GODDAMN IT FUCK YOU FOX NEWS.

[Kai]

These days, its pretty hard to find a job in the field of insect systematics. This is very sad for a number of reasons, the first and foremost being how incredibly important insects are on this planet. They make up more than half the number of described species (probably 90% of all species, described and not yet described) and have an economic impact valued at trillions of dollars every year (from control, from pollination, overal ecological relations, vectors of diseases, etc etc.). The second reason is that alpha taxonomy and systematics are the primary means by which we understand the diversity of these, forgive me, "bugs". And the /primary/ people working on such projects are employed by universities and especially museums.

Which brings me to why I am so motherfucking pissed off right now. This shit: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,588609,00.html

It's not enough that these people have to be political jackasses. Its not enough that they have to muddy the waters of economics and goad on creationists and fascists and all sorts of creatures I wished we had left back before WWII. Now these shitheads are intruding on MY turf. MY LIVELYHOOD! My primary occupation! Treating it as if it's of NO IMPORTANCE!

A PLAGUE ON THESE ASSHOLES! Let them have locusts and fire ants and bowl weevils and med fly and malarial mosquitoes. Let them catch crab lice and deer ticks and dog fleas. I want these assholes suffering from Dengue, Onchoceriasis, West Nile, Plague and every other insect vectored disease. I want their waterways to fall into ruin, because they can't identify the insects to determine the quality. I want their forests to be DEAD, full of emerald ash borers and wooly hemlock adelgids. May they have colorado potato beetles, and may they know why they are so fucking foolish.

Do NEVER TEST the fucking insect world. You thought the fall of Rome was bad?  You haven't seen ANYTHING yet.

[Mangrove]

Kai,

Deep breaths! Deep breaths!

I had a similar melt down the other day. Someone I know (a compulsive FOX viewer) who, told me about 'some guy on O Reilly who has proof of life after death and has written a book about it'.

I've never watched the OReilly show before that, but Mrs Mang & I tune in. The man being interviewed is Dr Jeffrey Long who was talking about his new book, being a study of 1300+ NDEs.

So Bill 'Papa Bear' says something to the effect of: What scientific evidence do you have? And then precedes to inform his interviewee and the audience that he is a Catholic. We all know how much Catholicism loves 'evidence'.

[Kai]

I can't NOT get upset, Mangrove. Do you know how hard it is to get a job these days? And whats worse is, institutions are cutting back on their systematists all the time. When one retires they don't hire a new one. How much work do you think is getting done in my field these days?

I'm probably gonna end up making fast food for the rest of my life. Would you, sir, like some maggots with those Happy Fries^TM?

[Cain]

I'm sure you can somehow find a way for your expertise to pay on the black market.  OK, it'll have to be pretty inventive, but niche skills never hurt, especially with black hat hackers ten a penny nowadays.

Eventually almost everyone will lend up earning from the unofficial economy, at this rate.  I can't wait until chemists and game theorists are carrying out bank heists.  It'll make life a lot more...interesting.  Pratchett wasn't really joking when he says [educated group] have to be kept busy, or there is no telling what they might get up to.

[Kai]

I'm sure you can somehow find a way for your expertise to pay on the black market.  OK, it'll have to be pretty inventive, but niche skills never hurt, especially with black hat hackers ten a penny nowadays.

Eventually almost everyone will lend up earning from the unofficial economy, at this rate.  I can't wait until chemists and game theorists are carrying out bank heists.  It'll make life a lot more...interesting.  Pratchett wasn't really joking when he says [educated group] have to be kept busy, or there is no telling what they might get up to.

I have a feeling some of these entomologists are going to convert to economic/agricultural terrorism. How does a citrus blight sound? or potatoes? or cotton? or bird flu?

[Cain]

Most of those are corporate-run enterprises as well, right?

You could always pull a MEND and use systems disruption and blackmail to live the high life.  I'm sure rival companies or organised crime groups looking to buy in would love that.

[Requia ☣]

I'm sure you can somehow find a way for your expertise to pay on the black market.  OK, it'll have to be pretty inventive, but niche skills never hurt, especially with black hat hackers ten a penny nowadays.

Eventually almost everyone will lend up earning from the unofficial economy, at this rate.  I can't wait until chemists and game theorists are carrying out bank heists.  It'll make life a lot more...interesting.  Pratchett wasn't really joking when he says [educated group] have to be kept busy, or there is no telling what they might get up to.

I have a feeling some of these entomologists are going to convert to economic/agricultural terrorism. How does a citrus blight sound? or potatoes? or cotton? or bird flu?

Or corn?

[Kai]

I'm sure you can somehow find a way for your expertise to pay on the black market.  OK, it'll have to be pretty inventive, but niche skills never hurt, especially with black hat hackers ten a penny nowadays.

Eventually almost everyone will lend up earning from the unofficial economy, at this rate.  I can't wait until chemists and game theorists are carrying out bank heists.  It'll make life a lot more...interesting.  Pratchett wasn't really joking when he says [educated group] have to be kept busy, or there is no telling what they might get up to.

I have a feeling some of these entomologists are going to convert to economic/agricultural terrorism. How does a citrus blight sound? or potatoes? or cotton? or bird flu?

Or corn?

The easiest way to make corn fall apart would be to convince people that, you know those old intellectuals who told us that growing corn and wheat in rotation was a bad idea? Well, what do they know anyway!?

Watch for a resurgence of Helicoverpa zea. 

[Kai]

I mean, they believe Beck about the government being a communist plot, so why not this?

On the other hand, farmers tend to be sharp, believe it or not. And they tend not to have time to sit around watching Fox News.

I don't blame the farmers for this stupidity, and I don't wish any suffering on them either.

[Cain]

The only American farmer I know spends most of his spare time reading quite obscure American historians and Gore Vidal.  Independent farmers are usually fairly politically savvy though, since they get fucked over by nearly everyone.

[Kai]

The only American farmer I know spends most of his spare time reading quite obscure American historians and Gore Vidal.  Independent farmers are usually fairly politically savvy though, since they get fucked over by nearly everyone.

Yeah. Something like "I may not be slick as a glaze of ice on a tin roof, but any farther than I can throw a bull I don't trust you."

[Earthbound Spirit]

Wishing fire ants on some thing/body is bad juju.  Hopefully you don't live in an area where fire ants do.  If so, you're fucked.

[Nast]

Kai's insect-sized mind control helmets trump juju.

FOR IT IS SCIENCE!

[Kai]

Wishing fire ants on some thing/body is bad juju.  Hopefully you don't live in an area where fire ants do.  If so, you're fucked.

I know Solenopsis invicta better than most people.

[Earthbound Spirit]

Wishing fire ants on some thing/body is bad juju.  Hopefully you don't live in an area where fire ants do.  If so, you're fucked.

I know Solenopsis invicta better than most people.

They're coming.