Thanks for your participation NYwoodsman. It is always great to read differing opinions and viewpoints. However, you are mistaken if you believe many of us are going to disagree with your statement: "What you wind up with is a mindless collection of incongruent plants that makes no aesthetic sense." That is exactly what, we too, wish to avoid. Being an indigenous plant enthusiast myself, I have learned to rely upon these plants. However, I have also come to learn that many people inadvertently do a disservice to the native plants they promote. The question for me is not whether to use them but rather, How can I best use them? Where most enthusiasts fail from a design perspective (which effectively and ardently promotes the plant group you love) is recognizing the power of "capturing the essence". Think about some of those little moments in nature that stopped you in your tracks. Are not these the things that captured your heart and steal your emotions? Something like stumbling upon an unexpectedly large patch of bluebells during a hike in a remote area creates joy for even those who have never planted a native. There is absolutely nothing wrong with "capturing this highlight" and introducing its essence into your native back yard. I have expounded on this concept at great length in the past and need not repeat myself ad nauseum. Just consider that native plantings can be so much more with inclusion of a little thoughtful design. IronBelly

Nick Smith, I am looking for an electric car with a decent range that is not huge. The American market doesn't offer anything in this class. If you look you may find that what you think of as American or Foreign cars are not what you believe them to be. "American" cars made elsewhere or of imported components and "Import" cars made here in the States. I now drive a Toyota and must say its the highest quality auto I have ever owned. Wish we could build them like that. Maybe someday.....

"Married Cover" in the traditional sense in the leather furniture industry means the hide is sourced AND sewn overseas, typically in China, Vietnam, India, Pakistan or Indonesia. They are cut and sewn as ready-to-upholster 'kits' and shipped over here in bulk to the furniture maker. Most all the time, they are finished hides rather than aniline dyes as they are seeking to make a target price point. The issue with Married Covers as defined above is quality control. Its a real crap shoot as to what you might get. I see some married cover that comes in that looks great - you cannot tell the difference in it from a 100 % USA product. I see others come in from the same maker, on the same frame and I cannot believe someone didn't stop it as a quality control fault. If you're buying off the floor, you can inspect the piece and all flaws are right there in the open where you can see them. When ordering, however, you get what they send. Some of the things I look for in Married Cover: Tailoring: Because these are all pattern-cut and meant to produce quickly, upholstery jobs on M/C tend to be lumpier as tolerances are greater than the USA Cut-To-Fit. This is not a durability issue, strictly cosmetic. Sections of the sofa may appear 'wavy' rather than straight and true. Hides: Here you can find some rather odd things happening. I had a sofa that came in with the brand mark smack in the middle of the center seat cushion. It was clearly visible! As luck would have it, a customer came in and thought that was 'quaint' so they purchased it, but that was one in a million to have someone that actually wanted that. Barbed wires marks, insect bites, urine stains all are cut away in off-the-handle USA made products, but seen in Married Cover hides. You can see these however, so again if buying a floor model just look around the piece for flaws that would bother you. Lastly, neck and belly wrinkles are my personal pet peeve on M/C hides. In the USA, these are trimmed away, but in China they are not. Where seams come together you may see panels where these wrinkles hides are used near the seam lines, and its rather unattractive. Panels: The more stitching in a panel (or subset of panels) the less desirability of the piece. I've seen some back cushions on sofas where each cushion has five panels sewn to it! The best hides and the best makers use a single panel per section. The industry has difficulty controlling the quality on married cover, because it comes from foreign lands and there are language barriers that can't be readily overcome. For the most part, flaws are considered to be part of the price point. One of the unknowns with these Far Eastern leathers is the possibility of carcinogens on the hides as well. There are some very nasty chemicals used in the tanning processes. Not that many years ago there was a product the industry called "China Cow" that everyone used. It was an inexpensive leather, always done married cover - and it was actually stamped that on the hides. There was a huge volume being done in China Cow and then it was discovered that active carcinogens were on virtually all the hides. It was immediately and quietly dropped by all USA vendors. There are international standard for tanning processes and China, India, and Pakistan do not adhere to these standards. Sitting on hides that use banned dyes means if you are sweating you can absorb these carcinogens into your blood stream. I think the lead-in-the-toy-paint issue that came up this summer demonstrates that there are unresolved questions on consumer products we use that are made cheaply and in the Pacific Rim. Hancock and Moore felt they could no longer tolerate the quality control and other issues and discontinued offshore Married Cover product in Spring of 2006. Now they do everything in North Carolina 100 %, but they are the only company I am aware of that dropped the programs for their flagship label. It should be noted that they do offer it as a subsidiary product under another brand label, however. So that's my take on it. I'm far from an expert on all of this, but its what I have learned in the leather furniture business. Good Luck in your search, Duane Collie

I am a male, 58, and never been married with no kids. I had always wanted to be married or at least have a relationship. I came close a couple of times. The first one was when I was young. I met her when I was 16. At 21, she proposed to me and I turned it down. I felt like I was too young to get married and our relationship was an "on-again and off-again" type thing. I regretted it for some years later. I loved her a whole lot. About 20 years ago a woman asked me to marry her. I didn't want to because I was not in love with her. I liked her as a friend and that was it. She loved me; so she said. I turned her down and we split as friends. I never regretted not marrying her. And now it's been so long since I've had someone. The prospects for me to have someone does not look good at all. So I have resigned myself to the point that I will never get married. For now, I think that's OK. I feel a lot more content at knowing that I will never get married; or even have a relationship. I had a possibility of a relationship (and possibly marriage) recently. She was a Chinese woman who was 60 years old. She had been married and divorced twice. She's living with her daughter. I did not feel attracted to her and I didn't like her that much. She seemed to have wanted to marry me. She couldn't speak English. I just lost patience with that. Recently I had prostate cancer surgery. I have recovered very well (PRAISE GOD!). But I feel like it has taken away my ability to get aroused; and among other things that go with the post-surgery (if you get my drift!).