 Photo: Alex Brandon/AP. Courtesy of Axios. |
Another entry in our continuing series (now up to two) of impertinent bugs landing on public figures in the presence of photographers. In this latest case, the critter accessorizing the prez's collar is - what else? - a cicada. The onlookers, neither of whom, as far as I know, is accused yet of mischievously planting an insect on the Commander in Chief, would seem to be flight personnel, as this was snapped at Andrews Air Force Base.
LOL, that's almost as good as Pence's fly. If it was me, I'd be freaking out if it tickled my neck. We usually have cicadas here in the summer, but I haven't heard any yet, it's a bit early.
ReplyDeleteAt least one ice cream place is serving cicada sundaes:
https://coolmomeats.com/2021/06/03/cicada-ice-cream-sundaes/
They hasten to add that no real cicadas were harmed in the making of this treat.
Funny that no one calls them cicadas here. They are "locusts".
DeleteThe cicada on Biden’s collar is part of the once every 17 year swarm called brood X. It’s difficult to even walk in some areas without a nasty crunch, crunch under your feet. They dive bomb you too. These are not the same as whatever annual locusts you might get!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brood-x-cicadas-are-emerging-at-last1/
Ours are not the 17 or 13 year kind, though they look similar. One often sees their shells lying around in summer, I suppose they are similar to cocoons.
DeleteI read somewhere that different parts of the country have different species which have different cycles. For whatever reason, this isn't a big cicada year in Chicago. If I am doing the math right, next year might be one.
ReplyDeleteI never realized before that cicadas are the same as locusts.
They aren't the same species. Real locusts, as in the biblical plague kind, are a type of grasshopper. The ones we colloquially call "locusts" here, are really cicadas. To confuse things even further, there are trees called locusts, which have nothing to do with the bugs.
DeleteThus Locust Street in Philadelphia. At least, I THINK it's not named after the insect.
DeleteThis is really an update to the Manchin article. It is from Bernie's organization which is putting pressure on Manchin in West Virginia
ReplyDeleteSenator Joe Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch, was CEO of Mylan — a homegrown West Virginian pharmaceutical manufacturing company — until last year. She made $114 million in the role despite overseeing multiple controversies, including schemes to avoid paying taxes.
Mylan is one of the biggest manufacturers of generic drugs that Americans rely on to manage their health and employs 1,500 people — but despite the importance of domestic drug manufacturing to our national security in a post-COVID-19 world, the plant is shutting down and offshoring good union jobs to India.
Joe Manchin’s daughter will be ok with her millions, but the workers at the plant and families across America who rely on cheap generic drugs aren’t going to be so lucky. Mylan — now owned by Pfizer — has received billions of dollars from the U.S. government via Medicare and Medicaid and is returning the favor by ruining lives and making it harder to get cheap drugs.
Unsurprisingly, just like he’s doing on the For the People Act, Joe Manchin is putting his own selfish interests ahead of West Virginia and is refusing to do anything to save this plant. That’s why Our Revolution held an emergency town hall with Mylan workers yesterday to discuss our plans to pressure Joe Manchin to stop this devastating plant closure.
You'd think it would be in Manchin's best interests to preserve good jobs in his state. Same depressing scenario of big companies swallowing smaller ones and following the lowest possible wages wherever it takes them.
DeleteJack, this is a subject most of us hadn't heard about; I know I hadn't. It would make a good post, along with the more general topic of keeping/restoring good jobs in the US.
DeleteWell Bernie's organization does not get much attention from the national media. They is the only way I know about this issue.
DeleteThey also say that 79% of WVA voters support the For the People act, 69% to American Jobs Act, and 64% the American Rescue Plan. That visual is from Rachel Maddow but does not have a link.