Fwd: 10 Most Beautiful Tree Tunnels in the World (Awesome!!!!)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Leslie Chang <lesliecck@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 11:49 PM
Subject: Fwd: 10 Most Beautiful Tree Tunnels in the World (Awesome!!!!)
To:

10 most beautiful tree tunnels in the world!!! Trees, The longest-living organisms on Earth, beautify and protect our environment  by providing color, shelter, and shade. They renew our air supply by soaking up carbon  dioxide and producing oxygen.   10. Cherry Blossom Tunnel, Germany Each spring, a peaceful street, located in the German city of Bonn, transforms into  an enchanting cherry blossom tunnel. Photographer Marcel Bednarz captured this  stunning sight of cherry blossoms in full bloom.  He explained to me that there are actually two streets in Bonn where cherry trees  are planted, but the one you see in the above picture is called Heerstraße.  As you may know, the average cherry blossom lasts  only between 7 and 10 days,  depending on weather conditions. 09 more after the break...   09. Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho, Brasil Number nine goes to Brazil's green tunnel from Porto Alegre, Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho.  According to a decree signed in 2006 by former mayor Joseph Fogaça, this beautiful street is part of the country's historical, cultural, ecological and environmental heritage.   There are more than one hundred towering Tipuana (Rosewood) trees along Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho. The great shade trees stretch over three city blocks, which is a good thing for the city's overall health.  Did you know that trees, properly planted around buildings, can reduce air conditioning demands by up to 30%?   08. Autumn Tree Tunnel, USA Photographed in glorious autumn colors by Kevin McNeal, this tree tunnel is simply astonishing! The picture was taken on the way up to Smuggler's Notch, a Vermont state park.   The eye-catching foliage starts changing its color in the northern region,  in response to many environmental factors, and spreads south as the fall season advances. 07. Ginkgo Tree Tunnel, Japan Gingko biloba is a highly venerated tree in Japanese culture.  Six ginkgo trees survived the Hiroshima bombing, continuing to grow despite facing so many challenges, and are still alive today.  Therefore, the Japanese regard the gingko as "the bearer of hope". It is also known as "the survivor" or "the living fossil." Around 65,000 ginkgoes grace Tokyo's streets, gardens and parks today.  According to some people who visited Tokyo, the tunnel you see in the above picture  is located in the outer garden of Meiji Shrine.   06. Yew Tree Tunnel, UK The medieval Aberglasney House features one of the most beautiful gardens in Wales, UK. They have been an inspiration to writers since 1470. The Yew Tunnel is a popular tourist attraction in this area. Believe it or not, it took nine years of pruning to restore this unique archway. "Years of neglect had left it unsafe and with a perilous future, as the once formally clipped structure had grown even higher than the top of the Mansion itself. It is so nice to see it looking invigorated and healthy again. I had every confidence that with careful restoration it would help its future longevity, but I have to confess that it did look drastic at the time," declared Graham Rankin, one of Aberglasney's directors.   The Yew Tunnel is thought to have been planted by the Dyer family of Aberglasney,  during the 18th century.   05. The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland Tucked away in the county of Antrim, Ireland these beautiful beech trees are thought to be around 300 years old. According to local records, James Stuart planted the 150 beech trees in the 18th century,to impress guests as they approached his splendid property, Gracehill House.   Legend tells that the spirit of a maid, who lived in a neighboring mansion and died in mysterious circumstances hundreds of years ago, haunts the country road. "Grey Lady" silently floats along the road and quickly disappears as she reaches the last beech tree.   04. Bamboo Path, Japan The Sagano Bamboo Forest is located in Arashiyama, a nationally-designated historic site.  The pathway you see in the above picture is 500m long, and runs through one of Japan's most beautiful bamboo forests. No wonder the Agency for Cultural Affairs declared Arashiyama a "Place of Scenic Beauty". This forest is close to many famous temple and shrines, including the Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple.   The sound the wind makes, as it blows through the tall bamboo trees,  has been voted by the Japanese authorities as one of 100 must-preserve sounds of Japan. 03. Tunnel of Love, Ukraine The Ukrainian Tunnel of Love is actually a two-mile sector of private railway that serves a woodworking plant near Klevan, a small city located in western Ukraine.  I read somewhere that couples pass through this romantic tunnel to make a wish.  The myth goes that, if their love is strong and pure, the wish will come true. May all of your wishes come true, but watch out for the train! It runs three times a day through the leafy tunnel. 02. Jacarandas Walk, South Africa Over 10 million trees keep South Africa's largest city green. According to several unofficial sources, Johannesburg is home to the world's largest man-made forest. There are at least 49 species of Jacaranda, most of them native to South America (particularly in Uruguay, Brazil, Peru & Argentina), and the Caribbean basin.  The tropical trees were imported to South Africa over one hundred years ago. October is the month when the flowers of thousands of Jacaranda trees are in full blossom.  This spectacular tree tunnel is located either in Johannesburg or Pretoria, the Jacaranda City where 70,000+ Jacarandas add vivid splashes of purple-blue to the urban landscape. 01. Wisteria Tunnel, Japan As soon as the cherry blossom season ends, the gorgeous Wisteria flowers, that hang in grape-like clusters, take their turn on the Japanese floral calendar. The Fuji Matsuri, or Wisteria Festival, is celebrated each spring in Tokyo, Shizuoka, and Okazaki. The Ashikaga Flower Park is one of the best places to admire different varieties of wisteria, including double-petaled wisteria, giant wisteria and yellow, white, light pink or purple variants of wisteria.

Fwd: FW: Benefits of drinking warm Lemon Water

If you love lemons (actually there are many varieties), just enjoy the drink over ice (rather than warm) and forget about the so-called health benefits!

 

 

Benefits Of Drinking Warm Lemon Water

Start the day out with a mug of warm water and the juice of half a lemon.

It's so simple and the benefits are just too good to ignore. Warm water with lemon:

1. Boosts you're immune system.
    Lemons are high in Vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates brain &

    nerve function and helps control blood pressure.

2. Balances pH.
    Lemons are an incredibly alkaline food, believe it or not. Yes, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they're

    alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). As you wellness warriors know, an alkaline body is really the key to good health.

3. Helps with weight loss.
    Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a

    more alkaline diet lose weight faster. And, my experience is that when I start the day off right, it's easier to make the best

    choices for myself the rest of the day.

4. Aids digestion.
    The warm water serves to stimulate the gastro-intestinal tract and peristalsis. The waves of muscle contractions within

    the intestinal walls that keep things moving. Lemons and limes are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen

    ama, or toxins, in the digestive tract.

5. Acts as a gentle, natural diuretic.
    Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Toxins are,

    therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.

6. Clears skin.

    The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin

    clear as well.

7. Hydrates the lymph system —

The cranky old man

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.  Later, when the nurses were going through his meagre possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.  One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.  And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.

Cranky Old Man

What do you see nurses? What do you see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice, 'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice the things that you do.
And forever is losing a sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse. You're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten, with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters who love one another
A young boy of sixteen with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at twenty my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows that I promised to keep.
At twenty-five, now I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide and a secure happy home.
A man of thirty, my young now grown fast,
Bound to each other with ties that should last.
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me to see I don't mourn.
At fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children, my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me. My wife is now dead.
I look at the future. I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own.
And I think of the years, and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles. Grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass, A young man still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living life over again.
I think of the years, all too few, gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people. Open and see.
Not a cranky old man.
Look closer .. See.. Me

(originally written by Dave Griffith)

The best and most beautiful things of this world can't be seen or touched. They must be felt by the heart!

WHY

Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front?     Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke?     Why do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters?     Why do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in our driveways and put our useless junk in the garage?       EVER WONDERED...   Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?       Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?     Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?   Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?     Why is it that doctors and attorneys call what they do 'practice'?     Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavoring, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons?       Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?     Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour? Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?     Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?     Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?       You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff??     Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?     Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?     If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?     Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)... in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.