Sphinx: You there, knight. I am the guardian of this place and cannot allow you to pass without a battle.

Me: My name is Ender, Sir Ender to you. And I’m a bit weary from my long journey here, would you accept a pun battle?

Sphinx: Aye, Sir Ender.

Me: Thank you, please move aside

The EEA shows up in the list of places it does not apply. They worded it strangely, first calling out the US as a place where it does apply. Then they change it up and say it also applies to anywhere not on this specific list of places

Depends on the location and timing. For a lot of the northeast part of the path, the eclipse is going to happen right after school lets out. Most of the students would still be on their way home

The national guard is part of the military, so funded and supported by the feds. Unlike normal army units though, each state or territory has its own national guard unit under the command of the governor. The intention is to give each state the power to quickly respond to emergency situations without needing federal approval. They’re the successors to the old state militias, but have much stronger federal ties now.

Big Strong City, on their homeworld Pakled Planet

Not sure where this was taken, but I know a lot of the old buildings in the Netherlands were built with a slight intentional lean toward the street. It’s possible the buildings are actually leaning

Not even close. Any spot on the Maine coast should be within an 8 hour drive. The populated areas should only be a couple hours. Florida is like 30 hours of straight driving from Vermont