If you tend to forget about your plants, the Snake Plant is the plant for you. If you are a chronic over-waterer, that's a different story.
This plant is subject to root rot if over-watered.
Best Plant Qualities: Snake Plants have beautiful, sword-shaped leaves, and is very hard to kill.
Preferred Conditions: This plant tolerates low light, but appreciates bright light. Perfect for a living room.
It likes a comfortable room temperature of 60°-85° degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be allowed to dry before watering.
Dimensions: Mother-in-Law's Tongue can attain a height and width of four feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? This plant is toxic to cats and dogs and may cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting if ingested.
ZZ plant is also known as the Eternity Plant because it is very long-lived. This succulent plant has fleshy, thick leaves and stalks and may even be mistaken for a plastic plant.
Best Plant Qualities: It is almost impossible to kill a ZeeZee plant. These plants do not grow rapidly, so you don't need to worry about pruning or frequent repotting.
Preferred Conditions: This plant does well in most indoor light setting. It tolerates temperatures ranging from 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. You should allow the soil to dry completely before watering, then water deeply.
Dimensions: ZeeZee Plants attain a height and width of two or three feet, but they do it very slowly. If you want a big plant, buy a big plant. You will not be able to count on yours to grow to the desired size in a reasonable period of time.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away as this is a poisonous plant.
True to its name the "cast-iron plant" is incredibly tough and rugged. Other names include Barroom Plant or (in Japanese) Haran or Baran.
It does well with severe neglect in all manner of settings.
It can tolerate wide-ranging temperatures, low or high humidity, dry air, low light and more.
There are several varieties of this plant, so you can choose from solid green leaves or leaves variegated with white or yellow.
The plant is slow-growing, so if you want a large plant, you should purchase a large plant.
Best Plant Qualities: It is nearly impossible to kill the Cast Iron Plant. It takes very little in the way of care in terms of both watering and pruning.
Preferred Conditions: Cast Iron Plant does well in a low light setting. The plant withstands a wildly divergent range of temperatures from 45°-85° degrees Fahrenheit.
During the spring and summer months, it is good to keep the soil evenly moist. In the autumn and winter, reduce watering and keep the soil just barely moist.
Dimensions: Cast Iron Plant attains a height and width of two feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Cast Iron plant is non-toxic.
A classic, spider plant care is easy, and one reason "spiders" have been growing as houseplants for decades. In temperate climates, these plants can grow outdoors as a ground cover.
There are several varieties offering solid green leaves or variegated varieties in green and white or green and cream-colored shades. These pretty plants are an excellent choice for hanging baskets, and they propagate on their own by sending out cute little plantlets on the ends of long, arching stems.
The baby plants grow easily by simply pushing the budding roots into fresh potting soil or allowing them to grow more roots in a glass of water before potting.
Best Plant Qualities: Everyone recognizes and loves Spider Plants. They are easy to care for and easy to share. Makes a nice desk plant.
Preferred Conditions: Spider Plants like medium light to bright light settings. They prefer a temperature of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be kept evenly moist.
Dimensions: These low growing plants attain a height of about one foot and spread to about two feet across.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Spider plants are grown as a food crop in Africa, so you needn't worry about poisoning your pets and kids. In fact, you may need to protect Spider plants from hungry, curious indoor cats in search of grass.
A low-water, slow-growing houseplant classic. This hardy succulent stores water in its leaves and can live for many decades when kept in dry conditions and bright light.
It is a good choice as an addition to a cactus and/or succulent collection which includes an Aloe Vera plant.
During the spring and summer, the plant likes comfortable room temperatures. It prefers a cooler setting and very slight watering through the fall and winter.
Best Plant Qualities: The Jade Plant is an interesting plant. It grows as a small tree with thick, glossy leaves and gnarled branches. It takes very little water and needs very little care to keep it happy. Like the spider plant a nice desk plant.
Preferred Conditions: Jade Plants likes a bright light setting and temperatures of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season and around 55 degrees while semi-dormant. The soil should be kept relatively dry.
Dimensions: Jade plant can grow to be six feet high and three feet wide; however, it is easy to control size with pruning, and cuttings root readily to form new plants.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Jade Plant is considered toxic to people and pets. If ingested it can cause depression, slow heart rate, and vomiting.
Hoya is also known as Wax Plant because of its waxy leaves and flowers. The leaves may be solid green or variegated with shades of cream. The flowers are pink and are very fragrant.
Best Plant Qualities: The blossoms of the Wax Plant are charming and pleasantly scented. Hoya is very versatile in that it can be grown as a climbing plant, in a hanging basket or trained as a topiary plant. It is easy-care and does not need much water.
Preferred Conditions: Hoya likes both medium and bright light settings. The plant is comfortable with a relatively wide range of temperatures (55-75 degrees Fahrenheit). Allow the surface of the soil to dry before watering.
Dimensions: The vines can attain a length or height or four feet or more.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? The Hoya plant is non-toxic.
A cactus-like succulent that can grow up to forty feet high in the wild. Its segmented branches are dark green with sharp spines along the edges. In the fall and winter, it produces small greenish-yellow flowers at the tips of its branches. These flowers ripen into reddish-purple, three-lobed fruits.
Best Plant Qualities: Although it can be challenging to establish, once established Euphorbia Cactus are remarkably easy to care for.
Preferred Conditions: These African desert dwellers like full sun and warm temperatures (60-75 degrees Fahrenheit). Keep plants in a light, well-drained soil and water thoroughly when the soil becomes dry.
Watering once every week to ten days is usually a good schedule in the spring and summer. A monthly watering schedule will suffice in the autumn and winter.
Dimensions: When kept as a houseplant, growth can be controlled at about one to four feet high.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Euphorbias have sharp spines and blister-producing, sticky white sap. Keep kids and pets away, and exercise caution when handling and trimming.
The ponytail is not a palm. It is a succulent with a thick, swollen trunk and pretty, arched leaves. Unlike the jade plant, the ponytail palm stores its water in its trunk, rather than in its leaves. The plant should be kept in a small pot (only about two inches wider than the trunk) to keep growth under control.
Best Plant Qualities: The ponytail Elephant Foot Tree does well with infrequent watering because it can store quite a bit of water in its trunk.
Preferred Conditions: Ponytail Palm plant likes a bright light setting. During the spring and summer, it prefers temperatures of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. In the fall and winter, keep the plant at temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. During the wintertime, allow the soil to dry out completely and water very seldom.
Dimensions: Nolina recurvata can slowly grow to fifteen feet high and four feet wide.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Bottle Palm is non-toxic.
The "flapjack plant" has large, round, flat grayish-green leaves that grow as a rosette. The leaves are about six inches long and develop a reddish hue along the edges when kept in full sunlight.
Best Plant Qualities: Several varieties offer a bit of diversity and visual interest. The plants are easy to care for and make excellent, compact house plants for small spaces.
Preferred Conditions: Kalanchoe plants like bright light and even some time outside in the sunshine during the spring and summer. They prefer temperatures of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Water weekly during the spring and summer months and monthly throughout the fall and winter.
Dimensions: These succulents grow to heights of one to four feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? All of the approximately 200 varieties of Kalanchoe contain cardiac glycosides and can be fatal if ingested.
Grape ivy comes in several varieties, but no matter which type you choose, you can count on having a plant with a vigorous climbing habit.
All varieties send out strong tendrils that eagerly cling to trellises, fences, and stakes.
Foliage varies in shape and shade from one variety to another, but all have shiny, attractive, prettily textured leaves.
Best Plant Qualities: Although this vine does have a vigorous climbing habit, it can also mound nicely, so it's a good choice as a hanging basket plant.
Preferred Conditions: Grape Ivy likes a medium light setting and a comfortable indoor temperature (60-80 degrees Fahrenheit). The soil should be kept evenly moist.
Dimensions: When allowed to climb, the vines reach a height or length of about six feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Grape Ivy is non-toxic to cats and dogs.
The Peruvian apple is a very upright grower and produced mainly as a floor plant.
Normally growing in pots as multiple "cuttings" of various heights, such as a 2′ and 3′ foot trunk planted in a 10″-inch container.
Best Plant Qualities: The "night blooming cereus" doesn't mind low humidity, living on the dry side and occupies little space.
Preferred Conditions: The plant wants a well-drained soil, low humidity, warmth, sun and bright light. The plant can handle low light levels but thrives in bright light. It is a perfect candidate for a sunny, bright south, east or west window.
Dimensions: Rarely do you find plants indoors over 5-feet tall, as they can become top heavy.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Cereus peruvianus is considered non-toxic.
Pretty, striped or mottled leaves available in several shades ranging from white to yellow to rose-colored.
Each variety has its own distinctive pattern of stripes, blotches, and spots of color on a background of deep green.
These plants make lovely additions to the landscape in frost-free zones and can grow as striking houseplants.
Best Plant Qualities: Even if you have a very low light setting, you can count on Peacock Plant to provide lots of uplifting color.
Preferred Conditions: These plants prefer a low light setting. In fact, it is best to avoid exposure to direct sunlight. Keep temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Water once or twice a week.
Dimensions: The Calathea stays small at a size ranging from six inches to two feet high.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Calathea is a non-toxic plant.
A very popular houseplant adding an elegant, tropical touch to any setting. This hardy palm comes from the eastern coast of Australia. The slender, upright stems and feathery green leaves or fronds are an attractive addition to any home or office.
Best Plant Qualities: The plant is incredibly durable and grows slowly. It can do well with both low light and low humidity and tolerates neglect very well. Even though it can reach heights of sixty feet in the wild, it is not likely to outgrow your home too quickly.
Preferred Conditions: The plant prefers bright, indirect sunlight and typical, comfortable indoor temperatures. This Australian native is happy in normal household temperatures and is actually hardy in temperatures as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to use a well-drained potting mix when planting your palm. Take care not to over-water as this can cause root rot. Water when the top one-inch of the soil dries out.
Dimensions: When kept indoors, the Kentia Palm attains a height of about five to twelve feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Kentia Palm is entirely non-toxic.
Tthe Lady Palm, is grown in the garden and used indoors in homes, condos and offices around the world. Rhapis is fairly cold hardy and can tolerate tropical and subtropical temperatures from 20 to 100 degrees F and handles both humid and dry climates.
Best Plant Qualities: Rhapis adapts to a wide range of climates, soils, environments and temperature ranges. Slow growing, does well in pots. Upright grower, like bright light but will tolerate low light. Relatively pest free.
Preferred Conditions: Temperature range of 50-75 degrees. Partial sunlight to shade. Water soil thoroughly, keep soil moist – not wet.
Dimensions: Plants usually range in size from eighteen inches to 10-feet tall indoors.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Rhapis is listed as Non-Toxic to dogs and cats by the ASPCA.
An excellent choice for a low-light, indoor plant. The pretty green stems grow in multiple, reed-like clumps of about ten to fifteen fronds. The base of each stem is covered with a tan fiber that looks like bamboo.
Best Plant Qualities:: Bamboo Palm (aka Chamaedorea seifrizii) is a very hardy plant that is also a high scorer on NASA's clean air plant list.
Preferred Conditions: This plant can do well in low light if you do not over-water. It also likes medium and bright light settings. Be sure to protect it from direct light. Keep the temperature between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the top one-third of the soil to dry out before you water, and don't use softened water as it contains too much salt. Fertilize lightly, once a month in the spring and summer.
Dimensions: Bamboo palm can grow to be five to seven feet high and three to five feet wide.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? This is a poisonous plant, so do keep it away from kids and pets.
"Metallica" has a slender and erect growth habit. Its upright blades are an unusual shade of variegated metallic blue-green. The plant produces erect, pale green bracts which mature to reveal pretty flowers in shades of orange, red and purple.
Best Plant Qualities: These pretty plants are very easy to take care of and do well in the typical office and home settings. They make a wonderful table top palm.
Preferred Conditions: This forest under-story plant likes filtered light to full shade. It likes consistently moist soil but can withstand periods of drought up to six months long. As a native of Mexico, it prefers warmer temperatures ranging from 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Soil should be kept evenly moist. Take care not to over-water.
Dimensions: These slow growing plants usually stand between two and three feet high.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? The Metallic Palm is non-toxic.
An excellent tabletop plant in a living room, sports thick, bushy, deep green leaves with a compact growing habit.
Best Plant Qualities: A small low-light interior houseplant which adapts to almost any typical home or office interior where it develops dark green leaves. Perfect for small table-tops or a small desk. Proven and grown for decades.
Preferred Conditions: This Guatemalan plant prefers medium light settings, but will do alright in low light. It is a good office or houseplant and does well at typical household temperature settings; however, it is actually cold hardy to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Soil should be kept very lightly moist. Watering every week to ten days is recommended.
Size: Parlor Palm grows to a height of about three feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? This small palm tree is non-toxic.
This variety of Dracaena that presents a very dramatic appearance. The plant's leaves are long and narrow and grow in tufts. The leaves are a very dark green with red edges and gray, woody stems.
A variation known as "Tricolor" (aka Rainbow Plant) has leaf margins in shades of pink and cream. When young, these plants grow as a shrub, but they take on a more tree-like appearance as they mature.
Best Plant Qualities: This variety of Dracaena is very festive looking. Its pretty colors make a statement in any setting.
Preferred Conditions: Dracaena likes medium light to bright light. These plants prefer temperatures ranging from 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be allowed to dry before watering.
Dimensions: Dragon Tree attains a height of ten feet and a width of two feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? This tree can be considered poisonous, especially for dogs.
This Dracaena plant looks rather like a fancy corn stalk with no ears. The variegated leaves surround a solitary, upright stem. You can create a stunning grouping by planting several together in a larger container.
Although the plant likes to grow tall, you can control the height by cutting it back occasionally. This stimulates it to send out multiple fresh shoots for a fuller, more attractive appearance.
Best Plant Qualities: The yellow and green striped leaves or blades are very attractive.
Preferred Conditions: This plant enjoys medium light or bright light settings and a comfortable indoor temperature (60-75 degrees Fahrenheit). Allow the surface of the soil dry out before watering.
Dimensions: This plant can attain a height of ten feet and a width of three feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep pets and toddlers (and especially dogs) away from this plant as it is poisonous when chewed.
These Dracaena varieties come in a variety of colors and "striping". Some varieties (e.g., Dracaena Janet Craig and Lisa) are solid green. Still others (e.g., Warnecki) sport pretty striped leaves in shades of green and white, gold, cream or even chartreuse. The plants start out as small rosettes; however, as they mature they become develop into attractive upright plants. They've long been interior workhorses!
Best Plant Qualities: In addition to the attractive variations in leaf coloration, they also offer versatility in that they can do well in a wide variety of light settings; however, coloration is more brilliant in bright light settings.
Preferred Conditions: Dracaena like medium light to bright light settings. They prefer an even temperature of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil surface should be allowed to dry before watering.
Dimensions: Dracaena can attain a height of ten feet and a width of three feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away as this plant can be poisonous, especially to dogs.
The yucca plant (Yucca elephantipes) is a drought tolerant spineless evergreen native to the hot, dry areas of Guatemala and southern Mexico.
Best Plant Qualities: Easy to care for and easy to maintain. Handles temperature changes well, Perfect for a lobby of home entry. Excellent for a "southwest" designed home and landscape.
Dimensions: Yucca can reach a height of 8 – 10 feet indoors.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away as this plant can be poisonous, especially to dogs and cats.
"Pandurata" (another name) earned it so-called "fiddle-leaf" status because it's lovely, dark green leaves shaped like a violin. This small tree does well in low light; however, if kept in very low light bottom leaves tend to fall off.
If the tree grows too tall, you can prune it back to the height you desire. Alternately, you can start new plants by using the air-layering technique on longer shoots.
Best Plant Qualities: This is a very strikinlg indoor shrub that features big, leathery leaves and attractive shape. The big leaves make it easy to clean!
Preferred Conditions: The Fiddle-Leaf Fig likes a medium light or bright light setting and a comfortable indoor temperature (65-75 degrees Fahrenheit). The surface of the soil should become dry before watering.
Dimensions: This indoor shrub can grow to be fifteen feet tall and five feet wide.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away from this plant as it is considered poisonous. Wear gloves when pruning as the sticky, white sap is irritating to skin.
Another classic house plant. These old-fashioned plants can grow to great heights in their natural, outdoor environment; however, when kept indoors, it is easy to keep their size under control with regular pruning.
Best Plant Qualities: Rubber Tree is a dramatic plant featuring large, shiny, deep green leaves. These long-lived plants add a definite presence to any setting.
Preferred Conditions: Rubber Tree likes medium light to bright light settings. It prefers a warmer temperature, ranging from 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil surface should be allowed to dry between watering.
Dimensions: The plant may attain an indoor height of eight feet and a width of four feet.
A pretty plant/tree with lots of shiny, dainty green leaves suspended from delicate, pendulous branches.
These small trees respond well to manipulation, and braided displays (in which several young trees are intertwined and trained to grow together) are attractive and popular.
They are good houseplants but do not like to be disturbed or the Ficus will drop their leaves!
Best Plant Qualities: When trained as a braided display they make a great addition to an indoor topiary or bonsai collection.
Preferred Conditions: Benjamin Fig likes to be kept in a setting with bright, indirect light. Temperatures should be between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The plant is subject to shock and should be protected from drafts. It may drop leaves if chilled or moved about, but be patient, the leaves will grow back. Water when the first few inches of soil are dry to the touch.
Dimensions: Ficus can reach an indoor height of four to fifteen feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Weeping Fig has sticky white sap which is poisonous and can cause severe skin irritation.
Peace Lilies are very common houseplants and are frequently used in offices and public settings because they are hardy, pretty and easy to care for. These attractive plants display long, smooth green fronds and lovely white flowers.
Best Plant Qualities: In a series of studies, NASA found that the Peace Lily has superior air cleaning qualities. This plant significantly improves air quality by removing carbon monoxide, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.
Preferred Conditions: These indoor house plants prefer bright, indirect sunlight. They do well in good quality, all-purpose potting soil. They like a warm environment (at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit). Keep soil evenly moist. Fertilize lightly with liquid fertilizer every six weeks.
Dimensions: Smaller Spathiphyllum varieties grow to 12 inches high, but some varieties can grow to be six feet tall.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Peace lilies contain a toxin and irritant known as calcium oxalate. Keep these plants out of the reach of kids and pets.
Chinese Evergreen have gorgeous and interesting foliage. The leaves display mottled markings of gray, silver and green.
This compact, low-light shrub makes an excellent ground cover outdoors in protected locations and a nice, miniature potted plant indoors.
Best Plant Qualities: This is a very tough plant, for many the ideal plant with exceptionally gorgeous leaves.
Because it likes low light settings, it is a perfect choice to brighten up a shady area in your home.
Preferred Conditions: The Chinese Evergreen likes both low light and medium light settings. It appreciates comfortable room temperatures (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit). You should keep the soil evenly moist.
Dimensions: This plant reaches a height and width of about three feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep pets and toddlers away as this is a poisonous plant that will cause severe mouth and throat irritation if chewed.
There are several varieties of this plant grown as houseplants all produces lush, variegated green and white foliage growing from cane-like stems. These plants are attractive individually or grouped together creating a shrub-like effect.
You may also hear this plant referred to as "dumb cane." This is because the sap of the plant is toxic and causes numbness and swelling of the mouth and throat if chewed and/or swallowed.
Best Plant Qualities: This plant has a very tropical appearance and can really warm up the mood of any room. It is also excellent for patio and deck decoration in the summertime.
Preferred Conditions: Dieffenbachia like low light settings and medium light settings. They do well at a household temperature of 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be kept evenly moist.
Dimensions: These plants can grow to a height of six feet and a width of three feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep pets and kids away from this plant as all parts are poisonous.
Schefflera (aka Umbrella Tree) sports very glossy foliage that has leaflets radiating from a central spoke, similar to the structure of an umbrella. There is also a dwarf variety (Schefflera arboricola) which has thicker, smaller leaves. Its stems are also shorter. Both varieties are commonly listed under the Brassaia genus.
Best Plant Qualities: The glossy, pretty leaves add a touch of the tropics to any setting.
Preferred Conditions: Schefflera likes medium light to bright natural light settings. Preferred temperature range is 60°-75° degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be kept evenly moist.
Dimensions: Full-size Umbrella plants attain a height of 20 feet and a width of 10 feet. The dwarf umbrella plants attain a height of eight feet and a width of six feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away from this poisonous plant. Chewing on or ingesting this plant can cause severe mouth and throat irritation and vomiting.
This group of houseplants features very colorful, textured, waxy leaves.
Best Plant Qualities: This is a compact plant that adds a pop of color to any setting, yet it does not take much space to keep it happy.
Preferred Conditions: This plant does well in both low light settings and medium light settings. It enjoys a comfortable room temperature (60°-75° degrees Fahrenheit). Water when the surface of the soil becomes dry.
Dimensions: Pepper Elder grows to a height and width of one foot.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep pets and toddlers away as this plant is poisonous if chewed or ingested.
A classic houseplant with attractive heart-shaped leaves and does well in a low light setting. This is the plant everyone's grandma had trailing around the parlor and clambering over bookshelves and curtain rods.
Best Plant Qualities: Its rambunctious climbing habits make it easy to train it to climb a moss pole or a slab of bark to create interesting, upright plant sculpture. There are many other philodendrons for house plant use.
Preferred Conditions: Philodendron handles low light settings and bright light settings. They prefer a comfortable indoor temperature of 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit. The surface of the soil should be dry before watering.
Dimensions: Climbing or trailing vines can reach a height or length of over eight feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep pets and kids away as this plant is poisonous and can cause severe mouth and throat irritation if chewed.
The Pothos is sometimes mistaken for heart-leaf philodendron because it does look very similar and has similar growth habits.
Pothos differs from philodendron in that it is marked by spots of gold in the leaves. These become more marked in higher light settings.
Best Plant Qualities: This versatile plant can grow in almost any light setting. It is a good choice when kept in a hanging basket, trained up a trellis or allowed to ramble about over bookshelves, mantels and curtain rods.
Preferred Conditions: Pothos is happy in light conditions ranging from low light to bright light. The plant likes a temperature between 60° and 75° degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be kept slightly dry.
Dimensions: Vines may reach a height or length of eight feet or more.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away as this poisonous plant causes severe mouth and throat irritation if chewed and/or ingested.
A common houseplant which – true to its name – has attractive leaves in the shape of an arrowhead. You can build an interesting and eclectic collection of these plants because there are many varieties. Some varieties have solid green foliage, while others have variegated leaves in shades of white, bronze or pink and green.
Best Plant Qualities: Arrowhead vine is extremely versatile because of the many varieties available and the fact that it grows well as a mounding plant, in a hanging basket or as a climber.
Preferred Conditions: This versatile plant is happy in low light to medium light. It prefers temperatures ranging from 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be kept evenly moist.
Dimensions: Nephthytis grows to be about three feet high and wide.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away as this plant is an irritant to the mouth and throat if chewed and/or ingested.
The Croton is a pretty shrub that can do well in a low light setting; however, its beautiful colors only show up in brighter light (grow lights can help). Bright light encourages the leaves to produce more orange, pink and gold tones, and a brightly lit setting naturally shows off those colors to best advantage.
Best Plant Qualities: Croton brings a shot of color to any setting with its handsome, leathery leaves.
Preferred Conditions: Croton appreciates a bright setting and comfortable indoor temperatures ranging from 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil surface should be allowed to dry before watering.
Dimensions: Croton attains a height of four feet and a width of three feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep pets and kids away from this poisonous plant as it can cause illness if ingested.
A pretty plant in any season, but when in bloom, it has lovely flowers in shades of red, pink, yellow, cream or white. When it is not blooming, its good-looking gray-green stems add visual interest. The flowers (bracts) appear in the winter, so Christ Thorn makes a lovely alternative to poinsettia for holiday decoration.
Best Plant Qualities: This is an excellent choice for a neglectful gardener. It can withstand quite a bit of abuse. The pretty flowers and many choices in color give you a lot of decorating bang for your buck.
Preferred Conditions: This plant likes a bright light setting and temperatures ranging from 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit during the spring and summer. Drop the temperature to a steady 55 degrees in winter to encourage abundant flowering.
Dimensions: Crown of Thorns grows to be eighteen inches to two feet high.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? This plant is a member of the spurge family. All parts are toxic when chewed on or ingested. The white, milky sap can be very irritating to sensitive skin.
Originating in Africa the "Saintpaulia" actually isn't a violet at all, but belongs to the Gesneriaceae family like the Episcia.
Overall African violets adapt very well to growing indoors in small spaces. More on How To Grow and Care For African Violets.
Best Plant Qualities: Easy to grow, takes up little space making them perfect for the windowsill. They adapt almost perfectly to indoor life as houseplants and they bloom almost continually. Many flower colors and shapes. Does well in sub-irrigation pots and planters.
Preferred Conditions: African violets will thrive in day temperatures of 70° to 75° temperatures and night temperatures not below 60°. Low humidity can be an issue.
Dimensions: Growing in 4" pots plants can grow to 10-12" diameter.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? African violets are considered non-toxic.
A hardy, sprawling vine that makes a good ground cover, but it also makes an excellent, carefree houseplant. It is a good choice for a pot or planter set on a shelf or the mantelpiece.
Additionally, it does well in a hanging basket. If you want to be creative, you can train it to grow around wire sculptures to create an endless variety of forms, shapes, and images.
Best Plant Qualities: The leaves are attractive in variegated or dark shades of green. It's fun to create indoor mini-topiaries by training the ivy into shapes.
Preferred Conditions: Ivy likes medium light to bright light. It is comfortable in a relatively broad range of temperatures (55-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the soil evenly moist, and occasionally give your plant a thorough shower whenever the top of the soil feels dry. Washing the leaves will help prevent spider mite infestation.
Dimensions: The vines can attain a height or length of over six feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Keep kids and pets away as this houseplant is poisonous if chewed and/or ingested.
This hardy tree needs lots of light and lots of humidity. If kept it in a low light setting, the lower branches are likely to become brown and will eventually fall off.
In dry air, the plant is very likely to attract spider mites, which often present a threat to plants grown indoors.
When kept in an outdoor setting, a Norfolk Island pine may attain a height of two hundred feet. When kept in a container indoors, it will top out at about ten feet.
Best Plant Qualities: If you want to give a live Christmas gift, look no further. This tree is the natural choice at Christmas time and used as a living Christmas tree for many years to come. During the rest of the year, the lush, soft green boughs enhance the ambiance of any home.
Preferred Conditions: The Norfolk Island pine likes a comfortable indoor temperature (60° -75° degrees Fahrenheit) but is hardy at temperatures as low as 25 degrees. Water whenever the soil surface becomes dry.
Dimensions: The plant may grow to be five feet wide and ten feet high.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? This plant is toxic to cats and dogs. Ingestion will cause depression and vomiting.
The goldfish plant produces pretty, tubular red and orange blossoms that resemble goldfish.
The flowers appear against a backdrop of lovely, deep green foliage in the spring and summer time.
The plant is an excellent choice for a hanging basket with its graceful, trailing branches.
Best Plant Qualities: These pretty, easy-care plants have very few disease or pest problems.
Preferred Conditions: Goldfish plant enjoys bright, indirect sunlight. Protect the plant from full sun. They prefer temperatures of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be allowed to become almost completely dry before watering. Feed lightly during the growing season and not at all during the autumn and winter.
Dimensions: This plant grows in 18-24 inch mounds. It should be kept pinched back to promote blooming and control growth.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? This plant is considered slightly toxic to people and pets. Another plant also called Goldfish Plant (Hypocyrta nummularia ) is not toxic. Be careful not to confuse the two.
To strengthen the fragrance, just give the leaves a pinch. These plants are equally nice for bathroom, kitchen or bedroom.
Best Plant Qualities: Scented geraniums are charming and fragrant. They produce pretty, lightly scented flowers. The leaves and flowers can be used in cooking and in preparing homemade potpourri, personal care and health products.
Preferred Conditions: Pelargonium like a bright, sunny setting and warmer temperatures (50 – 70 degrees Fahrenheit); however, they can withstand cooler temperatures and can grow outdoors year-round in frost-free areas. These plants like a light, well-drained soil. Water when the top inch of soil becomes dry.
Dimensions: Dwarf varieties grow to be about five or six inches high. Standard varieties can grow a couple of feet high and wide.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Although these plants can be used in cooking and to make flavorings for human consumption, they are somewhat toxic to cats and dogs.
Boston Fern is a classic choice as a hanging plant or when placed on a pedestal.
Although these plants look quite delicate, they are actually long-lived and tough when kept in a medium light setting with ample humidity.
In a setting where a smaller plant is preferred, "Dallas" is an excellent variety to choose. This variety also does well with slightly less humidity.
Best Plant Qualities: Boston Fern is inarguably elegant and lovely in any setting. It is an excellent decorating choice and is especially at home in a country cottage setting.
Preferred Conditions: Boston fern likes medium light to bright light settings and a temperature ranging from 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil should be kept evenly moist. Set plants in a pebble tray with water (not touching the bottom of the container) to provide ample humidity.
Dimensions: These plants can attain a height and width of four feet.
Toxic or Non-Toxic? Boston fern and related ferns (i.e., Staghorn and Deer foot) are non-toxic.
How Dangerous Are Potentially Toxic Plants?
For the most part, plants are non-aggressive, so if your children and pets would not tend to molest your plants, you have little to fear.
If you have a pet or child who is destructive or a chronic chewer, you should stay away from potentially toxic plants or be certain to keep them in an inaccessible area.
If you have sensitive skin, you might suffer some irritation from contact with the sap of some plants.
If you use proper precautions and wash up after handling your plants, the potential for skin irritation is greatly reduced.
We've shared lots of plants to use indoors, however, we know a few we would not recommend.
For starters – the Majesty Palm is sold as an indoor palm tree looks great when first placed indoors.
From our experience and countless feedback from interior professionals, the palm plant quickly goes downhill. The palm needs, high light to do well and spider mites find them attractive.


A regular criticism of party conferences is that they are now dominated by corporate guests (and their public affairs advisers) eager for valuable face-time with government ministers and senior opposition spokesmen in the amenable setting of a hotel bar. So the argument goes that having abandoned the affordable jollity of seaside resorts the "real activists" are priced out of the event and their voice is no longer heard. But this thumb sketch misses a critically important change that has affected the art of lobbying - a change that is directly responsible for the growing corporate presence at political conferences.
Consumers are now more politically aware than ever - 24 hour news, blogging and social media have transformed how we engage with the issues that matter to us. And as a consequence traditional routes for the politically-minded are less and less relevant. Activism in local government or local political parties has been supplanted by focused campaigns that target narrower interests. The collation of mass email lists has enabled special interest groups to develop a ruthless streak that would have been thought out of character even a decade ago. And the politically-aware consumer is now confident that such activism is working - unpopular government policies can be killed off when the right message is fired at the right target.
Politically-aware consumers are bringing pressure to bear on businesses as well as politicians. Where corporate and social responsibility might have in the past been a neat marketing tool it is now a serious business function - one that has been relatively-well insulated from cuts despite the recession. And where businesses were historically likely to exploit contact with government ministers to resist legislation that ran counter to their interests they are now looking to work with government in their customers' interests. Note the way businesses position themselves as thought leaders who are setting their own agenda rather than following the regulators. Instead of arguing that carbon emissions targets set by the EU are unachievable many businesses are actively working to meet tougher targets to tighter deadlines - and telling their customers all about it.
The activism that presents at party conferences reflects this change. Some journalists have complained that in packed-out fringe meetings every question seemed to be coming from a chief executive or NGO founder. Chief executives have not chosen to invest their time and money in cross-examining junior ministers, or shadow ministers, for light amusement but because they are under increasing pressure to prove their social purpose to their customers and shareholders, and one way in which they can do this is to be seen to be actively engaged in the political process. As for the NGOs, their glossy brochures and slick heads of communications show that they went corporate some time ago.
The glory days of party leaders taking on a heckler in the conference hall or a speech from an unknown activist that upstaged the prime minister may be a thing of the past. But activism aimed at shaping the policy agenda is as lively as ever - it just looks very different. Consumers are expressing their concerns on the high street as much as at the ballot box or the public meeting. Businesses are responding to this by raising the standard of their political engagement and delivering it in a more transparent way. And one of the many consequences of this is that there are more chief executives (and their public affairs advisers) attending party conferences. But perhaps next year they could try to be a little more sparkling, for the journalists' sake - if Trade Unionists, Liberal Democrat Borough Councillors and Conservative Peers can party surely the NGOs and chief executives can too (with their public affairs advisers)?


Mitchell Design has worked with Rick Boylan from "Shading Solutions" on numerous projects in the Sydney Metropolitan area and the Central Coast on every occasion the projects have been completed on time to meet construction deadlines.
The quality of the finished product is always of the highest standard with unsurpassed attention to detail. Rick is a first quality tradesman and can look at a very difficult situation and can come up with a practical solution that is also very attractive visually.
At Mitchell Design we work with a number of leading Architects and Interior Designers it is always comforting to know when working with this type of quality client you have a supplier/manufacturer you can have complete confidence in their advice and the quality of the finished product.
I have no hesitation in recommending Rick for a quality product professional advice and service.


Traditional dialog systems used in goal-oriented applications require a lot of domain-specific handcrafting, which hinders scaling up to new domains. End-to-end dialog systems, in which all components are trained from the dialogs themselves, escape this limitation. But the encouraging success recently obtained in chit-chat dialog may not carry over to goal-oriented settings. This paper proposes a testbed to break down the strengths and shortcomings of end-to-end dialog systems in goal-oriented applications. Set in the context of restaurant reservation, our tasks require manipulating sentences and symbols in order to properly conduct conversations, issue API calls and use the outputs of such calls. We show that an end-to-end dialog system based on Memory Networks can reach promising, yet imperfect, performance and learn to perform non-trivial operations. We confirm those results by comparing our system to a hand-crafted slot-filling baseline on data from the second Dialog State Tracking Challenge (Henderson et al., 2014a). We show similar result patterns on data extracted from an online concierge service.


Once a mere handbag line, Rebecca Minkoff is continuing to expand. Following the long-awaited opening of its first store in SoHo (this fall, we're told), the brand has announced plans to open two more in California -- one in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles, the other in San Francisco. Both are expected to open by 2015 and will carry every category the brand makes, including handbags, ready-to-wear, denim, shoes, jewelry, small leather goods and accessories.
Opening three stores in one year is pretty ambitious on its own, but Rebecca Minkoff isn't stopping there. It plans to continue opening two to three stores annually over the next few years. "There are probably 10-15 cities we feel we can really carve out a great space in," Uri Minkoff, Rebecca's brother and business partner, tells Fashionista.
It's a pretty big investment in retail, considering the label has to date operated primarily as a wholesale business. While Minkoff says the company "loves our wholesale business," he feels that Rebecca Minkoff customers want to connect more directly to the designer and her brand beyond social media. "We sent her to 35 events this year and there would be 500 women there to see her and talk to her and get her advice." So the stores are seen as one way to provide that closer connection to customers.
Speaking of tech, Minkoff wouldn't go into details, but as we'd expect from such a tech savvy brand, he said there are some" very exciting things" planned for the stores in terms of digital integrations. "We've been innovative socially, so what's a likewise experience we'd want to have in-store? We've been making some investments we think will give a great experience."
To promote the brand's forthcoming omnipresence, it tapped omnipresent "it" girl Langley Fox as the face of its fall 2014 ad campaign, shot by Seiji Fujimori. "I wanted to have Langley star in our ad campaign the second I met her," says Rebecca. "She personifies the ultimate Rebecca Minkoff girl."
It's all happening, from footwear to a retail concept, with founder Uri Minkoff taking a more visible role in its creative direction.
For many people, the idea of working day to day with a sibling--let alone running a business with them--is less than appealing. But Rebecca and Uri Minkoff (designer and CEO, respectively) have perfected their system, growing the Rebecca Minkoff label from scratch into a global powerhouse brand. At Fashionista's conference on June 21, editor at large Lauren Sherman sat down with the sibs as they presented their story and strategies, and shared invaluable advice with the audience.
Plus, find out who will be performing at the brand's runway show Friday.
It's summer! And that means on Fridays, everyone should be sneaking out of work a little bit early to go on a weekend jaunt or grab a drink on a sunny rooftop. The fashion industry, which works very hard, also knows a thing or two about how to cut loose. In our weekly Summer Friday column, we catch up with industry insiders to find out what they do, where they go, and what they bring with them when they escape the daily grind. Last week we went on vacation with Esquire's own Wendell Brown. This week we go on vacation designer and mommy Rebecca Minkoff.


I tried to warn Peyton Limberakis that I'm no food critic, but he didn't want to listen.
When I went to visit Limberakis at The Mad Greek on South Boulevard, I told him I was there to tell the story of the restaurant, not to review the food.
The village "xopiatikh" salad is a good place to start.
Nevertheless, five minutes into our interview, the food arrived. Suddenly and unsolicited, from the kitchen came a huge village salad, heaped with cucumbers, pepperoncini, tomatoes, olives, feta and more; followed by some pastichio, a Greek version of lasagna made with buchini and béchamel sauce; then spanakopita, a flaky spinach pie; and finally, what had grabbed my attention when I first came to The Mad Greek months ago, the gyro, piled with lamb meat that was somehow both crispy around the edges and succulent upon chewing.
It was around that time that I came to a realization: I need to write food stories more often.
I met Limberakis at The Mad Greek at about 4:15 p.m., just after the group of Greek guys who hang out on the patio daily playing games like backgammon had left. Limberakis had come straight from his day job to begin his secondary gig, helping around the family business, as he does almost every day.
One would think a 25-year-old like Limberakis would be rolling his eyes at the thought of coming straight in to work after a full day as a consultant with Wells Fargo just to schlep around the restaurant for his family and make $2.50 an hour.
That's not the case. Peyton couldn't be more excited to be working at the restaurant, and it's no front he puts on for a visiting journalist. During my visit, Peyton's father Chris Limberakis, the restaurant's owner, was out of town, making his annual visit to Greece, and Peyton was running things on his behalf.
Peyton Limberakis at The Mad Greek.
"I love running the place when my dad's gone," Peyton said, his sincere enthusiasm impossible to hide. "It's so much fun to do the scheduling. I get to help train. I love waiting tables. I get to tell my story. People know me from when I was little. They say, 'Oh, you're still here?' Yeah, I am. I love it."
It's no exaggeration to say that Limberakis has spent his life in the restaurant. On October 31, 1991, his father opened Hugo's Diner on South Boulevard between Woodlawn and Tyvola roads (dare we say LoSo?). Just 22 days later, Peyton was born.
The diner, named after the infamous hurricane that roared through the city two years before, was painted in Hornets colors to pay homage to the basketball team's mascot.
Limberakis remembers being shocked as a child to look up from a table he was playing under to see star point guard Muggsy Bogues standing at the bar. He recalls his sister Amelia, now 18, shadowing his mother around the restaurant with a little notepad at 2 years old, taking orders right alongside her.
Now, a generation later, the two are still at it. They've got uncles and cousins and in-laws working there, too. When I asked Limberakis if it ever gets tiresome working with family day in and day out, he tells me a story that shows his sister's enthusiasm for the business is still as unbridled as his.
"Amelia can be difficult when she wants to do the schedule, because she wants to work every day," Limberakis said. "She's off school now, so she said, 'I can get up here.' I said, 'We have other people that need to work, this is their only job. It has to be fair.' One time she hit me up top of the head, she got mad. But it's fine. The joy we get out of it; we have a restaurant, that's exciting."
Limberakis said he expects he'll take over the family business when his father has had his fill of running the place, but 10 years ago, it didn't look like that future was in the cards for the Limberakises. In 2007, Chris Limberakis shut down Hugo's and leased the building out to some other aspiring restaurateurs.
He went to Greece that year and fell back in love with his native cuisine. Upon his return, it became clear to him that United Nations, the restaurant that had opened in his old diner space, would be disbanding soon.
Chris reluctantly re-opened the restaurant as The Mad Greek, channeling his anger about all the missing rent payments from his former tenants and his newfound love of Greek fare into a new restaurant concept (he's not still mad, and you'll get nothing but smiles when you walk through the door).
A fire that started in the deep fryer shortly thereafter brought about a remodeling, which Peyton says reinvigorated his father. They changed the color scheme from the orange and red of United Nations to an aqua blue, with murals of Greece both inside and out.
"Between him going to Greece and then the remodeling, the revamping, that was when he said, 'OK, let's get this thing going,'" Peyton said.
The Mad Greek's most well-known dish, the gyro.
Chris and his brother George, a co-owner of The Mad Greek, began cooking up their takes on Greek classics like those mentioned above, while still keeping some Hugo's favorites in rotation. Nostalgic diner customers can still find their favorite hoagies or breakfast classics like livermush and eggs.
As for Peyton's favorite, he stands by the gyros and knows they're great, but he's moved on over the years. Now he sticks with the chicken souvlaki, served on a skewer over a bed of rice, peppers and onions.
"The gyro is the favorite, most definitely, we're most famous for that," he said. "But the chicken souvlaki, I say that's my favorite because I've had the gyro for so many years. If you're not ready to dive in, then get the gyro, but the chicken souvlaki is such a nice, filling meal. If you're ready to go to sleep after, that's a good meal."
And if customers still can't make up their minds, the Limberakises recently added a "Tour of Greece" to the menu, in which customers get a sampler of Greek classics including grape leaves, spanakopita, moussaka and pastichio. Follow that up with some galaktobouteko (we can tell you that it's an amazing egg custard dessert, but we can't tell you how to say it) or baklava that's made fresh every day. If you weren't ready to go to sleep before, you will be now.
The Mad Greek has been a hit among newcomers and Hugo Diner hangers-on alike. Couples like Grady and Carol, whom Peyton has known from the restaurant since his days as a child, returned and rekindled their friendship with him and his family. A man began coming in and sitting at the bar, just interested in a small order of hummus and a cup of tea. He still comes in nearly every day, Peyton said.
While the repeat customers are great — whether playing board games on the patio or just eating their hummus alone — Peyton has taken it upon himself to modernize the restaurant's marketing strategy, recently taking to social media to recruit younger generations of customers. According to him, it's gotten a response.
"Absolutely, it's been working," Peyton said. "I'm seeing that the Facebook is working. We have people saying, 'Oh, can I have the spanakopita? I saw it on Instagram.'"
With efforts like those, Peyton Limberakis is setting himself up for another 25 years in the diner he was basically born in, and with the ever-present passion he clearly has for the job, it should be smooth sailing.
He just has to make sure he gets his sister the hours she wants and he'll be fine.


text:
The Petipa Code or Searching for Raymonda Part 5. Lost in Translation
Ivan Semirechenskiy
and Harlequin
Our search for Raymonda has taken us along way back in time and on the way we have found that most of the leading characters in the ballet actually existed in real life. We have met the real Jean de Brienne and his fellow Crusader King Andrew II of Hungary, and we have identified Sibylla de Lusignan, sister-in-law of Jean de Brienne, as the most likely candidate for Raymonda's aunt the Countess and Canoness Sybil.
We discovered that Bernard de Ventadour was the star troubadour of medieval times, but he lived and died before the time of our ballet, and came across three real troubadours who were alive at the time and who Pashkova could taken as the name for Berganger of Aquitaine: Berenguier de Poivert, Berenguier de Pozrenger, and Berengier Trobel.
As for Abderrahman, between battles there were numerous meetings between the Muslim leaders and the Crusader knights to negotiate truces and arrange other deals, but these all took place in the Holy Lands, not in the south of France, enemy territory where a Saracen knight and his entourage would have been most unwelcome.
So, we must conclude that Adberrahman only got into the story because the story needed a bad guy versus the good guy, Jean de Brienne, and that it was decided to make him Saracen to allow Petipa to spice up the entertainment with some colourful Arabian and Andalusian divertissements.
But nowhere have we found Raymonda. Search through the lineage of the great families in the 13th century and you will find over and over again the names Sybilla, Isabella, Maria, Blanche, Agnes, Alice, Adele, Eleanor and many, many others – but never a Raymonda. So where is she?
The answer has been staring us in the face all the time. Raymonda was the daughter of Raymond VI Count of Toulouse, named Raymonde after her father. She is the one and only Raymonde in the history of the 13th century noble houses, but she was lost in translation when Countess Lidiya Alexandrova Pashkova feminized the name in Russian by changing the last letter e to a!
And how do we know this? Our search has led us up a few blind alleys but we reached the end of our quest when we came upon the following:
The Histoire Générale de Languedoc, Tome V, reports "un ancien monument" which records that Raymond VI Comte de Toulouse had a daughter named Raymonde. She is named and her parentage referred to by Roquebert.
(Michel Roquebert is an eminent French historian specializing in the history of the Cathars.)
To understand what a brilliant match Raymonda would have been for the ambitious Jean de Brienne, let's see what we know about her family. They were the Saint-Gilles, one of the most powerful families in Europe in the early Middle Ages. As the Counts of Toulouse they held vast tracts of land and their Court was as grand as any of the royal courts of Europe. In fact they were related by marriage to most of the leading families including the Kings of France, England and Aragon.
Raymonda's father, Count Raymond VI of Toulouse was born October 27 1156. He was a son of Raymond V and Constance of France. His maternal grandfather was King Louis VI of France and his maternal uncles included Louis VII of France. He succeeded his father as Count of Toulouse in 1194.
He was an enlightened ruler of Toulouse who upheld civic freedoms, allowed exemptions from taxation and protected communal property from the clutches of the church. A cultured man and an accomplished poet, he preferred diplomacy and peace to war but was always ready to defend his ancestral rights and territories.
Even though the Counts of Toulouse enjoyed great prestige within the Roman Church, the liberal Raymond VI tolerated the Cathars, a Christian religious sect that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and spread throughout southern France in the 12th and 13th centuries.
langue d'oc and langue d'oil
Lespinasse и Fenouillet on Google Maps
The Cathars believed in two gods. One was Rex Mundi (King of the World) who represented evil and chaos. The other god, the one they worshipped, represented purity, order, peace and love. Not surprisingly the sect was hated by the Roman Catholic establishment, something the Cathars had in common with the troubadours.
While there is no evidence that the troubadours were Cathars, they shared similar beliefs. In fact, troubadours and Cathars held women more highly than did the Catholic Church, to which the idea of a woman troubadour was a monstrous affront, and to make matters worse they both disbelieved in marriage and showed contempt for class distinctions that were considered by the Catholic Church to be sanctioned by God
Matters came to a head in the Languedoc on 15 January 1208 when the papal legate Pierre de Castelnau, who was in dispute with Raymond VI, was murdered by a knight in the service of Count Raymond. Pope Innocent III excommunicated Raymond and proclaimed the anti-Cathar Albigensian Crusade. The excommunication was lifted when Raymond VI acceded to the Pope and joined the crusade.
The Albigensian Crusade, ruthlessly carried out by knights from northern France and Germany, and the subsequent brutal inquisition, totally eradicated the Cathars. At the same time it substantially reduced the authority of the semi-independent southern Principalities including the once mighty court of Toulouse.
Faced with the loss of his territories Raymond VI turned against the crusade and organised a resistance but he was unable to prevent the advance of Simon de Montfort who conquered Toulouse. Excommunicated a second time by the Pope, Raymond was exiled to England.
However, with help from his Aragonese allies, he regained the city of Toulouse and withstood a siege by Simon de Montfort who was killed outside the city on June 25th 1218. Raymond, aided by his son and successor, went on to recover most of his territories and he remained in power until his death on August 2, 1222.
Though still excommunicated and therefore denied a Catholic burial, shortly before his death he was accepted into the Knights Hospitaller.
His place in history is assured. American readers will be interested to know that Count Raymond VI of Toulouse is the subject of one of the four paintings on the ceiling of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He is in good company – the other three paintings depict Moses, Confucius, and Socrates. Each represents an aspect of law and the painting with Raymond VI is titled "The Adjustment of Conflicting Interests"
Now we know what history tells us about Raymonda's father, but who was her mother? Raymond VI was quite a one for the ladies and in addition to marrying six times had a number of mistresses, which presents us with two possible candidates.
The most exciting possibility is Count Raymond's fourth wife, Joan of England, who he married in October 1197 at Rouen Joan Plantagenet was the seventh child of Henry II of England and his queen consort, the magnificent Eleanor of Aquitaine. Her younger maternal half sisters were Marie de Champagne and Alix of France. She was a younger sister of William IX, Count of Poitiers; Henry the Young King; Matilda, Duchess of Saxony; Richard I of England – Richard the Lionheart; Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany; Leonora of Aquitaine, and an older sister of John of England.
With Raymond VI Count of Toulouse as his father-in-law and Joan of England as his mother-in-law, the social-climbing Jean de Brienne would have been sitting very high up in the royal family trees of France and England.
We know that Raymond VI treated Joan none too kindly and she came to fear him and his knights. In 1199, while pregnant with a third child, she fled, eventually arriving at Rouen where she took refuge at the court of her mother Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Death in childbirth was common in medieval times and almost certain in cases of caesarean births. Perhaps knowing this was to be her fate Joan asked to be admitted to the great Abbey of Fontrevault where on her deathbed she was veiled as a nun and died undergoing caesarean delivery on 4 September 1199.
Toulousain knight
Raymond VI. Coin
Joan of England
Short video about Fontevraud Abbey
If indeed Joan of England was Raymonda's mother it means that we have an exact date for Act 1 of Raymonda, 4 September 1220, her birthday in the year that Jean de Brienne returned from the Crusade.
What's more, it would have been Raymonda's 21st birthday – not that 21 was such a big deal in the Middle Ages, beyond the fact that one had managed to live that long considering medieval mortality rates.
In Languedoc girls came of age much younger. At the age of 14, under the combined Visigothic Law and Roman Law, they were allowed to inherit titles and land and manage it themselves without interference from their husbands or male relations, dispose of their property in legal wills if they had no heirs, and represent themselves and bear witness in court. At the age of 20 they were free to arrange their own marriages.
Also, interestingly, Raymonda, Countess de Doris, would be only one year younger that the Countess and Canoness Sibyl.
However, contemporary medieval accounts disagree as to the outcome of the birth. Some say that a stillborn child was cut from the dead body of Joan of England, others say that it was a girl who lived, while some say that it was a boy who survived long enough to be baptized and given the name of his Uncle Richard.
Disappointingly, on the strength of what little evidence there is, the latter case is the most probable. We do know that Raymond VI had several children by various mistresses and it is more likely that Raymonda was one of these.
And what really became of her? Once again we turn to The Histoire Générale de Languedoc for the answer. The full text of the entry is:
The Histoire Générale de Languedoc, Tome V, reports "un ancien monument" which records that Raymond VI Comte de Toulouse had a daughter named Raymonde who became a nun at the monastery of Espinasse [625]. She is named and her parentage referred to by Roquebert [626]. A nun at Espinasse, near Fenouillet.
And there we have it. The one and only Raymonda in 13th century history spent her life behind the walls of nunnery. No Castle de Doris, no brilliant Court of Love and no marriage to the gallant knight Jean de Brienne.
But a question remains. How did Lidiya Pashkova come across this obscure snippet of information revealing the existence of a 13th century Raymonda? Like us, she must have been digging very deep when researching information for her story.
And why, out of all the names available did she choose this one? We can only guess. Perhaps she just liked the sound of the name and thought it would make a great title for a ballet – well, for sure she was right about that – or perhaps in a romantic flight of fancy she decided to lift this unknown nun out of obscurity and restore to her the splendid life that she should have enjoyed as a daughter of the illustrious Count Raymond VI of Toulouse.
Alas, it was all castles in the air! But let's not be too hard on Countess Lidiya Alexandrovna. Without her Glazunov would never have composed his glorious music, Petipa would not have given us his wonderful choreography, ballerinas would not have that magical role to dance – would any of them, or us, want to be without Raymonda's fabulous Hungarian solo – and we would not have this rich tapestry of medieval history come to life before our very eyes.
What do you think Raymonda looked like? Which image do you think is closest to the real Raymonda? Please vote:
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BalletBase Team added new entry: Australian Dance TheatreAustralian Dance Theatre 6 years, 5 months ago · View
Australian Dance Theatre is the pre-eminent contemporary dance company in Australia and has been producing consistently extraordinary new dance since it was formed in Adelaide in 1965. Under the artistic direction of Garry Stewart since 1999, the company has embarked on a distinctive artistic trajectory that has won the company numerous accolades praising Garry Stewart's choreography [...]
Welcome new registered member Amanda Selby 6 years, 6 months ago · View
Welcome new registered member Alexander Kaloyan 6 years, 6 months ago · View
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Welcome new registered member Oleg Gorboulev 6 years, 6 months ago · View

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Parallelize integrate in R I was wondering if it is possible and how to parallelize the integrate function in R to speed up numerical integration.
I write here a small example in case someone could help me.
b0=function(time){0.05*sin(0.1*time)+0.1}
d0=0.14
#Function to integrate
f0<-Vectorize(function(t,d0){b0(t)-d0},"t")

integrate(f0,lower=0,upper=1000,d0=d0)$value

This small example is very fast, but I have more complicated examples which are slower and I would like to make them faster.

A: The above comment by @Roland is spot on. But, the answer to your question
   directly is:
library(parallel)
options(mc.cores = 2)
b0=function(time){0.05*sin(0.1*time)+0.1}
d0=0.14
#Function to integrate
f0<-Vectorize(function(t,d0){b0(t)-d0},"t")

ans <- mclapply(
  list(c(0, 500), c(500, 1000)),
  function(i){
    integrate(f0,lower=i[1],upper=i[2],d0=d0)$value
  }
)

Reduce("+", ans)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A Chiropractor is a health practitioner who has a minimum of a 4 year masters degree in Chiropractic. Chiropractor is a protected title so can only be used by individuals who have a specific degree in that area. The degree itself focuses on both musculoskeletal (MSK) aspects of injuries as well as covering many other complicated medical ailments that can masquerade as a MSK problem. Their training will include modules such as Behavioural Science, Clinical Physiology, Clinical Anatomy, Physiology and Anatomy of the Nervous System and Clinical Imaging.
Chiropractic is a system of complementary medicine based on the diagnosis and manipulative treatment of misalignment of the joints, especially those of the spinal column, which are believed to cause other disorders by affecting the nerves, muscles, and organs. Chiropractors use a range of techniques to reduce pain, improve function and increase mobility, including hands-on manipulation of the spine. As well as manual treatment, chiropractors will sometimes advise on lifestyle changes that can help to improve your issues. Chiropractors are best known for treating back and neck pain but are also able to treat a wide range of musculoskeletal issues.
During your initial consultation with a chiropractor they will usually take a detailed medical history along with completing various clinical tests. They will use this information to formulate a detailed treatment plan. It is common with chiropractic care that the practitioner will advise you continue with ongoing maintenance. This can be from seeing them every few weeks to seeing them twice a year and will depend on what is right for you as well as the form of chiropractic they practice.


11:30 to 12:30 Lumberjack Camp: Come early to compete against a friend or a foe in log rolling.
1pm to 5pm: Kid's Game: Featuring: Felix Adler Children's Discovery Center Games, Iowa National Guard's Climbing Wall, the Lumber Baroness Tent featuring Miss Clinton County, and an appearance by Shocko the Clown.
Noon to Finish: Food Booths like Boy Scouts, Holly's Dogs, Rainbow Shaved Ice, and Jaycee's Beer Tent, Exhibitors like International Wood Carving Congress, and more!
The museum will be open for tours as well, and the vintage sawmill will be running oat the top of the hour. Regular admission applies. Sawing will begin on the hour every hour from 1pm.
At the gate, tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children (5-12).
The Festival is all volunteer ran outside of our two staff members. Download this form to find out about the volunteer opportunities.
The Lumberjack Festival is made possible by our great sponsors. To be a sponsor, contact Matt Parbs at 563.242.0343.


Republicans on the House Appropriations subcommittee took aim at the White House budget, voting to trim President Clinton's own office funds, eliminate his Council of Economic Advisers, and slash the National Security Council. Democrats charged such interference in White House operations was unprecedented.
Democrats in Congress, conceding they can't halt the GOP balanced-budget blueprint, labeled it an extremist plan for the rich. Republicans said the plan, which aims to eliminate the deficits by 2002, has the votes to pass the House and Senate. The program recommends slowing spending for Medicare and other social programs and giving a $245 billion tax cut to millions of people and companies, including the well-to-do. Because it only outlines what the GOP says "should be," it does not require President Clinton's signature.
After cutting nearly $3 billion from Clinton's foreign-aid proposal, House Republicans are fending off demands from within the party for even deeper cuts as they try to pass a veto-proof aid bill. On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee arrived at a bottom line: $73 million in new cuts, leaving aid and export support at just under $12 billion for the next fiscal year.
The House Appropriations Committee voted to cut off funding for proposed Department of Agriculture meat-safety rules. It also voted to slash the Interior Department's science programs by one-third.
The space shuttle Atlantis prepared for its docking with the Russian Mir space station today. It will deliver two Russian cosmonauts and bring home astronaut Norman Thagard.
Clinton told leaders at the one-day Pacific Rim conference in Oregon that reduced earning power and savings are the silent threat to the American dream. He called on the Pacific states to find ways to compete in the 21st century.
The American Bar Association pledged in a consent decree to change ground rules it uses to determine whether law schools get its prestigious stamp of approval. The Justice Department earlier filed a lawsuit alleging that the ABA pressured law schools to raise faculty salaries to artificially high levels before it would approve their programs. The Justice Department acted after the Massachusetts School of Law sued the ABA when it was denied accreditation.
Legislation aimed at curbing shareholder lawsuits against companies and their accountants is moving toward Senate passage, despite last-minute pleas from victims of Charles Keating's failed Lincoln Savings & Loan. Supporters say the bill would curb lawsuits aimed mostly at generating fees for lawyers.
Defense Secretary Perry warned Clinton following last week's vote by a federal base-closing commission that the Pentagon may propose rejecting the findings, the Washington Post said. The paper said Clinton would welcome such a suggestion, particularly in light of the controversy over base closings in key election states.
Federal authorities tightened security at California airports following a bomb threat that may be from the so-called "Unabomber." The FBI said the San Francisco Chronicle received a letter yesterday saying an airliner out of Los Angeles International Airport would be blown up within the next few days.
South Korean voters dealt President Kim a humiliating electoral blow yesterday, stripping his party of political control in major cities and provinces. Officials said Kim's ruling Democratic Liberal Party lost 10 of the 15 major contests in the poll, including the mayorship of Seoul. The elections were widely seen as a mid-term assessment of Kim.
Sudanese shot and wounded Egyptian soldiers patrolling the border between the two countries, Egyptian news media reported. Egypt has stepped up efforts to block goods coming illegally across the border from Sudan, including weapons apparently intended for use by Muslim extremists in Egypt. On Saturday, Egyptian security forces seized what they described as one of the largest caches of weapons ever smuggled into Egypt. Egyptian President Mubarak has accused Sudanese of being involved in the attempt to assassinate him. Sudanese leaders have denied the allegations. Mubarak also said he hoped the Sudanese people would overthrow their government but Egypt would not help by sending forces.
US Secretary of State Christopher opened negotiations between Israeli and Syrian military commanders on an Israeli pullback from the Golan Heights. Before the talks, Prime Minister Rabin said Israel's founding fathers never considered the Golan Heights an integral part of Israel. Israeli soldier, meanwhile, clased with Arab protesters in the West Bank yesterday as a hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners entered its 11th day. More than 1,000 lawyers began boycotting Israeli military courts as part of the campaign to free prisoners.
The US and Japan settled their auto dispute, Japan's NHK public TV quoted chief government spokesman Kozo Igarashi as saying. US negotiators reportedly softened their stance, saying they will not necessarily stick to numerical targets. US trade representative Kantor and Japanese trade minister Hashimoto had been trying to reach a deal before yesterday's midnight deadline.
US Defense Secretary Perry ended his first visit to Poland yesterday, saying his talks on US assistance in modernizing Poland's army on the road to NATO membership were productive.
The EU granted $8.7 billion to nine ex-communist nations, including the Hungary, Romania, and Lithuania. The package was a main objective of the EU summit in Cannes, France. British Prime Minister Major said the meeting was a glimpse of what the EU will look like in 10 years.
President Clinton has a new secret weapon in his golf bag. It's a sleek metal driver called the Peace Missile, fashioned from genuine Russian nuclear missile parts. Showing his new gift to reporters as he flew home from Portland, the president called this case of defense conversion the ultimate example of beating swords into plowshares.
A prize of $160,000 for a single work of fiction in English will be awarded beginning in 1996 by IMPAC, the largest productivity-enhancement company in the world. Known as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the prize becomes the largest monetary award for a work of fiction. James Irwin, president of IMPAC, chose Dublin as the location for the award because of its reputation as a literary city. The Dublin City Library will administer the award, and an international jury of writers will select the winner.
The number corresponding to each area is the percentage of homes sold that were within range of the median income household at the prevailing mortgage interest rate for January through March.
" I hope for the sake of the dear Sudan that it achieves what it wants - and achieving what it wants means the overthrow of the government."


text:
Barbary Sheep Hunt in Chad
SA Hunters Speech
Natural History Museums and Hunting – is there a Connection?
25 October 2013	by Peter Flack	in Articles
The British Natural History Museum in London, to me, the most beautiful building in the capitol.
This is one of the original three dioramas prepared by the famous London taxidermist, Rowland Ward and which can be found in the Natural History Museum in London, showing a huge Royal or giant sable from Angola as its centrepiece.
This is the largest of three dioramas prepared by the famous taxidermist, Rowland Ward, for the Natural History Museum in London and showing an extremely large East African greater kudu and two reticulated giraffes as its centrepieces.
This is one of the three original dioramas prepared by the taxidermist, Rowland Ward for the Natural History Museum in London and shows an okapi and bongo as its centrepieces.
The very rare Hunter's hartebeest in a diorama with a reticulated giraffe in the Powell-Cotton Museum.
A royal sable in a diorama at the Powell-Cotton Museum.
A collection of elephant tusks shot by Powell-Cotton in his natural history museum.
A mount of a huge elephant shot by Powell-Cotton in his natural history museum.
The famous map of Southern Africa produced by Le Vaillant for the King of France.
PHF and part of his collection of natural history specimens on Bankfontein game ranch before they were moved to Iziko Museum of South Africa in Cape Town.
The entrance to the main room of Powell-Cotton's Museum.
The main hall containing part of the Peter Flack collection on Bankfontein game ranch before it was moved to the Iziko Museum of South Africa.
Part of the Peter Flack Collection now housed in Iziko Museums of South Africa in Cape Town.
Growing up in Cape Town in a strictly non-hunting, non-shooting family, my interest in wildlife and hunting began with a trip to what was then called the Cape Town Museum or, as it is now known, the Iziko South African Museums. There were two parts that fascinated me most, firstly, the exhibits containing many life size figures of Bushmen featuring them in various natural poses including, as my memory serves me, ones of men hunting, and then the natural history section.
I was fascinated by the animals, both big and small. They were more varied and I could study them from far closer than any at zoo. Besides, our local excuse for a zoo, next to the University of Cape Town, was more famous for the fact that one of the lions removed and ate the calf of one of my fellow law students – whose leg slipped through the iron bars roofing their cage while racing a friend across it – than the limited variety of moth-eaten ex-wild animals it held.
And so began my long fascination with natural history museums. My all-time favourite is the British Natural History Museum in London, for a whole number of reasons. Firstly, with its pale beige and blue sandstone exterior, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in Britain. Secondly, as you walk through the entrance, at the bottom of the left hand staircase, is a bust of one of my hunting heroes, Frederick Courteney Selous and, lastly, if you climb those stairs, turn left at the top and then first right to the end of a long gallery, you come to three breathtaking dioramas by that greatest taxidermist of all time, Rowland Ward. It was here, for the first time, I saw up close, superb mounted examples of a bongo, okapi, giant sable and reticulated giraffe. To this day, each time I see them, I am taken aback by the magical aura they exude. So, whenever I visit London, I try hard not to miss a visit to the museum, if only for a few minutes to see these three exhibits if nothing else and, to this day, I would cut off a sensitive part of my anatomy for the opportunity to see, let alone photograph, an okapi in its natural environment, which remains the most magical and mystical of all Africa's many marvelous game animals.
Next on my list is the American Natural History Museum in New York. I was so bowled over by the whole elephant herd – males and females, big and small – in the Africa Room, mounted by Carl Akeley (the only taxidermist to my mind who can rival Rowland Ward), that my wife had to drag me away at the end of the day which I spent looking, studying and photographing the many superb exhibits in this room and the gallery of American wildlife which overlooks it.
High on my agenda during my visit to the United Kingdom last year, therefore, were visits to see Selous' collection of over 550 heads and Major Percy Powell-Cotton's Natural History Museum at his family home at Quex Park in Kent. My research led to instant disappointment. Selous' home, where he originally housed his collection, had been demolished and the heads transferred to the British Natural History Museum.
My research into Powell-Cotton was more successful and showed that he wrote two books about his hunting exploits. The first, edited by Rowland Ward himself and entitled, A Sporting Trip through Abyssinia – A Narrative of a Nine Month's Journey from the Plains of the Hawash to the Snows of Simien, with a Description of the Game, from Elephant to Ibex, and Notes on the Manners and Customs of the Natives was, in my opinion, a much better read than the subsequent book, which was not edited by Rowland Ward and called, In Unknown Africa – A Narrative of Twenty Month's Travel and Sport in Unknown Lands and among New Tribes.
My favourite story in his first book concerns his hunt for Walia ibex (the only goat indigenous to Africa and found only in Ethiopia), which can no longer be hunted there given the hopeless inefficiency of the so called Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority. They know little about the wildlife in the country, care even less and do little or nothing positive to conserve them.
The Major wrote as follows, "I rode back along the path for an hour, with my hunters, and, leaving the mule, turned to the right along the top of the cliffs, when we met a caravan and saw the men of another amusing themselves by rolling stones over the edge in the hopes of starting a herd of ibex; this, I learnt was a common custom, as the cliffs were too high to shoot from. With the aid of the glasses we soon discovered two bucks with good heads, and, in order to get to their grazing-ground, we followed the edge of the cliffs, in the hope of finding a path down, but could see no way possible, nor did the guide know of any, except the one I had been along yesterday, which branched off from where I had left the mule. For some time I lay on the spur of rock which commanded a good view of the valley, but, failing to see any game, I began to work back, and at length discovered a herd of fifteen does and a good-sized buck feeding in a narrow dell below. After a while I also made out the larger of the two we had seen in the morning, and as there appeared to be no possible means of approach, tried a long shot, which did no damage except scattering the herd. Immediately after this the clouds rolled up, blotting out the valley, and enveloping us in mist. The march back to camp against a cutting wind and driving sleet lasted two hours, and made my Somalis shake with cold. Next morning the hill-tops were white with snow, and the lowering clouds still clung to them, when I began searching yesterday's ground with a telescope, and soon found the herd in the valley next to the one where I had fired … We crossed the foot of the valley in which the ibex were grazing and began to work up the slope on the far side. Scattered clouds kept blowing about and impeding the view, and altogether it was anything but an ideal day for ibex stalking. Once, as a cloud rolled suddenly aside, I found the guide was taking us up in full view of the herd; after this we changed places, and I took the lead. A dip down and a scramble over bad ground brought us higher up the slope, which resembled the edge of a saw, sheer rocks representing the jag of the teeth, while the steep shelving ground, covered with coarse grass, giant lobelias, and patches of bush, took the places of the slant. Four villagers had followed us in the hopes of coming in for a share of the spoil, in the shape of meat, but these I ordered to stay behind near a ruined hut, while we four worked our way up to a part of massive rocks, from which I hope to see the ibex; in this, however, I was disappointed, for the clouds proved too thick. Here, for a time we came to a deadlock, being unable to make our way beyond the bluff; first we tried a narrow ledge of rock on the right, but found that it ended abruptly in a precipice, and when we turned back with difficulty to try the left side, the clouds all at once lifted and disclosed the herd, lying in full view under a rock about 400 yards off. The sulky guide could or would give no help, so, trusting to our own acumen, we tried another line, and first working downwards, after several futile attempts reached a higher tooth of the saw …
Ali and I now made our way round the cliff by an ibex-run, and under cover of the clouds got safely into the bed of a small rift. Working up this very slowly and carefully, so as not to dislodge the loose stones, we crawled round the base of a bluff to the neck of a small projecting plateau. Here we paused to take a break, and as I peeped over the side the clouds lifted a little, and to my joy I saw the herd all lying close together on a ledge some 70 yards off and slightly below us. A moment later the clouds shut down again, and I got into my favourite shooting position, sitting, elbows resting inside knees, and a stick grasped between thumb and barrel. What an age it seemed, waiting in the murky gloom! Every moment I expected to hear a cry of alarm and the rattle of descending stones, as the herd dashed off, and all chance of a shot was lost. Once it grew bright enough to make out shadowy forms, next the wind seemed to blow right in their direction, and I made sure they must scent us, but fortune favoured us: the clouds cleared away, and I saw the largest male standing stern to us. There was no time to lose, so, aiming rather far back, I fired, and saw his legs collapsed under him, as he slid partly off the ledge, stone-dead … "
Early in July last year, with my new Tom Tom firmly stuck to the windscreen of my hire car, I set sail to see Powell-Cotton's Quex Park trophy collection described by Jim Casada in his foreword to the reprint of the Major's first book as, "the best ever assembled in England – even finer than that amassed by William Cotton Oswell at his home in Kent or the collection of Fred Selous at Worplesdon. In the words of one scientific observer, Quex House held a vast number of trophies, remarkable examples of the taxidermist's art, in dioramas illustrative of different African and Indian habitats, as well as African weapons and artefacts."
I was not disappointed either by the collection or the man who had hunted them, although the curator seemed almost ashamed that they had been hunted and was at pains to point out the benefits to science of such a collection. And these were certainly real enough as even a cursory examination of the Powell-Cotton website will show, with scientific papers derived from studying the collection on subjects as diverse as Megafauna in Motion, Pickled Toads, The Powell-Cotton Primate Collection: Windows in to "Other Worlds" and Shoulder Functional Anatomy and Development Implications for Interpreting Early Hominid Locomotion, to name but a few.
No-one can deny the importance to science of such irreplaceable collections but, to my mind, this is completely overshadowed by the instant joy and wonder displayed by children when they are in the presence of these animals. In my many visits to natural history museums around the world, the areas that are most popular with children are the ones showing full mounted animals in lifelike, action poses combined with other mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and vegetation against background scenery from their natural habitat and, if I close my eyes, I can easily hear their excited questions and chatter. I wonder how many careers in conservation, zoology and marine biology, to name but three, have begun with a visit to the natural history section of a museum. Have you taken your kids to a natural history museum lately? If so you will know exactly what I am writing about.
As for my own collection, which is confined to African game animals and includes all but nine of the 129 African game animals currently available on licence, well, it was originally due to go to the Graaff Reinet Municipality. Nothing would have given me greater pleasure to have seen it housed in this beautiful old town and helping to attract more tourists to the region and, in turn, providing more jobs and revenue so badly needed in our rural areas. It was not to be. Despite raising a significant amount of money towards the construction of a facility to house the collection, the committee charged with this responsibility could not settle on a single plan of action. After over four years of trying to help them make a decision – any decision – my lease of the buildings which housed my collection was about to expire and so, when the Iziko South African Museum expressed a concrete interest in housing it, it was not long before the agreement in question was signed and sealed. The some 300 bird and animal mounts moved there in October last year and already some have been used as part of The King's Map Exhibition, a joint effort by the French and South African governments, curated by Professor Ian Glen of UCT, to commemorate Le Vaillant's exploratory trips through southern Africa and the large, beautiful, silk map he produced of his travels. It is worth a visit.
The museum itself is busy undergoing a major R300 million construction program to increase its size and so only a few of the animals in my collection have been displayed in a new exhibition entitled, Herbivores and Carnivores – Ecology of the African Savanna. Apparently the title, The Hunger Games, proposed by a university academic, was seen as "too edgy," whatever that might mean.
The donation to the museum has not been without controversy as is to be expected in Cape Town where everything and anything affecting animals, dead or alive, creates heated emotions and debate. The fires in this case were stoked by another professor at UCT and soon I was on the receiving end of really nasty emails, some threatening to shoot me and others hoping I would contract cancer and die a lingering and painful death. This resulted in a radio discussion in January where the animal rightists responsible for the emails were represented by the usual type of person – high on emotion and bereft of fact or science based information. When confronted by empirical evidence contrary to her views, the response again was the usual one – ignore the facts and merely repeat what you said previously, only louder this time.
Not content with the results of the radio discussion, the animal rightists demanded and were granted the right to debate the matter in May in the Museum's lecture theatre under the heading, The Elephant in the Room: The ethics of collecting natural history specimens and their role in today's society. Seven speakers were invited to each make five minute introductory speeches before the matter was opened to the floor for questions. The result was an action replay of the radio discussion. The letter of thanks to me from the Museum for participating in the debate stated:
"On behalf of the management at Iziko, I would like to thank you officially for participating in the discussion yesterday evening. I think that overall it went off quite well, although there is obviously not agreement it has opened up the discussion. It has certainly generated quite a lot of debate amongst the staff during this morning. I was pleased to see the excellent take-up of your book and dvd afterwards too … I know that you certainly gained several supporters last night … Thanks and best regards"
For those who would like to read what I said during the radio discussion and/or the Museum debate, please see my blog – www.peterflack.co.za/blog/. Since then, the horrific emails have ceased but I am sure the animal rightists will not only continue their intimidatory tactics and their attempts to hamper genuine conservation but also do what they can to deprive children and others of the ability to enjoy wildlife up close and scientists the opportunity to increase our knowledge of wildlife, wildlife habitats and related subjects. Their methods are crude, cruel and cowardly. For the sake of our wildlife and wildlife habitats, we cannot allow them to succeed!
collecting natural history specimens