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Responses for ~ John Wolf 's |
Jack, my heart and admiration go to the people of San Diego and all Southern California.
As a resident of a state ravaged by hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, I can appreciate the
impending feelings of despair. I'm just grateful that life was spared and you all reached
out to help your neighbors. I don't think you need to watch for demons in trees, though.
What's lacking in the big picture is rainfall. That's what we need to be considering as
the embers of the fire finally die out. The folks on this Planet simply have to look at
the 'big picture' or Octobers will be turning up in July and there won't be any trees for
the demons to sit watching.
My best to all of you out there and a Happy Thanksgiving.
Now on to your next story. Thanks for all you do for the the authors.
Susan Haley
Email_address: shaley1112@verizon.com
Sender's_name: Susan Haley
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Many of us East Coast Infinity authors read our newspaper
headlines and watched our TV screens in horror as the fires raged in the vicinity
of our Infinity West coast friends. What anguish we felt with the uncertainty
of what was to be! What releif we felt in learning that you were finally safe
and out of harm's way!
Aside from Halloween spooks, yesterday a different theory was put forth in an
article that was printed in the Sunday edition of the NY Times. We know that
small brush fires actually help wooded environements, by clearing the underbrush
and encouraging new growth. That is one reason national parks initiate controlled
fires. But there is a second reason as well. They also know that controlled
fires reduce the liklihood of large ones speeding out of control.
On the West
Coast, that is not possible. Small fires are immediately extinguished, as populated
areas are just too close to the wooded ones to risk endangering homes and human
lives.
Our expanding population needs places to live. Nature fights back and voices
its displeasure.
What is the solution?
Lois W. Stern
Author of Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery
[As usual, you are well versed, but the thing that is
hard to grasp is the intensity of the winds and the lack of humidity that
occurs during the Santa Ana conditions.
It is like a mamoth blowtorch scorcing its way down the canyons. It is so ferce
that the local pyro maniacs are inspired by it and run out to start more fires
and watch the spectical. It's more like facing a dragon than fighting a fire.
Of course, technically your correct, small fires each year to keep the underbrush
minimal is ideal. Like they say in Hollywood, (cue echo and booming vioce) "In
a perfect world, where fire runs wild, men of steel pull the bushy fuel from
the jaws of death, defy the flickering flames ability to cause manhem!"
The real California grows enough bushy undergrowth each year to fuel these fires
forever. It would take armies of people that could scale the craigy canyons like
goats and billions of dollars to make it all go away - annually. The new factor
is Global Warming that makes each year dryer and the winds more threatening.
There are measures one can take. Many are creating moats of safety by clearing
brush and with fire retardent foam guns at the ready. Many caucious mansion owners
now install sprinkler systems on the roof. We are learning to deal with the maddening
increase in the danger level.
The forest issue is somewhat different in that the Forrest Service
had a policy of stopping all fires over many years and a dangerous levels of
undergrowth built up. Now those mega-fires have killed the trees, caused by the
exaggerated intensity. It will take a 100 years to get back to the point of making
a policy that would be good for the forrest - and that policy would be "Get you
fat face out of Mother Nature's way so she can do her job!"]
Email_address: sexliesandcosmeticsurgery@optonline.net
Sender's_name: Lois W. Stern