THE US REPORT

A truck driver hauling hives and bees lost control of his vehicle and turned over near Winona on Interstate 90 today, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune says beekeepers were called in to take care of the swarms. It’s a good thing too, because without those honey bees, our flowers and crops would be challenged. But I was curious—why would a truck be hauling bees and hives?

Bees are important to our economy in more ways than one. Most states have beekeeper’s associations, and the Florida organization’s website has some interesting facts about honey bees. According to an article at the Florida Beekeepers Association website, by Laurence Cutts, honey bees aren’t native to the U.S. They were brought over from Europe by colonists. Cutts says American Indians called them “white man’s flies.” In the 1970s and 1980s, Florida was ranked first in the nation in honey production. But the nasty little tracheal mite caused a decrease in production, and now the state ranks fifth.

When I read the story about the Minneapolis incident, I learned something even more interesting—bees travel. Cutts writes: “Florida beekeeping has now become almost totally migratory. Most bees in the state are moved from two to six times annually, either interstate or intrastate. About half of Florida’s bees move to northern states in the summer for pollination or honey production. They pollinate everything from blueberries in Maine to almonds in California.”

Is there anything that smells as good as fresh honey, and is there anything better to stir into your cup of hot tea? I don’t think so. Florida’s Orange Blossom and Tupelo honey aren’t just popular stateside—these brands are known worldwide for quality.  The Florida Dept. of Agriculture website has some interesting information about the state’s honey in general, not just the two most esteemed brands: “Seventeen million pounds of honey are produced in Florida each year and enjoyed around the world. “ The state’s honey industry alone generates $13 million, and that’s without the work these creatures do in pollinating over 100 fruits and vegetable varieties. So next time you see a honey bee, don’t swat it.

Honey is just one of the gifts these busy creatures give us, and obviously, as indicated by the wrecked honey bee carrier, the bees don’t mind traveling to provide us with benefits.

[Text by Kay B. Day; photo from Florida Dept. of Agriculture: Apiary Inspection]

*Links to sources cited are in 'References' below this post.

Should consumers boycott Viacom brands? Tech blogs are analyzing the ruling in the Google/Viacom battle after federal judge Lewis Stanton ruled in favor of protecting Google’s intellectual property but ignored privacy rights of users. User info will be turned over to Viacom, one of the largest media conglomerates in the world. Michael Arrington, writing for Tech Crunch, says the data “includes every YouTube username, the associated IP address and the videos that user has watched on YouTube. Google will also be required to hand over copies of every video removed from YouTube for any reason (DMCA notices or user-initiated deletions). Stanton dismissed Google’s argument that the order will violate user privacy, saying such privacy concerns are merely ‘speculative.’ " So how will this not only affect YouTube users but us lowly bloggers?

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Michael J.Garcia, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Anil Anand, former CFO of Allied Deals, Inc., was sentenced to time served, 7 months in prison, on charges stemming from his participation in a sprawling, international Ponzi scheme. The scheme resulted in more than $680 million in losses to approximately 20 banks worldwide—among them, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Fleet National Bank, PNC Bank, N.A., KBC Bank, N.V., Hypo Vereins Bank, N.A., Dresdner Bank Lateinamerika AG, China Trust Bank, and General Bank. Anand had pleaded guilty in December 2002, pursuant to an agreement to cooperate with the Government, to participating in the Ponzi scheme by, among other things, inducing banks to issue hundreds of millions of dollars in loans. In Manhattan federal court, the judge ordered 46-year-old Anand, a New Jersey resident, to pay forfeiture of $600 million and restitution of more than $683 million.
The scheme involved fake credit reports, a fake credit reporting agency, fake companies who purchased nonexistent metal and fictional businesses that acted as fronts to deal with bankers and auditors. Details of the elaborate scheme read like a sequel to the film Ocean's 11.

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Sen. John McCain did a solid job of connecting with the American people last night at Federal Hall, in the townhall meeting broadcast on Fox News. Neither mainstream media nor GOP pundits are giving this candidate credit due. Shepard Smith, easily the best looking and most liberal of Fox anchors, disclosed with characteristic angst at the end of the event that while he’d been under the impression the audience would be mixed politically, tickets were distributed to supporters, to Mayor Bloomberg and to independent groups. What the brilliant minds in politics and media are overlooking: Sen. Barack Obama was invited. He could’ve brought Democrats into the mix but declined.

Maybe the audience was friendly, but it’s my opinion you can never be sure what you’re going to get in any mix, even if you think it’s a friendly mix. Just ask Sen. George Allen whose career was derailed when the media assailed him for the use of a word, macaque which most of the media, including large media outlets, didn’t even spell properly. Talk about a character assassination based completely on politics rather than truth. Are you tired of showbiz journalists?

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The Barrons Brewing Jacksonville Axemen topped the Philadelphia Fight in an opener for Season 11 for the two American National Rugby League teams held at West Chester University in Pennsylvania on Saturday, finishing up with an impressive 36-8 score. Calling it a “solid win,” JaxAxe coach Spinner Howland said despite heavy rain, his team controlled much of the ball in the first half. “The Fight came out in the second half like a new team,” he explained. But in the end, Jacksonville emerged victorious. A full account of the game is featured at the JaxAxe website. The Axemen travel to New York City June 14 to face the New York Knights.

Spinner works tirelessly on expanding the team brand and fans in the US are catching on to a game that delivers excitement through continual play and nonstop action. After the January Australia Day Challenge success, the Axemen jersey has been changed slightly he says, “to pay tribute to the Leeds Rhinos and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. We’ve changed the blue to match that of the Rhinos and added a small green strip to match the Rabbitohs.” Jacksonville fans are still talking about the exciting game that not only drew locals, but drew scores of celebs from around the world with more than 12,000 fans packing UNF Hodges Stadium.

The team chose Southwest Airlines as official air partner for the 2008 season. “With direct flights to many of the airports we fly to for away games and the incredible service during the Australia Day Challenge,” Spinner said, “we are extremely happy to be flying Southwest.”

JaxAxe will add cheerleaders this season, and open tryouts for the Vivid Images Jacksonville Axe Maidens will take place at Bailey’s Gym [ San Jose Blvd.] on June 11 at 7:30 p.m. For more info email JaxAxeMaidens@hotmail.com or visit the Maidens’ MySpace page.

To stay current about the Jacksonville Axemen, bookmark the team’s official website. This season holds lots of promise and excitement will surely follow!

[Filed by Kay B. Day; photo of JaxAxe vs. Philadelphia from last year’s game, courtesy of the Jacksonville Axemen.]