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To Deontae Smith's mother, there was no question her son had been to the Super Bowl parade on Tuesday. And she's upset that Baltimore police didn't make the same connection sooner.
Deontae was fatally stabbed outside a McDonald's restaurant at Howard and Fayette streets downtown during a fight involving a large group of teens three blocks from the parade route, police said. Two other teens were also injured, and no suspect has been identified.
Baltimore police said Tuesday that the stabbing incidents weren't related to the parade but said Wednesday that they believed Smith had been at the parade.
Deontae's mother, Chevita Bumbrey, and several family members said initial police statements made it seem as though the city was trying to play down Deontae's death to hide Baltimore's violent crime problems from the national media covering the televised parade.
Bumbrey wonders whether the incident would have received more publicity had police linked the events immediately, causing parade-goers to search their memories for suspects sooner.
"It was breaking news," she said. "I'm very upset. They're not taking responsibility."
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said there was no intent to obscure the tragedy. Police didn't know enough in the immediate aftermath to say Deontae had attended the parade, he said.
"We will never downplay the murder of a 15-year-old boy," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to that family, and we're focused on one thing: finding the person responsible."
Deontae left home Tuesday in a collared shirt, but his mother thinks he ditched school and changed into other clothes to join about 200,000 people downtown to watch the Baltimore Ravens get carried through the heart of the city.
"He wasn't supposed to be at the parade, he was supposed to be at school," Bumbrey said. "He wore his school uniform out, but he must have changed his clothes because his uniform was found in his book bag."
On Wednesday, police Capt. Stanley Brandford said the incident may have begun with an earlier fight at Harborplace Gallery, on the parade route.
The stabbing, which Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts referred to as a "sad stain on an otherwise excellent performance," was the first high-profile violent incident at a major gathering since July 4, 2011, when an out-of-state visitor was fatally stabbed at Pier Six and a 4-year-old was wounded by celebratory gunfire shortly after fireworks ended at the Inner Harbor.
Complaints about violence around last St. Patrick's Day also sparked discussion of downtown safety, which quieted after a successful 1812 bicentennial celebration and Grand Prix of Baltimore.
City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young stressed Wednesday how difficult it is for police to eliminate all violence at a gathering as big as the Ravens celebratory parade.
"It's just unfortunate that we had a few teenagers who engaged in some fighting that caused one young man to lose his life. I'm saddened by that," he said. "However, I think we had protection in place. But with 200,000 people, it's almost difficult to stop some of this stuff."
Police said detectives have good leads in Deontae's death, including some surveillance footage. A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, whose identities were not released, remained in serious condition Wednesday, police spokesman Detective Vernon Davis said.
There were a lot of witnesses, according to Sherif Heshmat, who runs Freestyle Fish n' Chicken, which sits across from the McDonald's grounds where the fight erupted.
"Very, very crowded," he said of the scene. "People everywhere from the parade, screaming and shouting."
Hearing the commotion, Heshmat said, he looked out of his carryout and saw Deontae stumble out of the McDonald's and collapse behind a parked police car.
"I saw someone drop on the floor leaking of blood," he said.
Police said Deontae went into cardiac arrest and was rushed into surgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The boy, who lived in the Ellwood Park/Monument neighborhood, loved to dance and was part of an outfit known as the "Brovahood," which performed at the Paradox Club and elsewhere around the Inner Harbor, Bumbrey said.
"He was a happy child," she said. "He wasn't bad. He didn't get into any trouble. He liked to dance and was very outgoing. He was well-liked by everyone."
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Deontae's death is not being overlooked.
"It's a tragedy," she said Wednesday. "Whether it happened during the parade, as a part of the parade, or it happened in another part of town, a young person has lost their life. …That was an unfortunate and grim reminder that there's a lot of work to do."
Baltimore Sun staff writers Luke Broadwater, Justin Fenton and Erica L. Green contributed to this article.


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Harvard tops UVA, loses 22%
Harvard University, which, like UVA, uses the so-called "Yale model" of investing its endowment, is now reporting a 22 percent loss, which is more than UVA's alleged 18 percent loss.
10 comments
You're right to use the word "alleged," Hawes, since UVa's loss will prove to be much larger than 18%.
And what you don't mention is how much larger Harvard's endowment is compared to Virginia's. What's that number?
S&P is down 40%; Dow is down 40%. Give UVa a break for God's sake.
Thanks, for the article, Dave.
To clarify slightly: after a couple of years of daily onslaughts on the marble, numerous calls to the over-worked downtown constables, and witnessing moms and dads in minivans and SUVs dropping their cute little skaterboyz off outside our door, I called the City's wonderful Facilities Management office and told them that their historic marble was being vandalized into oblivion.
(I'm so disappointed that Dave didn't quote my observation that not all of these guys are cute little skaterboyz; some are big honkin' college-age skaterdudes, bigger and uglier than the old historical society director.)
A couple of weeks later, two courteous gentlemen from the City came by, agreed that there was a problem, and told me what they were going to do.
I said, "Great!"
I've done the research, and I'm convinced that these "skateblocker" bars the City made or acquired are pretty much standard around the country, and are the least evil of all the alternatives. (I sincerely doubt that the BAR would approve the "architectural devices shaped like flowers, vines, frogs, starfish, arches, and even trolley cars" that Dave found so charming.)
My bottom line is that, as has been the tradition since I was a little boy coming to the McIntire Library, toddlers still can use the marble edge as a balancing beam as their moms and dads walk along beside them. And, as Dave quoted our favorite little vandal:
"'It's impossible to skate on the curb now,' says a 13-year old skateboarder, who points out that the sharp, smooth, slanted edge of the curb was ideal for doing 50-50s, nose grinds, and krooks, tricks where a rider grinds the board and its trucks (axles) along the ledge."
I apologize to the BAR before not coming to them first before I pointed out to the City that they needed to act. Maybe the BAR can come up with a better alternative, and publicize some guidelines. How would they suggest we keep skaters from "grinding" our historic downtown edifices?
One idea I had:
It was, in fact, I who came out with a videocamera (no tape in it) and pretended to video
the Skaterboyz. I told them that the police had asked us to document who was destroying the marble so we could bill their parents for the damage. They ran away, but were back again with an attitude once they figured it out the joke.
Maybe with all these new surveillance cameras the City's installing, we really can bill Mom and Dad.
One last request: can we put one of those cameras in the (public) garden behind the McIntire Building so all the street people will stop sleeping and pooping and having parties there? I get tired of cleaning up after them.
Dr. Douglas Day
Oh, one last thing. It's Mrs. Margaret O'Bryant, not "O'Brien", who is the librarian of the Historical Society's collection. Y'all quote her often enough, surely her name should be in your spellcheck by now.
Thanks again,
This is very bizarre! Drilling holes and then bolting horribly ugly bars on the marble to protect it? It sounds like the cure was worse than the disease. I really wonder how serious the damage caused by the skateboarders was or was the problem really just the presence of the annoying kids? There had to be a better solution than drilling holes into the marble.
I wonder what would have happened if Oliver Kuttner or Gabe Silverman had done something like this without the blessing of the BAR.
I'm guessing then, Mr. Day, that you don't view skateboarding as a legitimate sport like soccer or baseball? You'd rather these kids be inside playing video games than outside getting some fresh air and exercise? After all, any time teenage boys get together to have a little fun they must be planning some sort of drug deal or assault, right?
If the marble was really getting chipped than I agree there's a problem...but Kevin's right. The bars are hideous, and I find it hard to believe that a "historical society" would condone such a thing if skateboarders weren't involved.
Street Hockey is a legitimate sport too. Do you want me playing in a parking garage where your car is parked? Hockey balls don't do much damage when they hit your car... And that stick blade only left a little scratch...
Or hardball on the street you're parked on?
As for the ugly metal bars, they are just little L shaped brackets. The same thing could have been made from something like cultured marble (countertop material) that would have blended in and most people wouldn't have noticed the addition.
I don't want kids playing street hockey and smashing my car and I don't want them tearing up the marble blocks outside of the Historical Society. Still there had to be a better way to stop them than by ruining the marble by drilling holes in it. The bars are ugly but the material they're made of is unimportant. What matters is the way they were fastened. Holes were drilled into the marble blocks. The holes are permanent and the marble cannot be restored.
The solution adopted is so extreme and contrary to any idea of preservation that I must wonder if animosity towards the skate punks overwhelmed common sense.
Kevin is right. The damage is done and there's no undoing it, but surely if someone with a cooler head -- not necessarily the BAR, just some person with some expertise but removed from the situation -- had been consulted, a better solution could have been devised. The marble is now, as Kevin says, irreparably ruined. The Society should be ashamed of itself.
I hope that the people with the city's Facilities Management department who did this don't do something similar again. It is surprising that they did not seem to know (care?) that changes in exterior architectural features in Historical structures or Historical Districts are not permitted without the approval of the BAR. What supervisor with the Facilities Management department approved this?


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By now you've probably heard about what a number of Christians are calling the Revelation 12 Sign that will supposedly occur on Saturday, September 23rd, 2017. There is a lot of rampant speculation on the internet both for and against the legitimacy of this sign and much information to weed through. What's true? What's false? Is this all hype? The goal of this article is to provide readers with a comprehensive and straightforward analysis of the purported sign, addressing many questions and concerns. The three sections below cover the sign itself, it's possible significance, and claims and critiques about the sign. I suspect this article will be updated as new information is uncovered, so please feel free to add items of interest in the Comments below.
A Great Sign
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter." And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
- Revelation 12:1-5
The astronomical alignment that so many are now pointing to comes from a literal reading of Revelation 12:1-5, which describes a sign in the sky involving a woman who is crowned with twelve stars, clothed with the sun, having the moon under her feet, and giving birth to a male child. The text itself does not describe the sign as a parable or illustration, which validates the view that this passage is in fact describing a real astronomical event visible to the inhabitants of the earth - complete with real sun, moon, and stars. Each of the elements described in the sign have significant prophetic and allegorical meaning as will be shown, but the passage itself describes first and foremost a real sign and so any accurate interpretation must begin with that premise. Lacking any evidence that the Apostle John was not describing a sign visible in the sky as the text plainly says, the burden of proof is entirely upon those who would argue that this passage is only pure allegory.
There has been much confusion over both the Hebrew and Greek words for heaven. In the Greek, the word in Revelation 12:1 is ourano with a definite article, which can be translated as "in heaven" or "in the sky." The distinction is a big deal, because many who deny a literal one thousand-year kingdom of Christ and the earthly fulfillment of Old Testament covenant promises, will opt for "heaven" being the translation every time. The same goes for Revelation 21:1. John sees what is often translated "a new heaven" and "a new earth." However, it may be better to translate this as "a new sky," rather than confusing modern readers by using a word in modern English most often associated with God's dwelling.
It is also important to note that these first five verses in Revelation 12 purposefully distinguish between two different signs. The first sign, which the text calls "a great sign", involves only a woman in labor, and so includes Revelation 12:1-2 and Revelation 12:5. The second sign, called "another sign", is described in Revelation 12:3-4. The signs are connected in the narrative, but their distinction tells us that they are not the same and this is the likely reason that only the first sign has been apparently identified in the Fall of 2017. A number of different explanations for the second sign have been offered, such as an as of yet unseen stellar or planetary body, but that is not the topic of this study. Our focus is entirely on the "great sign".
There is some question as to who first made the discovery in its most primordial form, but sometime in 2012 it was observed using astronomy software that a specific alignment of constellations, planets, the sun, and moon would appear to fulfill a literal reading of Revelation 12:1-2 and Revelation 12:5. Here are each of the elements involved in the alignment:
The Constellation Virgo
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Virgo, Latin for "virgin" or "maiden", is the second largest constellation in the sky and one of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac and Jewish Mazzaroth (the constellations that the sun appears to move through during the course of the year). In most depictions it features twelve principal stars as can be seen in the picture above. Spica, along with three other stars, form a womb-of-sorts at the center of the constellation. Virgo is universally depicted as a woman, even in the ancient Grecian, Roman, and Assyrian-Babylonian cultures and for this reason it is argued that this is the "woman" John saw in the sky. It is the only constellation in the Zodiac and Mazzaroth that represents a woman, and out of the 88 constellations in the entire celestial sphere, it is one of only three constellations that represent women (the other two being Andromeda and Cassiopeia).
The Sun
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Our solar system's star is mentioned by name in Revelation 12:1 as part of the sign. It is said to "clothe" the woman. From the perspective of a viewer on earth, the sun is always much smaller than Virgo and therefore it cannot be the disc of the sun itself that clothes her in any arrangement, but on September 23rd it will rest upon her shoulder and the sign will be entirely "clothed" in sunlight during the day on September 22nd and 23rd, hiding Virgo from view.
The Moon
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The lunar body is also mentioned by name in Revelation 12:1, described as residing under the woman's feet. On September 23rd, from the perspective of a viewer in the Middle East, Virgo will appear prone and the moon will appear directly under the feet of the constellation.
A Crown Of Twelve Stars
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It is not uncommon for Virgo to be "clothed" in the sun and to have the moon under or near her feet - in fact it happens every year for a number of days in the Fall. It is the crown of twelve stars that John saw that really begins to set this sign apart. This is far, far more rare. The Hebrew and Greek words for "star" do not distinguish between stars as we know them today and planets. From the perspective of an earth-based observer, stars and planets look the same except that planets appear to move through the field of fixed stars. For this reason, planets were sometimes described in the ancient languages as "wandering", but they were still called stars. Situated directly above the head of the constellation Virgo is the constellation Leo ("The Lion"), composed of nine principal stars as shown above. On September 22nd and 23rd the visible planets Mercury, Mars, and Venus will join Leo's nine stars to form a "crown" of twelve stars on the head of Virgo.
The Planet Jupiter
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Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is said to represent the male child that the woman is giving birth to. There seem to be some very good reasons for making this connection.
First of all, almost all commentaries on Revelation 12 throughout Church history have identified the male child in the passage with Jesus Christ (though not only Jesus Christ as will be discussed later). It seems obvious enough: on one level the woman represents Mary, the baby is Jesus, and the dragon in the second sign represents satan. The child is "caught up" to God's throne in the passage and Jesus ascended into Heaven. Jesus will also rule all the nations when He returns as the passage describes the child as doing. A number of theories about the Star of Bethlehem have posited that Jupiter was that very star - Christ's star. Like Christ, Jupiter is covered in stripes (Isaiah 53:5) and has a very prominent hole called the Great Red Spot, similar to Christ's spear wound (John 19:34). Also like Christ, Jupiter "takes the blow" for us (Isaiah 53:4-6), absorbing most of the lethal comets and asteroids from the outer solar system that would otherwise strike earth.
Second, the planet is named after the king of the gods in the ancient Roman and Greek pantheons (Jupiter and Zeus, respectively). In ancient Babylonian and Germanic pantheons the planet represented the son of their respective chief deities: Marduk son of Ea, and Thor son of Odin. In other words, in the ancient world Jupiter was always associated with either the greatest male deity or that deity's son. Jupiter is therefore frequently called the "king planet".
Third, on November 20th, 2016, the planet Jupiter entered the womb of the constellation Virgo where it will remain for exactly 42 weeks, the precise length of a long human gestation. The 42 week gestation is interesting in light of the 42 generations from Abraham to Christ (Matthew 1:17) and the 42 months that transpire in each of the first and second halves of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:2, Revelation 13:5, Daniel 7:25, among others). A crown of twelve stars above Virgo's head is rare, but this is rarer still. In order for Jupiter to remain in the womb for such a lengthy and precise amount of time, it undergoes an extremely rare retrograde motion in the constellation. The planet actually appears to make a giant circle within the womb during this time before exiting on September 9th, 2017. The sign in Revelation 12 completes in verse 5 after the child is born and likewise two weeks after Jupiter exits the womb, it moves down the celestial birthing canal and the complete sign is formed in the sky. It could be said that the woman is in labor for two weeks as the baby moves out of the womb and through the canal.
The Complete Picture
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The picture above shows the complete sign as it will appear from Israel on September 23rd, 2017. It also shows the different positions of Jupiter within the womb of Virgo as it circles around during the 42 week gestation. Scottie Clark, the first to put all these pieces together, talks about the precision of the sign here:
The Significance
My personal study of Revelation 12 (much credit given to Jeff E., Scottie Clark, and Daniel Matson, among many others) has led me to believe that the entire chapter, which occurs right in the middle of the book, is an interlude and broad overview of the entire Tribulation, describing all of the key events except for the Second Coming of Christ. Revelation 12 appears to describe the Tribulation in chronological order, except for verse 6:
Revelation 12:1-5: The rapture of the Church.
Revelation 12:7-12: The future war in Heaven that occurs simultaneously with the rapture or very shortly after. The accuser and his accusing angels are cast out of Heaven as the Church gains entrance into Heaven. You might call this the Cosmic Shift: the Church goes up and the devil comes down. Satan and his angels are then confined to earth.
Revelation 12:13: The persecution of the Jewish remnant on earth during the first half of the Tribulation.
Revelation 12:14-16, 6: The Jewish remnant's protection and provision while the remaining three and one-half years of the Tribulation comes to a conclusion.
Revelation 12:17: Recognizing that the Jewish remnant is then untouchable, satan turns his attention towards the remaining Gentile Tribulation Saints.
In order to fully understand the chapter's narrative you have to understand that the three key players represent both individuals and corporate entities:
The Woman: Mary And Israel
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Throughout Church history it seemed self-evident to identify the woman in this passage with Mary, the mother of Jesus: she gave birth to the male child who will rule all the nations. She was also persecuted by a dragon-of-sorts in the form of Herod and God protected her and her family in Egypt. This is the individual that the woman represents.
Corporately, however, the woman represents Israel. This is indicated not only by the very Jewishness of a crown of twelve stars (the twelve tribes of Israel per Genesis 37:9-10), but by the narrative overall. The woman is the one protected in the wilderness on earth and a key distinction is made between her and her offspring (first the male child and second her other offspring in verse 17). Some have argued that the woman represents the Church, but this position is untenable because the Church didn't give birth to Christ. For these three reasons, virtually all dispensationalists and even many covenant theologians associate the woman with Israel.
The Dragon: Satan And The Kingdom Of Antichrist
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The dragon is an explicit representation of satan (Revelation 12:9), which leaves no guesswork on our part.
Corporately, it is straightforward to understand that the dragon represents the antichrist and his kingdom, because it is through the kingdom of antichrist that the dragon actually persecutes Israel and the future Tribulation Saints. This corporate understanding is further proven by the dragon's seven heads and ten horns, which are connected to the antichrist's dominion (Revelation 17:9) and the world rulers who will give him his authority (Revelation 17:12, Daniel 7:20-22).
The Male Child: Christ And His Church
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Jesus Christ is clearly in view in the passage. He was born from Mary, is coming to rule all the nations, and ascended to Heaven.
However, just as the woman and the dragon have corporate meanings, the child follows the same pattern. In the passage itself there are five key pieces of evidence that tell us the Church is also in view, borrowing from Dallas Theological Seminary professor Michael Svigel:
1. Consistency in Symbolism. The woman represents a corporate entity (Israel, see Genesis 37:9–10); the Dragon represents a corporate entity (the world system controlled by Satan, see the total of seven heads and ten horns in the series of monsters in Daniel 7:1–7) and the male child as the body of Christ would also represent a corporate entity (Christ in union with His body, the Church, see 1 Corinthians 12:12, etc.).
2. Allusion to Isaiah 66:7-8. The use of the neuter adjective arsen (male) modifying the masculine noun huios (son) and the image of Israel giving birth points careful readers back to Isaiah 66:7–8, where we read in the Septuagint (Greek version of the Old Testament): "Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy (arsen). Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her children." The image is parallel in Revelation, and John explicitly breaks the rules of Greek grammar (modifying the masculine "son" with the neuter "male") to point us back to this passage in Isaiah 66. The child in both cases is corporate, not individual.
3. Symbolic Background of Daniel 7. I think John uses the term huios (son) in Revelation 12:5 to connect us to the vision of the "Son of Man" in Daniel 7:13–14, which is interpreted corporately as the Messiah and His saints in 7:18; 26–27. John uses the term "son" in Revelation 12:5, literally "she gave birth to a son, a male," not the term "child," as most translations render it. Most people miss that the "Son of Man" in Daniel 7 is interpreted by the angel corporately, which fits well with Revelation 12:5's "male son" interpreted corporately as the body of Christ. Also, the image of the seven heads and ten horns of the dragon symbol earlier in this vision already pointed us back to Daniel 7, which seems to stand behind this vision of Revelation 12.
4. The Male Child is "Snatched Up." The word in Revelation 12:5 is the word for "rapture," harpazo, and always means a sudden removal, a snatching. In contrast, for the ascension of Christ, the New Testament uses terms such as "to be lifted up," epairo (Acts 1:9), "to ascend," anabaino (John 20:17; Ephesians 4:8-10) and "to take up," analambano (Mark 16:19; Luke 1:11). These are neutral terms meaning a removal from one place to another. Revelation 12:5 has the male child being suddenly snatched away from the dragon, who wants to devour the child. The ascension of Christ was gradual (Acts 1:10), not sudden. Also, Revelation 12:5 is a context of "rescue" from the threat of the dragon. The word "rapture," harpazo, is appropriately used in the New Testament for a rescue in Acts 23:10 and Jude 23. In His ascension to heaven, Christ was not rescued, but ascended victoriously and was in no danger from the devil or anybody else. The term "rapture," harpazo, is never used of Christ's ascension to heaven. Thus, the use of harpazo in a rescue context like Revelation 12:5 is completely inappropriate to describe the ascension of Christ, but is completely appropriate to describe the rapture of the church as a rescue from Satan's emerging efforts to destroy the church as we approach the end times.
5. Corporate application of Psalm 2:9 in Revelation 2:26-27; 12:5; and 19:14-15. In Psalm 2:9, God tells the Messiah, "You will break them [the nations] with a rod of iron, You will shatter them like earthenware." In Revelation 2:26-27, Christ extends this promise to the Church, the body of Christ: "And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received [authority] from My Father." In Revelation 19:14-15, Christ and the armies come to earth, fulfilling the promise: "And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white [and] clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty." This same Psalm is quoted in Revelation 12:5 and applied to the male child. Thus, the male child as Christ in union with His body, the Church, is most consistent with the application of the promise of Psalm 2:9 extended both to Christ and the Church.
In summary, the significance of the Revelation 12 sign may be the rapture of the Church, the beginning of the cosmic war in Heaven, and God's redemptive focus returning to Israel and the Jews (Micah 5:3). The Revelation 12 sign on September 23rd, 2017, also happens to fall on what will likely be the first or second day of Rosh Hashanah, determined by the sighting of the new moon. This could be incredibly significant because for many years students of Bible prophecy have speculated that Rosh Hashanah (also called Yom Teruah or "The Feast of Trumpets") is the most likely time of year for the rapture.
There are seven biblical feasts (Leviticus 23:4-44) and Jesus fulfilled the first four in order:
The Feast of Passover - fulfilled by His death
The Feast of Unleavened Bread - fulfilled by His sinless life and burial
The Feast of First Fruits - fulfilled by His resurrection
The Feast of Pentecost - fulfilled by Jesus sending the Holy Spirit to indwell the Church
The very next feast in chronological order is The Feast of Trumpets, which happens to fall on September 22nd and 23rd in 2017 - when the possible sign occurs.
*An important side note: Pentecost has often been called "the birth of the Church" because on that day Jesus' first coming ministry was fully completed and Believers became indwelt with what would ultimately be their seal of eternal redemption (Ephesians 4:30). In light of the birthing portrayed in the sky in September 2017, consider the account of the conception of Jesus in Matthew 1:18 and Luke 1:35. It was the conception of Christ when the Holy Spirit came into Mary, not His birth. Could it be that Pentecost was actually the conception of the Church and the Revelation 12 Sign portrays the birth of the Church? Even from a soteriological perspective this makes a lot of sense when you compare the process of salvation to the development and birth of a baby: conception is like justification when a new spirit enters in and a new life is formed, gestation is like sanctification as we grow in our faith, and birth is like glorification when the baby is finally complete and fully formed. Perhaps Jesus was being more literal than we thought when He said in John 3:7 "You must be born again." Consider also the Apostle Paul's admonition in Galatians 4:19:
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...
Claims And Critiques
CLAIM: Looking for "signs" in the sky is astrology.
This is FALSE. Astrology is an idolatrous and occultic practice that often involves the deification of stars, planets, and moons. Astrologers often teach that these heavenly bodies control life on earth. To the contrary, the search for biblical signs in the heavens recognizes that it is the Creator God who made all things and set everything into motion in a preordained pattern. The heavenly bodies themselves have no power over our lives and we do not worship them.
The Bible says explicitly that there will be signs in the sky preceding the return of Christ (Matthew 24:30, Luke 21:11, Luke 21:25, Revelation 12:1-3). The Bible also says that the sun, moon, and stars were created for three reasons: 1. To separate day from night, 2. To give light to the earth, and 3. To indicate days, years, seasons, and signs (Genesis 1:14-15). Prophetic language frequently makes mention of lunar and solar eclipses (Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, Revelation 6:12) and God often focuses our attention on the stars (Genesis 15:5, Isaiah 40:26, Job 38:31, Amos 5:8, Psalm 19:1).
Interestingly, the magi from the east were able to find the baby Jesus by following prophetic descriptions found in Numbers 24:17 and Genesis 49:9-10. They were able to identify the constellation Leo ("The Lion") with the tribe of Judah and followed the Star of Bethlehem as it moved west and came to rest over Bethlehem.
CLAIM: The Revelation 12 Sign is not unique, it has happened before.
This is also FALSE, with one caveat. Some argue that this sign occurred in 3915 BC, 3 BC, and 70 AD. It definitely did not occur in 3 BC or 70 AD, but it did occur on August 5th of 3915 BC, albeit with less precision. So the caveat is the 3915 BC occurrence where Saturn was in the crown, but Mars was absent. Jupiter also underwent an approximately nine month retrograde through the womb of Virgo during this time (October 28th, 3916 BC to August 5th, 3915 BC), but a large portion of Jupiter's retrograde took place outside of the womb.
August 27th, 70 AD:
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The woman has a crown of twelve stars, but Jupiter and Venus are so close together it makes them hard to distinguish. The sun and moon are in place, but she has no "male child". The womb is completely empty. You could also argue that the moon is below her knees, not her feet.
September 11th, 3 BC:
Image at link
Many have argued that Rosh Hashanah of 3 BC (September 11th) also featured the sign as evidence Christ was born that day, but this only gets two things right: the sun clothes the woman and the moon is under her feet. There is no crown of twelve stars, the moon is very far away, and she is not giving birth to a "male child".
August 5th, 3915 BC:
Image at link
Everything matches on this date. In fact it is such a close match that it has been speculated that this could have been the date of the Fall of Mankind when God spoke these eerily relevant words to the devil and to Eve in Genesis 3:15-16:
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel."
To the woman he said,
"I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."
Interestingly, in this dialogue the same three entities mentioned in Revelation 12 are also present: the serpent (Revelation 12:9), the woman, and the male child. The planet Saturn, which some have speculated represents satan, happens to be near the heel of The Lion.
CLAIM: The sign is not visible in Israel.
This is FALSE. I'm not sure who first made the argument that the constellations in question (Virgo and Leo) will not be in the sky above Israel in Fall 2017, but it simply isn't true.The entire sign will be in the western sky above Israel and Jerusalem on Saturday, September 23rd - and how fitting that the sign that may be heralding the end of the Church Age will be seen right where the sun sets and the day ends.One might argue that observers can't see the alignment because the sun is up, but that's exactly what John saw - the woman is clothed with the sun.And, as a matter of fact, after the sun sets, everything but the woman's crown will be visible in the night sky.
As mentioned, from Israel the sign will be visible in the west. The possible occurrence in 3915 BC was visible in the east, where the sun rises. Perhaps this indicates the sun rising and setting on the age of fallen humanity.
CLAIM: The moon is not under the woman's feet.
This is FALSE. When I initially studied the alignment I was misled by images showing the woman standing upright with the moon to the right of her feet.The text makes clear that the moon should be under her feet, not beside her feet.For this reason I viewed the heavenly sign with some skepticism.After all, God's Word is perfect and for His Word to be fulfilled it must be fulfilled perfectly.Every condition in the text has to be fulfilled, which is why 70 AD, 3 BC, and 3915 BC don't fit the bill.However, a woman in labor is not standing when she gives birth, she's lying prone, and that's exactly how the alignment is arranged in the sky - the woman is lying prone with her feet up and the moon is directly below her feet, almost as a pillow of sorts.
CLAIM: What John saw was symbolic.
This is TRUE. I think we can all agree that the sign John saw had definite symbolic and prophetic meaning - that is not in dispute.However, the text itself makes abundantly clear that this is more than just a parable: "A great sign appeared in heaven..." (Revelation 12:1).
I'm not saying the rapture will occur in September 2017, but I am saying that the heavenly sign John saw in Revelation 12 appears to be happening before our very eyes with whatever implications that brings and I believe Jesus will be calling us home very, very soon.
CLAIM: The rapture will occur on September 23rd, 2017.
This is either TRUE or FALSE. That might sound like a cop-out answer, but the truth of the matter is, it either will or it won't. It isn't a possibility, it's either for-sure or for-sure-not. Whatever God has planned will happen and I'm committed to not date setting. As a fallen human being, I'm the one prone to intellectual deficiencies and lack of understanding, but God's Word is true and will stand the test of time.
An interesting thing to note about Revelation 12:5 is that the male child is caught up to "God's throne". The September 23rd event doesn't portray this catching up in the sky, but only the birth of the child. Should we expect to see the rapture itself portrayed in the sky? I don't think we necessarily will, but I should point out that after Jupiter is "birthed" from Virgo it travels to the constellation Libra and precisely at midnight in Israel on December 25th, 2017, the male child Jupiter enters Libra where it stays for 41 weeks and three days, undergoing another nine month retrograde. Libra (Latin for "scales") is associated with justice and judgment and some depictions of the constellation resemble a throne. From the throne of God justice and judgment are given. While everyone is focused on September 23rd, is it possible that the rapture happens on Christmas Day, a little over three months later?
Midnight In Israel On December 25th, 2017:
Image at link
After undergoing retrograde Jupiter leaves Libra on October 11th, 2018. I think it is unlikely that the rapture will happen on Christmas Day in 2017 for two reasons: 1. Libra is not categorically associated with a throne - the connection is more tenuous to make, and 2. The December 25th date would not easily fit with any Tribulation timeline where Jesus' second coming could occur on a Fall feast day. However, I offer it as a possibility and we should all be humble, open, and watchful, so that we are not caught unaware.
Source: http://www.unsealed.org/2017/01/the-revelation-12-sign-compendium.html


text:
The tungsten_provision_thl script is designed to run from a replication master connected to a standard MySQL instance. The standard commands will not work if you are using RDS as a master.
The simplest method is to add the
argument to your command. This will make the script compatible with RDS.
The drawback is that we are not able to guarantee a consistent
provisioning snapshot in RDS unless changes to the database are stopped.
The script will monitor the binary log position during the provisioning
process and alert you if there are changes. After the script completes,
run trepctl online to resume extraction from the master
at the current binary log position.
tungsten_provision_thl \
--extract-from=rds \
--tungsten-replicator-package=/home/tungsten/tungsten-replicator-3.0.0-254.tar.gz \
--mysql-package=/home/tungsten/mysql-5.6.20-linux-glibc2.5-x86_64.tar.gz \
If you aren't able to stop access to the database, the script can
provision from an RDS Read Replica. Before running
tungsten_provision_thl, replication to the replica must
be stopped. This may be done by running CALL
mysql.rds_stop_replication; in an RDS shell. Call
tungsten_provision_thl with the
--extract-from and
arguments. The script will read the correct master position based on the
slave replication position. After completion, resume extraction from the
master using the standard procedure.
# Run `CALL mysql.rds_stop_replication();` on the RDS Read Replica
tungsten_provision_thl \
--extract-from=rds-read-replica \
--extract-from-host=rds-host2 \
--tungsten-replicator-package=/home/tungsten/tungsten-replicator-3.0.0-254.tar.gz \
--mysql-package=/home/tungsten/mysql-5.6.20-linux-glibc2.5-x86_64.tar.gz \
NOTE >>The THL has been provisioned to mysql-bin.000025:493 on rds-host1:3306
# Run `CALL mysql.rds_start_replication();` on the RDS Read Replica


text:
OM Series Flowmeter - OM015S511-822R5FLOMEC® OM Series Meters are an extremely versatile flowmeter which accurately measures high and low viscosity fluids. With no flow conditioning required and a small footprint, the OM015S511-822R5 flowmeter allows for compact installation. An accuracy of 0.5% and 0.03% repeatability regardless of viscosity changes make the OM Series a versatile meter. With a simple and reliable design concept using only two moving parts, they provide long service life and minimised maintenance costs. The OM015S511-822R5 flowmeter comes fitted with a FLOMEC® RT14 Rate Totaliser. The perfect display for users who require a more sophisticated local display which can also interface with external control or monitoring equipment. The RT14 features a backlit LCD, which provides optimal readability from a distance or in low-light conditions. Various output options are available to suit almost any flow measurement application, with a 4-20mA analogue signal for flowrate feedback and control, flow alarms for monitoring of critical processes, and a scaled pulse signal for remote monitoring of total volumes.
Product comes calibrated with standard calibration certificate.
Instruction Manuals & Datasheets
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We do not ship to countries outside of Australia. For more information on finding a distributor near you, please contact us.
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text:
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text:
Just a short while ago we announced that ZTE unveiled its gigantic 5.7-inch Grand Memo tabletphone at Mobile World Congress 2013, which we expected to make its debut in Barcelona after a few hints beforehand.
To recap on some of the specs, the Grand Memo has a 720p HD resolution display spanning to just under 6 inches diagonally, a large 13MP camera on the back and 2MP camera on the front geared toward video calling, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as its OS, a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 professor, and an external SD card slot expandable up to 32GB.
As one might assume, the Grand Memo does feel rather large in the hand but something tells me ZTE didn't have any intention to make this a tiny device. The 8mm thickness does help cut down on some of the bulk though — it could be a lot thicker. Build quality is good but not superb as with other ZTE handsets.
The display at 5.7 inches diagonally and a 720p resolution calculates out to around 258 ppi which a little low by today's standards but should still be more than adequate for most smartphone users. Everything you see on that display runs quickly and smoothly with that quad-core Snapdragon. The 13MP camera is impressive as well.
For a full look at our hands-on experience, check out the gallery below.


text:
I got an e-mail last Tuesday from a reader who requested help identifying this plant:
And I had no idea. He said that it was identified for him as a Madagascar palm, which normally means Pachypodium, but neither he nor I have been able to find any Pachypodium that looks like this.
The big, broad leaves made me think maybe Plumeria, but as far as I could find, all Plumerias have large, five-petaled flowers, so that's out.
Also, he says it has milky sap, not clear like for most of the Apocynaceae (Adenium, Pachypodium, Plumeria, Nerium, Mandevilla, etc.). And the leaves being red is not normal for the Apocynaceae either.
My theory as of last Thursday is Monadenium spectabilis (sometimes spectabile), though that doesn't fit the facts perfectly either. But:
Monadenium have been reassigned to the genus Euphorbia by some taxonomists, which would go along with the plant having milky sap.
According to desert-tropicals.com, Monadeniums tend to be green, but turn red in bright light. Which works.
Wikipedia had one photo of a Monadenium (M. spectabilis, as it happened) that had brownish fuzzy-looking things along the stem, like the mystery plant, though in the picture the fuzzy things were on distinct little bumps along the stem, instead of being in smooth lines like on the mystery plant. But that could maybe be cultural or photographic differences. And Pachypodiums don't do anything at all like that, so.
Monadenium and Pachypodium can be close enough that at least one person in the Google Image Search results has a Pachypodium labeled as a Monadenium. Not a lot of a stretch to think that the mislabeling could go both ways, which would explain why it was originally identified as a Madagascar palm. (The search results for "monadenium," by the way, also include a couple photos from PATSP, of a plant I believed to be a Monadenium. It eventually turned out to be Euphorbia drupifera.)
I found one photo of M. spectabilis on davesgarden.com that had a narrow base that turned woody at the bottom, like the mystery plant.
The broad, flat leaves aren't much of a problem, though I didn't see any Monadeniums with leaves as big as the mystery plant's, so there's still some uncertainty.
The flowers remain unexplained by the M. spectabilis theory as well: all the Monadenium photos I found looked very different from those on the mystery plant, and the M. spectablilis flowers specifically were all on long, reddish stalks, not poking directly out of the plant's stem. The pictures show flowers that don't really resemble anything in the Euphorbiaceae I can think of. Which is a huge problem.
Also one picture of M. spectabilis (the davesgarden.com photo linked above) showed spines on the midrib on the underside of the leaves, but the midribs of the mystery plant are smooth, according to the photos.
So, that's as far as I was able to get with it.
UPDATE: The e-mailer has turned up another possibility, Euphorbia neohumbertii, which has similar stems and a similar overall shape, though the leaf scars on the mystery plant are smaller than in most of the E. neohumbertii photos I found. Also I couldn't find any indication that E. neohumbertii ever gets red leaves, and its flowers are similar, but not quite the right color and form: the mystery plant has a whole mess of white stuff coming out of the dull-red flower or bract or whatever it is, and E. neohumbertii typically has bright-red or red-orange flowers with only a couple yellow things (pistils?) sticking out.
Another strike against E. neohumbertii is that it has actual spines, in addition to the fuzzy-looking brown stuff. And sometimes its fuzzy brown stuff is actually fuzzy gray stuff. On the plus side, it actually is native to Madagascar, which Monadenium spectabilis is not. (Tanzania, if you must know.)
We do appear to be zeroing in on an ID, though. It's somewhere in the Euphorbiaceae.
SECOND UPDATE: The plant appears to be Euphorbia leuconeura, or "Madagascar Jewel," as identified by Pat in the comments. Pat gets 5000 PATSP points, which are so far not actually redeemable for anything. But maybe someday.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Question for the Hive Mind: Freaky NOID Succulent
I got an e-mail last Tuesday from a reader who requested help identifying this plant:
26 comments:
What a singularly unattractive plant! I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but geez. The people who own it must be really wonderful, caring folks.
- September 12, 2010 at 2:47 AM
Long time lurker posting today!
I think this might be it. Euphorbia drupifera
Here's a link ( It's German I think sorry...).
The only real difference I can see is the red cast to the leaves on the pics in your blog.
Hope this helps!
- September 12, 2010 at 4:10 AM
Euphorbia leuconeura? The Madagascar Jewel. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/40011/
- September 12, 2010 at 4:39 AM
The red leaf is more evident in these photos. If you translate the Czech you will see it called "almost ideal houseplant". Watch out for the explosive seedpods.
- September 12, 2010 at 4:59 AM
- mr_subjunctive said...
Ginny Burton:
Oh come on now. You'll hurt its feelings.
Well, the overall shape is similar (I actually have a E. drupifera), but drupifera has pairs of spines and no brown fuzzy stuff. And the flowers are very different. (1, 2) Definitely in the ballpark, but not quite it.
You, on the other hand, appear to have nailed it again. I'm really surprised, from the davesgarden.com commenters (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64943/), that so many people have these already. People aren't supposed to own plants unless I've heard of them.
And of course now I want one, too. I have such terrible impulse control.
- September 12, 2010 at 7:34 AM
- Liza said...
Long time listener, first time caller. I'm with Ginny. Ugly.
- September 12, 2010 at 7:58 AM
- Tom said...
Jeeze. I always thought they were really pretty. I agree with the euphorbia leuconeura ID. Now if only I could ever find one for sale...
- September 12, 2010 at 10:36 AM
- Unknown said...
Thank you, mrsubjunctive, Pat, and readers of PATSP for helping me identify my plant! Gina and Liza, I'll admit that the pictures aren't so flattering :) The leaves have been yellowing and falling off, hence my urgency in identifying the plant to learn more about it. But when it has a full crown of leaves, it's beautiful, and it's amazing to watch it grow. The trunk is five-sided and twists as it grows if I turn the plant periodically. Thanks again, everyone.
- September 12, 2010 at 10:51 AM
I've never seen it offered for sale. Perhaps it is what I think of as a WI (Women's Institute) plant. Offered at fund-raising events along with jam and cakes. Too easy and bullet-proof for commercial nurseries to sell them.
Thanks for the points, I'll put them on my CV and get a job in no time :0)
- September 12, 2010 at 11:24 AM
- Sentient Meat said...
For those looking to acquire this handsome plant (in this eye of this beholder), Euphorbia leuconeura, I wasn't able to locate it with a cursory web search. But I DID find the similar Euphorbia neohumbertii at Arid Lands Greenhouses: http://www.aridlands.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26_98&products_id=892
- September 12, 2010 at 5:10 PM
- mr_subjunctive said...
Tom / SentientMeat:
GlasshouseWorks has them. I wasn't looking for it (I'd wound up on GHW in the process of working on a post for Tuesday), I swear, but there it was. $4.25, check for availability before ordering.
I suspect Pat is right about why they aren't more widely available: if they're really as easy as all that, then they might be in that group of plants like Callisia fragrans and Pilea peperomioides, the stuff that's too easy to reproduce and not flashy enough to sell well, that's more of a passalong plant than a retail plant. GHW is a good source for those kinds of plants, though. (They also have Callisia and Pilea, for whatever that's worth.)
- September 12, 2010 at 7:05 PM
- Sentient Meat said...
Mr Subjunctive: Thanks for that info!
On a related note: I recently did my first (and probably last) transaction with GHW. They took forever (6-7 weeks for my order... 12-13 weeks for my friend B--- L---), sent embarrassingly tiny plants, and kept stalling and delaying without being clear about the source of the problem. I have never had another vendor who required so much follow-up and extracted so much business-y EFFORT from me, just to get them to send me my plants.
Word on the street is they PROPAGATE TO ORDER (rather than truly advertising stock on hand). But they charge your credit card the day of your order. (Nice for them. Bad for you.) And their markup on some plants is outlandish.
Yes, they advertise some of the easy-to-grow-but-hard-to-find plants. I suppose that's a good thing, though they substituted 1 of the 2 plants on my order, so it's hard to tell how much of the catalog is truly available or, as they say in the software business, 'vaporware'.
- September 12, 2010 at 7:18 PM
This plant is now on my want list. Couple of my buddies and I are going to GHW on the 25th already so I'll see about getting one!
- September 12, 2010 at 8:26 PM
- mr_subjunctive said...
Sentient Meat:
Yeah, I've heard that too, about propagation beginning at the time of the order, and I've seen a lot of complaints more or less along the same lines as what you said, from people at davesgarden.com. It comes up with such regularity that I wonder why they don't figure out some way of making it clearer to people how things work, or maintaining a certain amount of stock on hand for everything, or something. There has to be a way to streamline that process somewhere, you'd think. Especially if it's losing them business.
(Which it has: I've personally been scared off by the number of complaints, and the descriptions of the problems people have had with them, and I'm pretty sure I represent a significant amount of business, all by myself. I'd be more likely to order with them now, because I know to expect delays, and to be emphatic about no substitutions, etc.)
- September 12, 2010 at 9:30 PM
- Tony said...
About GHW...I've had totally the opposite experience. Of course my experience might be different because I can actually go to the physical location. Last time I went I loaded up on Philodendron species.They had picked a Philodendron giganteum for me that I had to reject because it was too big...over 4 feet in fact.I didn't have a pot available at the time that would hold it...
I would sat that I am 95% happy with the service, but as I said, I can go to the physical location.
- September 13, 2010 at 3:46 AM
I hadn't heard of Callisia fragrans so I looked it up. Looks nice and I'm always interested in fragrant, edible and medicinal but there is only one source in the whole UK listed by Plant Finder at the RHS. They say they have only just managed to get it and are charging £6.50 per plant ($10.00). Should I wait until it comes free with every plant they sell? Does it come from seed easily?
- September 13, 2010 at 5:45 AM
- mr_subjunctive said...
That tracks with the complaints I've heard, actually. I haven't heard anyone complain about the actual physical location. Though I imagine people would complain, if going to the physical location normally involved charging your credit card for plants you wouldn't receive until three or four months later.
Callisia fragrans is an offsetter, more or less like Saxifraga stolonifera; it might be growable from seed, but I don't know anybody who actually produces it that way.
£6.50 / $10 seems unreasonably high to me, especially if it's only one plant and it's something as prolific as Callisia. In bright light, the leaves turn purple, and it's incredibly easy to grow, and if you've got one then you've got a thousand, but the growth habit is sort of gangly and awkward, and the flowers, though fragrant and long-lasting, don't have a lot else going for them. If you could propagate and re-sell, then it could be worth £6.50, but if there's any chance of finding one elsewhere, I'd wait. It sort of depends on how many other plant enthusiasts you know.
- September 13, 2010 at 7:55 AM
There is a plant swap for locals in two weeks time, I'll see if anyone wants to deal in Callisia futures. Fragrant will do me if it is nice, did it get stronger?
- September 13, 2010 at 12:01 PM
- Sentient Meat said...
Re: GHW @Mr Subjunctive: Yes, I totally agree. You'd think they'd try to find a way to communicate better and streamline some of their business processes.
Once you get used to Arid Lands Greenhouses (which often packs and ships your order within hours or MINUTES of receiving it), it's hard to accept waiting until the entire growing season is over -- especially for winter-dormant succulents. Particularly when they've had your money the entire time.
In the world of specialty plants, there is a place for small, mom-and-pop operations with photocopied catalogs (or 1998-appearing websites) where "everybody knows" you put in your order by fax or mail and wait 3 to 6 months to receive your plants. (*cough* Bob Smoley's Garden World *cough*) Some of these have been operating for 30 years, catering to collectors and hobbyists. But the prices tend to be modest, in keeping with the level of service.
I wasn't expecting that with GHW. I even called ahead to confirm availability on my plants. "Yes. Sure, no problem, we have those." Then two months later, "I'm still trying to fatten that D. g. up some more." Grrr.
- September 13, 2010 at 2:30 PM
- mr_subjunctive said...
Not really, no. It seemed to vary somewhat with the time of day, though, being weaker at night and stronger in the day.
- September 13, 2010 at 2:31 PM
- Unknown said...
That is undoubtedly a Madagascar Jewel. My gut reaction is that yours needs more light and less water. When I brought mine inside this fall, it lost some of its lower leaves and I had to cut way back on the watering. It prefers plastic pots over clay.
I find it a uniquely attractive plant. Anyone that comes over marvels at the plant and wants to know what it is. My mother plant is about 6 years old and a 3rd generation from the Botany lab at UNC-Asheville. Just this year it sprouted a side-shoot.
Since this spring, I have collected dozens of its seeds and reared 14 seedlings that are looking for good homes. I just don't know how to ship them.
- November 24, 2010 at 6:56 AM
- mr_subjunctive said...
The plant in this post isn't mine, so I don't have any control over how it's cared for, but I did get a few seeds from it. (Most didn't survive the trip through the postal system, but I succeeded with one of them.)
Whether it's ugly or not seems to depend on the specimen and the observer: I've seen some photos on-line that barely even look like the same plant. But at the very least it's interesting, and interesting counts for a lot.
As far as mailing plants, it's probably too cold for a while (I don't usually mail plants between October/November and April/May), but I have a post about how I do it. May or may not be useful to you.
- November 24, 2010 at 8:10 AM
Thanks so much for naming this plant! I've had one for years and LOVE it. Mine is over three feet tall, very green and bushy (several limbs have grown out of the trunk). It loves a sunny window and will reward you if you put it in a large pot. The most amazing thing about it is that it spits its seed clear across the room when they are ripe. So fun! Many seeds have landed in nearby plant pots (or fallen down into its own soil) and sprouted as well. Very easy to grow this one.
- May 24, 2012 at 6:49 PM
The plant in the picture is dying. I have had these plants for 15 years and have never been able to identify them. I will check out everyone's suggestions. My Mother plant is 6 feet tall, having started from a 1-inch tall slip which I bought for 10cents at a garage sale. I have started some 25 other plants as they self seed and given them away. I am amazed as they grow under office flourscent lights very well. My mother plant is in a warm south window, and yes it spits seeds during the night. My plant too is bushy, has branches like a tree and never ever stops growing. If anyone would like to email me for a picture of my plant, it's firstname.lastname@example.com. - Lori M.
And yes, the seedlings HATE CLAY POTS !
- January 10, 2014 at 11:05 AM
- Saby said...
Dang, those are really common up here and well-known enough that if you hear the local name for "Euphorbia" in common parlance, it means this species specifically. My circles know the species as what translates to "Naughty Boy" because of its habit to sow its wild oats into neighbouring pots. Another local name is Sailor's Fling.
- March 30, 2016 at 10:33 PM
- AkBuffaloBob said...
The plant in the picture above is not very healthy. I have the exact same plant and it is very bushy and has three arms. The main stalk is 1 1/2 inches in diameter, the arms are a little less and all have a lot of leaves. I started with three seeds from another plant that I wrapped in a paper towel and kept in a cup of water till they sprouted (well one of them) then transplanted to a clay pot and it took off. The whole plant is not 2 1/2 feet wide and three feet tall. You are right, he/she loves to spit seeds. I have a bunch of babies in extra large pot that I have him/her in.
- June 2, 2016 at 2:35 PM


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As well as letting relatives and friends know about the death, you will have to close bank and building society accounts or cancel or change insurance details, agreements, payments or direct debits.
These might include:
- Employer
- School
- Solicitor/Accountant
- Bank and Building Society
- Utility Suppliers
- Phone and Broadband Provider
Government organisations:
- The relevant Tax Office
- National Insurance Contributions Office if they were self-employed (to cancel payments)
- Child Benefit Office (at the latest within eight weeks)
- Local authority if they paid Council Tax, had a parking permit, were issued with a Blue Badge for disabled parking, or received social services help, attended day care or similar
- UK Identity and Passport Service, to return and cancel a passport
- DVLA, to return any driving licence, cancel car tax or return car registration documents/change ownership
If you're unsure about whether a particular organisation not listed here needs to be informed, please call us for further advice. We can also help you with the wording and placing of announcements in local or national papers.
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