Writing anything good about climate change runs the risk of the writer getting lynched — metaphorically at least — by the online enforcers of a cultist apocalyptic narrative. For years‚ doomsayers have insisted that polar bears are in danger of extinction because of man-made warming‚ even as experts have shown that populations have increased. In fact‚ the bears are thriving to the point that the native Inuit in Arctic Canada want an increase in hunting quotas. Likewise‚ I’ve documented how the Bengal tiger population in India has doubled‚ personally verifying the increase by visiting their habitats. The same is true with other species of mammals and birds that have benefited from the protection of conservation projects. A phenomenal increase in the bee population should make us wonder how we’ve been fooled into thinking the opposite is true. Now honeybees‚ another important creature‚ are showing a dramatic increase in population despite the fearmongering of the climate crowd. A long-running narrative of a looming apocalypse has clung to the reporting on the fate of our beloved bees. Headlines painted a dire picture of collapsing colonies and a world teetering on the brink of ecological disaster because of vanishing pollinators. The Natural Resources Defense Council published an article titled “Colony Collapse Disorder: Why Are Bees Dying?” CNN wonders‚ “Bees are dying – what can we do about it?” National Public Radio asked‚ “Why Are Bees Disappearing?” While threats to bee populations undeniably exist‚ most media have failed to tell the truth: Bee populations are not declining but thriving. Globally‚ the number of managed honeybee colonies has been steadily increasing over the past several decades. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations‚ the estimated number of colonies worldwide climbed by 46% between 1990 and 2021. Such a phenomenal increase in the bee population should make us wonder how we’ve been fooled into thinking the opposite is true. This trend isn't limited to a few isolated regions. Countries across the globe — from Brazil to China — have witnessed substantial growth in managed bee populations. Even Europe‚ once considered particularly problematic for bee decline‚ has seen a more modest recovery in recent years — an 11% increase between 1990 and 2021. In the Americas (North and South)‚ the increase has been around 20%. Other areas recording increases in colonies included Africa‚ 38%; the Oceania region around Australia and New Zealand‚ 90%; and Asia‚ a massive 95%. This has resulted in large amounts of honey production for human consumption‚ with China‚ Iran‚ and Turkey being the major producers. According to a 2022 peer-reviewed research paper in the journal Nature‚ between 1969 and 2017‚ “there were increases in the number of managed honeybee colonies (85%)‚ honey production (181%) and beeswax production (116%). … The yield of honey per colony improved globally by about 50%‚ with the greatest improvements being in Asia and Europe where they peaked at more than 100% between 1961 and 2017.” Scientists say that the narrative of large-scale global decline in bees and similar doomsday stories “are usually based on research reports limited to one or a few countries with observations over a relatively short period of time.” You will seldom hear about the scientific assessment of an increase in bee numbers in a media more inclined to cherry-pick data showing random regional drop-offs of bee populations. Purveyors of a climate doomsday take advantage of an ill-informed populace‚ using news reporters who are equally ignorant of the facts or willing participants in the deception. It is not unreasonable‚ however‚ to suggest that honeybees are thriving partly because of our modern era’s modest natural warming and increasing atmospheric carbon from human activity‚ both of which have greened Earth over the last several decades. A January 2022 paper presented evidence that forest cover within two kilometers of bee populations had a positive effect on their numbers. “Since wild bees are highly dependent on forest patches as a nesting habitat in agricultural landscapes‚ it is possible to attract more populations from pollinators by creating new forest patches‚” the paper reported. So it would seem that today’s climate is a boon for bees.

A Mexican man was caught after trying to smuggle several duffel bags filled with more than 150 pounds of meth into California on Monday‚ according to Fox News Digital.Agents with the El Centro Sector Border Patrol zeroed in on a beige sedan while keeping an eye on Interstate 10 around Dillon Road. They pulled the vehicle over around 5:00 a.m. A U.S. Border Patrol K-9 unit was on the scene‚ and officers asked the driver to consent to have the vehicle searched.When the man refused to have his vehicle searched‚ the K-9 carried out an exterior inspection of the vehicle. The K-9 alerted officers to the interior of the vehicle‚ where they eventually discovered several duffel bags full of meth wrapped in cellophane packages. U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted that this is a common way for drug dealers to transport narcotics. After a sample of the substance was taken‚ officers confirmed that there was meth in the packages. The total weight of all the drugs discovered in the search was 154 pounds‚ which could amount to $278‚000 worth of narcotics.The driver of the vehicle‚ who was a Mexican citizen with a border crossing card‚ was quickly arrested and his entry benefits revoked‚ according to reports. The vehicle and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency. The statement did not mention where the man planned to take the narcotics or if any other individuals were involved.The effort to crack down on drug trafficking is known as Operation Apollo‚ which was initially set up to slow the spread of fentanyl throughout the U.S. Courthouse News Service reported in October 2023 that the task force was a "Southern California counter-fentanyl joint operation with a focus on intelligence collection‚" adding that it was made up mostly of state‚ local‚ and tribal law enforcement agencies.“As synthetic drugs continue to devastate individuals across the United States‚ the operation will also look to uncover and better understand the tactics‚ techniques‚ and procedures utilized by transnational criminal organizations to procure‚ produce‚ store‚ and transport fentanyl and fentanyl-related materials throughout the country‚" the agency said last year.The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported that drug traffickers generally distribute fentanyl by the kilogram‚ which is reportedly enough to kill 500‚000 people.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Book banning went wild in 2023‚ or so the mainstream media and its liberal allies cried.Book after book could no longer be found in school libraries nationwide‚ many titles due to LGBTQ+ themes‚ purportedly. And it was all the right’s fault.The truth? Some of the books being “banned” featured sexualized material inappropriate for school-age children. A select few‚ like the infamous “Gender Queer” text‚ included graphic sexual depictions so shocking that they couldn’t be read aloud at school meetings.A chilling new report suggested that the Biden administration leaned on Amazon to allegedly censor books that questioned elements of its vaccine protocols. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) shared internal Amazon emails revealing that Team Biden pressured Amazon in 2021 to target books tied to the vaccines.A hyped pseudo-'ban' ...Hollywood celebrities‚ presumably staunch supporters of free speech‚ railed against the “bans.” The group included Chelsea Handler‚ John Leguizamo‚ Mark Ruffalo‚ Constance Wu‚ and Sarah Paulson.The Daily Signal’s exhaustive 2023 reporting on the matter found plenty of heat … and few fires.It is simply false that 2‚532 books were removed from schools during the 2021-2022 school year. We know this is false because we examined online card catalogues and found that 74% of the books PEN America identified as banned from school libraries are actually listed as available in the catalogues of those school districts.Are some of the groups in question arguing in good faith‚ even if their facts didn’t hold up to scrutiny? We recently received a perfect test case.... and an underreported real oneA chilling new report suggested that the Biden administration leaned on Amazon to allegedly censor books that questioned elements of its vaccine protocols. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) shared internal Amazon emails revealing that Team Biden pressured Amazon in 2021 to target books tied to the vaccines.Why? To stop “misinformation.” We now know much of what was once dubbed “misinformation” about the vaccines turned out to be true.Align reached out to several organizations to glean their reactions to a book ban with ominous‚ real-world threats. This isn’t a school district voting to keep a problematic book away from school-age children. This is the world’s largest bookseller‚ by its own admission‚ feeling the heat from the U.S. government.Surely the groups in question‚ as well as Hollywood stars‚ would be outraged by the Biden administration’s actions or‚ at the very least‚ seek out more information on the subject. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s about freedom of speech‚ censorship‚ and the all-American right to share ideas without governmental punishment.The 'wrong' kind of censorship?Yet a Google News search of “PEN America Biden Amazon” revealed no new stories in recent weeks tied to Jordan’s revelations. That group has been on the forefront of the book-banning issue.Align reached out to the group’s media relations arm to ask if the group had any reaction to the troubling Biden-Amazon connection. The organization didn’t respond to the request.Align also reached out to the Authors Guild‚ a group whose motto reads‚ “Supporting working writers and protecting authors’ rights since 1912.” Any reaction or comment?No response. Again.Sheila Nevins recently co-directed "The ABCs of Book Banning‚" a documentary short on the subject. Align asked a publicist working on Nevins’ film for a comment from her on the matter. No response.Align reached out to a representative of “Reading Rainbow” star LeVar Burton for comment or reaction. The “Star Trek: The Next Generation” alum has been vocal on book banning in recent months. He served as the honorary chair of Banned Books Week in October and shared his views on the subject with Esquire magazine.“I've put in work in this field; I've put in time on these issues‚” Burton told Esquire. “I'm happy to be the face of it and represent it‚ because these are matters that I care deeply about.”The actor also told MSNBC’s audience how everyday Americans can fight back against the “conservative” book bans."You can buy banned books. There are myriad ways in which you can participate and be counted. Stand up and be counted. The most important thing is — resist."No response. Nor has he tweeted about the subject from his official X social media account.Most mainstream media outlets have covered the so-called book-banning movement extensively. A quick Google News search on “Amazon Biden book” reveals right-leaning news outlets covered the Jordan revelations.The New York Times‚ the Washington Post‚ CNN‚ and other mainstream sources ignored the matter.

Your gaming PC doesn’t have to be housed in a standard black box with angry red lighting‚ and if your tastes verge on the softer side you’re going to love this new cherry blossom PC bundle from US system builder Origin. Not only is the PC case itself decorated with cherry blossom images‚ but you also get a matching SCUF Envision game controller and Corsair mousepad. Continue reading We love this cherry blossom gaming PC from Origin MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Corsair HS80 Max headset review‚ Corsair M75 Air mouse review‚ Best gaming keyboard

Baldur's Gate 3 was one of the best games to come out last year‚ but it didn't launch without its fair share of technical issues. Its creator‚ Larian Studios‚ has been hard at work in the months since to iron out these bugs and add in new features‚ providing the same level of ongoing support that it brought to its past work‚ like the Baldur's Gate‚ Icewind Dale‚ and Fallout inspired Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel. True to form‚ the newest update to Baldur's Gate 3‚ Patch 6‚ promises further improvements when it releases this week - but it will also require a pretty substantial 150 GB of hard drive space to get installed. Continue reading Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 6 needs 150 GB‚ but fixes companions MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Baldur's Gate 3 builds‚ BG3 mods‚ Baldur's Gate 3 classes

Bobulinski testified Tuesday before Congress.

Just Went From Bad to WORSE: Tony Bobulinski Goes Scorched EARTH on Joe Biden in Impeachment Testimony

In Granblue Fantasy: Relink‚ the Tayu'itar Head Unit is a drop from the Tayu'itar boss fight that can be fought on multiple difficulties. The drop rate for this item is very low‚ making it one of the hardest materials to get for weapon and Sigil upgrades.

Weapons in Granblue Fantasy: Relink come in many flavors. Each character comes with 6 weapons that need to be either unlocked or forged at the Blacksmith. Players looking at their character sheet might be wondering where to get the sixth weapon for their character as it doesn’t seem to drop from anything.

Marvel Snap adds the next child of Thanos during their Black Order season with Cull Obsidian. The card will debut on February 13 and will be a Series 5 card at launch.