10-10-10

The Learning Garden was privileged to host a 10-10-10 event, answering the call of Bill McKibben's 350.org call for everyone across the planet to do something to cut our use of fossil fuels.  The Learning Garden's event was the 100 Mile Potluck - everything that came to our potluck was to have originated within 100 miles of the Garden.  

We had a great attendance and delicious food for one and all.  If you didn't make it this year, look for 11-11-11 events next year!  Run right over and put it on your calendar now!

david

A Possible Answer for Colony Collapse Disorder!

A couple of 'girls' from the hive I caught over the summer, congregate at the entrance to their hive.  All worker bees are female, as is the queen.  Each hive has only a few males, drones, whose only job is to mate with the queen - definitely part time employment as she mates only several times at the beginning of her reign and that holds her for the rest of her life.  

Honey bee populations all over the world have been taking a huge hit over the past decade or so, but the New York Times published a report on October 6th that scientists believe they might have found the culprit - actually a team of culprits.  You can read the whole story at this link. If this is indeed the source of the problem, it would answer a huge mystery.  However, this is not the end of it, even the article states: "Scientists in the project emphasize that their conclusions are not the final word. The pattern, they say, seems clear, but more research is needed to determine, for example, how further outbreaks might be prevented, and how much environmental factors like heat, cold or drought might play a role."  Many observers of bees, myself included, still wonder if pesticides and other human interventions might be playing a roll as well.  

Even though answers still seem somewhat distant, very little bit of progress gives hope.  Up to 33% of all the food we eat is created by the activity of the honey bee.  Losing the bees would be a devastating blow to the world's food supply.

david 

Venice Boulevard Will Be Closed On Sunday, October 3!

From the Mar Vista Community Council Email List: 

This notice is to remind everyone that Venice Blvd between the beach and the 10 freeway will be closed all morning on October 3, 2010, for the Kaiser PermanenteLos Angeles Triathalon.  The boulevard will be closed from approximately 6 am until 12 noon.

For additional information please visit the Triathalon website here.

The Triathlon will begin at Venice Beach at 7:15 am with the swim segment. The bike course will shut down Venice Blvd from the beach to the 10, Fairfax from the 10 to Olympic, and Olympic from Fairfax to Staples Center. Please note, there will be NO CROSSING POINTS on this year's course. There will be a rolling open from West to East as the athletes finish the race. All streets will be opened by noon.

The Department of Transportation will be aggressively enforcing all temporary parking restrictions for this event to secure the safety of the participants and to facilitate the movement of traffic around road closures. Typical vehicle recovery costs are in excess of $130, which does not include the $60 citation fee. Below you will see a Department of Transportation map that shows the triathlon course and approximate closure and opening times.

 

Thank you for your cooperation in helping the Kaiser Permanente LA Triathlon become one the World’s premiere athletic events.

 

Please click on this  map for a full size PDF file of the DOT map.

• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WEBSITE
  http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/html/2010Triathlon.html
   
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HOTLINE #
  (323) 224-6534