Barbados faces horror of giant snail invasion

AP) BRIDGETOWN, Barbados A breed of giant, ravenous snails that first appeared in Barbados five years ago has thrived on the tropical island, destroying crops and prompting calls for the government to eliminate the slimy pests.

Authorities are organizing nocturnal snail hunts to combat the menace from these crop-munching, meningitis-transmitting mollusks.

As if the threat to our (by our I mean, mine, not the United States') rum imports isn't bad enough, even the West Virginia Department of Agriculture has sounded the alarm. And if West Virginia is threatened, Kentucky can't be far behind, with its clear water, rich fields of corn and many distilleries.

First the rum is gone, and then the bourbon.