posted: December 30, 2003 | by chelsie

It is perhaps one of nature's most unique items--strong, light-weight, resilient, fire-resistant, insulating, capable of absorbing both impact and sound, and durable. Compressed it returns to its original shape, yet it takes to cutting and sanding. It is the bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber Linnaeus). [Click here to read more...]

posted: December 23, 2003 | by chelsie

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera Linnaeus) is as mysterious as the arid lands the palm now calls home. According to Geoff Sanderson, the oldest archaeological evidence of date palm cultivation is from the city of Ur in Mesopotamia during the third millennium BCE. Date pits (seeds) discovered in ancient human habitations carbon-date to the fifth millennium, indicating that very early civilizations gathered and enjoyed these sweet drupes (single seeded fruits). [Click here to read more...]

posted: December 16, 2003 | by chelsie

Although, Affonso d'Alboquerque lost his first ship and treasure in a storm, he returned to the Malabar Coast. He spent the remainder of his years building a Portuguese presence and administrating the spice trade along the coastline of India and the East Indies. There were rebellions, still Alboquerque established numerous trade treaties. He attacked Aden (Yemen) and though repulsed, the Portuguese gained possession of Soqotra. [Click here to read more...]

posted: December 9, 2003 | by chelsie

In 1506, the Portuguese naval general, Affonso d'Alboquerque commanded five vessels and sailed with another eleven under the command of Tristao da Cunha. The fleet targeted Arabic cities on the east African coast, then separated. Alboquerque's ships went on to lay siege to Ormuz, a major commerce center in the Persian Gulf. After failing to hold Ormuz, Alboquerque headed his ships for the Portuguese-held Malabar Coast of Decan (India). [Click here to read more...]

posted: December 2, 2003 | by chelsie

Infante Dom Henrique was a prince, the third son of John I of Portugal. Henrique was a dreamer, but more importantly, a doer. In 1416, Henrique established a center for exploration in southwestern Portugal. An arsenal was constructed, and an observatory, later a school for navigation and the study of geography. [Click here to read more...]

posted: November 25, 2003 | by chelsie

Very early in history, Asian peoples appreciated the warm flavor of nutmeg from Myristica fragrans Houttuyn [mir is' tee ka fra' grans]. The nutmeg tree was found on only two of the Banda Islands in the Moluccas. Native islanders took nutmeg to the Indonesian peninsula where it made its way into the trade routes. [Click here to read more...]

posted: November 18, 2003 | by chelsie

Something remarkable happened in the mid to late 1400s; the world cooled and did not begin emerging from this cold until the 1850s. It was the Little Ice Age (LIA) and it may have been tied to solar activity. [Click here to read more...]

posted: November 11, 2003 | by chelsie

In the 1530s, Andrea Amati of Cremona started something, dynasties of superior craftsmen. Amati was a woodworker, more specifically, a luthier, a maker of stringed instruments--violins. Violin in the late Renaissance referred to the family of instruments--treble or modern violin, viola, cello, contrabass, and guitars. [Click here to read more...]

posted: November 4, 2003 | by chelsie

Solomon mentioned Aloe at least twice in his writings: "I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon." (Proverbs 7:17) and "With all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices." (Song of Songs 4: 14) The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans were all familiar with the medicinal properties of Aloe both for topical treatments and, surprisingly, as a violent purgative (laxative). Aloe was part of preparing the dead, even Christ's body was said prepared with "a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight." (John 19:39) [Click here to read more...]

posted: October 28, 2003 | by chelsie

The place: Paris. The crowd: artists, writers, businessmen, ex-soldiers. The time: fin-de-siècle, the end of the 19^th century. The drink: La Fée Verte, absinthe. [Click here to read more...]

posted: October 21, 2003 | by chelsie

The betel nut is the fruit of a palm, Areca catechu Linnaeus. The palm is believed native to the Malay Peninsula, but the plant has been transported and cultivated throughout the Pacific and Paleotropics (Old World) for so long that no one is truly certain of its origins. Most people probably know of Bloody Mary's betel nut habit from the musical production, South Pacific, by Rogers and Hammerstein. [Click here to read more...]

posted: October 14, 2003 | by chelsie

The fava bean (Vicia faba Linnaeus) is thought native to the eastern Mediterranean. The oldest known seeds, probably gathered from wild plants, were found in an archaeological dig near Nazareth and date from 6500 BCE. During the third millennium BCE, the cultivation of fava beans spread over the Middle East, North Africa, and central and southern Europe. [Click here to read more...]

posted: October 7, 2003 | by chelsie

Favism is anemia caused by hemolysis or the destruction of healthy erythrocytes (red blood cells, RBC). The victim, usually a male, feels tired, nauseous, dizzy, and has dark orange urine indicating the passage of blood. The anemia is usually transient (short-lived), but if severe enough, it is fatal. The anemia is caused by a deficiency in an enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). [Click here to read more...]