Monday, December 15, 2008

Essential of Carrot

Carrot Seed oil comes from wild Queen Anne's Lace (also known as Wild Carrot). The seeds are steam distilled to produce a pale yellow oil. Some of its places of origin are England, France and Europe. Carrot has been known as a medicinal and culinary plant from before the 1st century A.D.
As a natural diuretic, Carrot Seed helps to drain toxins from the system. Infused carrot oil is used in skincare, especially for dry or mature skin and for burns. When blended into a cream or base carrier oil, it helps to restore the skin's elasticity and tone and helps eliminate the tiny lines and wrinkles associated with weather worn skin. Also helpful for dermatitis and general skin rashes.
It is excellent for eczema, psoriasis, rashes and wrinkles. Carrot Seed also has a powerful detoxifying action on the liver and gall bladder by helping these organs to flush the body of toxins and excess fluids. This makes it helpful when dealing with gout, arthritis, edema and rheumatism (for releasing the toxins in the system that contribute to these conditions). Assists the disgestive system with problems such as anemia, colic, indigestion and liver congestion.
Its active constituents include, carotol, daucol, limonene and pinene. Blends well with Bergamot, Juniper berry, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Neroli, Orange, Petitgrain and Rosemary. Grated carrots make an excellent poultice for ulcers, abscesses, carbuncles, scrofulous and cancerous sores, and bad wounds. The seeds of carrots, ground to powder and taken as a tea, relieve colic and increase the flow of urine. The powder may also be placed in capsules and 1 or 2 taken daily with a glass of water. Carrot blossoms, used as a tea, are a most effective remedy for dropsy and will very often cure when all other means have failed.

Mechanical Clocks

At best, historians know that 5000 6000 years ago, great civilisations in the Middle East and North Africa started to examine forms of clockmaking instead of working with only the monthly and annual calendar. Little is known on exactly how these forms worked or indeed the actual deconstruction of the time, but it has been suggested that the intention was to maximise time available to achieve more as the size of the population grew. Perhaps such future periods of time were intented to benefit the community by allotting specific lengths of time to tasks.
In 1656, 'Christian Huygens' (Dutch scientist), made the first 'Pendulum clock', with a mechanism using a 'natural' period of oscillation. 'Galileo Galilei' is credited, in most historical books, for inventing the pendulum as early as 1582, but his design was not built before his death. Huygens' clock ,when built, had an error of 'less than only one minute a day'. This was a massive leap in the development of maintaining accuracy, as this had previously never been achieved. Later refinements to the pendulum clock reduced this margin of error to 'less than 10 seconds a day'.
Huygens, in 1657, developed what is known today as the 'balance wheel and spring assembly', which is still found in some of today's wrist watches. This allowed watches of the seventeenthcentury to keep accuracy of time to approximately ten minutes a day. Meanwhile, in London, England (UK) in 1671, 'William Clement' began building clocks with an 'anchor' or 'recoil' escapement, which interfered even less with the perpetual motion of the pendulum system of clock.
'George Graham', in 1721, invented a design with the degree of accuracy to 'one second a day' by compensating for changes in the pendulum's length caused by temperature variations. The mechanical clock continued to develop until they achieved an accuracy of 'a hundredthofasecond a day', when the pendulum clock became the accepted standard in most astronomical observatories.

The History of fishing

FISHING, also called ANGLING, is the sport of catching fish, freshwater or saltwater, typically with rod, line, and hook. Like hunting, fishing originated as a means of providing food for survival. Fishing as a sport, however, is of considerable antiquity. An Egyptian angling scene of about 2000 BC shows figures fishing with rod and line and with nets. A Chinese account of about the 4th century BC refers to fishing with a silk line, a hook made from a needle, and a bamboo rod, with cooked rice as bait. References to fishing are also found in ancient Greek, Assyrian, Roman, and Jewish writings.
Today, fishing, often called sport fishing to distinguish it from commercial fishing, is, despite the growth of towns and the increase of pollution in many sources, one of man's principal relaxations and is, in many countries, the most popular participant sport. The problems of the modern angler are still those of his ancestor: where to find fish, how to approach them, and what sort of bait to use. The angler must understand wind and weather. Fishing remains what it has always been, a problem in applied natural history.
The history of angling is in large part the history of tackle, as the equipment for fishing is called. One of man's earliest tools was the predecessor of the fishhook, a gorge: a piece of wood, bone, or stone an inch or so in length, pointed at both ends and secured offcenter to the line. The gorge was covered with some kind of bait. When a fish swallowed the gorge, a pull on the line wedged it across the gullet of the fish, which could then be pulled in. With the coming of the use of metals, a hook was one of the first tools made. This was attached to a handline of animal or vegetable material, a method that is efficient only when used from a boat. The practice of attaching the line in turn to a rod, at first probably a stick or tree branch, made it possible to fish from the bank or shore and even to reach over vegetation bordering the water.
For thousands of years, the fishing rod remained short, not more than a few feet in length. The earliest reference to a longer, jointed rod is from Roman times, about the 4th century AD. At that time also, Aelian wrote of Macedonians catching trout on artificial flies and described how each fly was dressed (made). The rod they used was only 6 feet (1.8 metres) long and the line the same length, so that the method used was probably dapping, gently laying the bait on the surface of the water.

The hurricane lamp

The hurricane lamp was originally an oil burning lamp with a glass chimney designed to protect the flame from drafts or winds. Today, all that has changed. These oil burning hurricane lamps are still very popular today not only for their aesthetic value but because of their basic practical use especially during periods of power outages or anywhere that has no electricity, such as cabins, camping, etc.
Today the hurricane lamp can be any lamp or even a candle including an electric lamp where the flame or light bulb is protected or enclosed by a glass chimney. The electric version of the hurricane lamp does not need the glass chimney for functionality but lamp manufacturers often include this feature as it is more authentic.
Glass chimneys today come in a wide assortment of sizes, shapes, frostings or clear, etchings and decorations as well as colors. In addition to the glass chimney, many hurricane lamps have an additional decorative glass top which surrounds the glass chimney. These glass tops come in many sizes, shapes and colors. One very striking and popular type of hurricane lamp has matching bottom and top glass pieces which are intricately hand decorated with a clear glass chimney projecting through the top several inches.
The popular "Gone with The Wind Lamp", named after the Academy Award winning movie is a type of hurricane lamp and it utilizes the glass chimney enclosure as well as the additional decorative glass top which is often hand painted. Authentic antique hurricane lamps are highly sought after and very collectible. They commonly bring prices that range into the many hundreds of dollars and up.

History of Cricket in India

The game of cricket was introduced in India in the middle of the 18th century. On 3rd March 1845 the ‘Sporting Intelligence’ magazine carried a reasonably lengthy match report between ‘Sepoy’ cricketers and the European ones. The article clearly proved that Indian cricket was underway in a city called Sylhet, in modern day Bangladesh.
An impressed reporter proudly stated “the most enthusiastic European Cricketers could not have played with more energy and cheerfulness than the Sepoys did”. However, chroniclers of cricket unanimously suggest that the formation of ‘Parsi Oriental Cricket Club’ in Bombay in the year 1848 led to the start of organized cricket by the Indians.
The first Indians to take to the game were the Parsis of Bombay, an educated, welltodo and progressive community. In 1848, the Parsi boys established the ‘Oriental Cricket Club’. The emerging Parsi middle class supported cricket as a means of strengthening ties with the overlords, while intellectuals welcomed it as a renewal of physical energy for the race. Around thirty Parsi clubs were formed in the within two decades of the formation of the first club. They were named for British viceroys and statesmen and for Roman gods.
The Hindu’s took up the game of cricket with the primary reason that they did not want to fall behind the Parsis in any manner. The first Hindu club ‘Bombay Union’ was formed in 1866. Hindus started playing cricket due to social and business rivalry with the Parsis. Hindu cricketers sorted themselves on the lines of caste and region of origin. One of the primary Hindu cricketer was Ramchandra Vishnu Navlekar. Some of the main clubs were Gowd Saraswat Cricket Club, Kshatriya Cricket Club, Gujrati Union Cricket Club, Maratha Cricket Club, Teluu Youn Cricketrs etc.

History of Kerala
Kerala is one of the smallest states in the Indian union. Its area 38.855 square kilometers is just 1.3 percent of the total area of India. The land of India comprises the narrow coastal strip bounded by the Western Ghats n the east and the Arabian Sea on the west. In the words of Sreedhara Menon “Its unique geographical position and peculiar physical features have invested Kerala with a distinct individuality.” Hence it has played a vital role in the commercial and cultural history of India. Kerala has been describes “as the favorite child of nature.” Like Kashmir in the north, Kerala in the south is famous for its breathtaking natural beauty.
With its evergreen mountains, dense forests stately palms, swift flowing rivers, extensive backwaters and blue lagoons, it looks like a fairyland. This atmosphere of beauty and peace has nurtured religion and art in Kerala and enabled her to become a precious gem in the necklace of Indian culture. Indian poets of eminence have showered their praises for the abundance of its peppers, the fragrance of its sandal and the wealth of its coconuts. No part of India is so widely known or has played so important a part in world history as Kerala.
Natural Divisions: Physical features demarcate the state into three natural divisions. They are the lowland adjoining the sea, the midland consisting of the undulating country east of the lowlands and the forest clad highland on the extreme east. The lowland bordering the sea is dotted with innumerable coconut palms and the expansive stretches of paddy crops. The midland regions comprise valleys, punctuated here and there by isolated hills.
This rich and fertile region bears the largest extent of agricultural crops. The Western Ghats which range along the eastern border constitute the highland. They form a natural wall of protection to the state. Extensive tea and cardamom plantation dominate the higher elevations; while ginger, rubber, pepper, and turmeric flourish at the lower elevations. The hilly portion is broken up by long spurs, deep savines, dense forests and tangles jungles.

Sarees in.India

India has been known to have wonderful dresses and costumes. The most common and accepted attire is the saree. For a single length of material, the Indian saree must be the most versatile garment in existence. A saree is a rectangular piece of cloth that is five to six yards in length and sometimes nine yards. Yet, this dress is worn by millions of Indian women and is, by far, the most elegant. It is not merely an outfit but an ornament, lending both grace and glamour to the wearer. saree is for all purpose party wear, daily wear, bridal wear and so on.
The age old saree has kept its popularity throughout the centuries because of its total simplicity and practical comfort combined with the sense of luxury and sense of sexuality a woman experiences. saree is an Indian women’s statement to the world. The saree can be a shimmering silk, or fine cotton or an elegant chiffon material. It can have the most intricate embroidery with silk threads or even silver and gold threads. The colors can be vibrantly bright or subdued pastels. There are sarees to match every mood and every occasion to suit every udget.
The saree has an ageless charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size. This garment can fit any size and if worn properly can accentuate or conceal. This supremely graceful attire can also be worn in several ways and its manner of wearing as well as its color and texture are indicative of the status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman. The Indian saree has retained its beauty over centuries. This attire has retained its innocence through its original form but it has evolved in tremendous variety. A more feminine dress has never been seen anywhere. This attire can cover the body from head to toe, making a woman look modest and coy. But just shift the pallu, wear it with a stylish blouse and it could give any Western dress a complex.
saree is one piece of clothing which fits all….. fat or thin short or tall!!! The traditional 6 yard saree allows for generous pleating, and draping around the body and over the shoulders almost Grecian in style. The loose end of the fabric, which is thrown over the left shoulder, is known as ‘Pallu’. Pallu usually has extensive design or embroidery woven into it. saree is very flattering to all shapes and sizes and forgiving of the various flaws. It can ingeniously conceal the extra flab of fat, or it can accentuate the wellproportioned curve It is just a matter of how you drape the saree. This garment is in style for over 5000 years for the simple reason of its simplicity and practical usage.
This demure garment is a very versatile garment too. The pallu has a very multipurpose use to it. In case of slight chill in the air, put it around the shoulder like a shawl, if it gets very cold wrap it around the head like a scarf. The saree is so practical to wear that you can even run a marathon in it with out any problem.