In 1931, Japan was the main source of silk for the United States, and trade relations between the two countries were breaking apart.  The  DuPont™ Experimental Station having successfully created a synthetic rubber by the name of neoprene, turned their attention and efforts towards creating a new synthetic fiber to replace silk. 
      Dr. Wallace Carothers and his colleagues researched and evaluated more than 100 different polyamides at the Experimental Station before choosing one fiber in 1935 that stood up well to both heat and solvents.  From this research Nylon emerged and was patented by DuPont in 1937.
     An article in Fortune Magazine, circa 1938 described how "Nylon breaks the basic elements like nitrogen and carbon out of coal, air and water to create a uniquely new molecular structure   of its own.  It is a completely new arrangement of matter, and the first entirely new synthetic fiber made by man. In over four thousand years, textiles have seen only three basic developments aside from mechanical mass production: mercerized cotton, synthetic dyes and rayon. Nylon is a fourth."
     DuPont introduced Nylon and nylon stockings to the public in 1939 at the World's Fair in New York as the new "miracle" fiber for women's stockings. The material was touted to be a less costly, wrinkle-free and stronger, but just as lighweight and attractive as silk and was purported to be less prone to runs and snags, although that turned out to be a false claim.  
     Commercial production began immediately and the new fiber stockings were available across the country by 1940. Quickly they garnered the nickname "nylons." Like silk stockings, nylons reached from feet to mid-thigh, and were fastened with garters and a belt. Panty hose did not arrive on the scene until the 1960s. On the first day they were available for sale, over 72,000 pairs of nylon stockings were bought in the U.S. and 64 million were sold in the first year.
     Almost as quickly as they appeared, nylon stockings were taken off store shelves. The U.S. had entered World War II at the end of 1941 and the supply of nylon as well as silk was taken over by the War Production Board to assist in making supplies such as parachutes, tents, ropes, clothing and even tires. So as a consequence nylon hosiery, which had been selling for $1.25 a pair, now went for upwards of $10.00 on the black market.
     An enormous number of products today contain or are made from Nylon including clothing, basketball nets, carpeting, fishing lines, strings for guitars, surgical sutures, tennis racquet strings, vehicle upholstery and many others. Nylon has even been to the moon.
     For all its uses, its greatest achievement has been the enhancement of some of the most beautiful women's legs in the world from Sophia Loren to Raquel Welch.

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The History of Hawaiian Lei Day

     Early Polynesian settlers who had come from Tahiti in sailing canoes introduced the lei custom to the Hawaiian Islands.  The word "Lei" means garland or wreath and is any series of objects strung together such as flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals with the intent to be worn.  Ancient Hawaiians wore a lei or wreath of flowers around the neck to beautify themselves and distinguish themselves from others.  The most common version usually consisted of fresh natural foliage such as flowers like the plumerias, orchids, pikake.  A Lei made with maile and ti leaves, as well as fern fronds is favored and traditional among hula dancers.  The Hawaiian Island of Ni'ihau is famous for its lei made of tiny gem-like shells.  

      Visitors to the Islands have been presented with a lei as a symbol of affection upon arriving since the "Boat Days" of the early 1900s.  At that time lei vendors lined the pier to welcome malihini (visitors) to the islands and kama'aina (locals) back home.  Legend has it that departing visitors would throw their lei into the sea as the ship passed by Diamond Head, with the hope that, like their lei, they too would return to the islands again someday.

There are a few common methods for producing a lei that have been passed down through the years. They are as follows: 

Haku - three-ply braid plus additional materials.  Commonly used when flowers and foliage have long pliable stems. 

Hili - braid using only one type of material. Most commonly made from three or more strands of pliable vine or fern braided together.

Hilo - A method of twisting two strands together to form a "rope." The popular and simple "ti leaf lei" is made using this method.

Hipuʻu / nipuʻu - knotting the stems of the decorative plant material and stringing the next stem through the knot, similar to a daisy chain.

Humu / humuhumu -  The decorative material is sewed to a backing such as hala, paper, or felt. Each new row is overlapped on the previous to create a scale-like effect.

Kui - Sewing or piercing the decorative material with a needle and stringing it onto a thread. This style is probably recognized by most Westerners.  Commonly used to string flowers such as plumeria, roses, adn carnations, etc.

Wili - A corkscrew-type twist, and the seed pod of the wiliwil tree. A method of making a lei by winding fiber around successive short lengths of the decorative material. 

Even a song composed out of affection for an individual is considered a lei.  Haku mele - means to braid a song.

     There are, however, some "unspoken rules" when receiving a lei for the first time. The lei should be a welcomed as a celebration of one person's affection to another. Always accept a lei, never refuse. The accepted way to wear a lei is gently draped over the shoulders, hanging down both in front and in back. It is considered rude to remove a lei from your neck in the presence of the person who gave it to you, so if you must, be discreet.  In Hawaii, lei giving is a part of many special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and graduations.     

     At the 81st Annual Mayor's Lei Day Celebration at Kapiolani Park, Honolulu set the record for the World's Longest Lei. Unofficially, the lei measured 5,336 feet in length, more than a mile.

 

    

HAWAIIAN EXPRESSIONS

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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power" -

Abraham Lincoln

Happy Birthday "Honest"Abe

One of the most fascinating and well-known presidents, Abraham Lincoln was a mystery in many ways. He was a renowned jokester, despite suffering from major depression and he could wield an axe, swim, and wrestle, yet he was suffering from ill health at the time of his death. At six feet, four inches, Lincoln was the tallest President, a towering figure to most of his contemporaries.  During that era the average height for a man was about five feet, six inches. Also before Abe, there had never been a U.S. President with a beard. Since his presidency, four U.S. presidents have had full beards.  Most people know that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President and that he issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves during the Civil War.  But did you know?

President Lincoln hated to go to the dentist.  He also considered himself a Christian, but he did not belong to any church.  He did not routinely say grace at mealtime, but he did read the Bible and was said to be quite spiritual. Lincoln loved animals and did not like hunting or killing them even for food.  He had several pets including dogs, cats, and even a turkey.

Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated.  He was killed on April 15, 1865 at the young age of 56.  A little-known fact about Abraham Lincoln is that he had a dream predicting his own death. In his dream, he heard crying in the White House. When he asked the person who had died, he was told that it was the President.



Abraham Lincoln Facts and History

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Tuesday, November 23

Many people regard cashews as the Rolls Royce of nuts, but they really aren't nuts at all, but seeds.  While the Thai, Indian, and Chinese use the cashews in their cuisines, it is actually native to Brazil and has been widely cultivated in India and Africa since the Portuguese introduced them there during the 16th century.

Also, did you know that parts of the cashew tree can be used for medicinal and manufacturing purposes. Acid from the cashew nutshells is  effective in healing tooth abscesses and the tree's seeds can be ground up into a powder used as an antivenom for snake bites. The oil from the nutshells is also used in making brake linings as well as in rubber and plastic materials. 

Snacking on cashews also provides several health benefits.

Heart healthy fats     Although all nuts are relatively high in fat, they're rich in heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Not only do they lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but they help to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.  Cashews have one of the lowest overall fat contents of all of the common nuts and are a good source of oleic acid, the same fatty acid that makes olive oil so heart healthy.

Blood pressure lowering magnesium     A quarter cup of cashews supplies almost twenty-five percent of the daily requirement for magnesium. Magnesium plays an important role in maintaining a healthy blood pressure and is an important mineral for diabetics because it reduces insulin resistance. Studies have also shown that people who have low magnesium levels are at higher risk of heart disease. Like calcium, magnesium plays an important role in building and maintaining bone health.

They're a source of antioxidants     Antioxidants, those free radical scavengers that help to protect cells from damage, are found in abundance in cashews.

Help with weight control     Because cashews are high in protein, monounsaturated fats and fiber, they're both filling and satisfying. Studies have shown that people who eat nuts on a daily basis are less likely to gain weight and have a tendency to be thinner, on average, than those who don't.

They're rich in copper     Copper is a mineral that the body can't produce so copper rich foods such as cashews are required for good health. A quarter cup of cashews supplies a third of the daily requirement for copper which is needed for maintaining healthy collagen, a substance that lines blood vessels and supports the skin and joints. Copper is also important for helping the body use iron and for production of melanin, the pigment that gives hair its color.The versatile cashew is simply delicious, whether you like yours plain, salted, roasted, or covered in sugar or chocolate.  Enjoy a handful today.

KettleOfNuts.com
http://www.kenyanut.com/
koeze.com

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January:  moments that changed our lives

 1st       Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
             The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time, 0045 BC 
             The Internet's Domain Name System is created, 1985 
             The Euro currency is introduced, 1999
 2nd      United States & Canada reached free trade agreement, 1988
 3rd      General Manuel Noreiga surrendered in Panama, 1990
 4th       United States Supreme Court ruled that citizens of Puerto Rico
                  were not aliens,1904
             The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi
                   as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history, 2007
 5th       German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen's discovers x-rays, 1896
 6th       Maria Montessori opens her first (Montessori) school (Rome), 1907
             Gibson patents the Flying V Guitar, 1958  
 7th       Galileo Galilei sighted four of Jupiter's moons., 1610
 8th       Singer Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, 1935
 9th       The first Women's Golf Tournament held, 1811
             Juan de la Cierva makes first autogiro (helicopter) flight,
                  Spain, 1923
10th      London's Metropolitan; World's first underground railway,
                   opened to the public, 1863
            The League of Nations established 1920
            The Holocaust began, 1933
11th      The first pineapples planted in Hawaii, 1813
12th      Popular Mechanics magazine hit the newsstands for the
                    first time, 1902
             The first recorded lottery in England is drawn at St Paul's
                 Cathedral, 1569
13th      James Oglethorpe & 130 English colonists arrive at Charleston,
                    SC, 1733
14th      Henry Ford introduced assembly line, 1914
             Thomas Crapper pioneers one-piece pedestal flushing toilet, 1863

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