Hijack This Thread

[MN-Skeptic]

Once I get off the interstate and into Minnesota or Iowa countryside, I’ll get quite a few bugs on my windshield. I’m going down to Iowa later this month and I know my windshield will be a mess when I get home - lots of corn and soybean fields down there.

I think it’s Hennepin County which sprays for insects in Minneapolis and its suburbs. They do a good job.

I’m always amazed at TV shows and movies which have people climbing in and out windows. Where are your screens!? I can’t speak for other areas of the country, but here in the Upper Midwest, every house has screens on their windows.

[AndyinPA]

Everywhere around here also has screens on the windows, too. It's only something I've paid particular attention to on longer car trips.

[pipistrelle]

Overuse of pesticides. Killing off birds too. And none too good for people.

My windows used to have screens, but they've blown off in storms.

[johnpcapitalist]

Has anybody noticed how many fewer insects there are while driving cars than there used to be" I can remember when I was younger when you had to clean them off a car on even a fairly short road trip. We drove about 300 miles on a road trip to Erie and back to Pittsburgh, and I noticed again, barely a bug to wipe or clean off.

I am sure that various scientists do bug population assessments. But the lack of bugs on the windshield may be a function of better aerodynamics for cars that have significantly improved gas mileage since we were kids.

[northland10]

Has anybody noticed how many fewer insects there are while driving cars than there used to be" I can remember when I was younger when you had to clean them off a car on even a fairly short road trip. We drove about 300 miles on a road trip to Erie and back to Pittsburgh, and I noticed again, barely a bug to wipe or clean off.

I am sure that various scientists do bug population assessments. But the lack of bugs on the windshield may be a function of better aerodynamics for cars that have significantly improved gas mileage since we were kids.

I can't make a judgement call on it. I have less bugs because I do far less driving since the lockdown.

[northland10]

And the carcasses can make the roads verrry slippery. Ask me how I know. (really no need as you can probably guess)

I've heard that mayflies on bridges can be just as bad. And your windshield is just a mess if you drive across a bridge during the mayflies short lived lives.

I remember Mayfly Day when I lived up north. I walked out on a lovely Saturday morning, and there were dead ones everywhere (ground, stairs, walls, windows), and I was told it was a slow year. On a good year, you could walk down Main Street and listen to the crunch.

On a cicada note, there are reports of increased mite bites, which they attributed to Brood XIII.

[bill_g]

Public Service Announcement:

If you collect cicadas and put them in a box with a lid, like a shoe box, and leave the lid on for a while, the odor that you smell when you lift the lid is quite like jet fuel.
Also, when you see your grandmother walking home from church, running up to show her your collection by opening the box 10" from her face will not be appreciated.

[neonzx]

Statue of John Lewis replaces Confederate monument

[Sam the Centipede]

I am sure that various scientists do bug population assessments. But the lack of bugs on the windshield may be a function of better aerodynamics for cars that have significantly improved gas mileage since we were kids.

In theory the aerodynamics could be an issue, but many people – me included – have had their cards for years and definitely don't get even a fraction of the insect mortality.

Also, in northern and western Europe, I don't hear the old bzzzzz of daytime high summer as random insects go about their business, not do I shoo away flies, wasps, etc. bothering me, nor open windows to let moths out of an evening.

My personal, anecdotal experience is certainly consistent with a major crash in insect populations, of all types.

It is profoundly disturbing.

[Estiveo]

I rarely hear crickets at night any more.

[Volkonski]

I write this from the porch as I listen to the evening bugs symphonies.

[RTH10260]

Public Service Announcement:

If you collect cicadas and put them in a box with a lid, like a shoe box, and leave the lid on for a while, the odor that you smell when you lift the lid is quite like jet fuel.
Also, when you see your grandmother walking home from church, running up to show her your collection by opening the box 10" from her face will not be appreciated.

the bugs use kerosene to fly

[Uninformed]

My personal, anecdotal experience is certainly consistent with a major crash in insect populations, of all types.

It is profoundly disturbing.

Agreed for southeast England.

[RTH10260]

Public Service Announcement:

If you collect cicadas and put them in a box with a lid, like a shoe box, and leave the lid on for a while, the odor that you smell when you lift the lid is quite like jet fuel.
Also, when you see your grandmother walking home from church, running up to show her your collection by opening the box 10" from her face will not be appreciated.

the bugs use kerosene to fly

[bill_g]

I'm listening to rain and thunder tonight. Might be a significant amount. Rare for August.

[RTH10260]

Scientist describes levels of plutonium near Los Alamos ‘alarmingly high'

by: Chandler Farnsworth
Posted: Aug 15, 2024 / 10:25 PM MDT Updated: Aug 17, 2024 / 12:56 PM MDT

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (KRQE) – New findings from a study aimed at researching how much plutonium is in the ground and water near Los Alamos National Laboratory, have the lead scientists concerned.

“I’m just trying to show New Mexicans what the truth is here,” said Dr. Michael Ketterer, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Northern Arizona University. Over the last few months, Dr. Ketterer has collected and analyzed plutonium levels from a trailhead at Acid Canyon in Los Alamos, NM.

“I see a lot of things to be concerned about here,” Dr. Ketterer said.

In his study, Dr. Ketterer says he found “alarmingly high results” of plutonium contamination. Though radiation levels are not high enough to hurt people walking the trail, advocates with Nuclear Watch New Mexico worry about what could happen if a fire broke out, warning that the smoke inhaled could lead to lung cancer.

“Were Acid Canyon to burn in a wildfire, and we know that threat is all too real, that could be dangerous in the form of respirable plutonium that is released to the air through wildfire,” said Jay Coghlan, Executive Director for Nuclear Watch New Mexico.

“We can’t really predict where it’s going to go and how bad it’s going to be,” added Dr. Ketterer about the possibility of a fire happening in the area.

The land that Dr. Ketterer researched used to belong to Los Alamos Laboratory. Now, the property is owned by the United States Department of Energy, meaning it’s their responsibility to address the issue. Several attempts were made to clean up the contamination, but advocates say it hasn’t been enough.

“We’re not having the comprehensive cleanup that is really needed,” said Coghlan.

However, the United States Department of Energy says contamination levels are up to safety standards. They added that they continue to collect and monitor sediment and water samples in the area. In a statement Thursday, the DOE said the information presented by Dr. Ketterer is consistent with the department’s data and confirms detected levels are safe.




https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/sc ... ngly-high/

[bill_g]

Mother Mary on a Bisquit. That's bad.

[neonzx]

How did that happen.

[bill_g]

It's those darn kids and their hippityhop.

[Estiveo]

Plutonium is the glitter of the Periodic Table.

[Foggy]

Plutonium doesn't grow on trees.

Plutonium is the chemical element after Uranium and Neptunium, from back in the day when Pluto was a planet (Uranus and Neptune are still planets). They got rid of Pluto, but it's a little harder to get rid of an entire chemical element. Or take it off the Periodic Table for misbehavior.

It was created in the heart of supermassive supernovas, or maybe by God. It's actually a valuable element, with those 94 little neutrons and stuff. It has a half life of 80.8 million years, so there's plenty of time to gather it up and do something nice with it. Some nice plants, a few throw pillows ...

[jcolvin2]

Plutonium is the glitter of the Periodic Table.

The stuff you can never quite completely clean up?

[Estiveo]

Plutonium is the glitter of the Periodic Table.

The stuff you can never quite completely clean up?

'zactly

[bill_g]

And it's all over everywhere already to one degree or another. I've visited Los Alamos and White Sands. And the deserts of Nevada and Utah. There are more immediate causes of death out there than long term exposure to Pu23x. But, the initial developement, and multiple subsequent above ground tests spread the love around with the help of wind and water. Good times.

[MsDaisy 2]

Our stove has died, talk about a pain in the ass! It was a duel fuel down draft drop in with an electric oven & gas cooktop and it’s built into the island counter and vented through the floor. My Mister and his handyman are in there now trying to get it out. We did find a new stove that is all gas but what a giant pain in the ass! AND they’re going to have to vent it through the kitchen ceiling and a tin roof.

I’m just not going to watch this… Luckily I do still have my jump bag from my days running on the rescue squad.