Scientific name:  Mycteria americana Photo: © 2004 Jeff Berger The only stork found in North America is an endangered bird and one of my favorites.  When walking or wading, they skulk around appearing serious and grim; I call them graveyard birds.  When airborn, the wood stork is a truly magnificent flier - soaring from thermal to thermal on outstretched wings spanning five to six feet across.  The nicknames “Flinthead” and “Ironhead” describe the slate-grey skin covering the neck and head. Wood storks are especially susceptable to natural and man-made events.   Storms and cold spells may lead to nest desertion. Racoons may predate eggs and fledglings.  Major threats to long-term survival include loss of wetlands due to development and disruptive water management practices that alter their reproductive cycle. Like other native birds, the wood stork depends upon gators to protect the breeding colony from tree-climbing predators.

Rapper Macklemore is releasing a track called “Hind’s Hall”, speaking out on the genocide of Palestinians, and the United States complacency in this ongoing violence. Macklemore has stated that once the track drops on streaming, all proceeds from streams will be going directly to UNRWA— the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East.

The new tracks namesake Hind’s Hall echoes the honours that Columbia University encampment protestors bestowed the Morningside Heights campus’ Hamilton Hall— in memory of Hind Rajab, the 6 year old Palestinian girl in Gaza who was shot by Israeli soldiers after being trapped inside a vehicle, with her dead family. She had begged to be rescued as tanks closed in on her.

Macklemore using his platform to vehemently speak out against genocide, the Israeli occupation and United States-led violence is what every single artist should be doing right now. The power of art should not be underestimated. Macklemore started out in the Hip-Hop scene within communist circles, namely working alongside Blue Scholars, and has never neglected his Leftism through out his career: the artist has spoken on issues regarding mental health, addiction, racial profiling and police violence, Capitalism, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and toxicity of American culture.

“The Nakba never ended, the colonizer lied” Hind’s Hall, Macklemore, 2024

The fucking "tipping going away" post (a mild shame, but whatever) being like "if you want to show them support maybe you should give money to us instead buy them a badge" is so...

Besides like, ko-fi exists, and Americans (one of like 5 countries who had tipping in the first place) have about 7000 barely regulated money exchange apps they can use instead anyway. People are going to do that. To support people. Not

I once sent a Tip to a friend, like 3 years ago, and I still think they didn't actually receive it

Unironically how I reacted to Minnesota. Sky too big.

Florida did that to me, it was too flat.

-Parents: * move us to a place where you're a 30 minute drive from your closest friend.*

-Parents: *bitch every single time they have to drive you somewhere, or when you pull back and fail to socialize with your peers ENOUGH.*

-Parents: *Threaten to send you to 1 of 7 churches in the town limits when you point out "why" because it sounds disrespectful.

-Parents: ...*proceed to also shame you when you point out you aren't christian anymore either*

20 YEARS LATER

-Parents: *Magically suprised why you're depressed/don't speak up for yourself and won't confide in them anymore*

THE END

I mean tornadoes also just seem to loom until its too late (btw always have a plan)

That and blizzards, dust storms, and all manner of chaos

Shit's gonna hit the fan in the american plains today

"Possibly The Worst storm of 2024"

If you live in Oklahoma, Kansas, Southern Nebraska or eastern Missouri, you Need to be aware of the weather. Have multiple ways to receive severe weather alerts, and have a tornado action plan.

Damn, I can't even find anything on the news app I've been using for weather apps. This is the worst tornado season for Kansas I've seen since the 90s. Multiple EF 3-4 this year in Kansas alone.

An area of high risk, 5/5 has been issued for central Oklahoma and south central Kansas. If you live in these areas, you NEED to have a tornado safety plan, take action now to prepare that. Secure outdoor property, and keep vehicles in a garage if possible. It is Critically important to keep aware of current conditions!!!

The zones I mentioned earlier are still at a moderate or enhanced risk of severe weather, including high winds, tornadoes, and hail.

For sources, I got you!!!

The national weather service at weather.gov will have a hazardous weather outlook for your specific area. Simply search for your city or zip code, and at the top of the page there will be a link that reads "hazardous weather outlook."

I use the national weather service's prediction center to assess the threats:

These charts will show you the areas most likely to receive severe weather threats. Anything that is rated at enhanced, moderate, or high is reasonably likely to have a tornado threat. I will say, however, that this information is mostly the first place to start. It shows you the general areas at risk for the day.

Here's my new favorite source for information:

Max Velocity on YouTube. He goes through the prediction center's graphics in excellent detail. He is as intense as the situation calls for.

This is his most recent forecast for May 6 extreme weather. He diligently goes through the threats for each area.

Another thing that I do during severe weather days, is keep a radar app open. It can be on your phone, or keeping an accuweather/weather channel/whoever radar map open. Check it regularly.

If you're interested in learning more about reading & interpreting radar for yourself, this video is an excellent guide.

Please tell your friends and family to stay alert to the weather and have a plan for the severe weather expected today.

The threat could begin in the early afternoon, and will remain present through the evening and into the night.

@mamoru @rai-knightshade here we go again

sturdy shoes! helmet also! FOUR INCH HAIL!!!

The US literally invented the playbook by invading Iraq 2 decades ago and keeping it under occupation for nearly a decade after that (and it still is under occupation really, what with US troops still strewn throughout the country)—and we still have people thinking that their every pro-Israeli move isn’t made with the very intention of killing Arabs, as they historically have in the past. Get serious.

What’s even more is I’ve had to watch historians and politicians and US soldiers show their saccharine remorse by stating that the Iraqi war was “a colossal mistake” “a massive military blunder” “we should’ve never gone there.” 1 million Iraqis were killed—and that’s just out of what’s confirmed. The numbers of those forced to flee their homes go as high as 3 million. My mom was one of the Iraqis who had to make the hard decision of leaving her country because she didn’t want us raised in an unsafe environment. And all it is is a “blunder.” Just a military blunder. Iraq has literally been ruined and it’s a blunder.

This will be how Palestine gets covered like a decade from now btw. Millions dead and/or displaced, and it’s watered down to a “military blunder” that “should have never happened.” It’s not like that kind of coverage has stopped the US from continuously leeching off Iraq to this very day anyway. Now there are Arabs like me who never got to live and grow up in their home country, and I’m already getting misgivings from my family about visiting again because of the “unstable state in the Middle East.” We can never enjoy our culture in peace. It literally never ends.

Please reblog and contribute if you're able to!

if you live in the range of the tornadoes tonight, take pictures of your valuables and document everything you can, as specifically as you can. take pictures of every corner of where you live if you can, including pictures of the outside. if there is something expensive that you have documentation for, take pictures of the documentation and try to keep the documentation somewhere safe. walk through video might also be helpful. this is so you can make better insurance claims later.

it is predicted to get BAD tonight.

for example, when documenting things, you do not want to say you have a pen. that gets you a shitty ballpoint worth a few cents. you do not want to say you have a fancy pen. that means nothing. you want to be as specific as possible.

you want to say you have a pelikan souveran m1000 raden white ray fountain pen with an 18k gold BBB nib. that way you get an actual equivalent replacement.

figure out the exact specs of your computer, television, phone, other devices, and make note of them. you do not have just a TV. you have a 60 inch OLED Samsung with 120hz refresh rate, or whatever it is. take pictures of registration numbers and model numbers if you can.

Also, have sturdy shoes (at th very least!) ready to grab.

received a new friend to aid me and my suffering

if you were curious about his species, he's a this thing

If you wanted to know more about what that thing is, it’s a dragon from a 1270 bestiary!

Alia Bhatt's pastel sari is STUNNING this is SO BEAUTIFUL!

if you live in the range of the tornadoes tonight, take pictures of your valuables and document everything you can, as specifically as you can. take pictures of every corner of where you live if you can, including pictures of the outside. if there is something expensive that you have documentation for, take pictures of the documentation and try to keep the documentation somewhere safe. walk through video might also be helpful. this is so you can make better insurance claims later.

it is predicted to get BAD tonight.

You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me

Leaflets (read: death threats) were dropped on the eastern side of Rafah by Israeli warplanes just a few hours ago, in translation they read:

"Urgent Warning

To the residents and the displaced in Alshwka municipality, Salam neighbourhoods, Aljunaynah, Alboyok, block numbers:

10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28, 270

The Israeli Defence Forces will be working intensely against terrorist organisations in your areas, as they have been until now.

Whoever is near the terrorist organisations puts their life and their family members' lives in danger.

For your safety, the Israeli Defence Forces urges you to evacuate immediately to the designated humanitarian area in Almawasi. Gaza city is still an area of intense fighting, do not return back to the North.

Do not come close to the eastern or southern security fence.

Israeli Defence Forces"

Since this morning, the eastern side of Rafah has seen an increasing number of intense Israeli airstrikes, including in areas where displaced Palestinians set up tents.

Quick reminder that there is absolutely no place to go in Rafah. Rafah is one of the most densely populated areas in the world right now. This is basically an extermination notice handed out to 1.4 million Palestinians (almost half of Gaza's population) who are displaced and have been crammed into the southern most part of Gaza, as Israel has been systematically pushing them this way for over 6 months now. And we don't have to even talk about the lie that is the "humanitarian routes", especially considering Israel's specific targeting of said routes throughout this aggression.

Important to note that this evacuation order covers the area where the Rafah crossing is, where aid is supposedly meant to enter the strip. Additionally, it includes the area where the only remaining functioning hospital in Rafah is. It does not get anymore obviously genocidal than this.

Every journalist from Rafah reports how people have nowhere to go and have decided to watch what happens next exactly because they are trapped. So needless to say, this is going to be catastrophic at every level imaginable.

[Picture captured from Hind Khoudary's instagram story]