Beetles Get Politically Prominent Names (Cheney / Rumsfeld)

[GregD]

This ia absolutely priceless.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050413/ap_on_fe_st/political_beetles

ITHACA, N.Y. - President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have shared a common political vision for most of their careers. Now each will share something else — a slime-mold beetle named in his honor.

SNIP (How they come to admire B/C, and then name slime-eating beetles after them is mind-boggling!)

"We admire these leaders as fellow citizens who have the courage of their convictions and are willing to do the very difficult and unpopular work of living up to principles of freedom and democracy rather than accepting the expedient or popular," said Wheeler, now the head of entomology at the Natural History Museum in London.

SNIP

Slime-mold beetles are named for the fungilike molds on which they feed. The entomologists collected and borrowed thousands of specimens of slime-mold beetles in order to study their evolution and classification. In so doing, they found more than five dozen new species never before described.

[truthisfreedom]

1. ooh! bugs! wait... where's the bug-man?

he needs a slime-mold beetle named after him too!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. It's so perfect!

Bushi, rumsfeldi and cheneyi the slime-mold gang! :woohoo::rofl:

[amjucsc]

3. Bush, Cheney and Rummy now officially, and for all time...

...Insects.

[Stockholm]

4. Now thats sarcasm "we admire..."

:rofl:

[jdj]

5. is this a joke?

LOL. I hope these guys are being sarcastic.

[Frederik]

6. My favourite entomologists

"Slime-mold beetles are named for the fungilike molds on which they feed."

Now, for all posterity, there'll be a slime-mold beetle called "Agathidium rumsfeldi Miller and Wheeler". :rofl:

[unhappycamper]

7. Damn. Sure hope the next person(s) to discover a new genus

of scum-sucking bottom dwellers is a DUer. We could have a LOT of fun with that........ :rofl:

[paineinthearse]

8. SLIME-MOLD BEETLES OF THE GENUS AGATHIDIUM PANZER IN N. & CENTRAL AMERICA

Found this scientific paper - SLIME-MOLD BEETLES OF THE GENUS AGATHIDIUM PANZER IN NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA - http://www.bioone.org/bioone/?request=get-abstract&issn=0003-0090&volume=291&issue=01&page=0001



...and a photo of agathidium repentinum, BUSHI'S COUSIN!

[Straight Shooter]

14. That beetle is almost as repulsive as bush, cheney, et al.

Feeds off slime mold, eh? Would that be slime mold of the fundacious species?

[nonconformist]

9. Ha! Perfect. nt

[paineinthearse]

10. Honoring these idjuts with insect names is hilarious on two levels

1. That they forever will be associated with slime mold sucking bugs and.

2. "...entomologists collected and borrowed thousands of specimens of slime-mold beetles in order to study their evolution and classification..." EVOLUTION?????? No way, Jose! These bugs were created by god and would have been lost forever had they not been sought out/carried on the ark by noah!

[sabra]

11. This is truly classic....

[susu369]

12. Axis of Weevils

Saw that as a comment on a blog this morning and thought it was priceless! Sorry I can't give credit to person who came up with it (can't find it again).

:rofl:

[CoffeeCat]

13. The entomologists consider this an honor, though--right?

Unless I'm reading this article wrong--these entomologists like Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld, and bestowed the bug-naming honor on them--as a positive tribute, correct?

This would be a great story if the entomologists didn't praise these jerks.

[Solly Mack]

15. Yes, they considered it praise of the men

I read the article and that's what it says..

[EFerrari]

16. I think this is dry Brit humor at its finest.

And, it looks like there's more than a dozen more slimeys just waiting for names.

Suggestions?

:hi:

[Maraya1969]

18. Yea I'm not sure what they mean by it either

Maybe someone can write them and ask. Hard to believe that scientists would be pro-Bushi Cheneyi and Rumsfieli

[420inTN]

17. How insulting to insects.

eom

[Lisa]

20. yes -- it's rather unfair to the arthropod community

As far as I know, those beetles haven't killed anyone through their actions. Plus they provide a valuable service to the ecosystem -- unlike their human eponyms (is that the right word for "people they're named after"?)

[ClayZ]

19. Thanks for this article!

Nothing like some GOOD news to brighten up ones day! I just love that article!

I would like a large print each one with their new names in large letters!

Way to go!

:applause: :rofl:



:kick: