Pendleton Fires - Part Deux

by Carl on October 13, 2008

The Camp Pendleton wildfires are back - Big Time.

In an October 8th post I shared photos of the 1,000 acre wildfire on Camp Pendleton near my home. Photos of that fire can be seen here. Well, the fires are back - and they are MUCH closer this time.

The Santa Anna winds were blowing again today. That hot, dry wind started a new fire on Camp Pendleton. This one is smaller, but so close that the air here is thick with smoke. Friends called to ask if I was evacuating.  Evacuating? Are they that close? Turns out they were. Homes only a few miles away were evacuated. The top photo was taken from my driveway looking down the street. The lower photo was taken about three blocks away. To see a few more of today’s photos click here.

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California Wildfire Raging Near My Home

by Carl on October 9, 2008

Camp Pendleton Wildfires

On my way home from the airport last night I saw a glow in the sky to the north. Since it was clearly past sunset, and since it’s California, that can only mean one thing. Wildfires. Turns out that part of Camp Pendleton, the huge US Marine base was ablaze

The fire consumed over 1,000 acres. While that is a lot of area, Pendleton is over 125,000 acres (it’s huge) and this fire was in a remote area of the base.

I took these shots at about 9pm last night at a spot about three blocks from my home. The actual fires were much further away. We were never in danger and the fire was largely under control by this morning. I apologize for the quality as these were handheld shots. To see this one in more detail, or to view more of them click here.

As far as I know, no one was hurt.

– Carl Melville / Blogvious

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2008 - The Cubs’ Second Century Begins

October 7, 2008

I’ve gotten emails from several folks asking why I’ve not commented on the Cubs and the thrashing they received from the Dodgers. Short answer: I was in mourning.
I concede that it’s silly to get that invested in a baseball season. After all, there are real problems in the world. However, this year was special. For the [...]

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Paulson on Punishment

September 25, 2008

I get that the point of this bailout is not punishment. However, if I made a ten million dollar mistake I would probably be fired. If one of my people made such a mistake, they would get the axe - assuming the company even survived.
So how is that the smartest guys in the room can [...]

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A Crisis of Confidence…in Whom?

September 22, 2008

Hank Paulson took to the airwaves yesterday pitching his plan to (again) save the financial system with a huge $1.3 trillion (total) bailout.
That’s a big bet.  Plus, we get to increase the national debt by another 10% - to well over $11 trillion.
He says we are doing all of this to calm the stock and [...]

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Eamus Catuli - 100 Years!!!! The Year of the CUBS?

September 20, 2008

A few weeks ago I blogged about this being the 100 year anniversary of the Cubs last World Series win. Well today, just moments ago, they took the first big step in that direction. No matter what else happens this year the Chicago Cubs are the Central division National League champions. For those keeping track, [...]

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Here comes the Blame Game: We Want a Scapegoat

September 18, 2008

A dear friend forwarded an article that went to great pains blaming the flawed and idealistic policies of the Clinton administration for the current financial mess.  Really?  The article has merit - but at the same time misses the point entirely. If you begin lining up culprits, the line will be long indeed.
Let’s find some [...]

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Look Me in the Eye and Say That…

September 17, 2008

Not long ago you had to look your banker in the eye while he probed the depth of your character. We discarded that system to make it more uniform, fair and to minimize risks. Today’s mess is the face of progress.
When I bought my first new car, I sat across from a man that asked me [...]

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Where Were You When World Changed?

September 11, 2008

I’m sitting in San Francisco International Airport waiting for my flight. It’s 9/11/08. Seven years ago today the world was going mad. Today the air is thick with 9/11 tributes, which I find completely fitting and proper. Those touched personally of course have a special kinship with the event that the rest of us have been spared. I [...]

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Joe Biden Said What?

September 10, 2008

So today finds me at CTIA in San Francisco and in a twelve hour news blackout. Imagine my surprise when upon leaving the Mascone center I get back-to-back calls from two friends regarding my blog post yesterday where I predicted that Obama / Axelrod might throw the dead weight of Joe Biden over the rail or under the [...]

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