"Parasitic wasps are usually strictly tied to a single species" - not necessarily. Some (probably many) attack multiple species. The parasitic wasps released for gypsy moth control, for example, also readily attacked native caterpillar species. The 3 new parasitoids being released for EAB could very possibly also impact bronze birch borer and 2-lined chestnut borer, both closely related to EAB (not that I think that's a bad idea!). Here's the report from Buckeye Yard & Garden OnLine: "(USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Forest Service (FS) are proposing the release of 3 parasitoids for the purpose of reducing EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB) populations. These parasitoids are known to attack EAB consistently in its native range in China. The biological agents include the following: a larval ecstoparasitoid, Spathius agrili; an egg parasitoid, Oobius agrili; and a larval endoparasitoid, Tetrastichus planipennisi. The initial release of these parasitoids are planned for the summer of 2007 in Michigan."

Good first potting, John! Lovely poinsettias, too. Now, I have to ask - whose bumper is on the covered walkway??!! Patty S.

aachenelf, no offense taken on my part. I'm a little ticked that I chose to live in the city, partly to take advantage of things like convenient mass transit, only to find that, for where I want/need to go, it is little more convenient than it was when I lived in a third-tier suburb here. :-( As for why industry cannot do better, there are many many reasons. One is that, with gasoline at historically-low prices ($2.35/gallon this morning), it's not hard to sell excessively-large, heavy vehicles with large engines. People like the room to spread out, believe they are safer (they're not, but they think they are), and are led by marketing to believe that their choice of vehicle will address shortcomings in their anatomy or personality. So many people have bought into this that the car companies which catered to this desire are feeling the whip when the price of gasoline spikes. It does not help to have a federal government that is very much pro-business and anti-consumer. And, in fairness, that high-school-student-modified car cannot easily be matched by "Detroit" because cars have to endure far more extreme conditions than the mileage competition provided. We expect our cars to start and keep us reasonably comfortable at temperatures from -30F to 130F, to carry four-to-six adults with enough room for cargo, to be able to accelerate onto a rush-hour freeway without drama. All of these things are enemies of fuel mileage. No doubt, car manufacturers can do better. Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen -- all provide a starting point with their current efficient vehicles. Chrysler, Ford, and GM claiming they can't do this may start with a grain of truth. But they "can't" do this because it would cost them far too much in research & development and would sacrifice their high-margin vehicles -- making them even less attractive to their stockholders, most of whom don't care that much about our kind of "green".

My husband saved everything! He would save boxes, we have two places, one being a property and cabin. He would take stuff to the dump and come back with more than he left with, this place, I managed to keep relatively clutter free, but found a horde in the shed yesterday, and I still have to clean up the basement horde. We had pizza, and I went out to the cabin to find mummified MICE in the pizza boxes, he was going to use them to light the stove he said--they were still in the woodbox six months later!!! Granted, I suspected a hording issue, but I never truly saw how bad it was until he was literally on his death bed from cancer! I hadn't, at that time been to the cabin in years because he would invite strangers to come and live with us when I lived out there with two small children. One stranger committed suicide. He always put his friends and strangers before the safety of his own family. There were a couple that had a cabin close to us, the fellow died of leukemia, but before he died, my husband made sure that their place was sold so that the widow wouldn't have to look after that. WHY???? They had three kids in town, that was not HIS responsibility! Me, he left with a major hording issue at the cabin, over acres and acres! I walked thru the property for eight hours and didn't get thru a quarter of the stuff. I bawled for entire time, and then screamed for two!!! He didn't care that he died and left me with that mess to clean up. Also, our other property he left a mess too. He never repaired anything at all, now I have to try and sell things off for what I can get out of them just so that I can move to be with my special needs son. Why didn't I leave, because I had a severely disabled child and financially could not have afforded to do so, then he got cancer and I had to take care of him. I put up with all this for 26 years. So, to your husband, does he want you to be left with a mess to clean up when he dies? I should be mourning for hubby, but believe me, sad as this may sound, I am thrilled to be free to clean up the mess he left me to deal with. I feel nothing for him but anger, bitterness and resentment. It is very embarrassing to have to get people to clean up his messes. He horded probably 40 vehicles, scrap metal, over 100 propane tanks, he built shops and sheds to store more and more, he had old motorcycle parts, snow mobile parts, coleman campstoves, generators, welders, you name it. His dying wish was to have more friends visit and to see if he could find parts for two of his clunkers, not getting someone in to clean up the stuff, he didn't care that I had to clean it up, but he expected me to bring him meals in the hospital because NOW he finally liked MY cooking ha ha ha. He knew he was dying for seven years, all he did was collect more stuff. Granted, it exploded when he found out he was dying, but still. How can a person do this to a loved one???? My family wants me to start dating and meet someone else ha ha ha ha ha---as if I want to deal with THIS again!!!! I just wanted to share so that you and your husband can do something about this NOW before you end up like me!!!