Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Bees are Dying.

Tom's Journal. http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/ tschuckman@aol.com

To separate the 'get rich quick schemes' from good old reliable common sense and even Bible Proverbs, means that we have to study somethings that may seem very dry and boring-- but are key for getting ahead, being prepared, being safe...  but God's Word trumps everything in the end/ final analysis.  

I had another horrible time at the Milwaukee VA again yesterday, mostly dealing with incompetent, myopic doctors and staff, but I am skilled and used to their mess ups, of forgetting or lying about my medications, and I am sure not the only Vet that has to deal with these people on a regular basis!  The bottom line:  Things are NOT getting better on obama's watch, for the disabled combat Veterans-- or anyone else, unless they are well connected with our Socialist Gov't.   I only got about half of what I wanted done yesterday, and will have to go back again to finish my work... changing my Will before the surgery, etc.  Like I always say:  'If you get 10 people to promise they will be there to help you at a certain time, maybe 2-3 will actually show up-- BECAUSE we don't have true commitments, honor, nor do we take responsibility for our actions now days.  That is especially true about "Believers!"  Sorry... folks.   Real serious corruption has infiltrated the 'Christian church' --  means that WE need to pay attention and compare what is being preached and taught in church-- compared to what the Bible actually says.    The deeper we get into the 'Last Days' of Satan's system of things, the worse things will get.  "The love of the greater number will wax [grow] cold."

I am sharing some good ideas, facts, and remedies that come my way, all the time.  And I just love watching my veggie garden grow and produce for me every year, but with knee surgery in 2 weeks, I doubt if I could take care of and water any garden this year, even though my nephew tilled my garden earlier.  I just want to say that MANY people, especially close relatives and pastors made fun of me for storing a few sacks of rice and beans in my house, and a few canned goods, but now from reading the article below-- maybe it wasn't such a dumb idea !  Ha!  I 

I read and do a lot of research before I make a move, buy, sell or do something... and usually I come out pretty good.  PTL-- Praise the Lord.  But please understand that my relationship with Jesus is the only redeeming factor in my life, and Salvation from Jesus' blood sacrifice.   Still, the Bible says we much work-- if we are to eat!  My Fast is going pretty good and I don't feel much discomfort-- but actually feel good!  I feel my stomach shrinking already!  PTL. 

Dear Tom,
If you've been to the grocery store lately, then you know just how much food prices are skyrocketing. In fact, the money that got you four bags of groceries last year will get you only three bags this year. And now that gas prices are going up almost daily, food prices will shoot up even more.
But now there's another, far more ominous reason to home garden. There's a threat emerging that is so potentially catastrophic, it could literally mean the collapse of commercial agriculture.
The honeybees are disappearing. In the past few years, we've been hearing more and more about something called Colony Collapse Disorder - it's a fancy way of saying that the honeybees are dying, and we don't know why. But if the decline isn't reversed, the honeybee could well go the way of the dinosaur.
Some commercial beekeepers are losing as much as 90% of their bee population each season. Bees are essential to the pollination of over 90 different commercial crops.
If that happens, our industrial farming system will completely collapse.
Commercial farming depends on healthy honeybees. Bees pollinate over 90 different commercial crops. Without bees, we would not be able to enjoy things like grilled summer squash, crisp cold cucumbers, or sweet, delicious melon. Many people take good food like this for granted ... and now those foods are at grave risk.
Giant farm conglomerates rent bees from commercial beekeepers to pollinate their hives. The hives are trucked to one region, released from the hive to pollinate the crops, and are packed up again and taken to the next region. But since 2003, more and more often, farmers have been opening up their hives to find dead bees or, more often, bees that just don't return to the hive. That means there are fewer bees to do more work ... which stresses the bee population even more.
For a long time, despite numerous theories, nobody knew what the real cause was.
But now we know.
"Highly toxic" pesticide causing mass extermination of honeybees
Late last year, a brave whistleblower leaked a memo from secret files at the Environmental Protection Agency. That memo was a smoking gun. For years, the EPA has known the true cause of the honeybee extinctions. The culprit is a chemical pesticide, clothianidin. Here's what the EPA's own internal memo said:
"Clothianidin's major risk concern is to non-target insects (that is, honey bees). Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid insecticide that is both persistent and systemic. Acute toxicity studies to honey bees show that clothianidin is highly toxic on both a contact and an oral basis. ... Information from standard tests and field studies ... suggest the potential for and other beneficial insects."
This pesticide was approved by the EPA, despite warnings from some of its own best and brightest scientists. And today, it's used just as much as ever.
If clothianidin were outlawed tomorrow, could the damage be reversed? We don't know. But we do know this: if the honeybee population isn't restored to healthy levels - and quickly - our nation, not to mention the world, could lose over 90 different crop varieties, because they could no longer be pollinated on a large scale.
Look, you already know all the great reasons to grow your own food:
  • You save hundreds of dollars a year on groceries
  • The food you grow yourself with heirloom seeds is more nutrient dense than anything you can buy at the store
  • Home-grown food is free of all the toxic pesticides and insecticides found on grocery store produce
  • You can freeze, can, or dehydrate your surplus to provide a year-round supply of food for your family.
But of all the reasons to plant a home garden, t
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