Posted on July 11 at 9:52 a.m.

Clearly federal mismanagement of Forest Service budgeting and the preservation of agriculture played a crucial role in this fire, but (and this has already been hit upon in someone else's comments) prevention seems to be a big issue as well. Someone--I can't recall who--sent in a letter after the Zaca Fire last year outlining the importance of having controlled burns during times that aren't so dangerous. Looking up to the hills at the dense tangle of chaparral that hasn't burned since the 1955 Refugio Fire, one wonders why fire breaks haven't already been constructed there. The tone of this letter was angry, and accused the powers that be of negligence. I'm not a fire fighter, but this approach sounds logical to me. Perhaps it is something worth looking into.

On Don’t Pet the Burning Dog

Posted on November 6 at 9:55 a.m.

Have you ever been to Isla Vista?! There are a lot of pedesrians and cyclists there who choose not to acknowledge the fact that a two-ton vehicle would cause them quite a bit of damage if the driver were as careless as they are. Many of us drive cautiously, but there are also a lot of drivers in IV who drive with the same disregard as cyclists and pedestrians. I think it's a matter of time before someone ends up as a messy stain on Embarcadero del Mar. For my part, I will continue to creep through intersections and avoid the loop after classes let out.

On Our Own DMV Rules

Posted on October 16 at 9:08 a.m.

gnarly!

On Inside Last Weekend’s Tsunami Extreme Fight Productions’ Martial Arts Showdown