🚨 Should Maui have used sirens?

Happy Friday! It’s August 18 — people are talking about Maui’s emergency sirens, the alcohol alternative Hard Ketones, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

🚨 In the news: Should Maui have used sirens?

Maui County officials chose not to activate emergency sirens during the devastating Lahaina wildfires. Was that the right call?

🚨 CNN: Maui County authorities elected not to turn on their 400+ emergency sirens during the wildfires, causing backlash from survivors and observers.

🚨 Bloomberg says the county believes it was the right call — they're tsunami sirens, and they’re all on the coast. They would've sent people uphill, straight into the fires — and people in the mountains wouldn’t have heard them.

🚨 Hawaii News Now strongly disagrees — the sirens would've at least alerted residents that something was wrong, and definitely woken at least some people up. Plus, the county’s website calls them "all-hazard" sirens, not tsunami sirens.

🚨 NBC News also thinks the county made the wrong call. County officials have called them a "last resort" for years — this was clearly a "last resort" scenario.

🍹 Cultural trend: Hard Ketones vs. alcohol

Hard Ketones are an alcohol alternative rising in popularity. They’re carbonated beverages made from ketone esters. Are they worth trying?

🍹 Michael Kummer thinks Hard Ketones are the best: You get all the buzz of alcohol, with none of the killer hangover. And while normal booze is horrible for you, Hard Ketones are health-conscious — and still taste great.

🍹 Blogger Sean Meyer was blown away by the effects. You won't be hammered drunk, but you'll feel very relaxed and productive.

🍹 Ketone Aid agrees, saying they're definitely meant for relaxation — although some reviewers reported that they couldn’t feel the buzz.

🍹 But MedlinePlus urges caution. Too many ketones leads to ketoacidosis, which is life-threatening! Use an at-home test to determine your ketone level.

Quick hits

🏛 Police are investigating threats against the grand jurors in Trump's Georgia case after their personal information was shared online. (The Guardian)

🏡 The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 7.06% this week, the highest since April 2002. (CNN)

💊 A recent study found that NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are usually used for arthritis) make Plan B more effective. (Time)

⚽ Vlatko Andonovski resigned as head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team. The team exited the 2023 World Cup at the earliest stage ever. (NYT)

That’s it for today! Reply at [email protected] to let me know what you think of our newsletter, or to suggest a topic for next time.

Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We think it’s a better way to stay informed and see the big picture. Please reach out if you’re curious to learn more!

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)