The EASTERN CARPENTER BEE And Other Relevant Issues...

It's been awhile since my last post - I've been busy.

I work 40 hours a week, and commute an additional 3 and 1/2 hours a day. That's 57.5 hours a week I allocate to my job.

I get home around 7PM, week-nights, and then have the joy of browsing select websites and blogs, doing research into issues that interest me, and accomplishing little by fact that dial-up internet is obsolete, I go to bed, wake up, and it begins all over again.

I'm not complaining... I feel I'm accomplishing a lot despite my limited assets. I've been busy posting at the NORML Blog... "HIV in chimps slowed with administering cannabinoids to test subjects...", yet another potential pharma drug in the pipeline based on the cannabis plant.

And I've been busy with the topic posted by Slam Dunks re: Sgt. Patrick Rust who was found dead in a field after serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

And, I've been contacted by a producer at NBC Universal Studios who is doing a story on Brianna Maitland, a missing person case I devoted a lot of time to starting in late 2004, and lasting for several years... the story can be found here at Slam Dunks Blog: Brianna Maitland. I am being invited to participate in the show: "DISAPPEARED", on NBC.

I've had "car problems", but nothing I can't handle myself... it's simply the time involved, given weekends are both to unwind and forget work, as well as to do what needs being done, i.e., fixing my car. And sleeping, resting, unwinding.

The title of this topic is "the Eastern Carpenter Bee"... of which I had the pleasure of witnessing for several weeks.

Originally - I don't like bees, am very phobic towards them, so this bee the size of a bumble-bee scared me as it hovered next to a wooden shed at work.

It turned out the bee fascinated me every time I went out for a smoke break. This rather large bee hovered from what I can only guess was dawn till dusk, flying after other insects in it's range of sight. It never showed aggression towards me, so I began to like the bee, and appreciate it. I was particularly amazed that it was airborne and hovering during the whole day, I mean, how can it do that all day with it's big body and small wings?

It turns out after doing some research this is the Eastern Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa virginica, and this was a male, incapable of stinging me; only the females have stingers, and they're busy collecting pollen. What I thought was a male bee attacking any other bugs including hornets and wasps, turned out to be different. Apparently, the male guards the nest while eager to mate, and what I took to be defensive apparently is this male bee attempting to "mate" with these other bugs, along with it's curiosity.

With the disappearance of honey bees and the rare glimpse of a bumblebee anymore, these carpenter bees may be our only hope. We need insects to spread pollen from plants... the carpenter bee seems resistant to whatever is killing of other bee species. Unfortunately, carpenter bees get a bad rap, since they make their nests in soft wood that often is a part of a human dwelling or storage shed. They "drill" out a dime sized hole in soft wood, and their home branches off at a 90 degree angle from the insertion hole.

Websites claiming to be mediaries of humans and insects recommend applying insecticide and plugging such hives. Killing the bees. They do, for their credit offer up the alternative of building a structure made out of soft pine for the bees to relocate to. But who's going to take the time and spend the money to do that? Fact is, these bees are crucial to our survival, and as I see it, they cause minimal harm to that old storage hut.

The bee I was fascinated by lasted about 3 weeks, hovering and flying off after other insects. I found it dead one morning...

Fortunately, another male has taken it's place by the old shed. I am suddenly, not phobic of bees anymore... cautious, yes, but not phobic.

FREEDOM RIDERS - AND THE FRENCH RESISTANCE - MEMORIAL DAY 2011

Memorial Day weekend 2011:

Memorial Day; it means a lot of different things to each of us. To many, perhaps it's simply the beginning of Summer, a long weekend off from work. To others it's about remembering loved ones who have passed on. And to many others, it's about war, and soldiers lost in fighting for our freedoms.

Or fighting a war that we perceive was unjust, and the victims - soldiers; civilian casualties, wrongly placed in harm's way. The Viet-Nam War, as an example, a war that I remember well, and my place in the politics of that war... I never saw war, but I was draftable, and would have been, drafted, had not the draft ended just days before I turned 18. Then, there was a "Draft Lottery". (Based on your birthdate, your date would be put in a hat, and your number drawn. Mine was 16; sweet 16, which meant upon turning 18 I would be drafted into the Viet-Nam war.)

The French Resistance, WW2, French citizens fighting against the German occupation. I don't know why, but the French Resistance fighters of WW2 was an unforgettable history lesson in my life. I don't know if it's the war movies I grew up with in the early 60s, or reincarnation memories.

Memorial to the French Resistance:

CREDIT: Trailblazersww2

"The French Resistance refers to the many groups of French citizens who fought German occupation of France during WWII. In 1940, French soldiers were overwhelmed by Nazi forces and the government sought for peace with Germany... Charles De Gaulle, later the President of France, fled France for Britain, from where he sent radio casts urging the French to fight the occupation."

"Primarily sponsored by the British, the French Resistance first referred only to a few groups around France that fought back, usually through acts of terrorism, guerilla warfare, murder of German soldiers, or through aiding the escape of Jews and others seen as enemies of the Nazis."

CREDIT: FLICKR_French Resistance

CREDIT: FLICKR_French Resistance

Viva la France!

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FREEDOM FIGHTERS: circa 1961

History: During the 1950's through the 1960's civil rights were a hot-bed topic of the hottest kind.

I remember as a kid, around 8, while enroute to a Florida vacation we stopped at a restaurant in Georgia I think. My father who traveled a lot within the US on business, told my sister and I what the etiquette is around Blacks. Our waitperson was Black, which is why the topic came up. My father was concerned if we violated the status quo.

During the same period their were those now known as "Freedom Fighters". American citizens who were defying the status quo, and the discrimination against Black people. Whites travelling on buses with Blacks who were not in assigned seats at the back, and other violations. Many times these "Freedom Fighters" were attacked by mobs and beaten, and killed.

Having lived through that period of our history as a young man, gives me a lot of insight into that mindset.

The most famous "Freedom Fighter" perhaps is James Zwerg

CREDIT: CNN; "Editor's note: This is an excerpt from John Blake's 2004 book "Children of the Movement." The PBS documentary "Freedom Riders,".

The real problem James faced after the fact wasn't the beatings he received from mobs he encountered, but from his own family. He became a "disgrace to his family", and was blamed for a heart-attack his father had.

The article related to this story relates how for many years the sense of guilt and shame were key to James' life.

In my own life, to pursue my dream I became a custodian at the local community college at age 21. I too became a disgrace to my family. I suffered several years of guilt and shame by my family because I chose a job as a custodian at the local CC.

The rule was: There Is Only One Road In Life, just One. And I wasn't on that road and neither was James Zwerg.

The consequences were a life of self-doubt, guilt and shame...

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

NPR FREEDOM FIGHTERS
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WIKIPEDIA LINK

Have a Good Memorial Weekend...

STOP THE HURT!

THE "END OF THE WORLD" - SPECIAL REPORT - AND HOW HOWARD CAMPING IS WRONG!

Edited May 23, 2011

God, where did the time go? The end of the world is here! Now! It gives me cause, to pause... to think back and review my life. Today we must make amends. Today we must confess our sins. Today is the last day we can get a ticket to Heaven, but only if we fully accept ... fully accept, what???

Guaranteed I'll still be around; in the forth-coming Godless 1000 years of Armageddon.

First, the rapture!The Puritans all go to Heaven... their trapped souls rise up to heaven... and disappear. The evil dead, they rise up out of their graves with Earth as their paradise; to the horror of those of us left living - us sinners...

Introducing: Zombies...

CREDIT: CDC Social Media: "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse"

It's true, though, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has already published a Zombie Preparedness/Survival Guide, available here: Zombie Apocalypse CDC Survival Guide.

Some background to today being the "End of the World".

It's a complex mathematical/biblical calculation, that today is the DAY. The person behind the prediction is HOWARD CAMPING.

CREDIT: The Washington Post National

So how exactly did Howard Camping determine "today is the end?

E Bible Fellowship has the answers you seek: Link: "...information was never previously known because God had closed up His Word blocking any attempt to gain knowledge of the end of the world. We read about this in the book of Daniel:

Daniel 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

However, now in our present day, God has opened up His Word (the Bible) to reveal a great deal of truth concerning the end of time (and many other teachings). Also, in the same chapter of Daniel, it says:

Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

God is now opening up His Word because we have arrived at the time of the end. For this reason, it has become very obvious to the serious student of the Bible that we are now living in the last few days of earth’s history. As a matter of fact, because we are living at the end of time, God is now revealing to His people the following information:"

In addition, E Bible Fellowship provides detailed data that one can view to see that what they're predicting is in fact based on irrefutable evidence/data from God/the Bible.

Here is a brief account of their data:

TIMING OF IMPORTANT EVENTS IN HISTORY

11,013 BC—Creation. God created the world and man (Adam and Eve).

4990 BC—The flood of Noah’s day. All perished in a worldwide flood. Only Noah, his wife, and his 3 sons and their wives survived in the ark (6023 years from creation).

7 BC—The year Jesus Christ was born (11,006 years from creation).

33 AD—The year Jesus Christ was crucified and the church age began (11,045 years from creation; 5023 calendar years from the flood).

1988 AD—This year ended the church age and began the great tribulation period of 23 years (13,000 years from creation).

1994 AD—On September 7th, the first 2300-day period of the great tribulation came to an end and the latter rain began, commencing God’s plan to save a great multitude of people outside of the churches (13,006 years from creation).

2011 AD—On May 21st, Judgment Day will begin and the rapture (the taking up into heaven of God’s elect people) will occur at the end of the 23-year great tribulation. On October 21st, the world will be destroyed by fire (7000 years from the flood; 13,023 years from creation).


DAY OF HEDONIST!!! END OF THE WORLD!!!

What an event... a day of "lawlessness... smoking marijuana, seducing the girl next-door, a politician having an affair...

Anything goes, or does it???

Based on the EVIDENCE I HAVE, it's fortunate the federal government doesn't pay any attention to Howard Camping, or the E Bible Fellowship and "The End of the World". If they did, Homeland Security would have already imposed "Martial Law", and required all soon to be raptured citizens to apply for a permit to leave and go to Heaven. They would be required to complete a background check, a drug test, and provide proof of birth. Rising up to Heaven without a permit is against the law. You'll need a passport!

Howard Camping's research and data is incorrect. The end of the world won't occur until the year 9020. And I, BobKat, have proof.

According to Howard's established date of Creation he lists 11,013 BC as that date.

I honestly don't know where he gets that date from. But he's wrong!

My sources establish The Creation of the Universe as being 4004 BC. That from: A "Universal History", published in 1855, which affirms the date of Creation, in the illustration of the "Temple of Time".

Howard Camping is only off by about 7,000 years!

BOBKAT Conclusion: It's not the End of the World, yet, but it is a good opportunity to remind rational people we make our own Heaven and Hell here on Earth... and currently, Hell is essentially the norm.

If I am right and we survive today, perhaps President Obama's promised "CHANGE" will actually happen. But I won't hold my breath.

STOP THE HURT...

Legalize cannabis...

THE TAKE DOWN OF PATRICIA SPOTTEDCROW - OKLAHOMA'S MOST NOTORIOUS MARIJUANA DEALER - CONCLUSION

Back Ground Story: Kingfisher County, OK: Dec. 31, 2009, Patricia Spottedcrow and her mother, Delita Starr, 50, sold a dime bag of marijuana for $11 to a police informant at Starr's home in Kingfisher, OK. A home shared by Patricia, her husband, her four children and her mother, Delita. About a month later the same informant returned and bought "two dime bags", for $20. According to several news sources, it was Patricia's mother, Delita, who made the sales. At one point it is alleged that Delita Starr "asked one of the boys to run and get change."

Let me confess, there is so much to this story that has not been told. However, taking on this story is a Herculean feat I fear, as it's not just the untold story and any covert activities which make this difficult, it's what happened after; much of which is also not published. It seems apparent that not only was the rule of law not followed, but child welfare laws included. In order to "avoid breaking-up the family", according to news reports, the judicial system/powers to be, in this case chose to punish the children's mother, Patricia, rather than the grandmother, Delita; that way "the children's Grandmother would still be there for the children while growing up."

Whoa! First, since when did the state, any state give a damn about who they put away, except for CEO's on Main Street? Second, there is a husband... I think, I'm sure I read about him... but with dial-up internet I'm rather crippled when it comes to getting this information quickly. I have to rely on memory many times, and I'm sure a husband was mentioned.

Third, the "state" apparently felt Delita, the Grandmother was the "better parent". How did they do that? Especially if Delita made the sales, and asked one of the children for change? Why was the book "thrown at Patricia"??? Compassion on the part of the state? I have my doubts.

Fourth, who was this "informant"? Generally there are two types of operatives, called "NARCS" that handle drug sale violations. Undercover police, or snitches. The media is quick to point out when undercover police solve a case. So was this informant a snitch? If so, perhaps a guy she shunned in HS? A client who felt "ripped off"? Who?

The judge in this case, retired, indicated the Starr's had a "significant operation going for the sale of drugs. The evidence: none that I have heard of, and no priors, the only evidence presented, other than the judge's opinion; sale of "three dime bags", a small bag of marijuana in Patricia's pocket, and that's it.

Where are the pounds of marijuana, the hundred's of thousands of dollars, the guns??? No seized computers? No seizure of her house? No exhaustive searches of the house tearing it apart looking for more drugs and maybe a few dead bodies??? What the f***?

In "Part One" I described the history of what a "dime bag" is, how it is equivalent to 3 marijuana cigarettes, or joints. What I failed to mention was that Patricia Spottedcrow didn't have a marijuana tax stamp issued by the state of Oklahoma. See, to sell cannabis, you need to purchase a tax stamp:

That's correct... for about $15 in tax stamps Patricia and her children could have had a much different future, and we're not talking about tax stamps from the 1930's... these tax stamps are currently available in certain states. My favorite is the stamp issued in Nebraska:

For more on Marijuana Tax Stamps visit this link at NORML.ORG:

Marijuana tax stamps: This state has a marijuana tax stamp law enacted. This law mandates that those who possess marijuana are legally required to purchase and affix state-issued stamps onto his or her contraband. Failure to do so may result in a fine and/or criminal sanction. For more information, see NORML's report Marijuana Tax Stamp Laws And Penalties.

According to additional research, especially at Tulsa World News, available here: , "Oklahoma has ranked No. 1 in the nation in the number of women in prison. The state incarcerates 134 women per capita, compared to the national average of 69, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. While the number of women entering Oklahoma’s prisons each year has remained somewhat stable in recent years – 1,284 in 2009 – the number of women in the system has grown to a high for the decade as tougher sentencing laws have passed."

Two graphs from Tulsa World News say it all:

If True, Patricia is the "tip of the iceberg". As most are "non-violent offenders. Drugs, bad checks, forgeries..."

The judge imposed a severe penalty on Patricia Spottedcrow, given the "non-violent" nature of the offense, however, Oklahoma law is clear:

SALE: Less than 25 lbs - felony; Sentence: 2 years - life, Fine up to: $20,000
Source: NORML-Oklahoma

Draconian and excessive, sure. But within the rule of the law, and that's what makes this so tragic. And it's really not that different in other states. Just browse the current laws for possession, cultivation, sale of cannabis and I hope you can see how wrong laws against cannabis are in this country. I mean, maybe it's just me, but God put this plant with many virtues on this planet, and no chemical processing need take place for it to grow and bring much benefit to society.

Patricia Spottedcrow is currently in a luxury prison, The Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center. Here she is carrying her prison mattress from a storage unit to her prison cell:

CREDIT: OKLAHOMA WATCH.ORG

Patricia Spottedcrow; her first day of incarceration at the Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center listening intently to the Drill Sargent:

CREDIT: TULSA WORLD NEWS

I was raised believing in "right and wrong", fairness, and common-sense. I didn't always get it, to be honest, except to say I'm extremely fortunate to have had a very good family to grow up with.

All that broke down in the early 70's, around age 19, when I realized, much that I believed to be true, wasn't true, wasn't real. Some were myths. Prejudice and propaganda. Lies!

Reefer Madness is one such myth. Rationally there is no reason/justification to harass/prosecute persons involved with marijuana/cannabis. Reefer Madness is done. There is NO PROOF that this plant is the "dangerous drug" propagated by a series of movies from the 1930's.

Please voice your support for Patricia Spottedcrow at CHANGE.ORG:

circa 1936
Directed by Louis Gasnier
"Co-Directed by":
Harry Jacob Anslinger; Wikipedia-Link; And William Randolph Hearst
Produced by Dwain Esper
Written by Paul Franklin
Starring Dorothy Short
Kenneth Craig
Lillian Miles
Dave O'Brien
Thelma White
Warren McCollum
Carleton Young



JUST A MOVIE - FICTION - NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!!!

PLEASE - STOP THE HURT!!!