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Huge fire in Malibu

That's not really how it works, but go on with not catching the obvious musical reference.
 
C'mon RJ.

My hometown had 50% more people and would never consider ourselves a "city". Our rivals in Upper Darby and Lower Merion are even bigger and are never considered to be "cities".
 
My hometown had 50% more people and would never consider ourselves a "city". Our rivals in Upper Darby and Lower Merion are even bigger and are never considered to be "cities".

for fuck's sake, RJ

 
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for fuck's sake ITC....


"Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist, Slash, states that the song was written in the back of a rental van as they were on their way back from playing a gig in San Francisco with the band Rock N Riders. He says that the band was in the back of the van, drinking and playing acoustic guitars, when he came up with the intro. Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin started playing along. Slash started humming a melody when Axl Rose sang, "Take me down to the Paradise City." Slash chimed in with "Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty." Axl sang the first line again, where Slash shouted out "Where the girls are fat and they've got big titties." Axl finished with "Take ... me ... home!" Slash preferred his second line but the rest of the band felt differently. He was outvoted and they used the first line. The band then expanded upon the rest of the lyrics in rounds.

During a 1988 interview, Rose told "Hit Parader" magazine that "the verses are more about being in the jungle; the chorus is like being back in the Midwest or somewhere."
 
How far in can a fire go in a pure suburban neighborhood without many trees? Are the fires usually just going to get the one row of houses closest to the wooded/brush areas and then not make it much further, or can the fire just go from house to house and keep going forever?

The mature trees usually are not the problem since their roots go much deeper and aren't as susceptible to drought. It's the shrubs and undergrowth that have shallow root systems and die/dry out during drought conditions. They become a tinderbox just waiting for a spark.

Many trees have evolved to have fire resistant bark, bark that will burn but not kill the tree. Many people love having shrubs near their house, which catch fire; then the fire spreads to the eaves and house goes up in flames. Homes built of brick/block with a clay roof tend to fare better during suburban fires, but even those have weaknesses. Honestly though, as big and hot as the fires are currently burning, none of the houses in their path stand a chance. Indirect heat from the seat of the fire super-heats the materials to the point of combustion without direct flame impingement. Until weather conditions change, the fire will continue to burn out of control until it reaches the ocean or burns all of the combustible items within the area. 50 mph winds and very dry humidity levels make trying to fight them a losing battle. It really is a sad situation for both the homeowners and the guys and gals trying to fight the fires.
 
The main problem, frankly, is that many more people live in California than the natural environment can support. If they were all housed in relatively compact areas it would be one thing as far as fire protection goes, but instead they've taken the American concept of sprawl and pushed it to the limit. They build houses on every piece of ground they feasibly can and keep expanding into more and more marginal areas. Take that and combine with historic droughts exacerbated by climate change, and you have millions of houses and people living in areas that go up in flames in moments. Sprawl and bad development practices are not in any way a uniquely Californian issue, but sprawl in the middle of fire country is. it just has never come together so drastically until the past few years.
 
Shouldn't they be doing controlled burns though, which they don't do in California? Controlled burns would remove undergrowth (fuel for the fire) and limit the size of any wild fires that do catch. He may not be that far off base, as annoying it is to admit...

There are also issues surrounding habitat protection of endangered species. If you start going in and clearing out all the undergrowth, you remove habitat for many animals, some who are endangered or threatened.
 
The main problem, frankly, is that many more people live in California than the natural environment can support. If they were all housed in relatively compact areas it would be one thing as far as fire protection goes, but instead they've taken the American concept of sprawl and pushed it to the limit. They build houses on every piece of ground they feasibly can and keep expanding into more and more marginal areas. Take that and combine with historic droughts exacerbated by climate change, and you have millions of houses and people living in areas that go up in flames in moments. Sprawl and bad development practices are not in any way a uniquely Californian issue, but sprawl in the middle of fire country is. it just has never come together so drastically until the past few years.

There are vast, sparsely populated areas if CA. Paradise is basically in the middle of nowhere.

The fires and heat are byproducts of climate change more than they are about urban planning.
 
There are also issues surrounding habitat protection of endangered species. If you start going in and clearing out all the undergrowth, you remove habitat for many animals, some who are endangered or threatened.

They're pretty endangered and threatened at the moment
 
There fires happened so quickly that would have been impossible. The entire town of Paradise was destroyed within a very short time. In fact, the residents only had a five minute notice.

The SoCal part of the fires had the ultimate control path - the 101 freeway. The fires simply jumped the freeway.

Also, the fires started several hundred miles apart. You'd basically need a standing army of firefighters. Add to that in SoCal, there were huge, dry winds.

With all the experience and funding CA has had over the decades, Trump's statements are totally full of shit

I hear there is an army at the southern border.
 
The main problem, frankly, is that many more people live in California than the natural environment can support. If they were all housed in relatively compact areas it would be one thing as far as fire protection goes, but instead they've taken the American concept of sprawl and pushed it to the limit. They build houses on every piece of ground they feasibly can and keep expanding into more and more marginal areas. Take that and combine with historic droughts exacerbated by climate change, and you have millions of houses and people living in areas that go up in flames in moments. Sprawl and bad development practices are not in any way a uniquely Californian issue, but sprawl in the middle of fire country is. it just has never come together so drastically until the past few years.

That doesn't make any sense. The fires are originating in the 45 million acres of woods that the federal government owns in California, not in downtown Calabasas. If the residential neighborhoods were still woods and the people in the town were living concentrated in Tokyo-style compact spaces in the center of town, the amount of area being burned wouldn't be any different, and would potentially be greater. No wildfires are starting in Compton.
 
you don't know what you're talking about
 
Didn't know the guitarist from Velvet Revolver was in another band.
 
Hatch sent a very nice email to Cali deacs today:

Dear Wake Forest Alumni, Families and Friends in California,

My thoughts and prayers are with you as Californians again deal with the devastating effects and continuing threats of wildfires. Whether your community has been directly affected or remains out of harm's way, I know there will be a lasting impact on you, your neighbors and the entire state.

As Wake Foresters, we look to each other in difficult times. Please be assured that our Office of Alumni Engagement is here to assist with the needs of our Wake Forest family. If we can do anything to support you and your loved ones, please contact alumni@wfu.edu. And should we need to be aware of any extraordinary circumstances affecting your students, I encourage parents to contact the Office of Family Engagement at parents@wfu.edu, flagging urgent emails as such.

Take good care.

Sincerely,


Nathan O. Hatch
President
 
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