Dr. David Kessler, former White House Chief Science Officer, gave a sober warning about the HHS firings. He says we only have about a week to undo this, before the damage is permanent.
As happy and relieved as I am about the Wisconsin Supreme Court election result, and truly I am, I am also discouraged that voters still don't understand that Voter ID laws are always disingenuous, created to enact voter suppression. We already go through a dog and pony show in order to vote. You don't need to enshrine that into your state Constitution. It only causes harm and disenfranchises the most vulnerable.
@TheJen I'm so sorry. You prompted me to look up our air quality index which is an unhealthy 55 right now. Mostly PM2.5 pollution, but also tree pollen is very high.
@BeAware interesting. I suppose they could be silent, though that seems difficult for anyone like that. I chose greed, because it solves the most problems, but abuse is a close second. I've seen the destruction it has wrought.
We don't have a basement or a tornado shelter, so we just go to the most interior windowless room, which is the little half bath. Since there is a tornado outbreak ongoing in the South, I checked the room to make sure everything is in there: blankets, sturdy boots, water. J added a weather radio, so she is taking this seriously. Might even put some motorcycle helmets in there.
In 2022, when the last terrible tornado hit anywhere near us, it hit in the middle of the night (as they usually do, here) and we were so sleepy, we ignored the Tornado Warning alert on our phones. It hit 18 miles away, as an EF4 tornado. That's the second highest designation a tornado can be. Our friends lost their home and they were so traumatized, they moved to another state. I am terrified of losing warnings via National Weather Service.
What I'm trying to say with all this is that there is no safe place anymore. Floods in Germany, and alternating dry riverbeds and floods in France, the fires in Australia, South Africa, California, Brazil, Canada, Greece, and Spain (which also has had floods), Hell, even the top of a high mountain is not safe during a freaking hurricane.
So, you will need to have more than one plan, as well as a predetermined place to meet in case you get separated.
I'm watching an older animated feature, and Alaska is described as "Russian America." This intrigued me, especially since my dad was a cartographer for the Air Force, stationed at Alaska, before it was a U.S. State.
Went by my local independent grocery store and discovered my new favorite thing: El Milagro crunchy tortilla chips. Makes the best nachos ever! I'm never buying any other brand again. In the U.S. you can probably find them at Walmart or Food Depot.