{"id":15990,"date":"2025-11-13T14:16:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T20:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/?p=15990"},"modified":"2025-11-13T14:16:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T20:16:34","slug":"fire-ant-flickers-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/2025\/11\/13\/fire-ant-flickers-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Ant Flickers (#14)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Howdy, y’all. Today is National Indian Pudding Day<\/a>, and I got nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it is also the first day in 232 years in which the U.S. Mint will no longer strike pennies<\/a> for general commerce. Yesterday, the Mint created an “artisanal batch” (as the Wall Street Journal described it) of five pennies which bear a special mark (see my clever graphic below) \u2014 an omega symbol<\/a> over Lincoln’s shoulder (I have no idea why they would choose the symbol for oxygen-18<\/a>, but then I’m continually confused by governmental decisions) \u2014 to distinguish them from the run-of-the-mill coins that are worth only 1\/100th of a dollar. Those five are to be auctioned off at some point to swell the coffers of the U.S. government. I hope they make it a silent auction with online bidding open to the public so we all can participate. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"US<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I mentioned above that pennies would no longer be minted for “general commerce”; I understand that the Mint will still issue special pennies for collectors, sort of like how the Postal Service issues specialty stamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving right along…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Kids Are Alright…<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

[Extra credit if you can identify the source for the preceding heading]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alert Gazette readers will recall that I recently stumbled across<\/a> the musical prowess of Vulfpeck. I suspect that approximately 78.7% of you already knew about them but I’ve always had a soft spot for the musical minority, of which I’m a proud member. So it is with great gusto that I present another discovery, this time of a band that makes me great optimistic that our musical future is in good hands. I’m referring, of course, to Rumpus Machine<\/a> (you’ll be more forgiving of the name once you see who came up with it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first heard\/saw a performance via a Facebook video and I was immediately hooked. The band is comprised of four teens \u2014 brothers and sisters \u2014 from Auckland, New Zealand (shoutout to you Kiwis in the audience), and they seem to have the proper respect for Real Music, i.e. classic rock-and-roll. Take a listen, via YouTube:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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