Saturday, July 26, 2008

Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes

What are bulbs and how do you distinguish them from corms, tubers and rhizomes?

Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes

Smart Bulbs

How deep should bulbs be planted? According to a study published in the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science it may not matter because bulbs can move themselves deeper into the ground, seemingly in search of better, moister growing conditions.

Smart Bulbs

Friday, July 25, 2008

Ferns - Popular Victorian Plants

Ferns are ancient plants. Their ancestors and related species dominated the earth when the great coal deposits of the carboniferous age were laid down around 300 million years ago. You might say that today's coal is largely made from the compressed remains of ancient ferns.

Today, according to The Fern Grower's Manual there are some 12,000 named species around the world with new types being regularly discovered. They range in size from the tiny to tree-like structures. Ferns propagate from spores rather than seeds, although this was not understood until 1794 when John Lindsay, a British surgeon in Jamaica, grew ferns from 'dust' collected from adult plants.

Ferns: Popular Victorian Plants

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Instinctive Staring

Research from Agnes Scott College published in Psychological Science studied the instinctive tendency for people in a group to stare at the person most likely to be offended if a controversial comment is made.

Instinctive Staring

Westward Ho

The price of land in nineteenth century America was a significantly less important factor in Westward Expansion than population growth and technological innovation leading to decreased transportation costs.

Westward Ho

Monday, July 21, 2008

Distance Learning

Researchers from the University of Missouri studied the demographics and personality types of adult distance learners and concluded that this increasingly popular option may not be suitable for everyone.


Only 30 Per Cent Of Distance Learners Complete Their Courses

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Adolescents With Chronic Insomnia

Chronic insomnia severely impacts future health and functioning of youths.

Adolescents With Chronic Insomnia

Husbands Create Housework

Being married results in an extra seven hours a week of housework for women, whereas having a wife saves men about an hour.

Husbands Create Housework

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Vancouver Island

"... the largest isle in North America's Pacific, stretches for more than 450 superb kilometers off the west coast of British Columbia. A magnificent chain of rugged snow-capped mountains, sprinkled with lakes and rivers and pierced by deep inlets, effectively divides the island into two distinct sides: dense, rain-drenched forest and remote surf- and wind-battered shores on the west, and well-populated, sheltered, beach-fringed lowlands on the east. At the northern and southern tips lie large regions of low, rolling hills."

Vancouver sland
Ucluelet - For All Reasons, for All Seasons
West Coast Changes and Challenges: Ucluelet Charts Dynamic Course for Island Community

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Closing the Distance

Closing the Distance: Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy


Every kid wants to grow up to be like his father, and Jeff Bukantz was no different - but unfortunately for Jeff, his father was a four-time Olympian and one of the greatest fencers ever! In his sentimental memoir Closing the Distance: Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy, Jeff recounts the trials and tribulations he encountered while trying to follow in the footsteps of Danny Bukantz, a great man both on and off the fencing strip.

Closing the Distance

More Biographies

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Outdoor Paris

July is a superb time to be outdoors in Paris. Together with its historical heritage and fine architecture, Paris is also typified by culturally-rich gardens with a variety of stylistic influences. Paris claims no fewer than 465 parks and 484,000 trees in those parks, along streets and roads, schoolyards and walkways. This makes walking, cycling (there is a citywide bicycle rental scheme) or roller-blading a pleasure.

More at: Paris and Eurodisney