Christmas Flowers Germany To Your Loved Once

What better way to decorate a special day with color and scent of beautiful flowers, which adds a festive look and feel for any occasion. There are florists who customize flower arrangements for any occasion. There are a variety of flowers that are associated with Christmas. Among many Mexican Poinsettia commonly used for Christmas decorations add charm to the party. 

The flower is native to Mexico and is known by various names such as "The Christmas flower," "call sheet", "Christmas flower", "flower of the lobster." These flowers look exquisite in its bright red color still find them in colors like white and pink, also a rarity. These star-shaped bracts are supposed to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem. It was named after the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel R. Poinsett of South Carolina, who presented the flowers to the United States when he was returning its ambassador in 1835. The story goes that Dr. Poinsett had a passion so strong for the flower that has spent the last years of his life and "poinsettia", a universal symbol of Christmas.

Other flowers are common Christmas cactus green and christmas flowers delivery germany in pink or red, green holly leaves and berries red, pink Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas wreath, a tradition brought to America of Europe by the first settlers, and of course, mistletoe, symbol of peace, kindness and love. Some of these christmas flowers germany blog  have long associated with the legends of origin, as the flower of Christmas. Legend of the poinsettia comes from Mexico. It is believed that the two poor children, Marie and Paul, who loved Christmas and looking forward to it as miserable as they could not afford to give anything to the church to express love and gratitude to the Child Jesus. A Christmas Eve that the two children went to church service, they decided to eliminate some way a gift to the Baby Jesus, manger during the dramatization.As they made their offerings around the crib, bright green leaves miraculously turned into red petals, and soon the manger was surrounded by star-shaped flowers, now known as the Poinsettia.

Christmas rose, also welcomed the snow or winter Rose, is traditionally considered a true Christmas flower. This flower has to do with the story of the birth of the Savior and how a pastor named Madelon, eager to offer a welcome gift to the newborn king, was blessed by an angel with a beautiful white flower withpink inclined later called Christmas rose. The conceptualization of the Christmas tree as an essential part of Christmas has its roots in medieval Germany, where a tradition of decorating an evergreen tree with apples to symbolize the "Tree of Paradise." Several years before the Christmas celebration began, the Germans used evergreens to decorate their homes. It is believed that these trees represent life and immortality and protect their homes against evil in the coming year.

So it's true that the flowers and christmas flowers germany with her legendary beauty to glorify the "Name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Amen" and, therefore, the opportunity to buy stakes to continue to be the market.

Sean Carter writes on holidays, Christmas Day and world events.He also writes on family, relationships, religion Christmas love and friendship. He is a writer with special interest in ecard industry and writes for 123greetings.com. He is an active blogger at Christmas Blog

Very merry mid-century Vintage 1950s and ’60s Christmas décor delights with gleaming colors, fun designs from simply classic to wildly futuristic - Christmas Flowers Germany

A burst of aluminum fluff greets customers outside the front door of Cone Ball Antiques in downtown Eugene. It’s a wreath made by store consultant and designer J. Sylvester from the branches of a vintage aluminum tree’s pom-pom branches — the kind of Christmas decoration that epitomizes the mid-century modern design made increasingly popular by collectors in the past 10 to 15 years.

With a bright, metallic sheen and tightly bunched aluminum strips jumping out like flower sprays off the end of each branch, pom-pom trees — and that wreath — are made to stand out and be noticed. It’s just the kind of cool and trippy sensibility, mixed with form and function, that characterizes the mid-century period of the 1950s and ’60s.

For the baby boom generation, mid-century modern is about collecting things from their childhood, Sylvester says. “Collecting has to do with memory, and it’s usually what your parents and grandparents had.”

The era ushered in a new taste in décor, of minimal, clean lines and bright — even space-age — colors. It took deeply rooted traditions such as the Christmas tree and its Victorian-influenced ornaments and sent them to the moon to be transformed into blown-glass and plastic spaceships and UFOs bathed in metallic turquoise, pink, yellow, silver and gold.

Sylvester keeps at home a beloved ornament that holds a shape only possible with plastic: a planet-shaped center with 25 spikes circling it that look like candles, giving the whole ornament the look of a spaceship, he says.

“That’s the part of the ’50s I like about plastics,” he says. “They’re cooler and wilder than the glass.”

The plastic also is of a different quality, says Cora Frazer, co-owner with Carl Ernst of Oak Street Vintage in Eugene. Nowadays, “people need to figure out how to make things as cheap as possible,” she says. The plastic of those days simply looks and feels different.

Imported, exported cheer

The mid-20th century was the heyday of Japanese manufacturing, with West christmas flowers germany Many of these ornaments, then, are not only space-aged but simple classics made of paper, cardboard and cellophane — low-cost materials available after the war. “Sugar houses” from Japan, for example, have a hole for inserting a C9 light, to brighten a whole Christmas tree with simple, lighted houses. Other imported classics include “kneehuggers,” ornaments of elves hugging their knees.

But there also was the Shiny Brite company in the United States, started by German immigrant Max Eckhardt, who partnered with Corning Glass Co. in New York when World War II threatened his ornament import business. Because of Eckhardt, Corning became the biggest producer of ornaments, shipping for final decoration hundreds of thousands of mold-produced ornaments of thin glass output by the company’s reconfigured light-bulb machine.

Shiny Brite became the largest producer of these ornaments — in bright metallic oxide colors — until its closure in 1962, and is the brand most often seen in antique stores. Collectors still can find whole sets, in their original boxes, at reasonable prices (about $18 for six) at local antique stores. Single ornaments also are available, averaging $5-$6.

True antique hunters will need to look closely, though, as the Christopher Radko Co. began to reproduce the Shiny Brite line in 1985. Those boxes will say “Christopher Radko presents.”

Visions of Christmas future

“Atomic” is a term often used to describe the shapes of mid-century modern ornaments and other futuristic items designed during that era.

“The ‘Sputnik,’ for instance, is considered a modern shape,” says Ernst at Oak Street Vintage, in reference to an ornament with a starburst of metallic points named after the first satellite put into space by Russia in 1957.

This era of metal and streamlined surfaces also marks the birth of the aluminum Christmas tree from which to hang all those complementary metallic-coated, mica-encrusted ornaments.

Among aluminum tree shapes are tapered (with equal-length branches angled differently to form the tree shape) and fountain (with more naturally varying branch lengths). Branch styles include the pom-pom and the sparkler, which is suggestive of the fireworks. These trees were not meant to be evergreen so much as “Evergleam,” the name of one company’s line.

During this heyday of America’s newfound love with manufacturing, millions of aluminum trees were produced in the 1950s and ’60s, and remain available. Current prices can range from $65 for a 4-foot aluminum tree to $400 for a 6-foot gold aluminum tree and also  christmas flowers germany blog .

If the shiny aluminum itself is not bright enough, the color wheel — the premier accoutrement for metallic trees — can be added. The floor-level electric floodlight, fitted with a rotating glass color wheel, will bathe a tree in a merry, oh-so-mid-century shower of red, yellow, blue and green.

Writer Tracy Ilene Miller can be contacted at sp.feedback@registerguard.com.

Spectacular Holiday Lights Around The World - Christmas Flowers Germany

Malaysians admire light decorations ahead of christmas flowers germany in Shah Alam outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. About 9.1 percent of Malaysia's total population is Christian  christmas flowers germany blog

FTSE LIVE: Stocks perk up after promising US jobs figures; UK retail sales fall - Christmas Flowers Germany

17.20 (close): Insurance stocks rose sharply today after a £2billion deal in the financial services sector helped the London market weather the economic gloom.

The transaction involved the Anglo South African firm Old Mutual, which closed 11 per cent or 12.7p higher at 123.7p after it announced plans to sell its Nordic long-term savings and banking arm to Sweden's Skandia Liv.

The deal activity was a factor in the FTSE 100 Index bouncing back from the heavy losses of the previous session to finish up 34.1 points at 5400.9.

There had been fears the top flight would slide further after ratings agency Fitch downgraded five major European banks, including Credite Agricole, and new research indicated China's factory output will shrink in December.

Concerns about the eurozone were eased slightly after a successful Spanish debt auction. Meanwhile, Italy's unelected premier Mario Monti will hold a confidence vote on the austerity measures in a bid to soothe worries about the debt-laden country's finances.

The developments meant the euro, which on Wednesday slumped below the 1.30 mark against the US dollar for the first time in 11 months, had a more resilient session today.

It was flat against most major currencies, with the pound worth 1.19 euros and just below 1.55 against the greenback after more gloomy updates from the UK retail and manufacturing sectors.

Other insurers to benefit from the impact of the Old Mutual deal included Standard Life, which lifted 4.7p to 198.1p, while Prudential cheered 14p to 614.5p and Legal & General added 2.65p to 101.5p.

Broadcaster ITV was another significant riser after regulator Ofcom said its study into the way TV advertising is bought and sold found no harm to consumers.

It ruled out a reference to the Competition Commission, prompting a relief rally for ITV's shares as they lifted 1.35p to 62.35p.

The worse than expected UK retail sales for November failed to dent confidence in retailers ahead of the key Christmas trading period. Next was up 18p at 2603p, while B&Q owner Kingfisher was 3p higher at 240.2p.

In corporate results, Sports Direct posted a 2 per cent rise in half-year earnings to £139.2million but with no half-year dividend shares fell 9.5p to 190p.

The slump, which reversed an initial 5 per cent rise for the retailer, came despite analysts praising the latest results performance.

In addition, the company announced new stretching targets that could see Newcastle United boss Mike Ashley receive six million of bonus shares.

Rival JD Sports Fashion was down 45.5p at 570p.

Suit specialist Moss Bros was 0.25p higher at 32.75p after maintaining its recent trading improvement with a 10.5 per cent rise in like-for-like sales.

The group, which recently sold its Cecil Gee and Hugo Boss stores in order to focus on improving its core Moss business, said it continued to make good progress despite the market conditions.

The biggest FTSE 100 Index risers were Old Mutual up 12.7p at 123.7p, Weir Group ahead 72p at 1940p, Hargreaves Lansdown up 13.5p at 434.9p and Investec ahead 9.5p at 338p.

The biggest fallers were Resolution down 5.2p at 245.7p, Cairn Energy off 4.3p at 264.6p, Tullow Oil down 12p at 1316p and BG Group off 11.5p at 1316.5p.

16.20: It's proving a volatile afternoon on the markets as eurozone worries take the shine off better-than-forecast U.S. economic data.

Non-eurozone members Hungary and Czech Republic are expressing doubts about the 'fiscal compact' agreed last week by the majority of EU countries - despite the UK wielding its veto.

The deal is intended to centralise fiscal policy, but the two countries are apparently worried about losing their tax independence.

The euro has slid back below the key $1.30 level.

The FTSE 100 has pared its gains and is trading 28.6 points higher at 5,395.4 as the end of the session approaches.

The Dow Jones is up 57.2 points at 11,880.7.

Michael Hewson of CMC Markets said stocks were off their highs as more countries 'poked holes' in the fiscal compact.

'Comments by Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, also weighed on markets after she ramped up the rhetoric, warning of the dire consequences of inaction if countries outside the EU didn’t help with a solution to the crisis,' he said.

15.20: Wall Street has rebounded after new weekly jobless claims came in at the lowest level since May 2008.

The four-week moving average of new claims was also at its lowest since July 2008, signalling a recovery in the jobs market of the world's largest economy.

A better-than-expected reading from a key U.S. manufacturing gauge and upbeat quarterly results from economic bellwether FedEx also helped improve sentiment across the Atlantic.

The Dow Jones is off its opening highs but still 92.5 points ahead at 11,916 in early trading.

Meanwhile, the euro has edged back above the key $1.30 level after a successful Spanish bond auction.

The FTSE 100 is 57.9 points higher at 5,424.7.

More...

GLOBAL MARKETS: Track the latest trends here

MARKET REPORT: Footsie puts the boot into miners

  

15.00:

Markets have now opened on Wall Street and the Dow Jones has opened strongly, 128.54 points higher at 11,952.02.

Back in London the FTSE 100 has marched even higher, now 55.32 points up at 5,422.12.

13.20:

Old Mutual's sale of its Nordic businesses is helping to keep the FTSE 100 in positive territory today despite hardening fears over the eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

We have more here on Old Mutual, which jumped 11.1p to 122.1p after it announced plans to sell its Nordic savings and banking operations to Skandia Liv.

This made it the top riser in London's blue chip shares index, which was 35.3 points higher at 5,402.11 at lunchtime.

Banks and miners were among the biggest risers after yesterday's heavy sell-offs. Royal Bank of Scotland rose 0.4p to 19.9p, Lloyds was up 0.4p at 24.5p, and Vedanta Resources was ahead 30p at 1095p.

Worse than expected UK retail sales for November failed to dent confidence in retailers ahead of the key Christmas trading period.

Next was up 15.5p at 2600.5p, Primark owner Associated British Foods was up 4.5p at 1090.5p, Tesco was ahead 2.2p at 388.6p and Sainsbury's rose 2.3p to 290.9p. However, Morrisons was down 0.8p at 316.2p, as it surrendered yesterday's gains when it was the sole riser in the top flight index.

Fears about the eurozone persisted despite a successful Spanish debt auction, and investors are now awaiting a confidence vote on the austerity programme put forward by Italy's unelected premier Mario Monti.

Mike McCudden, head of retail derivatives at Interactive Investor, commented: 'We have seen very low volumes across equities this week as savvy investors see buying Christmas presents as a safer play than investing in this market.

'Over in the Eurozone cracks are appearing in the Franco/German relationship as [Germany's Angela] Merkel plays to her local audience and not to the eurozone. Furthermore, christmas flowers germany 'A rating cut in  christmas flowers germany blog Louise Cooper of BGC Partners said: 'The sell-off in the euro in the last week has been pretty dramatic, taking the currency to an 11-month low against the dollar. 

'Despite such sharp falls, it is continuing lower today, trading below the key $1.30 level as recession fears increase and eurozone uncertainties persist. What has surprised many during this crisis, has been the strength of the euro, well no more...'

Futures trading points to a higher open on the Dow Jones later. But a raft of economic data is due out today - including wholesale inflation, producer prices, weekly jobless claims and industrial output figures - which could radically change investor sentiment across the Atlantic.

10.10:

The FTSE 100 is holding onto mild gains, up 9 points at 5,375.8, after a £2billion deal in the financial services sector sent Old Mutual to the top of the risers' board.

The Footsie giant jumped 10 per cent, up 10.95p to 121.95p, after it announced plans to sell its Nordic savings and banking operations to Skandia Liv.

There were fears the top flight index would open lower after Fitch downgraded five major European banks, including Credite Agricole, and new research indicated China's factory output would shrink in December.

'The fact that equity markets haven’t sold off further and that they are bouncing in early trade so far this morning comes as a bit of a surprise,' said Simon Denham of Capital Spreads.

'Despite all of the efforts being made by European leaders a possible break up of the eurozone is becoming more and more likely.

'Signs that people are preparing for such a break up are already being seen as money presses for individual currencies such as the Drachma and even Deutsche Mark are ready to go at a moment’s notice and the world’s biggest inter-dealer broker has been testing its execution systems for currency deals in the event of anyone exiting the eurozone.'

Manoj Ladwa of ETX Capital commented: 'Equities, gold and crude oil are all attracting interest as opportunistic traders pile in for a rebound. 

'But the initial euphoria may be short-lived as Chinese and European manufacturing figures continue to show signs of contraction, further confirming the global economic weakness.'

In corporate results, Sports Direct continued its recent strong run by reporting a 2 per cent rise in half-year earnings to £139.2million.

While there was no half-year dividend, analysts were impressed with the performance in the current tough climate. Shares were 6.95p higher at 206.45p, a rise of 3%. Read more here.

The firm's rival JD Sports Fashion was up 17p at 632.5p.

In a rare upbeat session for the retail sector, suit specialist Moss Bros was 0.25p higher at 32.75p after maintaining its recent trading improvement with a 10.5% rise in like-for-like sales. Gross profits were 7.9% ahead of last year, it added.

However, retail sales fell 0.4 per cent in November after a 0.6 per cent rise in October, the Office for National Statistics has announced. Economists had predicted a 0.3 per cent decline.

'Sluggish sales occurred in November even though the evidence points to retailers engaging in increased discounting and promotions to try to encourage consumers to spend,' said Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight.

'It may be that a substantial number of  consumers are delaying their Christmas purchases in the belief/hope that struggling retailers will increasingly engage in discounting and promotions as the Big Day draws ever nearer.

'Retailers certainly cannot rely on a late surge in consumer’s Christmas spending this year given the major squeeze on personal finances and very low confidence.'

8.40:

The FTSE 100 has opened 16,6 points higher at 5,383.4, although these modest gains could be limited by concerns about a worsening of the eurozone crisis and evidence that the powerhouse Chinese economy is stalling.

Continental markets, which suffered heavy losses yesterday, have also made up some lost ground this morning.

Germany's DAX is up 35.9 points at 5,711.1 while France's CAC 40 is ahead 29 points at 3,005.1 and Italy's MIB is 184.9 points higher at 14,615.

Preview: The FTSE 100 is seen opening down 6-9 points, extending yesterdays sharp falls as the sell-off continued on Wall Street and in Asia on fears the eurozone crisis could be worsening, and after some disappointing data from China.       

The blue chip index closed down 123.35 points or 2.3 per cent at 5,366.80 yesterday - having rallied 1.2 per cent on Tuesday.

The losses were led by weakness in risk-sensitive commodity issues and banks as concerns over the eurozone debt crisis ratcheted up when Italy's borrowing costs rose to a record high.  

Worries over a possible sovereign credit rating downgrade for France were also revived, knocking the country's hard-pressed banks.  

After the close, France's Credit Agricole warned it would post a loss for 2011, and said it would write off €2.5billion worth of assets and cut 2,350 jobs in a cull of its investment banking operations.

And after the U.S. close, Fitch downgraded its credit ratings for five European banks, including Credit Agricole.    

U.S. blue chips ended 1.1 per cent lower on Wednesday, at the level they were when London closed, having recovered a touch from heftier session lows.   

In Asia , MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan was down 2 per cent. Japan's Nikkei shed 1.6 per cent, weighed down by weaker-than-expected business sentiment as shown in the Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan survey.    

Hong Kong and Shanghai's benchmark indexes were among the biggest losers in Asia after the release of HSBC's China flash PMI, the latest piece of data to show the world's second largest economy losing steam. 

The private sector survey indicated that China's factory output will shrink again in December, adding to the headwinds facing a global economy struggling with sluggish U.S. growth and the eurozone sliding back into recession.

'With concerns over global economic growth in the new year still very much front of mind it's difficult to see what might kick the bulls back into action, although as volumes inevitably start to thin out ahead of the Christmas break next week and with many stocks looking increasingly depressed, ideal conditions for something of a Santa rally may well be forming,' said Terry Pratt, Institutional Trader at IG Markets.   

On the economic front, November retail sales will be released later, with a fall of -0.3 per cent forecast after a 0.6 per cent rise in October. This would give a year-on-year rise of 0.3 per cent after a 0.9 per cent increase in the previous month.   

The CBI industrial trends-orders survey for December will also be released.  

Stocks to watch today include:   

Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton: The Daily Mail's market report notes revived talk that Rio and BHP could both be stalking Walter Energy, and cites analysts as saying the take-out price could be double the current $60 a share.     

Barclays, Standard Chartered: Extra British regulations and taxes on banks will cost Barclays more than £1billion ($1.5 billion) and Standard Chartered over $500 million a year and are part of a flood of reforms that could backfire, the bosses of the two banks said.     

London Stock Exchange: The London Stock Exchange is in talks with UK regulators on the possibility of establishing a trade repository, or electronic data storage warehouse, that would handle over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives, the Financial Times reported.    

John Wood Group, Sports Direct, International Personal Finance, Keller Group, Moss Bros: Trading updates.     

Hiwave Technologues, Pursuit Dynamics: Full-year results.    

GCM Resources: The Bangladesh-focused coal miner holds its annual general meeting.

How to Think – a user’s guide to the reasoning mind – plus some reflections on Cannabis farmers - Christmas Flowers Germany

It is easy to see why Britain is stuck in the EU, against its own interests. The pitiful level of many of the responses to my last two postings shows that two groups of people simply refuse to think about the subject. The first group are the ones who have been brainwashed into thinking that ‘Europe’ is automatically good, and that any doubts about the EU are caused by nostalgia or stupidity. 

They do not actually know or understand the case for the EU (which certainly exists) because they have never heard it made. But they have heard, from teachers , broadcasters etc., the jibes of ‘Little Englander’ and ‘Do you want to go back to the Groat, then?’  which the pro-EU lobby have encouraged. How the heart sinks, at the level of this sort of thing. Where does one begin? Aren’t people ashamed of engaging in a major national debate at this kindergarten level?

They have encouraged these childish jeers because they know that very few people would be attracted by their utopian vision of a continent in which all nation states have ceased to exist, and in which the destinies of the continent’s people are controlled from the centre by an unaccountable elite which thinks itself to be benevolent.

The second group are those who continue against all evidence  to believe that the Conservative Party is in fact conservative. In many cases, they believe this out of habit, and increasingly out of a fear (which they seek to suppress)  that it is not true.  For if it is not true, they might have to think and act – and anything is preferable to that.

These are two typical barriers to thinking. One, a received opinion held out of laziness and fashion, not deeply rooted in knowledge or reason, which lashes out at dissent with crude mockery. The other, a tribal clinging to a forlorn hope, held in place by fear of discovering that the truth is much less comforting than the illusion.

In both cases, the mind shuts down when it gets anywhere near the truth. In both cases, it is noticeable that the person involved does not deploy facts or reason himself.

After all, what did I actually argue? Most importantly that David Cameron was garnering praise from people who ought to have seen through him. Why? Because he was not in fact doing anything particularly exceptional or dramatic, and he was certainly not defying the real power in the EU -  namely the Franco-German axis. That axis is quite happy to proceed on a country-by-country basis rather than though the cumbersome treaty process. It is true that the actual Brussels apparatus,  whose spokesman is Mr Barroso, would like a formal treaty as it would give that apparatus more power.  But France and christmas flowers germany I thought it rather strengthened my case that I was able to quote John Lichfield, an unimpeachable Paris correspondent for a pro-EU newspaper, and John Rentoul, an enjoyably frank Blairite, in support of my case. Mr Lichfield didn’t write his account of the French attitude to please me. He just wrote it because it was true and he rightly regarded it as significant. Mr Rentoul greatly enjoys teasing the non-Blairite wing of the Labour Party, but he’s interested in recent history and he recognises that David Cameron is and always has been serious about his Blairism. Mr Rentoul (among other things the author of a biography of Mr Blair) should be able to tell.

I would add here, for those interested, that my argument also has interesting support from my own side. Some recent, relevant postings from EU expert and opponent Richard North(co-author of ‘The Great Deception’) can be found here 

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/12/walter-mitty-territory.html

and here

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/12/huge-coup-de-theatre.html

and here

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/12/story-so-far.html

In response to this, do I get any kind of thoughtful response from my opponents and critics?  Judge for yourself. From ‘Tarquin’ comes this gem  ‘All I know is that whatever Cameron had done, it would've been wrong’. Does ‘Tarquin’ actually ‘know’ this in any way? Can he point to any evidence that I have a personal hostility to David Cameron which overrides reason?  If not, then his contribution is no better than graffiti scribbled on a wall, intellectually vacuous and wholly unresponsive. It is unlikely that I will support any step taken by Mr Cameron, but that is because I disagree with his politics, for reasons I have set out (for instance) in several books. But it is not unimaginable that Mr Cameron will do or say something which I am prepared to endorse and, as I have said here before, I have no personal animus towards him, have enjoyed his company on the rare occasions when I have met him and do not doubt his intelligence.

The single most wretched contribution comes from a Roy Robinson, who sneers: ‘So the whole thing was a conspiracy between Cameron and Clegg ,I thought as much ! .I will have to go on to David Icke’s site to see how it is all linked in to the New World Global Order.’

Mr Robinson ( I assume this is his real name) might have been wiser to hide this tripe behind a pseudonym. He hasn’t read what I have written, and he does not respond to what I have written. I doubt very much if we will see him back here. But why can’t people recognise that this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed seriously?

The contribution from ‘Cary’ is a bit more intelligent, though he endorses Mr Robinson’s empty jibe, which doesn’t actually chime with the rest of his contribution. . ‘Cary’  says : ‘Much as it may pain Peter Hitchens to admit it, Cameron did something genuinely EU sceptic this week that has genuinely upset Clegg, Sarkozy and all the other EU fanatics. I doubt he did it because he is a committed EU sceptic himself; his motives were mostly about survival as Tory leader (he’s lost the support of a large part of party loyalists and MPs and there’s a bye-election coming up this week where, if things went badly, the Tories could finish behind UKIP and knives might start to be sharpened).’

Well, I am quite happy to accept that Mr Cameron may have done something ‘EU sceptic’ as I have repeatedly (including in my latest post) derided the word ‘Eurosceptic’ . I regard it as meaning, broadly  ‘critical of the EU in opposition, subservient to it in government’. ‘Scepticism’ can also be displayed in government, provided it is meaningless. The EU has always been reasonably happy to allow British governments (see my thoughts on losers in negotiations above) to adopt Churchillian poses, while ceding great slabs of power and wealth to the EU. But how does ‘Cary’ justify his assertion that Mr Cameron has ‘genuinely upset’ M. Sarkozy or Mr Clegg. My whole point is that Mr Cameron’s supposed veto (actually he didn’t veto anything – there was nothing to veto) was pleasing to the French President. As for Mr Clegg, he is so outraged that he has ….stayed in the government, and took two full days to express any reservations about Mr Cameron’s actions.

‘Cary’ then contradicts himself, by pointing out correctly that Mr Cameron’s main motive was to protect his position as Tory leader (a point I made in my article) . If that is so, then how and in what sense is his action ‘genuine’? It’s simply tactical, and wholly cynical.

Then we have ‘William’, who says ‘Peter Hitchens has to take this position though really doesn't he, as do UKIP. Can't let their 'true anti-european' brand be upstaged eh? Rather amusing to see these folks break bread here with the guardianistas.’

What does this mean? I don’t ‘have’ to take any position. Many other EU-critical journalists have praised Mr Cameron for his actions, in my view mistakenly.    I belong to no party, and have no line to toe. What’s more, I explain in detail how I came to reach my position. As for ‘Guardianistas’, an expression which I think long ago lost any freshness, as did ‘Call me Dave’, what has that to do with it? The reason I cite articles from ‘The Independent’  is to make it clear that my assessment of *events* is not distorted by dogma. Mr Lichfield understands French politics and knows what is important. Mr Rentoul understands the Blairite position and is well-informed on the Blairite attitude towards the EU.

‘William’ continues ‘Where this argument falls down is that Cameron will now be under pressure to offer a referendum, in the face of the EU acting against our interests, especially now the eurosceptics have tasted blood (even if it is, as you suggest, only in their imaginations).

Better hope that doesn't happen Mr Hitchens eh? May put you out of business.’

Well I hope I have made clear by now that I have no desire for a referendum. As long as there is no major party calling in a united fashion for our exit from the EU, a straight vote on EU membership would probably be won by those who wish us to remain subject to foreign rule. The pitiful lack of understanding of the subject displayed across the media and politics in the last week shows how easy it would be to bamboozle the population, and how poorly prepared the ‘Sceptics’ are for a real battle. In any case, no Parliament could or would be bound by such a referendum even if it did produce a vote to leave.

So no, it wouldn’t ‘put me out of business’ ( always assuming that if we did become an independent country again, there wouldn’t still be plenty of ‘business’ for me to engage in). It’s no use just having independence. You have to use it.

Andrew Williams wrote : ‘I wonder if the Veto may be more important than you suggest...in spite of Cameron's intentions. The back-bench rebellion has proven to be effective in influencing the PM (despite Tory and Blairite commentators deriding it as empty posturing). The reserved reception to Cameron in PMQ suggests EU rebels aren't swooning just yet.’

Well, first of all, what veto? There was no treaty to veto (just as - and I remember breaking the news of this to an astonished newsdesk at another newspaper - there was no IRA bomb in Gibraltar before the SAS shooting of the IRA trio there).

There was no treaty because such things take months to prepare.

The back-bench rebellion is ‘effective’ only in so far as it compels Cameron to do everything he can to avoid a course of action which will lead to a referendum. But that is all he did – avoid a referendum. He didn’t preserve Britain from an EU power-grab. That can and will still happen. Nor did he ‘repatriate’ powers from Brussels(this is a fantasy. No such thing is possible under EU law). Mr Cameron’s only action is a political one, to do with saving his ludicrous, unworkable party from a  richly-deserved split and collapse. Why should anyone be grateful for that? It is precisely this artificial preservation, by increasingly desperate measures, of a dead party,  that stands in the way of Britain’s long-needed departure from the EU. And there seesm to metohave been a great deal of fawning over Mr cameron by suppsoed 'sceptics' notably at the famous Chequers dinner on Friday night. I gather the whips called for a restrained response after Mr Cameron's statement on Monday, as by then the supposed wrath of the Liberal Democrats, which had finally awoken all those days later,  had to be soothed. 

I think the assertion by ‘Neil P’ that Britain would benefit from the collapse of the City of London is absurd. I doubt if Mr ‘P’ has much idea what would happen to him, and our national economy as a whole, if such a thing happened.

Germany’s superior schools, transport etc are indeed laudable, and I am a Germanophile who thinks we should emulate many of christmas flowers germany blog domestic policies. But they are nothing to do with our national independence.

Once again, I am asked why it takes so long for comments to be posted. It is not because I need to ‘approve’ them. In most cases I don’t see them before they are published, though a few are referred to me.  It is because this site is part of a major newspaper group which takes the laws of defamation seriously, and because there are a limited number of people available to check contributions before they are posted. 

Mr ‘Dreyfus’ is perfectly correct in pointing out that Norway and Switzerland have handled their economies better than we have. Perhaps that is partly because we have been in the EU since 1972, and because our governments – rather than confronting this country’s need to modernise its economy and reform its education(for example) have hopes that in some magical way EU membership will save us. One very good reason for returning to independence is that we would have to rely on ourselves again, and could make our own plans and efforts to do so. While we have declined greatly, as who has said more than I, all is not yet lost. We still have a base from which we could recover. Not paying our vast contribution to the EU would help.

Various people have cast doubt on claims made by contributors that Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, warned of war. Well, on 26th October in a speech to the Bundestag, she said as follows: “No one should think that a further half century of peace and prosperity is assured. If the euro fails, Europe will fail.”

A note on cannabis farming

When I heard that there had been a revolting massacre in the Belgian city of Liege, ending with the self-slaughter of the culprit,  I immediately wondered what drugs the killer would turn out to have been taking. And lo, (though none of the BBC radio or TV reports that I have so far heard or seen have mentioned this, though of course they do stress his ownership of guns) , the killer –Nordine Amrani – had earlier been convicted of cannabis farming. 

When he was arrested in 2008, police found he had grown 2,800 cannabis plants in a warehouse.  While I doubt if he could have consumed all his products himself, it seems reasonable to assume that he sampled his own goods, probably quite extensively.  All that we know of his last days is that he apparently thought he was being ‘picked on’ by the police. The idea that you are being picked on is, I am told, quite common among heavy users of cannabis. It is also demonstrable that various types of mental illness are associated with heavy cannabis use.

I gather that gun law in Belgium is quite strict, or has been since 2006.  Amrani was prosecuted under it, though somehow he seems to have been allowed to keep or acquire a substantial arsenal (I am not sure if this illustrates the feebleness of the law itself in practice, or  the usual near-total failure of gun laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, or both. Amrani had been in trouble with the police since his teens, and would probably have been banned from legal gun-ownership in most states in the USA, certainly since what is described as ‘a vice conviction’ in 2003).

But it seems to me that you don’t start shooting and throwing hand grenades (surely these are illegal anywhere?)  around in the middle of a crowded Christmas market unless you are in some way mentally ill .

Mental illness among individuals is (or was until the recent prevalence of legal and illegal mind-altering drugs) remarkably rare.

I mention these connections because I live in hope that sooner or later someone in government may act on them, and launch the necessary research to see if there is a link.  I know that the connection between cannabis and mental illness flies in the face of the vast and costly PR campaign that has been waged on behalf of this drug for the last half-century, claiming that it is ‘soft’ and harmless and herbal. But does a wise person then reject the possibility that the correlation might actually be causation?

Letter: It's Christmas People! Get Over It - Christmas Flowers Germany

I just read an article titled “Keep the baby Jesus out of politics,” and while it brings up a few good points, I disagree with the majority of it.  To begin with, stating that a pine tree has no claim to Christmas is like stating the Green Bay Packers have no claim to the G logo that is now property of, and synonymous with, the team. It is true that conifers played no part in the first Christmas. In fact, they first mention of them being part of the Christmas celebration was in the 16th century in christmas flowers germany and Livonia. However, tradition makes up a large part of every event, and I mean every event, after its inaugural year. After five centuries of being the only light up decorated tree widely known to the Western World, I think its safe to say that yes, a Christmas tree is a Christmas tree. Calling something by its name whether its good or bad from your point of view is the proper thing to do. As stated in Harry Potter, “Fear of the name only increase fear of the thing itself.”

As I stated earlier, this scenario can be compared to the Green Bay Packers logo. Ask practically anyone in America what the “G” means, and I guarantee you the overwhelming majority will state it signifies the Packers. Ask the Packers organization itself and they will tell you so, while reminding you that if you use it without their authorization, they will relieve you of your spare change. However, the Packers were founded in 1919, yet the logo does not appear until 1961. Hmmm, so the green G isn’t the Packers logo? They won six world championships before the logo came, so it can’t possibly be a symbol of the team, right? The only difference between the two scenarios is that the word “religion,” such a dangerous word to use today, was mentioned in the first. Then again, I don’t know. Maybe if you asked a Bear’s fan they would only call it a sports logo, not the Packers logo.

The rest of the article hinges on the statement “separation of church and state.” I agree with this. The church should not rule the state, and the state should not rule the church. However, I have never seen a priest, bishop, or even the pope attempt to gain any political office. What many people fail to realize is that a politician with religious beliefs does not signify rule by the church. All beliefs have an origin. Whether a belief originated in or was adopted by a religion does not automatically make it a strictly religious belief. A politician runs for office based on his or her beliefs of how a country should be run. These beliefs are generally open to the public, and if the majority of the public also shares these beliefs, the politician is elected.

One example, though I will admit it is a little over the top, is the commandment “Though shalt not steal.” If the separation of church and state were as strict as the afore mentioned article claims it to be, then stealing should be legal in the United States. Once again, this is a drastically over done example, but I feel it gets my point across. Beliefs are what make a person, including politicians, who they are. It should matter where the beliefs come from. If a religious politician was elected, then guess what? The majority of his or her substituents voted for them, and that politician is representing them accordingly.

All in all, the main point I’m trying to make is, religion is a big part of who people are. If the majority of people share a belief then who cares what its origin is. And for crying out loud, call it what it is. Merry christmas flowers germany blog ! Now go light your Christmas Tree.

History center event celebrates traditions of Christmas - Christmas Flowers Germany

The Northeast Georgia History Center brought a new light to Christmas traditions during their monthly Family Day.

"Cherish the Old, Embrace the New" focused on the origins of several beloved aspects of the season, from candy canes to the Christmas pickle. An assortment of craft projects were set up for the adults and children to enjoy, each designed to incorporate a different tradition.

"Everything that we're making has some root in tradition," explained Julie Carson, education and volunteer coordinator for the History Center.

"There's the history of Santa for the Santa photos, little elf pots, and so on," she said. "Some of these crafts are not traditionally what you'd put on the tree, but that's the part where you can embrace something new."

A board at the back of the room told stories from around the world of how some traditions began.

In christmas flowers germany , a pickle ornament would be hidden amongst the tree branches the evening before Christmas Eve. The first child to find the pickle would either be given an extra gift or be allowed to open his or her gifts first.

Another German and Ukrainian story is The Christmas Spider, which claimed that the spiders, who hid in the attic during Christmas cleaning, snuck down to admire the decorated tree, but left webbing behind on the branches. When St. Nicholas arrived, he turned the webbing silver, and since that night, the Christmas trees have been trimmed with tinsel.

The English tradition of kissing under the mistletoe was formerly a rite of marriage. In later centuries, it was thought if a girl was not kissed beneath the mistletoe, she would not marry in the year to come.

Choices in decor were not the only traditions explained. Christmas carols originally began as pagan songs celebrating Winter Solstice, which usually occurs around the 22nd. The first Christmas carol was written in 1450, but nothing remains for the song.

The Enota Show Choir and Gainesville High School's Crimson Chorus provided a wonderful medley of classic and revamped tunes to ring in the holiday season. Santa Claus himself even stopped by.

Old or new, some traditions will forever be favorites. For Page Thompson and Johnathan Mixon, Christmas morning can't be beat.

I love getting presents," Thompson said.

"Reading christmas flowers germany blog stories before bed is my favorite," said Alexander Mixon.

The Northeast Georgia History Center hosts Family Day the second Sunday every month from 1-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.negahc.org.

It's Your Mail - Christmas Flowers Germany

The first Christmas card arrived in the mail slot at my house earlier this week. It was a photo-greeting card from an old friend who lives in Ohio. He and his wife posed in playful stances with their two grown children, their spouses and a new grandbaby.

They could have sent the card by e-mail, but it wouldn't have been the same. I would have glanced at it quickly and moved on. Currently, it is on my kitchen counter. When I receive more cards and photos, I will post them on the louvered doors in the dining room I use to display each year's seasonal greetings.

The news this week is that the U.S. Postal Services is making plans to reduce service. Communication and shipping methods have been evolving for decades and the post office has seen its market share erode into oceans of red ink.

A Long Island resident interviewed on National Public Radio this week said that she considered her post office box a nuisance receptacle for junk mail. A pharmacist in Montana said his elderly clients in far-flung communities rely totally on the U.S. mail service for their prescriptions.

I grew up on rural route one, southeast of Canton, Kans. 67428. The daily county seat newspaper never reached the local post office in time for rural delivery route departures. It always arrived in our mailbox a day late. It didn't get read any less.

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In my Webster Groves office, daily mail service is still an integral part of business operations. Bills go out. Checks arrive. Some press releases and letters still arrive by mail. When Carol, our regular carrier is on vacation, our service level dips a bit too.

If mail service slows, there will be a slight delay in cash flow - the bill may take a day longer to reach the client. The return check may take a day more to arrive. But we can weather that change.

Mail service, despite its detractors, is dependable. That needs to stay the same. Box pickup frequencies, especially near the end of business days, are important if business use is to remain high.

Magazines and periodicals will take a bigger hit. But then again, do I read my Time Magazine or my Kiplinger Newsletter the day it arrives? Usually not. Am I likely to cancel my mailed subscriptions and read those publications online? No, but some readers who haven't already, will make that transition. I prefer the leisurely pace of content on paper. My eyes and mind are programmed to absorb a lot more on paper than from pixels on a screen.

Can the U.S. Mail compete in the sea of communication changes? We might look at models from other countries to get ideas. German post offices reinvented themselves a couple of decades ago after reunification of East and West christmas flowers germany . They have maintained six day home delivery and offer a variety of services including banking and mobile phones.

I wish that in 2012, political parties would have to pay a surcharge to use my mailbox for their usual election deluge of quarter-truths and outright falsehoods.

For charities, the mail is an important tool. I regard it with more sympathy than I do those agencies that pay a commission for professional phone solicitors. I very rarely respond to e-mail requests.

Meanwhile, I will look for those christmas flowers germany blog cards among the solicitations for year-end donations that stuff my mailbox. I intend to write my traditional season's greetings letter and mail it with cards in time for Christmas.

Buy stamps. Say hello to your mail carrier. It will be a challenging new year for the people who deliver our mail.

University of Pittsburgh's Nationality Rooms bring to life ethnic characters and traditions - Christmas Flowers Germany

Lurking behind Father Christmas is the evil Cert, a black devil who carries switches, threatening to whack bad children.

More frightening than a pile of coal under the tree, Cert is part of Austria's Christmas folklore.

Such ethnic holiday characters and traditions come alive in 27 classrooms, known as the Nationality Rooms, at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning in Oakland until Dec. 31.

Christmas traditions, Chinese New Year, Sukkot and Kwanzaa are represented in the Nationality Rooms, each decked in distinctive splendor by a committee of Pittsburgh-area residents.

The holiday dress-up is about preserving traditions. It has become a tradition itself, running for more than 40 years.

"People come here and discover something about their background they didn1t know," says E. Maxine Bruhns, director of the Nationality Rooms program and a longtime, former Fox Chapel resident.

The also come to learn about other cultures, as Bruhns did when she lived all over the world with her husband, the late Fred Bruhns, who resettled refugees.

"I've seen children burst into tears in Austria, when the little Cert comes along behind Father Christmas in the streets during Christmas parades," Bruhns says.

The characters of Christmas change with every room.

In Greece, St. Nicholas is the patron saint of seamen. His icon is in the Greek Room, but "he doesn't look anything like Santa Claus," Bruhns says.

The holiday centerpiece in the Greek room is the Christopsomo, decorated bread that is part of an elaborate Christmas Day feast.

More than trees

In the Chinese room, a dragon sits on gold paper commemorating the year of the dragon Jan. 23, 2012, on the American calendar.

Given China's predominant religions of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, there are no Christmas celebrations. So, the committee decorates for Chinese New Year and a string of other holidays, according to Karen Yee of Bethel Park, the chairwoman of the Chinese Nationality Room committee.

A favorite Chinese New Year tradition is the Lion Dance, featuring young ancers under a large, colorful fabricated lion head and body.

The New Year also is a time of giving: "The children wish the elders a happy, prosperous New Year and, like magic, the adults pull out red envelopes with the lucky money inside, like Halloween here," Yee says.

Red is the color of choice because it signifies luck, while white is considered the color of death, she says.

Yee's committee hung red banners around the Chinese Room's door frame for luck. Offering a plate of cut tangerines also is a good-luck tradition.

China's vast size makes it impossible to capture all of its traditions.

Yee estimates there are 300 ethnic minorities in China. "So, there are many different customs in many areas."

Yee's father, the late Hoy Fung, a Chinese immigrant who owned the Bellevue Tea Garden restaurant from 1926 to 1998, "always shared his culture. And he said that it was important for people to know each other and get along."

New Years trees

As students helped to decorate the Russian Room recently, they wondered why there wasn1t a Christmas tree, says Christine Metil of Squirrel Hill, treasurer of the Russian Room committee.

"Some people were disappointed," she says. "Russians have trees, but they are New Year's trees."

Fasting on Christmas Eve until the first star appeared is one of the earliest Russian Orthodox holiday traditions.

Then, Russian families sat down to a meal served on a white tablecloth with straw covering it to symbolize Christ1s birth, Metil said.

Another Russian Orthodox tradition is a door-to-door folk performance, a "vertap," a Bethlehem play using a box lined with straw and religious figurines of Joseph, the Three Kings and shepherds but no Mary or Jesus.

"In orthodoxy, it is not permitted to depict the holy Christ and Mary in statuary," Metil says.

But there are trees, branches and other Western Christmas decor, courtesy of Russian tsar Peter the Great.

After a trip to Europe in the 1700s, the Russian leader was impressed with the West and its trees and other decorations.

"Christmas trees never caught on in Russia until the mid-19th century, but were then banned from 1917 until 1992 in keeping with Soviet ideology," Metil says.

That's why the decorated trees during that period were known as "New Year trees," she says.

Legend credits christmas flowers germany with creating the Christmas-tree tradition, but it was love that brought the fancy-decorated tree to England in the Victorian era.

"Queen Victoria loved her Prince Albert more than anything," says Anna Lomando of Arnold, chairwoman of the English Room committee. 3But he was from  christmas flowers germany blog and was lonely and wanted a Christmas tree. She would have done anything for him.2 So, the queen installed a Christmas tree in the palace.

"She may have loved Prince Albert, but her subjects loved her so much, they did the same thing and got Christmas trees," Lomando says.

So the Victorian Christmas tree, the storybook Christmas tree, takes center stage in the English Nationality Room.

Satin sashes rib the length of a tree richly decorated with candles.

The tree is filled with miniature wrapped gift boxes, decorative paper fans and cornucopia filled with candy.

"It's OK if they eat from the cornucopia," Lomando says.

"We don't care.

Christmas is for fun."

True stories of those who discovered the Christmas tree(s) - Christmas Flowers Germany

This isn't an essay about the history of the christmas flowers germany blog tree, whose tradition can be traced back to late-Middle Ages christmas flowers germany , but rather, a brief history about the people who discovered some of them. This is not quite as boring as it sounds.

In the 1700s and 1800s, botanical treasure hunting in the Americas was every bit as swashbuckling as high-seas piracy or any other sort of adventuresome career you can think of. The man for whom the Douglas fir was named was stomped to death by a fitfully angry bull in close quarters, for example. Either that or he was murdered. Nobody knows for certain.

What is certain, though, is that in the 1700s and 1800s, the New World was full of plants that the rest of the world had never seen. Gardening as a hobby was just beginning to take off in England and Russia, and elsewhere in Europe, too; thus, there was big money to be made in discovering exotic specimens and bringing their seeds back to the Old World for propagation.

Finding new plants meant years of climbing mountains and crossing deserts and fording rivers, all of it done by men of dubious scientific training, who were more or less ill-suited for lives of rugged exploration.

   

JOHN JEFFREY –– Jeffrey Pine

   

Scottish-born, as many of the great North American plant hunters were, John Jeffrey was selected to travel to America in 1849 to collect plants for the next five years. What his friends and relatives thought of this decision at the time is unrecorded by historical accounts.

Mostly, he explored the Pacific Northwest, and near California's Mount Shasta, he documented what is now known as the Jeffrey Pine, one of many popular Christmas-tree iterations in the West. In 1854, having departed from San Diego, he attempted a crossing of the Colorado Desert. He was never seen again. "Among plant hunters of the Northwest, John Jeffrey was like a shooting star, a quick twinkle soon extinguished," writes Frank Lang.

There are several accounts of Jeffrey's death. Contemporary James McNab wrote: "It appears that he was killed trading with Indians." Frederick V. Coville believes Jeffrey "perished of thirst on the Colorado Desert." A third account says "he was murdered by a Spanish outcast, for his mule and scanty traveling-appointments."

   

DAVID DOUGLAS –– Douglas-Fir

   

David Douglas, likewise Scotland born, made the same Pacific Northwest trip as John Jeffrey, but decades earlier. In 1824, he began his multiyear exploration of the region, discovering several types of conifers.

In 1827, he introduced the Douglas-fir into wide cultivation (though it had already been "discovered" by rival botanist Archibald Menzies, which is how the Douglas-fir got its scientific name, Pseudotsuga menziesii). The Douglas-fir is not a true fir, and there are several species of it, found all over the world. But Douglas is the person who gave the tree its common name.

By age 35, he was already one of the most celebrated botanists in Europe, and he took a much-deserved vacation to Hawaii in 1833.

Climbing Mauna Kea, he is said to have fallen into a wild-animal pit trap. If that wasn't bad enough, the trap was already –– or soon after became –– occupied by a bull, which was not pleased about its predicament, as you can imagine.

He (Douglas, not the bull) was found dead some time later, apparently by a hunter named Ned Gurney, who also happened to be an escaped convict. This led to some speculation that Gurney had killed Douglas for the cash he was carrying on him, and while he was a suspect in Douglas' death, he was never arrested.

   

C.J. LEYLAND –– Leyland Cypress

   

C.J. Leyland was not a plant hunter, but his story is just as interesting. Born Christopher John Naylor in 1849, C.J. changed his surname to Leyland after inheriting Haggerston Castle, part of Leyland Entailed Estates, from his uncle, a well-to-do banker. After moving into the castle in the 1890s, he began an ambitious gardening and landscaping program across 23,000 acres.

One result of his efforts was the propagation of Cupressocyparis leylandii, a sterile hybrid of the Nootka Cypress and the Monterey Cypress (inter-genetic breeding between two different trees is rare, which is why the offspring must be passed down by root cuttings). The Leyland Cypress is a lush, hardy and fast-growing evergreen, and for many years, it was one of the best-selling plants in Great Britain. In 1941 the cuttings arrived in the U.S.

C.J. Leyland might have gone on to greater botany notoriety were it not for the unfortunate "fact" that the castle was the victim of a witch's curse, which, legend has it, resulted in at least three fires at the castle. The last of the fires occurred in 1911, burning down part of the grounds, and Leyland never lived in the castle again (or tended to its gardens). It was demolished in the 1930s.

   

JOHN FRASER –– Fraser Fir

   

The Fraser fir is found in the Eastern U.S. and Appalachia. John Fraser –– again, a Scotsman –– is credited with the discovery in this case. He was a linen draper who, mid-career, decided to take up botany collection. It was a good career choice, and his collecting led him to Eastern North America in the late 1700s.

    Fraser was remarkably successful at transplanting living seedlings across the oceans, which means he was a remarkably profitable plant hunter. One biographer credits his method of "packing them (seedlings) in wet moss" before shipping them off for his financial success. After discovering the fir that now bears his name, he moved farther south, then into Cuba, exploring with his son and "disguised as Americans" (fake passports and all) rather than Englishmen, because the English were at war with the Spanish at the time.

Their ruse was discovered, writes David C. Stuart in "The Plants That Shaped Our Gardens," but the governor of Cuba let them explore freely, saying: "My country, it is true, is at war with England, but not with the pursuits of these travelers."

The Cuban exploration got off to a rocky start, but the trip there was even worse. Fraser's ship was wrecked on a coral reef between Havana and Florida and stranded for several days before being rescued by a Spanish salvage boat. On his way back to England, his boat again nearly sank. A decade later, exploring the mountains of South Carolina, his horse lost its balance and fell on top of him, crushing his ribs. He died from those injuries the following year, in 1811.

   

Postscript: Oddly enough, there was a great Victorian botanist named David Spruce, but he did not have anything to do with the Spruce tree. He spent more than a decade exploring the Andes and the Amazon River in the mid-1800s, collecting odd medicinal specimens, including quinine, a bitter bark that makes an excellent anti-malaria drug (and an ingredient in Campari and many tonic waters).

   

Bill Toland, who during his high-school years cut down Christmas trees to make extra holiday money, is a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staff writer. Email btoland@post-gazette.com.

A living history -Christmas Flowers Germany

Moravians understood the importance of audio-visual educational techniques centuries before the first overhead projector or interactive Smart Board was invented. Always vitally interested in instructing future generations, especially in the realm of history, early Moravians developed a series of repeated sights and sounds to reinforce each lesson.

The annual Candle Tea played a vital role in that early educational process, and members of Mayodan Moravian Church continued that tradition last Thursday by hosting second-grade classes from Dillard Elementary School for a tour of the church.

Started by early Moravians as a special arts and crafts fair, the Candle Tea now represents an opportunity for children to learn key elements of Moravian history and beliefs. Second-graders touring the church last Thursday made six stops along the way, each providing a visual history lesson.

Divided into small groups to make the learning experience more personal, the second-grade classes circulated through the 115-year-old church. Mayodan Moravian member Mike Fox spoke to the students seated on the steps outside the main sanctuary, explaining the history of the Moravian movement and church they were about to enter.

The cornerstone for the Mayodan church was laid July 26, 1896, with about 200 people present to witness the ceremony. But Fox said the story behind that beginning went back a few years earlier.

“The story actually began in September, 1890, when the Home Church Sunday School took an excursion on the new Roanoke and Southern Railroad to the falls of the Mayo River,” Fox said. “They had a picnic there and held a Moravian lovefeast that afternoon.”

Fox said Col. Francis Fries, a member of Home Moravian Church in Salem (now Winston-Salem), must have remembered the location from that picnic. It was the location he chose to build his textile mills, Avalon Mill and Mayo Mill. Fries was also instrumental in founding a new town, Mayodan, near the convergence of the Mayo and Dan rivers.

Fries contacted his Home Church pastor, Bishop Edward Rondthaler, and invited him to visit the area to help select a site for a new Moravian church. The bishop’s son, Howard Rondthaler, was appointed as the first pastor when the new 225-seat church building opened in November 1896.

Entering the sanctuary of the church, the students first noticed the large Moravian star hanging high above the pulpit area. The first multi-pointed star originated more than 150 years ago in  christmas flowers germany , apparently as part of an evening handicraft project.

The star is lit at the beginning of Advent season and proclaims a three-point message.

“It’s a reminder of the star that led the wise men to the baby Jesus,” Mayodan Moravian member Julie Joyce told a group of second-graders from Dillard Elementary.

The star also portrays Jesus as the Divine Star, “the bright and morning star,” and is seen as the star of promise and of hope.

Dressed in traditional 18th-century Moravian clothing, Joyce also explained the tradition and meaning of the Advent candle wreath on the table in front of the pulpit. Each of the four candles represented a different element of the Christmas story told each week during the Advent season. The four candles represented love, hope, peace and joy.

Heading from the sanctuary to the fellowship hall, the students made a stop at a glass case in the hallway holding several items of historic value. They were able to see and hear about hymnals and Bibles printed more than 100 years earlier and hear stories of the early days of the Mayodan church.

Passing into the fellowship hall, the students made a stop in the kitchen to watch the preparation traditional Moravian cookies. The students learned that the secret to the unique cookies was to “roll them so thin you can almost see through them” and that the dark brown color came from using molasses as a key ingredient.

Still munching on samples of the crisp, thin cookies, the students stood at their next station watching Bonnie Connelly explain how to make beeswax candles – a Christmas tradition for Moravians.

Like the Moravian star, the candles also have special significance.

“They were first used in a Christmas Eve service for children in christmas flowers germany blog around 1747,” Connelly said.

The candles are still made with the same formula of beeswax and tallow in tapered molds designed by early Moravian settlers. The traditional red paper wrapped around the base of candles represents the blood of Jesus and the candle itself represents Christ as the “light of the world.”

Circling the fellowship hall, the students heard more about the history of the Moravian church and saw a Christmas tree decorated the way colonial families would have done it. Most of the students quickly identified a couple familiar items not normally associated with Christmas trees – candles and popcorn. A third item – bright, red berries – was also present.

“Those were the only things available for people to use for decorations a hundred years ago,” Connelly said. “That’s why they waited until Christmas day to cut the tree and decorate it. The tree and decorations didn’t last long in those days.”

The final stop on the tour took the second-graders to the top floor of the Moravian church, to a darkened room holding several miniature displays – the traditional Moravian Putz (pronounced “puts”). The German word putz means “decoration” and that’s how the original displays were used.

Early Moravians created miniature depictions of the story of Jesus’ birth, ranging from simple manger scenes to elaborate villages that filled a room. The Putz at Mayodan Moravian contains five scenes – two from the story of Jesus’ birth, one historic representation of Old Salem, a scene from Mayodan in 1896 and a historic rural scene from Rockingham County.

With the lights out, the children enjoyed the scene over ancient Bethlehem illuminated only by lights from candles, hearth fires and the brilliant star hanging above the stable where the baby Jesus lay in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph and the shepherds.

The 1896 view of Mayodan shows the original Mayodan Moravian Church building as one of only a handful of buildings present then, including Mayo Mills and the train depot.

Christmas Flowers Germany - Principal stands by cancelling Christmas concert

An east Ontario school principal said she stands by her decision to call off a christmas flowers germany blog concert even after she's started getting threatened.

Mhairi Rowland, principal of Cambridge Public School in Embrun, said she would be replacing its traditional concert with a holiday-themed craft fair and moving the concert to February.

Rowland said she's shocked at the backlash she's been getting but stands by her decision,

"I've had a lot of hate mail this morning from people saying this is a religious thing, and it's really not," she said. "The decision to change the concert to February was really so that every child gets to have the joy and the rush of standing up on a stage and performing in front of people that they love."

She said the decision wasn't spurred on by a complaint, and about half the school's parent council agreed with her.

About 207 students go to the school, located about 40 kilometres southeast of Ottawa. All but nine of them celebrate Christmas.

"It hit home, I guess," said Peggy O'Meara, who sits on the school's parent council.

"Maybe they can just adjust it a bit," said one parent. "Not necessarily do the nativity and things like that, but still the christmas flowers germany sprit part, Santa Claus."

A leading Ottawa Jewish figure said the move isn't the way to go.

"Christmas has been under assault for the last little while under the guise of inclusivity," said Rabbi Reuven Bulka. "I never thought that inclusivity meant that if you're going something I don't like, you can't do it anymore because it's excluding me."

Friday, the Upper Canada School Board released a statement saying other Christmas activities are happening at the school including a tree-decorating contest and carol singing at a local senior's home.

"The director of education also supports that decision because of the inclusivity that it represents and the respect it shows for all students in the school," said Terry Simzer with the school board.

Some Cambridge parents said they hope the school will consider bringing the concert back next year, something they'll have a chance to express when a survey comes out in the spring.