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Robert Morris Inn - A Waterfro
Description provided by Robert Morris Inn - A Waterfro
Robert Morris Inn offers charming waterfront bed and breakfast rooms on three acres of property with a private beach. We are located in historic Oxford, Maryland.We are 7 miles from St. Michaels when you take the car ferry. Easton is just a short drive away, and Annapolis is one hour away. The inn is a peaceful and comfortable base from which to explore Marylands Eastern Shore. Relax under towering trees in one of our Adirondack chairs, watching the colorful sailboats return from the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. Choose to dine in one of the four nice restaurants in Oxford, with two right on the water. Local kayak and bike rentals are available. The historic Oxford-Bellevue car ferry runs April-November and provides the 7 mile shortcut across the river from St. Michaels to Oxford. Check-in is at 3 00 PM. Guests planning to arrive before or after this time must contact the property at least 48 hours prior to arrival to receive special check-in instructions. As a bed and breakfast property, the Front Desk hours will vary guests should contact the property to find out more information. To contact the property, use the number on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
List of Amenities for Robert Morris Inn - A Waterfro
· Air conditioning · Complimentary continental breakfast · Conference facilities · Data port · Free parking · Hair dryer · Hair dryer · High speed wireless · Hot breakfast · Photocopy center · Wedding services |
Area Attractions
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall AirportRoute 50 East, to Route 322, go 3.4 miles and turn right on Route 333, proceed approx. 9 miles to Oxford, go straight through town until you reach the waters edge, the Robert Morris Inn is on the right. Speed limit 25mph - strictly enforced.
Room Information for this hotel
King Room With WaterviewAlarm clock
King Room No Waterview
Alarm clock
Double Bed Side Waterview
Alarm clock
Double Bed No Waterview
Alarm clock
Deluxe King Room & Porch
Alarm clock
Miscellaneous Information provided by Robert Morris Inn - A Waterfro
· American Dollars is the native currency.
· Check in time is 3:00 PM
· Check out time is 11:00 AM
· Time Zone is GMT
· 16 rooms.
· 0 suites.
· 1 floors.
This Hotel's Guarantee Policy
A valid credit card is required to hold your reservation.
This Hotel's Cancellation Policy
Cancel 4 days prior to arrivel to avoid a non-refundable 1 night s cancel penalty charge


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About the Book
On July 14, 1853, the four warships of America's East Asia Squadron made for Kurihama, 30 miles south of the Japanese capital, then called Edo. It had come to pry open Japan after her two and a half centuries of isolation and nearly a decade of intense planning by Matthew Perry, the squadron commander. The spoils of the recent Mexican Spanish–American War had whetted a powerful American appetite for using her soaring wealth and power for commercial and political advantage.
Perry's cloaking of imperial impulse in humanitarian purpose was fully matched by Japanese self–deception. High among the country's articles of faith was certainty of its protection by heavenly power. A distinguished Japanese scholar argued in 1811 that "Japanese differ completely from and are superior to the peoples of...all other countries of the world."
So began one of history's greatest political and cultural clashes.
In Breaking Open Japan, George Feifer makes this drama new and relevant for today. At its heart were two formidable men: Perry and Lord Masahiro Abe, the political mastermind and real authority behind the Emperor and the Shogun. Feifer gives us a fascinating account of "sealed off" Japan and shows that Perry's aggressive handling of his mission had far reaching consequences for Japan – and the United States – well into the twentieth if not twenty–first century.
Product Details
- Imprint: Smithsonian
- On Sale: 10/17/2006
- Trimsize: 6 in (w) x 9 in (h) x 1.29 in (d)
- Pages: 416
- List Price: 25.95 USD
- BISAC1: HISTORY / Modern / 19th Century

subset: commoncrawl


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Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox's former lover threw doubt on her alibi for murder on Tuesday, saying a court ruling that found the pair guilty of killing a British student proved they were not together at the time of the crime.
Raffaele Sollecito unveiled his new defence strategy as the pair prepare to appeal their convictions for the bloody murder of Knox's former roommate Meredith Kercher, found with her throat slit in the Italian university town of Perugia in 2007. (AFP)
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- Kelly Bost
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Brent McBride
Professor of Human Development
Director, Child Development Laboratory
Phone: (217) 333-0971 | Fax: (217) 333-9061
Child Development Lab, MC-038
1105 W. Nevada
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Ph.D. 1988, University of Maryland, Early Childhood Education
M.A. 1984, Ball State University, Early Childhood and Elementary Education
B.S. 1982, Ball State University, Elementary Education
Awards and Honors
1999 Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Professional Services
Currently on the editorial board for the following journals:
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Early Education and Development
Early Childhood Research and Practice


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A Sweet Deal For Top Image Systems: Major European Sugar Manufacturer Successfully Implements EFLOW(R) Invoice Processing Solution
TEL AVIV, Israel and COLOGNE, Germany, Jan. 31, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Top Image Systems, Ltd. (Nasdaq:TISA), a leading Enterprise Content Management (ECM) intelligent content capture and delivery solutions provider, announced today that a major European sugar manufacturer is implementing Top Image System's eFLOW® to automatically process all their incoming invoices. A private family enterprise with 2028 employees and turnover of some €990 million in 2008, the company operates and maintains holdings in sugar factories across Europe. The company is installing Top Image System's eFLOW Invoice Reader and eFLOW Invoice for SAP in order to automate their invoice process and approval workflow.
The solution captures invoices in every format, extracts relevant data automatically and delivers it into the manufacturer's SAP ERP system. eFLOW Invoice for SAP then controls the extended invoice processing workflow, including the matching of data in the invoices to supplier information stored in the SAP database. The project frees up employees' valuable time and speeds up the invoicing process, enabling the company to be eligible for early payment discounts and at the same time improve supplier satisfaction.
Remarked Michael Schraeder, Managing Director, TIS EMEA, "This leading manufacturer set objectives for the project to reduce the amount of manual work in their Accounts Payable department, accelerate the invoicing process and seamlessly integrate with their SAP system. After considering various solutions, the company decided on Top Image Systems because of eFLOW's deep SAP integration, our high-quality local service and our solid references in the Cologne region, and we believe that the solution will not only achieve but exceed their stated aims."
About Top Image Systems Top Image Systems (TIS) is a leading innovator of enterprise solutions for managing and validating content entering organizations from various sources. Whether originating from mobile, electronic, paper or other sources, TIS solutions deliver the content to applications that drive the organization. TIS's eFLOW™ Platform is a common platform for the company's solutions. TIS markets its platform in more than 40 countries through a multi-tier network of distributors, system integrators, value-added resellers as well as strategic partners. Visit the company's website http://www.TopImageSystems.com for more information. The Top Image Systems logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4212 Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied in those forward looking statements. Words such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," and words and terms of similar substance in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to, risks in product development, approval and introduction plans and schedules, rapid technological change, customer acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the lengthy sales cycle, proprietary rights of TIS and its competitors, risk of operations in Europe and Israel, government regulation, litigation, general economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 20-F and other subsequent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. We are under no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any obligation to, update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.CONTACT: Shelli Zargary Director of Corporate Marketing email@example.com +972 3 767 9114 Investors: James Carbonara Regional Vice President, Hayden IR firstname.lastname@example.com + 1 646 755 7412
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Archangel Michael is revered within the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions: Catholic: Saint Michael; Hebrew: מיכאל, Micha'el; Latin: Michael; Arabic: ميكائيل Mikha'il or (in the Qur'an) Mikhal.
His name means, Who is like God. In Joshua 5:13-15, Archangel Michael appeared as a man with a sword in his hand who identified himself as the captain of the Lord's host. In Revelation 12:7, he is named as the archangel who cast Satan out of heaven.
Archangel Michael and his divine complement, Faith, serve on the blue ray of spiritual light. They can assist in purifying and strengthening the throat chakra and in mastering all blue-ray qualities.
The blue ray provides us with spiritual and physical protection and is pivotal to the proper expression of power and leadership. It is also essential for developing faith and attuning to the divine will and one's divine plan. The angels we know as guardian angels serve under Archangel Michael.
Here's a quick fiat that you can give to Archangel Michael if you are ever in personal distress and need immediate assistance.
It can be especially helpful in traffic mishaps and difficult situations of all kinds when no other help is in sight.
Prayer to St Michael the Archangel
Give this call aloud with intensity to bring Archangel Michael instantly to your side:
Archangel Michael, Help me! Help me! Help me!
View lectures by Elizabeth Clare Prophet on Archangel Michael and the seven archangels.


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As many of you know, the 32nd IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is in Paris, France this year. It runs from 15 through 18 July. Your Ukraine SIG has a full schedule of events for the Conference. 15 July, 10:00 am, Ariel Parkansky, Revitalization of the Ukraine SIG Website 15 July, 2:00 pm, SIG-BOF Fair, Ukraine SIG* and Kremenets District Research Group have tables 15 July, 4:40 pm, Kremenets District Research Group, Birds of a Feather meeting 15 July, 5:40 pm, Ron Doctor & Susan Sobel, Town-based re-indexing of the unindexed fields in the Ellis Island Database 16 July, 10:50 am, Novohrad-Volinskiy (Zvhil) Birds of a Feather meeting 16 July, 12:30 pm, Ukraine SIG Luncheon, Iryna Serheyeva (fee, reservation required),Pinkasim holdings of the Vernadskiy National Library of Ukraine 16 July, 2:00 pm, Ron Doctor, Ukraine SIG General Meeting 16 July, 7:00 pm, Warren Blatt, JewishGen 2012 17 July, 10:00 am, Ukraine SIG Open Board Meeting 18 July, 9:00 am, Iryna Serheyeva, Documents in Kyiv Archives and in the Vernadskiy National Library of Ukraine Collections As you can see we've developed an excellent program. I urge you especially to attend the SIG Luncheon. Iryna Serheyeva is Head of the Jewish Studies Department of the Vernadskiy National Library of Ukraine. Her luncheon talk about Pinkasim will be especially useful. (Pinkasim are Jewish Community Records.) In her presentation on 18 July Iryna will expand on her discussion of the Vernadskiy Library's holdings and also will discuss documents that are in the Kyiv Archives. Don't miss Ariel Parkansky's discussion of how he and his Web Team restructured Ukraine SIG's website and integrated it with KehilaLinks websites and other resources. Our new website is an innovative tool for advancing your family history research. As we load links and descriptions of new content, the website just keeps getting more and more useful day-by-day. At our SIG General Meeting, I will report on the remarkable progress that we have made on Ukraine SIG's revitalization activities. I'll also discuss the many new research opportunities ahead of us. As we did last year, we will hold an Open Board Meeting at the Conference. Everyone is invited. I hope to see you at the Conference. Be sure to visit our SIG/BOF Fair table so that we can meet personally. Ron Doctor (firstname.lastname@example.com) Coordinator, JewishGen Ukraine SIG www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine where Jewish genealogy is personal
Today is the big day. After 4 months of intensive work, Ariel Parkansky, Ukraine SIG's Website Manager, and his dedicated Web Team have produced an entirely new website for you. We think you will find the new site packed with more information and easier to use than the old one. Your new website is oriented around Town and District Pages, more than 800 of them. Each Town Page will serve as a portal to all the information we know about for that town, both on JewishGen and on other websites. With the help of our 67 Town Leaders, KehilaLinks website owners, and volunteers, we gradually will add links to more data and other information to the Town Pages. Please contact me if you can help. Because of the new website structure, it may take some time for you to learn how to find information you seek. We have developed two documents to help you. Introduction to Ukraine SIG " is under Get Started/Get Started with Ukraine SIG on the Top Menu Bar. Please take a few minutes to read this orientation to how our SIG is organized. How to use our website " also is is under Get Started/Get Started with this website on the Top Menu Bar. This document will give you a fairly complete orientation to your new website. A complete list of Town Leaders and KehilaLinks Owners is under About Us/Key People on the Top Menu Bar. The website has three features that are present on every page: (1) search boxes in the upper right corner, (2) the Top Menu Bar, and (3) a bottom menu bar. Town, District, and Province pages are the core of your website. They contain links to Document Collections, Project Lists, Related Materials, and more. Since the site is massively hyperlinked you can get to these materials in many ways. For example, to find your town pages, try the clickable maps, starting on the Home page. Or try browsing through the alphabetic town index under "Towns and Districts" on the Top Menu Bar. Or, type your town name into the Town Search box in the upper right corner of every page. All these methods and more are explained in our " How to use our website " document. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please write to me. Ron Ron Doctor (firstname.lastname@example.com Coordinator, JewishGen Ukraine SIG www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine where Jewish genealogy is personal
Ukraine SIG needs volunteers with various skills, particularly language skills to process overseas data and documents, and computer skills to assist with making that data accessible and available. We're doing a survey to discover how our members can help. We hope you'll participate by completing the survey. You can also visit our Surveys Page and see the results of the survey.
Wayne Frankel has provided us with a History of Trostyanets, in Podolia gubernia. You can read it here.
We have a new Board of Directors for Ukraine-SIG. Here are the new Board members; additional information, including contact information, job descriptions and biographical information, are on our About the Board of directors page. Ron Doctor -- SIG Coordinator Hal Bookbinder -- Special Projects Director Linda Cantor -- Communications & Discussion List Director Ariel Parkansky -- Web manager Marlis Humphrey -- Projects Director Victor Miller -- Outreach-in-Ukraine Director Chuck Weinstein -- Towns Director (Position is currently vacant) -- Translations & Data Director We still need a Translations and Data Director. You can read the responsibilities of the position here. If you're interested, please contact Ron Doctor.


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Apr 07, 2012, 09:57 PM | |
I hate to say it but firmware 4 doesn't seem to work for me. I loaded it onto my green board with one switch and my gps board. It was a little breezy outside and it had a really hard time with the wind which isn't normal for my HFPro.
So I ran through the accelerometer calibration as well as the compass calibration and tried again. That's when I noticed flipping the AL switch didn't turn the HFPro LED blue. So I tried GPS and the led stayed green. All the while it was still having real difficulty with the wind. So I thought I would try the new ESC all at once calibration feature, zoiks! After I did that, the quad shook like crazy like I had the gains all the way up even though I lowered them almost to zero. Still I hadn't made the connection that it was caused by the esc calibration I thought maybe I had some vibrations getting to the board so I took the boards out and while I had them out I used aluminum screws to put everything back together instead of the steel screws I had. Still wasn't flying well, doah! So I loaded the highest 3.x version back onto the HFPro and GPS and it still performed terribly, shaking like crazy. This time I noticed the throttle response was terrible and decided to calibrate the escs again one by one on the Rx. With 3.x still loaded I went out and flew and everything was back to normal. Solid as a rock even with some breezes. AL, PH worked normally, led indicator worked normally and the camera gimbal responded normally. So I decided to load 4.0 back on, the wind had gone so it was totally calm and it flew pretty well. Great I thought so I tried AL, no blue LED. Tried PH, nothing, RTH still nothing. I also noticed the camera gimbal, while really smooth now it was super slow and not keeping up with the quads movements. I tried flipping AL back and forth a few times and the led finally turned blue but when I turned it off the led stayed blue. I know Ross in the 1st post mentioned he had a green board, I've got a green board, I wonder if this is only a problem with the green boards? Sorry for the book, just trying to document everything I tried to get 4.0 to work. Paul |
Apr 07, 2012, 10:34 PM | |
Chico, CA
Joined Jun 2008
684 Posts
No gps!
I've got exactly the same issues. Normal flight mode is great but no GPS. Blue light comes on for signal lock but no functionality. The setup client indicates everything is working correctly. My GPS was working great before the update. Whats wrong this time?
Apr 08, 2012, 01:31 AM | |
hey guys I was having an issue with the board (HFpro black) giving me the red...... green.. purple on start even though my Alt hold was off.
I went into the setup config and under pro I selected my Y-6 frame and after that it worked perfect. I have not put my gps board on yet, but perhaps try selecting your frame type again in the setup config (not firmware updater) and see if that changes anything... it did for me. |
Apr 08, 2012, 08:52 AM | |
USA, NY, Poughkeepsie
Joined Jan 2008
83 Posts
In the Set-up Client, when you program the 3-way switch for switching between GPS functions, make sure when you set the EPA percentages on the switch for Position Hold and Return to Home, that Auto Level must be checked also. So when the switch is in the center position, Position Hold and Auto Level both should have check mark....When the switch is in bottom position, Return to Home and Auto Level should both be checked. This is not documented in the manual. I have discovered if the EPA percentages are not adjusted enough, Auto Level will not engage. You must adjust the EPA until Auto Level box is checked as well as Position Hold and Return to Home at the appropriate switch positions. Also when setting this up, make sure the Auto Level switch on your transmitter it set to off. I hope my explanation makes sense.
David |
Apr 08, 2012, 09:08 AM | |
Joined Jun 2010
90 Posts
This version 4.0 only works with HFP, if you have also installed the GPS does not work.
With HFP only, drive down the gain of AL and a well does not work very well, the tendency is to dump if you are not attentive to the movement of the frame. With HFP and GPS not working AL, AH, PH, RTH. The OSD does not mark well the battery voltage and does not mark the variometer. All this has been tested with a quad and hexa + |
Apr 08, 2012, 12:02 PM | |
Chico, CA
Joined Jun 2008
684 Posts
Flying my HFP around without the GPS board everything works fine. When connecting the GPS board, AH, AL, PH, RTH all go away (don't work). There has to be a glitch in the code. On the setup client everything is working as it should. All GPS functions do show they activate correctly.
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Motherhood consists of a series of photographs of mothers and their children from around the world. The exhibit is displayed in Washington, as part of the Safe Motherhood Initiative, a call by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and other advocates for the countries of the Americas to redouble their efforts to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health by the year 2015. The Motherhood exhibit is sponsored by the International Cooperation Program Obra Social "la Caixa".
Born on the road
November 1996. Again, hundreds of thousands of Rwandan refugees are on the move. The same ones that left the country after the genocide in 1994 are now returning, prodded by the Tutsi army, which has attacked the refugee camps to put an end to the threat of the old armed forces, which continue to train in the camps. Nearly one million people died during the genocide. Thousands of people died afterwards in refugee camps during the cholera epidemic in Goma. This child who is traveling on his mother's back has never known a home. His mother gave birth to him on the side of a road during one of the numerous upheavals, fleeing from something. He has neither a home nor a country. But it seems that he feels right at home bound to his mother.
The brother's cradle, Iran
On St. Stephen's Day [December 26] in 2003, a powerful earthquake destroyed the historic city of Bam, Iran. Almost half the city's 90,000 residents perished, buried beneath their houses. Survivors recall that the earth shook twice in the morning and, at the third tremor, the walls crumbled as if they were made of paper. Every Thursday, the survivors visit the great cemetery beyond the palm trees that shade the city and remember the dead with offerings of food. Iranians believe that sharing food with the dead is a way of being reunited with them. These encounters in the cemetery are very moving and heartbreaking. A young woman explained to me that she had taken her baby to the cemetery so she could meet her brother, who died as he slept in his cradle. The mother and the husband were saved, and a year later they purchased a new cradle for the girl in the photo who, having just been born, was visiting her dead brother.
Kiss me, Senegal
In the maternity ward in Kédougou, a young mother plays with her newborn daughter, oblivious to the people around her. She kisses the baby's lips with hers and then pulls him to her breast to feed him. The mother is alone, without anyone from her family to accompany her. She is the second wife of a man twice her age. In Senegal, 20% of children are underweight, and only 11% of women have access to primary school. Life expectancy is 56 years. Girls become mothers very early, without being able to experience their youth. Perhaps the sensual and beautiful kiss of this girl-mother is the kiss of lost games with dolls—although when I released the shutter, it seemed like it was a woman kissing me.
At the doctor's office, Guatemala
I met Madelaine and her daughter Mariene at a hospital in Guatemala City. They were in the waiting room of the infectious diseases section. When the doctor called the mother in, the girl remained in the arms of a nurse. Mother and daughter have AIDS and have begun combination drug therapy. They take almost 15 pills a day. I accompanied the mother while the doctor saw her and took her temperature. Madelaine has been on the verge of death, and now it seems that she is beginning to recover, although she weighs 20 kilos less than her normal weight. Her image is that of a person who is wasting away, worn down by the pain. I captured this look, full of life, when she left the physician's office and joined her daughter.
The untouchables, India
State of Andhra Pradesh, 1998. The untouchables caste is the lowest rung on the ladder of Indian society. In the towns—as with the Gypsies in many European countries—they tend to live apart, in the least healthy areas, at the entrance to the town, underneath bridges. In one of the shantytowns that had no running water or latrines, and was infested with black-haired pigs that rooted around in the refuse where the children played, I found this young, beautiful mother with her child.
Toni's bottle, Spain
Suzanne, a former drug addict with AIDS, wanted to conceive Toni with José one night when they slept under a blanket in one of Barcelona's parks. Both had had very difficult lives. Homeless. Jobless. Drugs. Prison. When they met, life held no value for them, but love gave them hope. Toni was their declaration of love. They thought their child would help them have a normal family life. But things don't always go the way you want it to. José has already died. Things have not worked out for Suzanne nor her daughter Sheila, who is now with her. One day I went with Sheila and Suzanne to visit to the newborn Toni, and I took this picture. It is one of my favorites because in Suzanne's pained expression there is a beauty and a joy that only she knows and no one can ever take from her.
Muslims, India
The district of Moradabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, is one of the most isolated areas of India, where to this day there are still some cases of polio. I was able to visit some Muslim villages during the vaccination campaign of 2002. People were afraid of us. They had heard something about a world war against Islam and feared that the vaccine was a weapon to sterilize and even exterminate them. The women did not want to be photographed, but there was one who followed me and stayed by me at all times. She wanted me to go to her house to photograph her son. When I took out the camera, she decided to pose as well, although she did so without uncovering her face.
A stray bullet, Brazil
Luciana has lain in a Rio de Janeiro hospital bed since the day a stray bullet passed through her neck. Luciana was quietly eating a sandwich on the grounds of the university. Some gunmen began to shoot at the police, who shot back in pursuit. One of those bullets wounded Luciana. At first she could not even speak. In order to say "yes," she blinked once; twice meant "no." Then, little by little, she recovered the voice that, she says, now sounds like Donald Duck's. Luciana eats through a tube that goes directly to her stomach and cannot feel her arms or legs. Her mother takes care of her and never leaves her side.
Milicias's empty room, Serbia
The night of April 17, 1999, NATO bombed the city of Belgrade. Dusica and her husband were talking in the dark in the dining room of their house after putting their 3-year-old daughter Milicia to bed. The little girl got up, went into the bathroom, and sat on the toilet. Then a NATO fragmentation bomb came through the window and killed her in the act. Alexandra was born a year later. Her grandmother Lena had wanted her birth to coincide with the April 17 date, but Alexandra came four days late. She now occupies Milicia's empty room, and Dusica, her mother, has stopped taking antidepressants.
Kuito, Angola
Angola. Refugee camp in Kuito. She was sitting on the ground, shielding herself from the morning sun in the shadow thrown across the reddish sand by her house fashioned of plastic and reeds. She and her baby. Playing. Smothering each other with kisses. Completely oblivious to the scene of hungry people wandering around amid the thick smoke of the campfires, where soup made of grass was being cooked in bowls made of tin cans. I took out my camera and focused on the scene. I thought: no matter how bad things get, you can always find within yourself a sliver of beauty to hold on to. I released the shutter. And that young mother, almost a girl, was the first photo of this series called Motherhood, which has helped me to see that, even in the worst of circumstances, there is always something that escapes us and moves us with its beauty.
Behind bars, Spain
I met Neus in the Wad-Ras prison in Barcelona. That is where her daughter, who is seven months old in the photo, was born. In the morning the girl would go to the day-care center inside the penitentiary; in the afternoon Neus and her daughter would play in the cell or stroll through the yard where, during the summer, there is a small plastic swimming pool to splash around in. Sitting on the windowsill, her gaze lost in the square of sky visible through the bars, Neus told me about her secret dream. It was the house that she wanted for her daughter and herself: with a kitchen, a television, a round bathtub, and a room that she has turned into a hairdresser's salon, with dyes, hair dryer, hairpieces, rollers. The room is always full of friends. Neus does her friends' hair and make-up, washes their hair, or suggests a color change, while her daughter plays happily amid the laughter. This is Neus's dream, and she has already spent seven years in prison.
In the Anguila market, Guatemala
Every morning, hundreds of indigenous farmers take their goods to the market in Antigua, Guatemala, transporting enormous bundles of handicrafts, textiles, vegetables, and fruits. They have risen early and have caught the giant long-distance buses able to drive through the rough mountain roads. Together with their goods, the women usually carry young children, who sleep or play by their side while they try to sell their wares. I captured the image of this woman sitting on the ground next to the central bus station.
Fistula Pilgrim, Ethiopia
I met Avebushe in an Ethiopian hospital where she had been treated so that she could have a baby. One day, her father decided to marry her off. She was perhaps not even 12 yet. She soon got pregnant, but during the birth she could not get the baby out. Later, she managed to expel the dead body of her child, but while the baby was fighting to be born she developed an infection, a fistula, a perforation of the vaginal wall and rectum.
Avebushe had surgery after the first baby, who died. Look how beautiful she is with her newborn. He's a very beautiful child, and she looks very pleased.
Poverty in a land of oil, Chad
Marcel is a laborer from southern Chad, a modest man who lives off the land and a few farm animals. But the land is no longer productive, and the water is polluted. Oil has been discovered under the ground where Marcel walks. We went for a walk with him and came across one of his neighbors, who was on her way back from the market. Here you have her: running over the red earth with her baby strapped to her back, the wide bowl on her head, a washbasin in her hand, very beautiful in her colorful clothes and as poor as always in a country where oil has done nothing more than make the lives of poor people harder and corrupt the powerful.
Satta, Liberia
I met Satta in a displaced persons camp in Liberia. In her arms she was carrying her newborn twins. "What are their names?" I asked her. And Satta explained to me that they had not yet been named, because according to tradition you must wait until they are seven days old. This reminded me that during the great famine of Somalia in 1992, mothers did not name their children until they were a year old. They knew that many of them were not going to survive, so the children did not have names until they turned one. Just in case.
Satta has two more children but has lost her husband and her parents. The soldiers killed them the day they attacked her village and shot at everyone. Satta managed to hide in the jungle. She says that before the war her life was peaceful. She had a large house with many rooms. Her husband made palm oil, and she would put it in yellow containers and sell it in the market. She does not know what has become of the house. She does not know what will become of her life. She does not know why they attacked and killed her loved ones.
In the early 1990s a terrible famine ravaged Somalia, precisely when the country was on the brink of chaos due to a civil war among the different clans. During the summer of 1992, in the city of Baidoa alone, hunger killed 70% of the children under 5 and 40% of the adult population. The majority of the nomads lost their herds of camels and had to seek refuge in camps, where they were fed by international organizations.
This pregnant woman has abandoned her nomadic life and built her manyata, a traditional hut usually transported on a camel's back, on a piece of open ground at the entrance to Mogadishu, hoping to find in the city what the desert can no longer offer her. When I was looking at the woman, I noticed that the curve of the manyata and that of her pregnancy were the same. I thought about how, for all of us, our first home is our mother's belly, and that a house that looks like a pregnancy is the prettiest house in the world.


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Global Cache iTach Flex Wired
Global Cache iTach Flex Wired
Global Cache's iTach Flex is an industry first, a smart end-point that WiFi or network enables electrical devices instantly. The iTach Flex adds intelligence to the enabled device, allowing events and tasks to be triggered with simple web-based commands and includes onboard memory allowing for stored web pages and files, and web page control of devices. In addition, the Flex supports HTTP for web browser control from anywhere on the network.
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text: Is Apple's iPhone 5C a flop?By Doug Gross, CNNUpdated 11:29 AM ET, Fri October 18, 2013Features of the new iPhones 8 photosThree 5S colors – The latest additions to the iPhone line -- the colorful iPhone 5C, left, and higher-end iPhone 5S -- mark the first time Apple has launched two new versions of the phone. Initial reviews have been positive.Hide Caption 1 of 8Features of the new iPhones 8 photosFeatures of the new iPhones – The iPhone 5S went on sale September 20 in 11 countries and territories around the world. The gold-colored model, shown here, is already back-ordered online.Hide Caption 2 of 8Features of the new iPhones 8 photosExterior design – The iPhone 5S is the flagship version of the handset and is available in silver or "space gray" as well as gold. The phone is made from hard-coated polycarbonate, is less than 1/3 of an inch thick and weighs about 4 ounces.Hide Caption 3 of 8Features of the new iPhones 8 photosUpgraded camera – The camera on the iPhone 5S has a 15% larger sensor to let in more light and shoot sharper images. A burst mode, for photographing moving targets, lets the user shoot up to 10 photos per second. And, for the first time, video can be played in slow motion.Hide Caption 4 of 8Features of the new iPhones 8 photosTouch ID – The iPhone 5S features Touch ID, a fingerprint scanner that users may use to replace a passcode. Reviewers say that, while it may seem gimmicky, the feature is actually a nice upgrade.Hide Caption 5 of 8Features of the new iPhones 8 photosA more helpful Siri – The Siri voice-activated "digital assistant" feature has been updated. Siri can now adjust iPhone settings, do Bing searches and look through Twitter. It also is now available with a male voice in the U.S.Hide Caption 6 of 8Features of the new iPhones 8 photos64-bit chip – The iPhone 5S's A7 processing chip is the first 64-bit chip to be installed in a smartphone. Apple used the new video game "Infinity Blade III" to show off its speed, which it says can render images and video as fast as a PC or gaming console.Hide Caption 7 of 8Features of the new iPhones 8 photosiPhone 5C colors – The cheaper iPhone 5C ($99) is, largely, an iPhone 5 with a plastic casing. It's available in five colors: green, blue, yellow, pink and white.Hide Caption 8 of 8Story highlightsAnalysts expected the iPhone 5C to appeal to customers with its low priceBut, especially in emerging markets, it hasn't been significantly discountedReports say production has slowed, and retailers are slashing its priceBut some observers say it's way too early to predict success or failureWhen Apple unveiled not one but two new iPhones last month, it was the dawning of a new strategy for the company, which for six years had championed its single iconic smartphone even as competitors rolled out an array of shapes, sizes and features.But a month later, there are questions about how effective this strategy has been, particularly in regards to the iPhone 5C, the cheaper, colorful plastic counterpart to Apple's higher-end iPhone 5S.Though some observers see a long game in which the "fun" version of the iPhone will still prove popular, others are skeptical, based on some early signs.Apple has not released figures breaking down sales of the 5C versus the 5S (An earnings report on October 28 may change that). 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Part of the problem, some analysts say, is the price.Although the iPhone 5C starts at $99 with a mobile data plan, many had predicted that it would need to be even cheaper to appeal to buyers in emerging markets like China and India.In China, where phones aren't subsidized by mobile carriers, the 5C is selling for 3,500 yuan, or about $560.Just WatchedApple fans camp out for new iPhonereplayMore Videos ...Apple fans camp out for new iPhone 01:04PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedIs the iPhone worth the obsession?replayMore Videos ...Is the iPhone worth the obsession? 03:06PLAY VIDEOJust Watched'I provided the voice of Siri'replayMore Videos ...'I provided the voice of Siri' 02:04PLAY VIDEOAnd though its style is all new, the 5C doesn't sport features significantly upgraded from the iPhone 5, which can be had for as low as $199. The two-year-old iPhone 4S can be had for free with a data plan.Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst with Forrester Research, says that selling the more expensive 5S, which starts at $199, is good for Apple's bottom line in the short term."But in the longer term," she said, "it's bad news."Apple needs new customers to keep growing, and the 5C was supposed to appeal to a new, more price-conscious consumer," she said. "Turns out that acquisition is a lot harder than retention."Some retailers have responded by slashing prices on the 5C. This month, Best Buy ran a promotion offering the phone for $50. Walmart has discounted it to $45 through the holidays, and Radio Shack is giving customers who buy one $50 gift cards through early next month.But some say it's not quite time to write the phone's obituary."Rumours on order cuts (or increases) from parts of Apple's supply chain tell us absolutely nothing either way," Benedict Evans, an independent analyst, wrote recently on Twitter. 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Apple announced last month that first-weekend sales of both phones combined topped 9 million, a record for the company.Still, Apple does nothing accidentally. The iPhone 5C clearly was released to appeal to customers in a way that the iPhone 5S couldn't. Only time will tell whether Apple will succeed, but it will need to see improvements before it does."Apple has more work to do to attract the next generation of iPhone customers," Epps said. "The 5C isn't resonating as Apple hoped it would."More from tech9 billion years later, see star explodeDresses defy gender stereotypesWill.i.am apuesta por la moda sosteniblePowered by Livefyre


text:
Is Burning Bush really bad??
Hi everyone,
We planted lots of those around our house and love them. They don't seem to be going anywhere after 20 years. Are they considered really invasive? I'm in zone 5, and like I said, they're not going anywhere. Thanks.
Yes, they are really that bad. They are noxious, non-native invasive exotic plants. Birds eat their fruit, then poop them out all over the place. You haven't lived until you've pulled up tons of Burning Bush in a restoration area at least 10 miles from the nearest parent plant.
Just because you can't see the damage being done doesn't mean it isn't happening. I guarantee you that in 5 years or less it will be illegal to buy, sell, or trade this plant...that's how bad it is.
Fothergilla gardenii or any of it's cultivars would be a great replacement for the burning bush.
Lovely 1 inch long bottlebrush looking blooms that smell like honey in the spring, nice foliage in the summer, and the fall colour is spectacular. And it's native to the US.
Some invasive plants spread vegetatively or spread short distances by seed and you can see them escaping from your garden. Others don't and you might never know they are spreading. In many ways the long-distance stealthy spreaders are worse - they invade farther afield and are much harder to control(In many cases short-distance spreaders can also at the same time spread long-distance as well).
Examples of short-distance spreaders include Kudzu, Garlic Mustard, Norway Maple, and Purple Loostrife. In my experience these plants will usually produce offspring nearby and you can tell they're invading natural areas if you are a careful observer. Keep in mind that a "short distance" could be two feet, several hundred yards, or a quarter mile - the nearest offspring might be well beyond your yard so you'd have to search a little and know plants to see the damage being done. I see this often with Norway Maple - there will be a few trees in the yard of some isolated house in the woods, and within a half mile or so there will be a stand of Norway Maples along a roadside. In these cases I bet the owner of the Norway Maple would claim they have never spread beyond the yard.
Long-distance spreaders are mostly plants with seeds spread by birds or the wind. All berry bushes spread by birds, so a seed from your Burning Bush might end up miles away in a few hours and you'd never realize it. Most of the seedlings will appear a lot closer than a mile away, but it can be hard to tell where the parent plant is.
In many cases a maintained yard isn't a very good place for an invasive plant to grow. We mow the lawn, weed the flower beds, and mulch under shrubs so no seedlings may appear in the yard. Seedings might be sprouting all over a nearby woods, but with none appearing in the yard it might not be appearent that your shrubs are the source.
Ya, I've never seen evidence of it's invasiveness up here either CathT... but it must be in the lower latitudes because those down there talk about it like it's viscious. I've often wondered if our winters are just too bitter for it to become invasive but here we have someone from zone 5 AND zone 6 saying it's also invasive in their regions so that kinda shoots my guess out of the water. I've had burning bushes for decades as well and never seen a single volunteer and only once a small sucker.
Fothergilla is also *not* a native here. There is however a "native burning bush" for our region and it's called "Euonymus atropupurea" but good luck finding it. Most nurseries don't even know what it is and I've been to a native plant nursery here in Ontario that says it's stock is 100% native and THEY hadn't even heard of it. They kept insisting I was talking about euonymus OBOVATA which is running strawberry bush but I was not, I was referring to E. atropupurea. E atropupurea is almost identical in structure to the ornamental burning bushes we all have in our gardens which is called "winged euonymus". The native one also has bright autumn colours and I'd be perfectly happy to replace the non-native for the native if only I could find it.
I did find it at one nursery this summer but of course of the several hundred varieties of natives they had at the farm, the only thing they were sold out of was the native burning bush *sigh*.
southern Ontario, CANADA
Hi Barb...
There's a nursery northwest of Kingston, ON that I know carries Euonymus atropurpureus...drop them a line.
Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Bough
Have you considered Virginia sweetspire (itea virginica) as an alternative? I've been growing three of the Henry's Garnet variety for about 5 years now, and I love it. Leaves get quite red in the fall. I just bought another cultivar, Little Henry, which is a smaller variety, yesterday. The nursery tag even compared it to burning bush in terms of fall color. I've also read that itea holds its leaves longer than burning bush. This plant is absolutely spectacular in the spring, too, when it's in bloom. The white flowers are very attractive to butterflies.
Spice Bush was reccommended to me as an alternative to Burning Bush. I have also been able to grow itea virginica that I purchased in pots without difficulty.
FYI, I believe there is a native relative to burning bush but it is not widely available for purchase.
I'll go ahughes798 one further. I'd recommend a non-invasive exotic over an invasive any day, especially if I'm having trouble finding a native substitute.
See if Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' (Red Chokeberry 'Autumn Brilliance') would work for you. The fall colors are sometimes red, sometimes orange but very nice looking
Cypsavant, thank you very much for that link. I may well order from them since I'm having such a hard time finding the shrub elsewhere. LOL! I forgot that the common name for it was "Wahoo" ;o) Funny name huh?
Loris, I agree, it all depends on what you want or are willing to live with. Some die-hard conservationists will insist that natives be planted but if all you really want is something of a "lesser evil" so to speak, then by all means, go with a non-native, non-invasive. I'm glad you brought this up because sometimes you do see people trying to force their own beliefs down other people's throats and it's not a nice thing to do. My feeling is that if you aren't into "Native gardening" then ANY tree is better than no tree at all, environmentally speaking. No doubt about it a native tree and even a native that is "regionally or locally native" is even better but that is simply just the "ideal" and not always to the taste of the buyer.
Thanks both for your comments.
southern Ontario, CANADA
Kwoods, I know that with the E. alatus in my yard that it's a prolific seeder. You'd think it would be everywhere and obviously in some areas it IS. I wonder why it doesn't seem so here? Is this common with a lot of plants that they can be invasive in some places and not so much in others?
I'm glad you brought this up because sometimes you do see people trying to force their own beliefs down other people's throats and it's not a nice thing to do. My feeling is that if you aren't into "Native gardening" then ANY tree is better than no tree at all, environmentally speaking.
Yeah, imparting info about the damage invasives do to the ecosystems they show up in is "forcing beliefs." Would you perhaps prefer lists of citations from google?
This is a native plant forum. Designed specifically for fans of plants NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA. Says it right in the description. If someone isn't into native gardening, then my suggestion is that there are tons of other forums one can go to. Why push exotics, invasive or not, in a native plant forum? Who's trying to push what down who's throat? I don't go into the trees and shrubs forum and espouse only natives.
ANY tree is better than no tree at all, environmentally speaking.
Not really. How about that Buckthorn or Norway Maple?
burning bush and Norway maple are now banned plants here in NH.
Haven't run into a wild burning bush yet on my property but I have seen wild barberry. I had a few wild ones that had gotten some size to them and got out the brush saw. Little ones I just pull on sight. The woods in back of our local bank is full of baby burning bush. Anywhere it's gotten a little light to grow.
I have to admit I like the looks of a big well grown Norway Maple but once I understood the damage it does to the Maple sugar industry it's beauty faded for me.
I didn't think my post would stir things up so much. I think there are other people on this forum who like me think native gardening is at least partially about providing wildlife habitat in an ecologically responsible way and giving natives a fair chance. Based on the posts I've seen by them over time I actually think both Barb and ahughes798 fall into this category.
I don't think discussing non-invasive exotics as a substitute for invasives in this context is out of place. I think overall it helps since I'm sure many of you get asked by various people who know you're into gardening for plant suggestions. When people ask me, I do look first for a native plant they might like. If I don't find one I can interest them in, I still think I'm accomplishing something if they at least plant something other than an invasive.
I think my opinion differs from Barb's in that I think having invasives that help wildlife is doing more harm than good overall. The individual animals may be benefiting, but I think having uninvaded wild areas is the best thing we can do for native plants and animals I don't feel good about the fact I have some invasives on my property. I'm not entirely sure I'm right about this, since I know I've seen places I would think up on these issues recommend having ground covers I know are invasive in some areas as a substitute for lawn. Another thing I plan on following up on sometime.
I'm afraid I wasn't clear about much of anything I said and I think people have formed ideas about me based on my lack of ability to express myself properly.
Let me just reply directly to some comments:
Yeah, imparting info about the damage invasives do to the ecosystems they show up in is "forcing beliefs." Would you perhaps prefer lists of citations from google?
No, I don't think it's improper to help people see the negative aspects of planting non-natives or non-native invasives. The problem I have is when some people, not even people here at Garden Web, insist that a person should garden in ANY certain fashion. Given that most of us here at Garden Web are either Canadian or American, we are able to enjoy the freedom of choosing to do what we like. All I said is that "it's not nice".
This is a native plant forum. Designed specifically for fans of plants NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA. Says it right in the description. If someone isn't into native gardening, then my suggestion is that there are tons of other forums one can go to. Why push exotics, invasive or not, in a native plant forum? Who's trying to push what down who's throat? I don't go into the trees and shrubs forum and espouse only natives.
Yes, but it doesn't say "Thou must subscribe to the almighty view that every plant/shrub/tree on your property be ONLY of the native variety that is directly descended from the native varieties borne in your region" This would be the "Plant Nazi" forum if all you could do was talk about native plants and only own plots of land with native plants in it. You yourself said that we need to learn about the negative aspects that planting non-natives brings to an environment where they don't necessarily belong. As such, discussing non-natives is essential in a NATIVE PLANTS FORUM by your own admission. This thread is entirely appropriate here.
Your thinking (If I'm not mistaken) seems very black and white on the subject of Native Gardening. You say if you are not into Native Gardening then you should go elsewhere. But where do folks like myself and others go who have 100% native gardens in some areas of our property and mixed native and non-native gardens in other areas of our property? I can't believe that it is Garden Web's intent that only PURIST Native gardeners be allowed in this, the Native Plants Forum.
ANY tree is better than no tree at all, environmentally speaking.
Not really. How about that Buckthorn or Norway Maple?
Again, a very black and white view of the world...indeed the ideal would be for every single person in North America to subscribe to the fact that Native is the way to go and never plant another single non-native plant/shrub or tree in their property but this is not reality. Reality is that until people learn (and that includes ME very much) about the negative aspects of non-native gardening, then planting 'something' is better than nothing at all. A sea of buckthorn or Norway maple is STILL better on clearcut land that is eroding into the ocean. Is it ideal or even a good idea? Of course not, but it is still better than nothing. A concrete parkinglot is better off with trees than no trees. Native would be ideal and no concrete even better but the reality is that...well, it's just the reality. We can't be black and white on the subject even though this is entitled "Native Plants Forum". Certainly those who post here are somehow into Native plants but you can't tell people that they must be 100% into Native plants or "go somewhere else". My statement has truth to it. Any tree is better than no tree at all. I should have followed up with "Native would be best" but I assumed that individuals here are intelligent enough to fill in the blanks. Any tree will supply the environment with shade, erosion control, habitat for animals and birds etc... so my statement was only to say that "a tree, is better than no tree at all", not to say it is the BEST alternative in the least.
I don't think discussing non-invasive exotics as a substitute for invasives in this context is out of place. I think overall it helps since I'm sure many of you get asked by various people who know you're into gardening for plant suggestions. When people ask me, I do look first for a native plant they might like. If I don't find one I can interest them in, I still think I'm accomplishing something if they at least plant something other than an invasive.
I agree and I would be the first to suggest a native as the best overall replacement/substitute which is what I believe I did here. I suggested the Euonymus Atropurpurea or Easter Wahoo. I'm not saying you (Loris) accused me of anything at all. I'm responding to Ahughes through your comments.
I also agree with you that this thread or anything discussed in it is out of place for the same reason that I mentioned above, that in order to learn new things about the plants and trees we have in our gardens we have to learn about the negative things as well. I never knew Euonymus alatus was "bad" until I came to the native plants forum and had we only been allowed to discuss Natives, I would have likely never learned this. As such I have been looking for a regionally native Burning Bush to replace my exotic ones. If we don't discuss these things then the forum is almost pointless to anyone but dyed in the wool native gardeners.
I think my opinion differs from Barb's in that I think having invasives that help wildlife is doing more harm than good overall. The individual animals may be benefiting, but I think having uninvaded wild areas is the best thing we can do for native plants and animals I don't feel good about the fact I have some invasives on my property. I'm not entirely sure I'm right about this, since I know I've seen places I would think up on these issues recommend having ground covers I know are invasive in some areas as a substitute for lawn. Another thing I plan on following up on sometime.
Here I think is an example of me not explaining myself properly (once again and I blame no one but myself for that). I DON'T believe that invasive non-native plants should be used simply for decorative value or habitat etc... but again that is my fault for not explaining myself clearly (certainly not your fault Loris). The problem is that I'm not educated on every plant that is out there. If I know a plant is harmful to my environment, then I've always removed it. I've spent years removing Garlic Mustard (a european non-native invasive plant) from my woods. I've also spent years removing Oriental Bittersweet, Spreading Dogbane, non-native thistles and tick trefoil. I would never intentionally plant something that is going to be harmful and even stay away from regionally native NATIVES that can be invasive and smother out the delicate, low lying native plants. I'm learning but it's on a slow curve and if it's expected that I come here and be an expert from the get go, then what's that saying about Garden Web or it's community? I don't have a black and white mindset about gardening. There IS an ideal, utopian mindset amongst some GW'ers which is what I was referring to when I talked about getting things "shoved down one's throat". Would I love to have every plant, shrub and tree on my property a locally or regionally descended native? Of course. Can I afford it? Maybe some day...but the fact of the matter is that my property is mixed. The trouble is that utopian, Native Gardening is just simply an "IDEAL" and it's not for anyone else to decide who should plant what and where those people should or should not participate, where GW is concerned. It would be great if everyone here, including myself had 100% native gardens but that's simply not the reality. This is NOT an exclusive club where you may only discuss Natives or GET OUT. (This comment is also not aimed at you Loris, it's for Ahughes or anyone else that aspouses the George W Bush notion that you are either with us or against us).
southern Ontario, CANADA
Fothergilla is native to the SE US, but grows quite nicely here in NE IL. Since it is a native, I have no issues with recommending it to people who need a replacement for burning bush.
But it's not native to CathT so far as I can remember from her posts around garden web. She's from possibly MI? Is that right CathT? Fothergilla is native to the southern states whether it be gardenii, major or whatever. Is it not just as precarious to bring a species clear across a vast country as it is to bring it clear across an ocean? I'm quite sincerely asking this question as I don't know the answer. I also ask because...and I'll use Fothergilla as an example just because it's come up...but in the southern states Fothergilla has certain pests, certain parasitic foe, certain ally as well as foe flora and fauna and so on. But place it in an environment that is contrary to where it's naturally been, doesn' that subject the native local flora to a new and potentially harmful situation where the Fothergilla could be a host plant for disease that might not otherwise be present? Clearly the Fothergilla no better belongs in MI any more than the asian Honeysuckles or the asian Kudzu or EVEN the Euonymus alatus Burning Bush. yes? or no? I don't know...so what's your thinking on this?
southern Ontario, CANADA
I haven't formed any ideas about you, how could I? I don't know you.
(This comment is also not aimed at you Loris, it's for Ahughes or anyone else that aspouses the George W Bush notion that you are either with us or against us).
However, I'm glad you know me well enough to know what I espouse. Give me a break. I didn't espouseanything except Fothergilla Gardenii. I suggested it or one of it's cultivars as a nice substitute. Fothergilla popped immediately in my head because it has brilliant fall colour, and also has pretty blooms in the Spring. It has the extra bonus of being native. Butterflygal also suggested Itea, another wonderful plant that would work for Catherinet.
Nowhere did I say, nor have I ever said, nor will I ever say, only plant a native, or only plant natives, or natives are the only plants to plant, or if you don't plant natives you're _________. I don't have, and wouldn't want(right now), a purely native landscape, otherwise I wouldn't have tomatoes, beans, tree peonies, irises, etc., etc., etc.
I don't have a black and white mindset about gardening.
Who does? But try going on the tomato forum and start talking about growing brugmansias, and see what happens.
Further, I didn't say that talking about non-native invasives was counter to the purpose of this forum. Understanding the biology of non-native invasives, how they escape cultivation, and the prevention of same is vital to the protection of natives in the wild.
This is NOT an exclusive club where you may only discuss Natives or GET OUT.
No one said anything about anyone getting out. I suggested that if one is not into native plants, and is looking to plant their landscape with some non-natives, there are tons of other forums covering exotics that might be much more of service. Wouldn't it be a waste of a person's time to come to this forum looking for advice on how to grow roses, when there's a dedicated forum for that? That is exactly what I meant.
I apologize to you Ahughes if I have misinterpreted anything you have said but you did clearly say that we should talk native or go to another forum.
I 'would' sincerely like to know though, if moving a plant from it's native range, to another range, makes that plant an "alien species" that could potentially harm the ecosystem in the same way we have discussed a non-native can, from another continent. How far away is too far? How close is ecologically "safe"? Is there any studies done on this? The reason I ask is that in my limited understanding of things, I would have considered something like Fothergilla to be a "non-native" species for me. Maybe I'm totally wrong about that, I don't know. The reason I would have considered it a non-native species (for me and my region/locale) is that:
1. I am not just out of it's range and natural habitat, I'm WAAAAY out of it.
2. If it's planted here, could it not potentially be as destructive as a shrub that comes from as far away as Africa or Asia?
3. It's far away but not 'that' far so it is possible it could have a genetically close relationship to a locally native shrub here, it could cross polinate and destroy the genetic uniqueness of the locally native species. I don't know of an example of 2 North American species that have done this but I can offer the example of the White Mulberry which I think came from Asia. It crossed with our Red Mulberry and at least here in southern Ontario the Red Mulberry is almost all but extinct because the White Mulberry cross has taken over as the superior species.
4. The new species brought in from outside it's range could potentially crowd out other local species which are essential food or habitat sources for locally native fauna.
5. The new species could prove to be a vector for tree bourne diseases.
and so on...
southern Ontario, CANADA
On Googling "Fothergilla gardenii invasive" I do get some hits. The USDA plants database says it is not, because it's seed production is very low, in fact, it is listed as endangered in Florida and threatened in Georgia, or vice versa. And this is in it's ideal habitat. Since it has low seed production, isn't stoloniferous or rhizhomatous, or root suckering, I tend to think of it not being a spreader.
My thinking on invasive species is that native plants can't be invasive, they can be aggresive, certainly.
I really highly doubt that a fothergilla planted in MI or IL will have any environmental impact at all, as it has no known pests or viruses.
What I have been told, and what I believe, is that a native plant is one that was here before the arrival of european settlers. That is the standard that I use for my property. And when I use natives, I narrow it down further by having only plants native east of the Mississippi. I prefer plants of local genotype, if possible, which narrows it down still further.
Plus I subscribe to the idea of ordinary gardeners like myself growing native plants that are extirpated or endangered or threatened in their native ranges, as a hedge against extinction. Which means I bag a lot of blossoms, and do lots of pollination with paintbrushes, so the genotype stays pure.
I do grow some plants that are out of range, but not many. They usually require extra care, which is almost the opposite idea of gardening with native plants. I have one fothergilla, because I think they are beautiful. I did tons of research before I planted it. I am convinced it will not escape cultivation, and just to make sure, I cut off all it's blooms after they expire, and water with Miracid twice a growing season. Since this is such a small shrub, it is no problem to do so. That is about all the extra care it requires. No blooms, no seeds, no problems. I also grow, in pots, various Sarracenias that are native to the south and south east US. Some of them are near extinction or extinct in their native habitats. There is nothing near here for them to cross with..though there are populations of Sarracenia Purpurea 12 miles from here. Pollen doesn't travel that far..but I bag those blooms, too.
I've been following this train wreck of a thread with some interest. The arguments over what defines "native" have always fascinated me. I've got a pretty wide selection of "native" plants from across Ontario...but considering that we have tundra in the north of our province and Carolinian forest in the south, that's a pretty broad interpretation. I've also got a few "natives" that aren't native to Ontario, but are found elsewhere in Canada or the eastern U.S.
Be that as it may, I mentioned this thread to an old friend of mine, who happens to be an Ojibwe (Chippewa) from northwestern Ontario.
He smiled when he told me that the best plan of action would be to remove all traces of Europeans, plant and animal, from North America. I guess Buckthorn and Norway maple aren't the only invasives.
(I didn't bother to mention the recent DNA studies that seem to show some Ojibwe have pre-Columbian European ancestry...that would only confuse the issue)
Thanks for the replies Ahughes. I find it kinda strange that there is no information (at least I have never found anything) that explains or even discusses the difference between a regional non-native and an alien species.
From the little bit of info I have seen (as well as the link you provided) it does appear that there is little risk when planting a species from outside it's continental range but I wish there was more information to go on. I've always been told to not only go native but to use species that are genetically suited to your locale. I try to do this when/where I can and have a good source for plants grown from locally collected seed but some species are hard to come by and not always available at this source.
Obviously, native gardening-wise, it's better and makes more sense to plant plants that have evolved in your local climate and soil conditions for the last 10K years. No argument there.
However, my soil conditions are no longer the same as they were 10K years ago. I live in what was once a boggy cow pasture, that before that was just a bog or swamp. When the house I live in was built in the 1960's, the land was drained, graded, and topsoil was brought in. I have to plant what will grow in the conditions I have now. In effect, I am dealing with a seriously degraded environment.
I believe that there can be risks if you plant something out of it's continental range. I've heard that switch grass can be a mite peckish in the NW US. I don't remember where I read it, but I'll try to find the article. If I'm planting something out of range, I do tons of research before I plant it...I don't want to cause problems. Fothergilla seems innocuous. So do Dahlias!
Cypsavant..this isn't a trainwreck...it's a tricycle accident. Go to the Hot Topics forum for train wrecks. I enjoy debate and intelligent discussion.
I'm not talking about people, I'm talking about plants.
Big Diff, obviously, and the two subjects aren't really all that related. Last I checked, plants aren't sentient beings.
There's an asthetic dimention to this debate that,because this is a gardening site,it might be appropriate to mention.Hopefully,As we becoming aware of the natural plants and ecosystems arounds us, we begin to relise that our initial plans to improve upon nature begins to look more and more like foolish hubris.As Peter Max,upon seeing the Mona lisa for the first time was sure he could do better,All gardeners think they can outdo natures beauty.We all learn better,If were smart.That why emmulating local intact natural enviorments,using local plants materials in an attemp to recreate what was lost we acheive the greatest asthetic potential.If you think your hodgepodge of unrelated plants looks good,maybe you should look again,a bit more critically.
Maybe I'm way out of line for saying this here, but sometimes, when I'm overwhelmed with thinking about trying to keep invasives out of our 33 acres...when it's covered with them, and they are still being sold.....I start wondering if we're just fighting evolution. Maybe certain plants taking over is a survival of the fitest thing. I hate thinking that, since there are so many things we all love that will be "defeated"......but then I start wondering if this is just the way it goes and in the grand scheme of things........this is the way of nature???
ah, my dear ahughes, how can the two subjects not be related? We're the ones doing the gardening and bringing in the Garlic Mustard and Norway Maples and Burning Bush...and we're also the ones trying to get rid of them. Nature doesn't seem to care much one way or another.
As to plants not being "sentient beings" - don't breathe a word of that blasphemy in some of the forums on Garden web...else all the people talking to their "little green friends" will feel terribly silly.
33 acres is a big project for sure.Certainly something you'll need help with.Thats why designing stratagies to maximize results from your efforts is important.Maybe the hostas in the front yard are just a distraction,the hierloom roses,a dead end,the designer bushes against the house,of dubious asthetic value.The back 20,is where your efforts may have real lasting results.Its time to rethink the definition of gardening in a world of declining ecosystems,epecially near areas of human habitation.I want to walk out my front door and be immersed in real nature,undegraded by human disturbances,thats my goal.Near my house there's an abanden road turned horse trail.The comment of most riders as they pass my property in responce to my years of effort,is never,"I like what you've done with your yard",but'What a beautiful spot you've found!'.Success!
I know what you mean nywoodsman,
When we moved here, the previous owner spent his days on his tractor, mowing all over the place. We have let it all grow up, except for a couple acres.....where we need to keep it mowed for the finger system septic tank, geothermal system, garden, wood shed, and chicken coop.
I know to many passersby, they must think our fields are such a mess. But it's on it's way to growing up.....with lots of native trees and weeds. I'm like you. That's what I call perfection!
It's funny, but as I spent those years letting it all grow up again, I could feel it healing. More and more birds started coming, butterflies, owls, heron, and other animals. Once we get rid of the bush honeysuckle, it will be even more perfect!
Catherinet, I know what you mean about bush honeysuckle. It's rampant in the small woodlots around here...I've destroyed most of it on my 150 acres but it's the gift that just keeps on giving...I'm over a decade into this eradication campaign and I want to think I'm winning.
NYwoodsman, an old photograph retoucher once told me that she knew she'd done her job when no one could tell she'd done it. I think we're in the same boat, at least as far as the aesthetics of what we do.
I often hear "the invasives should survive because they are fittest" or something similar. The whole problem with invasives is that too many of them are being introduced and widely dispersed at the same time that native ecosystems are being disturbed. This leads to rampant invasions. If Norway Maple had found its way across the ocean naturally to an undisturbed North America, it might have started as a few plants, survived, slowly spread, and eventually become a part of the natural flora, complete with a set of natural predators to keep it in check. Instead millions of them are spread all over the place while we disturb lots of ground to allow them a place to spread and overtake native flora so fast that no natural predator is ready to eat them. The result is not another native plant to enrich the flora, but an invasion. There is a big difference between the two situations.
I agree......getting rid of this honeysuckle is a lifetime project. Unfortunately, I think we have caused it to grow all over our area, and our neighbors aren't as interested in getting rid of it.......so it will, for sure, be a life-long struggle for us. Now I'm finding the hops vine everywhere too.
I think every single seed from the honeysuckle bush that gets eaten by a bird, and then pooped, grows. Just wish it would get a virus or something!
Thanks so much for that explanation. It makes alot of sense. But I fear if we're going to allow such constant and endless import and export of all these trees and shrubs, we can never get a handle on it.
Do you the government will ever appreciate what's happening, and care to do anything about it?
Every time the government TRIES to do something about "white listing" (banning)certain species, the green industry(nurserymen, plant importers, etc.)calls all the dogs out to try to get the offending legislation scrapped.
A lot of the bad stuff going on, invasive wise, you can blame on this industry. They do bring us lots of nice plants...but they also bring us lots of bad stuff...and they stone REFUSE to regulate themselves, which means it's time to regulate them, IMO.
The government knows all about invasive species, and spends $137 Billion + a year or our tax dollars to try to get rid of them.
25 years ago, the man who first landscaped this property (and had the house built), bought a bunch of bush honeysuckle, and russian olive from the DNR. Too bad.
We didn't know about invasives for many years (too busy raising kids or being sick). When we finally realized what we had growing all over the place......it had totally taken over. Fortunately, the russian olive seemed to poop out. But this past year, I've been noticing that it did really well everywhere around here.....so it might be back.
It's very frustrating.
I think "the common man" knows nothing about the importance of buying native plants. And I fear he wouldn't care about them, even if he knew.
"I want what I want, dammit", seems to be the common slogan.
Catherine, when we moved into this house about a year and half ago, I had 3 burning bushes at the side of the house. I had these weeds growing under it, I couldn't pull them, so I got out some Round-Up. I was far too busy trying to get the inside of this old house restored, that I wasn't paying attention to those weedy things under the burning bush, but knew when I had done enough in here, to be able to move outside and start my true passion, those burning bushes would be gone. It took me awhile, and a few more sprays of Round-Up under those darn bushes, when one day, I got down and really examined what the weedy things were. They were baby burning bushes. You can imagine that those 3 bb's weren't in a huge area, but I bet I had a hundred babies under it and I'd already killed off another few hundred with Round-Up. The next day they came out. I also had Japanese barberry in the front yard, that I had removed. Or so I thought. Remember now, this was a year ago. This year, just a week ago, I noticed something growing and it was barberry. I honestly don't get the fascination with bb. To me, they get green, then turn red, maybe, then the leaves fall off. Big deal. No blooms, no nothing. Just blah to me.
Lots of good points have been brought up as to what constitutes native. I have always heard it goes back to before the European settlers were here. And in no way are we talking about people, we're talking plants. Why people got drug into this conversation is beyond me. Anyway, the other question that comes up, is what is native to me, is it really native to you. Or just because something is native in NJ, doesn't necessarily make it native in IL. On that point, I disagree. I believe native means native, where ever you live in the US. Or Canada. Some will say it's an exotic because it comes from another part of the US. I haven't gotten my brain wrapped around that one and I really don't understand that thinking. I understand that just because something is native in say the Pacific Northwest, doesn't mean it will flourish here, but I don't understand why that makes it not native to me. (I think I'm hung up on the word as I re-read this post, but I'll leave it as it stands and just add this sentence you're reading now.) As April says she has the fothergilla (which I want), I grow Euonymus americanus (not native to my area). I also grow the Euonymus atropurpureus, which is native to my area.
And then all the local genotype and all comes into play. I do believe in that if it's possible. But sometimes, you can't find the plant you want that's grown locally from local seed. I've heard time and time again that the big box stores get their plants from TN or OR or (pick a state), yet my own local little nursery ships in his trees and shrubs from OR. OR isn't anywhere near me, yet if I can't find it at a place that sells local seed, grown locally, then I will buy it from him. I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do.
And lastly, there are natives that are considered to be invasive as I understand it. What they are, I'm not sure, but I believe I have heard it said. I thought there was a native viburnum that is considered an invasive in Southern states? And others too, but the viburnum is stuck in my head.
It gets more confusing the more you learn, instead of getting easier the more you learn.
Same situation here in Canada. Norway maple is pushed at a lot of nurseries, at the same time as its crowding our native sugar maples (and national emblem) out of the forest.
Just recently I watched an Ontario based gardening program where they were delighting in Himalayan Balsam (an enormous exotic form of touch-me-not or jewelweed). It's already a major invasive in the UK and and in Canada on the West Coast...I've already seen the stuff spreading from waterfront gardens on one of our local lake systems.
terryr, in my mind it's impossible to separate the plants from the people...we're the ones who make it all happen, good or bad. I "drug" them into this conversation because we're all responsible for how things got to be the way they are, in one form or another. Sometimes I think "native gardening" is more truly "naive gardening" in that any attempt to fully restore things to a pre-European settlement status is just completely impossible. That said, wanting to grow indigenous species as a positive way to impact the environment, or simply for the fact that they're fascinating makes perfect sense, as far as I'm concerned.
I think that avoiding doing buisness with nurseries that sell invasive plants is the first step.And letting them know why they,er losing a customer may have some impact.It should be common knowlegde that the typical nursery makes its money by getting the gullible to pay for weeds,and this practice has wider negetive consequences.Inform your friends.
My goodness this thread has gone from a simple question to one that can't even be answered but the converstation is so very interesting all the same.
I agree also that the discussion of native species can't go on without the inclusion of what North American people have done to create it's destruction. I mean the plants didn't just show up here on a boat all by themselves, nor do they magically appear in the stock of garden centers and box stores, do they. That's not to say that we should point fingers or be cruel to people over it, it's just simply a fact that *we* did it and it will take *us* to undo it (even if that's even remotely possible).
Government is another sore spot with me because as much as we'd like to think that the government has the countrys'best interests at heart, that's simply just not the case. Take a look at governmental sites where you will find lists of plants that are deemed "noxious", "invasive" or "banned" by government. If you go over the list and then research why those particular plants have been deemed such, you will find that the only reason a plant is ever deemed noxious, invasive or banned is because it has had some monetary impact on either agriculture or some other money making venture. Take a look at those lists again and ask yourself, why isn't ____________ on the list? 99.999% of the time it will not exist on the list simply because it doesn't have some economic impact. In crown land designated not to be used for forestry, there will never be an interest in controlling a species even when it's found to be eradicating the naturally occurring species in existence. Why? No economic impact. Look how long it took for the government to be involved in the Purple Loosestrife issue and even when they did become involved it was a poor and short lived eradication project that went nowhere. Yes, the loosetrife was drying up natural wetland ecosystems and depriving wildlife of sanctuary, breeding ground and foodsources but HECK! One less step toward housing development and economic boom for whatever areas are affected. Truely I don't believe we can look to our governments to protect anything. I think a better avenue is to USE our governments to educate the masses as to the reasons for using native natural plantings and avoiding non-native exotics. Our kids should be taught these things in school from the time they are small and everyone should be educated by our natural resources departments through the media. Banning things rarely works but educating people has always been a much more effective tool. Banning alcohol or cigarettes just gets people's back-hairs up but when the Ministry of health and Welfare starts educating people though tv documentaries, magazine ads and television commercials and educates with factual, VISIBLE information, it is a much more effective means of curbing behavior. Additionally government often has one division competing against another with laws and ordinances and such, in complete opposition. To give a quick example, the "Common Milkweed" here in Ontario was placed on the Noxious Weeds list for Ontario. It was placed there because although it is a native species that was not invasive, it was impacting two very lucritive markets in the Ontario economy. It is poisonous to livestock if they eat it so grazing animals were at health risk and it's seeds would blow into farm fields and potentially replace the plant that was supposed to grow there as a crop. So as a noxious weed the government makes it incumbent upon any landowner to destroy said plant if it comes into existence on their property. Farmers of livestock and crops blast it out of existence by chemical means on their properties and in some locales it was destroyed at roadsides by regular spraying. Where it wasn't destroyed at roadsides, it was killed anyway by farm runoff. Then studies began trickling in that the Monarch Butterfly species was in severe decline. Hmmmm... So another part of government labels the Monarch Butterfly as "a species of special concern" (presently) but hands are tied because the only law that would protect them from decline would be that which prohibits destruction of their natural habitat but this law doesn't kick in until the species is at risk of extinction. Here again, the government is at odds not only because of economic reasons but also because they've created laws that directly oppose eachother. Bottom line is the MONEY though. Again, educating the masses is a much better approach so that the people can guide the government rather than the people just sitting idly by as the government guides itself in whatever direction they feel best. Sadly I think that the upper levels of government will always control the amount of education that people will receive just simply to keep a grip on the economic issues.
I believe native means native, where ever you live in the US. Or Canada. I wish there were someone here who could guide us on this issue because although I appreciate what you are saying, I don't think that the issue can be that simple. Flora doesn't make distinctions of state lines or borders or OCEANS for that matter but there are definitely some distinctions that species themselves make that keep them (each species) in certain ranges for very long periods of time. And I think 'this' might be the key to why we really shouldn't be moving species from outside their ranges either. I won't go back and look for, who said it, but the person who posted here and talked about a tree seed that somehow could make it to the shores of North America from Europe or elsewhere abroad and become established... remember that comment? It seems to me that this is likely how our native species would have evolved in the first place but that kind of distribution would have taken hundreds, thousands and millions of years in which time each individual species would have developed natural allys and natural enemies in the ecosystem to keep everything in balance and check. But what we humans have done is plopped billions of plants and trees (and animals) into spaces where they don't just belong but places where hundreds or billions of years of evoloution have not been permitted to find them a niche where "checks and balances" are not in place, to keep the plants in check. In this instance I think it is likely just as risky to move a plant from (as another poster mentioned) tundras of Northern Ontario, to the woodlands of southern Ontario. The checks and balances are just not in place to ensure that the species is not going to grow like gangbusters and crowd out species that are locally or regionally native to that new area.
I guess we can only do what we can do but I wouldn't be too hard on yourselves when you aren't sure if you are winning a losing battle or not (ie. the honeysuckle) because the way I see it, is that doing 'something' is better than doing nothing at all and stop to think about it, you are not just pulling out your honeysuckle or burning bushes or kudzus... you are on here talking about it and in doing so you are educating others about these species as well. There is power in numbers and the more that people are educated, the more that can be done in terms of governments, communities, garden centers, parks, protected lands and private lands from very large to very small.
For me personally I would love to eventually replace all my non-natives with locally or regionally native species but like anything it's going to take time. European settlers have been reeking havoc on the continent for just over 1000 years, so change is going to happen very slowly as well. Changing people's minds and attitudes will be the biggest hurtle I think.
southern Ontario


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