Israel on alert as locusts cross in from Egypt

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) -- A swarm of locusts crossed into Israel from neighboring Egypt Monday, raising fears that Israel could be hit with a biblical plague ahead of the Passover holiday.

Israel sent out planes to spray pesticides over agricultural fields to prevent damage by the small swarm, which numbers about 2,000 locusts, said Dafna Yurista, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Ministry. The ministry also set up an emergency hotline and asked Israelis to be vigilant in reporting locust sightings.

The locust alert comes ahead of the weeklong Passover festival, which recounts the biblical story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt. According to the Bible, a huge swarm of locusts was the eighth of 10 plagues God imposed on Egyptians to persuade Pharoah to free the ancient Hebrews from slavery. Pharaoh did not agree to let them go until after the 10th plague, the death of the first born in every Egyptian family.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_LOCUST_HOTLINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-04-13-34-20

[NYC_SKP]

1. 2,000 does not seem like a large number when talking about locusts.

But I am not an expert in these matters.

[Ian David]

21. Oh, but they're BIG fucking locusts...

[RILib]

28. I used to think the bug blue bug was amusing

then I read about the company being hired to destroy sparrows.

[karynnj]

32. I don't know the life cycle of locusts, but could that be the beginning of

a cycle that grows geometrically if not controlled? (like you not an expert)

[sofa king]

36. Locusts don't have a real life cycle.

They're just grasshoppers that have quite literally been pushed too far.

When it gets too crowded, which they measure by how many times their legs get bumped, they overproduce serotonin, change color, and then go ape-shit.



So what has happened here is a population of grasshoppers did too well for themselves somewhere, overpopulated, and then hit the cray-cray button.

[karynnj]

38. thanks

[Kurska]

43. Wow I had no idea

Nice post, I never knew that.

[Downwinder]

2. locusts are kosher.

[snappyturtle]

3. Maybe it's because I've had two adult beverages this evening....but your replay is:

It's terrible in a way but.................imho

[Betsy Ross]

13. Only certain kinds of locusts are kosher.

And I don't know anyone who can identify the kosher variety. That's the problem with giraffes. They're kosher, but nobody knows how to schect (slaughter) it, as in where along that long neck to make the cut.

[Downwinder]

16. Four types.

The four types of locusts stated in the Torah are known according to Yemenite tradition to be the following: The "red locust" ["Arbeh" in Hebrew] is called "Grad" in Arabic. The yellow locust ["Sa'lam" in Hebrew] is "Rashona" in Arabic. The spotted gray locust ["Chargol" in Hebrew] is "Chartziyiya" in Arabic. The white locust ["Chagav" in Hebrew] is called "Gandav" in Arabic. According to Yemenite tradition as recorded in the work Arichat Hashulchan, the locust called "Al j'rad" is Kosher, and has three Kosher sub-species all known by that name.

http://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/19/Q1/

[Betsy Ross]

17. Nice.

I should have realized that there were Jews somewhere who have maintained the tradition. Thanks for the specifics.

[Downwinder]

18. The fine print.

If you go somewhere that they have a history of being eaten.

Then do as the locals.

[Deep13]

4. Yeah, hardly a Biblical plague.

God isn't angry, He's just slightly miffed.

[Occulus]

40. 2000 locusts is more like a tap on the arm.

2000- or even 20,000- wouldn't cover all that large an area and still be noticed.

These things are known to travel in swarms much, much larger.

[Deep13]

42. more like a mosquito bit than a plague. nt

[James48]

5. Locusts in Egypt

Swarms are destroying crops and anything green.
This shot was taken yesterday about 200 miles south of Cairo.



Source:

http://www.mako.co.il/news-world/arab/Article-87e5c6300ae2d31004.htm&sCh=31750a2610f26110&pId=786102762

Translation:

"Weeks before Passover: a plague of locusts in Egypt
Egyptian experts caution against "epidemic of locusts" in the country. Cairo residents began burning tires to create black smoke smuggle the insects, causing heavy damage to agriculture
Locusts in Egypt. Soon Israel?
Locusts in Egypt. Archives
Photo: Reuters

Three weeks before Passover in Egypt experiencing locust attack. Swarms of insects were observed in several districts of Cairo at the weekend, after coming area occupied shores of the Red Sea.

Farmers and residents burned tires to create black smoke smuggle the locust cities. Swarms arrived in Egypt reportedly Zafar City area, 200 km from Cairo, and the area where the city bought the locusts appeared in three villages.

Egyptian experts have warned against the "epidemic of locusts" Nile Delta. In 2004, Egypt experienced the most severe blow yellow insects, at least in recent history, severely damaged crops and agriculture."


-----------

Yuk.

[Occulus]

41. THAT'S a devastating swarm.

Millions of the things.

[BVictor1]

6. Holy Moses...

[Grins]

23. We have a winner!!

Good one! That one got me.

[azurnoir]

7. well it's that time of year..........n/t

[Iliyah]

8. Any bets on the crazy right winger so called Christians

claiming that this is their GAWDs way of punishing the infidels.

[RILib]

27. crazy right winger Christians love Israel

I forget why. Something about the establishment of Israel being part of the prophecy of the last days or something.

[JoDog]

29. Correct

There is a conservative prophecy that interprets the Bible as saying that the second coming of the Christian messiah will happen only when the Jewish state is rebuilt in the Holy Land and the majority of the world's Jews have moved there.

A war will then start over the Jewish state, killing the majority of its citizens, which triggers the "end times".

This is why many fundie churches support Israel and Israeli businesses, as well as donate money to charities that resettle Jewish families there.

[eggplant]

9. I'm not worrying until the frogs come. n/t

[FourScore]

45. LOL n/t

[radhika]

10. I've always wondered about that 10th plague - like what ages?

The OT speaks of the first-born son, we usually think of young children. In my old Bible Stories Book in grade school, that's what the pictures showed.

But couldn't the first-born son also be an adult male, who just happened to be the first born in his parent's household. 30-40 or 50 years ago? Just wondering if we have Aramaic linguists on the board to add to this discussion.

[Ian David]

20. The first born son always gets to eat the most meat. It was probably a food-borne illness.

Or high cholesterol.

[JoDog]

30. The first born

in Egypt also slept closest to the floor. That left them open to inhaling dangerous gas fumes.

[Ian David]

31. Oh! THAT is very interesting!

A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn, is a rare type of natural disaster in which dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) suddenly erupts from deep lake water, suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. Such an eruption may also cause tsunamis in the lake as the rising CO2 displaces water. Scientists believe landslides, volcanic activity, or explosions can trigger such an eruption. Lakes in which such activity occurs may be known as limnically active lakes or exploding lakes. Some features of limnically active lakes include:

...

Scientists have recently determined, from investigations into the mass casualties in the 1980s at Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos, that limnic eruptions and volcanic eruptions, although indirectly related, are actually separate types of disaster events.[1]

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnic_eruption

CO2 is heavier than air, so people closer to the ground would be more likely to die.

[geek tragedy]

11. 2000 is a pitiful number. Silly hype. nt

[Enrique]

37. good point

2000 locusts seems like such a small number I wonder if it's a typo. Why would the AP report on 2000 locusts halfway across the world?

[Earth_First]

44. Passover + locusts

They are trying to give this more legs than it actually has.

[timdog44]

12. Is it time for frogs?

Or boils? Maybe gnats? A pay back?

[kentauros]

46. 2000 flying roaches would cause mass panic.

[another_liberal]

14. I'm sure . . .

I'm sure every word is true. . . still, "Two thousand Locusts" don't amount to much of a "Plague." I've seen more grasshoppers than that on my front lawn in August.

[jaysunb]

15. I don't want to laugh...but

What a crock of shit. !

[Ian David]

19. You call it a plague of locusts, I call it manna. Them locusts is good eatin'. n/t

[L0oniX]

22. LMAO ...where's Moses when ya need him. n/t

[yurbud]

24. Is this from the Palestinian Onion?

If so, well done.

[colorado_ufo]

25. Now THAT made me LOL!

[yurbud]

35. no expects the comedy intafada

[RILib]

26. Maybe it's a clue from God.

[snooper2]

33. ROFL, why are they spraying?

Are they trying to defy gods will!

gods "big plan", how dare they

[The Stranger]

34. Looks like Moses and God have switched sides. (Ex. 10:1–20)

Not a good sign for Israel.

[bemildred]

39. Sounds like a job for Iron Dome. nt

[Bosonic]

47. Israeli locust plague is a blessing for adventurous palates

Millions of locusts have swarmed into Israel just two weeks before Passover – and on to plates of hungry diners

When Moshe Basson heard that millions of locusts were swarming across the border from Egypt just two weeks before Passover, his first thought was not of the ominous biblical precedent – nor of agricultural devastation wrought by the marauding insects – it was of a nice risotto with coriander seeds and a pinch of chilli.

Basson, the head chef at acclaimed kosher restaurant The Eucalyptus, has suggested a novel way of dealing with the pest: eating them. Locusts, are the only insects which are both kosher and halal, and Basson – a specialist in food from the Biblical-era – has served them on his menus for years. And what others have seen as a plague, he saw as a windfall.

"I've had calls from religious people who say they would pay anything to eat [locusts]. I've taken huge payments from people who want me to cook them at their homes. In the restaurant, we charge around 90 shekels (£15) a dish," Basson explained. "They taste something between sunflower seeds and baby shrimps – they actually don't taste like much. I like them, but they're desired not because they are delicious but because they are rare."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/07/israel-insects