Yeah, it's random again
Feb. 11th, 2005 08:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sff_corgi_ljFor some reason, I felt moved to look up information about figs. Yes, the fruit. Al Roker's show on Food Network (Roker on the Road) had, as one of its recent segments, a profile on 'the girl and the fig' restaurant in Sonoma (Northern California). One of the things that puzzled me was the statement that figs are 'inverted flowers' -- the skin is actually stem or something. So I found this: http://www.innvista.com/health/foods/fruits/figs.htm... and found even more so, this:
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/gallfig.htm. Wayne's Word's pretty neat! It's a virtual natural history textbook.
Anyway, the thing about figs is that they're actually syconia, not fruit in the traditional sense. The fig fruit are actually inside after, in some varieties, this incredibly small wasp fertilises the female flowers inside the syconium. The fig 'seeds' ARE the real fruit.
Paging Mister Barnum... Mister Barnum, please pick up the white courtesy egress. There are such things as mermaids... sort of. Take a look at the pictures in this BBC news article, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4235033.stm. Sirenomelia is a birth defect, not unlike conjoined twins. This little girl from Peru (is it just selective memory, or are there an awful lot of birth defects from Peru getting repaired here?) is already having her skin stretched to close the separation wounds; she'll have operations for her whole childhood at the least, but hopefully things will work out optimally.
Funny thing is, I'd been wondering what Christo was up to, despite the fact that I could have checked on the internet, no? And all of a sudden, here's The Gates. It's an installation running all throughout Central Park. The arches themselves have been installed, and the saffron curtains depending from the tops of the rectangular frames will be unfurled tomorrow. Can't wait to see a picture from the air on a breezy day!
---=>°<=--- Strong and possibly harsh opinion below:
Charles/Camilla -- it's been 35 years, he's always been interested in a relationship with her, and to put it rudely, any Dianaists can get over it and get stuffed. Let the man manage his own life. Diolch yn fawr.
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/gallfig.htm. Wayne's Word's pretty neat! It's a virtual natural history textbook.
Anyway, the thing about figs is that they're actually syconia, not fruit in the traditional sense. The fig fruit are actually inside after, in some varieties, this incredibly small wasp fertilises the female flowers inside the syconium. The fig 'seeds' ARE the real fruit.
Paging Mister Barnum... Mister Barnum, please pick up the white courtesy egress. There are such things as mermaids... sort of. Take a look at the pictures in this BBC news article, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4235033.stm. Sirenomelia is a birth defect, not unlike conjoined twins. This little girl from Peru (is it just selective memory, or are there an awful lot of birth defects from Peru getting repaired here?) is already having her skin stretched to close the separation wounds; she'll have operations for her whole childhood at the least, but hopefully things will work out optimally.
Funny thing is, I'd been wondering what Christo was up to, despite the fact that I could have checked on the internet, no? And all of a sudden, here's The Gates. It's an installation running all throughout Central Park. The arches themselves have been installed, and the saffron curtains depending from the tops of the rectangular frames will be unfurled tomorrow. Can't wait to see a picture from the air on a breezy day!
| The news is all a-dither about the Prince of Wales finally proposing to Camilla. I'm wondering how much the heralds will get involved, as she's Duchess of Cornwall automatically, but the title of Princess has to be granted. Given, the rules about how and when are relatively strict, but still 'the Crown is the font of all honours'. Look at what Her Majesty's grudge against her aunt-in-law did. The Duchess of Windsor was never 'Her Royal Highness' despite having married the eldest son of a king of However, it appears that the Heir's wife can't avoid being 'HRH' according to law. Also, here's the statement on Camilla's future titles from the Royal Family's official website: Mrs. Parker Bowles will use the title HRH The Duchess of Cornwall after marriage.She'll be the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, as that's HRH's principal title north of the Wall. The City of Chester is wondering if she'll be Countess Chester, too. No, stupid news people, she will NOT be 'The Princess of Wales'. Ever. Try looking around a little first -- if nothing else, it's a smooth short road to being unpopular with the sheeple. I almost feel sorry for Her Majesty, though. She so hated her uncle doing this, and now her son's doing almost the same thing (only with, y'know, more spine involved). Certainly far more gracious than any of those shallow louts on either side of the Atlantic (or wherever else appropriate) who keep using the phrase 'horse-faced' like it makes a BLOODY bit of difference what the woman looks like to anyone. I'd call them 'pigs' except that's insulting Ceridwen's sacred animals. How dare they take offence at how Camilla looks. |
Charles/Camilla -- it's been 35 years, he's always been interested in a relationship with her, and to put it rudely, any Dianaists can get over it and get stuffed. Let the man manage his own life. Diolch yn fawr.
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 05:17 pm (UTC)The ultimate reason behind all the drama that follows modern royal families is because they're not true royalty. You don't see kings at the head of an army any longer, you don't see kings or queens of old buying into this constitution nonsense and being controlled by a bunch of bothersome and annoying legislatures, no more beheadings in towers of people who crossed the monarch, and all that. ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 05:23 pm (UTC)Ahhhh, right. From personal experience and family history and all, yes. SCA monarchs have it worse, they have a Board of Directors they answer to....
no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 07:19 pm (UTC)As I read the Times article, there is nothing in law that says she can NOT be Princess of Wales or Queen except for a regard for public opinion. Heck, QE2 could outlive them all, she's got determination and good family medical history.
The problem with being a monarch in the SCA is that one's reign is only for a matter of months, then you have to live amongst the people you used to rule. You would think that would make for less Really Stupid Royal Proclaimations, but alas, no...
no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 03:11 am (UTC)No, nothing technically against it, except they've already 'had' a Princess of Wales (in the great English tradition of being monolingually Not Welsh, of course) and Camilla's not in it for the titles. I think her behaviour's pretty well proved that. Some sources are speculating that she might be... allowed to be Queen Consort should it ever come to that, but it's a matter of seeing what time brings us.