Japanese Giant Hornets (Vespa mandarinia japonica)

Here are five scary facts about these big buggers:

• They kill on average 40 people a year
• If perceived as a threat they will chase the victim (which could be a human) for up to 3 miles
• They can fly at speeds up to 25 miles per hour
• They release a pheromone that draws other hornets from the nest
• They have a venom that when injected from the 0.246 inch stinger attacks the nervous system and damages tissues of the victims

The Japanese names for these hornets are "Oo-Suzumebachi" or "Giant Sparrow Bee" and they can be up to 1.6 inches (4 cm) long with a 2.5 inch (6 cm) wingspan in size. They kill more than any other wild animals in Japan, put together including bears and snakes!

The Japanese Giant Hornets prey on bee hives and when they locate one they leave their pheromone markers around it to attract their nest mates that soon surround the hive. The hornets can kill 40 bees in one minute and can take over a whole hive with a group of 30 hornets in just over 3 hours. They not only kill the bees (see video link below) but dismember them leaving them literally cut in half. The hornets then gorge on the bees honey.

Although tragic for the bees in this situation, they do have their own defense. They gather together in an angry cloud formation of up to 500 bees to surround the hornet/hornets. As they form a tight ball around the hornet, the fluttering of their wings increases the heat creating an oven from their body heat to overtake the hornet. Bees can survive in higher temperatures then the hornet therefore the hornet will eventually die and the bee wins.  You can see both attacks in action from the video link below by National Geographic. It is definately worth a watch.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P7Q1ncgcoY&feature=related

The Japanese Giant Hornets are seriously aggressive by the way they are made they have four chemicals that mix together to cause this aggressiveness. I did always wonder what the point was in the creation of wasps/hornets I can understand why bees serve their purpose but wasps and hornets? The ones we have in Ireland are useless and just pests. At least now I understand why they chase you when they know you are in fear of them they are just plain evil! Although aggressive, the hornets are not supposed to attack you unless you are a threat to their hive. I do not trust this information as the wasps over here just attack me for no reason at all. I could be standing in a wide open space and just get attacked by them. This follows by me screaming, running and making a show of myself in fear.

On conclusion I should of perhaps waited until after I get back Japan to research this information. I hate wasps, bees and especially hornets more than anything and have a serious fear of them. To add to this I am venturing to the islands down south to explore and hike for a few days. Now I am having second thoughts! I do not fancy being chased by one of these for 3 miles. Then again I would probably die of shock by the mere sight of it. Wish me luck... I will report back when I get back in September if one of these evil creatures has not killed me beforehand !!!

Bryan Dyson's speech, CEO of Coca

This is a great speech by the former CEO of Coca Cola Bryan Dyson, although there is speculation that he was not the first to say this speech? (see below, what do you think?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Dyson reference Bloomberg Business Week

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit … and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or evenshattered. They will never be the same.

You must understand that and strive for Balance in your life. How?

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be pave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way… –Brian G. Dyson

As rumours go supposedly this was not an original speech. It has been said that it has been used before and Dyson repeated it.

Would he not admit this when saying the speech eg: As a wise man once said yada yada yada (I am sure a wise man never said that, but you catch my drift), or perhaps quote the persons name who wrote the speech or where he heard it from?

I cant say for sure which is true but I do think either way I appreciate this speech coming from an inspirational man like Dyson. Even if the product that Coca Cola sell is rotting our teeth and can be used to remove rust! 

The speech is very inspiring and so is Dyson's career, therefore whether he wrote it or not is irrelevant to me as he obviously lives by this way of thinking which is incredible to be so successful but yet realise the best things in life are free and not to leave them behind in your rise to the top! My father always said "dont bring your work home with you", I am sure he is not the first to say this either nor will he be the last but there is a lot to be said for that.

What do you think? Did this speech inspire you?