June 30, 2009
Revisiting The Freeway Complex and Hollydale Mobilehome Park
Last November as flames approached the Hollydale Mobilehome Estates in Carbon Canyon TV viewers in the Southland watched as CBS2's Larry Welk hovered above covering the drama developing below.
From my perspective as a viewer the impending drama was adrenaline inducing. As I wrote at the time from all appearances this park was going to be run over. As it turned out of course the fire professionals on the ground were able to direct the flames around the homes. Despite many efforts I was unable to get the footage, footage that would be not only entertaining but useful or instructional for wildland firefighters worldwide.
Today in the comment section of the older post professional photographer Jody Gomez sent a link to a gallery of photos she shot that night on the ground in Carbon Canyon.
With permission from Jody I can post these images she shot from the ground on November 15, 2008.
Much appreciated Jody, be safe on the ground this season!
From my perspective as a viewer the impending drama was adrenaline inducing. As I wrote at the time from all appearances this park was going to be run over. As it turned out of course the fire professionals on the ground were able to direct the flames around the homes. Despite many efforts I was unable to get the footage, footage that would be not only entertaining but useful or instructional for wildland firefighters worldwide.
Today in the comment section of the older post professional photographer Jody Gomez sent a link to a gallery of photos she shot that night on the ground in Carbon Canyon.
With permission from Jody I can post these images she shot from the ground on November 15, 2008.
Much appreciated Jody, be safe on the ground this season!Labels: Freeway Complex
June 29, 2009
Victory For New Haven Firefighters, Supreme Court Sides!
"WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities." Washington Post/AP
This case had to do with a promotional exam, not a firefighter test. To me it is simple, this test forms a list of future leaders in the department. Fire officers are responsible for the safety of line personnel and overall public safety. I will not accept that this test or any test at this level is designed to keep particular ethnic groups off the list.
At the promotional level the guys and gals that make the list are the ones that studied the material the hardest. Cristi from The Kitchen Table pointed to this summary of the ruling today and the subject in general.
More, including discussion on Hot Air
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities." Washington Post/AP
This case had to do with a promotional exam, not a firefighter test. To me it is simple, this test forms a list of future leaders in the department. Fire officers are responsible for the safety of line personnel and overall public safety. I will not accept that this test or any test at this level is designed to keep particular ethnic groups off the list.
At the promotional level the guys and gals that make the list are the ones that studied the material the hardest. Cristi from The Kitchen Table pointed to this summary of the ruling today and the subject in general.
More, including discussion on Hot Air
Labels: Affirmative Action, firefighter jobs, Firefighter tests
June 28, 2009
No Fires So I Guess I'll Scribble
Thanks to wildland fire professionals in California and the Western US every brush or timber fire that has started over the past month has been stomped out quickly. This is good news. The State deserves a break after last year.
In the meantime I am using the down time trading-researching-positioning my stocks and following world news and current events.
I'm waiting for the California budget to be presented and fully expect to see Cal Fire and other state agencies to get hit hard. Camp and station closings seem to be a given, hiring freezes, if not already in place will be soon.
I feel sorry for all aspiring firefighters, what is already a tough career to break into will now become nearly impossible to enter.
I like to read the writings of Victor Davis Hanson. Dr Hanson's vast experiences allows him to put the problems of California in a proper perspective.
One of Dr Hanson's commenter's came up with a line too good to not repeat. The comment applies to the broad view of the new America.
"Our future consists of ogres and bridge trolls in innumerable well Fed agencies empowered with police powers, not only to rebuke, but conduct inquisitions and punish the sinful."
This is ACORN, a very scary organization with tentacles reaching into dozens of "well fed" agencies all with the intent of serving the new Fed, The Borg.
They are funded now to an extent no one has reported. They will come knocking and when they do watch what you say. Their database will note who has been naughty and who has been nice.
Our only power is the vote and the 2010 mid terms are coming into view as the most important election in our Country's history. If the Dems. maintain control of the House and the Senate can maintain their 60-some seats we are finished.
You can pencil in a second term for this president and his policies if 2010 goes south.
China, who holds more of our debt than any other country is hedging this scenario by cutting deals with Brazil and Australia for oil, minerals and investments. They are also hoarding some precious and rare metals like magnesium because they understand once commodities inflate they want to have the materials necessary for growth on hand. They are also proposing a new world currency that would replace the American dollar as the reserve currency of the world.
At least someone recognizes what a $12 trillion debt will bestow upon us. The Chinese don't want to be holding devalued U.S debt when the crap (inflation or default) finally hits the fan.
My $400 PG&E bill will be going even higher if the Senate goes along with the House and passes the Cap-N-Trade bill.
The line at my various doctor's offices will get longer if the president gets his socialized medicine program.
Doctors are already quitting. If the press was to do their job they would find this out and report it. Under socialized health care you will be screened by a nurse and wait in another line to see a physicians assistant.
Specialists will be seen by only the sickest and in many cases these patients will be too sick to help. One of the arguments the social medicine crowd have made from the start is we try too hard in America to prolong life.
Life is important. Bio tech stocks can double their market cap in a day if they present data that shows their new drugs might possibly add a few months of life of a terminal patient. Why is this?
We honor life in the USA, we reward those that can prolong life. Don't present a new policy that holds as its core reasoning that we try too hard to prolong life!
Ask an Oncologist in the UK, Canada or Cuba if they have access to the most advanced drugs in their arsenal for treatment. Ask him or her if they wish they had access to those drugs.
This may not mean too much to the ACORN kids running around with their clipboards taking notes but it does to me and my friends and relatives that have been around awhile.
In the meantime I am using the down time trading-researching-positioning my stocks and following world news and current events.
I'm waiting for the California budget to be presented and fully expect to see Cal Fire and other state agencies to get hit hard. Camp and station closings seem to be a given, hiring freezes, if not already in place will be soon.
I feel sorry for all aspiring firefighters, what is already a tough career to break into will now become nearly impossible to enter.
I like to read the writings of Victor Davis Hanson. Dr Hanson's vast experiences allows him to put the problems of California in a proper perspective.
One of Dr Hanson's commenter's came up with a line too good to not repeat. The comment applies to the broad view of the new America.
"Our future consists of ogres and bridge trolls in innumerable well Fed agencies empowered with police powers, not only to rebuke, but conduct inquisitions and punish the sinful."
This is ACORN, a very scary organization with tentacles reaching into dozens of "well fed" agencies all with the intent of serving the new Fed, The Borg.
They are funded now to an extent no one has reported. They will come knocking and when they do watch what you say. Their database will note who has been naughty and who has been nice.
Our only power is the vote and the 2010 mid terms are coming into view as the most important election in our Country's history. If the Dems. maintain control of the House and the Senate can maintain their 60-some seats we are finished.
You can pencil in a second term for this president and his policies if 2010 goes south.
China, who holds more of our debt than any other country is hedging this scenario by cutting deals with Brazil and Australia for oil, minerals and investments. They are also hoarding some precious and rare metals like magnesium because they understand once commodities inflate they want to have the materials necessary for growth on hand. They are also proposing a new world currency that would replace the American dollar as the reserve currency of the world.
At least someone recognizes what a $12 trillion debt will bestow upon us. The Chinese don't want to be holding devalued U.S debt when the crap (inflation or default) finally hits the fan.
My $400 PG&E bill will be going even higher if the Senate goes along with the House and passes the Cap-N-Trade bill.
The line at my various doctor's offices will get longer if the president gets his socialized medicine program.
Doctors are already quitting. If the press was to do their job they would find this out and report it. Under socialized health care you will be screened by a nurse and wait in another line to see a physicians assistant.
Specialists will be seen by only the sickest and in many cases these patients will be too sick to help. One of the arguments the social medicine crowd have made from the start is we try too hard in America to prolong life.
Life is important. Bio tech stocks can double their market cap in a day if they present data that shows their new drugs might possibly add a few months of life of a terminal patient. Why is this?
We honor life in the USA, we reward those that can prolong life. Don't present a new policy that holds as its core reasoning that we try too hard to prolong life!
Ask an Oncologist in the UK, Canada or Cuba if they have access to the most advanced drugs in their arsenal for treatment. Ask him or her if they wish they had access to those drugs.
This may not mean too much to the ACORN kids running around with their clipboards taking notes but it does to me and my friends and relatives that have been around awhile.
Labels: politics
June 05, 2009
Esperanza Killer Sentenced to Death
Raymond Lee Oyler the arsonist/killer who started the Esperanza Fire that killed Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, Jess McLean, 27, Pablo Cerda, 23, Mark Loutzenhiser, 43, and Jason McKay, 27 was sentenced to death today according to the L.A. Times.He will join this list of condemned California death row inmates while he awaits his fate.
Here are some updated images of a few of his new neighbors like Richard Ramirez and Scott Peterson from KTVU TV.
Labels: Esperanza Fire
June 02, 2009
Governor Schwarzenneger Throws College Kids Overboard
Fewer of these in California's future!
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is sacrificing aid to low income college students rather than taking on any unions. Up to 200,000 California college kids might be forced from school in 2010. Read it here.
I hated it when he used the threat to fire firefighters in order to drum up support for his ill conceived tax in initiatives.
It's sad to see him take the easy way out of his budget mess by hitting low income college attendees instead of bloated government payrolls.
What a disappointment.
Labels: Governor Schwarzenegger
