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A 6ft garden Christmas tree planted by a couple 30 years ago now towers over their home after growing to 50ft tall. Avril Rowlands, 64, and her husband Christopher, 65, bought the pine tree from a garden centre for £6 in 1979 and expected it to grow to around 10ft. To celebrate planting it in their front garden, the couple took a photograph of it with their new home and garage in the background. But after 30 years of care and attention the tree stands 50ft tall and it is still growing. The tree is now the focal point of...

Link only (that's a shame) - Tips on protecting against Christmas tree fires

Why should any visitor to a Christian country be offended by Christian traditions and decorations? I’m not offended by the overt signs of other countries’ differing religions and traditions; in fact, I enjoy them. What is more, I know for sure that there are Christmas trees and decorations in Dubai, that go up as the Eid celebration finishes. One officious counter lady in our local PO tried to stop me using a proper (ie Religious) stamp on a card to Dubai 2 years ago. She was astonished when I told her that she would see Christmas decorations there...

U.S. President Barack Obama (R), First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha (2nd L) and Maila (R) take their seats for the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse in Washington December 3, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES POLITICS)

Call me crazy, but just in case Ogabe tries to shut down the Internet, how can we communicate? A friend suggested Freenet, but that still requires ISP's. Someone else mentioned that the Eagle Forum etc. used to use faxes and phone trees back in the 80's. Does anyone have any thoughts on where to put a phone number so I can get a call when if the unthinkable happens?

WORCESTER, Mass.- A Worcester, Mass., man said he will not appeal the city's order to tear down the $12,000 four-story tree house he built on his property . Michael Chapman, 48 -- who built the tree house over the course of three months from more than a ton of pressure-treated lumber, 1,000 feet of rope, about 500 lag screws and 48 feet of rebar -- said the city ordered him to remove the tree house by Nov. 2 and he intends to abide by the order, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday. Officials from Worcester's Department of Inspectional Services said they...

National Geographic photographer Michael Nichols is one of the world's foremost wildlife photographers. But he recently said that he'd happily spend the rest of his life photographing trees. Of course, the folks over at National Geographic would almost certainly never hear of it. Nichols' newfound love developed after a serious, yearlong relationship with redwoods. National Geographic sent Nichols to spend an entire year in California's redwood forest. His mission was to capture the majesty of some of the tallest trees on Earth, some of which date back before Christ. And if you've ever photographed in a forest, you'll understand the...

DENVER -- The "Tree Fairy" camouflages himself in foliage and said he is guided by the light of the moon. "My mother wants me to quit. My sister seems to want me to quit. They think I am a little crazy and are worried I might go to jail," said the Tree Fairy. The Tree Fairy wants to remain anonymous on his unique mission of goodwill. An elfish angel of sorts, the Tree Fairy finds joy in planting trees in the yards of unsuspecting neighbors. "I like nature. I wanted to live around nature. I really wanted to live in...

Czech archaeologists have uncovered a unique 1000-year-old mark engraved into an oak tree the remains of which were found near Celakovice in Prague, which is probably the oldest preserved sign of this kind in the world. According to a report from the Czech News Agency, the real meaning of the 10-cm star-shaped mark on the oak trunk is not certain. Experts say it may have marked the territory or serve some iconic purposes. This find is rare as so old engraved signs were not previously mapped and they are not systematically searched for either, archaeologist Jana Marikova of the Academy...

JASLO, Poland (Reuters) – An oak tree planted in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War Two to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday may soon face the axe if the local mayor has her way. Authorities in Jaslo in rural southeastern Poland discovered the origins of the tree when plans were lodged to fell it to make way for a traffic roundabout. "We obtained information that this is no ordinary tree but was put here to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday," said Jaslo's mayor, Maria Kurowska. "So should I try to improve our town's communications or should I allow a memorial to that criminal...

A tree planted in a Polish town in honor of Adolf Hitler's birthday has received its death sentence. The local government of Jaslo, a southeastern Polish town, wants to fell and burn the 67-year-old oak tree, which was brought by the Nazi occupying force from the Austrian town where Hitler grew up. Jaslo's mayor, Maria Kurowska, wants to uproot the town's Nazi past by removing the tree and planting a new tree to be dedicated to the memories of Polish officers who were killed by Soviet police in April 1940. The mayor did not mention whether a new tree would...

The skeeters are so thick you can't breath unless you keep moving. Not many critters out, except during twilight hours. I got these shots just rambling around yesterday.

An art exhibition in Civic Center Plaza could kill trees and should be removed immediately, a certified arborist has warned city officials. Acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty in March installed his “The Upper Crust” exhibit, which is 18,000 pounds of freshly cut willow saplings interwoven in the sycamore treetops. Tree advocates at the time expressed concerns that the exhibit could harm the trees, and a March 31 arborist report seems to validate those worries. “To protect the trees from possible harm, it is my recommendation that the sculptures be removed from the trees immediately,” certified arborist Roy Leggitt said in a...

The following video is real. The animals are eating the fermented fruit of the Marula tree. The Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) is a medium-sized dioecious tree, indigenous to the miombo woodlands of Southern Africa and the Sudano-Sahelian range of West Africa. The tree is a single stemmed tree with a wide spreading crown. It is characterised by a grey mottled bark. The tree grows up to 18m tall mostly in low altitudes and open woodlands. The fruits are used in the liqueur Amarula. The distribution of this species throughout Africa has followed the Bantu in their migrations, as it has been...

Russian doctors find tree growing in man's lung 12:17 | 13/ 04/ 2009 MOSCOW, April 13 (RIA Novosti) - Surgeons in Russia's Urals Region were staggered to find a 5-centimeter high spruce growing inside a man's lung, the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported on Monday. The discovery was made while Artyom Sidorkin, 28, from the Urals city of Izhevsk, was undergoing surgery. Sidorkin had complained of extreme pain in his chest and had been coughing up blood, doctors suspected cancer. "I blinked three times and thought I was seeing things," Izhevsk surgeon Vladimir Kamashev told the paper. Medical staff believe Sidorkin...

A reward is being offered by the city's parks department after nearly 20 trees were recently discovered chopped down inside Manhattan's Inwood Hill Park. NY1's Amanda Farinacci filed the following report. Signs are posted all over Inwood Hill Park after the Parks Department said its employees discovered 17 trees chopped down and left to rot across the 200-acre park. "We have serial tree killer operating in Inwood Hill Park. Right around this time last year somebody killed 35 red cedar trees, obviously deliberately. Now we've got another 17 over the last week or so," said Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe....

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. , Dec. 24, 2008 – A reservist with the 940th Air Refueling Wing here was selected by California's 2nd district congressman and the 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander to design an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. The ornament for the White House Christmas tree designed by Chief Master Sgt. Stuart Bisland, an Air Force reservist at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., showcases the emerging intelligence missions performed there. Bisland was asked by California's second district congressman and the 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander to design an ornament for the White House tree. (Courtesy photo)  (Click...

At least in this case study from Absurd Britannia, the backtracking began almost immediately. "Mother told to take down her Christmas lights... in case they offend her non-Christian neighbours," from the Daily Mail, December 16 (thanks to James): A woman has spoken of how she was told to remove her Christmas lights by a housing association worker - in case they offended her non-Christian neighbours. Dorothy Glenn decorates her home in South Shields with hundreds of festive lights every year, including a giant tree and a 4ft Santa Claus. But she was left stunned this year when a South Tyneside...

PARRISH — A 37-year-old man who lives with his parents was arrested on a felony assault charge after he used a Christmas tree as a weapon in an attempted attack on his father, according to a sheriff’s report. Manatee deputies arrested Thomas Edward Lackie of the 3300 block of 92nd Avenue East in Parrish last week after hearing a description of the altercation from his parents. According to an arrest report, Lackie lost his temper around 9 p.m. Wednesday and threw a 3-foot-tall Christmas tree at his father. The tree missed, but Lackie then tried to use the steel base...

BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- The final showdown is unfolding at UC Berkeley. As campus police move in on the tree sitters occupying the last of the remaining trees. There have been many violent confrontations between police and protestors. Objects thrown, weapons drawn, people arrested - it's all going down right now at UC Berkeley. Campus police in a cherry-picker are actively trying to get the tree sitters down from their perch in a redwood tree. A dramatic ending to the nearly two-year protest over the removal of trees to build a new university sports complex.

Sarah Palin is the 12th cousin of John McCain, 8th cousin of George W. Bush and 10th cousin of Barack Obama.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A couple accused of tying their 13-year-old son to a tree for two nights to punish him for disobedience has been charged with murder in his death, authorities said Friday. Brice Brian McMillan, 41, of Macclesfield, told a deputy that the child was being disobedient and was forced to sleep outside Tuesday while tied to a tree, the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office said. The teenager was released Wednesday morning but again tied up that night for bad behavior, authorities said. The boy was left tied to the tree until the following afternoon when his stepmother found him...

Tree from 2,000-year-old seed is doing well By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID , AP Science WriterJune 12, 2008 (AP) -- Just over three years old and about four-feet tall, Methuselah is growing well. "It's lovely," Dr. Sarah Sallon said of the date palm, whose parents may have provided food for the besieged Jews at Masada some 2,000 years ago. The little tree was sprouted in 2005 from a seed recovered from Masada, where rebelling Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to Roman attackers. Radiocarbon dating of seed fragments clinging to its root, as well as other seeds found with it that...

Rare coconut tree on sale for $1m By John James BBC News Abidjan No buyers have come forward for the tree Scientists in Ivory Coast are trying to sell a rare multi-headed coconut tree for a million dollars. They have yet to find a buyer. Most coconut palms have a single trunk and head - this one has three heads. "It is a rare botanical curiosity", says Dr Roland Bourdeix, who works with the Marc Delorme coconut research station outside Abidjan. "We have 150,000 palm trees in this research plantation and there is only one which has three heads like...

World’s oldest, 8,000 years old tree found in Sweden April 10th, 2008 - 11:23 pm ICT RIA Novosti Stockholm, April 10 (RIA Novosti) Scientists in northern Sweden believe they have discovered the world’s oldest living tree dating back nearly 8,000 years, local media said Thursday. A Norway spruce, which was found growing at a height of 950 metres above sea level, is more than two metres (6.5 feet) tall and about 20 centimeters (8 inches) in width. Shortly after the discovery, scientists sent samples from the tree to a laboratory in Miami, US, and were amazed to learn that the...

SEATTLE -- He was kicked while he was down, but he eventually found way to build a new life. But now, David Csaky is on the brink of another fall. Two years ago Csaky found himself homeless, surrounded by dead-ends. "I was divorced, I had bad credit, I have animals with me," he said. "I have two walls against me. I can't hurdle either one."But then he found three sturdy trees under the Ship Canal Bridge in the Eastlake neighborhood and decided to build himself a tree house. While earning a very modest living by rescuing animals, Csaky kept plugging...

Scientists Reshape Y Chromosome Haplogroup Tree Gaining New Insights Into Human Ancestry ScienceDaily (Apr. 3, 2008) — The Y chromosome retains a remarkable record of human ancestry, since it is passed directly from father to son. In an article published in Genome Research scientists have utilized recently described genetic variations on the part of the Y chromosome that does not undergo recombination to significantly update and refine the Y chromosome haplogroup tree. Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes: 22 pairs of autosomes, and one pair of sex chromosomes. Females carry a pair of X chromosomes that can swap, or...

Cats' Family Tree Rooted In Fertile Crescent, Study ConfirmsCats, with their penchant for hunting mice, rats and other rodents, became useful companions as people domesticated, grew and stored wild grains and grasses. Eventually, cats also became pets but were never fully domesticated. Even today, most domestic cats remain self-sufficient, if necessary, and continue to be efficient hunters, even when provided with food. (Credit: Michele Hogan) ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2008) — The Fertile Crescent of the Middle East has long been identified as a "cradle of civilization" for humans. In a new genetic study, researchers at the University of California, Davis,...

$50,000 REWARD IN DEATHS OF TREE FARMER, 2 OTHERSRobbery may be motive in slayings Authorities describe how shootings occurred Associated Press INDEPENDENCE, Va. --The family of a prominent North Carolina tree farmer has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for his slaying, as well as that of his son and an employee. Authorities said robbery was the apparent motive in the shooting deaths Thursday of Ronald Hudler, 75, his son Frederick Hudler, 45, and an employee, 25-year-old John Miller. The three were slain on Ronald Hudler's property in Mouth of Wilson, Va., just...

AMSTERDAM, 24/01/08 - The Anne Frank Tree in Amsterdam will be left in place for at least five to ten years. A special construction will support the world-famous chestnut, Arnold Heertje, a committee member of the Support Anne Frank Tree foundation, reported yesterday. The Jewish girl Anne Frank looked out on the chestnut from her hiding place in WWII and wrote about it in her world-famous diary. The announcement at the end of 2007 that the tree would be felled prompted worldwide attention in the media. On the internet, chestnuts from the tree were offered for sale for hundreds of...

'Tree Of Life' Has Lost A Branch, According To Largest Genetic Comparison Of Higher Life Forms EverThe four new super-groups of life are Plants (green and red algae, and plants; Opisthokonts (amoebas, fungi, and all animals—including humans; Excavates (free-living organisms and parasites; SAR (the new main group, an abbreviation of Stramenophiles, Alveolates, and Rhizaria, the names of some of its members). (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Oslo) ScienceDaily (Jan. 22, 2008) — Norwegian and Swiss biologists have made a startling discovery about the relationship between organisms that most people have never heard of. The Tree of Life must be...

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - A self-destructing palm tree that flowers once every 100 years and then dies has been discovered on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, botanists said Thursday. The name of the giant palm and its remarkable life cycle will be detailed in a study by Kew Gardens scientists in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society published Thursday. "It's spectacular. It does not flower for maybe 100 years and when it's like this it can be mistaken for other types of palm," said Mijoro Rakotoarinivo, who works for the London botanical gardens in Madagascar. "But then a large...

TOKYO - Warren Nobuaki Iwatake's family has seen more than its share of calamity. When he was still a child his father was lost at sea off Hawaii. With no breadwinner, his family was forced to move to Japan, where Iwatake was drafted during the war. He lost a brother when the bomb fell on Hiroshima.

Warren Nobuaki Iwatake's family has seen more than its share of calamity. His father was lost at sea off Hawaii. His family was forced to move to Japan, where he was drafted during the war. He lost a brother when the bomb fell on Hiroshima. But through it all, one thing has remained constant: the tree. His parents bought it in 1937, and his family has brought it out every Christmas since, even when that meant risking arrest. "This tree was a shining light, because it was a symbol of unity in my family," Mr. Iwatake said as he and...

Third Brigade Combat Team Soldiers waved Chemlights while singing Christmas carols during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Dec. 8, at Forward Operating Base Hammer. Photo by Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs. FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) attended a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Dec. 8, at Forward Operating Base Hammer to welcome a Christmas season spent with their Army family. “I enjoyed the ceremony. It was very motivating and very uplifting,� said Staff. Sgt. Derrick Mears, from Richmond, Va., a communications non-commissioned officer in Headquarters...

SIERRA VISTA — Ron and Joanne Wagner were guests of honor during a special celebration at Sierra Vista Middle School on Monday. The Wagners, who had purchased a Christmas tree that had been donated to the Festival of Trees by the middle school, gave the tree back to the school for students and staff to enjoy. This marked the fourth year the Wagners purchased a tree at the Festival and returned it to the school that donated it. All the ornaments on the tree were hand made by special education students. Now on display in the school library, the tree...

Missouri State University is once again featuring a Christmas tree in strong hall. The tree was put up the day before thanksgiving, but then taken down on Monday. School officials say they did it because there was a need for discussion regarding holiday symbols. Everyone we talked to on campus today said putting the tree back up was the right decision. But, this story is about more than just a Christmas tree. Celebrating Christmas with a tree was not the beginning of concern surrounding religion at Missouri State. "Issues have been raised over the years and this was probably the...

It’s cool to be “Green” right now. NBC devoted a week of programming gimmicks to being “Green,” with recycling and environmental efforts taking over some part of all of their hit shows. Meanwhile, Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize and Overture studios shipped out sapling trees with their fall preview kits. Just two signs we’ve seen in the last few weeks that being environmentally conscious is suddenly the right place to be. New York City is following in the trend this year with their oversized Christmas tree. The Rockefeller Center perennial will use LED lighting (light emitting diodes) to...

Row over 'tree man' virus samples By Felix Lowe and agencies Last Updated: 5:00pm GMT 26/11/2007 An Indonesian fisherman who developed tree-like growths on his hands and feet is at the centre of an international medical spat after his country's health minister criticised doctors trying to treat him. Indonesia's health minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, lambasted the US doctor currently treating the 35-year-old man, who has the rare affliction caused by the Human Papilloma Virus. Indonesia's health minister Siti Fadilah Supari (second right) inspects Dede's tree-like growths Mrs Supari is angry that Dr Anthony Gaspari has taken blood and tissue samples...

Amsterdam - Tree surgeons are to examine whether the so-called Anne Frank tree in Amsterdam can be supported to prevent it from falling over. Campaigners believe the tree can be saved after all. The chestnut tree that Anne Frank wrote about in her diary has been the subject of fierce debate in the Dutch capital for some time. The capital's city council wanted to cut the tree down next Wednesday, because it is diseased and there are fears it could fall down. Neighbourhood residents and the Tree Foundation want the tree to be saved.

THE HAGUE (AFP) - A diseased chestnut tree that was fondly described by Anne Frank in her diary about life in hiding under Nazi occupation will be cut down next week, Amsterdam officials said Tuesday. "Initially the tree had been granted a reprieve until January but a new report last week showed that only 28 percent of the wood in the trunk was healthy," Ton Boon of the Amsterdam Centrum borough told AFP. "It is irresponsible to leave it standing. The report shows the tree doesn't even need a storm to snap in two," he explained. Although a licence to...

Melting Glacier Reveals Ancient Tree Stumps LiveScience.com Tue Oct 30, 2:15 PM ET Melting glaciers in Western Canada are revealing tree stumps up to 7,000 years old where the region's rivers of ice have retreated to a historic minimum, a geologist said today. Johannes Koch of The College of Wooster in Ohio found the fresh-looking, intact tree stumps beside retreating glaciers in Garibaldi Provincial Park, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Radiocarbon dating of the wood from the stumps revealed the wood was far from fresh—some of it dated back to within a few thousand years...

How Old Tree Rings And Ancient Wood Are Helping Rewrite History ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2007) — Cornell archaeologists are rewriting history with the help of tree rings from 900-year-old trees, wood found on ancient buildings and through analysis of the isotopes (especially radiocarbon dating) and chemistry they can find in that wood.Sturt Manning talks to visitors during a demonstration of the tree-ring laboratory following his presentation during Trustee/Council Weekend. At the lecture, Manning explained how students and lab staff members precisely dated a wooden support beam from McGraw Hall to 1870. (Credit: Jason Koski/Cornell University Photography)" By collecting thousands of...

700-year-old tree coffin discovered in Quang Tri 17:43' 04/09/2007 (GMT+7) VietNamNet Bridge – The Quang Tri Museum has recently received an ancient coffin made from a tree trunk, according to the museum’s director, Mai Truong Manh. The coffin was discovered on August 28 in Trung Chi village, Dong Luong ward, Dong Ha commune at 1.2 m underground when local residents were digging for the construction of an electricity post. The coffin is 2.25 m in length, 0.49 m in width and 0.28 m in height with the body and lid skillfully done. According to experts, burying the dead in tree...

I just watched this on ABC. California (Berkely) was playing the University of Tennessee (at Cal). The conversation happened around 5:50 local time. Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and the sideline reporter named Lisa were discussing a bunch of Berkely students who were living in trees outside the stadium. Lisa: "Well Brent as you were mentioning, about those folks up in the trees, the reason that they're so upset is that, the University of California, has proposed a $125 million dollar project. They want to build a training facility for the athletes here at the University of California, and they want...

Campers tie up man accused of peeping at women Campers tied this man to a tree after they believe they caught him peeping at women going to the bathroom at a campsite near Estacada over the weekend.     Story Published: Aug 22, 2007 at 12:36 PM PDT Story Updated: Aug 22, 2007 at 6:10 PM PDT By KATU Web Staff   ESTACADA, Ore. - A group of campers over the weekend caught a man they say was watching women go to the bathroom in the woods - a man who allegedly told them he had been doing similar...

Kenyan Fossils May Add New Branch to Human Family Tree John Roach for National Geographic News August 8, 2007 A pair of fossils recently discovered in Kenya is challenging the straight-line story of human evolution. Traditional evolutionary theories of the genus Homo suggest a successive progression: Homo habilis gave rise to Homo erectus, which then begat modern humans, Homo sapiens. H. erectus is commonly seen as the most similar ancestor to modern humans, differing mostly by having a brain about three-quarters the size. But the newly found upper jawbone and skull, which come from two separate skeletons, suggest that H....

Residents are pulling for a neighbor who was forced to amputate his left leg below the knee using pocket knives after a tree fell on him, pinning him for about 11 hours. Al Hill, 66, was cutting trees on a property near the Big Dipper Mine last Friday when a tree fell on his leg and trapped him, authorities said. Alone in the woods and in an area where cellular phone service is spotty or nonexistent, Hill was forced to take the extreme measure to save himself. Eventually, a neighbor in the area heard Hill's cries for help. Eric Bookey...

France: One in three racist 20/03/2007 21:06 - (SA) Racism 'rampant' in France Paris - Nearly one in three French adults describe themselves as racist, according to a report published in Paris on Tuesday. The report, prepared by the National Consultative Human Rights Committee (CNCDH), found that 30% of the people they contacted in 2006 said they were racist. In addition, 48% said there were too many immigrants in France. According to the report, more than half of the people questioned blamed immigrants for their not being integrated in society, and 58% said that "certain behaviour can sometimes justify a...

Using tea tree oil can increase MRSA risk Last Updated: 2:04am GMT 16/02/2007 A common ingredient in many beauty products can increase the user's chances of suffering from "superbug" infections including MRSA, it was warned today. Scientists have discovered that repeated exposure to low doses of tea tree oil could endanger people. The experts from the University of Ulster revealed exposure to low doses of the oil made pathogens such as MRSA, E.coli and salmonella more resistant to antibiotics, and capable of causing more serious infections. Tea tree oil is commonly used in beauty products, but there is no legislation...