I recently "fell" for Google's AdSense, the service that adds clickable ads on a blog site. I was lured by the promise of money - such a good reason for anything, right? Well, it's not. Think very carefully before accepting money from strangers for very little effort.
Setting up AdSense was very easy. A short time later I checked my blog for comments. I won't say what it was, but the ad I saw was very, VERY inappropriate for my blog. Google's Help says there are filters, but I didn't see any offered when I signed up. At first I blocked everyone off of my blog. Then I had to change my blog's template twice to get rid of the ads. It was not such a big task, but I could have been very embarassed for anyone else to see the ad. Someone might have thought that I had placed it there. Anyway, I don't recommend it at this point. Cheers!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Where Have All The Honeybees Gone?
Sing along with me (to the tune of "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" by Pete Seeger):
Where have all the honeybees gone,
A long time buzzing?
Where have all the honeybees gone,
A short time ago?
Where have all the honeybees gone?
Pesticides (and urban spreading and inbreeding) may have killed every one.
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?
(My apologies to Pete Seeger. I usually hate it when someone changes the words of a song to promote something. But what the heck.)
Allegedly millions and millions of honeybees are dying. The cause(s) has/have only been theorized at this time.
On http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/15/bee-colony-collapse-disorder-where-is-it-heading/, Craig Mackintosh says, "Huge monocrop farming systems and specialisations, and the spread of suburbia across natural habitat, are removing natural diversity. Bees have been lumped together in the millions, in a factory farm type environment not so unlike that of our chickens and other livestock animals. Many of these bees are transported across several states to perform pollinations in orchards and farms around the country. Today they are in contact with substances they shouldn’t have to deal with - pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and pollen from genetically modified crops."
Consider these comments from http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/15/bee-colony-collapse-disorder-where-is-it-heading/:
11. Ellen Anderson says: March 16th, 2007 : "I am a beekeeper (whose bees are not yet dead.) I think there is plenty of indication that the neonicitines (imidacloprid) is responsible and I am worried since all of the garden aisles are full of it this year. It goes by the name of Merit (also Gaucho) and is made by Bayer Crop Science. It is advertised to control grubs and ticks in lawns, virtually all insects on fruit trees, etc. etc. It is also used to control termites. The symptoms, advertised by Bayer, of poisoned termites sound just like the symptoms seen in bees - i.e. overgrowth of disease and loss of memory. It was banned in France but we Americans get no news from abroad anymore. HELP!!!"
20. Strider says: March 25th, 2007 : "Honey bees have a natural way of being that is blocked by our current way of raising bees for profit. We first asked the question: 'How much honey get i get out of my hives?' The[n] we devised ways of getting more honey. We’ve done the same with cattle, chickens, cows… We devised greater efficiencies. In the case of bees: 1. We put them in trucks and carry them to different sites to aid in pollination 2. We discourage them from swarming. 3. We block the natural progression of queens by preventing the mating flight; by killing them before their natural life span is up and we replace them with bought queens (artificially inseminated). 4. We 'steal' too much of their honey and replace it with sugar water. These are just some of the ways we disrupt the bee’s natural systems. If you were to try to see how much you could get out of your mate (how much house cleaning, cooking, sex…), I bet your mate would flee the hive pretty fast. My point is, when we come from the point of view of profit, we lose the thread. If we were to honor the honey bee and ask, 'How can we coexist for mutual benefit?,' we’d find a different, 'natural' way of being and beekeeping. The solution is 100,000 small-time non-profit local and regional beekeepers with small apiaries sustained for mutual benefit and out of respect and love for the honeybee.. Can’t be done commercially. I’m going to start with a few hives. Look up 'natural beekeeping'. People are doing it and have different kinder methods than the damaging commercial methods that weaken the bee’s immune systems. I’ve given a small part of the situation but I bet you get the picture."
22. KAZ says: March 26th, 2007 : "That list, above, should include the huge number of plants that don’t need honeybees at all. Honeybees are invasive to North America, displacing the pollinators that native plants need. NO PLANT native to the Americas needs, or wants, honeybees. This includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, most kinds of beans, peas, squash, pumpkins, yams, and many more."
The lesson that I get from all of this is that, if we interfere with the natural order of things and try to force other living beings to do what we want, there will certainly be undesireable - and sometimes even disastrous - consequences.
Where have all the honeybees gone,
A long time buzzing?
Where have all the honeybees gone,
A short time ago?
Where have all the honeybees gone?
Pesticides (and urban spreading and inbreeding) may have killed every one.
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?
(My apologies to Pete Seeger. I usually hate it when someone changes the words of a song to promote something. But what the heck.)
Allegedly millions and millions of honeybees are dying. The cause(s) has/have only been theorized at this time.
On http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/15/bee-colony-collapse-disorder-where-is-it-heading/, Craig Mackintosh says, "Huge monocrop farming systems and specialisations, and the spread of suburbia across natural habitat, are removing natural diversity. Bees have been lumped together in the millions, in a factory farm type environment not so unlike that of our chickens and other livestock animals. Many of these bees are transported across several states to perform pollinations in orchards and farms around the country. Today they are in contact with substances they shouldn’t have to deal with - pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and pollen from genetically modified crops."
Consider these comments from http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/15/bee-colony-collapse-disorder-where-is-it-heading/:
11. Ellen Anderson says: March 16th, 2007 : "I am a beekeeper (whose bees are not yet dead.) I think there is plenty of indication that the neonicitines (imidacloprid) is responsible and I am worried since all of the garden aisles are full of it this year. It goes by the name of Merit (also Gaucho) and is made by Bayer Crop Science. It is advertised to control grubs and ticks in lawns, virtually all insects on fruit trees, etc. etc. It is also used to control termites. The symptoms, advertised by Bayer, of poisoned termites sound just like the symptoms seen in bees - i.e. overgrowth of disease and loss of memory. It was banned in France but we Americans get no news from abroad anymore. HELP!!!"
20. Strider says: March 25th, 2007 : "Honey bees have a natural way of being that is blocked by our current way of raising bees for profit. We first asked the question: 'How much honey get i get out of my hives?' The[n] we devised ways of getting more honey. We’ve done the same with cattle, chickens, cows… We devised greater efficiencies. In the case of bees: 1. We put them in trucks and carry them to different sites to aid in pollination 2. We discourage them from swarming. 3. We block the natural progression of queens by preventing the mating flight; by killing them before their natural life span is up and we replace them with bought queens (artificially inseminated). 4. We 'steal' too much of their honey and replace it with sugar water. These are just some of the ways we disrupt the bee’s natural systems. If you were to try to see how much you could get out of your mate (how much house cleaning, cooking, sex…), I bet your mate would flee the hive pretty fast. My point is, when we come from the point of view of profit, we lose the thread. If we were to honor the honey bee and ask, 'How can we coexist for mutual benefit?,' we’d find a different, 'natural' way of being and beekeeping. The solution is 100,000 small-time non-profit local and regional beekeepers with small apiaries sustained for mutual benefit and out of respect and love for the honeybee.. Can’t be done commercially. I’m going to start with a few hives. Look up 'natural beekeeping'. People are doing it and have different kinder methods than the damaging commercial methods that weaken the bee’s immune systems. I’ve given a small part of the situation but I bet you get the picture."
22. KAZ says: March 26th, 2007 : "That list, above, should include the huge number of plants that don’t need honeybees at all. Honeybees are invasive to North America, displacing the pollinators that native plants need. NO PLANT native to the Americas needs, or wants, honeybees. This includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, most kinds of beans, peas, squash, pumpkins, yams, and many more."
The lesson that I get from all of this is that, if we interfere with the natural order of things and try to force other living beings to do what we want, there will certainly be undesireable - and sometimes even disastrous - consequences.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
What Does Michael Ware Wear?
Michael Ware, a journalist working for CNN in Baghdad, Iraq, said this morning that "Al-Qaeda" is stronger than ever in Iraq and that Iran has more influence than ever in Iraq. But he also said it would be a mistake to have the U.S. military leave Iraq for "things" would only get worse.
I have often been skeptical of the opinions of Michael Ware since, as far as I know, he has never been seriously injured. This indicates to me that he is not in the most dangerous areas. As such, can he really know what is going on?
His first two assertions are probably correct. His last assertion is only a guess. He cannot predict the future any more than any of the rest of us can. There are a lot of possible scenarios. It is just as likely that the fighting and killings would eventually decrease as certain groups gain control over their territories. After all, modern Iraq was patched together by the British a long time ago. There's no natural reason that "Iraq" has to stay together. In fact, given the different groups, it makes more sense that there be separate nations.
What will happen, no one knows or can know. What I do believe is that the U.S. government should not force its plan on them. The people there should be able to plan their own destinies as we should be able to plan our own destinies.
I have often been skeptical of the opinions of Michael Ware since, as far as I know, he has never been seriously injured. This indicates to me that he is not in the most dangerous areas. As such, can he really know what is going on?
His first two assertions are probably correct. His last assertion is only a guess. He cannot predict the future any more than any of the rest of us can. There are a lot of possible scenarios. It is just as likely that the fighting and killings would eventually decrease as certain groups gain control over their territories. After all, modern Iraq was patched together by the British a long time ago. There's no natural reason that "Iraq" has to stay together. In fact, given the different groups, it makes more sense that there be separate nations.
What will happen, no one knows or can know. What I do believe is that the U.S. government should not force its plan on them. The people there should be able to plan their own destinies as we should be able to plan our own destinies.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
They're Pulling You In, Again
Yahoo! News reported today that the Dow Jones industrial average rose from 12,000 to 13,000 in only six months. It said there "MAY be more reason to worry than rejoice." (emphasis added) Well, duh! They're pulling you in, until they dump you again. That's my theory anyway. After all, what goes up, must come down - I think this even applies to methane from cows.
Ever want to know what composes the Dow 30? Check out what I think is the easiest-to-understand entry at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average. (Hope it doesn't change too much by the time you view it.) My theory (I have plenty, as you can see) is that it's all rigged in some way or other to benefit those with lots of money. Perhaps they even buy the components to increase the average, then sell out. Cheers!
Ever want to know what composes the Dow 30? Check out what I think is the easiest-to-understand entry at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average. (Hope it doesn't change too much by the time you view it.) My theory (I have plenty, as you can see) is that it's all rigged in some way or other to benefit those with lots of money. Perhaps they even buy the components to increase the average, then sell out. Cheers!
Lower the Flag
A soldier has asked why the flag is not lowered to half-mast when soldiers are killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as it was lowered to honor the 32 students & teachers at Blacksburg, VA. Well, duh! If they did that, the flag would be permanently in that position. I suppose they could raise and lower it each day. But then we would be more conscious of the deaths. We just couldn't have that, could we?
And then, too, someone might want the flag lowered for unnecessary deaths from cancers and strokes and heart attacks and neglect and road wrecks and killings of "ordinary" people and... Where would we stop? Do we have to stop? Why can't we show more respect for all people?
And then, too, someone might want the flag lowered for unnecessary deaths from cancers and strokes and heart attacks and neglect and road wrecks and killings of "ordinary" people and... Where would we stop? Do we have to stop? Why can't we show more respect for all people?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
American Idol Tries to Change Its Reputation
American Idol says it wants "to give back' by using Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, "a new [why do we need a NEW one?] charitable organization established to raise money and awareness to benefit children and young people." I think American Idol is just trying to counterbalance its bad record of insulting people needlessly.
In one segment, Ryan Seacrest said that some children in Africa could eat three meals a day for 50 cents. Wow! I need to know where this place is, because I can't eat for that. Perhaps he didn't factor in the cost of the items donated.
Anyway, I don't think American Idol will abandon its use of demeaning comments about contestants next year - if there is a next year. Obviously, people like seeing other people make fools of themselves, thinking they can sing. So just tape the program and enjoy the singers that you like. Cheers!
In one segment, Ryan Seacrest said that some children in Africa could eat three meals a day for 50 cents. Wow! I need to know where this place is, because I can't eat for that. Perhaps he didn't factor in the cost of the items donated.
Anyway, I don't think American Idol will abandon its use of demeaning comments about contestants next year - if there is a next year. Obviously, people like seeing other people make fools of themselves, thinking they can sing. So just tape the program and enjoy the singers that you like. Cheers!
Abolish the FDA Safely & Effectively
Yesterday Lou Dobbs on CNN reported that the FDA knew of contamination in spinach as far back as 1995 and in peanut butter in 2005 but did very little about it. Well, Lou, governments are slow to act and sometimes barely move at all. So how about using that free enterprise system to which so many people like to give lip-service ... when it's convenient? Non-monopolistic agencies - like the Consumer Union - would certify whatever it is that you want certified. I know it sounds scary, not having a government nanny allegedly protecting us. But research the FDA's history: google "abolish FDA."
The U.S. Declaration of Independence of 1776 said we had the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We need freedom from the stifling, one-size-fits-all decisions of the FDA.
The U.S. Declaration of Independence of 1776 said we had the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We need freedom from the stifling, one-size-fits-all decisions of the FDA.
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