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

Sam_md this very issue has been taken into consideration and even investigated, and yes plants below the corn plants and plants off to the sides for about 10 feet will not harbor Lepidoptera larvae, you should however see the wide path cut by insecticides that continues in which ever direction run off flows. The BT protein (initially produced by bacteria, now produced by corn too) binds to a protein lining the intestines of Lepidoptera and death ensues. That protein interaction is a lock and key thing, just as you wouldn't expect your house key to suddenly start working on fords you wouldn't expect this protein to suddenly start working on other animals, such as Hymenoptera (bees, ants, and wasps) or people (in fact your house key is orders of magnitude more likely to work on your neighbors BMW than this protein is to bind to a human digestive protein and take you down). Resistance (despite what the borg will tell you) is inevitable, eventually they will form resistance to any means of control used, they even form resistance to manual removal (camoflage, spines, hiding under leaves, evading grasp) and to sprayed on insecticides as well. If "it wont work forever" was an excuse not to do something then humans might as well give up now, because nothing we do will work forever (I mean nothing, breathing with lungs is not timeless, having eyes to detect em radiation in not timeless, perhaps being made of cells is timeless, we might see...) These questions were all asked and answered, the scientists developing these things are not stupid, in fact they are among the smartest people in the world, and they are thinking about what might happen.

Would you really be alright having people like Manson or his crew, or the likes of Cooey in your neighborhood? In your workplace? No. I'd be scared too. I certainly hope you don't think I was condoning Squeaky or saying she should be let out - I was simply trying to shed some light on her case - and some facts. From what I read, she did have an ammo clip (is that the right term?), but no bullet in the chamber. So, if she pulled the trigger, nothing would come out. She could not hurt President Ford. If I am interpreting that right. If that's correct, it makes sense that she said she was trying to get his attention. We have no idea what was in Squeaky's mind or what her intention was. I do think that she has been held longer than many others for the same charge - attempted murder. HOWEVER, I believe I also read that she did not request parole for many years, only till recently. I, too believe that some people cannot and/or will not change. I also believe in seeing the victim's families side in all this. BUT, the big thing (for me) is she was charged for attempted murder. Thirty-four years is probably a long time to serve for that. We shouldn't look at her as a Manson follower, or consider that she might have been in any other crimes, because that's not what she was charged and sentenced for. Of course, that is easier said than done. I look at the Manson followers like I would at any other cult. That's what it was. I cannot understand how anyone could be brainwashed and follow someone like that. Would I carve my forehead for someone???? Would I murder for someone???? Certainly not. But I've never been a run-away or on my own, etc. I cannot know or understand how a person so blindly follows someone so evil and thinks that he LOVES them. And apparently many loved him. I'm glad I'm not on the parole board. I hope that she goes to some type half-way house and is closely monitored. I hope that the parole board and prison officials, etc. truly believe that she is fit for parole. Really, I've not seen much on that other than she has had *good behavior*. But no, I would not want her living next door to me. She has served her time and I truly hope that she has changed, but how are we to know? I hope that she does not endanger anyone else. tina

Actually, I don't think Greenspan is the villain in this. I repeat - the Fed has very little control over the securitization of bundled mortgage loans. They are repackaged into equity deals and are collateralized by the RE. Yes, in some areas of the US that RE has fallen in value. But in most areas of the US it has not dropped drastically, and even a 25% decline eventually works itself out through the system. The US simply has too large and global an economy for it to be more than a big burp in the overall history. I do fault Greenspan for keeping rates low too long, but hindsight is always so much better than foresight. Why should he be any different than us folks at the forum - where are all those posters here who declared one could never lose money in RE? And the hysteria over banks is amusing. There is NO CASH CRUNCH. Banks are flush with money, as are most companies. There is a liquidity crunch, which is a thing entirely different. Wells Fargo had very little exposure to subprime loans; they securitize and sell most of their loans to other servicers. WaMu recently added to their loan loss reserve but their core business, checking and savings, is booming like gangbusters and they will have no trouble opening all the new branches they plan to start in 2007-2008. Actually, if I were investing in individual stocks, which I don't, I'd buy Goldman Sachs in a heartbeat. The liquidity messiness has really depressed its stock price and they are the premier deal-broker in the world. Now, when they start jumping out of their windows, then I'll worry! As for RE agents fleeing the field, most of those were part-time and newcomers anyway. It's always been a boom-and-bust business, and probably always will be. We saw the same thing happen in the 1990's. People have such short memories! The vast majority of Americans have pretty much the same amount in their checking and savings accounts as they had two months ago. The vast majority of American, Asian and European corporations can say the same. The only thing changed are people's perceptions, as fed by the media.