John Drake

Nothing belonged to Mexico in the 18th century. It belonged to Spain.

Some celebrities came through without a loss. Others wiped out. Interesting note: I saw many pro-Gaza accounts on X celebrating the fact that actor James Woods lost his house. Turns out his house is okay. There is a celebrity/A-Lister chart in this story: https://nypost.com/2025/01/10/entertainment/james-woods-home-survives-la-fires-after-he-thought-he-lost-it-forever/

The National Weather Service was on top of this situation from the beginning. They began issuing alerts a week before the fire, and their alerts continued to escalate until the fire broke out. How did the state and the city respond to these alerts?

Good question. How much prepositioning was in place? I don't want to read cut and paste jobs from gavinnewsomdotcom trying to explain away ill preparedness. However bad this fire was going to be, preparation could have mitigated some things. If nowhere else, at least around the edges. The below National Weather Service alert went out a day before the fires began.

I'm inclined to agree with your suspicions, and I'm seeing all sorts of claims on X about foreign gangs setting fires and then looting. I just want some agency that is credible to lay out the scenario.

The National Weather Service issued a fire alert/warning for LA a week before the fires. What preparations came of it? Why did the mayor check out and head for Ghana?

100 percent of "disaster response?" Wonder how that breaks down. And for the next 6 months? Can Biden direct the federal response to continue as he wants after he is out of office?

If deliberate, who is setting them? Any news or ideas?

Where are the new reservoirs? Where are the firefighters after cutting their budget by $17 million?

Eventually, all the owners of those ultra expensive homes in Pacific Palisades are going to need to get a rebuild permit from the California Coastal Commission. Watch their eruption when one after another they're denied.

It seems to me that a lot of these elephant sanctuaries are suspect. Wasn't the Swiss doctor kicker in Phuket running one of these "non-profits" and living high off the hog?

Why is mayor Karen Bass in Ghana while her city is burning down?

Partially. But population seems to be part of the problem. Just too many people in California consuming limited resources in an arid and semi-arid environment. Having 20 million there in the 70s was probably too many people. Having 40 million there now is unsupportable.

Just stuff I'm seeing on Twitter/X but it's all reporting that reservoirs were not refilled. No water to fight the fires. Just like Maui. Don't know if this true, but if it is . . .

LA Fire live dispatch. https://www.broadcastify.com/webPlayer/38651

Where's Newsom? Where's the mayor? No water coming out of the fire hydrants?

Western advanced economies who have done their bit to reduce CO2 and other environmental pollutants now need to enact sanctions against Thai agricultural and industrial exports, which are contributing an outsized proportion of environmental pollutants.

Wait and see. He doesn't need his base anymore. His number one goal is to be loved by the "right people." Forgot to add, btw, my usual prediction that Trump is going to end up going soft on China, too.

Trump is saying all this stuff about the Gulf, Panama, and Greenland, because he intends to betray his base on immigration, H1Bs, free speech, and crime-filled cities. Combine this betrayal with his thoroughly incompetent administrative ability and you'll probably have AOC or the likes of Cori Bush elected in a landslide for the 2028 presidential election.

Personally, I'd prefer some South Sea islands that might let me live cheaper than Thailand. Don't care for Greenland's cold. Come on, Donald, force the French out of Tahiti and take it over, instead.

Has the wife covered herself with tattoos in his absence?

Vendors never caused any hardship for me. Should leave them alone. They're part of what a lot of tourists come to see, too.

I took out a post office box at the Taling Chan post office in Bangkok. It has absolutely zero problems. I've ordered books and received them from the UK and US in four or five days. PO Box rent is only 500 baht/year.

This turn happened because of Musk's H1B fiasco. He completely altered the conversation on Twitter/X from being about his H1B rant to all of a sudden going on about the UK. "Look, a squirrel."

Just asked Elon's Grok "Why is Trump irritated with Elon Musk?" I got this answer: Trump's irritation with Elon Musk appears to be multifaceted based on the provided information. Here are the key points: Frequent Presence at Mar-a-Lago: Trump has been privately complaining about Musk being "clingy," which suggests that Musk's frequent presence at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's residence, has become bothersome to him. This is highlighted in the TARGET_POST_TO_ANALYZE where Trump reportedly called Musk "clingy" (). Desire for Attention: According to CNN journalist Kara Swisher, as Trump's political power grows, Musk's increasing need for attention could create friction. Swisher suggests that Trump will eventually be "irritated" by Musk’s desire for the spotlight, drawing a comparison to the movie Highlander where "there can be only one" (). Overstepping Role: Musk's near-constant presence at Mar-a-Lago and his involvement in important meetings and calls have been perceived as overbearing by some in Trump's inner circle. Sources mention that Musk's aggressive pushing of his views might be overstepping his role in Trump's transition team (). Nickname and Public Perception: The nickname "President Musk" has been used satirically, suggesting that Musk might be overshadowing Trump. This has likely contributed to Trump's discomfort with Musk's presence and behavior (). Policy Differences: There's potential for conflict over policy, particularly regarding China, as Musk's close ties with China could harm his relationship with Trump, who might have different views on foreign policy (). In summary, Trump's irritation with Musk seems to be due to Musk's frequent and clingy presence, his desire for attention which competes with Trump's own spotlight, Musk's potentially overbearing involvement in Trump's transition, public perception issues exemplified by the "President Musk" nickname, and potential policy disagreements, particularly over China.