Winter all fun, food and frolic - collapse of the bee colony · Sunday March 14, 2010 by colin newell
Colony collapse disorder – while the average person is probably completely unaware of what it is or what it means, I assure you… you may feel the effects of it before long.
Particularly if you eat.
We visited Fredrich’s Honey in Cedar, B.C. south of Nanaimo, British Columbia – ostensibly to drop off some supplies from Wisdom’s Essential Elements – a local soap maker and to pick up some bee pollen and honey for personal use.
Sounds kind of illicit doesn’t it?
Anyway – Fredrich, a wonderful 60-something bee keeper is experiencing this phenomenon known as Colony collapse disorder
It’s not really like having a house full of teenagers leaving home at the exact moment they become of majority because that could be a good thing.
Having a colony of bees, thousands of them in dozens of hives, up, pack and leave home is truly odd behavior and not entirely understood… and worthy of an X-File episode of two… heck even a feature length movie.
What is kind of creepy about all of this is that an entire community of bees hit the high road at the same time – and it could be about disease, about electromagnetic radiation, about competing pests, or the lack of cable TV and color television at the hives. Thing is, we do not know.
What we do know is that bees are important work horses in the pollination of many of the fruits and vegetables that we enjoy and often take for granted.
And being without them? Well, we just don’t know. We don’t know why and we are not clear on the long term consequences.
And if you are a big fan of food, it might benefit us all to put our minds towards figuring out what the heck is going on.
If you are a Vancouver Island resident and have the inclination, get out there and visit a working farm or bee keeper. Sweet times guaranteed… for the time being.
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Winter Fun Food and Adventure Victoria - hug a stranger day · Tuesday February 23, 2010 by colin newell
Today is Hug a stranger day.
Who knew?
Go on. Do it.
You need it.
You know you do.
My friend and creative partner, Bob Harris, appears at the 1:12 mark.
Leave your heart in the hands of Tony Bennett · Wednesday October 7, 2009 by colin newell
After 4 or 5 standing ovations, I would have to say that the Tony Bennett show (at the Royal Theater in Victoria) was the greatest show I have ever seen.
Tony and his band took us on a sentimental journey through the great American song-book – and we went willingly and often with rapturous results.
To say that Tony Bennett is a skilled time traveler would be entirely fair – or better, a musical history tour guide of some of the sweetest love songs of the last 60+ years.
A largely gray crowd were held spellbound with classics like “Someone to Love,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby” from a whisper to, yet another, explosive finale, and brought the lovers in the crowd closer with “Maybe This Time,” and emoted “Speak Low” with his signature texture and rasp.
At 83, Tony has more to offer than the clear majority of pop stars half his age, his vocals offering an return ticket into life’s simple magic – and his undying quest for perfect love.
“I dedicate this song to Britney Spears,” he cracked during “Kiss the Good Life Goodbye,” the Royal audience embracing his sentiment as he snapped a sly smile.
“That’s the way to live, if you mope and groan, something’s got to give,” he sang in Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone,” the band trading blazing solos as they did throughout the night, incinerating “I Got Rhythm,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got that Swing)” with an unquenchable fire.
Other greats included: “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “Fly Me to the Moon.” “Sing You Sinners” and “For Once In My Life.”
At one point Tony put the microphone down and sang into the crowd with only the guitarist by his side. As he did throughout the night, Tony and his band took us higher and higher – leaving us breathless.
And like my wife and I, I am sure the other couples in the audience felt that Tony was singing directly to them, reaffirming their love and reminding us that tomorrow is another day – filled with joy and hope – and the little annoyances don’t mean a thing – not a thing.
Tony Bennett: Thank you!
Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 Saying good-bye to the Fast Cat Ferries · Wednesday August 26, 2009 by colin newell
Two things bad happened to the province of British Columbia in the last 17 years; the NDP and the Liberal parties. Two completely polarized parties – one neo-conservative and the other… root vegetable digging, gumboot wearing social workers and elementary school teachers all rolled into one big red suit.
The PacifiCat fast ferries, the products of one of British Columbia’s most controversial NDP mega-projects, have been sold to Washngton Marine Group who plans to export them to Dubai.
The Washington Marine Group, which bought the aluminum catamaran-style ferries at auction in March 2003, said yesterday that it has sold the three vessels to a firm called Mar. Note the lower of the 2 photos.
The ships, built between 1999 and 2000, were mothballed by the provincial government in 2001 after fairly successful tests on British Columbia’s coastal waters.
Abu Dhabi MAR’s website says the company is a builder of huge yachts, based in the United Arab Emirates. Its most recent achievements appear to be the conversion of two Dutch-built warships into two of the largest super-yachts ever built, 139.5 and 133.5 metres in length. Yachts. For rich folks. That we built. Nice.
Click on the little image above and above for the big image and weep.
Link to my photo in the Times Colonist here… 3 from the left.
