Burning, electrical, feathery doom
Fire at The Pines in Topeka. Of particular note to former residents on my f-list.
One of the houses in Manhattan that the tornado last week missed got hit by lightning this morning. I'd quote some of the story, but The Associated Press is being idiotic about bloggers and quotes, so I'll just paraphrase.
Speaking of, here's a list of everything in town seriously damaged, destroyed or otherwise annihilated. I've yet to see a media report about a reported suicide in town by a resident of one of those homes, but that could well be because of media policies regarding suicide. There's no consensus on the topic, and typically smaller publications err on the side of omission rather than deepening the wounds of survivors. In many cases you can make a compelling argument that proper publicity and context can redeem suicide coverage, and the framework of last week's storm and its catastrophic effect similarly make covering the act warranted. It's a vivid and painfully brutal example of the psychological damage that still lingers invisibly after the clouds have parted and cleanup begins, a reminder that your typical Midwestern stoicism isn't invulnerable or necessarily even workable.
Also, think twice before you shop PetSmart. Especially for a cockatiel.
One of the houses in Manhattan that the tornado last week missed got hit by lightning this morning. I'd quote some of the story, but The Associated Press is being idiotic about bloggers and quotes, so I'll just paraphrase.
Speaking of, here's a list of everything in town seriously damaged, destroyed or otherwise annihilated. I've yet to see a media report about a reported suicide in town by a resident of one of those homes, but that could well be because of media policies regarding suicide. There's no consensus on the topic, and typically smaller publications err on the side of omission rather than deepening the wounds of survivors. In many cases you can make a compelling argument that proper publicity and context can redeem suicide coverage, and the framework of last week's storm and its catastrophic effect similarly make covering the act warranted. It's a vivid and painfully brutal example of the psychological damage that still lingers invisibly after the clouds have parted and cleanup begins, a reminder that your typical Midwestern stoicism isn't invulnerable or necessarily even workable.
Also, think twice before you shop PetSmart. Especially for a cockatiel.