The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[dmallord]

Yesterday was a productive day of writing. From the moment I got up, except for the nurse urging me to eat, I typed and edited my Mike Hammer 2025 Event story. I surprised myself with how much time I spent focused on the task. I stopped around 3:30 am after the nurses had left, then I crashed.

I have a total of 17.6k words written, and I’ve completed it. It's hard to believe it’s done. Now, I need to edit and tidy up before sending it to Kenjisato for his grammar skills.

Jack Slater, a bear of a man, is a gentler protagonist compared to my last two Hammer characters. No one is murdered, stabbed, or strangled; not even a weapon is drawn from its holster—almost, anyway. Where are the noir elements, you ask? This time, they’re in the hard-hitting dialogue, plot twists, and cynical attitudes.

 

[MrPixel]

It feels odd saying this considering you're griping about snow, but I feel deeply for those suffering in California. I've seen some bad bushfires, but this is something else.

Oh, yes. All yesterday evening I had the TV on the streaming channel from one of the L.A. stations I knew from my time living there. The devastation is heartrending. The Pacific Palisades community is nothing but ashes; my boss lived in the Palisades, although that was so many years ago it is quite unlikely he was still alive for this. I was somewhat familiar with Alta Dena (north of Pasadena), where I had ridden my bicycle on longer tours. The "Sunset" fire was way too close for comfort; there is a lot there I experienced in my youth that was in peril. Thank goodness they were able to contain this particular conflagration.

The coverage on PBS was gut-wrenching, as their reporter (and anchor) was reporting from the streets of Alta Dena, evidently where she grew up. You could sense her deep grief all through the segment where she was reporting the catastrophe, referencing friends who had lost their homes. When a seasoned reporter is so close to breaking out in tears the way she was, you so feel the reality and impact in your soul.

I have college friends in the L.A. area, but they are, for the time being, well-distanced from the calamities. One active fire, the "Lidia" fire, is in an area I am well familiar with, having grown-up but 20 miles away, and frequented the exact area on several recreational outings. Wishing the best for everyone affected, and my heart goes out to those whose outcomes was less than ideal.

 

[MrPixel]

O.M.G. - I just had a heart-sinking deja vu moment about the Los Angeles fires. I'm recalling as a youngster we sat around the TV watching the live coverage of the Bel Air Fire on the very same channel I mentioned above. Bel Air was a tony neighborhood in the hills above Hollywood, and many celebrities lost their homes in that 1961 fire.

Several laws and code restrictions were put in place as a result, but strangely it now all seems to have been for naught.

 

[Rustyoznail]

History... People forget.

 

[MrPixel]

Even sadder, no politician has the cojones to advocate the logical - don't build in the hills, and allow insurers to refuse coverage. It's the latter that's the current problem. California just made a bunch of changes to insurance regulations that all but guarantee availability of insurance in high-risk areas, further perpetuating the cycle.

 

[Rustyoznail]

We have the same issue with flood plains. People, its flat beside the river for a reason...

 

[NotWise]

We have the same issue with flood plains. People, its flat beside the river for a reason...

People live in floodplains and low-lying coastal areas because they're productive. Over the long run, the benefits usually outweigh the risks. I don't think you can say the same thing for brush forests on seasonally dry hillsides. The choice to live there is usually based on aesthetics.

That reminds me, though. I should check with the boss to see how his daughter and granddaughter are doing in LA.

We have fog in the desert. It happens a few times a year.

 

[MrPixel]

We have the same issue with flood plains. People, its flat beside the river for a reason...

At least that's being acknowledged here. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has a program to buy-out homes in flood areas like that, with certain rules barring reconstruction or new construction. Low-lying areas, though are where the less-fortunate live, and even if they're bought-out for the full value of the property if it didn't flood, they still can't afford to live on higher ground.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Sorry I was late with the coffee this morning. The coffee pot is full and the teapot is hot for those who want a cuppa. There are some croissants on the counter and some seasonal fruit for those who want to eat healthy.

I didn't get any writing done yesterday and I'm not sure I'm going to get any done today. However, I am going to sit down and stare at the electronic paper and see if any words fight their way out ...

 

[NotWise]

At least that's being acknowledged here. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has a program to buy-out homes in flood areas like that, with certain rules barring reconstruction or new construction. Low-lying areas, though are where the less-fortunate live, and even if they're bought-out for the full value of the property if it didn't flood, they still can't afford to live on higher ground.

After the Black Hills flood in 1972, Rapid City condemned all the damaged properties they could and bought on the market most of what they couldn't condemn. They used Federal money to do that. Only a few large commercial structures were left in the flood zone. It's now city parks and other public facilities.

A lot of the involved residential property was middle-upper income on the west side of town and only lower income near downtown. It isn't my experience that floodplains are typically occupied by low-income populations.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

We have the flood plain problem as well. It's not necessarily related to productive soil, although that can indeed be a factor. For us, I think it's two things, the first being that the city was originally built near the rivers (plural) as that was convenient; nobody is willing to give up valuable property to move elsewhere.

The second? It's pretty. Like the mansions along the coast in Malibu, there's top-end housing lining some parts of our shores, the better to take in the lovely sight of the waters flowing by.

 

[Belegon]

Filling my coffee cup, though it's technically afternoon here in Appalachia. My memories of firestorms are mostly relative to 2007, since that was right before I relocated from San Diego. The home I grew up in was in a mandatory evacuation zone during the Sycuan Fire and that was rather stressful. Flames came within a couple hundred yards of my mother's home. She was safe in Chula Vista with my family. I was on her roof with a garden hose. The brave men and women fighting the fire saved the neighborhood, but my efforts helped guard against blowing embers if nothing else. A burning piece of bark or similar can get up in those Santa Ana winds and catch a home several hundred yards away. I ended up with smoke inhalation and a renewed respect for our firefighters.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Well, I won't be able to write today. I did something stupid and read The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin ...

 

[MrPixel]

... C does not know I bought her a gently-used iPad that runs all the latest stuff. ...

It arrived late yesterday. It took several hours to put into order the way she wanted to use it, especially taking care of the stuff that didn't work on her old iPad.

She's giddy, and to her credit is exploring the new tech. I'll take the hero-of-the-day award and hang it on the wall. Tomorrow?... we'll see.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Well, I won't be able to write today. I did something stupid and read The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin ...

Classic sci-fi, but not heart-warming; cold indeed.

 

[dmallord]

Well, I won't be able to write today. I did something stupid and read The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin ...

You? I clicked on your link and felt the darkness of space along with her.

Fortunately, I have already sent my Hammer story to Kenji for editing. So my mind is in free fall at the moment, and the urge to use electronic paper is not as itchy right now.

 

[ishtat]

These fires are not an insurance problem. The problem is that various government authorities allow developers to build houses with combustible materials. The insurance industry, more particularly the Re-insurance industry has never got any sense out of the California legislatures. They're gunna just walk away. The re-insurance industry has lost money for 8 of the last 9 years in California.

Our government in Sydney is at the moment considering raising the height of our water supply dam' so that they can build 100,000 houses on the "protected" land below, and raise more revenue. A Re-insurer, Munich Re I think (The world's biggest) said if you guys do that they will not cover any insurer in the area. They are having a re-think but developer influence in State and local government is absurdly strong.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I've got a fresh pot of coffee brewing for those who need some to get going. The teapot is hot for those who want a cuppa. There are cookies on the counter and the grill is hot if anyone wants to cook up their breakfast. The fixings for breakfast are next t the grill. Today we also have biscuits (dry flour) and gravy (wet flour) to go with your eggs.

I'm going to try to get some writing done today. I didn't get any done yesterday but I am determined to do some today so I'll be over in the corner banging my head on the keyboard ...

 

[NotWise]

They are having a re-think but developer influence in State and local government is absurdly strong.

In my experience, that is not only true, but highly detrimental to any community that can't control their influence.

 

[Duleigh]

 

[NotWise]

The weather tomorrow should be OK, and the Broncos are going in healthy. We can't ask for better chances.

 

[Duleigh]

The Broncos have always been my #2 team (Chief were #3 until they kept standing in our way), in fact I'll cheer for any of the original 8:
Buffalo Bills
Boston Patriots (Now New England Patriots)
Dallas Titans (Now Kansas City Chiefs)
Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers (Now the Tennessee Titans)
Los Angeles Chargers (then San Diego Chargers, now Los Angeles Chargers)
New York Titans (Now New Jersey Jets)
Oakland Señors (Quickly changed to Oakland Raiders, then the Los Angeles Raiders, then the Oakland Raiders, now the Las Vegas Raiders. Any wonder why they're called the Traitors?)

 

[NotWise]

Oakland Señors (Quickly changed to Oakland Raiders, then the Los Angeles Raiders, then the Oakland Raiders, now the Las Vegas Raiders. Any wonder why they're called the Traitors?)

When a franchise moves to get upgraded facilities, the outcome is often not so great. That was at least part of the reason why the Raiders kept moving. Look at the LA Chargers now. They're a good team in a great new facility, and their few fans can be outnumbered by the visitors.

 

[Duleigh]

When a franchise moves to get upgraded facilities, the outcome is often not so great. That was at least part of the reason why the Raiders kept moving. Look at the LA Chargers now. They're a good team in a great new facility, and their few fans can be outnumbered by the visitors.

Very true. The Oilers --> Titans move wasn't too painful because Tennessee was aching for a football team, and Dallas --> KC was so long ago whatever wounds they had are long gone, But what the hell is with Los Angeles? The Rams, Raiders, and Chargers in and out, back and forth, they might as well play on the tarmac at LAX.

Researching these moves I discovered a bit of Buffalo History I never heard before. Buffalo's pre-AFL connection to the NFL. The following NFL teams played in Buffalo:
Buffalo All-Stars (1915–1917)
Buffalo Niagaras (1918)
Buffalo Prospects (1919)
Buffalo All-Americans (1920–1923)
Buffalo Bisons (1924–1925)
Buffalo Rangers (1926)
Buffalo Bisons (1927–1929)

These were all the same team pretty much, pro football was a very bizarre world back then and several of these teams were championship teams. However one glaring fact gets my Bills Mafia blood boiling: As of 2022, no All-Americans, Bisons or Rangers player had been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It is currently the longest existing team to have never contributed a player to the Hall.

 

[HandleyPage]

Our snow is vanishing (praise the Lord), and the Weather man reckons is going to be 'temperatures in the low + for the next few days", which is encouraging.
Some coffee is well over-due and a much is definitely on order (it's lunchtime).

I do hope that the citizens of LA are OK.
73
HP