Andy,
 
    You are entitled to your own opinions, but your response to Andrew
    Matheson's e-mail seems overly harsh and uncalled for.   I am not
    talking on behalf of Andrew but I believe he is, as Director of IBRA, in
    a better position than most of us to report about some of the things
    happening in eastern Europe.  Why would the reports he refers to be of
    no value or be inaccurate?  IBRA has had and continues to have
    supportive contacts and roles with beekeeping communities in many parts
    of the world where most beekeepers do not have personal access to
    information or the means to communicate with beekeepers in other
    countries.
 
    As was mentioned recently on the BEE-L, the vast majority of subscribers
    are associated with research facilities, government agencies and the
    like (all of whom you seem to despise) who have the means to communicate
    through the Internet.  Of all the private subscribers, virtually all are
    in North America where the access to the Internet is reasonably
    affordable.  Even in western Europe private subscribers pay enormous
    fees to be on the internet.  If you think you will contact east European
    beekeepers through the Internet, you are dreaming.
 
    By the way, the IBRA is not there to sell you anything for a profit.
    The organization is there to foster beekeeping in all parts of the world
    through the dissemination of information.  To me, a pretty honourable
    pursuit.
 
 
    Paul van Westendorp                         [log in to unmask]
    Provincial Apiarist
    British Columbia