A spider plant might work for your corner. It likes to grow downwards, which may invite being attacked by your cats. A colleague has a spider plant and two cats, and its spiderlings always become cat toys that are detached from the plant.
I have a graptoveria that produces air roots constantly, mostly because despite having a perfectly good pot and light source, it does its utmost to grow outside of the pot. Every year I have to chop and prop it to save it from itself.
Could have also been the lead and vermillion (mercury) in the paints.
That’s just how cyclamen grow- they’re floppy plants. They like indirect light, so the lighting set up seems fine.
Definitely a cyclamen
Your rose needs a few things: A repot into a bigger pot, and rich, loamy soil. Bonemeal to restore phosphorus (that’s likely why it’s no longer flowering) Slow release rose fertilizer (can be found at gardening stores)
As for trimming, prune off unproductive or bare branches, and cut off dying flowers. I don’t judiciously prune my roses.
For the government to bring a bunch over in Project Paperclip? I don’t think they were ever against fascism; they didn’t like Hitler’s version because they didn’t benefit.