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Tea has been around for a very long time. It originated from China, and the locals believe that it was first used in 2737 B.C.E. for its medicinal properties. It was only introduced to the west when Portuguese priests visited China in the 16th century. It arrived in England by 1660, but only became popular in the 18th century. Tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant, typically grown in plantations. While most people might not associate tea with any particular natural beauty, it is, in fact, the opposite! Tea plantations are remarkable; their green, endless beauty can make the mind soar, and the heart sing. |
The Boh Plantation is the biggest supplier of black tea in Malaysia |
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The Cameron Highlands, Malaysia |
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Tea covers the slopes of Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka |
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Located in Western India, Munnar is one of the largest tea plantations in the world |
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Greek women working in a local tea plantation, circa 1905-1915 |
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Schoolchildren walking home along tea fields in Darjeeling, India. In the background, you can see Kangchendzonga, the world's 3rd tallest mountain |
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The Mulanje tea fields in Malawi |
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Considered the most important location for tea production in Sri Lanka, Nuwara Eliya is also one of the most beautiful places on the island-state |
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Tea pickers in Kerala, India pick an average of 8Kg (17.5lb) of tea every day |
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The Camellia plants benefit greatly from the generous rain showers in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia |
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A typical tea plantation in Sri Lanka |
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The sun sets on a plantation in Taipei, Taiwan |
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A hillside tea estate in Coonoor, India |
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Another tea estate in India |
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Trees are often planted in the tea fields to help protect the plants from too much sun and heat. (Common shade trees are Erythrina, Gliricidia, and Silver Oak) |
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Tea Plantation on the way to Knuckles Mountain Range Reserve in Sri Lanka |
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The tea plantations in Munnar often enjoy such incredible backdrops |
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An old steam engine, chugging along the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya |
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Indian tea pickers in Kalasa |
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The tea plantations span miles along the hills of Mangalore, India |
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A wild Indian elephant that came across a tea field |
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In case you missed it, this is our guide to growing & brewing your own teaat home. |
Logan W.
Netanyahu at his best:
Even those who aren't particularly sympathetic to Israel's Benjamin
Netanyahu, could get a good measure of satisfaction from this interview with British Television during the retaliation against Hamas' shelling of Israel.
The interviewer asked him: "How come so many more Palestinians have
been killed in this conflict than Israelis?" (A nasty question if there ever was one!)
Netanyahu: "Are you sure that you want to start asking in that direction?"
Interviewer: (Falling into the trap) Why not?
Netanyahu, could get a good measure of satisfaction from this interview with British Television during the retaliation against Hamas' shelling of Israel.
The interviewer asked him: "How come so many more Palestinians have
been killed in this conflict than Israelis?" (A nasty question if there ever was one!)
Netanyahu: "Are you sure that you want to start asking in that direction?"
Interviewer: (Falling into the trap) Why not?
Netanyahu:
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"Because in World War II more Germans were killed than British and Americans combined, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the war was caused by Germany 's aggression. And in response to the German blitz on London , the British wiped out the entire city of Dresden , burning to death more German civilians than the number of people killed in Hiroshima ...
Moreover, I could remind you that in 1944, when the R.A.F. tried to bomb the Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen , some of the bombs missed their target and fell on a Danish children's hospital, killing 83 little children.
Perhaps you have another question?”
2
He gave another interview and was asked about Israel's occupation of Arab lands. His response was, "It's our land". The reporter (CNN or the like) was stunned - read below "It's our land.." It's important information since we don't get fair and accurate reporting from the media and facts tend to get lost in the jumble of daily events.
"Crash Course on the Arab-Israeli Conflict."
Here are overlooked facts in the current & past Middle East situation.
These were compiled by a Christian university professor:
BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY...
2
He gave another interview and was asked about Israel's occupation of Arab lands. His response was, "It's our land". The reporter (CNN or the like) was stunned - read below "It's our land.." It's important information since we don't get fair and accurate reporting from the media and facts tend to get lost in the jumble of daily events.
"Crash Course on the Arab-Israeli Conflict."
Here are overlooked facts in the current & past Middle East situation.
These were compiled by a Christian university professor:
BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY...
(It takes just 1.5 minutes to read!)
It makes sense and it's not slanted. Jew and non-Jew -- it doesn't matter.
1. Nationhood and Jerusalem : Israel became a nation in 1312 BC, two
thousand (2000) years before the rise of Islam.
2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a
Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the
modern State of Israel.
3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BC, the Jews have had dominion
over the land for one thousand (1000) years with a continuous presence
in the land for the past 3,300 years.
4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 lasted no more
than 22 years.
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital.
Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem , they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy
Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran.
7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem . Mohammed never came to
Jerusalem .
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem . Muslims pray with their backs toward
Jerusalem ..
9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged
to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews.
Sixty-eight percent left (many in fear of retaliation by their own brethren, the Arabs), without ever seeing an Israeli soldier. The ones who stayed were afforded the same peace, civility, and citizenship rights as everyone else.
10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is
estimated to be the same.
12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into
the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel , a country no larger than the state of New Jersey ...
13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation.
The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them with most of their needs.
15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council
resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429
were directed against Israel .
18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem synagogues were destroyed by
the Jordanians.
19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives .[They used tombstones to pave roads].
20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
It makes sense and it's not slanted. Jew and non-Jew -- it doesn't matter.
1. Nationhood and Jerusalem : Israel became a nation in 1312 BC, two
thousand (2000) years before the rise of Islam.
2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a
Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the
modern State of Israel.
3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BC, the Jews have had dominion
over the land for one thousand (1000) years with a continuous presence
in the land for the past 3,300 years.
4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 lasted no more
than 22 years.
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital.
Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem , they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy
Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran.
7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem . Mohammed never came to
Jerusalem .
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem . Muslims pray with their backs toward
Jerusalem ..
9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged
to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews.
Sixty-eight percent left (many in fear of retaliation by their own brethren, the Arabs), without ever seeing an Israeli soldier. The ones who stayed were afforded the same peace, civility, and citizenship rights as everyone else.
10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is
estimated to be the same.
12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into
the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel , a country no larger than the state of New Jersey ...
13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation.
The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them with most of their needs.
15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council
resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429
were directed against Israel .
18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem synagogues were destroyed by
the Jordanians.
19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives .[They used tombstones to pave roads].
20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
These are incredible times. We have to ask what our role should be.
What will we tell our grandchildren about what we did when there was a
turning point in Jewish destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?
START NOW - Send this to 18 other people you know and ask them to send it to eighteen others, Jew and non-Jew - it doesn't really matter
What will we tell our grandchildren about what we did when there was a
turning point in Jewish destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?
START NOW - Send this to 18 other people you know and ask them to send it to eighteen others, Jew and non-Jew - it doesn't really matter
This Landscape Art Takes it to the Next Level. |
I've heard of gardening and I've heard of landscaping, but I think 'art' is what I would call these astonishing sculptures made from living flowers and bushes, that seem to be taken straight from the red queen court in wonderland. |
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Lara R.