Succulents: Euphorbia balsamifera

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
GROWING PERESKIA The Original Cactus Needs Your Attention Pereskia are really not very well-known plants. Even among succulent lovers, they are certainly not highly prized. The fact they are a significant part of the Cataceae group still does not reward them special attention. Often, botanists will tell you, that they are usually found only in botanical gardens. Yet, they serve as a significant starting point for the debate about the origin of cacti. For some, these are the first cacti, before evolution and mutation took its course; the debate on the origin of succulents rages on daily. The real reason for their obscurity may have more to do with the fact they need a highly tropical climate to survive. Yes, they are interesting plants, and they are some of my favourite cacti. The fact that they are not really seen as true succulents, make them even much more substantial to me. Have a look at some plants in these photos, and decide what you think. Lots more are available on the interne...
Read more
British Politics Today Politics is sometimes difficult to comprehend. Or should I say that politicians are difficult to comprehend. It took one little incident at the Labour Party conference to expose them for what they really are. In case you are not aware, during the Foreign Secretary's speech on why the country went to war in Iraq, an eighty two year old labour party member shouted, "Nonsense. You know that is a lie." He was then manhandled, taken out of his seat, and then escorted out of the hall. Later, when he tried to return to the building he was detained under the new anti-terror laws. The actions of the labour party are typical of politics today. Gone are the moments when there are actual debates about policy. Often, policies are now decided by a small clique, or even in some cases by a single individual, and the rank and file are forced to accept it. More disturbing are the slick media presentations of the policies, often to give the impression that they have c...
Read more
Image
London Heathrow Terminal 5 The opening of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport yesterday reminds us how easily grand schemes can go wrong. The boast, since it was formerly opened by The Queen about a month ago, that this was to be the most advanced terminal in the world seemed quite hollow. And the opening chaos which followed, probably caught most of the general public by surprise. The truth is, whatever the pretensions of T5, it will probably suffer the well documented failures, just like any other Terminal. They are probably banking on the the grand food hall's elegant design, the highbrow restaurants, and the shopping arcades, to keep the travellers occupied even when things go wrong. Even if these elements do offer better service than at the other terminals, no one should seriously believe that this will make any difference to the airline's reputation. Remember this is a very unique situation where an airline, British Airways, has a terminal all for itself. Yet, when it gets it ...
Read more