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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Reuters reporter makes bizarre positive reference to Great Leap Forward and Mao |
| 2010-12-04 |
| In an unrelated article about citrus disease. It has been more than half a century since the Great Leap Forward in China under Chairman Mao, when a failed experiment in pest eradication included issuing everyone in China a flyswatter. The fly problem persisted, even though millions of the insects were killed. But the benefits of close coordination, if not the collectivized agriculture that inspired Mao, seemed lost on Florida's citrus producers until quite recently. WHAT THE F^%K. Collectivization killed tens of millions of people in the 20th century. And Florida's citrus growers are idiots for not following in their lead? Finally recognizing the need to work together, the growers have organized into so-called "citrus health management associations" throughout the state. Well, heavens to Betsy these flyover territory fools saw the light. Jerkins, who also heads Florida's Citrus Research and Development Foundation, said this means farmers now all disperse pesticides at about the same time. That leads to more powerful insect suppression by avoiding a "checkerboard effect" where bugs in a grove where chemicals are dispersed can find safe haven in a grove just next door. Surely, cooperating in the face of a common threat is a welcome step towards socialization of agriculture. Where does Reuters get these people? Here's another gem from earlier in the article: Arnold, a native Floridian who speaks with a distinct southern drawl rarely heard across the state these days, remembers when Florida had about 900,000 acres planted with citrus. Let me guess, the Reuters reporter freaked out when he heard an accent. He just HAD to add this bit of utterly irrelevant data to his report. "This guy doesn't speak English like a newscaster! Weird! I'll have to share this with everyone." Florida imported huge numbers of people from elsewhere, which explains the lack of native culture. |
| Posted by:gromky |