Nancy Pelosi Defends Condoms as Aid for Economy

[mainsail]

Something about "honey bees"? Give me a friggin' break. How many bee keepers are there and why are several million dollars there to help them stay afloat?

HH

 

I don't know the details in the bill about the bee keepers but surely you know that there is a big problem with bees right now. One that could be quite serious with an impact on our food supplies.

 

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090124/GJLIFESTYLES/901239932/-1/SANNEWS

 

[Steve]

Several months ago 60 minutes had a segment about bees and Bee Keepers.

 

According to wiki:

 

The phenomenon is particularly important for crops such as almond growing in California, where honey bees are the predominant pollinator and the crop value in 2006 was $1.5 billion. In 2000, the total U.S. crop value that was wholly dependent on honey bee pollination was estimated to exceed $15 billion.[73]

 

Honey bees are not native to the Americas, therefore their necessity as pollinators in the US is limited to strictly agricultural/ornamental uses, as no native plants require honey bee pollination, except where concentrated in monoculture situationsâ??where the pollination need is so great at bloom time that pollinators must be concentrated beyond the capacity of native bees (with current technology).

 

They are responsible for pollination of approximately one third of the United States' crop species, including such species as almonds, peaches, soybeans, apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers and strawberries. Many but not all of these plants can be (and often are) pollinated by other insects in small holdings in the U.S., including other kinds of bees, but typically not on a commercial scale. While some farmers of a few kinds of native crops do bring in honey bees to help pollinate, none specifically need them, and when honey bees are absent from a region, there is a presumption that native pollinators may reclaim the niche, typically being better adapted to serve those plants (assuming that the plants normally occur in that specific area).

 

However, even though on a per-individual basis, many other species are actually more efficient at pollinating, on the 30% of crop types where honey bees are used, most native pollinators cannot be mass-utilized as easily or as effectively as honey beesâ??in many instances they will not visit the plants at all. Beehives can be moved from crop to crop as needed, and the bees will visit many plants in large numbers, compensating via sheer numbers for what they lack in efficiency. The commercial viability of these crops is therefore strongly tied to the beekeeping industry.

 

 

[Steve]

Didn't want to start a new thread (and have Mekong hurl curses at me) but it seems the RNC are trying their own Affirmative Action...hehehe

 

Michael Steele wins RNC chairmanship race

 

Former Maryland Lt. Governor to be first African-American chair

 

In other news, with Bill Richardson out of the race seems that New Hampshire Republican Senator Judd Gregg is being touted to head Commerce.

 

Frankly, I don't know much about the guy. Anyone know anything about him?

 

[mainsail]

First they add Sarah Palin so they can appeal to the Hillary voters and now this. It makes the RNC look like they are just progressive wannabes.

[Hugh_Hoy]

Bush's cabinet and other appointees were more "diverse" than any previous administration. And the Dems fought like hell against the appointment of more than a few high visability jobs, as I recall. I guess the Demoncrats feel they are the only ones "entitled" to put a "diverse" face on the job workforce. (Man, those are two terms I HATE: "entitled" and "diverse". Coincidentally, favorite buzz words for Demoncrats.)

 

 

HH