Mosquito Attack!

My dad sent me this picture from a WWII-era army training manual about how to avoid malaria — it was illustrated by Ted Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. My dad got the manual when he was a kid and his family moved to the Panama Canal Zone. The whole pamplet is pretty amusing, but it ain’t kid stuff either — it was designed to educate adult soldiers, so it’s not a bunch of “Cat in the Hat” silliness.

Anyway, soon afterwards, by sheer coincidence, this made the news:

Microsoft’s Bill Gates, who now devotes his time to philanthropic activities, found a way to get the attention of top names in science, technology, business, entertainment and academia on the topic of malaria, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Addressing the elite Technology, Entertainment and Design conference in Long Beach, Calif., he suddenly yelled to the crowd: “Malaria is spread by mosquitoes. I brought some. Here, let them roam around. There is no reason only  poor people should be infected.”

With that, he proceeded to unscrew the lid on a jar and unleashed a swarm of mosquitoes to a stunned audience.

Hilarious.

The skeeters weren’t carrying malaria, but what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall. (Pun completely intended)