Thank Your Lucky Bees

There has been a lot of disturbing news lately about honey bees. An epidemic called “Colony Collapse Disorder” is wreaking havoc on honey bees all over the world.
The worker honey bees seem to vanish and never return to the hive. This latest study by scientists is theorizing that cell phones are the problem. The theory is that cell phone radiation is interfering with the bees’ navigation system. They leave the hive to forage for pollen and nectar and never return. Honey bees are vital to man’s existence on earth. Einstein was quoted as saying that if bees disappeared “man would have only four years of life left”.
The good news is that there are still people trying to save our bees and keep them thriving. Check out the blog "Car Free Family" and Paul's new service “Car Free Bees” and “Path to Freedom” We need a lot of good people like these.
I don’t know if the cell phone radiation theory is true, but I feel certain that mother nature has a way of revenging herself.

The Wonderful Commute

It has been about a week since I have commuted to work by bike. Had to use the motor vehicle for various reasons...work related issues, family commitments, etc. But, yesterday I got to ride again. Wow, was it great! It was a chilly morning, and the evening ride home was chilly with a gusty headwind. Normally I might have complained a bit about the headwinds, but after a week of not being able to ride, it was wonderful. When I got home I felt calm and peaceful, unlike the days when I drove and got home jittery and irritated. Makes me wonder how people can drive to work every day...day after day after day. I think it would make me go insane.

Cycling Plus Traffic Equals Irrational Fears

I commute to work by bike most days, probably average 4 days a week. I have a co-worker who also rides sometimes. He used to commute by bike too, fairly regularly. We also go on weekend rides once in a while. He has not been riding a lot lately. He is one of those who seems to have a thousand excuses why he was not able to ride in to work. Well, it really does not matter to me. I ride because I want to. I don't care who else rides. The thing that got me today though, was him talking about cyclists getting hit by cars. He was talking about cyclists getting hit from behind and how careless drivers are. Then he mentions how crazy he was to have been riding his bike on the road these last few years. He talks like he is never going to ride on the road again. I dropped the subject, but down inside it kind of got to me. It is hard enough for the regular driving masses to even consider riding a bike to work. But, now I have a seasoned biker who is now scared to ride on the road. I can appreciate the concern he might have, but doesn't everything in life has some risk? Isn't driving your car an inherently risky endeavor? Aren't there something like 40,000 people killed each year in America from auto accidents?
I guess I am just still in a traffic rant, but where does it end? Everyone keeps complaining about how bad traffic is, but they just keep on driving. Do people not realize that they are the problem? Until people stop driving so much, none of these issues will get any better.
I am reminded of an article I read a while back on culturechange.org. It was something about horses and cars. If the rider of a horse let go of the reins, the horse would do its best to avoid trouble. If a driver of a car let go of the steering wheel, the car was all to happy to go crashing into the nearest obstacle in its path. Not that I am for going back to riding horses...well, almost.