Updated 8:47 AM on June 2, 2006: Added the word former to precede “Vice President”. I had heard that the title could still be applied, but perhaps I had been misinformed. In either case, this is less confusing.
Today's photograph is a small scene from UBC's British Columbia Native Garden. The pendulous conifer is a wild-collected Larix occidentalis, or western larch. Auxins, a set of related plant hormones, likely play a key role in determining why some conifers form pendulous shapes.
In web site news, the first of the forty small thank-yous is done; when commenting on any of the weblogs, you can now use img tags to embed your own images or use the s tag for strikethroughs.
Environment / conservation resource link: Last night, I attended the inaugural UBC Global Citizenship Lecture featuring former Vice President Al Gore. All I can say is wow. A thousand times wow. Gore was on fire, and delivered a passionate and clarion call to tackle the global issue of the Climate Crisis – or to paraphrase Gore, “the moral and ethical imperative of our time”
Wow. This is a great desktop for dreaming about sitting along the bank and dropping a fishing line in the water - then stretching out and going to sleep. Thanks.
(as an aside re: Al Gore's title – “After a president of the U.S. leaves office, the title "President" continues to be applied to that person for the rest of his life.” from Wikipedia. I assume the same goes for the vice-president, so I believe the use of the word “former” to precede the title is optional, but certainly helps in communication.)
Then again there is a certain presumption that having attained that level it is no longer necessary to use any title except as an address. Say Al Gore and everyone outside of Tennessee under the age of 60 knows who you're talking about.
(Tennesseeans over 60 may confuse him with his father named Al, a famous US Senator)
Not very pendulous in this photo, its branches are horizontal. Does look a little sinuous.