Sparks and Butterflies

*Disclaimer:  This is an experiment in thought and “what ifs.”  I have no interest in creating a “movement.”  I am not currently part of a movement.  I am a registered voter with opinions.

As with most Americans, Poe and I have been very political minded the last 2 years.  Election, Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, health care, etc. are all words that have been bantered about between us of late.  Late one night in bed, we were falling asleep.  We had just watched some political TV programming we are fans of.  Sleepy, but minds churning, we started mapping out the following scenario.

What if we split the country in half?  Two Americas.  United States of Western America, and United States of Eastern America.  The states themselves would remain intact, so it would be a jagged line up the middle.  The western half would be the right side of the political spectrum, the eastern half would be the left side of the political spectrum.  You have 30 days to decide which side of the spectrum your personal beliefs fall into.  You are to choose freely, but you MUST choose.  After your decision is made, you have 90 days to get you there.  There would be relocation centers to help you find jobs and move, should your choice take you to the other side of the country.  Once the move is in place, federal responsibilities would be split in half.  The national debt?  Halved.  The US Treasury?  Halved.  Current military?  Halved.  So on and so forth.  Federal taxes would obviously go towards support of your new half of the country.

While communication and travel would be freely shared (with passports of course) nothing else would.  You could not work over the national line, you must work and have residence in your own half.  No bartering, trade, services, utilities, natural resources, etc. could go over the national line.  The governments would choose how to run their own government.  They would decide their own foreign policy, foreign debt, immigration laws, participation in organizations like NATO and the United Nations, defense strategy, military, etc.  There would be a treaty in place that no fighting happened over the line.

The experiment stays in place for 20 years.  Short enough to turn back, long enough to get some data.

What happens?  Who keeps a republic?  Who keeps the Constitution?  Who enters wars?  Who solves international peace situations?  Who has a better unemployment rate?  Who has a higher median income?  Who has cleaner streets, less crime, safer lives?  Who is free?  How has artistic endeavors evolved?  Who has less debt?  Who has better health?  Who has a better education?  Who has better transportation?  Who has evolved further technologically?  Do the two countries come back together as a whole, or do they work better as separate entities?

If you start thinking about specific personal issues, specific personal lives, and take the current system out of the equation it starts getting interesting.  If you could start a brand new country, what would it look like?  How would it work?  How would it evolve?

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and it’s not the luck of the Irish that will keep the roads safe… it’s planning now for a safe and sober way home.

Are you headed out with friends after work this Wednesday to celebrate the holiday?  No?  Well when you and your family are on the road headed to choir practice, a t-ball game, or coming home from school, you may be sharing the road with those returning from a fun St. Patrick’s Day event.  It’s time to spread the word about the dangers of buzzed driving and to remind people that Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving, and the best way to stay safe is to plan ahead.

Let’s remind everyone about the importance of remembering to:

• Designate a sober driver before you leave for your event.
• Be ready to take alternate transportation such as a bus or taxi. Have the phone number of a taxi service stored in your phone before you leave for the party.

Even if you will not be celebrating this St. Patrick’s Day, keep in mind that in 2008, 1,179 people in other vehicles were killed in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers.  And for those who don’t plan on over-indulging – a buzzed driving crash looks the same as a drunk driving crash.

Global Influence is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council as they continue their efforts with the “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” PSA campaign.  Buzzed drivers drink and drive, but do not consider themselves a hazard on the roadway because they have had “only a few” drinks. The campaign hopes to educate people that consuming even a few drinks can impair driving and that “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”

We need your help in keeping the roads safe for everyone this St. Patrick’s Day by spreading the word that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please watch this important video about the financial and personal repercussions of getting a DUI.

Remember: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving. Plan ahead and ask your loved ones to do the same.

For more information, visit Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving on Facebook and Twitter (@Buzzeddriving).

As any parent knows, mornings can be rough.  Kids need to be fed, dressed, hygiene attended to, the various items of the day – lunches, homework, jackets etc. all settled upon.  Depending on the number of children, this can look like a zoo.  Now, add the fact that it’s morning, and people are moving slower.  Add the idea of one bathroom for four people.  Poe (being unemployed) and I (being a home business owner) have the advantage over other working parents in that we don’t have to get ready right that second too.  We get up way before them… But that’s more for our sanity, and so we’re not in our grumpy morning attitudes when we get them up.  I’m able to get a start on my workday and know what fires have cropped up during the night.  Not to mention ingesting coffee prior to the stampede.

So – Poe and I are both in our pajamas for the most part when dropping kids off.  Then we can come home and get ready ourselves, without playing referee with our kids.  And you know what?  This works for us.

Enter this idiotic thing…  School Bans Parents from Wearing PJ’s at Drop Off.  Whatever.  Seriously.  You know what?  If I’m in MY car, I get to wear whatever I want.  If I’m on foot, I STILL get to wear whatever I want.  What’s important is that my children arrive to school fed, clean, rested, and prepared.  When I was working outside the home, and I had to be ready to go at the same time as the kids, it only made our morning preparations MORE chaotic.  I like the way I’ve got things going now.  I think something else that’s interesting to note is the complete disdain the principal seems to have for parents in general – regardless of their attire.

Seriously?  Stay out of my business.  Concentrate more on educating my child.  That’s your job, right?

My readers run the gamut.  PR people read it, friends read it, online friends (read: we haven’t met in person yet) read it, strangers read it.  I don’t think any family actually reads here, but I know some family know about it.

I hold certain views, that I haven’t fully fleshed out here on the blog.  But due to those views, I’m making some preparations around my household.  I have a request of you all – my readers.

Because much of our correspondence happens online, the resources that uses – at least on my end – consist of a computer, electricity/battery combo, dsl/wireless combo, blog platform usage, email usage, and comment and/or networking site usage.

What if that all goes away?  What if we lose the internet?  What if we lose electricity?  What if we lose the phones?

Here’s where my request comes in…  If you wish to stay connected to me, offline, please get me your contact information.  How much info you give me is, of course, up to you.  My thoughts are phone numbers (including landline,) home addresses, email addresses, and any other information you would like to pass on to me.  I will reciprocate.  This is, of course, for those of you  I consider friends, and those who consider me a friend.  Someone you want to hear from even if we couldn’t connect online.

If you want to send me your info – don’t comment! You don’t want that info all over the internet!  Send me an email at sparksfley at gmail dot com.  I’ll send my own back to you as well.

They are all younger than my 4th grader. Goodness, the talent in those little girls.

So, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.

This is something that I do not understand. I really and truly don’t.

The deadline for nominations were a mere two weeks after his presidency started.

To date, while he’s had lots of meetings, nothing has been accomplished. I’m not saying it won’t be – but it hasn’t happened yet.

An imperfect analogy: It’s like a freshman going into high school… The incoming freshman has signed up for all the right AP classes, all the right curriculars, has had numerous meetings about his plans with parents, teachers and counselors. And then halfway through his freshman year, he’s named Valedictorian. It just doesn’t work.

Apparently Hope and Change without bearing the fruits can get you an international Peace Prize. What’s interesting to me is that the actual wording of the announcement uses those buzzwords. This opens up the award to all of us “common man!” They’re passing out awards just for thinking and potentially acting on great things! In addition, I’m afraid that this might diminish the contributions of those who went before him and actually accomplished what they won for.

I do not understand the obsession with this man.

Dear U.S. Government,

I would like to provide my services to you to post the proposed health care bill on the internet.

I’ve thought about it, and I am, indeed, prepared in my home office for such an undertaking. I would need about 3 days and a babysitter. And maybe lots of coffee. You would also have to supply the bandwidth, as I’m sorry – my blog can’t take that kind of traffic. Please let me know if you’d like a contract. You’ll find my hourly rate to be very reasonable.

No?

You were just afraid to tell me that I’m too stupid to read it? And you might want to sneak some stuff in there? And you don’t even really want the members voting on it to see it, much less the little peabrained cattle like me?

Oh, I see. It’s ok, I understand. I’ll compensate you with my own voting record.

School has started. This is where I get 10 months of daytime solitude. You know… When Poe gets a job that is.

School started two days late due to the Station Fire. The air quality around our little town is much better today – although this morning the smoke smell was still rich. But the sky is blue. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen blue.

So far the fire is 150,000+ acres. The perimeter is 50 miles. About the size of Chicago. As of 9am this morning we were at 42% containment. They expect containment by 9/15. It is the largest Los Angeles County or Angeles National Forest fire ever in their histories. It is suspected arson. Homicide charges are also being investigated, due to the two firefighters, Captain Ted Hall and Fire
Fighter Specialist Arnie Quinones, who lost their lives. While neither worked here anymore – both of them used to work in our town. So very sad. Despite the good news of higher humidity and the containment percentages, this comes from my town’s website (now that it’s left our personal area we’re updated twice a day instead of hourly:)

Overall, growth potential for the Station Fire continues to be extreme. The fire is progressing south toward Pasadena; west toward the Yerba Buena Ridge; north toward the 14 Freeway and Santa Clara Ridge; east toward Mt. Wilson and into the San Gabriel Wilderness. The fire is in extremely steep and inaccessible terrain, burning in 40+ year old 15-20 foot high decadent vegetation. Fire is active during the day and night operational periods, and is currently directly threatening Mount Wilson, which is a major communications facility servicing all of Southern California.

So, if you stop hearing about it – or they say it’s all good – it’s not. In addition, today begins a review process while the experts come in and figure out what our mudslide and flooding issues are going to be. They’ll also be letting the individual homeowners know as well in an advisory capacity and assisting our town in preventative measures. The brush in our area hadn’t burned in 40-60 years. We’re a foothill community. When the rains come, regardless of the precautions, we’re all going to hold our breaths.

I’ve updated some information below.
***

For those that know me, a short personal update. We’re OK. My mother is holding her own in terms of the smoke, although it’s really really bad today and this might be the day that takes her to the hospital. We’re out of danger of embers now. We’ll have a massive cleanup of our property to undertake, but not only can we not work outside in these conditions, the fire’s been so unpredictable, I’m hesitating on doing the work until we know it’s out ashes are falling like snow again. We keep alternating between clear skies or ash depending on the breeze. Our air quality is currently Hazardous (as opposed to just unhealthy.) I’ll know by 3pm if the school district will start school tomorrow as previously scheduled. School was indeed canceled. And is canceled again today. And I’m waiting to see about tomorrow.

Now. This fire is the Station Fire. It started above La Canada on Wednesday, around 3:30pm. That means that we’re into day 5 Day 7 of this thing. In fact, the kid’s were in their pool on Wednesday, as I wasn’t sure if air quality from the Azuza fire would hamper it for the rest of the week. As we were sitting there a rather large helicopter buzzed us really low, so I took a look. Shit, a column. If you live in southern California, you know what I meant.

Since then, our mountain has been decimated. Homes threatened in our town. Ashes the size of my pinky in whole leaf form. We watched the fire literally eat the mountain alive. It’s, well, gone. Haunts I hung out it in growing up, gone. Friends, and friends’ families evacuated to my alma mater. JPL closed. My yard glowed bright red. Explosions as transformers heated too much. Threats of losing all communications as it threatened Mt. Wilson yesterday. Those threats are still a factor. Last night, it hadn’t quite been over run, but I haven’t heard an update. I also have gotten conflicting messages on what that would mean to us, besides the loss of the observatory and scientific items. Is it just TV? Is it just broadcast TV? Or is it everything communication wise? I just don’t know.

It seems that after the firefighters fought for 5 7 days, 6 nights, the portion above La Canada seems out. Perhaps. It’s been unpredictable, so I’m willing to say “seems.” However, the fire is most certainly not done. In fact at no point was it over 5% containment. It went from 10 acres to 20,000 105,000+ acres and now spreads through the city limits of 6 cities that I know of. 6 CITIES. It now threatens more, but I’m not sure I’m getting an accurate count. Acton and Soledad Canyon? Same fire. Altadena? Same fire.

Where have I gotten my information? I’ll tell you where. FACEBOOK. Going up to the hospital (a high point in the city) and then telling others what I saw. My city’s website too – but their hourly updates were usually closer to the next hour, and while reliable in information, usually out of date by the time posted. Evacuees were contacted via reverse 911. Did you notice something missing?

In my opinion, one of the reasons for media to exist is to inform the public in times of crisis. I don’t expect crisis management from national news media, but you bet your ass I expect if from the local media. I want to know specifically who’s being evacuated. Streets and street numbers. I want acreage. I want to know how the firemen are doing. I want to know where the animals go. I want to know the predicted outlook. And then I want that information constantly updated and constantly referred to. BECAUSE I’M LIVING IN THE MIDST OF THAT CRISIS. It’s the local media’s duty, in my opinion, not to fan fear, but to give real information, so that people know what’s going on around them, and they know what they’re next steps are supposed to be.

Our local media, has given brief minutes, “updating on the Station Fire.” No they weren’t. They were showing you the pretty pretty flames for a 3 minute spot. This is huge, people. I was getting sent photographs from Lancaster, which is something like 50 miles away from me, from friends. In a couple towns over, people have lost homes and been injured. This isn’t a little thing. Sup. Antonovich was giving a briefing on the fire, and he actually berated the media for not being there for the citizens. Which you didn’t hear about, because NOT ONE TV STATION SHOWED UP. We’re getting more coverage now that it’s as big as it is. No breaking news, just more facetime on the previously scheduled news broadcasts. Of course, it’s too late to be of any help to my town. It’s already swept through and done it’s damage. Last night on the 11pm news they did this big poetic thing with all our pictures. Gag me. HOWEVER… One place that has been great is KNX1070 Newsradio. Their website was giving specific school closure information, evacuations by actual street name, etc. Apparently, they’ve been a good source of solid information throughout, and I wanted them to have a shoutout. Although, I was never angry with radio. Shoot, they were probably the radio station at that press conference I mentioned.

Me? I’ve been putting up pictures in flickr when I can. I’m reading the city website, I’m in a Facebook group about the fire, and we keep each other in the loop when information falls into our laps. My – NOT a photographer – flickr photos ended up in a story on the fire in Canada, BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T GET ANY FROM THE MEDIA. I was quoted from Facebook on something else. This is SAD.

Where it REALLY sucks is for people like my parents. They’re older. They don’t use “new media.” They have no need for call waiting. They only have a cell phone because they travel and I had a nice temper tantrum and made them get one. They think that their source for this crisis is the TV news. They’ll tell them what they need to know of course. And since it’s not there – all’s well… Right?

So… Yeah. You go on and mourn Kennedy. It’s the proper thing to do. You go ahead and mourn the cracked clavicle of the USC football player, it’s news if you’re into sports. Me? I’m worried about living people who are terrified everything’s going up in smoke with a fire that is out of control still after 5 DAYS 7 DAYS. I could have used the media’s help.

Responsible media, my ass.

Now I’m starting to be the eyes and ears of friends and family who are living away from our town, and their parents, etc. still live here.

Here are photos I took on Thursday.

Here are photos I took on Friday (today.)

I’m going to hit up the hospital and drive a bit and get some more pictures before the sun goes down.

Last I heard at 6pm from the chamber, we’re at 5% contained, and it was getting pretty close to Greenridge, although ground crews are standing by. Evacuations are still voluntary.