TresSugar

Bee Wary? Honey Bees Disappearing, Food Supply in Danger

CitizenSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:30:09 -0700

Some people get their news from fancy newspapers and high falutin' websites, and some, if you're like me, learn things from the lid of a pint of Haagen-Dazs. Would that I were kidding, this is the truth folks: did you know that honey bees are disappearing like size 8 shoes at a sale? It's true. And without bees to pollinate the plants producing our fruits, vegetables, nuts - you know, the good stuff - we're about to get pretty hungry.

Since 2006, honeybees began to mysteriously disappear from their colonies destroying nearly a third of US hives - and the rate of decline is increasing, reaching 36 percent last Winter. About a third of our food sources require pollination, and plants cannot grow without it. During a hearing by the House subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, one expert asked the very worrying question: “How would our federal government respond if one out of every three cows was dying?” To see what might be behind this bee-witching development, read more.

Because this phenomena is fairly recent, research and the money to do so have yet to blossom; though money is starting to roll in as the repercussions of this decline in pollination are beginning to be fully realized. Although no conclusive data has been ascertained, scientists suspect several culprits, among them:

Loss of habitat and a combination of pesticides that disrupt the bees neurology. One study of 108 pollen samples exposed 46 pesticides and as many as 17 in one sample.
Single crop cultures create a so-called “floral desert” with little diversity. One of these floral deserts is the 660,000 thousand acres in the San Joaquin Valley that offers cross-pollinators only almond trees as their only diet. It's like gorging yourself on hamburgers for a month and then starving the rest of the year. Not so great for productivity.

Here's where the ice cream comes in: Haagen Dazs is attempting to alert the public to this crisis and is awarding a $250,000 grant to UC Davis and the University of Pennsylvania. They’ve also started a public education campaign and have begun making a limited (hopefully) edition flavor called Vanilla Honey Bee in the hope to distribute 1 million flower seeds to groups and individuals to plant flora that will aid native pollinators.

Now that might have some people buzzing. Where have all the flowers (and bees!) gone? Come back, busy bees!

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Flashback: Bee Gees Stayin' Alive

GiggleSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:20:00 -0700

Word on the street is that the remaining two Bee Gees brothers (RIP, Maurice) are ~~threatening to~~ hinting that they may reunite for a tour. So in anticipation of that sweet moment, I thought we'd take a look at the boys in their prime. It takes a real man to put on tight white high-waisted jeans, blow-dry his hair until it resembles cotton candy, and sing in a falsetto. (Also. . .are these guys part werewolf?) In any case, I love the Bee Gees (Brothers Gibb) with the same, unironic affection I reserve for ABBA and Air Supply. Enjoy!

Could You Win the National Geographic Geography Bee?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:45:16 -0700

Eleven-year-old Akshay Rajagopal won the 20th annual National Geographic Geography Bee yesterday with his winning answer of "Bolivia." The win capped a two-day streak where he answered every question correctly. He's a sixth grader at Lux Middle School in Nebraska.

For his efforts, he'll take home a $25,000 scholarship. He was the youngest of the 10 finalists - all boys. His hobbies include collecting coins, and he is considering some kind of career that involves geography and enjoyed preparing for the contest: "I get to learn about the world and how it works, which is cool."

The photo is vintage from the first contest in 1989. Do you have the global wherewithal to be a geography queen bee? Test your mettle against some sample National Geographic questions.

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Take the quiz

Tragedy: The All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees

GiggleSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:00 -0700

I remember the first time I heard this kind of musical chairs genre mixing. I was at a club in San Francisco and the opening act was a chamber orchestra tribute band for - wait for it - Duran Duran. Somehow, their slow, ponderous songs ("Save a Prayer," anyone?) really worked for string, woodwind and brass instruments. Which brings me to the awesomely named Tragedy, the all metal tribute band for the disco era Bee Gees. (And the guy kinda sounds like Axl Rose!)

Spelling Bee Word Makes Everyone Uncomfortable

GiggleSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0700

The annual Scripps National Spelling Bee was held this past week in Washington, DC. Th whizkid below, Sameer Mishra, took home the championship trophy last Friday, but not without encountering a few interesting words along the way. He wasn't familiar with the word provided in the following clip, but he was familiar with a similar-sounding one . . .

Spelling Bee Word Gives Kid the Giggles

GiggleSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:30:00 -0700

This spelling bee contestant can't get a grip on his giggles upon hearing the word that he's gotta spell. We always hear about those word-o-maniacs who take the competition way too seriously, but it's refreshing to see a wickedly intelligent little dude who can keep it real. Not only does he laugh his way to success, he tries to sneak in a cheater question while he's at it. Oh, the audacity! I heart him.

What to Bring to Your "I Went to Wh*res" Confession?

GiggleSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:30:00 -0700

A date, natch! And we don't mean another hooker, we mean - your wife! Here, Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee of The Daily Show imagine what we've yet to see: a confession from the whoremongering wife standing with her long-suffering hubby. Yeah, hell will freeze over before this happens, and if it does, I'm not sure I'd call it progress. (Thanks for the send, GeekSugar!)

Spelling Bee Contestant Turned Comedian

GiggleSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:00:00 -0700

This must be the first contestant in the history of spelling bees who doesn't take himself or the game too seriously. That's because he's a regular 'ole comedian, this kid. That is, if an awkwardly inserted and delivered pop culture reference during a spelling tournament counts as comedy. With this crowd, it didn't. Poor kid.

A Spelling Bee Between "Friends"

GiggleSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 01:00:00 -0800

The two judging this spelling bee were obviously a couple at some point in time and have now reunited to not-so-subtly spell out the frustrations that ended the affair. Since when are the words "bitch and moan" and "jackass" fit to be spelled? ...Since the day he stung her and she buzzed off. That's when.

Fergie at a Spelling Bee!

GiggleSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:10:00 -0800

Look, so it might be suspicious to the pugnacious that Fergie's spelling words all end in "-ous." But don't be hatin' her because she's glamorous, mmm-kay? What I want to see is a match between her and Gwen Stefani. That would be B-A-N-A-N-A-S!