Normally, I use this blog to discuss psychological research on topics related to our social and cultural lives. However, today I am using this outlet to focus on something more personal. As most people likely know, the city of Joplin, Missouri recently experienced one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history. At least 125 people were killed, hundreds were injured, and many more are presumed missing. In addition, thousands of buildings and homes were destroyed when this storm cut across a densely populated section of the city. Many of the schools (including the only high school) and one of the two hospitals were essentially destroyed. Though the city may seem small to many as the population is only around 50,000 people, it is important to note that this little city is the economic hub of the region. In fact, the daytime population of Joplin swells to over 200,000 people as thousands of individuals from the area commute to Joplin for work and many people go there to shop and receive medical services. This city really is the lifeblood of a much larger area. This is a horrible disaster that will take the community years to recover from. And this is a very personal story for me because Joplin is my hometown. From kindergarten through college, I lived in Joplin and much of my immediate and extended family still lives there. Therefore, I am writing this post to ask readers to consider making a donation to support Joplin relief and recovery efforts. I promise to soon get back to writing my regular posts. But if you are a regular reader of my blog, or even if this is your first time looking at it, I ask you to consider making a donation to this severely damaged community.