September 2018 – GoldWiser Conroe

September 29, 2018

The 12 Best Foods to Boost Your Metabolism,Written by Alina Petre, MS, RD (CA)

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Certain foods can increase your metabolism.

The higher your metabolism, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to maintain your weight or get rid of unwanted body fat.

Here are 12 foods that rev up your metabolism, which may help you lose weight.

1. Protein-Rich Foods

Protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, nuts and seeds, could help increase your metabolism for a few hours.

They do so by requiring your body to use more energy to digest them.

This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). The TEF refers to the number of calories needed by your body to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meals.

Research shows that protein-rich foods increase TEF the most. For example, they increase your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats (1).

Protein-rich diets also reduce the drop in metabolism often seen during weight loss by helping your body hold on to its muscle mass.

What’s more, protein may also help keep you fuller for longer, which can prevent overeating.

BOTTOM LINE:Protein-rich foods can help boost your metabolism, maintain muscle mass and prevent you from overeating.

2. Iron, Zinc and Selenium-Rich Foods

Iron, zinc and selenium each play different but equally important roles in the proper function of your body.

However, they do have one thing in common: all three are required for the proper function of your thyroid gland, which regulates your metabolism .

Research shows that a diet too low in iron, zinc or selenium may reduce the ability of your thyroid gland to produce sufficient amounts of hormones. This can slow down your metabolism.

To help your thyroid function to the best of its ability, include zinc, selenium and iron-rich foodslike meat, seafood, legumes, nuts and seeds in your daily menu.

BOTTOM LINE:Foods rich in iron, zinc and selenium promote the proper function of your thyroid, which helps maintain a healthy metabolism.

3. Chili Peppers

Capsaicin, a chemical found in chili peppers, may boost your metabolism by increasing the number of calories and fat you burn.

In fact, a review of 20 research studies reports that capsaicin can help your body burn around 50 extra calories per day.

This effect was initially observed after taking 135–150 mg of capsaicin per day, but some studies report similar benefits with doses as low as 9–10 mg per day.

Moreover, capsaicin may have appetite-reducing properties.

According to a recent study, consuming 2 mg of capsaicin directly before each meal seems to reduce the number of calories consumed, especially from carbs .

That said, not all studies agree on capsaicin’s metabolism-boosting abilities.

BOTTOM LINE:Capsaicin, a compound found in chili peppers, may help slightly increase metabolism and fat oxidation.

4. Coffee

Studies report that the caffeine found in coffee can help increase metabolic rate by up to 11%.

In fact, six different studies found that people who consume at least 270 mg of caffeine daily, or the equivalent of about three cups of coffee, burn an extra 100 calories per day.

Furthermore, caffeine may also help your body burn fat for energy and seems especially effective at boosting your workout performance .

However, its effects seem to vary from person to person, based on individual characteristics such as body weight and age.

BOTTOM LINE:The caffeine found in coffee may help boost the amount of calories and fat your body burns. However, its effects may vary by individual.

5. Tea

According to research, the combination of caffeine and catechins that’s found in tea may work to boost your metabolism.

In particular, both oolong and green tea may increase metabolism by 4–10%. This could add up to burning an extra 100 calories per day.

In addition, oolong and green teas may help your body use stored fat for energy more effectively, increasing your fat-burning ability by up to 17% .

Nevertheless, as is the case with coffee, effects may vary from person to person.

BOTTOM LINE:The combination of caffeine and catechins found in tea may help your body burn slightly more calories and fat each day.

6. Legumes and Pulses

Legumes and pulses, such as lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans and peanuts, are particularly high in protein compared to other plant foods.

Studies suggest that their high protein content requires your body to burn a greater number of calories to digest them, compared to lower-protein foods.

Legumes also contain a good amount of dietary fiber, such as resistant starch and soluble fiber, which your body can use to feed the good bacteria living in your intestines.

In turn, these friendly bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids, which may help your body use stored fat as energy and maintain normal blood sugar levels.

In one study, humans consuming a legume-rich diet for eight weeks experienced beneficial changes in metabolism and lost 1.5 times more weight than the control group.

Legumes are also high in arginine, an amino acid that may increase the amount of carbs and fat your body can burn for energy.

In addition, peas, faba beans and lentils also contain substantial amounts of the amino acid glutamine, which may help increase the number of calories burned during digestion.

BOTTOM LINE:Legumes and pulses are high in protein, fiber and certain amino acids, which are thought to have metabolism-boosting properties.

7. Metabolism-Boosting Spices

Certain spices are thought to have particularly beneficial metabolism-boosting properties.

For instance, research shows that dissolving 2 grams of ginger powder in hot water and drinking it with a meal may help you burn up to 43 more calories than drinking hot water alone.

This hot ginger drink also seems to decrease levels of hunger and enhance feelings of satiety.

Grains of paradise, another spice in the ginger family, may have similar effects.

A recent study reported that participants given a 40-mg extract of grains of paradise burned 43 more calories in the following two hours than those given a placebo .

That said, researchers also noted that part of the participants were non-responders, so the effects may vary from one person to another.

Similarly, adding cayenne pepper to your meal may increase the amount of fat your body burns for energy, especially following a high-fat meal. However, this fat-burning effect may only apply to people unaccustomed to consuming spicy foods.

BOTTOM LINE:Ginger, grains of paradise and cayenne pepper may help your body burn more calories or fat. However, effects can vary from one individual to another.

8. Cacao

Cacao and cocoa are tasty treats that may also benefit your metabolism.

For instance, studies in mice found that cocoa and cocoa extracts may promote the expression of genes that stimulate the use of fat for energy. This seems especially true in mice fed high-fat or high-calorie diets .

Interestingly, one study suggests that cocoa may prevent the action of enzymes necessary to break down fat and carbs during digestion .

In doing so, cocoa could theoretically play a role in preventing weight gain by reducing the absorption of some calories .

However, human studies examining the effects of cocoa, cacao or cacao products such as dark chocolate are rare. More studies are needed before strong conclusions can be made.

If you’d like to give cacao a try, opt for raw versions, as processing tends to reduce the amounts of beneficial compounds.

BOTTOM LINE:Cacao may have certain metabolism-boosting properties, especially for those consuming high-calorie, high-fat diets.

9. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar may increase your metabolism.

Several animal studies have shown vinegar to be particularly helpful in increasing the amount of fat burned for energy.

In one study, mice given vinegar experienced an increase in the AMPK enzyme, which prompts the body to decrease fat storage and increase fat burning.

In another study, obese rats treated with vinegar experienced an increase in the expression of certain genes, leading to reduced liver fat and belly fat storage.

Apple cider vinegar is often claimed to boost metabolism in humans, but few studies have investigated the matter directly.

Nevertheless, apple cider vinegar may still help you lose weight in other ways, such as slowing stomach emptying and enhancing feelings of fullness.

One study in humans even showed that participants given four teaspoons (20 ml) of apple cider vinegar ate up to 275 fewer calories over the rest of the day.

If you’d like to give apple cider vinegar a try, be careful to limit your daily consumption to two tablespoons (30 ml).

Also, make sure to read this article to reduce the risk of negative side effects.

BOTTOM LINE:More studies are needed to confirm apple cider vinegar’s metabolism-boosting properties in humans. That being said, it may aid weight loss in other ways.

10. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is experiencing a surge in popularity.

That may be partly because coconut oil is high in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). This is contrary to most other types of fats, which usually contain higher amounts of long-chain fatty acids.

Unlike long-chain fats, once MCTs are absorbed, they go directly to the liver to be turned into energy. This makes them less likely to be stored as fat.

Interestingly, several studies show that MCTs can increase metabolic rate more than longer-chain fats.

In addition, researchers report that a daily intake of 30 ml of coconut oil may successfully reduce waist size in obese individuals.

BOTTOM LINE:Replacing other fats with a small amount of coconut oil may boost your metabolism and help your body get rid of belly fat.

11. Water

Drinking enough water is a great way to stay hydrated.

Additionally, it seems that drinking water may also temporarily boost metabolism by 24–30%.

Researchers note that about 40% of that increase is explained by the additional calories needed to heat the water to body temperature.

Yet, the effects only seem to last for 60–90 minutes after drinking it and may vary from one person to another.

BOTTOM LINE:Drinking water may temporarily increase your metabolism. However, effects are temporary and may vary between individuals.

12. Seaweed

Seaweed is a great source of iodine, a mineral required for the production of thyroid hormones and proper function of your thyroid gland.

Thyroid hormones have various functions, one of which is to regulate your metabolic rate.

Regularly consuming seaweed can help you meet your iodine needs and keep your metabolism running at a high rate.

The reference daily intake of iodine for adults is 150 mcg per day. This can be met by consuming several servings of seaweed per week.

Although, some types of seaweed such as kelp are extremely high in iodine and should not be consumed in large amounts.

Fucoxanthin is another compound found in some varieties of seaweed that may help with metabolism.

It’s primarily found in brown seaweed varieties and may have anti-obesity effects by increasing the amount of calories you burn.

BOTTOM LINE:Certain compounds in seaweed may help prevent your metabolism from slowing down.

13. Anything Else?

Certain foods may help slightly increase your metabolism. Therefore, consuming them regularly may help you lose weight and keep it off in the long term.

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Written by Alina Petre, MS, RD (CA) on November 14, 2016

September 28, 2018

Halloween, Part 2

The word Halloween or Hallowe’en dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin. The word “Hallowe’en” means “hallowed evening” or “holy evening”. It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows’ Eve (the evening before All Hallows’ Day). In Scots, the word “eve” is even, and this is contracted to e’en or een. Over time, (All) Hallow(s) E(v)en evolved into Hallowe’en. Although the phrase “All Hallows'” is found in Old English “All Hallows’ Eve” is itself not seen until 1556.

Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed over time. Jack-o’-lanterns are traditionally carried by guisers on All Hallows’ Eve in order to frighten evil spirits. There is a popular Irish Christian folktale associated with the jack-o’-lantern, which in folklore is said to represent a “soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell“:

On route home after a night’s drinking, Jack encounters the Devil and tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.

In Ireland and Scotland, the turnip has traditionally been carved during Halloween, but immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin, which is both much softer and much larger – making it easier to carve than a turnip. The American tradition of carving pumpkins is recorded in 1837 and was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century.

Decorated house in Weatherly, Pennsylvania

The modern imagery of Halloween comes from many sources, including Christian eschatology, national customs, works of Gothic and horror literature (such as the novels Frankenstein and Dracula) and classic horror films (such as Frankenstein and The Mummy). Imagery of the skull, a reference to Golgotha in the Christian tradition, serves as “a reminder of death and the transitory quality of human life” and is consequently found in memento mori and vanitas compositions; skulls have therefore been commonplace in Halloween, which touches on this theme. Traditionally, the back walls of churches are “decorated with a depiction of the Last Judgment, complete with graves opening and the dead rising, with a heaven filled with angels and a hell filled with devils”, a motif that has permeated the observance of this triduum. One of the earliest works on the subject of Halloween is from Scottish poet John Mayne, who, in 1780, made note of pranks at Halloween; “What fearfu’ pranks ensue!”, as well as the supernatural associated with the night, “Bogies” (ghosts), influencing Robert Burns‘ “Halloween” (1785). Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, and mythical monsters. Black, orange, and sometimes purple are Halloween’s traditional colors.

Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, “Trick or treat?” The word “trick” implies a “threat” to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. The practice is said to have roots in the medieval practice of mumming, which is closely related to souling. John Pymm writes that “many of the feast days associated with the presentation of mumming plays were celebrated by the Christian Church.” These feast days included All Hallows’ Eve, Christmas, Twelfth Night and Shrove Tuesday. Mumming practiced in Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, involved masked persons in fancy dress who “paraded the streets and entered houses to dance or play dice in silence

In England, from the medieval period, up until the 1930s, people practiced the Christian custom of souling on Halloween, which involved groups of soulers, both Protestant and Catholic, going from parish to parish, begging the rich for soul cakes, in exchange for praying for the souls of the givers and their friends.

In Scotland and Ireland, guising – children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins – is a traditional Halloween custom, and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895 where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit, and money. The practice of guising at Halloween in North America is first recorded in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada reported children going “guising” around the neighborhood.

American historian and author Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts wrote the first book-length history of Halloween in the US; The Book of Hallowe’en (1919), and references souling in the chapter “Hallowe’en in America”. In her book, Kelley touches on customs that arrived from across the Atlantic; “Americans have fostered them, and are making this an occasion something like what it must have been in its best days overseas. All Halloween customs in the United States are borrowed directly or adapted from those of other countries”.

While the first reference to “guising” in North America occurs in 1911, another reference to ritual begging on Halloween appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920. The earliest known use in print of the term “trick or treat” appears in 1927, in the Blackie Herald Alberta, Canada.

The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but not trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the first U.S. appearances of the term in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939.

A popular variant of trick-or-treating, known as trunk-or-treating (or Halloween tailgaiting), occurs when “children are offered treats from the trunks of cars parked in a church parking lot”, or sometimes, a school parking lot. In a trunk-or-treat event, the trunk (boot) of each automobile is decorated with a certain theme, such as those of children’s literature, movies, scripture, and job roles. Trunk-or-treating has grown in popularity due to its perception as being more safe than going door to door, a point that resonates well with parents, as well as the fact that it “solves the rural conundrum in which homes [are] built a half-mile apart”.

Halloween costumes are traditionally modeled after supernatural figures such as vampires, monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Over time, in the United States, the costume selection extended to include popular characters from fiction, celebrities, and generic archetypes such as ninjas and princesses.

Dressing up in costumes and going “guising” was prevalent in Ireland and Scotland at Halloween by the late 19th century. Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the US in the early 20th century, as often for adults as for children. The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States.

The yearly New York Halloween Parade, begun in 1974 by puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee of Greenwich Village, is a large Halloween parade and one of America’s only major nighttime parades (along with Portland’s Starlight Parade), attracting more than 60,000 costumed participants, two million spectators, and a worldwide television audience of over 100 million. The largest Halloween parade in the world takes place in Derry in Northern Ireland, which was named the “best Halloween destination in the world” having been voted number one in a USA Today readers’ poll in 2015.

Eddie J. Smith, in his book Halloween, Hallowed is Thy Name, offers a religious perspective to the wearing of costumes on All Hallows’ Eve, suggesting that by dressing up as creatures “who at one time caused us to fear and tremble”, people are able to poke fun at Satan“whose kingdom has been plundered by our Saviour”. Images of skeletons and the dead are traditional decorations used as memento mori.

“Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” is a fundraising program to support UNICEF, a United Nations Programme that provides humanitarian aid to children in developing countries. Started as a local event in a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood in 1950 and expanded nationally in 1952, the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools (or in modern times, corporate sponsors like Hallmark, at their licensed stores) to trick-or-treaters, in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $118 million for UNICEF since its inception. In Canada, in 2006, UNICEF decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes, citing safety and administrative concerns; after consultation with schools, they instead redesigned the program.

There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween. Some of these games originated as divination rituals or ways of foretelling one’s future, especially regarding death, marriage and children. During the Middle Ages, these rituals were done by a “rare few” in rural communities as they were considered to be “deadly serious” practices. In recent centuries, these divination games have been “a common feature of the household festivities” in Ireland and Britain. They often involve apples and hazelnuts. In Celtic mythology, apples were strongly associated with the Otherworld and immortality, while hazelnuts were associated with divine wisdom. Some also suggest that they derive from Roman practices in celebration of Pomona.

The following activities were a common feature of Halloween in Ireland and Britain during the 17th–20th centuries. Some have become more widespread and continue to be popular today. One common game is apple bobbing or dunking (which may be called “dooking” in Scotland) in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants must use only their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. A variant of dunking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drive the fork into an apple. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to a sticky face. Another once-popular game involves hanging a small wooden rod from the ceiling at head height, with a lit candle on one end and an apple hanging from the other. The rod is spun round and everyone takes turns to try to catch the apple with their teeth.

Several of the traditional activities from Ireland and Britain involve foretelling one’s future partner or spouse. An apple would be peeled in one long strip, then the peel tossed over the shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse’s name. Two hazelnuts would be roasted near a fire; one named for the person roasting them and the other for the person they desire. If the nuts jump away from the heat, it is a bad sign, but if the nuts roast quietly it foretells a good match. A salty oatmeal bannock would be baked; the person would eat it in three bites and then go to bed in silence without anything to drink. This is said to result in a dream in which their future spouse offers them a drink to quench their thirst. Unmarried women were told that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards from the late 19th century and early 20th century.

In Ireland and Scotland, items would be hidden in food—usually a cake, barmbrack, cranachan, champ or colcannon—and portions of it served out at random. A person’s future would be foretold by the item they happened to find; for example, a ring meant marriage and a coin meant wealth.

Up until the 19th century, the Halloween bonfires were also used for divination in parts of Scotland, Wales and Brittany. When the fire died down, a ring of stones would be laid in the ashes, one for each person. In the morning, if any stone was mislaid it was said that the person it represented would not live out the year.

Telling ghost stories and watching horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and Halloween-themed specials (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before Halloween, while new horror films are often released before Halloween to take advantage of the holiday

Haunted attractions are entertainment venues designed to thrill and scare patrons. Most attractions are seasonal Halloween businesses that may include haunted houses, corn mazes, and hayrides, and the level of sophistication of the effects has risen as the industry has grown.

The first recorded purpose-built haunted attraction was the Orton and Spooner Ghost House, which opened in 1915 in Liphook, England. This attraction actually most closely resembles a carnival fun house, powered by steam. The House still exists, in the Hollycombe Steam Collection.

It was during the 1930s, about the same time as trick-or-treating, that Halloween-themed haunted houses first began to appear in America. It was in the late 1950s that haunted houses as a major attraction began to appear, focusing first on California. Sponsored by the Children’s Health Home Junior Auxiliary, the San Mateo Haunted House opened in 1957. The San Bernardino Assistance League Haunted House opened in 1958. Home haunts began appearing across the country during 1962 and 1963. In 1964, the San Manteo Haunted House opened, as well as the Children’s Museum Haunted House in Indianapolis.

The haunted house as an American cultural icon can be attributed to the opening of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland on 12 August 1969. Knott’s Berry Farm began hosting its own Halloween night attraction, Knott’s Scary Farm, which opened in 1973. Evangelical Christians adopted a form of these attractions by opening one of the first “hell houses” in 1972.

The first Halloween haunted house run by a nonprofit organization was produced in 1970 by the Sycamore-Deer Park Jaycees in Clifton, Ohio. It was cosponsored by WSAI, an AM radio station broadcasting out of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was last produced in 1982. Other Jaycees followed suit with their own versions after the success of the Ohio house. The March of Dimes copyrighted a “Mini haunted house for the March of Dimes” in 1976 and began fundraising through their local chapters by conducting haunted houses soon after. Although they apparently quit supporting this type of event nationally sometime in the 1980s, some March of Dimes haunted houses have persisted until today.

On the evening of 11 May 1984, in Jackson Township, New Jersey, the Haunted Castle (Six Flags Great Adventure) caught fire. As a result of the fire, eight teenagers perished. The backlash to the tragedy was a tightening of regulations relating to safety, building codes and the frequency of inspections of attractions nationwide. The smaller venues, especially the nonprofit attractions, were unable to compete financially, and the better funded commercial enterprises filled the vacuum. Facilities that were once able to avoid regulation because they were considered to be temporary installations now had to adhere to the stricter codes required of permanent attractions.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, theme parks entered the business seriously. Six Flags Fright Fest began in 1986 and Universal Studios Florida began Halloween Horror Nights in 1991. Knott’s Scary Farm experienced a surge in attendance in the 1990s as a result of America’s obsession with Halloween as a cultural event. Theme parks have played a major role in globalizing the holiday. Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Studios Japan both participate, while Disney now mounts Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party events at its parks in Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo, as well as in the United States. The theme park haunts are by far the largest, both in scale and attendance.

On All Hallows’ Eve, many Western Christian denominations encourage abstinence from meat, giving rise to a variety of vegetarian foods associated with this day.

A candy apple

Because in the Northern Hemisphere Halloween comes in the wake of the yearly apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), caramel or taffy apples are common Halloween treats made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.

At one time, candy apples were commonly given to trick-or-treating children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in the apples in the United States. While there is evidence of such incidents, relative to the degree of reporting of such cases, actual cases involving malicious acts are extremely rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant because of the mass media. At the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free X-rays of children’s Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their own children’s candy.

One custom that persists in modern-day Ireland is the baking (or more often nowadays, the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish: báirín breac), which is a light fruitcake, into which a plain ring, a coin, and other charms are placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the tradition of king cake at the festival of Epiphany.

September 27, 2018

Halloween, Part 1

Halloween or Hallowe’en (a contraction of All Hallows‘ Evening), also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve, is a celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain & Brythonic festival Calan Gaeaf: that such festivals may have had pagan roots; and that Samhain & Calan Gaeaf were themselves Christianized as Halloween by the early Church. Some believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, separate from ancient festivals like Samhain.

Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related guising), attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. In many parts of the world, the Christian religious observances of All Hallows’ Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, remain popular, although elsewhere it is a more commercial and secular celebration. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows’ Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

Today’s Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries, some of which are believed to have pagan roots.Jack Santino, a folklorist, writes that “there was throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existing between customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived”. Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while “some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which comes from the Old Irish for ‘summer’s end’.”

Samhain (/ˈsɑːwɪn, ˈsaʊɪn/) was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated on 31 October – 1 November in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. A kindred festival was held at the same time of year by the Brittonic Celts, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany; a name meaning “first day of winter”. For the Celts, the day ended and began at sunset; thus the festival began on the evening before 7 November by modern reckoning(the half point between equinox and solstice). Samhain and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century, and are still the Gaelic and Welsh names for Halloween.

Samhain/Calan Gaeaf marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the ‘darker half’ of the year. Like Beltane/Calan Mai, it was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld thinned. This meant the Aos Sí (/iːsˈʃiː/ eess-SHEE), the ‘spirits‘ or ‘fairies‘, could more easily come into this world and were particularly active. Most scholars see the Aos Sí as “degraded versions of ancient gods […] whose power remained active in the people’s minds even after they had been officially replaced by later religious beliefs”.^{[citation needed]} The Aos Sí were both respected and feared, with individuals often invoking the protection of God when approaching their dwellings. At Samhain, it was believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left outside for the Aos Sí. The souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Places were set at the dinner table and by the fire to welcome them. The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night of the year and must be appeased seems to have ancient origins and is found in many cultures throughout the world. In 19th century Ireland, “candles would be lit and prayers formally offered for the souls of the dead. After this the eating, drinking, and games would begin”.

Throughout Ireland and Britain, the household festivities included rituals and games intended to foretell one’s future, especially regarding death and marriage. Apples and nuts were often used in these divination rituals. They included apple bobbing, nut roasting, scrying or mirror-gazing, pouring molten lead or egg whites into water, dream interpretation, and others. Special bonfires were lit and there were rituals involving them. Their flames, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers, and were also used for divination. In some places, torches lit from the bonfire were carried sunwise around homes and fields to protect them. It is suggested that the fires were a kind of imitative or sympathetic magic – they mimicked the Sun, helping the “powers of growth” and holding back the decay and darkness of winter. In Scotland, these bonfires and divination games were banned by the church elders in some parishes. In Wales, bonfires were lit to “prevent the souls of the dead from falling to earth”. Later, these bonfires served to keep “away the devil“.

A traditional Irish Halloween turnip (rutabaga) lantern on display in the Museum of Country Life, Ireland

From at least the 16th century, the festival included mumming and guising in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales. This involved people going house-to-house in costume (or in disguise), usually reciting verses or songs in exchange for food. It may have originally been a tradition whereby people impersonated the Aos Sí, or the souls of the dead, and received offerings on their behalf, similar to the custom of souling (see below). Impersonating these beings, or wearing a disguise, was also believed to protect oneself from them. It is suggested that the mummers and guisers “personify the old spirits of the winter, who demanded reward in exchange for good fortune”. In parts of southern Ireland, the guisers included a hobby horse. A man dressed as a Láir Bhán (white mare) led youths house-to-house reciting verses—some of which had pagan overtones—in exchange for food. If the household donated food it could expect good fortune from the ‘Muck Olla’; not doing so would bring misfortune. In Scotland, youths went house-to-house with masked, painted or blackened faces, often threatening to do mischief if they were not welcomed. F. Marian McNeillsuggests the ancient festival included people in costume representing the spirits, and that faces were marked (or blackened) with ashes taken from the sacred bonfire. In parts of Wales, men went about dressed as fearsome beings called gwrachod. In the late 19th and early 20th century, young people in Glamorgan and Orkney cross-dressed.

Elsewhere in Europe, mumming and hobby horses were part of other yearly festivals. However, in the Celtic-speaking regions they were “particularly appropriate to a night upon which supernatural beings were said to be abroad and could be imitated or warded off by human wanderers”. From at least the 18th century, “imitating malignant spirits” led to playing pranks in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. Wearing costumes and playing pranks at Halloween spread to England in the 20th century. Traditionally, pranksters used hollowed out turnips or mangel wurzels often carved with grotesque faces as lanterns. By those who made them, the lanterns were variously said to represent the spirits, or were used to ward off evil spirits. They were common in parts of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands in the 19th century, as well as in Somerset (see Punkie Night). In the 20th century they spread to other parts of England and became generally known as jack-o’-lanterns.

Christian influence

Today’s Halloween customs are also thought to have been influenced by Christian dogma and practices derived from it. Halloween is the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows’ Day (also known as All Saints’ or Hallowmas) on 1 November and All Souls’ Dayon 2 November, thus giving the holiday on 31 October the full name of All Hallows’ Eve (meaning the evening before All Hallows’ Day). Since the time of the early Church, major feasts in Christianity (such as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost) had vigils that began the night before, as did the feast of All Hallows’. These three days are collectively called Allhallowtide and are a time for honoring the saints and praying for the recently departed souls who have yet to reach Heaven. Commemorations of all saints and martyrs were held by several churches on various dates, mostly in springtime. In 609, Pope Boniface IV re-dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to “St Mary and all martyrs” on 13 May. This was the same date as Lemuria, an ancient Roman festival of the dead, and the same date as the commemoration of all saints in Edessa in the time of Ephrem.

The feast of All Hallows’, on its current date in the Western Church, may be traced to Pope Gregory III‘s (731–741) founding of an oratory in St Peter’s for the relics “of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors”. In 835, All Hallows’ Day was officially switched to 1 November, the same date as Samhain, at the behest of Pope Gregory IV. Some suggest this was due to Celtic influence, while others suggest it was a Germanic idea, although it is claimed that both Germanic and Celtic-speaking peoples commemorated the dead at the beginning of winter. They may have seen it as the most fitting time to do so, as it is a time of ‘dying’ in nature. It is also suggested that the change was made on the “practical grounds that Rome in summer could not accommodate the great number of pilgrims who flocked to it”, and perhaps because of public health considerations regarding Roman Fever – a disease that claimed a number of lives during the sultry summers of the region.

On All Hallows’ Eve, Christians in some parts of the world visit cemeteries to pray and place flowers and candles on the graves of their loved ones. Top photograph shows Bangladeshi Christians lighting candles on the headstone, while the bottom painting shows an artist’s rendering of Lutheran Christians praying and lighting candles in front of the crucifix.

By the end of the 12th century they had become holy days of obligation across Europe and involved such traditions as ringing church bells for the souls in purgatory. In addition, “it was customary for criers dressed in black to parade the streets, ringing a bell of mournful sound and calling on all good Christians to remember the poor souls.”Souling”, the custom of baking and sharing soul cakes for all christened souls, has been suggested as the origin of trick-or-treating. The custom dates back at least as far as the 15th century and was found in parts of England, Flanders, Germany and Austria.Groups of poor people, often children, would go door-to-door during Allhallowtide, collecting soul cakes, in exchange for praying for the dead, especially the souls of the givers’ friends and relatives. Soul cakes would also be offered for the souls themselves to eat, or the ‘soulers’ would act as their representatives. As with the Lenten tradition of hot cross buns, Allhallowtide soul cakes were often marked with a cross, indicating that they were baked as alms. Shakespeare mentions souling in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593). On the custom of wearing costumes, Christian minister Prince Sorie Conteh wrote: “It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints’ Day, and All Hallows’ Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the next world. In order to avoid being recognized by any soul that might be seeking such vengeance, people would don masks or costumes to disguise their identities”.

It is claimed that in the Middle Ages, churches that were too poor to display the relics of martyred saints at Allhallowtide let parishioners dress up as saints instead. Some Christians continue to observe this custom at Halloween today. Lesley Bannatyne believes this could have been a Christianization of an earlier pagan custom. While souling, Christians would carry with them “lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips”. It has been suggested that the carved jack-o’-lantern, a popular symbol of Halloween, originally represented the souls of the dead. On Halloween, in medieval Europe, fires served a dual purpose, being lit to guide returning souls to the homes of their families, as well as to deflect demons from haunting sincere Christian folk. Households in Austria, England and Ireland often had “candles burning in every room to guide the souls back to visit their earthly homes”. These were known as “soul lights”. Many Christians in mainland Europe, especially in France, believed “that once a year, on Hallowe’en, the dead of the churchyards rose for one wild, hideous carnival” known as the danse macabre, which has often been depicted in church decoration. Christopher Allmand and Rosamond McKitterick write in The New Cambridge Medieval History that “Christians were moved by the sight of the Infant Jesus playing on his mother’s knee; their hearts were touched by the Pietà; and patron saints reassured them by their presence. But, all the while, the danse macabre urged them not to forget the end of all earthly things.” This danse macabre was enacted at village pageants and at court masques, with people “dressing up as corpses from various strata of society”, and may have been the origin of modern-day Halloween costume parties.

In parts of Britain, these customs came under attack during the Reformation as some Protestants berated purgatory as a “popish” doctrine incompatible with their notion of predestination. Thus, for some Nonconformist Protestants, the theology of All Hallows’ Eve was redefined; without the doctrine of purgatory, “the returning souls cannot be journeying from Purgatory on their way to Heaven, as Catholics frequently believe and assert. Instead, the so-called ghosts are thought to be in actuality evil spirits. As such they are threatening.” Other Protestants maintained belief in an intermediate state, known as Hades (Bosom of Abraham), and continued to observe the original customs, especially souling, candlelit processions and the ringing of church bells in memory of the dead. Mark Donnelly, a professor of medieval archæology, and historian Daniel Diehl, with regard to the evil spirits, on Halloween, write that “barns and homes were blessed to protect people and livestock from the effect of witches, who were believed to accompany the malignant spirits as they traveled the earth.”In the 19th century, in some rural parts of England, families gathered on hills on the night of All Hallows’ Eve. One held a bunch of burning straw on a pitchfork while the rest knelt around him in a circle, praying for the souls of relatives and friends until the flames went out. This was known as teen’lay. The rising popularity of Guy Fawkes Night (5 November) from 1605 onward, saw many Halloween traditions appropriated by that holiday instead, and Halloween’s popularity waned in Britain, with the noteworthy exception of Scotland. There and in Ireland, they had been celebrating Samhain and Halloween since at least the early Middle Ages, and the Scottish kirktook a more pragmatic approach to Halloween, seeing it as important to the life cycle and rites of passage of communities and thus ensuring its survival in the country.

In France, some Christian families, on the night of All Hallows’ Eve, prayed beside the graves of their loved ones, setting down dishes full of milk for them. On Halloween, in Italy, some families left a large meal out for ghosts of their passed relatives, before they departed for church services. In Spain, on this night, special pastries are baked, known as “bones of the holy” (Spanish: Huesos de Santo) and put them on the graves of the churchyard, a practice that continues to this day.

Spread to North America

The annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in New York City is the world’s largest Halloween parade.

Lesley Bannatyne and Cindy Ott both write that Anglican colonists in the Southern United States and Catholic colonists in Maryland “recognized All Hallow’s Eve in their church calendars”, although the Puritans of New England maintained strong opposition to the holiday, along with other traditional celebrations of the established Church, including Christmas. Almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th century give no indication that Halloween was widely celebrated in North America. It was not until mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century that Halloween became a major holiday in North America. Confined to the immigrant communities during the mid-19th century, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the first decade of the 20th century it was being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds. “In Cajun areas, a nocturnal Mass was said in cemeteries on Halloween night. Candles that had been blessed were placed on graves, and families sometimes spent the entire night at the graveside”.

September 26, 2018September 26, 2018

What is the difference between metals, nonmetals, and metalloids?

Metalloids are elements whose properties are intermediate between those of metals and solid nonmetals. Such as silicon and boron. Metals Non-Metals An element, compound, or alloy that is good conductor of both electricity and heat. They are also solids. Metals are malleable, ductile and shiny. They consist of close-packed atoms.Ex. Iron, copper, and nickel.

One of the elements which do not exhibit metallic properties , generally located in the upper right hand corner of the periodic table. They are gases.
Examples: oxygen , nitrogen , hydrogen , & carbon.The difference between metalloids, metals and non metals is that they all have different types of properties. Metals are solids, non metals are gasses and metalloids are in between metals and non metals. Also, metals have there atoms all close and packed, non metals have there atoms far apart, and metalloids have there atoms either close or far apart. Metals are separated form the non metals in the periodic table.

When elements combine to form compounds, there are two major types of bonding that can result. Ionic bonds form when there is a transfer of electrons from one species to another, producing charged ions which attract each other very strongly by electrostatic interactions, and covalent bonds, which result when atoms share electrons to produce neutral molecules. In general, metal and nonmetals combine to form ionic compounds, while nonmetals combine with other nonmetals to form covalent compounds (molecules).

Since the metals are further to the left on the periodic table, they have low ionization energies and low electron affinities, so they lose electrons relatively easily and gain them with difficulty. They also have relatively few valence electrons, and can form ions (and thereby satisfy the octet rule) more easily by losing their valence electrons to form positively charged cations.

The main-group metals usually form charges that are the same as their group number: that is, the Group 1A metals such as sodium and potassium form +1 charges, the Group 2A metals such as magnesium and calcium form 2+ charges, and the Group 3A metals such as aluminum form 3+ charges.
The metals which follow the transition metals (towards the bottom of Groups 4A and 5A) can lose either their outermost s and p electrons, forming charges that are identical to their group number, or they can lose just the p electrons while retaining their two selectrons, forming charges that are the group number minus two. In other words, tin and lead in Group 4A can form either 4+ or 2+ charges, while bismuth in Group 5A can form either a 5+ or a 3+ charge.
The transition metals usually are capable of forming 2+ charges by losing their valence s electrons, but can also lose electrons from their d orbitals to form other charges. Most of the transition metals can form more than one possible charge in ionic compounds.

Nonmetals are further to the right on the periodic table, and have high ionization energies and high electron affinities, so they gain electrons relatively easily, and lose them with difficulty. They also have a larger number of valence electrons, and are already close to having a complete octet of eight electrons. The nonmetals gain electrons until they have the same number of electrons as the nearest noble gas (Group 8A), forming negatively charged anions which have charges that are the group number minus eight. That is, the Group 7A nonmetals form 1- charges, the Group 6A nonmetals form 2- charges, and the Group 5A metals form 3- charges. The Group 8A elements already have eight electrons in their valence shells, and have little tendency to either gain or lose electrons, and do not readily form ionic or molecular compounds.

Ionic compounds are held together in a regular array called a crystal lattice by the attractive forces between the oppositely charged cations and anions. These attractive forces are very strong, and most ionic compounds therefore have very high melting points. (For instance, sodium chloride, NaCl, melts at 801°C, while aluminum oxide, Al₂O₃, melts at 2054°C.) Ionic compounds are typically hard, rigid, and brittle. Ionic compounds do not conduct electricity, because the ions are not free to move in the solid phase, but ionic compounds can conduct electricity when they are dissolved in water.

When nonmetals combine with other nonmetals, they tend to share electrons in covalent bonds instead of forming ions, resulting in the formation of neutral molecules. (Keep in mind that since hydrogen is also a nonmetal, the combination of hydrogen with another nonmetal will also produce a covalent bond.) Molecular compounds can be gases, liquids, or low melting point solids, and comprise a wide variety of substances. (See the Molecule Gallery for examples.)

When metals combine with each other, the bonding is usually described as metallic bonding (you could’ve guessed that). In this model, each metal atom donates one or more of its valence electrons to make an electron sea that surrounds all of the atoms, holding the substance together by the attraction between the metal cations and the negatively charged electrons. Since the electrons in the electron sea can move freely, metals conduct electricity very easily, unlike molecules, where the electrons are more localized. Metal atoms can move past each other more easily than those in ionic compounds (which are held in fixed positions by the attractions between cations and anions), allowing the metal to be hammered into sheets or drawn into wire. Different metals can be combined very easily to make alloys, which can have much different physical properties from their constituent metals. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, which is much harder than iron itself; chromium, vanadium, nickel, and other metals are also often added to iron to make steels of various types. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc which is used in plumbing fixtures, electrical parts, and musical instruments. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, which is much harder than copper; when bronze was discovered by ancient civilizations, it marked a significant step forward from the use of less durable stone tools.

September 25, 2018

Holiday traditions, then and now,By EMILIE RUSCH

The holiday season is gingerbread cookies decorated with care. It’s a fragrant fir tree in the living room window, hung heavy with lights and a lifetime of mismatched ornaments. It’s Chinese food and “A Christmas Story” on loop — holiday practices all for my family, at least.

This time of year is rich in tradition, in warm memories and festive rituals unpacked and celebrated year after year. We give thanks for another year gone by and spend time with the ones we cherish most.

Some holiday traditions have faded in time, the ghosts of Christmas past, while others have evolved and emerged with changing technology and tastes.

Here are some of our favorites, then and now.

THEN: LONG-DISTANCE CONNECTIONS

Before cellphones, and before cordless phones, there were phones with tightly coiled cords that attached the receiver to the phone’s body, which housed a dial used for calling. There was also a cord that attached the phone’s body to the wall. On holidays, out-of-town relatives and friends would call, and the receiver would be passed from hand to hand, stretching as far as the kinking cord allowed. Long-distance calls were a big deal and, at $1 or more per minute, pretty expensive, like calling Antarctica today. We rarely said more than “Merry Christmas!” and maybe “How are you?” The pleasure of talking to people so far away — 50 miles! 100! 500! In FRANCE! — was real, but so was the extreme pressure from an anxious adult hovering overhead, mouthing “LONG DISTANCE!” When we passed on the receiver, and its increasingly tangled cord, it was with a sense of relief and a duty discharged. — Claire Martin

NOW: LIVE, FROM BOCA RATON

A few Christmas mornings ago, parents would hand phones to children playing with their new toys, so that they might say a quick hello to out-of-state grandparents. These days, it’s easier than ever for that grandparent to get a look at little sprouts wearing or playing with gifts — via Skype, Google Hangout or Facetime. Does he like the sweater you got him? Sure, just look at him, gritting his teeth through the chafing. That counts as a smile, and it builds character.

And if that’s not enough, your little ones can also live video chat with Santa at the North Pole now through Dec. 23, thanks to services such as Hello Santa and Talk to Santa. Say goodbye to mall lines.

THEN: HOLIDAY SCENES, TINY AND BRIGHT

As a kid, few things were as enthralling to me during the holidays as theimprobably detailed scenes that would pop up in department store windows and on the mantels and tabletops of my family members. Whether it was a stately pewter Nativity scene or a cotton ball-aided Christmas village — replete with tiny horse-drawn carriages and ice skating rinks — I loved savoring the detail that went into these festive tableaux. — John Wenzel

NOW: DIGITAL DAZZLE

Department stores, for the most part, have replaced their elf scenes with flatscreens. Rippling LED lights and yule-log DVDs are as close as many people will get to the colorful comfort of their childhood. The convenience and affordability is great. But simply plugging a pre-decorated item into a socket misses the thoughtfulness that went into the dioramas of Christmas past. And besides, who wants to imagine themselves shrunk down and inserted into a flickering digital picture frame instead of a handcrafted miniature version of Santa’s workshop? — John Wenzel

THEN: STUFFED WITH CARE, CITRUS

For me, one of the great traditions of Christmas morning was emptying the stockings my mom put out for us. She never did hang them from the fireplace mantel, for some reason — just placed them on the hearth. She always stuffed them with citrus: oranges, tangerines, tangelos and the like. My parents remembered them from their own North Carolina childhoods, when the Florida citrus crop always arrived in late fall and was thus a marker of the December holidays. Even now, I can bite into an orange in the dog days of August and still get a whiff of December in the Blue Ridge Mountains. — William Porter

NOW: THE MORE THE MERRIER

Today, citrus is available year-round, so while it’s as delicious as ever, it’s not quite the exotic seasonal harbinger it once was. But the past three decades have been a food boon, with lots of new fruits that once were unimaginable in America’s grocery stores. So if you want to up the ante on holiday treats, try buying your loved ones a perfect pomegranate, a juicy mango or a Japanese apple pear. Hey, why not all three? — William Porter

THEN: RUDOLPH, FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

Back in the Pleistocene, you’d get the kids into their footie pajamas and settle them in front of the Sony to watch “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” When such shows aired only once a season, knowing the lyrics to “Misfit” or “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” had some cachet. You could use the commercial break for bedtime snacks. — Susan Clotfelter

NOW: BUILD YOUR OWN OCCASION

Streaming services and DVRs mean you can watch any old holiday thing any time you want, commercial-free, unless it’s new this year. So hit Netflix, Hulu (or, gasp, your local indie video-rental shop) for some classy content of the more recent past. Try “The King’s Speech” for older kids; “Bolt,” “Up” or one of the “Madagascar” movies for younger ones. Create your own intermission or pre-show tradition with a long walk around the neighborhood to see the lights — or string popcorn and cranberries while you watch the movie. Footie PJs optional, but in case you missed it, they’re back. — Susan Clotfelter

THEN: GOD REST YOU MERRY, GENTLEMEN

Small groups of friends and families would go through their neighborhoods in the Christmas season, singing Christmas carols. Sometimes you’d hear them coming down the street, and sometimes you’d just open the door to find people serenading you with old-fashioned Christmas favorites. — Colleen O’Connor

NOW: NOT SO SILENT NIGHT

Remember the days when you’d have to interrupt gift giving or dinner to flip over the record or cassette tape or change the CD of holiday music? You can’t do these things in silence, obviously. Every holiday gathering needs a constant, never-ending soundtrack of sleigh bells, choirs and seasonal cheer. Good thing the spirit of November and December is on the cloud now. Thanks to playlists, personalized radio stations (Pandora) and streaming services (Spotify), you have a continuous supply of holiday sounds — everything from Bing Crosby and Kanye West to ‘N Sync and the Ramones. Now, all you need is a yule log. Good thing that’s digitized, too.— Matt Miller

THEN: DEAR CHRISTMAS LETTER

My grandmother was a master of the art of the Christmas letter. For years, she crafted the merry missives, full of family milestones and stories, to send to loved ones near and far. She illustrated the original by hand with festive holly sprigs and, for each of her children and grandchildren, a bell or bow. Then, with care, she reproduced it by mimeograph (and in later years, color copier). A Christmas letter was an occasion, a once-a-year life update — something not so valued in today’s world of constant Facebook posts. — Emilie Rusch

NOW: REACH OUT AND TEXT SOMEONE

Holiday gatherings have long had familiar sights, sounds, tastes and smells, but a somewhat newer sensation appears to be here to stay. For the past decade or so, each Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, pants, purses and pocketbooks have buzzed with group texts, heavy with exclamation points — and now emoji — from friends, old college acquaintances and… people who’ve long been deleted from your phone’s contacts. But hey, ’tis the season. You can muster a smiley face and a tree emoji in reply.— Dave Burdick

THEN: HOLIDAYS AU NATURALE

Candles in windows, natural materials draped on mantelpieces, holly, ivy and evergreen, paper chains made with care — this was the holiday decor of years past. And let’s not forget the best traditional decoration of all — a fresh, fluffy layer of snow. In the words of Irving Berlin, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.” Let it snow. — Emilie Rusch

NOW: EVERY YARD A SHOW

Eat your heart out, Clark Griswold. Holiday decorations are getting bigger and flashier every year. Icicle lights, blow-up snowmen, LED strands — they’re all in a front yard near you. Now the latest trend: RGB and “smart” lights that can be controlled by a smartphone app. That light show you’ve been dreaming of, set to the latest Trans-Siberian Orchestra carol, is possible with a click of your phone — and some pre-programming. Better hope the neighbors don’t mind. — Emilie Rusch

September 24, 2018

tullips

Tulips (Tulipa) form a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm colours). They often have a different coloured blotch at the base of the tepals (petals and sepals, collectively), internally. Because of a degree of variability within the populations, and a long history of cultivation, classification has been complex and controversial. The tulip is a member of the Liliaceae (lily) family, along with 14 other genera, where it is most closely related to Amana, Erythronium and Gagea in the tribe Lilieae. There are about 75 species, and these are divided among four subgenera. The name “tulip” is thought to be derived from a Persian word for turban, which it may have been thought to resemble. Tulips originally were found in a band stretching from Southern Europe to Central Asia, but since the seventeenth century have become widely naturalised and cultivated (see map). In their natural state they are adapted to steppes and mountainous areas with temperate climates. Flowering in the spring, they become dormant in the summer once the flowers and leaves die back, emerging above ground as a shoot from the underground bulb in early spring.

While tulips had probably been cultivated in Asia from the tenth century, they did not come to the attention of the west till the sixteenth century, when western diplomats to the Ottoman court observed and reported on them. They were rapidly introduced into Europe and cultivated and became a frenzied commodity during Tulip mania. Tulips were frequently depicted in Dutch Golden Age paintings, and have become associated with the Netherlands, the major producer for world markets, ever since. In the seventeenth century Netherlands, during the time of the Tulip mania, an infection of tulip bulbs by the tulip breaking virus created variegated patterns in the tulip flowers that were much admired and valued. This phenomenon was referred to as “broken”.

Breeding programs have produced thousands of hybrid and cultivars in addition to the original species (known in horticulture as botanical tulips). They are popular throughout the world, both as ornamental garden plants and as cut flowers.

thanks to wikipedia. 1235 N LOOP 336 WEST CONROE TX 77301

September 22, 2018

U.S. Road Rules

If you’re traveling to the United States for the first time, there are certain customs that might take some adjustment. Some examples include the weather, the food, people’s attitudes, anddriving laws.

Chances are, the rules of the road in the U.S. will be slightly different than those that you’re used to. The guide below will outline the different laws that are common across the country.

NOTE: Keep in mind that certain traffic laws can also differ from state to state. Before traveling, check up on the driving and safety laws for the state that you’ll be in.

General Driving Rules in the U.S.

Below are a set of driving rules that apply to every state in the United States. Take your time while driving to allow yourself to adjust to the differences.

Vehicles drive on the right side of the road.
- This might feel odd, especially at intersections and turn lanes if you’re used to driving on the left side of the road.
Steering wheels are on the left side of the car.
When making a left hand turn, pass in front of cars making similar left hand turns across the intersection.
- Do not try to pass behind cars turning across from you.
White lines are used to separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.
Yellow lines are used to separate traffic headed in opposite directions.
- Do NOT cross into lanes separated by lines that are solid yellow.
- If the yellow line is broken, cross/pass with caution, but be highly aware of oncoming traffic.
If you’re behind a school bus with flashing red lights, you may NOT pass it until the lights have stopped flashing.
Carpool/HOV lanes are typically located on the far left side of U.S. freeways.
Pedestrians always have the legal right of way.
- If you see someone crossing the street, you must come to a full stop for them.
Keep a careful eye out for motorcyclists and bicyclists.
- Double check all of your mirrors and blind spots before making lane changes.
- In some states, bicyclists are required to ride in the street; while some cities have designated bike lines, others do not. Be aware of your surroundings.
Car horns should be used sparingly and only if you fear someone putting you in danger.
- If you use the horn excessively, people could get upset at you and try to retaliate.

For Your Safety

Some of these safety laws might seem obvious, but are important to follow because they could save your life.

Always wear your seatbelt.
- If you have children, make sure that they’re buckled in correctly before you begin to drive.
- Children under a certain age or weight may be required to sit in a child safety seat or booster seat. We’ve compiled lists of the safety law requirements in all states, so you can choose the ones you’ll be driving in to see what the regulations are.
Never drink and drive.
- It is illegal in all states to drive while legally intoxicated.
Don’t text and drive.
- In many states, texting and driving is illegal. Some prohibit the use of handheld devices for any reason, including for phone calls or navigation. Check out our guide to safety laws in your states of travel for details.
After sunset and in bad weather, you must turn on your headlights.
Always use your turn signals.
- Even if it seems like there’s no one around you, always signal before you turn or make lane changes.
On freeways and highways, slower traffic generally stays in the right-hand lanes, while faster drivers stick to the left-hand lanes.
Hitchhiking is prohibited in most states, and can be very dangerous—do not attempt it, and do not pick anyone up.

If you’re ever in an accident or feel that you’re in immediate danger, dial 911 for medical and police services from anywhere in the United States.

U.S. Road Signs & Traffic Lights

When traveling to the U.S., you’ll probably encounter a few road signs that you don’t recognize, and there may also be some laws around traffic lights you’re not familiar with.

Before getting on the road, review the list below to better understand the rules around United States road signs and stop lights.

Traffic lights in the U.S. will generally have red, yellow, and green lights that indicate when you’re supposed to stop and go through intersections:
- Green means go.
- Yellow means slow down and prepare to stop.
- Red means stop.
Unless otherwise indicated, you are legally allowed to make right turns at red lights.
- Make sure that you check for oncoming traffic from all directions beforeturning.
Stop signs (red and octagonal in shape) indicate that you must come to a complete stop at the limit line before continuing through an intersection.
Yield signs (red or yellow and triangular in shape) indicate that oncoming traffic has the right of way, and you need to wait for the road to clear before progressing.
- You aren’t required to come to a complete stop at yield signs, but you should slow down—and if traffic is approaching, you may need to stop anyway.
Signs that indicate where trains cross into automotive traffic are generally marked by an “X” shape and read “Railroad Crossing” or “RR.”
- These signs are usually accompanied by flashing lights and bells that will warn of an oncoming train.
- If you encounter a railroad crossing without lights or sounds, you should come to a complete stop and check the train tracks for any oncoming locomotives.
Speed limits are posted on the sides of roads, and indicate (in miles per hour) the minimum and maximum speeds you’re legally allowed to drive in that area.
On the freeway, signs above lanes that read “Only” or “Exit Only” indicate that those lanes do not continue on the main freeway, and drivers will either need to merge or take the exit.
If you’re parking on the street, make sure that you read all of the signs around your spot, usually indicating how long you’re allowed to keep your car there.
- Some areas may only allow people with permits to park on the street, or might prohibit street parking altogether—pay attention to everything written on the signs!

U.S. Traffic Tickets & Violations

If you’re given a traffic ticket for violating driving laws, you’ll most likely have to pay a fine in compensation. This can get complicated, since you might only be staying in the U.S. for a few days.

Should you incur a fine, try to pay it off as soon as possible. You can usually do this by mail or online, depending on the state’s ticket policies.

While using a rental car, the company you rented from will most likely be charged and may pass the expenses on to you.

If you’re caught driving under the influence, your punishment could be more severe. The consequences will vary, based on:

Individual state laws around DUIs.
If anyone was hurt or killed.
Whether it’s your first DUI offense.
Your blood alcohol content at the time of offense.
The recklessness of your driving.

The penalties for DUIs include:

Large fines.
Alcohol education/treatment programs.
Driver’s license suspension or revocation.
Jail time.

For more information, choose your state(s) of travel within the following guides we’ve put together for your travel needs:

September 21, 2018

How to get what you want without breaking the law or burning bridges!

The world is a dynamic place. Things keep changing and there is nothing we can do about it, it’s all part of a process. There is one thing, however that we are in control of, our lives and destiny-Be it through our actions, thoughts or words.

You have been in situations where you have broken the law even without knowing it. Other times, you might have said something or took an action that seemed ideal to you, only to be frowned upon by the people around you.

These situations might have cost you your job, money or even friends. So how can you manage to get what you want out of life without giving up so much?

There are millions of self help guide books being published every day and the authors will claim to know the secret to having it easy in life, and getting what you want. Nothing comes easy. You have to break a sweat before you are finally at the helm. But does it have to be done through breaking the law or having to burn any bridges?

How to avoid breaking the law

You cannot afford to be ignorant, not with the current wave of technology. Always do your research before making any major decisions, to ensure you do not end up taking any unnecessary risks which ultimately leads to breaking the law. It’s a small price to pay for your wellbeing.

A good example can be when trying to attain financial stability. We all want to be wealthy and stable such that we can go anywhere we want or buy anything without having to struggle for it. Yet, I have come to the realization that we don’t always get what we want, and to me, that’s the beauty of life.

You can achieve this stability if you decide to be smart and work hard in whatever field you are invested in. Taking the easy way out to get the money, like embezzling funds, might seem enticing but it’s only beneficial in the short term. What happens, is you risk being caught because it’s against the law. Moreover, you may end up spending the rest of your life in jail.

If you have been working hard all your life and yet you still don’t have as much wealth as you want, maybe it’s time to change strategy and look at other avenues. You can even open your own business to compliment your income gained from your 9 to 5 job.

My cousin, Kevin, was in a similar situation a few months ago. He had finished school, and had got a job which was not paying well. One day as he was walking in town feeling miserable about his lack of money, he thought that if he was invited to participate in a bank robbery, he totally would!

Kevin is not a criminal, but it just goes to show how many of us have thought of taking shortcuts to success. Well, he was never invited to join a group of robbers but he eventually got a better job which pays much more than his previous jobs. By avoiding breaking the law and choosing to be patient as he looked for other opportunities, he was able to get what he wanted, which was to be financially stable.

How not to burn any bridges in the process

Throughout the years, I have found myself losing more friends and jobs more than I ought to. It is not because I was bad at my job or I was a lousy friend. I had no patient and never seemed to know what to say when. However, I have learnt from my mistakes and I can proudly say I am a better person now.

Why is this important? Burning bridges is like shooting yourself in the foot. This is because nothing good ever comes out of it.

How about friendships

You might have been long term friends or lovers and on waking up one day, you realized the relationship was not helping you in any way. In fact you felt miserable most of the time. More often than not, you will opt to avoid all contact with the person and hope to never see or speak to them ever again.

Here is the deal. This is probably the worst course of action you might take. Why? It may lead to hostility between you and the other person which will ultimately rob you of a peace of mind. Also, you cannot be sure that you will never need their help ever again.

Life has a way of humbling us. Why not take time to think it over and choose to still have those people in your life, but at a distance? That way, you still maintain the friendship, but you can now control the level of interaction you have with them, and how much their actions affect you.

At the workplace

Let me paint a scenario for you. You probably go to work every day, yet you hate being in that environment. It may be the abusive nature of the superiors or the unethical way in which tasks are carried out that you don’t agree with.

I have been in such situations severally. Once, I left a well paying job because I didn’t agree with the systems that were in place. By getting out of that situation, and getting another job, I was able to finally look forward to going to work every day and having a peace of mind, which is what I wanted all along.

And that’s not all.

I later came to a realization that you should never take such situations personally. It will save you a lot of headaches.

When you decide to resign or worse, you get fired; try not to burn any bridges on your way out. Reason being, you don’t know where else you might go looking for a job and find the same people.

Do not, under any circumstances, badmouth the other workers or the management. You will also need a good recommendation and references for your future jobs. Why ruin any other chances you could have by making a scene?

At the end of the day, you will walk out of a bad relationship or a job and be in a good space. You may never want to see those people again, but also, you won’t be in an awkward position if that chance presents itself.

The bottom line is, you have to learn the art of being truly free. You will not achieve this behind bars or by always trying to avoid the many people you had issues with. This will only hold you back.

It’s only by being free that you will be able to achieve even beyond what you expected. We create our own destiny. You are in charge of your future. Make going for what you want a worthy cause.

September 20, 2018

Drinking Pickle Juice: 10 Reasons It’s All the Rage

At first, drinking pickle juice might sound kind of gross. But there are several reasons to consider it.

Athletes have been sipping this briny beverage for years. Experts didn’t know all the reasons why pickle juice was good to drink after exercising. They just knew that it seemed to help relieve cramps.

They were right. It appears to help with muscle cramps, plus more. Here’s a look at 10 healthy benefits of drinking pickle juice.

1. It soothes muscle cramps

Dehydrated men experienced faster relief from muscle cramps after drinking pickle juice, according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

About 1/3 cup of pickle juice is all it took to have this effect. Pickle juice relieved cramps more than drinking the same amount of water. It also helped more than drinking nothing at all.

This could be because the vinegar in pickle juice may help with rapid pain relief. Vinegar may help stop nerve signals that make tired muscles cramp.

2. It helps you stay hydrated

For most people, drinking water for hydration after a workout is fine. Water is probably all you need if you’re exercising moderately or for an hour or less.

But it’s a different story if you’re exercising hard, exercising for longer than an hour at a time, or exercising in hot climates.

Drinking something with sodium and potassium can help you get hydrated faster. Sodium is an electrolyte that you lose when you sweat. Potassium is another electrolyte lost in sweat.

Pickle juice contains a lot of sodium. It also has some potassium. After a sweaty or lengthy exercise session, sipping some pickle juice can help your body recover to its normal electrolyte levels more quickly.

Watching your sodium intake or on a low-sodium diet? Be sure to check with your doctor and dietitian about pickle juice before drinking it.

3. It’s a fat-free recovery aid

If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re probably not too psyched about consuming high-calorie sports drinks.

It’s still a good plan to replace lost electrolytes after exercising hard, for a long time, or in hot weather. Plus, if your muscles are cramping, you’ll probably want relief as fast as possible.

Pickle juice to the rescue! Pickle juice contains no fat, but it can have some calories. It can have anywhere from zero to 100 calories per 1-cup serving. The amount of calories depends on what’s in the pickling solution.

4. It won’t bust your budget

If you already eat pickles regularly, you don’t have to spend money on sports drinks. Even if you don’t eat pickles, you can still choose pickle juice as a budget-friendly alternative to more expensive workout beverages.

You can also buy commercially prepared pickle juices marketed as sports drinks. They cost more than drinking what’s left in your pickle jar when all the pickles are gone. The upside is that you’ll know from reading the nutrition label what you’re getting in each serving.

5. It contains antioxidants

Pickle juice has significant amounts of vitamins C and E, two key antioxidants. Antioxidants help shield your body from damaging molecules called free radicals. Everyone gets exposed to free radicals, so having plenty of antioxidants in your diet is a good idea.

Vitamins C and E also help boost your immune system function, among other roles they play in your body.

6. It may support your weight loss efforts

Pickle juice contains lots of vinegar. Consuming a little bit of vinegar every day may help you lose weight, as reported in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.

After 12 weeks, study participants who had consumed either about 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce of vinegar daily had lost more weight and fat than those who hadn’t consumed any vinegar.

7. It helps control blood sugar levels

A study published in the Journal of Diabetes Research showed the effects of consuming a small serving of vinegar before a meal. The vinegar helped regulate blood sugar levels after the meal in people with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is associated with being overweight and obese.

Well-regulated blood sugar levels help keep you healthy. Lots of people have type 2 diabetesand don’t know it. Unregulated blood sugar can cause serious health problems such as blindness, heart damage, and kidney damage.

8. It boosts gut health

The vinegar in pickle juice can help your belly stay healthy, too. Vinegar is a fermented food. Fermented foods are good for your digestive system. They encourage the growth and healthy balance of good bacteria and flora in your gut.

9. Dill is healthy

Choose dill pickle juice for more potential benefits. Dill has quercetin in it. Quercetin has cholesterol-lowering properties. A study published in Cholesterol found that dill lowered cholesterol in hamsters. It may have a similar effect in humans.

The study’s authors also mentioned that dill has many traditional medicinal uses. These include treating:

indigestion
stomach cramps
gas
other digestive ailments

10. It sweetens your breath

Even if it makes your lips pucker when you drink it, a little bit of pickle juice might make for sweeter breath.

Bacteria in your mouth can cause bad breath. Both dill and vinegar have antibacterial properties. This potent combination may help freshen your breath after you drink pickle juice.

Read more: 5 bad breath remedies »

Next steps

Instead of dumping that leftover liquid from your pickle jar down the drain, consider saving it for future use.

You might even find yourself enjoying the salty flavor. Things can taste differently after you exercise than they do normally. So even if pickle juice doesn’t sound amazing right now, maybe it will hit the spot after your next workout.

Check out a wide variety of pickles online.

Even if you don’t ever love the taste, you may end up deciding that drinking pickle juice is worth it for the health benefits.

September 18, 2018

Guide to Gemstones

Gemstones have played various roles in the myths and legends of human cultures throughout history. Some tell a story or are believed to have special powers, but all of them share a common beauty. Each gemstone is unique with a special color, birthplace and story. Gemstones come in every color of the rainbow and are gathered from all corners of the world, with each colored gemstone possessing a unique creation of beautiful color. Some gemstones have been treasured since before history began and others were only discovered recently. Join us as we explore the world of color gemstone jewelry.

ALEXANDRITE

If you love magic, especially the magic of science, you’ll love Alexandrite, the color-change gem. Outside in daylight, it is a cool bluish mossy green. Inside in lamplight, it is a red gem with a warm raspberry tone. You can watch it flick back and forth by switching from fluorescent to incandescent light. The value of the gemstone increases as the color change becomes more distinct.

It is truly spellbinding to see the spectacular changing colors in this wonderful gemstone; you just might feel some of the mysterious magic and lore ascribed to it. It’s said to strengthen intuition, aid in creativity and inspire the imagination.

AMETHYST

The ancient Greeks and Romans believed Amethyst would ward off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus, and keep the wearer clear headed and quick-witted. For centuries, Amethyst has been associated with many myths and legends as well as religions in numerous cultures.

Not only is it the beautiful color that makes this gem so popular but it is also widely available in difference shapes and sizes which makes it more affordable. Amethyst complements both warm and cool colors so it looks fabulous set in both yellow and white metals. This unique ability means it enhances almost every color in your wardrobe.

AQUAMARINE

The name Aquamarine speaks for itself, meaning seawater. Aquamarine immediately brings to mind its stunning pastel sky blue or the bright color of the sea.

For centuries, this timeless gemstone has been a symbol of youth, hope, health and fidelity. Since this gemstone is the color of water and the sky, it is said to embody eternal life. It was long thought that Aquamarine has a soothing influence on married couples, making it a good anniversary gift.

Aquamarines are found in a range of blues; from a pale pastel to a greenish-blue to a deep color. Darker shades of blue are increasingly rare and in turn, make the value increase. Aquamarine is frequently a pastel gemstone but the color can be more intense in larger gemstones, smaller aquamarines tend to be less vivid.

CITRINE

This bright shining gem has said to be a gift from the sun. The name Citrine, which is French for “lemon”, fits well with its color range of juicy lemon yellow to a bright orangey brown. Most people choose a Citrine based on their personal preference, but some of the most sought-after Citrine gemstones have a clear, radiant yellowish to brownish red color.

In ancient times, Citrine was carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts. Today, Citrine is known as the merchant’s stone and is associated with success and prosperity.

Citrine is one of the most popular and affordable gemstones. It is relatively plentiful and available in a wide range of sizes and shapes, including very large sizes. These reasons make it a great gem for that big, bold, statement piece.

DIAMOND

Since ancient times, diamonds have been admired objects of desire. Formed one hundred miles beneath the Earth’s surface over a billion years ago, diamonds are the hardest gem of all. Diamonds have a long history of folklore; some of which say diamonds were created when bolts of lightning struck rocks, and others said the gem possessed healing powers. For centuries, diamonds have been adorned by women and men and regarded as the ultimate gift and a symbol of eternal love.

Today, diamonds are still admired all around the world. Until the middle of the twentieth century, there was no standard by which diamonds could be evaluated. GIA created the first, and now globally accepted standard for describing diamonds: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. Today, the 4C’s of Diamond Quality are the universal method for assessing the quality of any diamond, anywhere in the world.

EMERALD

Green is the color of Spring and has long symbolized love and rebirth. As the gem of Venus, it was also considered to aid in fertility.

Cleopatra, Egypt’s tempestuous female monarch was as famous for wearing Emeralds in her time as Liz Taylor is for wearing diamonds in our time. Ancient Egyptian mummies were often buried with an Emerald carved with the symbol of verdure– flourishing greenness–on their necks to symbolize eternal youth.

The deeper and more vivid the color of green, the more valuable the gemstone. The most valuable and beautiful Emeralds exhibit an intense bluish hue in addition to their basic bold green color. Emeralds, among the rarest of gems, are almost always found with birthmarks, known as inclusions. Some inclusions are expected and do not detract from the value of the stone as much as with other gemstones.

FANCY COLOR DIAMONDS

Fancy color diamonds are true miracles of nature. The geological conditions needed to create these colors are rare, making them scarce and highly prized. They come in pale pinks and blues, bright yellows, oranges, greens, reds, and brown colors like cognac and champagne.

Fancy-color diamonds are evaluated by their color intensity, unlike colorless diamonds that are graded on their fire and brilliance. Shades that are deep and distinct in color are rated higher than light or pale shades. GIA describes color in terms of hue, tone and saturation. Hue refers to the diamond’s color, tone refers to the color’s lightness or darkness, and saturation refers the color’s depth. Using highly controlled viewing conditions and color comparisons, a fancy color grader selects one of 27 hues, then describes tone and saturation with terms such as “Fancy Light,” “Fancy Intense,” and “Fancy Vivid.” This color system was developed by GIA and is used worldwide.

Today, yellow diamonds are thought of as “traditional” and are among the most abundant of all “fancy colored” diamonds. Red, green, purple, and orange diamonds are generally the rarest, followed by blue and pink.

GARNET

This gem is available in a rainbow of colors, from the deep red Bohemian Garnet to the vibrant greens of the Russian Demantoid and African Tsavorite. We also see it appearing in the oranges and browns of Spessartite and Hessonite from Namibia and Sri Lanka and the subtle pinks and purples of Rhododendron.

Legend says Garnets light up the night and protect their owners from nightmares. Garnets have long been carried by travelers to protect against accidents far from home. Garnet is the birthstone for January but with its stunning variety of colors and its mystical powers it has been given as a gift for all occasions for centuries.

JADE

Jade has been treasured in China as the royal gemstone since at least 2950 BC. Thought to preserve the body after death, Jade can be found in emperors’ tombs from thousands of years ago. To this day, many people believe that jade will protect them from harm.

Jade is known for it’s vivid green and shimmery, smooth shapes but it also comes in lavender, pink, yellow, and white. The most common shape is the flat, donut-shaped disc called a pi, which is commonly worn as a necklace.

LAPIS LAZULI

Known to man as early as 400B.C., Lapis Lazuli has been a long time treasured gemstone. Used to create the beautiful ocean blues as well as the vibrant sky blues in pantings during the Renaissance, Lapis Lazuli is a colored gemstone that has been revered for centuries.

Its name means “blue stone” and it couldn’t be more accurate. Lapis Lazuli is a dark blue microcrystalline rock that often sparkles with golden pyrite inclusions. This stunning gem is reminiscent of the stars in the midnight sky. Lapis Lazuli was also thought to be a strong medicine. The Romans believed this gem to be a powerful aphrodisiac. In the Middle Ages, it was thought to keep the limbs healthy and free the soul from error, envy and fear.

MOONSTONE

Ancient Romans believed that this shimmering rock was formed from frozen moonlight, giving it the name Moonstone.

In colors ranging from colorless to gray, brown, yellow, green, or pink and clarity that goes from transparent to translucent. The best Moonstone has a blue sheen, perfect clarity, and a colorless body color. Found in India and Madagascar, rainbow Moonstone has a variety of colors, from pink to yellow, to peach, purple, and blue.

Fine Moonstone is quite rare and becoming rarer. We’ve searched to the ends of the earth to find some of the world’s most stunning Moonstone.

MORGANITE

With its dazzling brilliance and soft colors of clear pink, peach, and hot fuchsia it’s no wonder it is known as the stone of divine love. The delicate pink gem promotes love and prosperity.

With shades of pink dominating the fashion industry, Morganite is a favorite for women of all ages. Coming in pinks from subtle lavenders to bright fuchsias and even pastel pink apricot blends, Morganite exudes charm and tenderness. Its mass appeal is due to its versatile pink colors that compliment all skin tones and can be set in white or yellow gold.

ONYX

Today when we think of Onyx we often preface the word with black to distinguish it from other varieties of Onyx. This gem comes in white, reddish brown, brown and banded. A variety of Onyx that is reddish brown with white and lighter reddish bands is known as sardonyx.

Black never goes out of style, which is why you can never go wrong with black Onyx. Its appealing rich black color can be both classic and contemporary.

OPAL

In ancient times, the Opal was known as the Queen of Gems because it encompassed the colors of all other gems. Each Opal is truly one-of-a-kind; as unique as our fingerprints. Some prefer the calming flashes of blues and greens; others love the bright reds and yellows. With its rainbow of colors, as you turn and move the Opal the color plays and shifts, giving you a gem that can be worn with a plethora of ensembles.

Australia’s Lightning Ridge is known for its rare and stunning black Opals. The ideal Opal is one that displays broad patterns covering the surface, with all the colors of the rainbow, including red. Since Opals are the most individual gemstone with its range of colors be sure to choose one that showcases your color preference and pattern.

PARAIBA TOURMALINE

Paraiba Tourmaline gemstones have become one of the most precious and valuable gems in the world, even though it was only discovered in the 1980’s. Its rare shades of electric blues and greens are reminiscent of the blue ocean shores of Paraiba, where this gem is mined. These unique, vivid blue and green colors are not found in any other gemstone in the world.

PEARLS

In all of human history, mankind has admired, even worshipped, pearls. Persian mythology called them “the tears of the gods.” Ancient Chinese legend claims the moon holds the power to create pearls, instilling them with its celestial glow and mystery.

Pearls are unique because they are the only gemstone formed within a living creature. Since natural pearls are rare and difficult to recover from the ocean’s depths, man invented the technique of culturing salt and freshwater pearls from mollusks carefully seeded with irritants similar to those produced by nature.

Cultured pearls come in many beautiful colors, from pale cream and white to rose, lilac, green, gold, gray, and black. There are four main types of cultured pearls: Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian, and Freshwater each having unique qualities that separates them for the other.

Today pearls are both classic and contemporary; a strand of white pearls can be timeless but a bracelet of chocolate pearls is more modern. One thing to keep in mind with pearls, no matter the color or size, they can be worn every day or they can compliment the most formal attire.

PERIDOT

Peridot is one of the few gemstones that exists in only one color; a distinctive signature lime green. In ancient times it was believed that Peridot was a gift of Mother Nature to celebrate the annual creation of a new world. When presented as a gift, Peridot is said to bring the wearer magical powers and healing properties to protect against nightmares. It is also said to instill power, and influence through the wearing of the gemstone.

Today, most Peridot comes from Arizona but it is also found in China, Myanmar, and Pakistan. Peridot is available in several colors ranging from yellowish green to brown, but the bright lime greens and olive greens are the most desired. If you prefer citrus tones or earth tones, you’ll find that Peridot belongs in your jewelry collection.

Peridot gemstones smaller than three carats are very common but gemstones over five carats are rare and therefore have a higher value. Peridot in 10 to 15 carats are even more rare, but provide a big and bold look for an affordable price.

RUBELLITE

Rubellite Tourmaline, also known as Red Tourmaline, is a combination of vibrant pink and ruby red color. Intense colors that vary in hue from pale to shocking pink to a bold ruby-red, sometimes with a violet tint. While some in the gem world consider “Rubellite” to be merely a trade name for all deep pink/red Tourmalines, the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICGA) defines the criterion for Rubellites by the way they behave in daylight and artificial light. A true Rubellite shines just as intensely in artificial light as it does in daylight.

Its vibrant color reflects passion, energy, and life and it is believed that Rubellite helps bring emotional balance and calm. Whether you prefer subtle pale pinks or hot, vivid shades of magenta, this gem is sure to start a spark.

RUBY

The Ruby represents love, passion, courage and emotion. For centuries this gem has been considered the king of all gems. It was believed that wearing a fine red Ruby bestowed good fortune on its owner. Rubies have been the prized possession of emperors and kings throughout the ages. To this day the Ruby is the most valued gemstone.

The color of a Ruby is the most important feature of the gemstone. Rubies are available in a range of red hues from purplish and bluish red to orange-red. The brightest and most valuable color of Ruby is often “a Burmese Ruby” – an indication that it is a rich, passionate, hot, full red color with a slight blue hue. This color is often referred to as “pigeon blood” red, a Ruby color only associated with the Mogok Valley mines in Myanmar. The color Pigeon Blood Ruby red, is not associated with the color of a pigeon’s blood but rather the color of a white pigeon’s eye.

SAPPHIRE

When hearing the word Sapphire many people immediately envision a stunning violet-blue gemstone because the word “Sapphire” is Greek for blue. For centuries, the Sapphire has been referred to as the ultimate blue gemstone. Since Ancient times the Blue Sapphire represented a promise of honesty, loyalty, purity and trust. To keep with this tradition Sapphires are one of the most popular engagement gemstones today.

Sapphire is found in many parts of the world, but the most prized Sapphires are from Myanmar (Burma), Kashmir and Sri Lanka. Sapphires with highly saturated violet-blue color and “velvety” or “sleepy” transparency are more rare. The purer the blue of the Sapphire, the greater the price. However, many people find that the darker hues of Sapphire can be just as appealing.

Sapphires are not only blue, they come in almost every color of the rainbow: pink, yellow, orange, peach, and violet colors. The most sought-after color fancy Sapphire is the rare and beautiful Padparadscha: a pink-orange corundum with a distinctive salmon color reminiscent of a tropical sunset. These ultra-rare, ultra-expensive stones are among the most coveted gems in the world.

SPINEL

Centuries ago, Sanskrit writings referred to Spinel as the daughter of ruby. The bright red color of Spinel is so closely related to the Ruby the two of them are often confused with one another. Spinels are actually more rare than ruby but, unlike ruby, they sometimes can be found in very large sizes.

In addition to beautiful rich reds, Spinel can be found in shades of orange and beautiful pastel pink, as well as purple. Of particular interest is a vivid, hot pink with a tinge of orange that is mined in Burma, which is one of the most spectacular gemstone colors and unlike any other gem. Spinel also comes in beautiful blues, but these are extremely rare.

Believed to protect the owner from harm, to reconcile differences, and to soothe away sadness. However, its true appeal is the range of rich, brilliant colors and affordability.

TANZANITE

Tanzanite is a one-of-a-kind gemstone unlike any other and can only be found in one place on Earth: the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. This gem possesses an exotic velvety blue with a rich overtone of purple, a color unlike any other.

One of today’s most popular blue gemstones, Tanzanite comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and striking assortments of blue tones. Rarely pure blue, Tanzanite almost always displays its signature overtones of purple. In smaller sizes, Tanzanite usually contains lighter tones and the lavender color is more common. While in larger sizes, Tanzanite typically displays a deeper, richer and beautiful blue.

TOPAZ

In shades of yellow, brown, honey, green, blue, red, pink and sometimes no color at all, Topaz has a mass appeal. Topaz is often found in an amber gold, yellow, or a blushing pink orange but a pale pink or a sherry red Topaz is very exceptional. The most prized color of Topaz is called Imperial Topaz and features a magnificent orange with pink undertones. Blue, once the most rare color of Topaz, is the most common today due to man’s ability to enhance its color; Topaz with a naturally blue color is very rare.

The ancient Egyptians and Romans associated this golden gem with the sun god giving it the power to protect and heal. Legend says that topaz dispels enchantment. With its worldwide mass appeal throughout the centuries, once you find that perfect Topaz you’ll soon be under its spell.

TOURMALINE

Available in a spectrum of colors and color combinations, Tourmaline lives up to its name, which means “mixed stone”. With a rainbow of colors, Tourmaline can easily enhance any jewelry collection. Cranberry red, hot magenta, bubblegum pink, peach and orange, canary yellow, mint, grass and forest green, ocean blue, violet: Tourmaline is all of these and more.

Tourmaline is also known for displaying several colors in one gemstone. These bi-color or tri-color gems are formed in many combinations and are highly prized. One multi-color variety is known as Watermelon Tourmaline and features green, pink, and white color bands. To resemble its namesake, the gemstone is cut into thin slices having a pink center, white ring, and green edge.

TURQUOISE

Turquoise is among the oldest known gemstones and its popularity has spanned the globe for centuries. It graced the necks of Egyptian Pharaohs and adorned the ceremonial dress of early Native Americans. This beautiful robin’s egg blue gemstone has been attributed with healing powers, promoting the wearer’s status and wealth, protecting from evil and bringing good luck.

Turquoise is an opaque, light to dark blue or blue-green gem with its finest color being an intense blue. Turquoise may contain narrow veins of other materials either isolated or as a network. They are usually black, brown, or yellowish-brown in color. Known as the matrix, these veins of color are sometimes in the form of an intricate pattern, called a spider web.

ZIRCON

Most people think of a bright sky blue when they hear Zircon, but it is also available in beautiful earth tones of green, dark red, yellow, brown, and orange. Today, the most popular colors of Zircon are the vivid blue and bright Caribbean Sea colors.

In the Middle Ages, Zircon was said to aid in resting, bring prosperity and promote honor and wisdom in its owner.

The spectrum of beautiful colors, its rarity and affordability are why it is becoming more popular today. Some gem collectors seek out Zircon from different locations capturing gems in every color of the rainbow – colorless, green, blue, yellow, brown, orange, dark red, and all the colors in between.

Just a little recap of all the GemStones I have been blogging about. Thank you everyone.