Tuesday, May 28, 2002

I didn't know that in ancient Greece, the Athenians chose -- and didn't elect -- most of their officeholders. The Cranky Professor expounds on this story and more. 11:10:05 PM     Continuing this blog's long-standing plague-of-locusts theme ... Reuters reports that western Canadian farmers are getting ready for a major locust blitz:   Mild conditions over the winter and high levels of egg laying last autumn have combined to produce the threat of a major infestation of the hungry pests, many of whom are expected to hatch between now and the middle of June. The government of Alberta recently announced a C$10.3 million ($6.7 million) pre-emptive strike against the grasshoppers: a payment amounting to C$4 an acre to help farmers pay for control measures that include spraying, laying poisonous bait or even releasing chickens to prey on them. Yup, here at locust central (see previous posts) we know about the little buggers. In 1985, during the last major outbreak in Alberta, swarms of grasshoppers turned the sky black. After devastating crops, they even ate the paint off barns. 6:05:13 PM

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