(no subject)

[rm]

You know, the New Orleans predictions are very surreal. Last night I kept shouting at the news, "and then frogs will fall from the sky," because they did sort of keep adding things to the list of the bad.

Now CNN tells us the fire ants are going to win?

Comments

[zarq.livejournal.com]

The Today Show just had a report that gas prices are going to rise because so many American oil companies (Chevron, BP, Texaco, etc.,) have interests in the area. The person they interviewed from the WSJ sounded hyper and stressed... almost panicky.

They're making it sound like the apocalypse. It might feel that way for New Orleans residents, but damn. :(

Fire ants?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Actually the gas price thing is _very_ real, but that's spomething I spend hours on at work every day.

[warhol.livejournal.com]

The fireant thing made me laugh -- if caught outside, your advice is to cling desperately to a telephone pole and wait for a slow and painful death by fireants? In all the history of hurricanes, has something like this actually happened, or are you just pulling that out of your ass? Where does CNN find these wackos?

Then I realized that the answer was obvious: New Orleans.

[malphoof-speaks.livejournal.com]

Well, as some one who used to live in Florida for most of my life, I have to say a category 5 hurricane (as it was yesterday) is nothing to sneeze at. I remember volunteering for the clean up effort in south Miami after Hurricane Andrew and I couldn't get over some of the striking images of devastation I saw. But the worst thing was the smell. Everywhere, there was this musky, horrible smell that could only be described as a combination of saltwater, sweat and blood. I really couldn't describe it any other way.
On the other hand, the media does love to play everything into the deepest fears of the lowest common denominator of people- so I do see where you are coming from.

[zarq.livejournal.com]

*nod*

After watching that segment on the Today Show, I saw segments on the same topic with identical predictions on GMA and the Early Show. Gas to rise a minimum of .20¢ this week as approx., 25% of our oil comes from the Gulf in the vicinity of New Orleans. :(

[patashoqua.livejournal.com]

You are giving aid and comfort to the fireants by speculating about such things! You are either with us, or with the fireants.

[lawnrrd]

I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

you're not from the south, are you?

[quaskye.livejournal.com]

Here's an article about the mystical fire ant balls:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/storm2001/943267

So yes, in past hurricanes and other floods, fire ants have survived and swarmed things. But can they kill you?
yes (http://www.dayontorts.com/medical-negligence--108-death-by-fire-ants.html)
yes (http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/g-322.html)
yes (http://www.thebestcontrol.com/pests/fireants/fireants4.htm)
yes (http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-01/30/content_413501.htm)

The fire ants always win. the bastards (http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/storm2001/943267) ()

Re: you're not from the south, are you?

[rm.livejournal.com]

So not from the South.

Did you _see_ the CNN thing? It didn't make clear to us unfamiliar folk that fire ants bite and can kill people, so it just sounded like there would be so many of them that they'd _push_ people off the light posts, which was definitely an image.

Re: you're not from the south, are you?

[quaskye.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize CNN hadn't elaborated on why exactly floating balls of fire ants should strike terror into your heart. I was mostly responding to the post that implied only crazy people would be worried about such a thing. Anyone who's lived near them knows how nasty they are.

One of those articles I linked to said they were adapting to northern winters, too. So watch out.

Re: you're not from the south, are you?

[rm.livejournal.com]

No elaboration! Totally alarming. I mean, alarming anyway, but I was _creative_ about it.