I picked a bad weekend to visit my buddy at UCSD. I flew in last Friday afternoon, and was supposed to fly out yesterday afternoon. I didn't get to fly out until today. The place is pretty bad. It was weird, waking up Sunday morning with the the sunlight coming through orange. It was just really weird. Saturday, I was walking on the beach with my cousin. Beautiful day. Peaceful, sunny, pretty girls. Sunday morning the eery orange glow, everything covered in ash, the air tasting like barbeque squared, being able to look directly at the sun and see something more like a muted traffic light. Really weird. It was a lot more visible to me what was going on.
Appologies for getting to this so late...I was assisting my niece with her report on Tornado Alley in the Central Plains area. By the way, we noticed that Norman, Oklahoma just happens to be in one of the most tornado prone areas of North America. No matter where people live, we are in areas prone to natural and man-made disasters. Gulf and Atlantic Coasts are prone to hurricanes and coastal flooding. Central Plains are prone to tornados and thunder storms. Western US to earthquakes and fires. We can go on, and on. The reason why we buy property in areas prone to natural and man-made disasters is because they are our homes. If we were all to stop rebuilding where we own, we would become afraid of our own shadows. If were were all to stop watching soccer because of the hooligans in Europe...
hmm...goodsport and alexi, two religious freaks contradicting each other. what has the world come to!?!
Originally posted by Alexi Make sure to get your driver license ASAP, because Arnold will revoke it quite soon.
A NEWBIE puts Mike Segroves in his place with a fantastic post. Way to go JM! cl_hanley, thanks for the "ignore" hint. I think your premium membership might be up, mine is working perfectly. Best of luck to our fellow Californians in the Southland. Our hearts are with you.
If someone threw flaming objects in your backyard, I'm sure your home would burn down too. We already knew you were an *#*#*#*#*#*#*#, but maybe you should educate yourself before you make statements like this so you don't look like an idiot on top of it all.
This is not a California problem - it is a problem throughout the west. Its still a big, big problem, though. I could go on and on about the folks who build homes out in and near National Forests and Parks and then need super expensive fire prevention efforts (read: Gummint Welfare) to bail out their sorry asses. Its the same as the property rights nuts who build out on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Whose homes get washed out to sea time and again, only to demand the gummint save them again - at huge expense to everyone else. As for tornados and earthquakes, there are building designs that substantially increase your chances of surviving intact. These types of events affect such large areas, its really hard to say we shouldn't build in Cali or Okie. Well, we could talk about the return of the dust bowl, the draining of the Olagalla (sp?) aquifer and the return of the Buffalo Commons. Aw, *#*#*#*# that.
fires You SoCalers got my sympathies--last year in Colorado we had some major fires, but not as bad as you people are going through. Do they have any idea how they got started? I heard some were set by arsonists. Segroves----much of the West has conditions not unlike southern California. I know the Denver area is dry as a bone, and combined with summer heat, we always get fires. But what can you do, one of those risks of life, no different than living in areas hurricane prone, flood prone, etc... it's certainly not the residents fault for living in a dry climate, which is a stupid thing to imply.
Considering that Okies first turned their own state into a Dust Bowl, then moved out to California in droves, perhaps it's now their grandchildren here that are responsible. It's a bogus argument, though. Do people want a home on the side of a cliff? Perhaps, but at this point in California, most people simply want a home. There's a housing crunch in the state. An economy as big as ours is bound to attract people looking for jobs, and they need someplace to live. Rancho Cucamonga, Devore and Crestline are not luxury homes for people who love the view. They are communities of people willing to live in an arid climate in return for a cheaper cost on a house. There are almost no golf courses in that entire area - barely a driving range or two. It's bowling and soccer country, really. Xeriscaping - whatever - many people there do practice that - or have a yard the size of a postage stamp. Water rationing is in effect - with low-flow applicances mandatory in all new homes. Water cops will monitor your house's usage and fine you if you're over allotment. A Joshua tree does not count as moisture intensive argriculture - we are not the Central Valley. There is little agriculture here and what there is, is required, like nost public land out here, to be watered using reclamed water. Other than taking Owens Valley water for our cooking and personal hygiene, none of the stuff you mentioned applies, Mike. The person talking out of their ass is who, again?
Re: Re: fires settle down flooding is somewhat managable as well, yet they still build in floodplains I agree that municipalities need to reconsider how they use their water. Not everywhere can sustain Kentucky bluegrass for a lawn, but that said, it's hardly a residents fault. Most water wasted in the West is done so by farmers, be it due to an antiquated riparian or prior use water laws that don't encourage efficiency so they waste water rather than lose rights to it. Lawns, while a factor, are not the main culprit. If you look, you'll see residential use does not come close to ag use.
Mike, thank you for the compliment for a weak analogy that you obviously understood and agree with. My comment did not say that tornados are man-made. My quote was, “No matter where people live, we are in areas prone to natural and man-made disasters.” People who live, build, and rebuild along coastal areas know that there will be more hurricanes and floods. People in the Mid-west know there will be more tornados, thunderstorms, and droughts. People in the North know there will be heavy snows and rains. Residents of the west know there will be earthquakes, range fires, floods, mudslides, etc. · Developers convince elected officials to zone/rezone areas that allow building houses in flight paths of airports and around industrial areas, in mountainous areas where slides and fires occur, in areas that flood, along earthquake faults (including Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant), where industry has polluted the air, ground, and water, etc. · Developers build towns and cities in a desert region with limited availability of water. Las Vegas’ population is increasing by 60,000 people per year. By paving over the desert, rainwater is diverted into limited gullies that result in more flashfloods. · Western states have seeded rain clouds to wring out every possible drop of rain, to the detriment of the people further ahead. · Many of the native plants in the west have seeds that are germinated by fire. This is something that is taught in our public schools out here. I’m sure Great Plains states teach tornado safety, and Gulf Coast states teach hurricane safety. · Levees are built of dirt to keep rivers from flooding valuable farmland and homes. Yet cargo ships from Asia dump their ballast water into our ports and introduce sea-life that digs into and weakens those levees. · Southern California authorities are searching for two suspected arsonists who someone claims set two of the current fires. Disasters are either natural or man-made. Sometimes natural disasters are made worse by people’s best or worst intentions.
One more thing. Yes, residential uses could save more water. Communities like Fresno and Folsom (near Sacramento) ban water meters for residential hookups. Of course, they've got some major rivers nearby & are always bitching and moaning about sending their water off to the Bay Area or El Lay. But, the real villians are the folks who've taken the culture out of argiculture. You know, the ones who grow cotton south of Phoenix, or resist all attempts to institute water conservation measures (Imperial Valley) as some sort of gummit attempt to restrict their welfare water, excuse me, freedom to farm.
Also, at last report - arson was responsible for most of the fires, (though there was also a "lost" hunter who lit a fire/flare in the hopes rescuers would see the smoke and find him) but none of the arson fires would have done this kind of damage in the past. The destruction was due in a large part to the diabolical combo of: Three years of a beetle infestation that killed thousands of trees in the San Bernardino National Forest - and thus created a huge amount of standing firewood. The gusty Santa Ana Winds - these not only carried the fire across barriers like river washes and freeways via tumbleweeds, but grounded many firefighting craft who can't fly in high winds. Now that the winds have died down, the crews have a chance. And finally, the publicity - the arsonists are apparently motivated partly by results. Usually a fire gets snuffed pretty quickly. No big deal. When a fire like this makes headlines, another sicko out there wants to create as big a stir. That leads to the escalation of new ignites in other places.
Whatever. The sky turned black around 1pm today. Air was even worse to breathe. Hasn't rained since June. Not a good weekend.
The offshore flow should return strong by tomorrow. Unless the Santa Ana winds return on the weekend and the fires are still strong then, there should be no problem with the any match at the HDC. EDIT: Just saw the local forcast and I would say there is no chance of a problem on the weekend for smoke in Carson. High temps around 68F and chance of drizzle in the AM Friday due to a strong costal eddy.
Re: Re: Southern California is burning.... Relief is in sight, then. I think those are words all Californians everywhere (and anyone else, for that matter) have been waiting to hear.
Re: Re: Re: Southern California is burning.... Well the there will still be problems in the mountains even with the wind shift, cooler temps and rise in humidity as the winds will be blowing fires up the mountains in the San Bernardino forest though they won't be moving as fast as they would if it was hot and dry. It doesn't mean things are over soon but I was speaking to the problem of smoke and the match Saturday. That's safe.. The change in weather is though, overall very good news for most of the areas.
My grandma is okay where she's at. Spoke with her tonight. She says it's just smokey and ashy. I've been following the news, so I kinda knew she was okay. But when you're 90, your family worries. She has friends in San Bernardino (where she lived for a long, long time), but they're all okay at this point too. Good news for me, but I my thoughts and prayers are still with those who have lost anything in this disaster.
that was the sun in West Hollywood about 3pm today. Sun went bye bye shortly after that and it looked like a freaking eclipse or something.
Some interesting reading. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez28oct28235636,1,421899.column http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/opinion/29KRIS.html
Well, first of all Thank you so much everyone for your concerns and well wishes! It's really bad down here right now, all the way to SD. My club team's games were all canceled, and they tell us not to go out if we can help it. The fires have affected so many, and affected close to home. My friend lost their home, but the most important thing is that they are okay. Their family is alright, and they have eachother, and that is not replacable! Our family cabin was almost gone in Crestline. It's hard to watch TV and see all the places you would go to on a normal basis up in flames. A lot of the fires are getting contained, but there are some that they are saying that will not be out till Nov 7th etc...I just hope this ends soon, and find the individuals who started some of this!
Alexi, did you read his post? Something along the lines to "rich f...ks, anyway". I'll bet $100 he votes the same straight Democratic ticket as you. No, there's plenty of good AND bad on both sides of the political fence...
Actually, the idea that the "rich" vote Republican and the "poor" vote Democrat is a fallacy. High income urban and coastal areas in California, for example, voted overwhelmingly against the recent recall, while rural and inland areas voted for Arnold.
Hey! You just lost your bet 1. I don't vote yet 2. I am a right-winger, socialist hater. 3. When I say "vote Republican", I mean it - no sarcasm intended. And anybody saying something like "rich fvcks" makes me wishing to have my gun ready...