Sickness blamed on moth spray (CA)

[struggle4progress]

By KEVIN HOWE
Herald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 09/19/2007 01:28:41 AM PDT

It may go down in local history as the pheromone flu.

Spraying of artificial pheromones designed to disrupt the breeding cycle of the Australian light brown apple moth has made residents, their children and their pets sick, said a number of speakers who came before the Monterey City Council late Tuesday to ask for the city's support in stopping future spraying by the state.

The Peninsula from Marina to Pebble Beach was subjected to aerial spraying of Checkmate OLR-F, a compound the state Department of Food and Agriculture says is safe for humans, animals, insects and other life forms, but specifically addles the libidos of the moths.

But residents of Monterey and surrounding areas told council members they and their friends have come down with aches, pains, sniffles, sore throats, fevers and influenza-like symptoms in the past week since the spraying took place ...

http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_6934924?source=most_viewed

[NNadir]

1. Aches? Pains? Sore throats?

Wow.

And they all know, presumably from all their double blind studies, that these symptoms were caused by the spray and not something really, really, really, really, really, really exotic like, say, a flu virus.

One of the warning signs from God that you're about to hear something truly scientifically illiterate is that it is reported by an American "journalist." I think you can't get into journalism school these days if you passed high school biology.

It's pretty fucking funny to hear this stuff from the people of Pebble Beach, behind the gates. They apparently are fucking clueless about what goes on those manicured lawns at the golf course.

It is, in light of this, in fact, hilarious.

[struggle4progress]

2. Yeah, they could all have the flu. Or all might have some reaction to a supposedly "harmless" spray.

[NNadir]

3. Or maybe they're being affected by dangerous rays from Venus.

Of course, we wouldn't want to jump to conclusions, would we, Ernie?

Let me guess. It's your considered opinion that this is the first chemical agent that has been used on the golf courses at Pebble Beach.

Speaking of Ernie, how is Dr. Sternglass? Is he still out there proving that the world is being destroyed by Walrus tusks impregnated with Strontium-90, or has he decided to go back to school and get a high school level understanding of biochemistry?

We haven't got to chat a lot lately, you and I, and I've missed your keen scientific insights which include a wonderful scan of illiterate journalist's offerings to an ever more credulous public.

This article reminds me of the time the citizens of the rich enclave Lloyd's Neck on Long Island funded and launched a persistent scientifically dunderheaded anti-nuclear industry because someone was threatening to put a (gasp) powerplant in a wealthy neighborhood.

500 billion tons of carbon dioxide later, we're all, all the citizens of the planet that is, still paying for their rich boy distractability.

[struggle4progress]

4. You should consider breaking your habit of putting words in other people's mouths