From the UC Blogosphere...

One Last Time

The bees have it,The Beez Kneez, that is.The Beez Kneez, a Sacramento-based band led by Norm Gary, emeritus professor of...

Norm Gary is both a professional bee wrangler and a musician. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Norm Gary is both a professional bee wrangler and a musician. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Beez Kneez. That's Norm Gary (front row at left).

Beez Kneez. That's Norm Gary (front row at left).

More women pursuing careers in winemaking

When winemaker Merry Edwards was a student at UC Davis in the 1970s, there were no women professors, she said, according to a Reuters feature about her career. After graduation, Edwards faced gender discrimination when looking for her first job.

But times have changed, Reuters reported. David Block, the head of the university's viticulture and enology department, said about 60 percent of their graduate students this year are women.

Edwards now has her own winery in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley and her own clone.

"Its formal name is UCD clone 37, but everyone around here calls it Merry's clone. And right now we're surrounded by it," she said, pointing to the acres of vineyards just outside the winery window.

'A Strange Little Bug'

Picture this. Staff at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine's Center for Equine Health encountered "a strange little...

Equine Control Officer Laurie Christison of the Center for Equine Health captured this cell-phone image of a female velvet ant.

Equine Control Officer Laurie Christison of the Center for Equine Health captured this cell-phone image of a female velvet ant.

View from above: The female velvet ant by Laurie Christison, UC Davis equine control officer.

View from above: The female velvet ant by Laurie Christison, UC Davis equine control officer.

UCCE curriculum helps 'make a difference'

Six San Joaquin County programs were hailed for "Making a Difference" in the Healthier San Joaquin County Community Assessment 2011 report, according to the Stockton Record.

The full report presents a comprehensive health profile of the county using data on the health and general well-being of the county's nearly 700,000 population, estimated at 40 percent white, 36 percent Latino, 16 percent Asian and 7 percent African-American.

El Concilio's Family Wellness Program was one of the organizations that were recognized. El Concilio has provided 450 families with young children comprehensive health and developmental screenings and referrals, health education and parent group meetings. According to the article, its staff uses age-appropriate health curriculum from the University of California Cooperative Extension.

Luck Be a Lady

Photographers never tire of capturing images of ladybugs, aka lady beetles.First of all, they're beneficial insects. You...

Ladybug, aka lady beetle, searching for aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ladybug, aka lady beetle, searching for aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The ladybug's coloring warns "Leave me alone!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The ladybug's coloring warns "Leave me alone!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A ladybug on the prowl. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A ladybug on the prowl. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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