9/30/2002: Scorpions

This Thai woman is Kanchana Ketkeaw, and she is attempting to break a world record. She expects to have 3,000 scorpions on her body for 32 days.

I don't know if the record is for the number of scorpions, or for the length of time they're on her. Maybe it's some sort of labeling law that says "in order to be 'covered' in scorpions there must be either 3000 scorpions or 1/2 of the persons body weight."

No word on whether "Rock You Like a Hurricane" would be played as background music during her attempt.

It turns out that only 25 of the 1500 species of scorpions are poisonous, and that includes none of the scorps on this broad.

yuck.

But why, some say, scorpions? Why choose them as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to cover ourselves with dangerous scorpions. We choose to wear poisonous scorpions in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to make the wearing of nothing but poisonous scorpions mandatory for all U.S. citizens as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

Thank you.

What happened with this entry? I swear I saw it a while back, saw a longish discussion, posted a reply, and then it was gone. Now it's back, with fewer comments. Am I crazy?

Yes - the news item is from 9/24, 6 days ago.