Is anyone familiar with Southern California? My son lives in Pasadena, and he doesn't have much communication with us. (he's a doctoral student who is too busy for mom and dad. . .) I been trying to find out if there are any fires near there, but I can't find any information about the Pasadena area. Maybe that's because they're not affected yet? I could use a geography lesson. If anyone is affected, my heart goes out to you. I wish there was some way to help. What we in the midwest are seeing on TV is just awful.

lindaa- I am in the heart of the wildfires and your son is safe in Pasadena. The smoke has probably not even reached him. As of today there have been appx 350,000 acres burned and 500.000 persons displaced into high schools, churches, mall parking lots and the Qualcomm Stadium.

I brought $200 groceries to a parking lot full of people and was surprised to see how effective San Diegan charity is already...they had plenty and were using a "sharing" system between "camps".

Pray for those who lost their homes and for all of the living things that take decades to come back, and count your blessings.

Peace Out

The Civil Rights Museum probably isn't a good idea, then, at least not for several years. It's very, very strong.

I might have to go see the Creation Museum, just to see it. I don't know when I'd have time though, since I'm swamped right now. I'm trying to graduate in May and I'm trying to avoid getting blasted by my advisor (because I am WAY behind where I should be). This is my schedule for the next several months: Get the final draft of my proposal finished by the end of October (should have been done three semesters ago); have all my tapes watched, data collected, and data analyzed by mid-November; take my comprehensive exams from my committee members in early December; have the first draft of my thesis finished by late January; second thesis draft by late February; do a presentation over my thesis material at a conference in early April; defend my thesis research in early April; get the final draft of my thesis to the graduate school in mid-April; graduate in May.

You sound like you shouldn't be on LBT for lack of time I hated graduate school -- not enough free time. Best of luck to you!

LMK if you ever do get to the Creation Museum. I'd love to discuss it with you. If you do decide to go, go on a weekday and not in the summer. We went on a Friday and it was so crowded it was like a gauntlet to get through the rooms. They are getting waaaayyyy more people than they expected. There are some things about it that you won't like because of the Biblical references, but the scientific aspects would be of interest to you.

lindaa- I am in the heart of the wildfires and your son is safe in Pasadena. The smoke has probably not even reached him. As of today there have been appx 350,000 acres burned and 500.000 persons displaced into high schools, churches, mall parking lots and the Qualcomm Stadium.

I brought $200 groceries to a parking lot full of people and was surprised to see how effective San Diegan charity is already...they had plenty and were using a "sharing" system between "camps".

Pray for those who lost their homes and for all of the living things that take decades to come back, and count your blessings.

Peace Out

Sunchickie, where are you? The people we're staying with in Nashville don't have cable so all my news has been from the internet and family. News reports are saying 1,000,000 people evacuated thus far. It's mind boggling. Are you doing OK?

You sound like you shouldn't be on LBT for lack of time I hated graduate school -- not enough free time. Best of luck to you!

LMK if you ever do get to the Creation Museum. I'd love to discuss it with you. If you do decide to go, go on a weekday and not in the summer. We went on a Friday and it was so crowded it was like a gauntlet to get through the rooms. They are getting waaaayyyy more people than they expected. There are some things about it that you won't like because of the Biblical references, but the scientific aspects would be of interest to you.

Yep, I shouldn't be here. I truly don't have the time, or at least shouldn't be using my time for this. I just don't wanna do my proposal! I work a little on it and get frustrated and then come blow off steam here.

goddamn &%@#ing fires...now we are going to have even more thrice damned californians moving to Oregon...

DerickM

uummmmmmmmmmmm..why would I want to move to Oregon again???? For the rain perhaps? or the gloom? Or the make-believe poets? Or the left-over grunge scene? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

finally a cali with some sense! yes, please stay the hell away! and spread the word to your brethren that up north there are half-wild-ape-men who eat small children and they voted for bush twice! (anything, just keep 'em away or convince them to keep going NORTH!!! let them be Washington's problem for awhile

its the big city types that are ruining Oregon

they come up to visit and see some deer and various woodland animals

so they sell thier house in cali and move here and spend thousands of dollars on landscaping

then the deer that they so loved upon thier initial visit eat the landscaping so they raise a ruckus for the city to kill the deer

then a few years later they piss and moan about urban sprawl (bought on by thier ilk from big cities down south and to the east building massive 1000+ home subdivisions)

then they bemoan the loss of the pretty deer and animals that were once so abundant when the first came here...

Everything I just wrote above is exactly has happened (minus the sarcasm of course)

I have to stop reading the local newspaper...it just ends up pissing me off.

FYI- Derrick- you should get out more often. We have extensive back country here and even DEER, yes DEER. We also have cougar coyote bobcat raccoon skunk birds bees etc. Perhaps you could evolve into a less shallow human being and realize that the post was about thousands and thousands of persons really suffering physically and emotionally, who woke up at a parking lot this morning without a home, people who are concerned about others before themselves. Those people consist of a very diverse group of immigrants and native Californians. All here with open arms. We evolve, we co-exist, we support each other. Do we have jerky people here,too? You bet! So evolve. It takes very little effort to be small minded.

and FYI we don't call it Cali.

I could care less what you call it. I was speaking of big city people in any case, and the people you speak of, i feel for them and my tax dollars will be wasted to go to "help" them somehow.

also, why did you feel the need to point out that you are a "diverse" group? Is there something wrong with that? would a group that consisted solely of Hispanics "do better" or a group of "white people"? and your calling me small minded!!!

Welcome to the Internet, Grow a thicker skin