Are Cell Phones Really Killing the Bees?

Over the past several months there has been a rapid decline of significant percentages of world wide bee colonies. Colony Collapse Disorder is the new name for what has been destroying bee hives. The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is reported to have lost 60 percent of its commercial bee population, with 70 percent gone on the East Coast. Scientists are don’t know the exact cause, but researchers at Landau University suggest that radiation from mobile phones may be at least partially to blame. Some suggest that the proliferation of cell towers in rural areas may play a role.

Don’t be too quick to believe that cell phones will cause our doom. Spiegel Online looks critically at the research on cellphones and bees death in detail. This article also looks at the many other, more convincing reasons for the Colony Collapse Disorder such as GM crops or global warming.

Bill Maher asked on his HBO show last week if people would give up using the cellphone in order to save the bees - and help prevent the massive ecological collapse and wide spread hunger. He repeated the now famous but quote by Albert Einstein “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years left to live.’ But is it accurate? Snopes.com suggests its very doubtful Einstein ever said that.
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Brunton SolarRolls

The Brunton SolarRoll is an earth friendly solution for people needing a powerful but lightweight power supply when hiking, camping or boating. No heavy batteries to lug around or to wind up in landfills. The waterproof SolarRoll has been used by sea kayaker’s as their power source for photographic equipment on long voyages in extreme environments. Other uses have been to power satellite phones, and in mountain climbing expeditions. Can also be used to recharge batteries, recharging digital and video cameras, charging laptops, charging cell phones and many other electric needs.

Comes in three sizes the SolarRoll 14 $339.95 (the largest) 12″x57″ open weighs 17 oz. with a maximum output of 14 watts, SolarRoll 9 $239.95 10.6 oz with 9 watts, and the SolarRoll 4.5 $149.95 at 6.4 oz. and max output of only 4.5 watts (enough to recharge a pda and cell phones)
greatoutdoorsdepot.com sells them for the above prices (prices are much higher on the Brunton website)

Dynamo 15 LED Lantern, Alarm & Phone Charger

From “no battery led light.com” $49.95

Climate scientists predict that as global warming worsens there will be an increased chance of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe weather. Combine that with unpredictable power grids, peak oil and the increasing prevalence of wacko’s with cars (who are likely to ram into power line poles) and you have a real disaster in the waiting.

The Dynamo Wind Up lantern comes to the rescue just in time to provide light, charge your phone, and sound the alarm. Just wind it up for one minute for 5-8 minutes of light. Wind it up for 5 minutes and get 15-20 minutes of light and 5 minutes of time for talking on your cellphone. Better still, get your partner or teenager to do the winding and save yourself the carpal-tunnel syndrome!   nobatteryledlights has many other models and types to choose from - some much cheaper and others with less wind-up needed. Check out the possibilities here.

The Center for Biological Diversity is offering free ringtones of various endangered creatures for your cellphone.

I have used only one ringtone now for the past couple of years - that of a dog barking. I still get a kick out of being in an elevator or somewhere when I get a call and a dog starts barking, I am always disappointed if no one else is on the elevator! Imagine setting your cellphone to a rare frog croak, owl hoot, wolf howling or Beluga Whale call. You can also set ringtones to the calls of the Blue-throated Macaw, Boreal Owl, Mountain Yellow-legged Frog, Yosemite Toad, or any one of over forty other endangered critters. While you are at their website be sure to read up on the great work they are doing in protecting wildlife extinctions and the extensive information they have on the extinction crisis and most importantly, what you can do about it.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the protection of imperiled species and their habitats. Find out more about the Center for Biological Diversity’s work to protect endangered species and wild places

Infinity Solar Charger and flashlight $19.95
Infinity is a solar charger designed to charge phones and mobile devices. One nice aspect is that at $19.95 it is more affordable than similar chargers - at least from what I could find from a couple of google searchs. Infinity SE is a pocket size mobile device charger with an inbuilt battery that stores power for later use. It should prove a great addition device for emergency kits. In areas that often have power outages the built in flashlight that provides lighting for over 72hrs could provide critical help. The triple action Infinity SE can be charged with the sun, AC/DC adaptor or a car charger.  Their website claims that the “Infinity is able to plug and power 98% of the worlds mobile devices.” more info at www.infinitysolarcharger.com