Don't look back in anger...

Driving through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona I was forced to endure an epic amount of country music. The din of country ceased only for hip-hop as we crossed the Navajo reservation or found a good tejano song. However, I found myself enjoying country after the 10th straight hour. One song stood out, Jake Owen's "Starting With Me". It is a little melodramatic, which one comes to expect. Half of the country I heard rambled about how everything was, "Better before....". Whether they are lamenting lost love, dead dogs, missing fathers, memories of camping with Coleman lanterns and cans of good ole' American Coca-Cola, every country singer is here to tell you how it all went wrong. "Starting With Me" is no different, but reminds me of my own ongoing laments about nearly everything I've done. Enjoy!

Morning coffee

Complaints are pouring in by the dozen (I wish) that I have failed to update my blog with accounts of a recent trip to the rainy Southwest. However, my sister has the photos so until she sends them my way that shall have to wait.

In the meantime I’ll recommend a coffee to y’all. I must start with the disclaimer that my friend, a Barista Guild Member and director of Coffee Quality at Murky Coffee, states that, “No good coffee comes from Bolivia”. Maybe it is true, but I don’t buy it. One of the world’s highest grown coffees, Bolivian Anjilanaka, a direct trade, organic offering by Intelligentsia (one of America’s finest roasters) caught my eye this spring by it’s description of walnut, licorice, and vanilla flavors. I think it was the walnut and licorice that got me, I’m mad for both. I ignored my friend's advice and purchased a pound of the stuff, something I’d wanted to do before, but previous attempts were derailed by temptations of Rwandan and Columbian coffee.

Many of you may scoff at the idea of coffee with such luxurious descriptions. But with single origin, high quality coffees, it is no laughing matter. Okay, maybe it is, but have a sip and taste the difference yourself. If one brews fine coffee properly and has a decent pallet, the subtle differences are very apparent. Granted, I think people go overboard describing coffees as having a hint of buttered toast, but the general principal is well-grounded and does add more depth and vibrancy to life. I will still mock those championing single origin chocolate’s mango hints, but with coffee, it is as true as with wine. Meanwhile…back in reality.

After a 3 month wait, I boiled the water, ground my beans and brewed a press pot. The first cup or two were unremarkable, decent flavor, but no body. It was too thin. Yesterday, however, I tried again and it tasted so good I greedily sucked it down. This time the flavors really came out in rich, deep, and sugary walnut. So much so that I felt as if I was drinking a liquid nut pastry, and this with no sugar or milk added. I drank a whole french press on my lonesome because of this sweet, sweet flavor. Today, I detect hints of melon and maybe just a little vanilla edge as well. It may not have the notoriety of other South American beans, but it is a wonderful coffee, and one which forces us not to write off all Andean coffees.

Weak Post

Yeah I know, another video...lame. For now, to thank those of you who read this blog, please check out this crude video but great song by Tanya Stephens. Tanya's been on the dancehall scene since the mid-90s crossing over to yuppie worldbeat enthusiasts like me in 2004 with her Gangsta Blues lp. That had some good tracks, but this 2006 release Rebelution is amazing. I highly recommend it--not your usual songs about sex, ganja, violence, sex, and more sex. Okay, some of the later, but more of politics, religion, morality, relationships, and more.

MSA fun

Anyone who knows me knows that I am constantly beating on Pittsburgh, complaining about the city’s inability to attract jobs or people. Now this isn’t just the city of Pittsburgh, but the 7 County Pittsburgh Metropolitan area. The 7 County region is losing people AND jobs, yes the suburbs! You’ve all heard the news that, “Cleveland, Detroit, and St. Louis have lost half their population since 1950”. Sure, so has Pittsburgh. But Detroit and others have grown a lot outside of their urban borders, regionally, creating new jobs and keeping many people around. Not Pittsburgh. In fact the Pittsburgh region appears to be the only place, besides Buffalo, to be losing people and jobs among the top 50 MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) in the country.

It is alarming to see that Pittsburgh is still ranked 21st out of the Top 50 MSAs. But the scary thing is to see that it is dead last among population growth since 1950! I really wish things would change for the 'Burgh, but I am not always the most optimistic.

The good thing about charts like this is that they allow ‘growing’ cities like Phoenix, which recently claimed to be the 5^th largest city, to actually be ranked 13^th largest regionally. The reason this is important is that Philadelphia and other Northeastern and Midwestern cities are surrounded by a zillion municipalities that limit annexation and cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and Chicago are stuck at the same size as 100 years ago. Meanwhile Sunbelt towns like Phoenix and Dallas were able to annex the wastelands around them, anticipating and capturing growth. Thus the CITY of Phoenix may have more bodies than the CITY of Philadelphia. But city limits are rather irrelevant for the economic and social vibrancy of a region. People in Philly work and shop and play and live in Philly as well as in the many surrounding towns and suburbs, as they do in any metropolitan area. Therefore the city population is irrelevant in urban rankings, but MSA statistics are valuable to see how big a metro area is. So Phoenix, you’re not yet in the top 10, let alone top 5! Even if you get there time isn't on your side, how many people can the desert sustain?

For more fun please check out www.demographia.com/ to see more demographic info. Ignore all the 'death of the American Dream b/c of Smart Growth' hype, and read the MSA since 1950s info.

Why I love the East Side

I need to fill this blog with something. My mind is melted and I have nothing to say. Someone recently thought I was in Philly or Perth or Pensacola. I am from and going to soon visit Pittsburgh. But, for the record, I am still in Mil-town with no plans to leave shortly. I talked to an artist last night whom has traveled the world and lived in such diverse locales as NYC and Santa Fe and he said the East Side of Milwaukee is one of the best places-better than even Santa Monica! As much as I hate a large portion of my life, it is hard to argue with him whilst sitting at Alterra on the Lake during a pleasant evening in mid-June. The East Side of Milwaukee is amazing and I'm glad I live here and found out about this gem. Why is the East Side so good?

It's walkable: I can walk to about 20 bars (or more), 4 grocery stores (not including Italian grocers and specialty shops), probably 4 cafes, 10 restaurants, a hardware store, the Lake, music shops, art stores, a few decent venues, on and on and on.

It is diverse. Okay, not like Queens or whatever, and I hate using this term because it is so cliche, but it's true! I am a semi-yuppie and I have neighbors who are senior citizens, students, families, hipsters, hippies, and people who work for a living as analysts, cops, and laborers.

It's affordable. Yeah, I know people here think the East Side is expensive, but compared to big cities, it is such a bargain for what you get.

Parking ISN'T a problem. People say, "I can't park on the East Side". Yes, it is true that at midnight I may have to park about 3 blocks from my house. This sure beats the mile plus I would park from the apartment in DC or VA when arriving that late.

There are always things to do and people out enjoying life. Just stroll down Brady Street when the weather is nice, you'll see.

These are just a few reasons why the East Side of Milwaukee is great. Maybe later on today I can post reasons why the City of Milwaukee is great!

Rush is over the top...again

After Imus' recent firing, Rush Limbaugh is playing a song called, "Barak the magic negro" and no one seems to mind. Absurd

Overworked Bees?

Bees (which are more than pests and honey producers) are disappearing in record numbers. This comes after a huge number of feral bees have passed away because of lack of habitat. Bees are dying out. Does this matter? To those of you who disdain honey, probably not. But if you happen to enjoy fruit or vegetables, or even flowers, this is cause for concern. Despite the huge number of advances in agriculture in the past 100 years we still cannot replace bees (and beekeepers) to do the work of pollination. Because of a shrinking number of natural bees, beekeepers are paid to ship their bees across the country to work pollinating everything from almonds to peaches to alfalfa (feed for cattle). This is a BILLION dollar industry. Now bees are disappearing from their hives in record numbers and agriculture is up in arms over what the hell is going on. Many suggest stress from travel, foreign environments, overwork, reliance on corn syrup feed, mites and other invaders. Either way this may disasterously affect the future of our food.

Bee colonies have been under stress in recent years as more beekeepers have resorted to crisscrossing the country with 18-wheel trucks full of bees in search of pollination work. These bees may suffer from a diet that includes artificial supplements, concoctions akin to energy drinks and power bars. In several states, suburban sprawl has limited the bees’ natural forage areas. NY Times, 04/23/07

With the recent slew of info on deadly pet food (also fed to chicken) which was a coal product used in animal feed, to the near collapse of the world’s ocean fisheries (farmed fish are in the same bad category as factory-farm chickens and pigs), tainted produce (the spinach scare) there is a good reason to look at how we get and consume our food. This isn’t just something for hippies and ‘do-gooders’ to do. This is imperative if you would like to see the earth as a healthy and remotely sustainable place in the future.

However, in an age with eating contests on ESPN, widespread obesity, and eating as a ‘fun’ activity to do; people don’t seem to care. We will continue to destroy the earth till is screws us, then we’ll freak out and blame the government. Americans like to ignore what is going on until all hell breaks loose. We are complacent until things are catastrophic. Read the writing on the wall now and do something while you still can.

Honeybees Vanish, Leaving Keepers in Peril

NYTimes, February 27, 2007

VISALIA, Calif., Feb. 23 — David Bradshaw has endured countless stings during his life as a beekeeper, but he got the shock of his career when he opened his boxes last month and found half of his 100 million bees missing.

In 24 states throughout the country, beekeepers have gone through similar shocks as their bees have been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming rate, threatening not only their livelihoods but also the production of numerous crops, including California almonds, one of the nation’s most profitable.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Mr. Bradshaw, 50, said from an almond orchard here beginning to bloom. “Box after box after box are just empty. There’s nobody home.”

The sudden mysterious losses are highlighting the critical link that honeybees play in the long chain that gets fruit and vegetables to supermarkets and dinner tables across the country.

Beekeepers have fought regional bee crises before, but this is the first national affliction.

Now, in a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. And nobody knows why. Researchers say the bees are presumably dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted or simply disoriented and eventually falling victim to the cold.

As researchers scramble to find answers to the syndrome they have decided to call “colony collapse disorder,” growers are becoming openly nervous about the capability of the commercial bee industry to meet the growing demand for bees to pollinate dozens of crops, from almonds to avocados to kiwis.

Along with recent stresses on the bees themselves, as well as on an industry increasingly under consolidation, some fear this disorder may force a breaking point for even large beekeepers.

A Cornell University study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States, mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts. “Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation.

The bee losses are ranging from 30 to 60 percent on the West Coast, with some beekeepers on the East Coast and in Texas reporting losses of more than 70 percent; beekeepers consider a loss of up to 20 percent in the offseason to be normal.

Beekeepers are the nomads of the agriculture world, working in obscurity in their white protective suits and frequently trekking around the country with their insects packed into 18-wheelers, looking for pollination work.

Once the domain of hobbyists with a handful of backyard hives, beekeeping has become increasingly commercial and consolidated. Over the last two decades, the number of beehives, now estimated by the Agriculture Department to be 2.4 million, has dropped by a quarter and the number of beekeepers by half.

Pressure has been building on the bee industry. The costs to maintain hives, also known as colonies, are rising along with the strain on bees of being bred to pollinate rather than just make honey. And beekeepers are losing out to suburban sprawl in their quest for spots where bees can forage for nectar to stay healthy and strong during the pollination season.

“There are less beekeepers, less bees, yet more crops to pollinate,” Mr. Browning said. “While this sounds sweet for the bee business, with so much added loss and expense due to disease, pests and higher equipment costs, profitability is actually falling.”

Some 15 worried beekeepers convened in Florida this month to brainstorm with researchers how to cope with the extensive bee losses. Investigators are exploring a range of theories, including viruses, a fungus and poor bee nutrition.

They are also studying a group of pesticides that were banned in some European countries to see if they are somehow affecting bees’ innate ability to find their way back home.

It could just be that the bees are stressed out. Bees are being raised to survive a shorter offseason, to be ready to pollinate once the almond bloom begins in February. That has most likely lowered their immunity to viruses.

Mites have also damaged bee colonies, and the insecticides used to try to kill mites are harming the ability of queen bees to spawn as many worker bees. The queens are living half as long as they did just a few years ago.

Researchers are also concerned that the willingness of beekeepers to truck their colonies from coast to coast could be adding to bees’ stress, helping to spread viruses and mites and otherwise accelerating whatever is afflicting them.

Dennis van Engelsdorp, a bee specialist with the state of Pennsylvania who is part of the team studying the bee colony collapses, said the “strong immune suppression” investigators have observed “could be the AIDSof the bee industry,” making bees more susceptible to other diseases that eventually kill them off.

Growers have tried before to do without bees. In past decades, they have used everything from giant blowers to helicopters to mortar shells to try to spread pollen across the plants. More recently researchers have been trying to develop “self-compatible” almond trees that will require fewer bees. One company is even trying to commercialize the blue orchard bee, which is virtually stingless and works at colder temperatures than the honeybee.

Beekeepers have endured two major mite infestations since the 1980s, which felled many hobbyist beekeepers, and three cases of unexplained disappearing disorders as far back as 1894. But those episodes were confined to small areas, Mr. van Engelsdorp said.

Today the industry is in a weaker position to deal with new stresses. A flood of imported honey from China and Argentina has depressed honey prices and put more pressure on beekeepers to take to the road in search of pollination contracts. Beekeepers are trucking tens of billions of bees around the country every year.

California’s almond crop, by far the biggest in the world, now draws more than half of the country’s bee colonies in February. The crop has been both a boon to commercial beekeeping and a burden, as pressure mounts for the industry to fill growing demand. Now spread over 580,000 acres stretched across 300 miles of California’s Central Valley, the crop is expected to grow to 680,000 acres by 2010.

Beekeepers now earn many times more renting their bees out to pollinate crops than in producing honey. Two years ago a lack of bees for the California almond crop caused bee rental prices to jump, drawing beekeepers from the East Coast.

This year the price for a bee colony is about $135, up from $55 in 2004, said Joe Traynor, a bee broker in Bakersfield, Calif.

A typical bee colony ranges from 15,000 to 30,000 bees. But beekeepers’ costs are also on the rise. In the past decade, fuel, equipment and even bee boxes have doubled and tripled in price.

The cost to control mites has also risen, along with the price of queen bees, which cost about $15 each, up from $10 three years ago.

To give bees energy while they are pollinating, beekeepers now feed them protein supplements and a liquid mix of sucrose and corn syrup carried in tanker-sized trucks costing $12,000 per load. Over all, Mr. Bradshaw figures, in recent years he has spent $145 a hive annually to keep his bees alive, for a profit of about $11 a hive, not including labor expenses. The last three years his net income has averaged $30,000 a year from his 4,200 bee colonies, he said.

“A couple of farmers have asked me, ‘Why are you doing this?’ ” Mr. Bradshaw said. “I ask myself the same thing. But it is a job I like. It is a lifestyle. I work with my dad every day. And now my son is starting to work with us.”

Almonds fetch the highest prices for bees, but if there aren’t enough bees to go around, some growers may be forced to seek alternatives to bees or change their variety of trees.

“It would be nice to know that we have a dependable source of honey bees,” said Martin Hein, an almond grower based in Visalia. “But at this point I don’t know that we have that for the amount of acres we have got.”

To cope with the losses, beekeepers have been scouring elsewhere for bees to fulfill their contracts with growers. Lance Sundberg, a beekeeper from Columbus, Mont., said he spent $150,000 in the last two weeks buying 1,000 packages of bees — amounting to 14 million bees — from Australia.

He is hoping the Aussie bees will help offset the loss of one-third of the 7,600 hives he manages in six states. “The fear is that when we mix the bees the die-offs will continue to occur,” Mr. Sundberg said.

Migratory beekeeping is a lonely life that many compare to truck driving. Mr. Sundberg spends more than half the year driving 20 truckloads of bees around the country. In Terra Bella, an hour south of Visalia, Jack Brumley grimaced from inside his equipment shed as he watched Rosa Patiño use a flat tool to scrape dried honey from dozens of beehive frames that once held bees. Some 2,000 empty boxes — which once held one-third of his total hives — were stacked to the roof.

Beekeepers must often plead with landowners to allow bees to be placed on their land to forage for nectar. One large citrus grower has pushed for California to institute a “no-fly zone” for bees of at least two miles to prevent them from pollinating a seedless form of Mandarin orange.

But the quality of forage might make a difference. Last week Mr. Bradshaw used a forklift to remove some of his bee colonies from a spot across a riverbed from orange groves. Only three of the 64 colonies there have died or disappeared.

“It will probably take me two to three more years to get back up,” he said. “Unless I spend gobs of money I don’t have.”