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Archive for May, 2010

As the winter in Mediterranean climates is also the rainy season, weeds can germinate and cover wider areas so rampantly, that the gardener is usually interested in preventing weeds or at least keeping them down before they spread, develop, and really start to cause problems. In large-scale situations, the professional landscaper may resort to using pre-emergent herbicides, which kill the weeds shortly after they have sprouted. Some products are available for application in the private garden, and many home gardeners are attracted by the thought of their garden being weed-free for the duration of the winter.There are a number of excellent reasons however, why the temptation should be resisted, especially considering that an alternative in the form of organic mulch, does exist, at least for the small scale of the private garden. Before dealing with the benefits of organic mulch, let's look at the drawbacks of applying pre-emergent weed killers.*Pre-emergent herbicides possess residual properties, meaning that their poisonous ingredients are active in the topsoil for a certain period of time. The correct dosages per square meter or yard have to be strictly adhered to, in order to avoid damage to neighboring plants, and to the health of the soil itself. .. more »

Beware - Myths and NonsenseThe Kitty Genovese Syndrome & Yelling "Fire!"Debunking a Flawed Crime Escape SchemeWinston Moseley attacked and stabbed 24-year-old Kitty Genovese at 3 a.m. on the street near her Kew Gardens home in Queens NY on 11 March 1964. Her screams prompted one neighbor to shout out, causing Moseley to flee, but he soon returned to rape the helpless, bleeding woman and stab her to death. Her subsequent screams throughout the 30-minute ordeal fell on the deaf ears of 38 of her neighbors. Other than the neighbor who'd shouted just once, not a single one lifted a finger to help her or even call the police.A national news media furor erupted over the neighbors' stunning apathy but they refused to explain their baffling behavior.Sprouting from this morass, some commentator concocted a scheme to counter such apathy in the future: all outdoor crime victims should yell, "Fire!" instead of "Help! Police!" Supposedly, apathetic neighbors would fear a fire spreading to their homes and call the Fire Department, and then fire trucks would scare away the attacker.UNTESTEDThough never tested for feasibility, and despite the rarity of such apathy, this goofy notion somehow grew into "folk wisdom" still taught today by .. more »