Frosted Flakes: Zombie Cicadas, County Fair, and Happy Pigs

It is county fair week here at the ranch.

Many county fairs folded up the tents and decided to wait things out. Our area is (so far) fairly low risk when it comes to the coronavirus and many many modifications were made to the fair to make sure the kids got a chance to show off their hard work and people could stay safe.

I will take every bit of “normal” I can get right now.

Even if that normal requires a mask and hand sanitizer.

Frosted Flakes

How much could a limited Husker football season impact Lincoln? - KLKN-TV
We estimated, just the fans who attend the game, so not including the tailgaters. The offsite spending is about $5 million a game,” Director, Bureau of Business Research Dr. Eric Thompson said.

Knowing the new Husker arrivals: Zavier Betts
Bellevue West coach Michael Huffman once recalled former Husker Clester Johnson tell him when Zavier was in the eighth grade, "You have to see this kid."

Former Husker Lavonte David named to NFL's Top-100 list - KLKN-TV
Lavonte David was named to the NFL’s Top 100 list, announced annually over the summer months as the best of the best from around the league.

Williams has team eager to practice, prepared to handle any 'curveballs' | Husker Womens Basketball | norfolkdailynews.com
LINCOLN — Amy Williams has her Fox 40 whistle ready whenever she needs it. It just happens to be in her hand instead of her mouth.

Nebraska volleyball program has two No. 1-ranked recruits; Allick will play at Waverly | Volleyball | journalstar.com
Hayden Kubik marks the Huskers' second top-ranked player in the past two weeks. Plus, a city standout is on the move to Waverly.

Sportsin’ Stuff Outside the 402/308

NHL return: Referees training, quarantining as season re-start nears - Sports Illustrated
From getting back to the ice, to spending much of their time alone in their hotel rooms, NHL referees are adjusting to life in a bubble.

NFL Opt-Outs Show How the Coronavirus Is Already Upending the League - The Ringer
On Monday and Tuesday, a string of players chose to prioritize their health and safety over football. This season was never going to be normal, and this week confirmed it.

Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles becomes WNBA's all-time leading rebounder
Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles, 34, became the WNBA's all-time leading rebounder Tuesday, when the Lynx faced the Seattle Storm in Bradenton, Florida.

Coronavirus and football: How losing sport would affect fall season
Safely conducting an NFL or college season may prove too difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. USA TODAY Sports examines the situation.

To the Olympians | By Sanya Richards-Ross
I feel for every Olympian who had prepared to compete in Tokyo this summer.

A team-by-team look at which NFL players have opted out of the 2020 season due to coronavirus concerns
Players have until Aug. 3 to opt out of the season. That decision is final and they won’t be allowed to return. Players with preexisting conditions get a $350,000 stipend and those who opt out for other reasons receive $150,000.

Predicting the Next Plague

How ‘zombie’ cicadas spread the psychedelic fungus | Miami Herald
Horror stories are real for cicadas. A mind-controlling fungus that rots away at the insect’s body fools other cicadas into mating with an infected carcass so it can spread. But could it harm people?

Move over murder hornets. Here come the zombie cicadas.

More Noise and Other Disturbances

Meet Cosmo, a Bull Calf Designed to Produce 75% Male Offspring | UC Davis
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have successfully produced a bull calf, named Cosmo, who was genome-edited as an embryo so that he’ll produce more male offspring.

As an animal scientist, I’ll weigh in here. There is already something known as “sexed semen” (I can hardly wait to see the comments section) in which you can artificially inseminate cows with semen that has been separated to produce either mostly male or female offspring. The female offspring are beneficial to dairy farmers who want to raise replacement cows for the herd and don’t want to deal with those pesky male calves. Male offspring are beneficial for beef cattle operations that feed their animals out to sell for meat. Male beef cattle grow faster and bigger and are leaner than females. The option to buy bulls that already have “sexed semen” is a very intriguing way to increase the precision in animal agriculture.

Liquor Leftovers in Feed Produces Happier Pigs and Tastier Pork | Technology Networks
Recycling Japanese liquor leftovers as animal feed produces happier pigs and tastier pork<br />Scientists have found that diet of shochu distillation remnants is an <br />economical way to reduce pigs' stress and improve meat quality.

The porcine equivalent of kobe beef?

Typos Spell Trouble For Man's Alleged Attempt To Fake His Own Death : NPR
Chalk up another win for spell check. According to prosecutors, a man tried to escape his sentencing by forging a death certificate — but the alleged ruse unraveled with a few misplaced letters.

Farmer returns prosthetic leg that skydiver lost during jump | Weird News | yakimaherald.com
WEST ADDISON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont skydiver who lost his prosthetic leg during a jump has it back, thanks to a farmer who kept an eye out for it

Emus banned from outback Queensland pub after bad behaviour - ABC News
The owner of the Yaraka Hotel says he doesn't really want the birds' patronage, because "when they get in, they behave a bit badly."

Big birds gone wild.

A Massive Leak of Nintendo Source Code Is Causing Chaos in Video Games
The leak unearthed new revelations about classic games like 'Super Mario 64,' and caused a split amongst preservationists about what to do with likely stolen material.

Why Is Bob Ross Still So Popular? - The Atlantic
Twenty-five years after his death, the painter who gave us “happy little trees” is more ubiquitous than ever.

I suspect that binge watching Bob Ross during a pandemic would make everyone happier.

Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars Interview | Kate Greene | Digital Trends
Kate Greene, author of Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars, spoke to Digital Trends about her book and how her simulated mission feels similar to the pandemic.

Aerospace Mechanic Ingeniously Turns A Jet Engine Housing Into A Camper Trailer - Digg
It's an ambitious project that took Steve Jones over six years and 1,000 hours to complete.

Pasta Shapes History | Mental Floss
In the latest episode of Food History, Justin Dodd explore the odd etymologies, ancient recipes, and innovative designs that led to your favorite pasta shapes.

Leave it to academics to turn something like pasta shapes into a research project.

Dancing robots replace fans at Japanese baseball game - Reuters
With their stadium devoid of fans due to coronavirus restrictions, Japanese baseball team Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have come up with an imaginative replacement: dancing robots.

Of course they did. Does Japan do anything without robots?

Another Week - Another Poop Article

This one is a bit indirect, but you will notice a theme in the reviews for these sugar-free gummy bears.

Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Haribo SUGAR FREE Classic Gummi Bears, 1 Lb
These gummy bears have some...interesting...side effects for many people. The stories people tell in these reviews are sure to keep you laughing.

I once bought some blueberry syrup in Michigan that advertised “no sugar added”. Of course, I thought that meant it was purely blueberries. I was wrong. The artificial sweetener added to that syrup was the same ingredient that was found in the aforementioned gummy bears. I refuse to say any more about that experience.

Then There’s This

Russian teen soccer player struck by lightning during training
Teammates at his Moscow club feared the worst when they saw Ivan Zaborovsky hit by a bolt of lightning and knocked unconscious, but he survived with just a small burn on his chest where he was wearing a chain.

After watching this video, I cannot believe that he was okay.