Penny, No, it's a small piece of a shrubby Aeonium that's wrapped (don't even get me started with thinking about laying down a rap...). The plant on the monitor is a regular Pachyphytum that was close-upped. Brad, I'll have to flame it up if that were to happen, but we'd both know that it's not the real antidote, won't we? Sara, Brad writes of a not-known-well-enough truth and E. tirucalli can be a nasty one. The juices of the crushed leaves of Aeonium lindleyii are a known palliative to Euphorbia sap, even the dreaded E. abdelkuri (personal second-hand knowledge, so don't try it at home). Josh, I'm just true to myself It's not about the pelf Ron, One doesn't mail them across the border - one brings them to the other side and mails them. If one were bringing them via aeroplane, it's a temporary holdup at the airport (since one has, of course, declared agricultural products on the custom form) - just make sure the cuttings are completely free of soil and that you sound like you know what you're talking about - it's just a bureaucratic hindrance then.

Many of the 'hazardous chemicals' are very volatile. While they may vaporize easily, they also rarely remain for any length of time. I have many of the listed items for normal use in refinishing and making various things. many of the risks are also exaggerated. Iodine Used for may years in Mercurochrome as a disinfectant. Still used as povidone-iodine. Also added to salt to prevent goiter. Excaept in VERY high concentrations it is not a significant hazard. phosphine gas Extremely volatile and not known to bond to inert materials and present a long term hazard. naphthalene byproducts I have a couple gallons of Naptha around as a solvent. It is less harmful than paint thinner due to its higher purity. Like any hydrocarbon that os distilled is does have a range of acual compounds that fall within the same boiling point. Benzene A carcinogen with long term chronic exposure. It is also very volatile and easily evaporates. Isopropanol Oh no! you are going to die! This is the chemical name for rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol). Unless you plan on drinking it it is rather harmless. mineral spirits Volatile and not going to hang around long. muriatic acid AKA hydrochloric acid, it will react with whatever it settles on and be rendered inert. Commonly used to clean brick and concrete. acetic acid Harmles even in relatively high concentrations. Used in phot developing as a fixing agent as glacial acetic acid. Has a stong odor but is not very dangerous at all. methl ethyl ketone Corectly spelled as Methyl Ethyl Ketone. On of the hotter solvents. Often safer than other due to relative purity. Very volatile. It will not hang around long at all. methanol AKA Âwood alcoholÂ. Commonly used to denature ethyl (grain) alcohol. Not harmful in low concentrations. It is harmful in high concentrations. The body metabolizes it to formaldehyde, which is preferentially concentrated in the retina and cause nerve damage and blindness. Naphtha Safer than paint thinner due to purity. Like any hydrocarbon (including gasoline) chronic exposure is associated with central nervous system damage. It is also very volatile and does not remain for long. chloroform Very volatile and does not remain for long. hydrogen peroxide give us all a break. It is used in dental care. Swish it around in your mouth and then spit it out. Not a hazard at all. charcoal lighter fluid I have one container in use and a spare. Very volatile and does not remain for long. Coleman Fuel AKA unleaded gasoline. Very volatile and does not remain for long. Some of the heavier constituents can allow the smell to remain, but you will now instantly. It will small like gasoline. Toluene Very volatile and does not remain for long. Not especially harmful due to purity. Like any hydrocarbon (including gasoline) chronic exposure is associated with central nervous system damage. hydrogen chloride gas Very volatile and does not remain for long. It will also react with anything it settles on and be rendered inert. You have to be careful in even testing for these chemicals. Many of the tests use reagent compounds to release the chemical being tested for. Without the reagent the compound would remain bound and could not be detected and could not cause any harm. It reminds me of a copper test kit for salt water aquariums. You can use various chemicals to bind up the copper and make it harmless. The reagent used in the test for copper is citric acid. It wil break the bonds in harmless copper compounds and release the coper, resulting in a test that show a high copper level. The copper was harmless before the acid was added.

We English don't do love and romance very well (too screwed up I suppose) except for the lightweight Hugh Grant films or Barbara Cartland type of pink froth.Vee, I disagree. I think English writers have given the world some of the best romances -- Daphne of course, the Brontes, Jane Austen; and I can read Galsworthy's "The Apple Tree" over and over and cry every time (and I love the film adaptation of it called "A Summer Story"). I'm fond of several British romantic comedies, including "Getting It Right" (from Elizabeth Jane Howard's novel). That's the one with Helena Bonham Carter as the very unladylike Lady Minerva Munday, Lynn Redgrave as the seductive older woman, and Jane Horrocks as the junior hairdresser, all of whom are willing to teach poor Gavin -- a hairdresser in his thirties, still living with his parents, and still a virgin -- a thing or two. Gavin's mother cracks me up when she learns that Gavin knows a girl who has a title and is impressed even before she meets Minerva. If I thought about it longer, I know I could come up with many other English examples of love and romance. You've got to remember, Vee, that we Americans think the English are exotic. Cece, I adore the libidinous Pepys, though his Elizabeth must have found living with him sorely trying at times. I relish all his clothes descriptions, and he was very good with food, too. I've never managed to read his diary all the way through \-\- I always get sidetracked \-\- but I've dipped in and out of it for years. Norcal, I'm with you about the ballads -- one of my favorites is "Whiskey in the Jar" -- ooh, that Molly (or Jenny, in some versions) and her chamber! I'm not familiar with Nikki Grimes, but her cheek/as raw as red-brown meat...now that is descriptive. What's the poem about?

I loved Chicken Run, and realized I'd missed many good lines the first time, when we watched it again. The line I laughed hardest and loudest was 'Captain, we've got a cling-on, the engines can't take much more'. Gods must be Crazy is wonderful and still stands up over time - I showed it to my DH a few years back. The sequel is a disappointment btw I love silent movies, btw. Some of my fav include Sunrise, Metropolis (for the 'a head of its time' design, not so much for the acting), The General, The Wind and Greed. Also love some original silents of later popular movies: Wizard of Oz and Oliver Twist are very interesting, and Scarlet Letter is probably the best version I've ever seen. I have a huge collection of these movies and often find myself drawn to the time and place, and the acting of those days.