Fire, now it's our turn. "Wildfire smoke billows into Seattle area..."

Unfortunately, I have to work and I have to shop tomorrow (because nobody else in this house will shop, I've learned the hard way - or, at least, they won't shop for anyone but themselves in any reliable way.) May take a second mask to wear under my work mask when I'm outdoors, maybe...

Well, we all knew it was only a matter of time. The deep state conspiracy theorists and QAnon folks, not to mention other garden variety right wing types are spreading rumors that Antifa is somehow behind the fires on the west coast. Now police and sheriffs departments are frantically begging people to stop calling in reports of antifa arsonists, when there is absolutely no evidence that any of the arsonists in custody have any connection to the group.

Of course one of their own rags, lawenforcementtoday (listed both as right leaning and not terribly meticulous with their fact checking by submit source), was quoting a police spokesperson in Oregon who was idly speculating about antifa connections with some of the arsonists apprehended (no evidence, of course), so police themselves can't be behind any of the rumors?

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/202...in-oregon-are-false-law-enforcement-says.html

I am some sort of masochist because I subscribe to Ben Garrison's email to see his absolutely insane cartoons (he's the guy who has to label everything in his political cartoons, including the people, because nothing is legible) and he did one today about California being on fire. Yeah, yeah, we didn't rake enough, I've heard it before. But in the text of the email he just goes OFF on how 1: ANTIFA set the fires in Oregon, because they want to literally burn down the country 2: the UN wants to force everyone to live in cities and become liberals so 2.a: they brought out the giant death lasers to set California on fire, AGAIN and 2.b: scam the federal government out of tax dollars. Also 3: Gov Newsom and Pelosi, who run California, are out to make Trump look worse than he actually is. The whole thing was so crazy I couldn't believe what I was reading.

The "the fires were caused by government lasers to destroy rural communities" isn't a thing I've heard since last year's fire season, and on NextDoor of all places (because of course). But last year it was to make way for the hypertrain. Don't know what the Liberal Agenda is for lasers this year. Also it's news to me that Pelosi runs California.

MaeZe said:

I've been watching all the cities in Oregon that are listed as having hazardous air and thinking how bad it's been in the Willamette Valley.

Then today's public service announcement says this:I don't know what they think I can do to prepare.

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Thank you for the head's up. The Weather Channel is now saying the same thing: bad air, stay inside. Who knows, this may help with COVID, keeping people off beaches and out of parks.
(Trying for optimism.)

ChaseJxyz said:

they brought out the giant death lasers to set California on fire, AGAIN and 2.b: scam the federal government out of tax dollars. Also 3: Gov Newsom and Pelosi, who run California, are out to make Trump look worse than he actually is. The whole thing was so crazy I couldn't believe what I was reading.

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Yep. I am always agog when people trot out the "deep state plot to make Trump look bad" thing. As if saying and doing idiotic things isn't the one thing Trump can manage just fine on his own.

The "the fires were caused by government lasers to destroy rural communities" isn't a thing I've heard since last year's fire season, and on NextDoor of all places (because of course). But last year it was to make way for the hypertrain. Don't know what the Liberal Agenda is for lasers this year. Also it's news to me that Pelosi runs California.

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Shhhh, she's got a hellmouth in her offices in SF that lets her teleport to a matching one in Newsome's office, so they can hatch diabolical plots to rob rural districts of their water (when she's not getting her hair cut to the outrage of right wingers who don't even live in CA). This drought? It's all her fault. Those windmills liberals like so much are blowing all the rain clouds away, see.

Somewhere, the dragons who are really behind the fires weep because nobody believes in them anymore, but they do believe in stuff even more fantastical...

We got sent home early today (Friday) because the library system shut down due to poor air quality. There's talk it may linger through the weekend. I cut my shopping trip short by one day, but I have dinner options for a while so we should be in decent shape, provided everyone keeps doors closed.

My library (the one I patronize) just closed its curbside service and book drops today, too, through Tuesday because of air quality. This is the first time I've ever seen them do that.

The air is orange, though not as orange as in Oregon.

Praying for rain.

@mrsmig, is Enumclaw requiring its teachers to work in the buildings? I've heard of a school district—not Enumclaw—in the red zone where teachers are required to work in the building and they've turned off the HVAC system in favor of recirculated air. To, y'know, keep the smoke out. But that ups the risk of COVID, so if that's her situation I'd recommend wearing a mask even when alone in the classroom.

It boggles my mind that school districts are requiring teachers to distance teach from the school. Our campus isn't allowing anyone to go in except a few essential staff, and even getting special permission to go in for 15 min to pick something up that you need to take home requires paperwork.

Why? I'm pretty sure they don't want to get sued if someone comes down with it and it's possibly traced to campus. I thought fear of lawsuits was what motivated everyone these days. I'd say they probably err too much in that direction here, but at least they're not forcing us to go in and get exposed.

Of course, in some states they are passing laws that shield employers from lawsuits, so they compensate by being completely reckless and unconcerned about their employees' safety.

Roxxsmom said:

It boggles my mind that school districts are requiring teachers to distance teach from the school. Our campus isn't allowing anyone to go in except a few essential staff, and even getting special permission to go in for 15 min to pick something up that you need to take home requires paperwork.

Why? I'm pretty sure they don't want to get sued if someone comes down with it and it's possibly traced to campus. I thought fear of lawsuits was what motivated everyone these days. I'd say they probably err too much in that direction here, but at least they're not forcing us to go in and get exposed.

Of course, in some states they are passing laws that shield employers from lawsuits, so they compensate by being completely reckless and unconcerned about their employees' safety.

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I've been told—unofficial hearsay, mind—it's all in levy & bond money. There's this suspicion that teachers are taking life easy and chillaxing at home, but a full parking lot = productive teachers.

To which I say, if it weren't a pandemic, if my car was in the parking lot, too much of my day would be spent having off-topic conversations with my colleagues. (Since it is a pandemic, I'd be tucked against the open window of my classroom, masked and bundled up, with a cat spray bottle to keep colleagues six feet back.) At home I've put in better quality, more concentrated work than I ever do at school. (Speaking specifically of asynchronous non-kid-contact work.)

Back on topic: I looked up the state AQI this morning. Seattle is Very Unhealthy. My area is Very Unhealthy. Vancouver (WA) broke the scale. Good Lord.

This is something to watch out for. The fires here in Australia last summer had substantial effects on babies in utero.

This is a segment on ABC radio today. It's 5 mins long and is (probably) not geoblocked:
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/worldtoday/bushfire-smoke-poses-risk-to-pregnancies/12665412

Pregnant women living in bushfire areas are being urged to protect themselves and their unborn babies from smoke, as the fire season returns.
Doctors in the worst-affected areas say they're horrified by the effects of the smoke from last summer's catastrophic conditions.

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All those people laughing and scoffing as their neighbors burn... they're going to be choking on the smoke soon enough. Because the world doesn't stop at arbitrarily-drawn human borders.

They'll deny it. They'll blame someone or something else. And they will not learn from it, that what happens to others affects them. But they will choke on it.

I has hit us across the border.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/world/americas/wildfires-canada-smoke.html

Vancouver is announcing an air-quality warning from the fires. It's still nothing compared to the more local places.

I hope you guys are taking every precaution. Prep a GTFO bag, clothes, water, chargers, wind-up radio, food etc. It'd be pretty much the same kit for a hurricane if you want to look up a list.

TulipMama said:

I has hit us across the border.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/world/americas/wildfires-canada-smoke.html

Vancouver is announcing an air-quality warning from the fires. It's still nothing compared to the more local places.

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Still - be careful of it. See Helix's post #37.

regdog said:

The haze has reached Massachusetts

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Here in Upstate NY too.

Not specifically about the fires in Washington State, but one here in CA was started by a gender reveal incendiary. Evidently these are popular now. I don't quite get the point of revealing a child's biological or chromosomal sex (not the same thing as gender, which you won't know for absolute sure until the child indicates what they consider themselves to be) to everyone who doesn't ask prior to their birth, but it's certainly idiotic to do it via smoke bombs when you're living in a powder keg.

Anyway, a firefighter has now died in this fire, so the folks who started it will be on the hook for more than just financial losses.

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/18/9143...ornia-wildfire-sparked-by-gender-reveal-party

Roxxsmom said:

Not specifically about the fires in Washington State, but one here in CA was started by a gender reveal incendiary. Evidently these are popular now. I don't quite get the point of revealing a child's biological or chromosomal sex (not the same thing as gender, which you won't know for absolute sure until the child indicates what they consider themselves to be) to everyone who doesn't ask prior to their birth, but it's certainly idiotic to do it via smoke bombs when you're living in a powder keg.

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Gender reveal parties seem to be more about parents bragging/showing off with a big extravaganza than the traditional, more practical baby shower. They seem to have become the latest status symbol, the bigger and more ostentatious (and YouTubeable) the better, consequences be danged. There have been injuries and deaths associated with them before, IIRC. I'd hope that this fiasco would end the trend once and for all, but sadly I expect those parents just raised the bar for a certain subset of people...

Brightdreamer said:

Gender reveal parties seem to be more about parents bragging/showing off with a big extravaganza than the traditional, more practical baby shower. They seem to have become the latest status symbol, the bigger and more ostentatious (and YouTubeable) the better, consequences be danged. There have been injuries and deaths associated with them before, IIRC. I'd hope that this fiasco would end the trend once and for all, but sadly I expect those parents just raised the bar for a certain subset of people...

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What gets me is they could have just released pigeons of different colors (not dyed--that would be cruel--maybe gray for a boy and white for a girl) or had someone dressed in a pink or blue costume burst out of a cake. Why would people choose the stupidest, most dangerous, and illegal option?

There are days when I wonder if our species should go extinct given how badly we've screwed up this beautiful planet and how stupid and nasty so many of us seem to be. But then I remember that means me too, and all the decent, caring, and simply innocent people. Including, God help them, the baby that will be born to this couple.

Roxxsmom said:

What gets me is they could have just released pigeons of different colors (not dyed--that would be cruel--maybe gray for a boy and white for a girl) or had someone dressed in a pink or blue costume burst out of a cake. Why would people choose the stupidest, most dangerous, and illegal option?

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Unfortunately the white doves are usually munched on by hawks since they're so visible. A lot of doves released for weddings or other things can't find their way home (they're not bred for it like homing/messenger pigeons) or die. That's why your local park has pigeons in different colors or feather types.

My sister's last job was designing fireworks shows so we talk a lot about gender reveal explosions. There was the gender reveal pipe bomb which sure is something. Don't screw around with fireworks. Hire someone who's job is to screw around with fireworks and no one will get hurt. The woman who "invented" gender reveal parties has now said that assigning gender at birth isn't a good thing. Don't let the pink and blue confetti industry twist your arm into gender reveal parties.

ChaseJxyz said:

Unfortunately the white doves are usually munched on by hawks since they're so visible. A lot of doves released for weddings or other things can't find their way home (they're not bred for it like homing/messenger pigeons) or die. That's why your local park has pigeons in different colors or feather types.

My sister's last job was designing fireworks shows so we talk a lot about gender reveal explosions. There was the gender reveal pipe bomb which sure is something. Don't screw around with fireworks. Hire someone who's job is to screw around with fireworks and no one will get hurt. The woman who "invented" gender reveal parties has now said that assigning gender at birth isn't a good thing. Don't let the pink and blue confetti industry twist your arm into gender reveal parties.

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Yes, it's probably a cruel idea to use birds this way, unless they are trained, domesticated homing pigeons or something.

I'm not a fan of gender reveal parties, but given that this obsession with babies' 23rd pair of chromosomes and external genitalia as the the single most important/defining quality they have isn't likely to go away soon, I think people could be more creative and come up with ways of getting the news out if it's important to them. Not breaking the law is nice too. There's a reason we don't allow private fireworks and incendiaries to be set off by untrained people in many parts of this arid state.

At the very least, couldn't they do their incendiaries in lush, landscaped parks that aren't near dry grass of vegetation? I realize that even smart people make dumb mistakes sometimes, and no one can know everything, but some things are pretty much common knowledge.

'Tis the Instagram generation.
People should keep in mind when they spend time and money setting up an 'event' to post to their social media: Very few people care all that much. Really.
Knowing the sex of your baby is of interest only to your nearest and dearest. And even then, aside from the die-hard shoppers, most people can wait. It gives them a question to ask about the newborn, aside from it's weight.

I was raised in an older time, when you couldn't find out the gender beforehand. (Yeah, the dark ages. )
There were a lot of women who wouldn't even mention their top name choices because it was 'bad luck'. Some sort of 'evil eye' effect, that the more you thought you knew what was coming, the likelier it was for your hopes to be dashed. And with an unborn baby, why chance your luck?
Better to chant that mantra "We'll be happy with whatever we get", or indeed, "As long as it's healthy".

frimble3 said:

'Tis the Instagram generation.
People should keep in mind when they spend time and money setting up an 'event' to post to their social media: Very few people care all that much. Really.
Knowing the sex of your baby is of interest only to your nearest and dearest. And even then, aside from the die-hard shoppers, most people can wait. It gives them a question to ask about the newborn, aside from it's weight.

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And shoppers like me, who always shoot for baby gifts that are gender neutral anyway (which is harder than it once was, with almost everything coming in pink or blue versions nowadays). Because I figure the kid will be inundated with social messages about appropriate girl and boy tastes and behavior already. I don't need to add to that.