Wow! After all these years, I'm still uncovering better information on Ilex x 'Virginia'. OK, so it turns out in 1960, a botanist by the name of W.F. Kosar at the US National Arboretum in DC, crossed Ilex integra (female) with Ilex x altaclerensis 'Hodginsii' (a male). The seedlings resulting from this cross were raised in a bed at the Arboretum. In 1993, Gene Eisenbeiss at the Arboretum, named his pick-of-the-litter 'Scepter'. It was introduced by the Arboretum. It can be obtained from only a few holly nurseries. The bed of hollies from the cross has since been bulldozed over, but not before a batch of plants from this cross were shared with the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, in Hampton Roads, Virginia. These were planted out and observed. One selection stood out for its form and fruit, and in 2009 it was named and introduced as Ilex x 'Virginia' by the 'Beautiful Gardens® Plant Introduction Program' in the state of Virginia. It has not been patented. It is being offered only by a small number of nurseries in the Mid-Atlantic is propagated primarily by one nursery. 'Virginia' looks very similar to 'Scepter' but is just a bit spinier. That's no reason not to grow it though. I would rate Ilex x 'Virginia' as a borderline 6b-7a plant in terms of hardiness. I've seen just a bit of tip dieback on a few branches after the last two winters in my 7a yard, whereas Scepter had no dieback. But Scepter had a bit of shelter from wind. Ilex x 'Virginia' - photo from 'Beautiful Gardens' website: http://www.beautifulgardens.org/plants/ilevir.html

Wayne, here's the headline...Crystal power Palmtop Nuclear Fusion Device Invented By Michael Schirber LiveScience Staff Writer posted: 27 April 2005 01:00 pm ET The nuclear reaction that powers the Sun has been reproduced in a pocket-sized device, scientists announced today. Researchers have for years tried to harness nuclear fusion to power the world. But its cousin, nuclear fission -- the breaking apart of atoms -- is the only method so far commercially viable. The latest invention is not in the same league as efforts to build complex commercial reactors. The new device creates a relatively small number of reactions, and requires more energy to operate than it produces. The Real Deal (AP) - Previous claims of tabletop fusion have been met with skepticism and even derision by physicists. In one of the most notable cases, Dr. B. Stanley Pons of the University of Utah and Martin Fleischmann of Southampton University in England shocked the world in 1989 when they announced that they had achieved so-called cold fusion at room temperature. Their work was discredited after repeated attempts to reproduce it failed. Fusion experts noted that the new UCLA experiment is credible because, unlike the 1989 work, it did not violate basic principles of physics. "This doesn't have any controversy in it because they're using a tried and true method,'' said David Ruzic, professor of nuclear and plasma engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "There's no mystery in terms of the physics.'' -- Associated Press But the configuration is so small and simple that its creators think it may inspire unforeseen applications. "I certainly find it interesting that you can heat a cubic centimeter crystal in your hand, then plunge it in cold water and it will cause nuclear fusion," Seth Putterman from the University of California Los Angeles told LiveScience. Putterman's lay description greatly oversimplifies how the compact apparatus works. Specifically, Putterman and collaborators heat a pyroelectric crystal, lithium tantalite, from minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit to plus 45 in a matter of minutes. This generates an electrical charge -- 100,000 volts -- across the tiny crystal, which is housed in a chamber filled with deuterium gas, a heavy form of hydrogen. The high voltage is focused onto a needle-thin tip, which strips electrons from nearby deuterium nuclei and then accelerates them at a solid target containing deuterium. When two deuterium nuclei collide together at high speed, they fuse to form helium. The Sun also fuses atoms in thermonuclear reactions that create light and heat. The byproduct of the newly discovered lab reaction is a particle called the neutron. The scientists detect about 1,000 neutrons per second. Because neutrons are so penetrating, Putterman said that a hand-held neutron source might one-day be used to do geologic surveys or to look into cargo containers for nuclear devices. "Current neutron generators are extremely cumbersome," Putterman said. "They are about as big as a dentists X-ray machine, so you canÂt carry them into the field." Pyroelectric crystals could also provide a beam of ions for use as a microthruster in a miniature spacecraft. The research is described in the April 28 issue of the journal Nature.

Similar kinds of things I am aware of or involved with in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and locally where I live in the Lehigh Valley. For example, there's a group I know of where a woman is donating her large property for the youth group of her church to grow food to donate to the local food pantry and also the United Way there is attempting to coordinate home gardeners to be able to donate excess produce to the needy (the big issues with donations are always storage and distribution). Like I said in that other article that got pulled for whatever reason, where there's a will there's a way. It's great work to be involved with! Here is a link that might be useful: Gardens of Giving in Saylorsburg, PA

Oh my I had not heard of dog flu before. I am a long way from Jersey, but it will travel fast. Thanks for the update!