Assistant Governor Barry Thompson told us about the role of bees in pollination. Bees are one of the five pollinators: bats, birds, beetles, butterflies and bees. Bees came with the first colonists to provide honey as sweetener. Over the years they pollinated an increasingly large number of crops to the point of being instrumental to our food supply.  One hive will pollinate crops in a 3 miles radius. Maryland has about 1800 beekeepers and 6000 colonies. The California almond is the largest annual managed pollination event in the world.  There are close to one million hives (nearly half of all beehives in the USA) being trucked to the almond groves in February.  Given the critical role of bees, Colony Collapse Disorder is of great concern since it could endanger our food supply. Although the cause is unknown, it is actively researched. Diesel fuel, mites, small hive beetles and others are being studied.

Tony Kosky, Past President of the Melbourne, Australia Rotary Club, and long term B-CC visitor, spoke about the changing China.  Tony has worked in the fur trade for many years, doing business with the Chinese. He currently works for Gartenhaus Furs in Bethesda. Despite the disastrous domestic policies, the Chinese deeply revere their former leader Mao Zedong because he turned a country of peasants into one where everyone has food, clothing, housing, and a menial job.  Tony explained that business contracts are difficult to procure, but once terms are settled, they almost never change. When negotiating, despite China's move toward capitalism, the ability to recite and interpret quotes from Mao continues to serve a foreigner well. Chinese women appear to have little resistance climbing the corporate latter, and are the fiercest negotiators in the country.