Last Word on the Fires

Although fires are still burning, most of the nearby residential areas have been repopulated, Governor Schwarzenegger and President Bush have made their obligatory appearances, and the weather has returned to near normal. Except for some minor wind damage and a pool full of ash we were unaffected. But we do know some folks who were affected significantly, including my wife's boss who lost her house. Some observations:

• The traditional media are amazingly poor conduits of information. Despite around-the-clock coverage from all the of the local channels, I really had no idea what was going on in my community. A single Google map application was vastly more informative.
• TV and radio coverage are less about information than about commiseration.
• If i hear the words "perfect storm" again, i'll wretch.
• Whether liberal or conservative, people should keep their political views with respect to the fires under wraps until people that matter are out of harm's way.
• I got messages regarding the fires from Germany, Switzerland, and Brazil.
• It's getting harder to get by without the Internet.