Big Spiders: Joro Spider Scares Scaredy Cats

The big harmless spider, the Joro spider, famously in Georgia and working its way around the South, continues to freak out people who like being freaked out. It's a harmless spider, like I said, But some people go out of their way to be afraid of things they don't understand. They banned books they don't read, dislike people they don't know, and are afraid of anything bigger than their pinky.

It might be that they don't know that the Black Widow is a very very small spider.

There's this guy, and we know him personally, trying to counter all this nonsense. He knows his stuff on mean he's trying to get other people on board. There's a lot of wacky people out there, but he's not one of them. Those people are afraid of a big spider instead of a small spider.

Whack!

Jumping from a Plane at 104

It's a mixed up world. Up and down are one of the few things we understand. Or not. Can we even count on gravity? 

Dorothy Hoffner of Ottawa, Illinois was counting on gravity when she jumped from a plane. If it didn't work, her age would be the least interesting part of the story. It did work, so here we are. She was 104. That's news. She was hoping to crush the record owned by Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson of Sweden. Dear Linnéa was a mere 103 for her record. 

Unfortunately, the upbeat and enthusiastic jumper has been lifted into Heaven only a week after the big step. That's 100% unrelated to her now famous parachute jump. 

A 104-year-old woman dies before Guinness can confirm her record as oldest skydiver

I don't know how hard it for the Guinness people to verify such things. Either she jumped or she didn't. And, as it relates to her age, a quick peak at her driver's license will clear that up. Though, frankly, we suspect she's not driven in a a few years.

Live in the Chicago area and want to jump? See https://skydivechicago.com/ 

If you want to leap into the unknown, we've got you covered there as well.

https://leapintotheunknown.com/

Whatever you do, look before you leap.

Whack!

Joro Spiders from Mars?

 The itsy bitsy spider is not itsy nor bitsy. The Joro spider is large, colorful, and taking over America.

It started in a small town in northern Georgia after piggybacking on a shipping container from Japan. It slowly grew its presence until seeing a major population spike in 2020. In 2021, it covered north Georgia and found its way into the Carolinas. Now, it is establishing itself across the East Coast and entire South.

Here are some silly joro spider jokes for you.

Whack!

Tragedy of Faith? Maryland mom pleads guilty in cult starvation death

Whacked yes, not that she has faith, but that she had faith in something obviously awry.

Md. mom pleads guilty in cult starvation death
AP
By BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press Writer Ben Nuckols, Associated Press Writer
BALTIMORE – A former religious cult member pleaded guilty Monday to starving her 1-year-old son to death after making an unusual deal with prosecutors: If the child is resurrected, her plea will be withdrawn. Ria Ramkissoon, 22, also agreed to testify against four other members of the now-defunct religious group known as 1 Mind Ministries. All four are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Javon Thompson.

According to a statement of facts, the cult members stopped feeding the boy when he refused to say "Amen" after a meal. After Javon died, Ramkissoon sat next to his decomposing body and prayed for his resurrection.

Ramkissoon's attorney, Steven D. Silverman, said Ramkissoon believes the resurrection will occur. She agreed to plead guilty only after prosecutors said they would drop the charges if the child comes back to life, Silverman said.
more

Monkey Business Scientists: Science in search of the top banana

Science has always bveen known to follow the money. Religion has never been as profitable, you know.

There's some green to made in the yellow, helping keep agriculture out of the red by avoiding black spots.

WHACK!

Science in search of the top banana
By ARTHUR MAX – 7 hours ago

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — It's not easy to keep a banana yellow.

To get it to market ripe but unblemished by brown sugar spots takes careful timing, a slight fiddling with nature's rhythms and a delivery system that is increasingly computer-driven and technical.

The perfect banana used to be a rare and precious find, but technology is changing that. From the tree in the sweltering tropics to the grocery rack in the frigid north, scientists are seeking new ways to strengthen the food chain and extend the shelf life of perishables so they reach distant consumers as if freshly picked.

Commercially, the goal is to satisfy a demand for quality food anywhere, any time, and at maximum profit.

Students Struggle in First-ever State Science Test

Weird. As the nation becomes more secular, science students are getting dumber.

Students Struggle in First-ever State Science Test
September 23, 2008

Whack!

Scores from the first-ever statewide assessment for science show that just one in four Rhode Island students is proficient in the subject.

Students in grades 4, 8 and 11 were tested, with fourth-graders showing the highest proficiency of all three groups.

The state Department of Education said Tuesday that in Rhode Island's urban districts, where test scores were lower overall, only 3 percent of eighth graders tested proficient in science.

Gov. Don Carcieri said now that the state has seen the scores, it can begin to address the problem.

Board of Regents Chairman Robert Flanders, Jr. said officials need to look at whether the state has enough science teachers and appropriate training and materials.

© Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

A Teacher on the Front Line as Faith and Science Clash

A science teacher, trying to convince students to put their faith in a theory, works hard to refute something they already have faith in.

Is science wrong? Science has proven only that it has a theory lots of atheists believe. Either way, if they are disrespecting a kid's religion, that's pretty low.

No wonder homeschooling is popular and attracting brighter students.

Whack!

A Teacher on the Front Line as Faith and Science Clash

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — David Campbell switched on the overhead projector and wrote “Evolution” in the rectangle of light on the screen.

He scanned the faces of the sophomores in his Biology I class. Many of them, he knew from years of teaching high school in this Jacksonville suburb, had been raised to take the biblical creation story as fact. His gaze rested for a moment on Bryce Haas, a football player who attended the 6 a.m. prayer meetings of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in the school gymnasium.

When Scientists Go Bad, They Get Whacked by the FBI?

Bruce E. Ivins seems to have been one bad scientist, the kind you do not want to take to a laboratory and leave alone. How bad? Hard to say. They are looking into this. The guy killed himself, making new interviews impossible.

"Since his death, a number of scientists have said that the limited forensic evidence that the F.B.I. made public in linking the attacks to Dr. Ivins is inconclusive."

Whack!

FBI Details Anthrax Case, but Doubts Remain
New York Times
By ERIC LICHTBLAU and NICHOLAS WADE WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON — Federal Bureau of Investigation officials on Monday laid out their most detailed scientific case to date against Bruce E. Ivins, the military scientist accused of being the anthrax killer, but they acknowledged that the many mysteries of the case meant an air of uncertainty would always surround it.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to put the suspicions to bed,” said Vahid Majidi, head of the F.B.I.’s weapons of mass destruction division. “There’s always going to be a spore on a grassy knoll.”

At a two-hour briefing for reporters, Dr. Majidi was joined by seven other leading scientists from inside and outside the bureau. They discussed in intricate detail the halting scientific path that led them from two main samples of anthrax used in the 2001 attacks, to four genetic mutations unique to the samples, to 100 scientists in the United States who had access to that particular strain, and ultimately to Dr. Ivins.

Oprah - Al - Tom: All Whacked

• Oprah Winfrey - believes in candles and vague, but real inner gods
• Al Gore - believes he's a scientist
• Tom Cruise (and John Travolta) - Scientology

Richard Dawkins, Mystery Writer?

Richard Dawkins, with the fervor of a street corner evangelist, could be said to have penned what might be considered pulp/dimestore mysteries.

As science, they are intellectually stimulating, much like any Sherlock Holmes short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As religion, well, let's just say ol' Dawk has his own religion going, as he makes a fuss being nonreligious. Even Billy Graham doesn't get as bent out of shape at atheists.

Just the same, he is a mystery writer, except he has no idea whodunit. He thinks he knows who didn't do it, so he'd flunk the Columbo Test for New Detectives.

Get a dose of Dawkins.

Big Whack: Ancient impact may explain Mars mystery

That's not just me talking. A big whack. Huge. Whackamundo.

Ancient impact may explain Mars mystery
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Why is Mars two-faced? Scientists say fresh evidence supports the theory that a monster impact punched the red planet, leaving behind perhaps the largest gash on any heavenly body in the solar system.