There's a couple of moths who have been hanging out on my patio screen for the past few days. I was struck this morning by what seems to me to be the remarkable similarity between the moth silhouette and the shape of the B2 stealth bomber. I don't know, maybe you don't see it. But it is known that some moths are able to evade bat sonar (for real, look it up!). So is it possible that the military noticed that and copied moth 'technology'? Or is it a case where the military came up with the shape completely independently? Or is it just coincidence and has nothing to do with being stealthy at all? Or is it just my imagination?

Have a look at tell me what you think...

(the picture of the moths is mine, the B2 I downloaded from the web, just to be clear.)

Another trip comes to an end. and with the exception of a 3 hour delay due to mechanical problems, the return home was uneventful.

To answer the question that appeared in the comments section, there has been in the past manufacturing in Haiti, with clothes being one of the major products. There was a sporting goods company that made baseballs in Haiti but they pulled out in the early 90's due to political instability. There is also a free trade zone (or maybe more than one) where foreign companies are being encouraged to open for business, but I am not sure who is there or what they are manufacturing. Also in the neighbouring DR, a significant amount of the labour in the farm, construction and hotel industry is Haitian. Not a very complete answer sorry, but yes there is manufacturing on a limited scale, and potential for more.

So here's another travel tip which I don't think I've mentioned before:

When flushing with a bucket, be sure not to stand in the same plane as the direction of the bucket pour itself.

This is one of the results of the study, a map drawn by community members indicating the rivers, roads, various communities, forested and deforested areas, schools, clinics, and churches. There's a lot of info here that really wouldn't be available anywhere else, and is also surprisingly geographically accurate.

I spent some time trying to capture motorcycle images going by in front of my house. There was one that went by with 4 people, and I even saw one with 5 (two babies), but unfortunately couldn't get those on film. Here are the best of the ones on got:

For some reason I was dreaming very vividly last night. Pretty much as soon as my head hit the pillow and I drifted off. But probably one of the strangest things was not even a dream. My landlady--who is a retired restaurant owner, and who has been renting me a room and providing my meals for the past 2 weeks--arrived home late and discovered that there were leftovers from my dinner. So she calls out to me from the kitchen--keep in mind that I am in my room, dreaming vividly and that she is speaking rapidly in Spanish--

"Hey Bob, do you want to save these leftovers for tomorrow, or can I give them to someone else?" Being only half awake, I wasn't entirely understanding, so I replied,

"I had plenty to eat thanks."

So then she says,

"I asked you, do you want to save these leftovers or can I give them away?"

Still not entirely sure I was understanding (either words or the situation), I said,

"Thanks, I had enough to eat."

I hear her sigh, and mutter to herself, "he doesn't understand"

Then I hear her shuffle out of the kitchen into the backyard, out onto the street and shout,

"Hey, Haitian, come here!"

I don't know if she was just calling any random Haitian hanging out, of which there are often several, or if she was calling someone she knows (she knows a lot of people), but regardless, about a minute later she and some Haitian guy I have never seen approach my door and she repeats her question in Spanish and the Haitian asks me in Creole if I want to keep the leftovers or not. I say, no in Creole, he says no to my landlady in Spanish. She smiles, the Haitian wishes me a good night, then they both leave, and I close my bedroom door and go back to vivid dreaming, now confused as to when I am dreaming and when I am awake.