5 Things: Planets, Ticks, Sunscreen, Bats and Lilacs

1. Lyme Disease Documentary on PBS: It's not a new documentary, but it was new to me, and it's timely. I watched it Saturday night on PBS, reinforcing my personal awareness of Lyme Disease and the proliferation of ticks out there right now. It's called "Under Our Skin," is worth watching, if you haven't seen it yet. It left me somewhere between worried and outraged. According to Veterinary Practice News, tick populations are expected to "explode" this year for a number of reasons, including warmer winters, more white tail deer and less pesticide use. You'll find uploaded here a lengthy fact sheet on NH ticks, which also makes mention of a preventative clothing, Bug Baffler, which might be worthwhile for outdoorsy families who don't want to wear turtleneck sweaters and khakis all summer long. I. Hate. Ticks.

2. Holy Triple Planetary Conjunction, Batman! On May 26 around sunset Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will gather in the fading twilight to form a bright triangle only three degrees wide, according to NASA. Triple conjunctions of planets are fairly rare.  The last time it happened was in May 2011, and it won't happen again until October 2015. This triple is especially good because it involves the three brightest planets in May's night sky: #1, Venus; #2, Jupiter; and #3, Mercury.  The triangle will be visible even in places with heavy urban light pollution. The best time to look is about 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. The three planets will be hugging the horizon, so a clear view of the western sky is essential.

3. Lilac Luncheon: NH Federation of Republican Women are hosting an annual fund raising luncheon today, this year featuring guest speaker Star Parker, of CURE. Starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza. You can find out about tickets here.

4. New Sunscreen Labeling: No longer will your sunscreen promise to be waterproof or sweat proof. But new Food and Drug Administration label rules, which go into effect this year, offer more guidance for consumers trying to avoid sunburns.  The most important change is a new reference to “broad spectrum protection,” which means the product you’re buying protects against all harmful ultraviolet rays. You can get up to speed here.

5. Going Batty: Our friend Jim Vayo, from Renaissance Downtown, posted something interesting to his Facebook page on Saturday. I'm sharing it here to see if anyone else has witnesses this phenomenon. [I'm sure he won't mind, right Jim?]: 

"I was out for a motorcycle ride today when I stopped at the set of lights in front of City Hall. I looked up at the tower on city hall and there were hundreds of bats circling the building... It was a wild sight to behold."