‘Crazy Raspberry Ants’ Invade Houston, Ruin Computers

You might be wondering whether we’re about to describe the plot of an Ed Wood movie from 1954, but it’s confirmed reality: a species of tiny red ants named after exterminator Tom Raspberry are invading Houston, Texas by the billions and are inexplicably attracted to electronics. They supposedly came in on a cargo ship.

The Huffington Post has it:

The hairy, reddish-brown creatures are known as “crazy raspberry ants” _ crazy, because they wander erratically instead of marching in regimented lines, and “raspberry” after Tom Raspberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on.

“They’re itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they’re just running everywhere,” said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful. “There’s just thousands and thousands of them. If you’ve seen a car racing, that’s how they are. They’re going fast, fast, fast. They’re crazy.”

They have ruined pumps at sewage pumping stations, fouled computers and at least one homeowner’s gas meter, and caused fire alarms to malfunction.

And when you do kill these ants, the survivors turn it to their advantage: They pile up the dead, sometimes using them as a bridge to cross safely over surfaces treated with pesticide.

No one can explain why these strange little creatures are so interested in electronics. The Texas Department of Agriculture has teamed up with A&M researchers and the EPA to figure out how to stop them from eating Houston alive. Typical ant control methods aren’t working.

Craaaaazy, man. Attack of the crazy electronics-eating super fast ants! They’re coming to get you!

Link [Huffington Post]
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

National Geographic, Stephen Colbert Among 2008 Webby Awards Winners

“Respected… Trustworthy… Smooth. There’s only one word to describe it: Trustigious.” Stephen Colbert will undoubtedly be making an extra fist-pumping self congratulatory jog around the studio on the set of his Comedy Central show tonight after winning Webby Person of the Year. From The Huffington Post:

As host of cable television’s “The Colbert Report,” Colbert has managed to persuade fans to inject his version of reality into the user-edited encyclopedia Wikipedia while getting Web sites to add enough references to him that a Google search for “greatest living American” at one point brought his Colbert Nation Web site to the top.

In naming him Webby Person of the Year, judges recognized his online fan base and credited him with raising more than $250,000 online for an education charity.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Colbert spoke of how instantly he gets feedback from his audience online:

“The Web is essentially improvisational. … The Internet is the shortest, hardest wall against which your voice will echo back,” Colbert said. “It’s a big place, but, boy, you get an echo back really fast.”

National Geographic Online won the Magazine and People’s Choice categories.

Other winners included Stephen Gondry for encouraging people to remake their favorite films in honor of his movie ‘Be Kind Rewind’, will.i.am for his ‘Yes We Can’ video supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama and The Onion for all around awesomeness.

Link [Huffington Post] + [Webby Awards]

Photo credit: AP Photo/Jason DeCrow

Un-Effing-Believable: Military Contractor Used Armored Vehicles to Transport Hookers

Perhaps I’m still a bit naïve, but I find this news so crazy I can hardly believe it’s real. The Huffington Post is reporting that testimony from a panel of whistleblowers in the Senate yesterday revealed a shocking bit of info about DynCorp, a military contractor. Seems that a DynCorp manager used an armored car to transport prostitutes to hotels that the company operates. As the car was occupied by hookers, a DynCorp employee had to go without the armored protection and was killed as a result.

From The Huffington Post:

Naturally, this will lead many to question whether its appropriate for DynCorp to be awarded with future military contracts, but the more fitting question is whether or not DynCorp should have been awarded a contract in Iraq in the first place. Because, you see, this is not the first time DynCorp employees have been implicated in running prostitution rings abroad.

In 2002, DynCorp workers were involved in a Bosnia sex-slave trade, and due to some complicated loopholes, these people are able to get away with it. Some of the girls involved were as young as 12. The DynCorp employees escaped prosecution for crimes such as these made overseas, practically giving them free license to do whatever the hell they please.

These are the shady criminals America has doing its bidding in Iraq. Does anyone else feel the need to take a shower right about now?

Link [Huffington Post]

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons