Common Carder bee - Bombus pascuorum

Quite cold today and so I knew I had very little chance of capturing anything special, however, I was on a roll and had to give it a try, so back to the woods.

There are plenty of different types of bumblebees around so plenty of emergency blip material. The one that I have been trying to blip for two weeks now, is a red tailed bumblebee. The only time I get close to it, is on my walk around the woods, when I occasionally see the bee land on the ground and go ferreting around.

It is difficult to photograph, as there is usually a canopy of trees overhead, it's amongst the undergrowth with its head buried and the dark colours tend to under expose from my experience. An opportunity arose today and so I got my belly in the mud and waited for the bee to back out of its foraging. A dog arrived, sniffing and panting. I ignored it, hoping its owner would call it away. Just as the bee was backing out, the dog stood on it! I should have taken the shot, would have made a funny blip, but that was the end of that.

Today's difference discussion is work ethics. I have spoken to many western industrialists (in the bar) and the general message is that the Indonesian worker is lazy and unproductive. I have actually witnessed this when I first arrived and worked in a design office. I would often have to step over several sleeping bodies in the corridor on the way to the restroom. In their defence, it is difficult to cultivate a strong work attitude when the western guy sitting next to you, doing the same job, is earning 50x your rate, no, not a typo, fifty times more! The Indonesian rate was acceptable and it was a steady job, but taxi drivers earned more.

I happen to think that Indonesians have a strong work ethic. If they don't work, they and their families will starve. There is no unemployment benefit or old age pension. Old age is supported by your own family. You have more chance of survival if you have lots of children, in the hope that at least one of them will be successful enough to support you.

Who can blame a pretty young lass with two hungry children, aging parents that also need feeding and a husband who fled the coup because he could not cope, for migrating to the city and working the bars with her body. Just one or two customers and all your problems are solved for the month.

I spoke to an American tourist who had been enjoying the company of a pretty lass all evening. He told me that he does not go with hookers. I replied that you have just prevented an entire family from feeding for a month, why not just give the girl some money if you don't want to take her to the hotel.

Fiscally, it is a hard life in Indonesia and yet they can still be pleasant to me despite their problems. I have helped out when I can. I could write a long list of how people have helped me for no payment, Karma at work I recon, the balance is maintained.

DAve