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Banksy, the ever-elusive artist well-known for his hidden identity, may be forced to reveal his name after art collectors sued him for refusing to authenticate a print. Nicky Katz and Ray Howse sued Banksy’s company, Pest Control, for what they say is a refusal to authenticate their print of “Monkey Queen,” which they acquired for around $38,500. If the lawsuit makes it to court, the artist — who’s only revealed his first name, Robbie — might have to give up his full identity. The print, which features a Queen Elizabeth lookalike as a monkey with a crown and jewels, only...

BRUSSELS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday proposed withdrawing the EU's plan to halve the use of pesticides, calling it a "symbol of polarisation" as regional farmers protested over rising costs and other factors."Our farmers deserve to be listened to," Von der Leyen told the European Parliament."I know that they are worried about the future of agriculture and their future as farmers. But they also know that agriculture needs to move to a more sustainable model of production so that their farms remain profitable in the years to come."

A Florida contractor whose job it is to hunt down and kill the invasive Iguanas that are multiplying exponentially in S. Florida

Photo credit: Denni ScnappFleaScienceSummary Cat fleas can survive and reproduce on a diet of human blood alone. However, in normal settings they don’t live or breed on humans. Females must feed freely for many hours to be able reproduce on humans. This doesn’t happen outside of laboratories.Survival Cat fleas can survive solely on a diet of human blood. They’re capable of living for 139 to 185 days if fed on human arms for 15 minutes each day.2 10 minute feeding intervals can keep females alive for up to 30 days, and males for 17 days.1 In a recent study,...

Two police officers in upstate New York have been suspended as authorities investigate claims the cops used a golf cart to run down and kill a groundhog during a police union's golf tournament. Witnesses reported seeing the two men chase a groundhog near one of the holes at the Frear Park Golf Course in the city of Troy last Friday afternoon, authorities said. The animal was killed when the cart ran over it.

For many of us, our first experiences with shooting included BB guns and pellet guns. These air pellet rifles are like nothing we’ve used before! Check out the video on this pellet rifle hitting its target from 90 plus yards. Spoiler if you're a "Birdman" fan you may not like this. :)

Man sets house afire trying to kill spider with lighter, spray paint SEATTLE -- Fire officials say a West Seattle man was using a lighter and a can of spray paint to kill a spider in his laundry room when the house went up in flames. Fire crews were called to a home in the 10200 block of 34th Avenue SW just before 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Firefighters originally battled the blaze from a distance after learning there may be ammunition inside. Crews were eventually able to extinguish the fire, but not before it did significant damage to the structure....

Man started fire to burn bugs in 'deplorable' apartment, report states A man pulled from a fire on Sunday night told authorities that he started the blaze accidentally — while trying to burn the bugs in his apartment, the Orlando Police Department said. Orlando police and fire crews were called to the fire at an apartment building on Lakeview Street, near Lake Concord just north of downtown Orlando, about 11:30 p.m. The man was rescued from his burning apartment and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation, according to Orlando police. An officer who checked...

Beyond troubling considerations in regards to the rebels, there are serious questions on the constitutionality and appropriateness of President Obama's military options. While mainstream media outlets are busy getting all worked up for the potential ratings bonanza a new war will bring, dolling out all the typical military analysts to give us tantalizing speculations on how cruise missile and drone strikes on Assad's forces could play out, no one seems to be asking if President Obama even has the authority to launch a strike in the first place. How far have we fallen into the abyss of an unchecked executive...

The Obama administration said Thursday it was “unable to conclusively determine” whether chemical weapons were used in an attack on civilians last week in Syria and pressed for a United Nations probe. “The president has directed the intel community here in the United States to urgently gather additional information. That is our focus on this end,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “At this time, right now, we are unable to conclusively determine [chemical weapons] use, but we are focused every minute of every day since these events happened yesterday on doing everything possible within our power to nail down...

France is seeking a reaction with "force" if a massacre in Syria involving chemical weapons is confirmed, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday. "If it is proven, France's position is that there must be a reaction," Fabius told BFM-TV, speaking of a "reaction with force" while judging it "impossible" to send in ground troops. "There are possibilities for responding," he said without elaborating. The convulsions, pinpoint pupils and laboured breathing seen in victims of the alleged chemical attack in Syria could be symptoms of nerve gas, experts said Thursday, but only blood and urine samples can provide proof.

Rockets with toxic agents were launched at the suburbs of the Ghouta region early on Wednesday as part of a major bombardment on rebel forces, they say.The Syrian army says the accusations have been fabricated to cover up rebel losses.The main opposition alliance said that more than 1,000 people were killed by the attacks.Activist networks also reported death tolls in the hundreds, but these could not be independently confirmed.It is also not clear how many died in the bombardment of the sites and how many deaths were due to any exposure to toxic substances.In a statement, the army described the...

Syrian activists close to the country’s opposition claimed hundreds of people were killed in a “poison gas” attack by regime forces outside Damascus Wednesday. There were several differing reports on a death toll. Activists told Al-Arabiya that 635 people were killed in the attack in Eastern Ghouta, while Reuters reported that 213 died. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at dozens, while the Local Coordination Committees said hundreds were killed. …

Officials In Yankton Put Out Unusual Fire YANKTON, SD - Firefighters in Yankton were called to extinguish an unusual blaze that involved an apparent small animal and a smoke bomb. A resident who noticed a large hole had been dug in his yard overnight dropped a smoke bomb down the hole Sunday afternoon to scare off the varmint. The result was flames shooting from the ground. Officials believe the animal might have chewed or clawed its way through a gas line, and the smoke bomb ignited the fumes. Firefighters monitored the scene for nearly an hour until a gas company...

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has concluded that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime has used chemical weapons against the opposition seeking to overthrow him, U.S. officials said Thursday, crossing what President Barack Obama has called a ‘red line’ that would trigger greater American involvement in the crisis. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/13/us-assad-used-chemical-weapons-against-syrian-oppo/

Cats love catnip. Mosquitoes? Not so much. According to Science Daily, catnip repels mosquitoes more effectively than DEET. Grow it in your garden or apply undiluted catnip oil to the skin for up to two hours of protection.

I have a pest control issue concerning rats that live in trees. What sorta air rifle is recommended for this sorta thing? I want something cheap but powerful enough to be able to take down a varmint in one shot... Any suggestions, and no I don't want a convention gunpowder rifle as I already have one of them.

"We're eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked," Secretary of State Dean Rusk famously said during the Cuban missile crisis. Barack Obama has been doing a lot of blinking lately. On Syria especially. "There would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movements on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons," he said back in August 2012. Chemical weapons were a "red line." Presumably the president hoped that his statement would deter Bashar Assad's embattled regime from using chemical weapons. And presumably he hoped that his demand in 2011 for Assad to relinquish...

Has anyone EVER used nemotodes or Milky Spore to control Japanese Beetles and/or Flea Larva?

ROSEMONT, Ill.- The first-ever North American Bed Bug Summit, which opened Tuesday near Chicago, attracted a sellout crowd to hear experts on the tiny biters, organizers said. That appears to be one more sign that bed bugs, once almost routed in the United States by pesticides, are back in a big way, the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald reported. "Ten years ago we got about one call about bed bugs a year, and now we get at least one call a day," Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, told the newspaper. Organizers of the two-day...