History of the Noni Fruit

Traditional cultures have long used the fruit, bark, leaves, and roots of noni fruit. They have used it as food, medicine, and dye. The noni tree is native to Southeast Asia, but also grows in neighboring India and the Pacific Islands, and as far as New Zealand, Australia, and South America.

It is said that Polynesian Islanders first cultivated and domesticated the noni tree over 2,000 years ago. They used the leaves and fruit as a topical medicine, applying it to boils, lesions, and other skin maladies.

Various other cultures have used the fruit as famine food, livestock feed, topical and internal medicine, and dye. People in China, Japan, and Hawaii have used noni to treat fever, as well as problems with eyes, skin, gums, throat, stomach, digestion, and respiration. In Malaysia and the Philippines, the leaves have been used to relieve cough, nausea, colic, and arthritis. In Indonesia, the fruit has been eaten for asthma, lumbago, and dysentery.

The noni tree, and more specifically its fruit, has been scientifically studied for decades. In 1972, a scientist named Maria Stewart reported that native Hawaiians solve many of their medical problems by drinking noni fruit juice. A University of Hawaii professor named R.M. Heinicke latched on to this idea and began a 20-year study into the properties of noni fruit. In the 1990's, when he pronounced the existence of an unknown molecule responsible for noni's health value, people began paying more attention to the fruit. A multi-level marketing company called Morinda began marketing products made from noni fruit. Since then, demand for the fruit has increased dramatically.

History of Japanese Pearl Cultivation - Mikimoto Kokichi

Overseas trading between Japan and the western world flourished in the late 1800s, with the emphasis falling particularly on Japan's natural pearl industry. However, in consequence to the increase in demand, Japan's naturally occurring pearl oysters, suffered greatly from over exploitation.

Enter a man by the name of Mikimoto Kokichi. From an early age Kokichi, the son of a noodle seller, had been fascinated by China's ancient techniques of pearl cultivation. This archaic technique consisted of placing a fragment of shell within an oyster to produce an imperfectly shaped pearl; these pearls were often used as offerings at temple shrines. This basic seeding technique formed the foundation of Mikimoto Kokichi's quest to create a perfect spherical cultured pearl, which could match Japan's naturally occurring pearls so in demand by the western world.

In July of 1893, after many years of trial and error, Mikimoto Kokichi managed to produce perfectly formed hemispherical (half round) Mabe pearls. Mikimoto cultured these Mabe pearls by using a hemispheric dome-shaped nucleus and placing it against the oyster's shell. Mikimoto then went into large scale farming of these Mabe pearls, journeying to Europe to sell and network markets for his new product.

Around the same time two Japanese men, Tokishi Nishikawa and Tatsuhei Mise, returned from Australia where they had learnt a new grafting technique from the British marine biologist William Saville-Kent. Kent's technique involved the placing of a small shell nucleus into the mantle tissue of a donor oyster, this was then grafted into another oyster, this foreign body would cause the oyster to form a pearl sack, producing nacre, covering the nucleus and thus producing a spherical pearl similar to those that occurred naturally.

Although this technique, patented as the 'Mise-Nishikawa' method in 1908, had proved itself to be successful, it only became a viable business venture when in 1916 Mikimoto Kokichi took over the patent to produce round pearls. This ground-breaking procedure marked the beginnings of Japan's pearl industry, and by 1935 Japan was producing more than 10,000,000 cultured pearls every year. Mikimoto didn't stop there; he advanced his experiments from producing cultivated Akoya pearls using the Akoya (Pinctada fucata) oyster to cultivating the silver lipped and black lipped pearl oysters.

Aside from the farming itself, the major problem facing Mikimoto Kokichi was the eradication of the negative connotation that cultivated pearls had when compared to their naturally occurring cousins. He succeeded in changing peoples perceptions by his steadfast traveling and marketing of his products at expositions and then establishing Mikimoto stores in London, Paris, New York, Shanghai, and Bombay. These stores were his showcases, offering up the latest designs and sophisticated fashions, and at the highest quality possible affordable to people aside from nobility and the higher echelons of society.

The History of Vending - Researching the Tradition of the Mechanical Vending Machine

Vending has been around for an extensive time and that is one certainty. The first occurrence as such came from a Greek mathematician named Hero of Alexandria who lived in a Roman region. He was an engineer for Alexandria, which now has a population of around 4.1 million people and is the second-largest city in Egypt. It is also one of Egypt's largest seaports accounting for over 75% of the nation's imports and exports. The Hero of Alexandria is considered one of the most important figures of experiment and development of technology in the age of antiquity. His work represents the time of the Hellenistic civilization, which represented the epitome of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 B.C. to 146 B.C. Thus, the Hellenistic civilization represented a mixture of Ancient Greek combined with the elements of surrounding styles of Asia and the Middle East. Importantly, his work also dealt with developing the first vending machine (in terms of recorded history). The machine worked by utilizing a coin mechanism, much similar to what we have today with mechanical vending machines (inserting a coin and getting a product). The product offered in his machine was Holy Water. He included this invention in his book "Mechanics and Optics." When the coin was inserted, it fell by gravity to another mechanism, which then activated a lever. The lever opened a valve that let some Holy Water flow out. The pan continued to tilt with the coin, until the coin fell off. A counter-weight would put the lever back in place and the valve would close. Thus, the Hero of Alexandria created the first coin-operated vending machine.

Later on in history during the late 19th century, the first commercially available coin operated machines came into existence. They offered post cards to the customer. Around the same time, in 1888, Thomas Adams Gum Company introduced the very first vending machines to the United States. They sold gum and were placed in locations at New York. During the same time, gumball vending machines were introduced. After these initial machines were introduced, there was an explosion of offerings over time. Since the early 1900's, we have experienced all kinds of offerings. From, cigars, postcards, stamps, magazines, candy and lip balm. You name the product and it has probably been included in a vending machine.

The first time sodas and cigarettes became available in vending machines was around the 1920's. The soda machines gave soda into a cup for the customer-no cans for you. In 1926, William Rowe invented the cigarette vending machine. However, the quintessential vending icon was the Vendorlator. During the 1940 and 50s, the Vendorlators dispensed Coke and Pepsi and were know for their eye-catching appeal of the time. These things have typified the history of the vending machine and placed the machine into the tradition of what is commercialism.

Today, our vending machines have been operating for some time (as previously stated). The market has grown into one of great popularity. After the Vendorlator's caught the attention of everyone, the idea took on in America. Nowadays, we can expect our machines to vend a variety of products, while still being reliable. For example, we have ramen and instant noodle machines in Tokyo. Tokyo also has ice cream machines and DVD vending machines (much like the ones we have here now). The United Kingdom has book vending machines. Spain has a fishing-bait one. Japan, of course, has beer, sake and rice ones. Whatever the case, the vending machine has been around for a long time and does not show any signs of becoming a worn out idea.

So what are some aspects of a mechanical vending machine? Most of the ones built today have a coin mechanism, which obviously accepts the coins in return for the product. This mechanism can be plastic or metal, depending on which manufacturer you choose. Many mechanical machines separate their coin mechanisms, so in case of any jams it only happens with that mechanism and not the others. The shelves on the machines usually are slide out, to allow you to load whatever snack or product you want into them. Some machines operate based on a helix coil design where the coils deliver the product to the customer. Most of the machines are made from steel and are rust resistance. The coin mechanism however, may be up to the manufacturer. Many factories might set the mechanism to either 50 cents or 75 cents for a product, although the different amounts vary and the way you set them does as well. The locks (which ensure that you keep your money) are usually made of steel and are hopefully made well enough to keep the bad parties out. Some machines offer different units that fit together. For example, you might be able to fit pop and snack units onto each other. It really depends. The coin mechanism also might be adjustable, since there are a number of different mechanisms one can have in a mechanical vending machine. The ability to set the mechanism to your desired price is also offered in varying numeric quantities.

The History of New Years Resolutions

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.

The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.

The Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the god Janus became more common New Year's gifts.

In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.

The Julian and Gregorian calendars are solar calendars. Some cultures have lunar calendars, however. A year in a lunar calendar is less than 365 days because the months are based on the phases of the moon. The Chinese use a lunar calendar. Their new year begins at the time of the first full moon (over the Far East) after the sun enters Aquarius- sometime between January 19 and February 21.

Although the date for New Year's Day is not the same in every culture, it is always a time for celebration and for customs to ensure good luck in the coming year.

Ancient New Years

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now March 23, although they themselves had no written calendar.

Late March actually is a logical choice for the beginning of a new year. It is the time of year that spring begins and new crops are planted. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.

The Romans continued to observe the New Year on March 25, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.

In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the New Year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.

Global Good Luck Traditions

With New Year's upon us, here's a look at some of the good luck rituals from around the world. They are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

AUSTRIA - The suckling pig is the symbol for good luck for the new year. It's served on a table decorated with tiny edible pigs. Dessert often consists of green peppermint ice cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

ENGLAND - The British place their fortunes for the coming year in the hands of their first guest. They believe the first visitor of each year should be male and bearing gifts. Traditional gifts are coal for the fire, a loaf for the table and a drink for the master. For good luck, the guest should enter through the front door and leave through the back. Guests who are empty-handed or unwanted are not allowed to enter first.

WALES - At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.

HAITI - In Haiti, New Year's Day is a sign of the year to come. Haitians wear new clothing and exchange gifts in the hope that it will bode well for the new year.

SICILY - An old Sicilian tradition says good luck will come to those who eat lasagna on New Year's Day, but woe if you dine on macaroni, for any other noodle will bring bad luck.

SPAIN - In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, the Spanish eat 12 grapes, one with every toll, to bring good luck for the 12 months ahead.

PERU - The Peruvian New Year's custom is a spin on the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at the turn of the year. But in Peru, a 13th grape must be eaten to assure good luck.

GREECE - A special New Year's bread is baked with a coin buried in the dough. The first slice is for the Christ child, the second for the father of the household and the third slice is for the house. If the third slice holds the coin, spring will come early that year.

JAPAN - The Japanese decorate their homes in tribute to lucky gods. One tradition, kadomatsu, consists of a pine branch symbolizing longevity, a bamboo stalk symbolizing prosperity, and a plum blossom showing nobility.

CHINA - For the Chinese New Year, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. Although the whole family prepares a feast for the New Year, all knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, which is thought to cut the family's good luck for the next year.

UNITED STATES - The kiss shared at the stroke of midnight in the United States is derived from masked balls that have been common throughout history. As tradition has it, the masks symbolize evil spirits from the old year and the kiss is the purification into the new year.

NORWAY - Norwegians make rice pudding at New Year's and hide one whole almond within. Guaranteed wealth goes to the person whose serving holds the lucky almond.

Chinese New Year

Except for a very few number of people who can keep track of when the Chinese New Year should be, the majority of the Chinese today have to rely on a typical Chinese calendar to tell it. Therefore, you cannot talk of the Chinese New Year without mentioning the Chinese calendar at first.

A Chinese calendar consists of both the Gregorian and lunar-solar systems, with the latter dividing a year into twelve month, each of which is in turn equally divided into thirty- nine and a half days. The well-coordinated dual system calendar reflects the Chinese ingenuity.

There is also a system that marks the years in a twelve-year cycle, naming each of them after an animal such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. People born in a particular year are believed to share some of the personalities of that particular animal.

The History of New Years Resolutions

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.

The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.

The Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the god Janus became more common New Year's gifts.

In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.

The Julian and Gregorian calendars are solar calendars. Some cultures have lunar calendars, however. A year in a lunar calendar is less than 365 days because the months are based on the phases of the moon. The Chinese use a lunar calendar. Their new year begins at the time of the first full moon (over the Far East) after the sun enters Aquarius- sometime between January 19 and February 21.

Although the date for New Year's Day is not the same in every culture, it is always a time for celebration and for customs to ensure good luck in the coming year.

Ancient New Years

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now March 23, although they themselves had no written calendar.

Late March actually is a logical choice for the beginning of a new year. It is the time of year that spring begins and new crops are planted. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.

The Romans continued to observe the New Year on March 25, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.

In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the New Year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.

Global Good Luck Traditions

With New Year's upon us, here's a look at some of the good luck rituals from around the world. They are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

AUSTRIA - The suckling pig is the symbol for good luck for the new year. It's served on a table decorated with tiny edible pigs. Dessert often consists of green peppermint ice cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

ENGLAND - The British place their fortunes for the coming year in the hands of their first guest. They believe the first visitor of each year should be male and bearing gifts. Traditional gifts are coal for the fire, a loaf for the table and a drink for the master. For good luck, the guest should enter through the front door and leave through the back. Guests who are empty-handed or unwanted are not allowed to enter first.

WALES - At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.

HAITI - In Haiti, New Year's Day is a sign of the year to come. Haitians wear new clothing and exchange gifts in the hope that it will bode well for the new year.

SICILY - An old Sicilian tradition says good luck will come to those who eat lasagna on New Year's Day, but woe if you dine on macaroni, for any other noodle will bring bad luck.

SPAIN - In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, the Spanish eat 12 grapes, one with every toll, to bring good luck for the 12 months ahead.

PERU - The Peruvian New Year's custom is a spin on the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at the turn of the year. But in Peru, a 13th grape must be eaten to assure good luck.

GREECE - A special New Year's bread is baked with a coin buried in the dough. The first slice is for the Christ child, the second for the father of the household and the third slice is for the house. If the third slice holds the coin, spring will come early that year.

JAPAN - The Japanese decorate their homes in tribute to lucky gods. One tradition, kadomatsu, consists of a pine branch symbolizing longevity, a bamboo stalk symbolizing prosperity, and a plum blossom showing nobility.

CHINA - For the Chinese New Year, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. Although the whole family prepares a feast for the New Year, all knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, which is thought to cut the family's good luck for the next year.

UNITED STATES - The kiss shared at the stroke of midnight in the United States is derived from masked balls that have been common throughout history. As tradition has it, the masks symbolize evil spirits from the old year and the kiss is the purification into the new year.

NORWAY - Norwegians make rice pudding at New Year's and hide one whole almond within. Guaranteed wealth goes to the person whose serving holds the lucky almond.

Chinese New Year

Except for a very few number of people who can keep track of when the Chinese New Year should be, the majority of the Chinese today have to rely on a typical Chinese calendar to tell it. Therefore, you cannot talk of the Chinese New Year without mentioning the Chinese calendar at first.

A Chinese calendar consists of both the Gregorian and lunar-solar systems, with the latter dividing a year into twelve month, each of which is in turn equally divided into thirty- nine and a half days. The well-coordinated dual system calendar reflects the Chinese ingenuity.

There is also a system that marks the years in a twelve-year cycle, naming each of them after an animal such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. People born in a particular year are believed to share some of the personalities of that particular animal.