Rhamnus frangula (syn: R. anlus), and especially Rhamnus cathartica,are one of the bad, bad forest invasives in the U.S. Although we have a big problem with R.cathartica in Minnesota and I see it here in the woods literally all the time, I myself have never seen frangula in the woods. This, even though its ornamental cultivar, 'Columnaris', use to be commonly planted until, say, 10 years ago; and I have almost never seen R. cathartica sold. However Columnaris is frugal in seed production. Probably every state in the eastern half of the U.S. has its own invasive buckthorn fact sheets. This is Minnesota's. With this caveat out of the way, now to your question. Two years ago, I did pick a cheap 1 gallon Ron Williams (Fine LineÂ), just to see what it is like and test its seedless claim. The rabbit ate it last winter. But so far it does have the narrow growth pattern. Leaves are identical to the older R. fangula 'Asplenifolia' that grows as a wider bush. It is at least a U.S.D.A. zone 3 plant. The shrub in the Wayside photo looks as though it was topped and that would be consistent with my idea of the plant. One already that wide I would expect to be almost twice as high. Foliage is exactly what you see. No fall color here. I am assuming Dominion Seed sells plants too, because if they sell seed of Fine Line, then Wayside's claim of infertile berries is bogus, and it would be a bad thing for any of us to test. Rick

Hoodia supplements sold in the U.S. don't have enough Hoodia extract or powder to do anyone any good. You have to have a permit to harvest hoodia and so it's very difficult to 1) obtain and 2) produce. The is a major pharmacutical company harvesting and experimenting with it right now and they will be trying t get their Hoodia product okayed by the FDA soon. In fact, they are running trials now and have applied to manufacture and trademark/copyright their formula. However, save your money until anything claiming to have quantities of Hoodia in it is FDA approved. Hoodia does have amazingly significant appetitite suppressant qualities when eaten raw from the plant. And it does not give you the jitters as many diet/weight loss pills and items do. You just simply don't feel hungry. But in consuming it in pill, capsule, or any other form, you're not getting enough to make it worth a tinker's dam. Soon, it may be one of the magic pills to losing weight though. Patience is the key! :)

I think a lot of the criticism of the Zeta Rod system on this forum has been a bit unfair. First, I have no association of any kind with Zeta Rod. I don't sell or install water conditioning equipment. I do have a degree in chemistry. First, Zeta Rod DOES NOT claim to remove calcium and other dissolved minerals from your water. In fact, they have been very clear that they DO NOT remove anything. Therefore, and chemical test of water that has been conditioned with a Zeta Rod system will have exactly the same chemical composition as the water prior to the test. If you collect some Zeta Rod conditioned water and let it dry, you will get a deposit -- again, exactly what Zeta Rod states. What Zeta Rod DOES claim to do is to keep minerals dissolved in the water, so that they do not precipitate on (coat for the non-chemists) pipes, dishes, sinks, etc. (at least prior to the water evaporating). Zeta Rod also claims that any scale present due to evaporation will be easier to remove than normal scale. I have been using a Zeta Rod system for almost two years and my experience is that both of Zeta Rod's claims are true. Here are the trade-offs between a Zeta Rod and a traditional water softener; at least as I see them: 1. A Zeta Rod system may have a higher installation cost, but a lower operating cost. 2. In municipalities where traditional water softeners are not allowed, the Zeta Rod is a LOT better than nothing. 3. A traditional water softener will remove metals from your water -- the Zeta Rod will not. However, the Zeta Rod does appear to prevent the metals from depositing on pipes and other surfaces (as long as the water is not allowed to evaporate). During the first few months of use, the Zeta Rod also appears to remove any existing scale that has built up on pipes. Based on my personal experience, the Zeta Rod appears to be MORE effective than a salt based water softener at preventing scale buildup on pipes. 4. While the Zeta Rod does not remove anything from the water, it also does not add anything to the water. A traditional water softener replaces metals (usually calcium and magnesium) with sodium and/or potassium, depending on the kind of salt used with the water softener. 5. A traditional water softener should prevent water spots. A Zeta Rod will not prevent water spots. 6. The Zeta Rod system is MUCH smaller than a salt based water softener. If I had to install a new system and salt based water softeners were legal in my area, it would be a pretty close call for me. I would probably opt for the Zeta Rod system because of lower operating costs, smaller size and not lower maintenance (don't have to mess with bags of salt). Cheers, Don

Hi everyone....I want a 16 gauge single kitchen sink with an off-set drain (to the rear to allow us room for trash container under sink). Believe it or not, I'm having trouble finding many options. Most sinks are just too deep for us. Ideally, I'd like an 8" sink, but I'll settle for a 9". Anyway, I've found a sink by Lenova, a Chicago-based company. Their product sounds good, and I just wondered if anyone out there knows anything about the product. Thanks for any help you can provide. Here's a link to the sink: Here is a link that might be useful: Lenova sink