Mike, "I don't give a kumquat whether we are warming or cooling..." I am offended by your implication that there is anything negative about kumquats. They are great. I grew up with a tree that bore way more fruit than I could ever eat, and the extras served as excellent ammunition for throwing at my friends--especially the green ones b/c they are much harder. :) It is pretty funny with this current cold weather how much people on both sides of the debate cite it as evidence in their direction. As if one piece of datum out of context can lead to any kind of significant conclusion. Whenever winter rolls around gardenweb seems to slow down, which I find annoying considering I live NorCal where we don't have much of a winter. So I appreciate discussion topics that I find interesting regardless of how "on topic" they are for the various forums. I do find it interesting all the people that chime in about how this isn't a worthwhile discussion. In a free society, isn't any any all discussion worthwhile? You are free to discuss and free not to. Cousin floyd, do you not think that colony collapse disorder exists, or are you just saying you don't think it is a new thing? I didn't realize that was even a controversial topic. ryan

Christin, there's a difference between mulching and leaving the remains of a plant in place until new growth emerges in spring :-) Mulching can very well make a difference in protecting marginal plants because it does afford insulation - certainly to the soil (which will help with roots) and perhaps even to the crown if you pile mulch over the top of it. But it's not a guarantee and it may work very well on some plants and not so well on others. Leaving old stems, dried flower stalks, etc. in place just doesn't have the same effect. I don't know of any good reasons NOT to mulch :-) It is a soil insulator, moderating against temperature extremes in both winter (heaving due to freeze/thaw) and summer. It will provide protection against erosion both from heavy rainfall and your own irrigation. It supresses weeds and if you use an organic mulch, it will add to soil texture and provide nutrients as it decomposes. It encourages beneficial organisms and can help prevent reinfecting plants with diseases by not allowing fungal spores, etc. to splash up on the foliage. There are some drawbacks, primarily that it provides a safe/secure environment for some pests to hide or overwinter in, but those can be successfully addressed rather easily. If organic, it needs to be replaced on a fairly regular basis and if inorganic, it's a PITA to keep it tidy and debris out of it. What is the most effective method of mulching, material to use and when to do is going to vary a lot by garden and location. And what you are trying to protect. For the most part, I never mulch over the crown of any plant for winter protection simply because my climate does not require it, although this is a very common practice in colder climates. Marginal or not fully hardy plants get any necessary protection by growing them in containers and overwintering them in safe place or sometimes, piling loose leaves around them. IME, having good drainage affords a more reliable method of protection, as the combination of cold and wet is typically the kicker, not just the cold. So to respond to your statement that no amount of mulching/covering will save a plant from death by cold, because that is only topical cover and will not protect the roots of the plant, I'd say that is not true most of the time :-) It depends.....on the plant, the location, the soil conditions, the severity of the winter and any specific microclimate that might be involved. Mulch can and does protect against cold but it is not a guarantee, especially for marginally hardy plants.

Glenda, Emperor filters, both the 280 and 400, are made to hold a media basket, one on the 280 and 2 on the 400, which are inserted to fit between the slots on the inside of the frame nearest to the front of the filter; closest to the bio-wheel. The basket will hold whatever media you may choose to use, although most use only charcoal and ammonia chips (Zeno). The outer slots hold a thinner frame, also one on the 280 and two on the 400, which consist of a fabric cover, with some charcoal sealed inside that is frankly, supernunnary, as the baskets will hold all that's neally necessary. Unless you get truly careless, the gray plastic media baskets will outlive the filter, so to "recharge" the charcoal, all you need to is empty the basket, clean and refill it. What costs are the fabric faced cartridges that are so very cheap and easy to "refill" as a DIY. For that, you need a frame and if you have the patience and an Exacto blade, you can make it from a used cartridge. Rinse it well to remove most of the muck, then let it sit to dry completely, as that will make handling it far less unpleasant and once dry, the old charcoal in it will drop out and into a garbage can pretty cleanly. Start the clearing process by cutting away the old fabric on at least 2 sides and shake out the charcoal. Then, use the Exacto blade to remove the fabric along the edges, where it was heat sealed to the frame. You can't get it all off, but a wee bit remaining won't hurt. Now you have a frame to hold fresh, clean and cheap bonded filter media that you can buy in bulk, cut to fit, and hold to the frame with rubber bands. It will work very well although the premade cartridge frames are rather thin and flimsy compared to the baskets, and why I prefer using half a basket for the purpose. It allows me to handle them for cleaning without having them crack around the edges. You didn't say exactly what part was missing from your new filter but Marineland will send anyone any parts reported as being missing from any of their filters, so if, as your post indicated, it was the cartridge, you could also just buy one and have it to use when the first one is due for replacement. Having an extra is always handy. I keep duplicates on hand at all times, filled and ready for those days when it they need to be changed and I'm short on time. It also allows me to get the baskets and cartridge frames really clean, as I prefer to be able to empty them and leave them to soak in a hot water bleach solution. Then they rinse sparkling clean with virtually no scrubbing and once dry, are ready to be refilled. Did that answer you questions? If not, tell me where I failed to explain it well enough to make sense. BTW: The best deals on the bulk roll bonded media may be found on eBay, usually listed under Pond supplies. So far, the best deals I've found on parts for most any Marineland filter is from Big Als.

It sounds more like you need to free up some space on your hard drive. 512 megs of memory is adequate for any image editing application. I work a lot with pictures because it is my business, so I'm normally working with anywhere between 25 and 75 pics at a time tasking between the scanner, PhotoShop, Paint Shop Pro, Photo Paint, and a couple other programs at the same time. That also includes making photo videos (not motion picture videos). 512 was plenty for me when running 98 and XP. I upgraded for the sake of motion picture videos. Years of working with pictures did not force me into it. Whenever I get those error messages, I know it's time to check hard disk space, and invariably I am quite low. Also don't forget to check the Windows Temp directory, which accumulates lots of useless tmp files, and the Recycle Bin. I often forget and leave stuff in there. To answer your questions: Yes, there are different kinds. Either your order (purchase) form will tell you or the book on your motherboard will tell you what kind of memory you need. Or, pop a/the chip out of its well and take it to the store with you. They can look at it and tell you. To pop it out, you're looking for a card about 1 inch deep and about 4 inches wide. It is held in place with a white clip on one end. Pop the clip. Ideally, you want a gig of memory since you're upgrading anyway. More if you want and your motherboard can accommodate. You might find one chip (a 512 chip) or two chips (2-256 chips), but I doubt there would be more than two there. Note how many wells you have and whether they are the same color so you can figure out how to maximize your purchase, of course depending on how much you're willing to spend.