Thank you for your effort to educate me but I learned early in my undergraduate years exactly what an abstract is. For those who may not know, reading abstracts and drawing scientific conclusions from them is like reading the dust jacket of a novel and thinking you understand the book's deeper meanings. An abstract, by necessity, ignores the methodology, experimental results, etc and is often wrongly used as a substitute for reading the full article by lazy students and amateur scientists. And while I am not the scientist that Crankyoldman fancies himself, I do have a technical background that requires me to read actual articles in journals, professional magazines and technical manuals (not just abstracts, I can't bluff my way through life on the Cliffs Notes plan,) and I can assure you that a history of actual reading does qualify me to read the directions and warning labels on containers. (I assume you were expressing actual concern about my reading abilities rather than just being boorishly condescending.) The initial post warned about the dire dangers of using Rotenone, yet evidence that Rotenone, used as directed, i.e. applied to plants in a controlled manner, was, sadly, forgotten. All I've seen were lists of Google hits and abstracts that ~may~ contain some evidence that Rotenone, when used as directed, will cause Parkinson's, as Finnbiker implied and you reinforce. I going to have to assume that you've read nothing so far that substantiates this or you would have said something to the effect of "Look at the June, 2006 issue of Journal of Something Or Another, Page 43, in the discussion where Dr. So and So concludes that the field research clearly shows that the occasional garden use of Rotenone, per recommended application rates in a garden setting, will cause such and such disease." But you seem reluctant to divulge this info. If Finnbiker or you believe Rotenone to be dangerous when used as directed, is it too much to expect that you demonstrate it, not imply it while you so vehemently sound the alarm? So, again, posting a link to a list of abstracts does nothing to prove your points. Telling me to read all of the abstracts you've found to find some evidence that may or may not exist, and that you yourself seem to have no clue as to where to find it is just a silly game on your part, one that I am not going to play. However, it may surprise you to know that I actually did read (or, more honestly, skimmed) through some of the complete articles. (You do know that you can limit your search on that site to only articles with free text available, don't you? A useful feature if you plan to actually read an article.) I did find a few notable quotes regarding a link to Parkinson's Disease: "... several other risk factors are associated with an increased risk of developing PD, including rural living, well-water consumption, and farming. We found no studies that have been able to determine whether these risk factors are independent risk factors or correlated with pesticide exposure." "At present, the weight of evidence is sufficient to conclude that a generic association between pesticide exposure and PD exists but is insufficient for concluding that this is a causal relationship or that such a relationship exists for any particular pesticide compound or combined pesticide and other exogenous toxicant exposure." And: "However, Betarbet et al. (2000) also reported that rotenone seems to have little toxicity when administered orally (Sherer TB, Greenamyre JT, unpublished data)." All the data presented does confirm that intraperitoneal injections of Rotenone into rats will cause Parkinson-like symptoms. (I haven't yet had the need to use Rotenone in that manner.) But nothing I've seen there directly links Parkinson’s to occasional use of Rotenone as directed in the garden. It may be there and I haven't found it and, for some reason or another, you refuse to say where it is to be found, preferring to try to send me on a fool's errand. Since no one is pointing to any studies that implicate the occasional use of Rotenone in a garden setting, I'm just going to wait until someone does. If and when that happens, then I'll thank you as you (prematurely) expect us to now. And, I'll stop the occasional use of Rotenone in gardening. (Occasional, in my case being perhaps two or three times over the last 5 years.) I've nothing more to say on the subject. I'll watch for some sign that you have actually have read any of the articles and found something substantive concerning the real-world use of Rotenone that you are willing to reference. Wayne

There are hardly any roses bred in Sweden and the only four recent varieties were named for the breeder's grandmothers, Irma and Anna, and two Norse gods, Freja and Balder (Freya and Baldur in English). The only older Swedish rose I know is the rugosa Moje Hammarberg, named for the discoverer of this Hansa seedling. There are a few more Norwegian roses by Arne Lundstad, many with Old Norse names. The only big Scandinavian rose breeder is the Danish firm Poulsen and they go for international names. Poulsens often rename their roses for the Swedish market, very confusing and unnecessary. Kordes and Meilland do this, too. I don't think it is a good policy in these days of the internet when people first get to know about a new variety from either a rose forum or the breeder's home page.

Thank you. This thread has kept me from the gardening and a possible bee sting. I see many old favorites and more exciting, new authors to try. One of my favorites not listed is Robert Van Gulik, Dutch, world reknown expert on China, son of a diplomat I believe and wrote about Judge Dee in the Tang dynasty. Warning, one book has descriptive scene - 'drawn & quartered' for a mean malevolent being. Was Nevada Barr mentioned? Her lonely ranger, Anna Pigeon, works in the natl. parks. Rarely have physical locales' descriptions stayed with me as strongly. I can still go back to the depths of Lake Superior or the Anasazi cliff dwellings. Perhaps a bit on the dark side.

I was surprised too-I thought I had read that she had definitely announced her retirement, thus the "tidy' ending of the last Dalgleish. Haven't read it, but did pick it up at the library last Wednesday. It is next up after Devil's Brood.