Sooo....No love for LA today?

[Ada Lovelace]

My campus has been invaded with smoke from the fires closer to us. It is our midterm season and we're stressed out and literally unable to just take a deep breath due to the smoke.

Smoke drifts to campus as wildfires torch California, PG&E implements massive shutoffs

 

[essentialsaltes]

It looks apocalyptic in Simi Valley. The mountains are engulfed in flames. The firefighters did an amazing job protecting the Reagan library.

I think @Mountainmanbob provided some help.

In addition the firefighters and aircraft crews that responded Wednesday, a hungry herd of as many as 500 goats had helped create a firebreak months ago in the brush that surrounds the hilltop complex, officials said. The goats last spring ate up vegetation that could have fueled the fire.
"One of the firefighters mentioned that they do believe the goats' fire line helped them fight this fire," library spokeswoman Melissa Giller said. "They just proved today how useful they really are."

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I think @Mountainmanbob provided some help.

In addition the firefighters and aircraft crews that responded Wednesday, a hungry herd of as many as 500 goats had helped create a firebreak months ago in the brush that surrounds the hilltop complex, officials said. The goats last spring ate up vegetation that could have fueled the fire.
"One of the firefighters mentioned that they do believe the goats' fire line helped them fight this fire," library spokeswoman Melissa Giller said. "They just proved today how useful they really are."

Goats are an indispensable part of the team efforts to prevent fires in SoCal. They're actually employed relatively often in steep, hilly terrain where it would be too precarious for humans to clear the dry vegetation that can fuel wildfires. Before the Angels Flights funicular reopened in DTLA a couple of years ago goats were brought in to chomp away at old brush, weeds, and anything that might be flammable in the area underneath the railway. It was fun watching them.

In residential neighborhoods that have cliff-like terrain they're sometimes brought in by homeowners as part of the fire prevention readiness process. There are companies you can hire that will transport the herd to your house and supervise them. A human gardener would need Spiderman skills in order to clear the area below the property line of our new house because of its steep slope. Goats are extremely agile and can safely complete the job in about a week. Plus they, um...... fertilize the land naturally at no additional charge.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

In a totally unsurprising, and yet still wholly disappointing, move, Trump is again threatening to cut off aid to California as several wildfires continue to burn.

Trump vows 'no more' federal aid to California as devastating wildfires continue to burn

 

[Ada Lovelace]

In a totally unsurprising, and yet still wholly disappointing, move, Trump is again threatening to cut off aid to California as several wildfires continue to burn.

Trump vows 'no more' federal aid to California as devastating wildfires continue to burn

I still have the Mary Poppins soundtrack in my mind from watching it on a flight home last night.....

Super callous fragile ego, this truly is atrocious. Trump is braggadocios, I'm ashamed he is the POTUS.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Last week there was an article about how Trump, the man infamous for the ubiquitousness of his tweets, had failed to make a single remark about his country's most populated state being afflicted by catastrophic wildfires. My response was that it was for the best, that when he spoke it would not be out of leadership for his country, humanity, decency, or care, but rather juvenile malicious vindictiveness, cruel victim-blaming, and a repeat of his PRATT ignorance. He is as indifferent to facts as he is indifferent to the wellbeing of Americans who are not his voters. Trump has ranted at Gov. Newsom about the mismanagement of forests in California when many of the wildfires in forests have been on federally managed land. As scientists have explained most of the areas affected were actually outside of a forest and climate change has fostered the conditions for the fires to thrive. I knew that if he commented on California's wildfires his words would not be an aloe but rather gasoline to the flames. That he would hector, that he would distract, with inanity like "raking the forest floors" that lead to worldwide mockery and memes.

Maybe if he realized that there were more registered Republicans in California than residents in the entire state of Wyoming some humanity might be sparked in him? Probably not. All of his relationships are transactional, he will only give care if he is assured of something in return. Though some of the areas most devastated by the fires have actually been in more Republican-leaning areas. And his response to disasters elsewhere have also been lackluster. I just returned from the Florida Panhandle where volunteers from last year's devastating Hurricane Michael had a reunion, and we were talking about how Trump at a crucial moment diverted focus from the decimated area to Kanye West's invitation to the White House and his unhinged soliloquy.

I spoke with firefighters last year who told me of the stunned disbelief they felt while literally fighting for lives that Trump was intent on adding verbal fuel to the flames. I agree with Gov. Newsom's attitude of just excusing Trump from the conversations since he will fail to actually add anything productive to them.