Dragon Teapot

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Dragon Teapot
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What is Chinese Tea?

China is the birth place of tea. Tea, botanically known as Camellia sinensis, is native to China and has been grown and cultivated in China for close to five millenniums. Today there are six basic types of Chinese tea-White Tea, Green Tea, Yellow Tea, Oolong Tea, Black Tea (sometimes called Hong Cha or Red Tea), and Pu'er Tea.

In China, the most popular tea is Green Tea. There are several thousand types of Green Tea produced throughout China. The Chinese are famous for scenting their teas with flowers. Jasmine Tea is by far the most famous scented Green Tea. Recently, the Chinese have introduced handcrafted and flowering teas where teas are tied into beautiful shapes or combined with beautiful flowers. The most famous handcrafted and flowering teas are produced in Huang Shan of the Anhui province and Fuding of the Fujian province.

The mythology related to Chinese Tea:

Legend has it that Chinese tea was discovered by the Emperor Shennong (Shen Nung, Shen Nong). Tea leaves from a nearby tea tree supposedly fell into Shennong's boiling water. Along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, tea was considered as a basic necessity of Chinese life. Chinese monks were the early producers of Chinese teas. Early teas were processed into compressed forms for storage and trading. Emperors' throughout China's history were given tea as a tribute by their subjects. Many of China's famous teas are sanctified by mystical stories and legends about their discovery. These legends often focus on the spiritual aspects of the tea, its fragrance, taste and health.

What part of the tea plant is used to make tea?

The highest grades of Green, White and Black tea are often handpicked from tender buds or tea shoots and tender unfurled leaves during the early spring. Many Oolongs are produced from plump large tender leaves with high oil content.

How are teas processed?

After a tea leaf or tea bud has been picked it must be dried. It is the method of drying and the amount of time before drying that largely determines the type of tea made.

o White Teas are naturally withered and dried at low temperatures. The withering and slow drying causes White Tea to be slightly oxidized.

o Green Teas are slightly withered, and then pan fired or baked to arrest oxidation. Then depending on the type of green tea, the tea then will undergo various baking or pan firing and rolling or shaping steps before it is refined, graded and packed.

o Oolong Tea leaves are withered until they have lost a percentage of their moisture. At this point, the oxidation process has already begun. The tea leaves are then hand rubbed or rolled to cause the desired level of oxidation. Green oolongs are less oxidized and dark oolongs are generally more oxidized. When the tea master has achieved the desired level of oxidation, the leaves are fired or baked. This step arrests oxidation by neutralizing the tea leaves natural enzymes. Oolong Tea then undergoes several baking/firing and rolling or shaping steps before it is refined, graded and packed.

o Black Tea is withered and then the leaves are bruised by rolling or rubbing. The tea is fully-oxidized before it undergoes baking or pan firing and shaping. After the tea is dried, it is refined, graded and packed.

What are the benefits of Chinese Tea?

Since the time of Shennong, tea has been a continuous ingredient in ancient Chinese medicine and depending on its type Chinese Tea:

o provides varied, pleasant taste sensations;

o unique invigorating fragrances;

o promotes a sense of well being and calmness;

o is one of the best antioxidants in any diet;

o is a natural anti-inflammatory; and

o reduces the symptoms of many chronic diseases.

What is in the future for tea?

Tea research is being funded by governments, universities and businesses all over the world. Scientific findings are proving tea should be a part of a normal diet for hydration, antioxidants, stimulants and other unstudied positive effects. As the study of tea continues, its popularity in Western society has increased.

For more information related to Chinese Tea visit http://www.peliteas.com

Britain in the World Wars

By the beginning of the 20th century, the world had entered the period of

imperialism. Britain's dominance was challenged by other European nations and the

United States, for they had also been industrialized and each were eager to

protect their own markets and expand their influence. The power balance in Europe

had undergone enormous changes. A conflict of interests and colonial rivalry

divided Europe into two camps: the Central Powers included Germany, Austria-

Hungary, later joined by the Ottoman Empire1 and Bulgaria; the Allied Powers were

mainly comprised of France, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, Italy and the

United States. The conflict plunged the whole world into two devastating wars in

the first half of the 20th century.

The immediate cause of World War I lay in the conflict on the Balkan Peninsula. On

June 28, 1914, the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a young

Yugoslav (^3$fl£^cA) in Sarajevo - Austria blamed Serbia for the assassination and

was determined to seek revenge. Both sides looked for support from their

respective allies, Germany and Russia. This led to a showdown between the two

camps and World War I broke out between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers.

Ultimately, more than 32 countries were involved, 28 of which supported the Allied

Powers. The war ended with the victory for the Allies.

The cost of the war was great. Britain was drained of its manpower. Nearly one

million British men died and over two million were wounded. 70% of the merchant

ships were sunk or damaged. As a result, Britain lost the sea supremacy. Though

victorious, Britain came out of the war with a huge national debt, ten times

larger than that of the pre-war years. Business was slack (Uplift), many factories

were closed down and taxes soared.

The Great Depression2 from 1929 to 1933 brought additional problems to the British

economy and society. Britain's position in the capitalist world was further

weakened. With the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, a new world war was

imminent.

World War II was for all intents and purposes a continuation of World War I.

According to the Treaty of Versailles1, Germany was required to relinquish all its

colonies and permanently disarm. In addition, Germany was blamed for starting the

war and was compelled to pay a vast sum in reparations. The Great Depression made

things worse and led to the rise of fascism. Adolph Hitler aroused strong

nationalism and racism in Germany, embarking (JF$=0 on an ambitious plan to

conquer Europe.

Reluctant to fight another war, the British government, led by Neville

Chamberlain, followed a policy of appeasement. However, Hitler invaded Poland on

September 1,1939. Britain and France were forced to declare war on Germany on

September 3,1939. The next year Chamberlain resigned and Winston Churchill became

Prime Minister.

Germany invaded France and forced it to surrender in June 1940. Italy also entered

the war on the side of Germany. Britain was in a very dangerous position.

In 1941 the pressure was somewhat alleviated for England when Germany attacked the

Soviet Union, and Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. These acts of

aggression propelled the latter two countries into an alliance with Britain. With

the unified efforts of Anti-Nazi forces, Germany surrendered unconditionally on

May 7, 1945, one week after Hitler committed suicide.

Britain won the war, but at great costs. Around 357,000 people were killed and

500,000 were wounded or missing. The navy was 30 % smaller than before the war and

Britain lost its naval supremacy forever to the United States. In addition, the

country had exhausted its reserves of gold, dollars and overseas investment, and

was deeply in debt to the United States.

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Engelbreit's the name, cute is my game
May 7th, 2010 by Stephy

Mary Engelbreit was a talented but struggling artist in her mid-twenties when she

flew to New York from her native Saint Louis, hoping to find work illustrating

children's books her life's goal. So she was disappointed when all the book

publishers she visited turned her down. One even suggested her drawings might be

better suited to greeting cards.

"I was crushed, " Engelbreit admits. Greeting cards seemed a come-down from her

high expectations but the advice stayed with her, and she decided to give it a

try. The results transformed her life forever.

3 Today Mary Engelbreit sells an astonishing 14 million greeting cards a year. Her

popular designs appear on more than 2,000 products, including books, calendars,

and kitchen items. She runs a retail company with shops in nine cities (16 more

are planned), and her products are carrida by 25,000 retailers. Annual retail

sales are in the $100 million range — all as a result of that fateful,

disappointing trip to New York. It's probably no accident that one of Engelbreit's

bolder cards shows a young girl in overalls, her bare feet up on a desk, a farm

field in the window behind her. "We Don't Care'How They Do It in

New York, " the card boasts.

4 Once you know Engelbreit's distinctive style, you can recognize her cards from

20 paces away — bright, funny, and with an eye to the past. Her cards usually

have elaborate border designs comprised of repeated images: hearts, flowers,

peaches, and teapots, for example. Most often, there's Ann Estelle, a woman with

short, straight hair, big glasses, hat and an acid tongue. Ann Estelle (named

after her grandmother) is the imaginary representative of Mary's outlook.

5 Engelbreit is cheerful, down-to-earth, humorous, and always cute. "I think the

world ould use more cuteness," she explains. Indeed, it's her trademark. Her

business card once featured a drawing of Ann Estellexagar in her mouth and drink

in hand, with the message Engelbreit's the Name, Cute Is My Game." She adds, "As

the world gets more complicated, it's nice to have old-fashioned stuff around to

help people cope with the demands of modern life. It's like comfort food. This is

comfort art."

6 Old-fashioned art — and values — have always been at the core of Engelbreit's

life.

Born June 5, 1952, in St. Louis, the oldest of three daughters, she started

drawing almost as oon as she could hold a pencil.

7 One of her earliest memories, from age four, is of sketching her parents all

dressed up o go out for the evening. "I was so impressed I had to record it," she

says. But what mpressed her most were illustrations from the children's books that

her mother read to her.

Artists such as Jessie Willcox Smith, illustrator of children's literary classics,

and Johnny ruelle, creator of Raggedy Ann, were very influential in the

development of her early rawings.

8 While attending secondary school, Engelbreit sold dozens of hand-drawn cards to

a local shop for 25 cents a piece — her first venture into art and commerce. She

ignored her teachers' advice to become an English teacher and didn't bother with

going on to a university because "I was ready to plunge into my life as an

artist." Working in an art-supply shop,

"I met working artists and realized you can make a living doing this." A later job

as a designer

at an advertising agency "taught me about the business of art".

9 In 1975 Engelbreit met social worker Phil Delano, and the couple married two

years later. Delano became his wife's biggest supporter. "Even when we had no

money, he never said, 'Go get a job,'" she says. "I can't express my gratitude for

his support."

10 After that ill-fated trip to New York, Engelbreit sent a sample of her drawings

to two greeting-card companies. One bought three of her original drawings, and she

did occasional work for the other, sketching a lot of whales, dragons, castles and

mythical animals. Then in 1980 the birth of her son added a new element to her

work. "Suddenly everyday life seemed more interesting to me," she says. Children,

pets, even "good old Mom" started showing up on her cards. Her work became

"pictures of daily life, things everyone's been through".

11 While eight months pregnant, in 1983, Engelbreit decided to start her own

company.

Within two years, her company was producing nearly 100 different cards and selling

a million of them a year. In 1986 she licensed the copyrights to the cards to

Sunrise

Publications, who now manages their production and distribution, allowing her to

focireon other projects. Among these is her home-decorating magazine which is sent

to 550,000 people.

Despite her success, Engelbreit' s feet are planted firmly on the ground. She

still lives 1 6 kilometres from where she grew up, has many friends dating back to

school years, and moved from a large house to a smaller one because, she explains,

her family didn't use all the space in the old place. She does most of her drawing

in her home studio at night.

1 3 With her work taking off in so many directions, it was perhaps inevitable that

Engelbreit would eventually realize her dream of illustrating a children's book.

In 1993 she created drawings for a children's book and saw it become a best-

seller. At the same time she made a surprising discovery: "It was fun, but oddly

enough, I like doing cards best."

About the Author

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What should i do about me and my boyfriend having such different tastes in decor for our home?

:/
Its obvious who decorates what room. It really bothers me that our styles are completely different and it doesn't look good together in the same room. The living room walls are red with black and tan leather furniture, dragons, swords, black panthers, scarface, goodfellas, mafia, knives.. its like a dungeon. My rooms which are the bathrooms and the kitchen and dinning room are all flowers and spring like with teapots, bunnies, flowers, angels... etc. I have no clue how to mix our styles without our who house looking like 2 completely different people live here. I have some stuff that would look great in the living room, but i have to find a way to put it in the dinning room or kitchen. I am not selfish in any way. I know he needs his stuff to display, but i just wanted to know if other couples are the same way and what you do about it. Thanks

It sounds like two completely different people DO live there, Jennifer! When I was married, my husband never worried at all about the style, he trusted me completely. I was lucky like that.

Your styles are definitely different, but I think yours will last longer - who would want a black dungeon for a living room when they are 40 or 50? Very few, I think. If you feel very uncomfortable with his style, could it be possible to let him have his own room, a "den", where he could have all that stuff? If so, you should perhaps tone down your own style a little in the living room, like painting the walls sand beige instead of pink, and go easy on the angels and bunnies - men tend to get uneasy around bunnies, I've noticed. But what about a picture of a great, beautiful black stallion? Or an eagle? You'll both have to adjust, and the trick is to find decoration themes that you can both live with, which will not be easy.

Easing the style in the bedroom might for instance include a cool pastel color theme of blues/greens/turqoise, white fabrics, and a decoration of colorful tropical fish on one wall. Cool, calming, elegant and romantic, but not overwhelmingly girlie. The bedroom is a place to relax and feel good, not smothered.

In the kitchen you'll have free hands, because this is traditionally a woman's room. Old-fashioned roses are lovely in a kitchen, and go well with old-fashioned pictures of kitchen herbs. Wall colors that let the roses stand out are light grays and ivory/cream, they go with any color roses. Also natural woods like pine, oak and beech.

These are just a few thoughts I have on the subject, and I hope you can get some inspiration from them. I did that bedroom myself, so I know it can be very nice, but those fishes took some time, since I hand painted them on the wall! Next time it will be water lilies or something, with fewer details, lol.

Best of luck to you!

Balloon artist a hit with children at the Chelan County Fair
CASHMERE — A dozen kids snaked around one picnic bench at the Chelan County Fair on Friday rapt with attention. The kids, decked out in tie-dye shirts sat quietly in awe of Jon Clark. Clark was making balloon animals and a few balloon bracelets but no swords, yet. Clark said not only do schools not like the swords, he finds them kind of boring to create.

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