ALL THE REST —  July 7 & 8
  

The Honey Bee

Unlike their relatives the ants and the wasps, most species of bees are not social. Most female bees hatch out, fly away and begin their own families. The honey bee, apis mellifera, is an exception to this general rule. The honey bee is a social insect. The honey bee is not native to the United States. The honey bee is of Old World origin. It was introduced to the United States into New England around 1638.

Few females lay eggs. Most females are workers that spend their short lives working for the interests of the hive. Their average life span is but a short 6 weeks. The workers collect food, expand the hive, and care for the young.

The male is a relatively useless member of the hive. He has little function in the cooperative effect. His sole function is to fertilize the queen. So that this function can be achieved, many males are produced. Few are needed and thus many males are driven from the hive and slaughtered or left to starve. The male, like the queen and the larvae, is dependant on the workers for food.

The queen bee is not a ruler of the hive. She is more a slave to the hive. The queen bee is dependant on the sterile female workers for her food. She spends her life in the dark recesses of her home where she lays 1,500 to 2,000 eggs each day. This she does for the three or four years of her life. The short lifespan of the of the other bees require a constant supply of new eggs. The colony may reach a peak of 70,000 members. This same colony may shrink to 10,000 members at the close of winter.

Monday - The Dance of the Bees

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."

Joseph Addison

 

For Want of A Letter

The Pope dies and, naturally, goes to heaven.  He's met by the reception committee, and after a whirlwind tour is told that he can enjoy any of the myriad recreations available.

        He decides that he wants to read all of the ancient original text of the Holy Scriptures, and spends the next eon or so learning the languages. After becoming a linguistic master, he sits down in the library and begins to pore over every version of the Bible, working back from the most recent 'Easy Reading' to the original script.

        All of a sudden there is a scream in the library.  The angels come running to him, only to find the Pope huddled in a chair, crying to himself, and muttering, "An 'R'!  They left out the 'R'."

        God takes him aside, offering comfort and asks him what the problem is.  After collecting his wits, the Pope sobs again, "It's the letter 'R'...the word was supposed to be CELEBRATE!!"

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 Pulled Over By The Police

A fellow stopped at a rural petrol station and, after filling his tank, he paid the bill and bought a soft drink. He stood by his car to drink his cola and he watched a couple of men working along the roadside. One man would dig a hole two or three feet deep and then move on. The other man came along behind and filled in the hole. While one was digging a new hole, the other was about 25 feet behind filling in the old. The men worked right past the fellow with the soft drink and went on down the road. "I can't stand this," said the man tossing the can in a trash container and heading down the road toward the men.

"Hold it, hold it," he said to the men. "Can you tell me what's going on here with this digging?"

"Well, we work for the county, " one of the men said.

"But one of you is digging a hold and the other fills it up. You're not accomplishing anything. Aren't you wasting the county's money?"

You don't understand, mister," one of the men said, leaning on his shovel and wiping his brow. "Normally there's three of us--me, Rodney and Mike. I dig the hole, Rodney sticks in the tree and Mike here puts the dirt back. Now just because Rodney's sick, that don't mean that Mike and me can't work."

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A couple were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when someone asked the fellow what was he giving his wife for the occasion.

Well, I'm taking her to Hawaii,says he.

REALLY ? That's great. What will you do for your  50th?

Guess I'll go back and get her...

JLPATSRB@aol.com

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"If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip."

AdamsCathy@aol.com

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Over drinks one evening two gentleman were having a discussion about the charms, or lack there-of of the supermodel Stephanie Seymour.

"I say she's highly over-rated," said one "Take away her eyes, her lips, her legs and that figure, and what have ya got ?

"My wife" said the other with a heavy sigh....

AdamsCathy@aol.com

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Married Employees

In a small town in the US, there is a rather sizable factory that hires only married men.

Concerned about this, a local woman called on the manager and asked him, "Why is it you limit your employees to married men? Is it because you think us women are week, dumb, cantankerous...or what?"

"Not at all, Ma'am," the manager replied.

"It is because our employees are used to obeying orders, are accustomed to being shoved around, know how to keep their mouths shut and don't pout when I yell at them."

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TRUE FACT ...

Humans begin laughing at two to three months of age. Six year olds laugh about 300 times per day, while adults laugh from 15 to 100 times per day.

SOURCE: NYT, Dr. William F. Fry, Stanford University

A bus stops at a bus station; a train stops at a train station.
On my desk I have a workstation....  

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~ Clean When He Comes ~

A gentleman visiting a certain school gave out that he would give a prize to the pupil whose desk he found in the best order when he returned. "But when will you return?" some of them asked. "That I cannot tell," was the answer. A little girl, who had been noted for her disorderly habits, announced that she meant to win the prize. "You!" her schoolmates jeered; "why, your desk is always out of order." "Oh! but I mean to clean it the first of every week." "But suppose he should come at the end of the week? someone asked. "Then I will clean it every morning." "But he may come at the end of the day." For a moment the little girl was silent. "I know what I'll do," she said decidedly, "I'll just keep it clean."

— McCartney