Oh Bother!

The Bear at Alert the Bear is good friends with Winnie the Pooh (old school Pooh, not the cheap imitation you see claiming to be PB today). First, Pooh is disenfranchised from the right to define his legacy by the good folks at Disney, and now he has to deal with missing honeybees due to Colony Collapse Disorder. The Bear is definitely on alert!

CCD has been covered by all of the major news organizations, but we, as consumers, don't seem to be alarmed. Supermarkets are still stocked with reasonably priced fruits. Bees are essential to the pollination of flowering vegetation. Nature supplies sufficient bee populations for this to occur without much trouble. Commercial agriculture, on the other hand, has been using commercial bee populations (that travel coast to coast, depending on the growing season) to pollinate. In fact, there are some producers that use pesticide to keep away native bees (e.g. seedless fruit products). I met a beekeeper, Erin Forbes of Overland Honey, this weekend, and she explained that among small beekeepers, they believe the problem to be, quite simply, tired and overworked bees. A story in today's LA Times somewhat agrees:

The only thing that all of the problem hives seem to have in common is that they were experiencing periods of "extraordinary stress" due to poor nutrition or drought.

If the hives are already weakened, factors that otherwise might not be fatal could have disastrous effects.

The good news in the article is that scientists and beekeepers don't seem to be as alarmed now as they have been in recent weeks. In fact, many commercial producers are reporting potentially record crops.

The apiaries are telling us to ask some questions. We need to think more about how we get food to our table. How is commercial growing affecting the environment? How are pesticides and stressed animal and insect populations going to change the way we grow and raise food? How different will the food on the table be in ten or twenty years?

If all of this is too much to handle, I suggest spending some time with our friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Governor and Pols Survey Griffith Park Damage and Tourists Return to Catalina

This morning I came across the Los Angeles Times: Political Muscle Blog written by Robert Salladay. In the blog, he quotes a report by Dana Bartholomew of the LA Daily News:

"'Schwarzenegger, accompanied by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Tom LaBonge, emerged from his van on the south slope of Griffith Park, directly above a historic nursery saved by firefighters.

'He trudged slowly, thoughtfully, silently, inhaling the pungent remains of what had once been lush ceonothus, toyon and sage.

'For nearly 100 feet, he walked, looking at scorched earth and listening to LaBonge's much-repeated description of how 'the fire danced like Mick Jagger on stage - boom, boom, boom!' How fire roared Tuesday toward Loz Feliz, threatening such mansions as the Lautner home once featured in 'L.A. Confidential.' How the fire had turned around and raced up Mt. Hollywood, torching Dante's View and its tree-lined garden. And how water-dropping helicopters had worked through the night to save the day.

'The governor then praised the work of firefighters who had coordinated their efforts to save some of the city's most famous landmarks, including the Griffith Observatory and the L.A. Zoo.

' 'This is amazing,' Schwarzenneger said, looking toward downtown L.A. in the distance. 'It (the fire) actually stopped there. This is the work of the firefighters. If you think about it, we had this really incredible fire ... and it didn't take everything out. Then he pointed to a partially burned oak and added: 'This is "

Schwarzenneger is right to praise the firefighters. Catalina is dangerous terrain for fighting fires. Though, it seems as though the locals treated the crews well.

But those fighting the Catalina fire may long remember this blaze — and not just because it was a life-or-death struggle against the elements.

Tired they may be, after three days of battling the inferno that at one point loomed ominously over the resort town of Avalon and its picturesque harbor. But with the blaze now well in hand, some firefighters christened it with a new name — the Ten-Pound fire.

That's how much weight the firefighters jokingly said they've gained, thanks to the generosity of island merchants. Instead of their usual spartan fare while manning the fire lines, they feasted on tri-tip steak Saturday night.

Still, even as the firefighters got a little relaxation, the narrowness of the resort island's escape from catastrophe was written into the hills framing the town as the sun rose Sunday morning. They were an ashy, dusky gray. Burned evergreens drooped lifelessly, and the thick carpet of cactus and scrub that once covered the hillsides was charred to blackened stalks.

One home was lost in the fire, along with six out-buildings back in the brush.

And finally:

Elsewhere on Catalina on Monday, life was continuing to return to normal. Tourists were trickling back to the island, and firefighters were leaving. Many left with leis made of sea shells or bright ribbons around their necks.

Debbie Avellana, owner of Debbie's Island Deli, stood by the dock to give the leis to the firefighters "as a token of my gratitude and the overall feelings of the people on this island."

I bet the next time things turn dangerous on Catalina, the firefighters will not forget how well they were treated.

Santa Catalina Island Fire Uncontained

(Photo-LA Times)
I read recently in Sunset magazine that Catalina "is, in fact, a mountain, and would be the highest in California if three-fourths of it weren't beneath the sea." Through subduction, volcanic activity, and millions of years of metamorphism, this great island was formed. Nature works slowly, and we only see a mere glimpse of its record.

Los Angeles Times: Breaking News: "'Looks like a volcano'

Dozens of people watched the fire from the top of Signal Hill, 26 miles away. Even from that vantage point, the wall of flames on the islands were clearly seen.

'It looks like a volcano erupting,' said Kevin Lembke of Long Beach."

Griffith Park Fire

(Photo-LA Times)
If you have missed the news lately, you might not know that a large portion of Griffith Park has been burned by fires.

Burnt park not down for the count - Los Angeles Times: "The fire that engulfed almost a quarter of Griffith Park was brought under control Wednesday, but not before destroying familiar natural landmarks and leaving hillsides charred and barren."
[snip]
The Griffith Park fire destroyed more than 800 acres. One of the largest municipal parks in the United States, the 4,200-acre property was bequeathed as a Christmas gift to Los Angeles in 1896 by Col. Griffith Jenkins Griffith, who made a fortune as a gold speculator. All of the park's buildings survived.

[Read the article--link above--to see which points of interest are temporarily lost to the flames.]

It is an extraordinary part of the city, and it is the one of two places (other than the Pacific Ocean) that I tell visitors to LA that they must see. I proposed to my wife there. I hiked there when I was in high school with friends, especially at night, to see the dazzling city below and a clearer vision of the universe above.

My Favorite Spots in Nature Threatened by Nature

A large portion, more than 400 acres, of Catalina Island have been burned by fire. Parts of Avalon are being evacuated, and there are fire crews and equipment being ferried to the island via hovercraft from Camp Pendleton (thank God for our tax dollars supplying the military!). Catalina is a very dry habitat, but the weather in California has been more conducive to fire lately, and winds are making things dangerous. Read the LA Times Breaking News blog for details, and pray that this wonderful place is spared too much damage. I know that nature needs fire, but I can admit that I'm selfish. I don't want my personal treasures lost in my lifetime.

Los Angeles Times: Breaking News: "Wayne Griffin, president and executive director of Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, said 'we have fixed winged aircraft dropping fire retardant between the fire and the city. We are seeing flames on the top of the ridge. It is getting somewhat scarier. Some of the hotels have been evacuated and we are making plans to accommodate people elsewhere.'

Griffin said the fire response by hovercraft from Camp Pendleton was used last year to quash a wildfire and the firefighters are experienced in the island's mountainous terrain."

Steinbeck's Still Writing

Sacbee.com is running an AP story about Los Angeles writer, Joel Eisenberg, discovering a collection of lost Steinbeck manuscripts.

"Eisenberg found a 188-page manuscript of 'Sweet Thursday,' the sequel to Steinbeck's famous 'Cannery Row'; a manuscript from another book, 'The Log from the Sea of Cortez'; an unpublished story, 'If This Be Treason,' set during the McCarthy era; the unfinished draft of a musical comedy called 'The Bear Flag Cafe' and carbon copies of 13 Steinbeck letters from 1953.

The collection will be auctioned May 24 in San Francisco in two lots. The auction could generate more than $500,000."

Congratulations, Joel. I'm happy for you and for Steinbeck fans, but I'm probably not the only one who is skeptical that these manuscripts were suddenly found. (Wouldn't the papers give off an ethereal glow? Wouldn't a chorus of angels sing when you opened the box?) I truly hope they're authentic. If they are, they'll be published soon. In the meantime, enjoy an oft neglected, but fun Steinbeck read, Travels with Charlie. It's a travel memoir about a driving across the United States with a standard poodle in a camper.

I'd like to own a place called, "The Bear Flag Cafe." I just might some day.

And the Winner Is...

My wife and I, like most of the world, spent part of our weekend in a dark theater watching Spider Man take on a trio of bad guys to allay his overwhelming guilt and impress his girlfriend. I enjoyed the movie, for what it is, and I'm glad that thousands of people (judging by the long credits) are making a good living making good entertainment.

In today's Los Angeles Times, below the photo of the newly elected French president (Wow, the LA Times covers international news? Who knew?) is a story about Spider Man demolishing box office records. To quote:

"Spider-Man 3" gave new meaning to the term "worldwide web" this weekend, snaring $373 million in ticket sales in a record display of Hollywood's global reach.

Fans in 107 countries lined up for Peter Parker's third outing, which shattered the previous mark by 47% and launched the movie industry's extended summer season in blockbuster style.

"Spider-Man 3" crushed the North American record with an estimated three-day total of $148 million in the U.S. and Canada, topping last summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." (Photo from ESPN.com)

I grew up reading the LA Times, so I can't recall a time when Monday's news didn't include a box office tally. I glanced at it before I worked in the entertainment industry, I certainly read it when I did (or picked it up through the garbled diction in Variety), and for some strange reason I still look for the box office top five even though I'm long separated from that strange run through the film business. I gather that there are people outside of LA who are interested in this weekly race, but why should it matter unless you own shares in Sony?

Wouldn't you rather know who won the Kentucky Derby (Street Sense) or the weekend's big boxing match (Floyd Mayweather Jr.)? Or is Scream 5 beating Rocky XXVII more compelling?