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  Michael Viola May 26, 2010 at 5:25pm

  

  
  I just moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn.. I was walking down the very urban street and came across this swarm of bees..
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    3rfl3nfqndi4s > Michael Viola May 26, 2010 at 8:22pm

    What a treat, Michael!!! It appears that you and I are definitely on the same page about these precious lil critters. I have some rosemary started on our balcony, and I don't know if it will be blooming by next summer or not, but, if it is, you may be sure, the blooms won't be trimmed off. Bees Love rosemary blooms. I have to assume that it's a great source of nectar. I have no idea why I have such a Love for bees, but, I do. Perhaps their "family" environment, as well as the wonderful service they offer humanity?
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  Barron May 8, 2010 at 9:42am

  North American bee populations have declined by one-third per year for the last 4 years and are approaching extinction. This could reduce the world food supply by almost half. Many bee experts say that pesticides and genetically modified crops are the cause, but government regulators do nothing. Bee keepers accuse these agencies of being on the take from chemical companies. AlterNet 2010 May 2 ....
  http://blogs.alternet.org/larrypowell/2010/05/02/are-pesticide-regu...
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    3rfl3nfqndi4s > Barron May 8, 2010 at 11:57am

    Talk about irony. Just above the title of this thread, there are 3 links, advertising: "Terminix Pest Control", "Wasp Control", and "Bee Control". Click on the "Bee Control" link and that will answer a lot of questions about what is happening to our bee population. Just as the Homeowners Association in this city "forbid" people to feed the doves and pigeons, because they "crap" on fences, etc. Forget about reality......let's focus on "appearances". Oh, but, then, humankind is soooo much more valuable than anything or anyone else in nature, isn't he? I hope you can detect the sarcasm in that last sentence. ;o)
    
    Another thing I've observed, here particularly, is that they "trim" flowering shrubs back so far, cutting off all the beautiful and bee-nourishing blooms......so where are the bees going to get nectar? Why cannot man just leave nature alone and let it do as it is intended......grow? We haven't done so well with our "dominion" have we?
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  Thomas Simpson February 26, 2010 at 12:07pm

  Another point of interest, the salmon population here in Canada has dropped to worrysome levels, research is in the process of drawing a conclusion, but our government will most likely just let it slide, just like the multiple "Heavy" water leakages from retrofitted nuclear reactors from the 1950's into Ontarios water basins that "is not of concern" to the general public. In the Great Lakes they have introduced amphibious life (the quickest to evolve) and I have witnessed, washed up on shore dead, "mutated" (extra appendages ect) water lizards. And the Great Lakes are reported to be alot cleaner then they were say 50 years ago. One thoery as well involving most animals (in captivity) it is very difficult for an animal to procreate in an environment that it deems "unsafe". The main reason I dont have a child is because I wouln't want a childs innocence to be spoiled by a tainted planet, so perhaps the bees share the same concept, they apparently use the "Sun" to navigate and they can interpet colour, communicate, distinguish between species, these theories would all lead to the conclusion that they are a form of "intellegent life". On these terms, animals (and the planet for that matter) have been acting strangely and more agressive towards Humans, and I have a feeling alot of "people" are also dropping like bee's as well in this cycle. If you try a glass of "Windsor" water from the Detroit river and your not from the area you will notice the water tastes terrible, water is the key for life, most of the worlds fresh water is frozen up north for good reason as we probibly would've polluted that by now. We could invest the time and money and energy into reversing the effects of our own evolution, but yet we still seem to be tied up in warfare, technology, and sending bombs to the moon. We "THINK" we have the ability to manipulate ecosystems, genetically manipulate organisms, and play god on this planet. Do you know how to trap a monkey?, place a small hole in a closed box (put something larger in diameter in the box) the monkey will notice the food in the box, try to grab the food and not realize its clenched hand will not clear the hole (that is smaller) So apply this on a grander scale and you may realize humanity in our current situation is "stuck in a box" with our hands clenching power and wealth, or materialism. But at least it ill keep us busy while the walls come crumbling down.. Untill the awakened ones unite, or we ourselves become a fossil fuel for the next creation in the "cycle"
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    Michael Viola > Thomas Simpson March 9, 2010 at 4:24pm

    I agree with you completely and I love the monkey trapping metaphor. Maybe its all just closing down, including for us. Maybe its darkest before the light?? Who knows. Though I know I need to live in a very different world. I have a connection with salmon they have come up in paintings of mine and I crave eating it daily. Something about swimming against current and back to source and the ability to live in two different worlds. There is so much poison in the environment its really overwhelming. I read an article that in chicago that put poison in one of the lakes feeder rivers to kill "invasive asian carp".. Nice, that makes sense, poison the water. I live in NYC and I can smell the chlorine on my skin as i shower. If you drive on the NJ turnpike you have to close your window because of the noxious smells. If you cannot breathe the air in an area Im pretty sure its causing cancer. I feel all of these pollutants are numbing the minds and bodies of people, including myself. There is so much debt that people can think of nothing else but survival... It would be miraculous to see this all turn around.. It is what I hold in my mind as my hope and dream.. I can't imagine having to raise kids in this mess. I wouldn't have them vaccinated which means they would have to be home schooled. Definitely a full time job and life shift..
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  Michael Viola February 25, 2010 at 8:07pm

  CCD on Nature
  
  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/full-ep...
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  Barron February 22, 2010 at 6:54pm

  Bayer pesticide banned over threat to honeybees
  
  http://www.naturalnews.com/028218_pesticides_honeybees.html
  
  (NaturalNews) A U.S. District Judge from Manhattan has banned the sale of spirotetramat, a pesticide produced by Bayer CropScience. Citing allegations by environmental groups and commercial beekeepers that the pesticide is toxic and is killing off the nation's honeybee population, Judge Denise Cote has declared that sales of spirotetramat must cease after January 15.
  
  According to Cote, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not follow proper procedure when approving spirotetramat. The EPA did not take public comment about the pesticide before approving it and the agency failed to publish both the Bayer application and the approval documents in the Federal Register. The EPA and Bayer CropScience have 60 days to appeal the decision.
  
  According to Bayer CropScience, spirotetramat is perfectly safe and does not harm honeybees, insisting that the pesticide has been extensively tested. The company laments the fact that the chemical was banned because of procedural faults but did not indicate how it would proceed.
  
  According to Aaron Colangelo, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), spirotetramat is a potentially hazardous insecticide that should be pulled from the market and evaluated further. The NRDC in conjunction with the Xerces Society, a wildlife conservation group based in Portland, jointly sued the EPA over its approval of the pesticide.
  
  Amazingly, the EPA admits that it approved spirotetramat illegally but has argued that its actions should have no consequences. This speaks volumes to the agency's arrogance in how it views its role as a regulatory agency.
  
  Dave Hackenberg, one of Pennsylvania's largest beekeepers, is appreciative of the judge's decision. After all, he has been losing more than half of his bees every winter due to what he believes are pesticides. He leases his bees out to various growers every year to assist in pollination but he says that each year, more and more bees are dying. This past year, he lost about half of his bees by midwinter which was the largest amount to date.
  
  Maryann Frazier, a researcher from Penn State University, agrees with the notion that pesticides play a large role in what is now being termed "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD), the massive die-off of bees with no clear explanation as to why they died. She believes that a number of factors contribute to CCD and that further research must be done.
  
  Bees are a necessary insect that must be preserved. Without them, there would be no food. According to the Department of Agriculture, bees pollinate over $15 billion worth of U.S. crops.
  
  Sources for this story include: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pit...
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    Michael Viola > Barron February 22, 2010 at 8:17pm

    the darling EPA.. I just saw Ghostbusters again for the first time in like 20 years. After the Ghostbusters contained all of the evil of the city in a high-tech containment unit an official from the EPA came in, arrogance blazing, and had the containment unit shut off b/c he was pissed, triggering a near armageddon of Manhattan. They've been doing this crap forever.
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      3rfl3nfqndi4s > Michael Viola February 22, 2010 at 8:39pm

      "They've been doing this crap forever." And, I couldn't agree with you more, Michael. Recently, I've been substituting a well-known "F" word for any agency that is called "federal" anything. I don't think I need to reveal what that word is, do I? lol
      
      How about the "F****** Bureau of Intimidation"; the "F******Drug Administration"; the "Infernal Revenue Department"; need I go on?
      
      Please see my article on government/governing and you will know exactly how I feel about Big Guv.
      
      You aren't gonna rat me out, are you? LOL
      
      And, now that that rant is done :)))) I would like to add that there are probably any number of things that are killing our bees. How does mass genocide fit this picture? The alarm bells are ringing loud and clear---ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! Please don't hit the snooze button. ;o)