I found an interesting hypothesis for the bee problem here..

A beekeeper in Tucson has not seen the levels of die-off that has hit commercial growers.

Dee Lusby's bees are doing fine. Actually, they're doing better than that, says the owner of Lusby Apiaries & Arizona Rangeland Honey of Arivaca.

Lusby has 900 hives of "free range" organic bees spread out over ranches from Benson to Sasabe.

"I've only lost one or two, maybe three (hives) out of every 30 or 40 hives," said Lusby.

Contrast that with up to 50% mortality in some commercial hives.

She speculates that

the use of pesticides, bee-growth formulas, artificial food supplements, breeding for size, inbreeding — all or some of which may make them susceptible to mites, viruses and fungi — and maybe even some strange side effects from feeding on genetically modified crops.

As you all probably know, there is a mysterious die-off of our bees currently going on.  It's a huge deal, and has the potential to decimate our agriculture.

I came across an article through Raw Story that indicates that GM crops may be responsible.

http://www.spiegel.de/...

There are several theories:

The problem, says Haefeker, has a number of causes, one being the varroa mite, introduced from Asia, and another is the widespread practice in agriculture of spraying wildflowers with herbicides and practicing monoculture. Another possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the controversial and growing use of genetic engineering in agriculture.

I've had it with arguing with skeptics.  It's like whac-a-mole.  You squash one ill-informed comment, 10 more pop up in its place.  Our local papers have had some global warming articles recently, and I've been arguing the global warming case to the ill-informed.  It's alright when you are joined by many others on the comment thread who are arguing the same case.  But it's not so good when the threads get overrun by global warming deniers.

I read hekebolos' diary last week, http://www.dailykos.com/...

He made the case that we needed to use fear against the deniers.  So I started to respond to a denier with that tactic.  I faltered as I composed the comment.  I felt like a fear-mongerer.  I felt like I was playing right into the hands of "State of Fear" mindset.  I didn't feel like it was the right approach.  I discarded the comment and went on my way.

Over the next few days, though, it kept going around in my head.

It seems that more Republicans than Democrats registered to vote in Arizona since the primary in September.

According to the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson's morning paper, "10,713 Republicans, 6,738 Democrats, 917 Libertarians and 16,725 Independents" new voters registered since the primary.

10,700 Republicans versus almost 7000 Democrats.  With a democrat wave?  Maybe some consolation can be had from the 16,700 Independents, who will likely skew Dem this year.

I have an opportunity to ask Giffords questions next week at a function.  Does anyone have any questions that I should ask her?

I'm interested in anything about her DLC connections, her ad that was exposed in the Star, or anything else.  I don't know much about her history in the State legislature.

I've been researching everyone tonight, for the last hour.  I went in favoring Latas and opposing Giffords (due to the Star's article), and now I favor Weiss, and still oppose Giffords.  I sadly changed my mind on Latas when I heard about the tinfoil hat 9/11 thing.

This function will be a good opportunity to politely ask questions.  There will be about 50 people there, max.  

Thanks!

RenewableEnergyAccess.com is one of my favorite news sites because it focuses on renewable energy projects and developments globally.  It gives me some positive events to focus on in the fight against global warming.  It occasionally has some "Insider" columns, pieces written by industry insiders.  A recent one is by Lyn Harrison, the editor of Windpower Monthly.  It is titled "The Dangers of PTC Addiction," and advocates eliminating it once and for all.

Each time America's Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind power gets a new lease on life, the negative aspects of doing business under the mechanism are fast forgotten in the ensuing rush of industry euphoria. The PTC ... is as often criticised in private by wind industry leaders as it is praised in public by the lobbyists... To borrow the quietly spoken words of a CEO with two decades in the business: "It's like a drug addiction. We all know it's bad for us. We all know life would be better off without it in the long run. But we can't find a way to get off it." That sense of impotence could be changing.

What is the plan for YearlyKos 2007.  I couldn't make it to this year's convention due to circumstances beyond my control.  I'd like to start planning for attending next year's.  When will it be, and where?  I can't find any information anywhere.

If it hasn't been decided yet, then what is the process for deciding when and where it will be?

 Perhaps Chicago next year?  Oooh, Hawaii!  Charter a cruise ship?  How many people attended this time?  Could we even fill an 1800 passenger cruise ship?  Might be difficult to get guest speakers though, if they had to commit to a 4 day cruise.  Other ideas?

Were there interpreters for the deaf at this year's?  I will need one for next year....

I thought that Dems didn't get any Abramoff money.  But now Harry Reid apologizes.  And in the Associated Press article where I saw this, I see this:  "The Abramoff investigation threatens to ensnare at least a half dozen members of Congress of both parties and Bush administration officials."  WTF?  Is this a lie again, or do they know something we don't?  Consider the WaPo blog shutdown too.  Perhaps the beltway insiders know more this time?

UPDATE - the assertion that Democrats are also ensnared in the scandal is at the end of the article I linked. 2nd to last paragraph. Don't be so quick to dismiss this as GOP spin. Is it possible that Abramoff has trapped some Dems in the complicated web of money?

Flame away.

http://abcnews.go.com/...

UPDATE #2.. I think maybe we should go after the AP? Email them with righteous indignation? Or what should we do? Sigh and go back to Survivor?

The White House has returned attack on Gore's speech.  They say that Clinton-Gore performed warrantless searches as well, citing an "FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge."

I know this has come up before and that Clinton has denied doing warrantless searches, saying that he always got the permission even if it was within the 3 day timeframe afterwards.

Is this true?  Or is it just more lies from the White House?

http://abcnews.go.com/...

If already diaried before, I will delete.

"Director Michael Moore is planning a sequel to "Fahrenheit 9/11," his polemic against the Bush administration, to be released about the time of the next presidential campaign, according to a spokeswoman for his distributor."

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=619817&section=news

President Bush scheduled a victory announcement in Washington today, with officials of his reelection campaign asserting that he has won at least 286 electoral votes -- 16 more than he needs -- and that they do not have to wait for John F. Kerry to concede.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21604-2004Nov3.html

Seems like he's charging forward.  I'm trying to keep my head up by realizing that people like the guy and are very happy today, and others are oblivious.  I'm going to take a bit to recover, but I am not giving up the fight.

As you all may know, the Pentagon has blocked the voter registration site for many overseas voters.  It has come to my knowledge (through Salon) that a proxy site has been set up.

Here is the link.

Spread the word.

http://register.verifiedvoting.org/

(The salon article link:
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/09/21/overseas_voting/index.html)

I admit I am powerless over the DailyKos blog.  My life has become unmanageable, wallowing in despair and depression over a possible 2nd Bush term.

I have come to believe that the power of the Leave No Voter Behind program can restore me to sanity.

I have made a decision to turn my will and live over to the care of the Leave No Voter Behind program as I understand it.

Today, the KE 2004 campaign held a rally in downtown Tucson, AZ, at the Tucson Convention Center, featuring the VP candidate, John Edwards.  The gates opened at 11am, and we got there shortly after, around 11:10.  People were everywhere, walking towards the rally, getting in line, registering to vote, filling out volunteer forms, preparing to turn Arizona blue for 2004.  An overheard joke:  one way to turn Arizona blue is to use refrigeration.  Boooo.  Although it was hot.  The high today was over 100, and the cool convention center was a relief once we got inside.

Several speakers went up first.  Some local politicians spoke, then the band played for awhile.  Then our governor, Janet Napolitano, and one of our Representatives, Raul Grijalva got on stage.