Flies To Fight Fire Ants

From CBCnews.ca:

Researchers in Texas are trying an unusual approach to combat fire ants — deploying parasitic flies that turn the pesky and economically costly insects into zombies whose heads fall off.
....

[T]he researchers are trying a tiny phorid fly, native to a region of South America where the fire ants originated. Researchers have learned that fire ants in their home region are kept under control by as many as 23 phorid species.

The flies lay eggs on the fire ants, and the eggs hatch into maggots inside the ant and eat away at the pest's tiny brain.
....

There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly," he said.

About a month after the egg is laid, the ant's head falls off — and a new fly emerges ready to attack another fire ant.

Fire ants are pests and a menaces. Off with their heads! I've been bitten many times. The bite hurts like hell. My children and grandchildren have been bitten badly when they were quite young. One of my grandsons is allergic to the bites and has to take Benadryl immediately when he's bitten. The bites itch and form tiny pustules, which the children scratch. Sometimes the bites get infected, and impetigo follows.

Very young lambs and calves have been killed by the ants. What an agonizing death that must be. The ants are garden pests, too, forming large ant hills around plants that eventually smother the plant. I'd be more than happy to be rid of them.

The scientists say this is a long-term project, and we will have fire ants around for some time into the future. The ants are not native species. They came to the US from South America, so perhaps it will be a good thing to have a predator from that same area that the fire ants originally came. For now, the experiment seems promising.

I hope there are no negative unintended consequences from the introduction of the flies.

Yeats, Meet My Mood

THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

William Butler Yeats

ALCOHOL TROUBLESHOOTING

SYMPTOM
Feet cold and wet.
FAULT
Glass being held at incorrect angle.
ACTION
Rotate glass so that open end points toward ceiling.

SYMPTOM
Feet warm and wet.
FAULT
Improper bladder control.
ACTION
Stand next to nearest dog, complain about house training.

SYMPTOM
Drink unusually pale and tasteless.
FAULT
Glass empty.
ACTION
Get someone to buy you another drink.

SYMPTOM
Opposite wall covered with fluorescent lights.
FAULT
You have fallen over backward.
ACTION
Have yourself lashed to bar.

SYMPTOM
Mouth contains cigarette butts.
FAULT
You have fallen forward.
ACTION
See above.

SYMPTOM
Alcohol tasteless, front of your shirt is wet.
FAULT
Mouth not open, or glass applied to wrong part of face.
ACTION
Retire to restroom, practice in mirror.

SYMPTOM
Floor blurred.
FAULT
You are looking through bottom of empty glass.
ACTION
Get someone to buy you another drink.

SYMPTOM
Floor moving.
FAULT
You are being carried out.
ACTION
Find out if you are being taken to another bar.

SYMPTOM
Room seems unusually dark.
FAULT
Bar has closed.
ACTION
Confirm home address with bartender.

SYMPTOM
Taxi suddenly takes on colourful aspect and textures.
FAULT
Alcohol consumption has exceeded personal limitations.
ACTION
Cover mouth.

SYMPTOM
Everyone looks up to you and smiles.
FAULT
You are dancing on the table.
ACTION
Fall on somebody cushy-looking.

SYMPTOM
Drink is crystal-clear.
FAULT
It's water. Somebody is trying to sober you up.
ACTION
Punch him.

SYMPTOM
Hands hurt, nose hurts, mind unusually clear.
FAULT
You have been in a fight.
ACTION
Apologize to everyone you see, just in case it was them.

SYMPTOM
Don't recognize anyone, don't recognize the room you're in.
FAULT
You've wandered into the wrong party.
ACTION
See if they have free alcohol.

SYMPTOM
Your singing sounds distorted.
FAULT
The drink is too weak.
ACTION
Have more alcohol until your voice improves.

SYMPTOM
Don't remember the words to the song.
FAULT
Drink is just right.
ACTION
Play air guitar.

Don't blame me. Blame Doug. I didn't know Doug was a Brit.

Image from Half the Deck.

Doug's (Or Someone's) Thought For The Day

This week former Vice-President Dick Cheney said that Rush Limbaugh is more of a Republican than Colin Powell.

I'm thinking he certainly is; about 300 pounds more!!

Our Margaret Wants Our Help

It's Margaret asks for our help. She's riding her bike for a good cause.

The Fan Free Clinic serves the uninsured, the poor and homeless in the Richmond area. They were part of the cutting edge in providing care for those suffering and dieing(sic) of AIDS. They continue to freely serve those who have no other access to care.

Help Margaret reach her goal. She adds, "And pray for me as I drag my ass through the country side on the narrow seat of a bike!" She wants to finish the ride. I know she can.

Read all about it at her blog, and help if you can.

I Sing My Heart Out

"Facebook is the evangelical megachurch of the internet."

♫ Not a soul down in the comments,
That's a pretty certain sign,
That Facebook site is breaking up that old gang of mine.
All the boys are chatting madly,
"They forgot me," says MadPriest.
That Facebook site is breaking up that old gang of mine.
There goes KJ, there goes Dennis,
Off to comment there.
Now and then we meet again,
But they don't seem the same.
Gee, I get a lonesome feeling,
When their comments aren't here,
That Facebook site is breaking up that old gang of mine. ♫

Genius PhotoShopping and "Thought For the Day" by MadPriest.

From Doxy - Prayers Please

From WORMWOOD'S DOXY:

My boss, and wonderful friend, Miguel is having surgery today. We have worked together for many years, and he is one of my heroes.

Dear Friend’s mother—who celebrated her 87th birthday last Friday—has developed pneumonia. Doris is a strong, vibrant person, and she is taking appropriate medications, but this is worrisome.

I would appreciate it if the OCICBW crowd could remember Miguel and Doris in their prayers. Also, Jim—Dear Friend’s brother-in-law—who continues to undergo treatment for inoperable brain cancer.

Thanks,
Doxy

Touissaint's Renaissance Rolls On

From Lagniappe in the Times-Picayune:

Allen Toussaint's post-Katrina renaissance rolls on.

Ever since his 1958 debut "The Wild Sound of New Orleans" -- released under the name Tousan -- he has recorded only sporadically. He earned his place in the Rock 'n 'Roll Hall of Fame by writing and producing hits for other artists.

But his national profile as a performer in his own right has never been higher, thanks in large part to "The River in Reverse." The acclaimed 2006 collaboration with Elvis Costello revived Toussaint's touring career and reintroduced him as a contemporary recording artist. His new, genteel "The Bright Mississippi" (Nonesuch Records), while much different, should only enhance that reputation.

This one is instrumental, with the exception of one song, but it's nice, really nice.

...With the notable exception of trumpeter Nicholas Payton, Henry did not employ New Orleans musicians; instead, he assembled an ace modern jazz band in a New York studio. And rather than record Toussaint compositions, they revisited classic jazz standards -- a decision that seems, at first glance, counterintuitive.

But the utterly enchanting result is as New Orleans as the wrought iron balconies of the French Quarter, similarly intricate and sturdy, and equally impressive up close or at a distance.

So, of course, I had to buy it. It has a song dedicated to MadPriest titled "Winin' Boy Blues". The mad blogger from England knows EVERYONE in the music business.

Over the decades, Toussaint's best work has often been in support of others. Tellingly, "The Bright Mississippi" is not a piano showcase per se. But in collaboration with Henry, Payton and the rest, he is once again at the center of a whole that is far greater than its considerable parts. "The Bright Mississippi" is a highlight of an already remarkable career.

At this very moment, I am backing up my music collection, which grows and grows. I should have done it long ago. I hope the process works. I'm always doubtful when I try new things on the tubes.

Ah Stress!

Stolen from Ostrich, who is still passing a bad time, but who retains her sense of humor. She could use a prayer - or two, or a comforting word - or two.

The Governor Shows Us How It's Done

From The Associated Press:

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch said Thursday he will sign a bill to make his state the sixth to legalize gay marriage, but only if it the already-approved legislation is revised to strengthen protections for churches and people who worked for them.

"Throughout history, our society's views of civil rights have constantly evolved and expanded," Lynch told reporters. "New Hampshire's great tradition has always been to come down on the side of individual liberties and protections."

Lynch said he personally opposes gay marriage, but decided to view the issue "through a broader lens."

Civil unions do not equal marriage. Separate, but equal, is never equal.