "You
did it," it said. "You weren't bitten by a snake; you weren't
attacked by bears, or killed or raped by some mad man, or
attacked by poison ivy." I felt like I could do anything just
then. I had even braved sitting near the edge of the cliff to
get a better look. And then I suddenly felt silly, realizing
that I had spent all this time applying my knowledge and
wariness of the asphalt jungle to this far less dangerous and
far more inviting rural wilderness.
I started my hike back worry free and filled with vigor and
pride and a sense of accomplishment. I thought back over all the
pedicures and shopping sprees I had treated myself with. I
thought back on the safe choices I had made that, in their own
way were rewarding, but lacked any real challenge and therefore
any reaffirming sense of "you can." I thought back and realized
that this outing, this desperation for sanctuary turned
adventure, was the best thing I had done for myself in years.
And that has made all the difference.
The Road Less Traveled
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
Source: articleage.com
Think back on all of the things you set out to do at the
beginning of the year. Think back further to those things you
promised to do by the time you reached thirty or forty or fifty.
Any regrets? How many things on that list have you set out in
full determination to do, but in the end, that devil on your
shoulder warned you against starting, telling you that you're
too old, too young, too out of shape, too afraid? Too often we
listen to that nagging voice telling us that we "can't" or we
"shouldn't." Too often, that voice leads to opportunities lost.
Now think back on all the times you went with your gut feeling,
not that voice in your ear. I would bet that nine times out of
ten, despite the fear and the doubt, you came out feeling like
you were on top. Pretty remarkable feeling, wouldn't you say?
It's so easy to succumb to the "voice of reason," we hear
screaming inside. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that is the
voice to heed. But I'm talking about dreams here, not those
decisions that bring into question our duties or
responsibilities. I'm talking about that personal something that
you've always wanted to accomplish for yourself, but were too
afraid. Those goals we set at the beginning of the year like
running a marathon, losing 15 pounds, taking a trip solo, or
conquering a phobia. When we have a dream or a goal, we mean
well, don't we? We set out to do it. But something keeps us from
it. There's that voice, that deafening voice that serves as an
insurmountable barricade, and keeps us from taking that first
step. It whispers, taunting us by saying that we're not good
enough, not serious enough, not ambitious enough, not smart
enough, and not brave enough. Ironic isn't it that all too often
that voice echoes in the same timbre of our mother, our father,
our husband or wife, even our children. Imagine your dream; it
could be ambitious, something that will take years to
accomplish, or even something small and personal to bring you a
little happiness. The possibilities abound when you are able to
ignore the voices, and take that first step forward. I did, and
it completely altered my perspective on where I was headed in
life.
My fianc้ and I just recently relocated from sunny Florida to
the green and rolling horse farms of central Kentucky. We had
both grown up in the Sunshine State and had little desire to
leave until he was offered a scholarship to attend the
University of Kentucky's School of Law. It was with heavy hearts
that we said goodbye to friends and family, 100% humidity, and
the tourist-filled streets. Once we arrived in Lexington, we
found that there were more than hurricanes and humidity missing.
People's accents were different, there was no Cuban food to be
found in any of the ethnic food aisles, and jobs that had been
abundant in the South were not as easily available up in the
bluegrass.
It was after a month of job-hunting (as though it were my job),
that I decided I needed to take myself on an outing. I had been
cooped up in the apartment, sending resumes, sending thank you
letters, desperate for human interaction and even more desperate
for a job. The pressure and the disappointment were mounting.
Yes, it was definitely time for an outing. I consulted my handy
"Welcome to Kentucky" guide that the Kentucky Visitor's Bureau
had graciously supplied me with, skeptical of what I might find.
I searched for attractions in the area, and one caught my eye
right away: The Raven Run Sanctuary. "A Sanctuary," I thought to
myself, "Now there's just the thing I need." The
description sounded promising, "a 470 acre nature sanctuary with
over 10 miles of hiking trails."
I was intrigued. But something kept me from walking out the door
just then. That voice, far in the back of my mind whispering "do
you really thing this is a good idea?" I began to doubt myself.
I picked up the phone and called a friend. Single and in her
early twenties, it was practically effortless to get her to side
with my wilder, adventure-seeking half. It only took a few
minutes of conversation to convince me that I needed to change
into a pair of shorts, a tank top and some good walking shoes,
and head out the door. My more cautious side prompted me to grab
a small backpack into which I threw a Swiss army knife, a
sweater, and a bottle of water. I was dressed and out the door
within ten minutes of having spoken to my friend.
The drive to the nature sanctuary was calming and pleasant. I
rolled all of the windows down and turned the radio off,
enjoying the sounds of tractors, the smell of fresh cut grass,
and the feel of the blowing wind along the way. The sanctuary
was about forty minutes from where I live in Lexington, and the
further I drove, the more I was reminded of the film
"Deliverance" and the unforgettable "You ain't from these parts,
are ya'?" scene, complete with "Dueling Banjos" orchestrating my
imagination. Again, the voice came back warning "this is
foolish, anything could happen out here!" A slight bump in the
road had me worried that my tire had gone flat, a wrong turn
wondering if I might be shot at for having trespassed.
After having unknowingly driven past the entrance to the park
twice, I was almost ready to give up, but I thought "what the
hell, I've come this far!" I had finally made it to the parking
lot, and to my horror, there was only one other car parked
there. "Oh lord," the voice said, "you're going to be murdered
or worse out here in the woods by yourself, and no one will find
your body for weeks, or even months." I took some solace in
knowing that at the very least I had told my friend where I was
headed. Even my fianc้ had no idea of my intention to go hiking
on a whim.
There was a sign that pointed to the "Nature Center." I figured
there would be someone there whom I could ask about the safety
of a young girl hiking on her own. I picked up an abandoned
walking stick, and started down a cemented path that lead
through a wood. It was quiet. I looked ahead, and saw nothing
but the path. I looked behind, and saw the same. On either side
were trees, and trees, and more trees. But I kept on, and
eventually came to an opening where there sat a small house with
a sign marking it as the Nature Center. A barn sat behind the
house.
There was not a soul to be seen, although there were four cars
parked near the small building. Employee's cars I guessed,
although I did not see any employees. At the window there was a
sign in sheet and a pile of maps with a rock laid on top to keep
the wind from blowing them away. I glanced down the list. There
had been six sets of visitors that day, all of which had already
come and gone except for one couple. No one had come on their
own I noticed, and most had remarked that this was not their
first visit to the sanctuary. I carefully wrote in my name. I
wanted to be sure that it was legible in case I was killed or
bitten by a snake or attacked by a bear. I listed the make and
model of my car, the number in my party (one), and stated this
was my first visit to the park. "Maybe I should lie," I
pondered, just in case some sick bastard chanced a look and
decided to hunt down some ignorant city girl in the woods that
day. I decided I'd take my chances. I opened my map, gripped my
walking stick anxiously, and took my first steps down the path,
starting my journey. It took me about a half hour of walking to
get used to the idea that I would not be running in to other
people.
There was a sign posted that said "Overlook." "That sounds
nice," I thought, and headed in the direction it pointed toward.
I came to a fork in the road, and consulted my handy,
Xerox-copied map. Either path would lead me to the overlook, so
which one to take? Robert Frost's "The Road Less Traveled" came
to mind. Both looked pretty well defined, but feeling inspired,
I took notice that the path to the right led into the woods, the
other through a flowered field, and I made the decision that any
reader of that poem would make, "and I took the road less
traveled by." It led me deep into a forest. Not a sound could be
heard save for the fall of leaves and my own labored breathing
as I trekked up and down the hillside. Then came the echo of my
fiance's voice in my head wisely stating "you should not be
doing this by yourself." I kept on with some trepidation. And
then I stopped dead in my tracks. A doe with her fawn were
lunching on a bush. It was the closest I had ever been to
nature. I stood quite still until my joints felt stiff and I
became eager for a better look. My step forward alerted them to
my presence and they dashed off, leaping further into the
wilderness. I kept on. I was beginning to feel better about
this, until I had a moment of dread recalling scenes from the
"Blair Witch" film. What if the paths were changing continuously
and I ended up lost forever? What if I was reading the map
incorrectly? I took a deep breath, and with great effort, worked
again to quiet these voices of the skeptical city girl.
After about an hour of hiking, I realized that I was walking
quite near a Cliffside. Again fear. Fear of heights this time. I
thought I could see water below, but was too nervous to bend
over the side and take a better look. I decided just to keep on
my path. It wasn't long until I reached the end. There were
several large boulders in front of me, and I mustered up the
courage and climbed from one down to another. I had not prepared
myself for the spectacular view that surrounded me. It had all
been worth it; all the fear, all the anxiety, all the doubt. I
stood about thirty stories above a river, and across me and on
all sides of me were cliff walls, cutting sharply into the
grey-blue waters below. And for the first time since I had set
out on this outing, on this search for sanctuary, I felt peace.
And more than that, I felt accomplishment. I had conquered all
of my urban fears to venture out into a breathtaking timeless
moment, hidden away from everyone else at that particular point
in time, feeling as though all of the trees and cliffs and the
river below were available only to me. It was as though I had
traveled through Alice's looking glass into another world,
another time.
I don't recall how long I sat there, breathing in the fresh air,
exhaling all of the tension I had carried with me from the
start. The voice stopped then, and a new voice chimed in. "You
did it," it said. "You weren't bitten by a snake; you weren't
attacked by bears, or killed or raped by some mad man, or
attacked by poison ivy." I felt like I could do anything just
then. I had even braved sitting near the edge of the cliff to
get a better look. And then I suddenly felt silly, realizing
that I had spent all this time applying my knowledge and
wariness of the asphalt jungle to this far less dangerous and
far more inviting rural wilderness.
I started my hike back worry free and filled with vigor and
pride and a sense of accomplishment. I thought back over all the
pedicures and shopping sprees I had treated myself with. I
thought back on the safe choices I had made that, in their own
way were rewarding, but lacked any real challenge and therefore
any reaffirming sense of "you can." I thought back and realized
that this outing, this desperation for sanctuary turned
adventure, was the best thing I had done for myself in years.
And that has made all the difference.
The Road Less Traveled
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
History Of Mulberry Trees, 'Morus Alba,' 'Morus Rubrum,' And 'Morus Nigra'
Author: Pat Malcolm
Source: isnare.com
Mulberry trees were well known in the ancient civilizations of the world. They were famous fruit trees, because of the delicious berry fruits that were abundantly produced by fast growing trees—loaded with huge green leaves that were eaten by livestock, along with the berries, and the leaves were used in the Orient to fatten silkworms for the silk trade. General Oglethorpe, in 1733, imported 500 white mulberry trees to Fort Frederica in Georgia to encourage silk production at the English colony of Georgia.
William Bartram, the famous early American explorer and botanist, described his encounter with mulberry trees near Mobile, Alabama, in his book, Travels, in the year 1773.
Prince's Nursery in 1774 offered for sale 500 white mulberry trees, 'Morus alba' and 1000 black mulberry trees, 'Morus nigra,' at Flushing, New York. Documents show that America's first President, George Washington, bought fruit from this nursery.
Mulberry trees were planted in the landscape of President Thomas Jefferson 20 feet apart, and the fruit trees lined both sides of the road that extended around the house at Monticello, Virginia.
The silk trade was extremely important in the ancient civilizations in exchanges of fabrics, rugs, etc. The caravans of camels that traveled the "Silk Road" from Turkey to China brought world civilizations in contact with many valuable products back and forth to be traded, one of the most desirable and important products was silk. The mulberry trees, 'Morus alba,' were most desirable for silk production and gradually were filtered from Oriental societies to European fields. Many of these mulberry trees are grown today in Turkey, from where the famous Turkish silk carpets are distributed throughout the world.
Early Americans such as General Oglethorpe hoped to establish the silk industry in the American debtor colonies, but the project was destined for failure for many reasons. The mulberry trees are very fast growing fruit trees, and many farmers in the United States and other countries are hoping to profitably grow the trees for the production of human and livestock food. The wood of mulberry trees is very soft and is used for many purposes in many nations, but not extensively in the United States.
The white mulberry, 'Morus alba,' with the extremely large crop production of these trees has been observed growing as a fruit tree in North Carolina according to researcher, Russell Smith, in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture that: white mulberry trees planted by a farmer "who kept pigs and claimed that one-third their weight was due to the mulberries falling from the trees—about 625 pounds of pork to an acre on rather thin, sandy land with little care and no cultivation." James A. Duke in Handbook of Energy Crops sees the mulberry fruit as a source of energy, "in South Korea on producing high yields of ethanol from mulberry trees."
Mulberry trees are considered to be a very important fruit tree in gardens of the Orient, Europe and the Mideast, and since new hybrid cultivars have been developed recently, the demand for these trees has surged in the U.S., where the grafted trees are rare, expensive and difficult to obtain. New cultivars are adaptable throughout the U.S. except Southern Florida, California and Arizona, and some trees offer stainless fruit, early bearing, rapid growth and delicious berry quality on berries that dangle from the stems, some tasting sweet as honey. These syrupy sweet mulberries are used in Ice Cream, jams, jellies, beverages, pies, and as stuffing mixtures for game birds.
The fast growing mulberry tree can grow as much as 10ft in one year, and as a rule will bear a few berries the first year, some with the richness of sweet cherries. The berries ripen to a brilliant black color, or red, pink, or white and are delectably fragrantly sweet and about two inches long, like a cooling blend and taste of raspberry and strawberry. The mulberry is excellent for fresh eating and for cooking pies. Some mulberries when dead ripe are so soft that just picking them breaks the fragile skin, staining your fingers purple with juice. This means that as a commercial berry available from grocery shelves, forget it, but nevertheless: the mulberries only need to travel as far as your mouth.
This choice mulberry fruit is practically seedless with a crisp, sweet flavor when eaten directly from the tree. Every child in your neighborhood will learn when the berries from this outstanding tree are ripening in early May. Most cultivars of hybrid mulberry trees are well adapted in most areas of the United States.
The dessert quality berries are excellent and honey sweet for picking directly off the tree and contain high concentrations of fruity sugar that makes the berries useful to process for jams, jellies and pies. The mature height of mulberry trees is 30 feet.
New grafted cultivars of mulberry trees are gaining lots of attention from the backyard gardener. Some of the recommended new cultivars of mulberry fruit trees are White Mulberry, 'Morus alba' 'Whitey;' Superberry Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Superberry;' Black Beauty Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Black Beauty' plant patent 4913; Pakistan Mulberry, 'Morus rubra' 'Pakistan;' Persian Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Shah;' Bachuus Noir Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Bachuus Noir;' and the Red Gelato Mulberry, 'Morus rubrum' 'Red Gelato.'
Source: isnare.com
Mulberry trees were well known in the ancient civilizations of the world. They were famous fruit trees, because of the delicious berry fruits that were abundantly produced by fast growing trees—loaded with huge green leaves that were eaten by livestock, along with the berries, and the leaves were used in the Orient to fatten silkworms for the silk trade. General Oglethorpe, in 1733, imported 500 white mulberry trees to Fort Frederica in Georgia to encourage silk production at the English colony of Georgia.
William Bartram, the famous early American explorer and botanist, described his encounter with mulberry trees near Mobile, Alabama, in his book, Travels, in the year 1773.
Prince's Nursery in 1774 offered for sale 500 white mulberry trees, 'Morus alba' and 1000 black mulberry trees, 'Morus nigra,' at Flushing, New York. Documents show that America's first President, George Washington, bought fruit from this nursery.
Mulberry trees were planted in the landscape of President Thomas Jefferson 20 feet apart, and the fruit trees lined both sides of the road that extended around the house at Monticello, Virginia.
The silk trade was extremely important in the ancient civilizations in exchanges of fabrics, rugs, etc. The caravans of camels that traveled the "Silk Road" from Turkey to China brought world civilizations in contact with many valuable products back and forth to be traded, one of the most desirable and important products was silk. The mulberry trees, 'Morus alba,' were most desirable for silk production and gradually were filtered from Oriental societies to European fields. Many of these mulberry trees are grown today in Turkey, from where the famous Turkish silk carpets are distributed throughout the world.
Early Americans such as General Oglethorpe hoped to establish the silk industry in the American debtor colonies, but the project was destined for failure for many reasons. The mulberry trees are very fast growing fruit trees, and many farmers in the United States and other countries are hoping to profitably grow the trees for the production of human and livestock food. The wood of mulberry trees is very soft and is used for many purposes in many nations, but not extensively in the United States.
The white mulberry, 'Morus alba,' with the extremely large crop production of these trees has been observed growing as a fruit tree in North Carolina according to researcher, Russell Smith, in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture that: white mulberry trees planted by a farmer "who kept pigs and claimed that one-third their weight was due to the mulberries falling from the trees—about 625 pounds of pork to an acre on rather thin, sandy land with little care and no cultivation." James A. Duke in Handbook of Energy Crops sees the mulberry fruit as a source of energy, "in South Korea on producing high yields of ethanol from mulberry trees."
Mulberry trees are considered to be a very important fruit tree in gardens of the Orient, Europe and the Mideast, and since new hybrid cultivars have been developed recently, the demand for these trees has surged in the U.S., where the grafted trees are rare, expensive and difficult to obtain. New cultivars are adaptable throughout the U.S. except Southern Florida, California and Arizona, and some trees offer stainless fruit, early bearing, rapid growth and delicious berry quality on berries that dangle from the stems, some tasting sweet as honey. These syrupy sweet mulberries are used in Ice Cream, jams, jellies, beverages, pies, and as stuffing mixtures for game birds.
The fast growing mulberry tree can grow as much as 10ft in one year, and as a rule will bear a few berries the first year, some with the richness of sweet cherries. The berries ripen to a brilliant black color, or red, pink, or white and are delectably fragrantly sweet and about two inches long, like a cooling blend and taste of raspberry and strawberry. The mulberry is excellent for fresh eating and for cooking pies. Some mulberries when dead ripe are so soft that just picking them breaks the fragile skin, staining your fingers purple with juice. This means that as a commercial berry available from grocery shelves, forget it, but nevertheless: the mulberries only need to travel as far as your mouth.
This choice mulberry fruit is practically seedless with a crisp, sweet flavor when eaten directly from the tree. Every child in your neighborhood will learn when the berries from this outstanding tree are ripening in early May. Most cultivars of hybrid mulberry trees are well adapted in most areas of the United States.
The dessert quality berries are excellent and honey sweet for picking directly off the tree and contain high concentrations of fruity sugar that makes the berries useful to process for jams, jellies and pies. The mature height of mulberry trees is 30 feet.
New grafted cultivars of mulberry trees are gaining lots of attention from the backyard gardener. Some of the recommended new cultivars of mulberry fruit trees are White Mulberry, 'Morus alba' 'Whitey;' Superberry Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Superberry;' Black Beauty Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Black Beauty' plant patent 4913; Pakistan Mulberry, 'Morus rubra' 'Pakistan;' Persian Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Shah;' Bachuus Noir Mulberry, 'Morus nigra' 'Bachuus Noir;' and the Red Gelato Mulberry, 'Morus rubrum' 'Red Gelato.'
History Of Apple Trees
Author: Pat Malcolm
Source: isnare.com
Apple trees were the most popularly grown fruit tree in colonial America and practically every settlement farm and backyard gardener planted this easily grown fruit tree, or easier, the seed of the apple could be planted to establish a permanent food supply. Growing these apple tree products could be eaten fresh or could be dried and preserved in many different ways to eat at a later time. Historical instances on the existence of apple trees are documented from folklore, legends, stone images on carved tablets, petrified slices of apples on plates for tomb offerings, and overwhelming numbers of references from Hebrew Bible scriptures and innumerable writings from poetry, songs, literary publications, and many other surviving accounts of all civilizations in the ancient world. One of the earliest archeological evidences of apple tree fruit comes from the remains of excavations from Jericho, Jordan, that has been dated 6500 BC by radiochemical analysis of carbon atoms.
The petrified remains of apple slices that were found in a saucer of an ancient Mesopotamian tomb, the burial site of royalty dates back to 2500 BC and was uncovered in southern Iran. In the ancient historical accounts of the fruit of the apple tree, there appears to be an incomprehensible trail of evidence that no other fruit could match. The interest shown in apples by the Greek and Roman philosophers, poets, historians, and literary masters was even extended to Renaissance painters, royal chefs to the Tsars of Russia and too many other references to mention.
In colonial America, apple trees were grown and planted from seeds in orchards by William Blackstone at Boston, Massachusetts in the 1600's. Early documents on file at the National Library in Washington, DC suggest that all land owners in Massachusetts had begun growing apple trees by the 1640's.
William Bartram, the famous explorer and botanist, wrote in his book, Travels, "I observed, in a very thriving condition, two or three large apple trees" in 1773, while traveling near Mobile, Alabama. It is important to realize that these large apple trees found growing in Alabama in 1773 could very easily have been grown from the seed planted by Creek Indians. Those seed may have been obtained by the Indians from American colonists on the Eastern coast of the United States at a much earlier time or from French farmers who settles in areas of agricultural land grants north of Mobile. General Oglethorpe planned in 1733 to plant "various plants, subtropical and temperate, which might prove valuable for Georgian farms and orchards," according to William Bartram in his book Travels, published 40 years later. William Bartram's father, John Bartram, trip to "East Florida" (Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas) was, in part at least, an attempt to inventory the plant resources of England's new acquisition—after expelling the Spanish from East Florida.
Many modern botanists believe that the improved apple that we know today descended from the crabapple that is commonly interplanted with apple trees for cross pollination. Old documents record that fact "cultivated apples descended from crab-tree or wild apple-Pyrus malus." Wild crabapple tree seeds appeared on the list of collected seeds in the Plant List of 1783 of William Bartram and his father, John Bartram. In William Bartram's book, Travels in 1773, he "observed amongst them (fruit trees) the wild crab (Pyrus coronaria) in his explorations near Mobile, Alabama. Robert Prince established the first operating nursery in the American colonies at Flushing, New York, in the 1700's, where he offered apple trees for sale at his nursery that was visited by General George Washington, who later became the first President of the United States. President Thomas Jefferson was planting and growing apple trees at his fruit tree orchard in Monticello, Virginia, in the early 1800's.
The legendary Johnny Appleseed was responsible for the rapid development of the apple trees growing and planting when he established a nursery in the Midwest that sold both apple trees and seed to be planted for growing into trees in the 1800's. Over 2000 cultivars of apple trees are listed as being grown today, many of the trees resulting from the huge apple seed dispersion that was begun by the memorable ambition of Johnny Appleseed to entirely cover the landscape of America with the fruit of apple trees.
Over the centuries, apple trees became susceptible to many disease problems such as fire blight; however, Dr. C.S. Crandall from the University of Illinois performed several backcrosses that involved modern cultivars and the apple tree ancestor 'crabapple,' Malus floribunda. The wild crabapple contained an immunity factor within its genetic composition towards all major bacterial and fungal diseases of apple trees. In 1989, researchers from the pomology department at Cornell University extracted an immune fire blight gene from a nocturnal moth and transplanted it into an apple fruit, resulting in the total defeat of fire blight in that particular apple tree cultivar.
Fruiting of apple trees is perhaps the most troublesome characteristic experienced by an orchardist or a backyard fruit tree gardener. Most cultivars of apple trees require cross pollination of two separate varieties in order to set fruit on the tree.
It is necessary that the blossoms of the two apple tree flowers develop pollen at the same time, in order that fruit will be set, which can be a tricky problem to correct. The simplist solution to pollinate apple trees is to use the ancestor of the modern day apple cultivars, the crabapple, which sheds its pollen over a long period of time and easily overlaps the apple tree cultivar flowering period. Crabapple trees produce a fruit that is much smaller than the common apple, but it can be used in cooking in various ways, and it is loved by wildlife in the fall and winter when wildlife food is scarce for animals and birds. Crabapple trees are also valuable when used as flowering trees that begin blooming in early spring with huge clusters of pink, white, and even red blossoms. Several outstanding grafted flowering tree selections are available, such as: Brandywine, Red Perfection, Radiant, and Spring Snow.
Apple trees are easy to grow, and if a gardener purchases a large tree, he may experience fruit development even on the first year of planting and growing. The selection of the proper cultivar of grafted apple trees is extremely important, because even though the apple fruit can be grown in most areas of the United States, the trees require different amounts of chilling temperatures in order to flower. The interesting introduction of low chill cultivars from Israel makes it possible to experience apple growing and planting as far south as Florida. Certain popularly grown cultivars of apple trees in the United States today are: Arkansas Black, Gala, Granny Smith, Red Rome, Anna, Red Fuji, Yates, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Anna, Ein Shemer, and Golden Dorsett. Apples contain some mysterious quality that can preserve it from deterioration for centuries. Apple slices can be dried and kept delicious for long periods of time. This mysterious characteristic may be recognized by man's association of paradise being connected and related to Eve and Adam picking apples from a fruit tree growing in paradise for their eternal pleasure, that was planted by God and described as the tree of life at the fabled Garden of Eden. We see this fruit of paradise recurs in the history of many other ancient civilizations. A similar account that we read as children in the book of Genesis from the scriptures in the Hebrew Bible.
Perhaps this mysterious genetic quality of apples in preservation makes it so important as providing medical benefits backed up by that memorable proverb, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Experiments from researchers in California have shown that apple fruit is very rich in antioxidants, a biological compound that combats, stroke, heart disease, and many other health problems.
Source: isnare.com
Apple trees were the most popularly grown fruit tree in colonial America and practically every settlement farm and backyard gardener planted this easily grown fruit tree, or easier, the seed of the apple could be planted to establish a permanent food supply. Growing these apple tree products could be eaten fresh or could be dried and preserved in many different ways to eat at a later time. Historical instances on the existence of apple trees are documented from folklore, legends, stone images on carved tablets, petrified slices of apples on plates for tomb offerings, and overwhelming numbers of references from Hebrew Bible scriptures and innumerable writings from poetry, songs, literary publications, and many other surviving accounts of all civilizations in the ancient world. One of the earliest archeological evidences of apple tree fruit comes from the remains of excavations from Jericho, Jordan, that has been dated 6500 BC by radiochemical analysis of carbon atoms.
The petrified remains of apple slices that were found in a saucer of an ancient Mesopotamian tomb, the burial site of royalty dates back to 2500 BC and was uncovered in southern Iran. In the ancient historical accounts of the fruit of the apple tree, there appears to be an incomprehensible trail of evidence that no other fruit could match. The interest shown in apples by the Greek and Roman philosophers, poets, historians, and literary masters was even extended to Renaissance painters, royal chefs to the Tsars of Russia and too many other references to mention.
In colonial America, apple trees were grown and planted from seeds in orchards by William Blackstone at Boston, Massachusetts in the 1600's. Early documents on file at the National Library in Washington, DC suggest that all land owners in Massachusetts had begun growing apple trees by the 1640's.
William Bartram, the famous explorer and botanist, wrote in his book, Travels, "I observed, in a very thriving condition, two or three large apple trees" in 1773, while traveling near Mobile, Alabama. It is important to realize that these large apple trees found growing in Alabama in 1773 could very easily have been grown from the seed planted by Creek Indians. Those seed may have been obtained by the Indians from American colonists on the Eastern coast of the United States at a much earlier time or from French farmers who settles in areas of agricultural land grants north of Mobile. General Oglethorpe planned in 1733 to plant "various plants, subtropical and temperate, which might prove valuable for Georgian farms and orchards," according to William Bartram in his book Travels, published 40 years later. William Bartram's father, John Bartram, trip to "East Florida" (Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas) was, in part at least, an attempt to inventory the plant resources of England's new acquisition—after expelling the Spanish from East Florida.
Many modern botanists believe that the improved apple that we know today descended from the crabapple that is commonly interplanted with apple trees for cross pollination. Old documents record that fact "cultivated apples descended from crab-tree or wild apple-Pyrus malus." Wild crabapple tree seeds appeared on the list of collected seeds in the Plant List of 1783 of William Bartram and his father, John Bartram. In William Bartram's book, Travels in 1773, he "observed amongst them (fruit trees) the wild crab (Pyrus coronaria) in his explorations near Mobile, Alabama. Robert Prince established the first operating nursery in the American colonies at Flushing, New York, in the 1700's, where he offered apple trees for sale at his nursery that was visited by General George Washington, who later became the first President of the United States. President Thomas Jefferson was planting and growing apple trees at his fruit tree orchard in Monticello, Virginia, in the early 1800's.
The legendary Johnny Appleseed was responsible for the rapid development of the apple trees growing and planting when he established a nursery in the Midwest that sold both apple trees and seed to be planted for growing into trees in the 1800's. Over 2000 cultivars of apple trees are listed as being grown today, many of the trees resulting from the huge apple seed dispersion that was begun by the memorable ambition of Johnny Appleseed to entirely cover the landscape of America with the fruit of apple trees.
Over the centuries, apple trees became susceptible to many disease problems such as fire blight; however, Dr. C.S. Crandall from the University of Illinois performed several backcrosses that involved modern cultivars and the apple tree ancestor 'crabapple,' Malus floribunda. The wild crabapple contained an immunity factor within its genetic composition towards all major bacterial and fungal diseases of apple trees. In 1989, researchers from the pomology department at Cornell University extracted an immune fire blight gene from a nocturnal moth and transplanted it into an apple fruit, resulting in the total defeat of fire blight in that particular apple tree cultivar.
Fruiting of apple trees is perhaps the most troublesome characteristic experienced by an orchardist or a backyard fruit tree gardener. Most cultivars of apple trees require cross pollination of two separate varieties in order to set fruit on the tree.
It is necessary that the blossoms of the two apple tree flowers develop pollen at the same time, in order that fruit will be set, which can be a tricky problem to correct. The simplist solution to pollinate apple trees is to use the ancestor of the modern day apple cultivars, the crabapple, which sheds its pollen over a long period of time and easily overlaps the apple tree cultivar flowering period. Crabapple trees produce a fruit that is much smaller than the common apple, but it can be used in cooking in various ways, and it is loved by wildlife in the fall and winter when wildlife food is scarce for animals and birds. Crabapple trees are also valuable when used as flowering trees that begin blooming in early spring with huge clusters of pink, white, and even red blossoms. Several outstanding grafted flowering tree selections are available, such as: Brandywine, Red Perfection, Radiant, and Spring Snow.
Apple trees are easy to grow, and if a gardener purchases a large tree, he may experience fruit development even on the first year of planting and growing. The selection of the proper cultivar of grafted apple trees is extremely important, because even though the apple fruit can be grown in most areas of the United States, the trees require different amounts of chilling temperatures in order to flower. The interesting introduction of low chill cultivars from Israel makes it possible to experience apple growing and planting as far south as Florida. Certain popularly grown cultivars of apple trees in the United States today are: Arkansas Black, Gala, Granny Smith, Red Rome, Anna, Red Fuji, Yates, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Anna, Ein Shemer, and Golden Dorsett. Apples contain some mysterious quality that can preserve it from deterioration for centuries. Apple slices can be dried and kept delicious for long periods of time. This mysterious characteristic may be recognized by man's association of paradise being connected and related to Eve and Adam picking apples from a fruit tree growing in paradise for their eternal pleasure, that was planted by God and described as the tree of life at the fabled Garden of Eden. We see this fruit of paradise recurs in the history of many other ancient civilizations. A similar account that we read as children in the book of Genesis from the scriptures in the Hebrew Bible.
Perhaps this mysterious genetic quality of apples in preservation makes it so important as providing medical benefits backed up by that memorable proverb, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Experiments from researchers in California have shown that apple fruit is very rich in antioxidants, a biological compound that combats, stroke, heart disease, and many other health problems.
Landscaping Lessons-Proper Placement Of Trees In Landscape Design
Author: Steve Boulden
Source: articleage.com
Landscaping and landscape design goes beyond just creating beautiful designs. As a professional designer, it's not only my job to create designs but also to envision every possibility of the mature landscape in years to come.
And while most elements will remain what they are for years to come, the one thing that most do it yourselfers and some professionals overlook is the space that tiny little sprouts will occupy when they become mature plants and trees.
Trees serve a number of obvious purposes in the landscape. Creating shade, wind blocks, noise reduction, boundaries, and focal points are just a few. Once I have established where I'll need trees for these purposes in a design, I have several other considerations before I can designate their permanent home.
Planting without considering the space that the mature full grown plants and trees will occupy can become more than just an inconvenience. It can be costly.
Things to consider.
Around Play Areas
A shaded canopy over play areas, sand boxes, etc. may be desired for shade from afternoon sun. However, you need to consider the mess that birds and other critters will drop right into your childs play area if the canopy extends over it.
The solution to this is to place large shade trees a distance from the area in line with the travel of the sun. If you know the trees you plant and how far the mature canopy will extend, you can still plant for shade without exposing your kids to unsanitary conditions.
Around Pools
Keeping a pool clean is hard enough without a mess of leaves and branches. And while most pool areas are sunny locations, it is sometimes desirable to have a space near the pool where one can escape the sun.
Unlike play areas though, you may not want to shade the entire pool landscape from the afternoon sun. Therefore you shouldn't plant large shade trees in direct line with the travel of the sun. Design as to create a shady area to one side or the other. This is also another spot to eliminate top rooting trees around concrete. Evergreen types are usually your best bet for around pools.
Roots And Concrete Footings And Foundations
While infrequent deep watering as opposed to frequent shallow watering will help deter top rooting trees, some trees are still determined to seek out other sources of water which may be on the surface or moist areas under structures.
The seeking roots of large trees are a powerful force that can break sidewalks, foundations, and even lift walls out of place. This is the biggest and most costly mistake I see. Know your landscaping trees before you plant them next to your home.
Under Power Lines
Know what's overhead.
Property Lines And Easements
This one can make enemies out of neighbors.
Underground Utilities, Sewers, And Septic Tanks
Besides the roots being able to break pipes and lines, you don't want to have to move or destroy a mature tree to fix a leak. Locate lines and plant away from them. Some trees can spread out much further underground than they do up top. Know what's underground.
Perspective
You need to keep in mind the mature size of trees in proportion to the size of your home and other landscaping elements. Large trees can dwarf a small home and small trees can look like shrubs placed around a very large home. Know the mature size of trees and keep them in perspective.
Hiding or framing a home
Consider the view from the street and other areas and consider the purpose of your trees. If you wish to seclude your home, you don't need much thought for that. However, if you only wish to frame or accent your home, you'll again need to consider the mature size and placement of your plantings.
Parking Areas
Here's another opportunity for birds and critters to make a mess of things. If possible, plant in accordance with the travel of the sun. And once again, know the mature canopy of your trees.
Usefulness And Cost Effectiveness
If you're going to make an investment in landscaping, look for ways to make it work for you. Placed properly, large trees can shade your home and reduce your cooling costs and vise versa. You can intentionally create shade for your shady garden, screen and divide areas, reduce noise, and a world of other applications if you just give it some thought.
Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free professional landscaping advice, tips, plans, and ideas to do it yourselfers and homeowners. For more free information on landscaping and garden plants, visit his site at http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com
Source: articleage.com
Landscaping and landscape design goes beyond just creating beautiful designs. As a professional designer, it's not only my job to create designs but also to envision every possibility of the mature landscape in years to come.
And while most elements will remain what they are for years to come, the one thing that most do it yourselfers and some professionals overlook is the space that tiny little sprouts will occupy when they become mature plants and trees.
Trees serve a number of obvious purposes in the landscape. Creating shade, wind blocks, noise reduction, boundaries, and focal points are just a few. Once I have established where I'll need trees for these purposes in a design, I have several other considerations before I can designate their permanent home.
Planting without considering the space that the mature full grown plants and trees will occupy can become more than just an inconvenience. It can be costly.
Things to consider.
Around Play Areas
A shaded canopy over play areas, sand boxes, etc. may be desired for shade from afternoon sun. However, you need to consider the mess that birds and other critters will drop right into your childs play area if the canopy extends over it.
The solution to this is to place large shade trees a distance from the area in line with the travel of the sun. If you know the trees you plant and how far the mature canopy will extend, you can still plant for shade without exposing your kids to unsanitary conditions.
Around Pools
Keeping a pool clean is hard enough without a mess of leaves and branches. And while most pool areas are sunny locations, it is sometimes desirable to have a space near the pool where one can escape the sun.
Unlike play areas though, you may not want to shade the entire pool landscape from the afternoon sun. Therefore you shouldn't plant large shade trees in direct line with the travel of the sun. Design as to create a shady area to one side or the other. This is also another spot to eliminate top rooting trees around concrete. Evergreen types are usually your best bet for around pools.
Roots And Concrete Footings And Foundations
While infrequent deep watering as opposed to frequent shallow watering will help deter top rooting trees, some trees are still determined to seek out other sources of water which may be on the surface or moist areas under structures.
The seeking roots of large trees are a powerful force that can break sidewalks, foundations, and even lift walls out of place. This is the biggest and most costly mistake I see. Know your landscaping trees before you plant them next to your home.
Under Power Lines
Know what's overhead.
Property Lines And Easements
This one can make enemies out of neighbors.
Underground Utilities, Sewers, And Septic Tanks
Besides the roots being able to break pipes and lines, you don't want to have to move or destroy a mature tree to fix a leak. Locate lines and plant away from them. Some trees can spread out much further underground than they do up top. Know what's underground.
Perspective
You need to keep in mind the mature size of trees in proportion to the size of your home and other landscaping elements. Large trees can dwarf a small home and small trees can look like shrubs placed around a very large home. Know the mature size of trees and keep them in perspective.
Hiding or framing a home
Consider the view from the street and other areas and consider the purpose of your trees. If you wish to seclude your home, you don't need much thought for that. However, if you only wish to frame or accent your home, you'll again need to consider the mature size and placement of your plantings.
Parking Areas
Here's another opportunity for birds and critters to make a mess of things. If possible, plant in accordance with the travel of the sun. And once again, know the mature canopy of your trees.
Usefulness And Cost Effectiveness
If you're going to make an investment in landscaping, look for ways to make it work for you. Placed properly, large trees can shade your home and reduce your cooling costs and vise versa. You can intentionally create shade for your shady garden, screen and divide areas, reduce noise, and a world of other applications if you just give it some thought.
Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free professional landscaping advice, tips, plans, and ideas to do it yourselfers and homeowners. For more free information on landscaping and garden plants, visit his site at http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com
Galapagos Islands Travel
Author: Milly
Source: articlesbase.com
The Galapagos Islands are a group of islands located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and coming under the administrative jurisdiction of Ecuador. These islands consist of 13 major islands, 6 smaller islands and several islets and rocks. The Galapagos National Park has established a monitoring system in order to guarantee the survival of the new colony of Galapagos Petrels.The human mind can only observe, absorb and appreciate so much at any one time, so, after a short swim and with our crew going into mental overload, the tour party heads back to the boat, coach, and dusty, but happy journey home. Tomorrow is another day when a visit to the famous and fabulous Galapagos tortoises is planned.These islands are so unique, and classified 'eco tourist' by the Ecuadorian government, there are strong warnings and procedural advice for visiting yachtsmen. Visiting areas other than designated ports, is not allowed, and if caught will face immediate arrest and probable confiscation of vessel.A Galapagos tour during the month of May can include some interesting aspects. Palo Santo trees begin shedding their leaves, and marine iguanas' eggs hatch. It is a beautiful and colorful time to visit the island on a Galapagos holiday.When on your Galapagos Island holiday you will have the amazing opportunity of coming face to face with the incredible animals and natural landscapes which helped shape Darwin's new theory and the way that people now think today.It is not enough to travel this far and simply walk around the ruins, or those of them that you are permitted to visit. The ecosystem around the area is fascinating, and luxury adventure travel to Machu Picchu would be incomplete without learning more about this cloud forest.Although many think it had ceremonial origins, current belief is that it was an estate of the Incan emperor, Pachacuti, and it is certainly not mentioned in any of the writings of the Spanish conquistadores.So far, this Dry Season holds normal conditions. July is an unlikely tropical month, and the overall weather pattern has not many analogies to other tropical destinations.Mantas are known to breach and sometimes even leap completely out of the water. No one can really explain this behaviour. It may be simple curiosity, communication to others of their own species, desire to rid themselves of skin parasites or they may be playing. Leaping male Mantas may also show their fitness as a part of their elaborated courtship display.The landscape of the islands is relatively barren and volcanic. The highest mountain amongst the islands is Volcan Wolf on Isla Isabela, 1707 m (5600ft) high.The Galapagos Islands offer a great family destination, where you can spend a beautiful, relaxing, and educational time together as a family; visiting impressive Island retreats, often far away from civilization. Few places exist where a family can enjoy this kind of combination.On this cruise you do guided land visits on foot. Depending on the island, you have time at a beach to swim and snorkel with sea lions and observe the marine life. You visit in the morning a spot, have lunch on the yacht when navigating to the next spot, and visit another spot in the afternoon. The crust of these lava flows cools off rather slowly, and it creates an isolating layer. Underneath, lava continues liquid for at least one more month until it totally cools off.
Source: articlesbase.com
The Galapagos Islands are a group of islands located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and coming under the administrative jurisdiction of Ecuador. These islands consist of 13 major islands, 6 smaller islands and several islets and rocks. The Galapagos National Park has established a monitoring system in order to guarantee the survival of the new colony of Galapagos Petrels.The human mind can only observe, absorb and appreciate so much at any one time, so, after a short swim and with our crew going into mental overload, the tour party heads back to the boat, coach, and dusty, but happy journey home. Tomorrow is another day when a visit to the famous and fabulous Galapagos tortoises is planned.These islands are so unique, and classified 'eco tourist' by the Ecuadorian government, there are strong warnings and procedural advice for visiting yachtsmen. Visiting areas other than designated ports, is not allowed, and if caught will face immediate arrest and probable confiscation of vessel.A Galapagos tour during the month of May can include some interesting aspects. Palo Santo trees begin shedding their leaves, and marine iguanas' eggs hatch. It is a beautiful and colorful time to visit the island on a Galapagos holiday.When on your Galapagos Island holiday you will have the amazing opportunity of coming face to face with the incredible animals and natural landscapes which helped shape Darwin's new theory and the way that people now think today.It is not enough to travel this far and simply walk around the ruins, or those of them that you are permitted to visit. The ecosystem around the area is fascinating, and luxury adventure travel to Machu Picchu would be incomplete without learning more about this cloud forest.Although many think it had ceremonial origins, current belief is that it was an estate of the Incan emperor, Pachacuti, and it is certainly not mentioned in any of the writings of the Spanish conquistadores.So far, this Dry Season holds normal conditions. July is an unlikely tropical month, and the overall weather pattern has not many analogies to other tropical destinations.Mantas are known to breach and sometimes even leap completely out of the water. No one can really explain this behaviour. It may be simple curiosity, communication to others of their own species, desire to rid themselves of skin parasites or they may be playing. Leaping male Mantas may also show their fitness as a part of their elaborated courtship display.The landscape of the islands is relatively barren and volcanic. The highest mountain amongst the islands is Volcan Wolf on Isla Isabela, 1707 m (5600ft) high.The Galapagos Islands offer a great family destination, where you can spend a beautiful, relaxing, and educational time together as a family; visiting impressive Island retreats, often far away from civilization. Few places exist where a family can enjoy this kind of combination.On this cruise you do guided land visits on foot. Depending on the island, you have time at a beach to swim and snorkel with sea lions and observe the marine life. You visit in the morning a spot, have lunch on the yacht when navigating to the next spot, and visit another spot in the afternoon. The crust of these lava flows cools off rather slowly, and it creates an isolating layer. Underneath, lava continues liquid for at least one more month until it totally cools off.
Visit for more useful information Travel Destination, Munich Travel and Galapagos Islands
The Benefits of Travel Coffee Mugs
Author: Kainoa Louis
Source: ezinearticles.com
Not long ago the primary benefit of travel coffee mugs were that they allowed you to safely sip your coffee or tea while on the move or in a vehicle. They didn't necessarily come with insulation or the best designs, but they did allow you much more stability than a regular household mug. They prevented burns and spills, and kept the beverage much warmer than a mug that was open to the air.
Now, however, there is a huge array of travel coffee mugs that can serve a fairly wide range of needs. There are smaller sizes meant to handle a single serving when someone heads out the door, and there are also massive containers that are able to take two to three servings on the road. Most are entirely insulated, including strong sealed lids that can keep a hot beverage incredibly warm for many hours. Alternately, they can also keep a cold beverage in the desired temperature range for a length of time as well.
All of this is great news to fans of coffee because it means that tons of money can be saved if someone wants to tote a larger travel coffee mug with them as they head out the door each day. Consider that even a "cheap" cup of coffee can run to a dollar or more and someone who drinks a few cups each morning might spend several dollars every day on coffee alone. This can quickly add up, but if a larger insulated travel mug is used, that three to four dollar daily expense would be cut to mere pennies instead.
Travel coffee mugs are used by the millions and this is the reason that they have become one of the most popular corporate "freebies" in the world. All kinds of promotions include a well-made and insulated travel mug that is given out as a way of spreading the word about a product or company. If you consider how many people drink coffee as they head to work, and how many more bring their travel mugs to their desks to prevent spills, it is easy to see that giving them away can really work wonders for any sort of campaign.
Of course saving money and successful marketing are not the only reasons that people should consider investing in a few travel coffee mugs. The environment benefits greatly from the use of these beverage holders as well. All kinds of studies have been done about the switch from disposable cups to travel mugs, and today most major coffee and donut shops offer all kinds of special deals to their regular customers who bring in a travel mug each day.
Additionally, the resources saved by people switching to travel mugs is impressive as well. It is estimated that enough trees to fill up to two football fields could be spared every day if only one hundred thousand people opted out of paper coffee cups and used travel mugs instead. What does that equal in financial terms? Roughly two thousand six hundred dollars in just a single day on paper cups would be eliminated!
Source: ezinearticles.com
Not long ago the primary benefit of travel coffee mugs were that they allowed you to safely sip your coffee or tea while on the move or in a vehicle. They didn't necessarily come with insulation or the best designs, but they did allow you much more stability than a regular household mug. They prevented burns and spills, and kept the beverage much warmer than a mug that was open to the air.
Now, however, there is a huge array of travel coffee mugs that can serve a fairly wide range of needs. There are smaller sizes meant to handle a single serving when someone heads out the door, and there are also massive containers that are able to take two to three servings on the road. Most are entirely insulated, including strong sealed lids that can keep a hot beverage incredibly warm for many hours. Alternately, they can also keep a cold beverage in the desired temperature range for a length of time as well.
All of this is great news to fans of coffee because it means that tons of money can be saved if someone wants to tote a larger travel coffee mug with them as they head out the door each day. Consider that even a "cheap" cup of coffee can run to a dollar or more and someone who drinks a few cups each morning might spend several dollars every day on coffee alone. This can quickly add up, but if a larger insulated travel mug is used, that three to four dollar daily expense would be cut to mere pennies instead.
Travel coffee mugs are used by the millions and this is the reason that they have become one of the most popular corporate "freebies" in the world. All kinds of promotions include a well-made and insulated travel mug that is given out as a way of spreading the word about a product or company. If you consider how many people drink coffee as they head to work, and how many more bring their travel mugs to their desks to prevent spills, it is easy to see that giving them away can really work wonders for any sort of campaign.
Of course saving money and successful marketing are not the only reasons that people should consider investing in a few travel coffee mugs. The environment benefits greatly from the use of these beverage holders as well. All kinds of studies have been done about the switch from disposable cups to travel mugs, and today most major coffee and donut shops offer all kinds of special deals to their regular customers who bring in a travel mug each day.
Additionally, the resources saved by people switching to travel mugs is impressive as well. It is estimated that enough trees to fill up to two football fields could be spared every day if only one hundred thousand people opted out of paper coffee cups and used travel mugs instead. What does that equal in financial terms? Roughly two thousand six hundred dollars in just a single day on paper cups would be eliminated!
Easy-Coffee-Recipes.com is your one stop resource for everything coffee. From espresso to coffee cake, we have everything you need to know about drinking, serving and the perfect cake recipes to compliment your favorite Cup of Joe.
Ash Juniper Trees
Author: Andrew A. Johnson
Source: ezinearticles.com
Ash juniper trees are native to Texas. Many Texans hate these trees though. The male trees produce large amounts of pollen from December into February to fertilize the female flowers. These trees are either male or female. The male trees produce pollen and the females produce berries. The pollen produced by the male trees travels through the air in thick clouds at times. If you live near one your yard and car gets covered with it. A lot of people are allergic to the pollen also and get what is called cedar fever.
Ash juniper is often referred to as cedar but it isn't a cedar tree. It is referred to by many names: Texas cedar, mountain cedar, rock cedar, blueberry juniper, enebro and cedro. Many people call it a cedar because the ash juniper is aromatic like cedar and has the same insect repelling qualities.
Ash junipers can grow in very poor soil and need little water. They can grow in full sun or in the shade. However, they grow very slowly in full sun and tend to branch out a lot near the bottom making them look more like a shrub. They can grow more upright in shady conditions if they are planted amongst other things and are crowded. Austin tree service professionals prune these trees to allow the trunks to grow straight and then they develop a nice crown.
Ash junipers are not stately trees like live oaks but are an interesting complement to them and other trees in a stand.
The ash juniper berries are blue and loved by birds. If you want to attract birds the female ash juniper berries will do this. These berries are popular in Northern Europe and the United States in marinades for meat, mostly pork but are also used in stews and soup. They have a sage like flavor that is both sweet and bitter. The oil is extracted from the trees and used as a disinfectant. Inhaling the oil from steaming juniper foliage clears the sinuses because the oil contains about 70% camphor. Camphor has a distinct odor that most people recognize because it is used in mothballs. Some people burn the foliage to disinfect the air.
The wood is very durable and is used in everything from cabinets to fence posts and in cedar lined closets and cedar chests. In fact, cedar posts have been used on ranches in Texas for many years by cattle ranchers to support miles of barbed wire.
Source: ezinearticles.com
Ash juniper trees are native to Texas. Many Texans hate these trees though. The male trees produce large amounts of pollen from December into February to fertilize the female flowers. These trees are either male or female. The male trees produce pollen and the females produce berries. The pollen produced by the male trees travels through the air in thick clouds at times. If you live near one your yard and car gets covered with it. A lot of people are allergic to the pollen also and get what is called cedar fever.
Ash juniper is often referred to as cedar but it isn't a cedar tree. It is referred to by many names: Texas cedar, mountain cedar, rock cedar, blueberry juniper, enebro and cedro. Many people call it a cedar because the ash juniper is aromatic like cedar and has the same insect repelling qualities.
Ash junipers can grow in very poor soil and need little water. They can grow in full sun or in the shade. However, they grow very slowly in full sun and tend to branch out a lot near the bottom making them look more like a shrub. They can grow more upright in shady conditions if they are planted amongst other things and are crowded. Austin tree service professionals prune these trees to allow the trunks to grow straight and then they develop a nice crown.
Ash junipers are not stately trees like live oaks but are an interesting complement to them and other trees in a stand.
The ash juniper berries are blue and loved by birds. If you want to attract birds the female ash juniper berries will do this. These berries are popular in Northern Europe and the United States in marinades for meat, mostly pork but are also used in stews and soup. They have a sage like flavor that is both sweet and bitter. The oil is extracted from the trees and used as a disinfectant. Inhaling the oil from steaming juniper foliage clears the sinuses because the oil contains about 70% camphor. Camphor has a distinct odor that most people recognize because it is used in mothballs. Some people burn the foliage to disinfect the air.
The wood is very durable and is used in everything from cabinets to fence posts and in cedar lined closets and cedar chests. In fact, cedar posts have been used on ranches in Texas for many years by cattle ranchers to support miles of barbed wire.
About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and Austin tree service trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com
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