It's Lovebug Season

In the South, small mayflies called lovebugs appear in the Spring and the Fall. Some season have few, and others have swarms that turn your car windshield into a grimy, streaked paste of black bug goop. Removing them can be a challenge, and if you wait a long time, the sun bakes them into a bug "concrete" that is hard to remove. 

This season is appearing to be a bad one. They're everywhere, and increasing daily. How long until this peaks remains to be seen, but even short trips lead to dozens on the grill and windshield. 

I've found dryer sheets are good. You wet the front of the car, get a bucket of water, and use the dryer sheets to rub on the bugs. Keeping things wet is important, so avoiding allowing things to dry is important. It doesn't take intense scrubbing. Constantly keeping the mess wet, with gentle rubbing removes the bugs, and prepares the car for a wash. Allowing things to dry leaves a residue, which is unsightly. 

So, here we go again. This is twice a year without fail, and will never go away.

Trying to Make Some Sense Of It

 The Strait of Hormuz is open, and then it isn't, and then it is, and then it isn't....it's never ending. Some report say we bombed Iran's military out of existence, and others state there's so many hiding places, small boats, and armed military, it's almost impossible to find them all. With nobody really knowing who's in charge, the best description is it's total chaos. 

What will happen next? More corrupted intelligence will appear, large insurers will have bowel problems, the U.S. military will continue with thinking you can win a war by cherry-picking targets, NATO will continue to be a money pit, Europe will sit on its hands, China will threaten, Russia will threaten, North Korea will launce some missiles into the ocean, fuel prices will remain high, Australia will be low on fuel, Democrats will continue trying to destroy the United States, the media will continue publishing propaganda, and Iran will be another huge pit where billions are thrown into the building of bombs, so they can be dropped into the pit. It's good times for arms manufacturers, oil producers, politicians, and terrorists. The rest of the world will just have to suck it up and continue watching the madness.  

We'll See Where This Goes

 News reports state there is a tiff between Trump and the Pope. It's about immigration, and from what I've read, the Pope thinks the time someone lives illegally in the United States should determine whether they stay, or not. This makes me wonder. There seems to be some irony with someone that lives in a fortress, surrounded by armed guards, and with complete autonomy about who lives there, to make statements about immigration. We'll see where this goes, but I doubt it will go anywhere good.

I Think There Will Be More Of This

Some people don't want any donated blood from those that received certain injections.  I understand the concern, and the supposed research only makes me more suspicious of some researchers and doctors. Too many jumped on board with sometimes incomplete testing by pharmaceutical companies, and injected (and still inject) patients even with other research pointing to dangerous, permanent contraindications with the process. With Covid, there was no reason for many to receive any inoculation, but regardless of what research showed, the results were hidden, and there were billions of dollars made on a product that had the potential to kill more people than the illness it was supposed to prevent. 

There are millions of healthy older adults that probably only had DPT boosters when they were young. Not so today. Dozens of injections are given to the young, and some research shows there may be a correlation between the injections and health problems. Of course, there's a huge market for the medications, and it's advantageous in the near term to promote the product. Time, honest research, and education may show the foolishness of this process. The past is full of peddlers that have "miraculous" results from their products, and I have no doubt many of the companies selling their products are more concerned about their bottom dollar instead of the ultimate consequences of their actions. 

Artemis 2 Reentry Velocity

I was wondering why the Artemis 2 reentry velocity was so high. A little googling informed me of the reasons. One is the fact using the Moon to slingshot it back to Earth leads to a higher speed. Another is it saved fuel, and the most concerning: To test the heat shield....which generally doesn't yield good results when it fails. 

The reentry is forecast to beat Apollo 10's record of reentry speed. That speed is right at escape velocity, which (if my ignorance is correct) will mean only one shot at reentry. Otherwise, a miss will mean a gravity assist from Earth, and the capsule will be flung out into space. 

The astronauts are in for the ride, and I have to admire their bravery/recklessness. Their are no mistakes with this mission, and all have terrible consequences. May God be with them.