Saturday, July 05, 2008
The Witch's Boat
This is a traditional Slavonian Gypsy tale that tells of a gypsy girl who was extremely inquisitive about the world around her. One day she came up with an idea to eat an egg and to leave the shell on the riverbank to see what would happen.
She sat and waited until dark by the riverbank. At nightfall her curiosity was answered. A witch came and whispered a magic word, and magically the shell of the egg turned into a beautiful boat. the witch got into the boat and took the witch down river and across the ocean to a foreign land. The girl wondered at what she saw and decided she would do the same. Remembering the magic word and went away. The next time the girl ate another egg she went down to the riverbank and whispered the magic word. Just as before a magic boat appeared. In she climbed and sailed off down the river and across the ocean to strange new lands.
Time passed but soon the girl returned with many exotic flowers and strange new fruits from travels which she sold to her neighbours. Many times the girl would travel away and return with fantastic flowers and fruit. The gypsy girl did not know that one of her neighbours was extremely jealous of her success and was a very wicked woman. She had watched the girl return from her travels by hiding down by the riverbank in the bushes. Deciding that she too wanted riches the woman watched the girl climb out of the boat and go away. As quickly as she could she climbed into the gypsy girl's boat and instructed the boat to take her away to lands where there was much gold and silk. Unfortunately the woman did not know the magic word so as soon as she had told the boat what to do the boat began to sink. Panicking in case she would drown the woman exclaimed 'In God's name get on with you!'. As soon as the woman said this the boat turned back into an eggshell. The spell had been broken and the woman sank into the water. The sea began to turn and roll, and the woman drowned.
The moral of the story : that no amount of riches are worth dieing for and that negative energies are extremely dangerous
She sat and waited until dark by the riverbank. At nightfall her curiosity was answered. A witch came and whispered a magic word, and magically the shell of the egg turned into a beautiful boat. the witch got into the boat and took the witch down river and across the ocean to a foreign land. The girl wondered at what she saw and decided she would do the same. Remembering the magic word and went away. The next time the girl ate another egg she went down to the riverbank and whispered the magic word. Just as before a magic boat appeared. In she climbed and sailed off down the river and across the ocean to strange new lands.
Time passed but soon the girl returned with many exotic flowers and strange new fruits from travels which she sold to her neighbours. Many times the girl would travel away and return with fantastic flowers and fruit. The gypsy girl did not know that one of her neighbours was extremely jealous of her success and was a very wicked woman. She had watched the girl return from her travels by hiding down by the riverbank in the bushes. Deciding that she too wanted riches the woman watched the girl climb out of the boat and go away. As quickly as she could she climbed into the gypsy girl's boat and instructed the boat to take her away to lands where there was much gold and silk. Unfortunately the woman did not know the magic word so as soon as she had told the boat what to do the boat began to sink. Panicking in case she would drown the woman exclaimed 'In God's name get on with you!'. As soon as the woman said this the boat turned back into an eggshell. The spell had been broken and the woman sank into the water. The sea began to turn and roll, and the woman drowned.
The moral of the story : that no amount of riches are worth dieing for and that negative energies are extremely dangerous
Vegetable Myths
Myth #1: White potatoes make you fat. Nope. The truth is – one medium baked potato is only 161 calories, but has four grams of stomach-filling fiber. Cooked, then chilled potatoes are packed with resistant starch, which can help you lose weight – because they pass right through you. Studies also show that the chemicals in potatoes improve heart health, boost immunity, lower blood pressure, and protect against cancer. Just leave off the high-fat toppings, like butter, sour cream, and bacon bits - and eat your potato – skin and all - with salsa instead.
Myth #2: Carrots are full of sugar. Not exactly. One cup of chopped raw carrots contains just 52 calories, and 12 grams of carbs - fewer than you’d get from a cup of milk, or a medium size piece of fruit. Half of the “carrot carbs” are complex carbs, which help you feel full longer. The other half come from natural sugar, which is better than the processed sugar in candy bars. Carrots are also packed with fiber and vitamins, which boost blood sugar control and colon health.
Myth #3: Iceberg lettuce has zero nutrients. Not true. Iceberg has lots of good-for-you chemicals, like vision-boosting vitamin A, and bone-healthy vitamin K. In fact, studies show that adults who eat one serving a day of any type of lettuce have the lowest rates of hip fracture.
Myth #4: Corn is nothing more than carbs. Yes, corn’s got carbs, but they’re the best kind: high-quality complex carbs. The plant also has little in common with high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn that has all the nutrition and fiber processed out of it. In fact, corn does double-duty as both a veggie and a whole grain, so it’s loaded with fiber. Corn also helps your heart, and helps prevent age-related macular degeneration.
Myth #2: Carrots are full of sugar. Not exactly. One cup of chopped raw carrots contains just 52 calories, and 12 grams of carbs - fewer than you’d get from a cup of milk, or a medium size piece of fruit. Half of the “carrot carbs” are complex carbs, which help you feel full longer. The other half come from natural sugar, which is better than the processed sugar in candy bars. Carrots are also packed with fiber and vitamins, which boost blood sugar control and colon health.
Myth #3: Iceberg lettuce has zero nutrients. Not true. Iceberg has lots of good-for-you chemicals, like vision-boosting vitamin A, and bone-healthy vitamin K. In fact, studies show that adults who eat one serving a day of any type of lettuce have the lowest rates of hip fracture.
Myth #4: Corn is nothing more than carbs. Yes, corn’s got carbs, but they’re the best kind: high-quality complex carbs. The plant also has little in common with high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn that has all the nutrition and fiber processed out of it. In fact, corn does double-duty as both a veggie and a whole grain, so it’s loaded with fiber. Corn also helps your heart, and helps prevent age-related macular degeneration.
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