Bees

On this day:
3761 BC
The epoch reference date epoch (origin) of the modern Hebrew calendar (Proleptic Julian calendar).
1571
The Battle of Lepanto is fought, and the Holy League (Spain and Italy) destroys the Turkish fleet.
1582
Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, this day is skipped in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain
1763
George III of Great Britain issues British Royal Proclamation of 1763, closing aboriginal lands in North America north and west of Alleghenies to white settlements.
1777
American Revolutionary War: The Americans defeat the British in the Second Battle of Saratoga, also known as the Battle of Bemis Heights.
1780
American Revolutionary War: Battle of Kings Mountain American Patriot militia defeat Loyalist irregulars led by British colonel Patrick Ferguson in South Carolina.
1940
World War II: the McCollum memo proposes bringing the United States into the war in Europe by provoking the Japanese to attack the United States
1985
The Achille Lauro is hijacked by Palestine Liberation Organization.
2001
The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan begins with an air assault and covert operations on the ground.
2006
Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya is shot and killed outside her home in Moscow.

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There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. -Leo Tolstoy, novelist and philosopher (9 Sep 1828-1910)

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The immigration rate is down and is said to be negatively impacting the markets. How is that possible with almost 20 million immigrants during the Biden Regency?

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This is the anniversary of the attack by Hamas on Israeli civilian populations, the torture and murder of many and the kidnapping of others.  Savagery indeed exists in every part of the world, and we risk becoming numb to it. (I am reluctant to call it inhumanity because it might well be just another aspect of us.) What is different is the inexplicable admiration and support demonstrated by some across the West for the terrorists themselves.

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Is 'state capitalism' an oxymoron?

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Bees

It is reported in a newspaper clipping dated June 4, 1956, from the Danville Bee thousands of bees attended the funeral of John Zepka, their keeper. It is said the bees gathered at the cemetery, resting on the tent over the grave and on the floral displays, returning to their hives after the service concluded.

When Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022, the whole world learned of her passing. Television, radio and newspapers spread the word, but it was up to one man, John Chapple, to inform tens of thousands of her tiniest subjects — her bees.

Chapple, the late Queen’s beekeeper, first went to Clarence House and then Buckingham Palace to perform his somber duty of informing the bees, a centuries-old custom that involves telling the bees when their owner has died. Rooted in Celtic tradition, this practice ensures that the bees will remain with their hives and continue to produce honey. According to folklore, failure to notify the bees invites disaster. They will stop making honey, abandon their homes, or even die themselves. Chapple tied black ribbons around the hives to allow the bees to mourn properly, then knocked on the roof of each hive and announced the death of the queen, assuring the bees that they would continue to be cared for.

 

Mysteries, and our eager participation in them. Perhaps our primitive, awe-struck reverence for nature is who we really are, and our political and scientific ambitions are awkward overreaches, never to be fulfilled.

Perhaps our place in the universe is simply to meet the desires of food, warmth, and shelter from the ambition of others.