UTMC

So they figured it out. It was us. The Jerrys. Yep, guilty, we killed the bees. And we would have gotten away with it, too!

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0 ... ee-die-off

Seriously, this is a big step in solving a huge and terrifying problem. Now we can do something about it. Also, this might be enough to seriously hurt and perhaps BREAK a company that has a very recent and very repetitive history of doing business with third wold dictators, hindering the production of life-saving medications in third world countries, exploiting third-world poverty to get cheap test subjects for dangerous medical trials and selling highly dangerous herbicides despite knowing about the risks. Even financing the outbreak of at least one war, apparently. If you want an example of a huge corporation being the stereotypical unethical business monster, you need look no further than these fuckers. Fuck Bayer and save the bees.

Now to figure out why 90% of the bats are dying on the east coast.

wzm wrote:Now to figure out why 90% of the bats are dying on the east coast.

Seriously, though, this is big.
No bees, no fruit. No fruit, no fun.

IIRC, Bayer has admitted fault with their stuff killing the bees over there, but here they deny any culpability. I mean, come on. IT's the same shit.
Because the pesticide works as a neuron disruptor, and the stuff is in the food, there've been suggestions that it may prove to be a link to autism as well.
That's one theory. If you're into organic chemistry you can read an excerpt from Andrew Zimmerman's book if you google it. I can barely make any sense of it.
Bees have brains, people have brains. duh, I know. but still...
We're starting to keep bees this spring. Hope they don't all die straight off.

Sisyphus wrote:We're starting to keep bees this spring. Hope they don't all die straight off.

I've got a buddy with a bunch of hives, he's posted up here once or twice as coop. They were up to 12 in their backyard last year iirc, and we've got a jar or two of their honey in the cabinet. If ya run into any questions, or just want to pick his brain, lemme know and I'll pass along his info.

DerGolgo wrote:...a company that has a very recent and very repetitive history of doing business with third wold dictators, hindering the production of life-saving medications in third world countries, exploiting third-world poverty to get cheap test subjects for dangerous medical trials and selling highly dangerous herbicides despite knowing about the risks. Even financing the outbreak of at least one war, apparently. If you want an example of a huge corporation being the stereotypical unethical business monster, you need look no further than these fuckers.

I thought you were talking about Monsanto.

Don't get me started on MonFUCKINGsanto.

On the up-side, the warm winter here is pointing to an increase in bee colony populations.

Metalredneck wrote:On the up-side, the warm winter here is pointing to an increase in bee colony populations.

Does it work like that for bees?
Over here, the buzz is that the warm winter allowed fungy in tree-barks and on other plants to grow more intensely and thus poison many insects.

The Ontario Farmer magazine in the lunchroom said things are looking up. We could use a break. Now if Monsanto would fuck off with BT corn, maybe the Monarch butterflies would stop dying.
http://www.globalchange.com/monarch.htm

Monsanto getting a conscience? I like the fantasy world you live in.

Vitiare wrote:Monsanto getting a conscience? I like the fantasy world you live in.

They may not be getting a conscience, but they are getting some (little) just deserts: http://www.care2.com/causes/poland-is-l ... maize.html

Monsanto is but one of many corps that are truly fucking things up...

Heh, I was listening to the Blues vs. Sharks hockey game on the radio the other day, and a Monsanto commercial came on, talking about how they were a "sustainable agriculture" company.

Clearly, there is more than one version of "sustainable" out there.

You should read the half-page ads in farming rags about how you have to be a good steward, and not re-use any seed that MAY OR MAY NOT be cross-pollinated with their Roundup-Ready(tm) toxins. They send private security firms to farms, and promote ratting your neighbours out.