Some thoughts from our great President, Ronald Reagan, to celebrate the day. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of these United States are covenants we have made not only with ourselves, but with all mankind. Our founding documents proclaim to the world that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few. It is the universal right of all God's children. The freedom of thought and action we Americans enjoy today seems as natural as the air we breathe. But there is a danger we may take this freedom for granted. We must never forget it was bought for us at a great price. The brave and resourceful Americans whose sacrifices gained our Independence and preserved it for more than 200 years against formidable foes have set an example of unflinching loyalty to the ideal of liberty and justice for all. Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed o...

3 people died on Lake Geneva, WI  when their boat overturned in high winds. Seven were rescued. This occurred even though there were tornado then high wind warnings. From my blog earlier today, note the upper warning specifically mentions Lake Geneva: When outdoors, these warnings should be taken seriously. Here's a vital bit of information: If you see clouds like this, known as a "shelf cloud," high winds -- perhaps extreme winds, are likely. Last month, I took this photo of a shelf cloud. A wind gust of 81 mph was clocked as it went by. Regardless of whether it is a tornado/severe thunderstorm warning or a shelf cloud, stop what you are doing and head for shore immediately! A time-lapse video , from earlier today, shows a shelf cloud moving overhead. At the very end, you can see the visibility drop as sand is blown from the beach.  Lightning Danger And, this tragic news just in.... In addition, three were injured by that lightning bolt. If thunder roars, go indoors!  o...

Using the images from two weather satellites, the federal government has created a brand new photo of America as seen from space. 

This past weekend CBS Sunday Morning  unveiled its selection of 250 songs representing America. They call it "The Essential American Songbook" and it can be found here .  I have a few comments. First, their list of "American music experts" {Hillary Clinton?!} left something to be desired: it was narrow and the East Coast was overrepresented. Second, a number of songs (three [!] versions of New York, New York)  and artists (Bob Dylan) are over-represented.  Here are some songs I believe should have been included, in no order. I believe I have all of the original artists. You may play them at the colored links.  16 Tons ,  Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas Song , Nat King Cole Theme From 'Hawaii 5-0' , Mort Stevens and His Orchestra  Can't Take My Eyes Off You , Frankie Valli (note: there are other "love songs" on the CBS list) Freight Train ,  Elizabeth Cotton Street Life , Randy Crawford We've Only Just Begun , Carpenters Hound Dog , Elvis Pre...

The area in red has an enhanced  risk of damaging winds. The area in yellow has a significant risk. The hatching means winds could gust to 75 mph or stronger. Power outages are possible.  Winds of 60 mph or stronger (no hatching) are expected with thunderstorms in the Mid-South. Red = enhanced risk. Yellow = significant risk. For the third day in a row, damaging thunderstorm winds are forecast for the High Plains of western Kansas. 

The area in brown has a significant risk of tornadoes as the day progresses. The hatched area is where the tornadoes could be strong.  The red area has an enhanced  risk of thunderstorm-driven wind gusts of 75 mph or stronger. Power outages are possible. There is also the possibility that uprooted trees could block streets. The yellow, hatched area is where there is a significant risk of wind gusts of 75 mph or strong. The plain yellow area has a significant risk of wind gusts of 60 mph or stronger.  There is also a damaging wind risk in western Kansas where 70+ mph gusts occurred yesterday.