Drudge Retort: Califchris's blog

Fires Cause State of Emergency for LA

CalifChris — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:18:57 -0500

Last night around 10:30 p.m. a new fire started in Sylmar area of Los Angeles, CA. At of now a total of 6500 acres burned, more than 600 homes have burned to the ground, 2 people have died. 50 ft. flames and 70 mph winds literally caused firemen to flee one area as their hoses melted into the cement, and people who had not yet left their homes were grabbed by the firemen and thrown on to the firetruck in order to save their lives. There are now multiple fires (including in Orange County south of L.A.) and some have jumped over the freeways. Warnings have been given to conserve water and to expect "rolling "blackouts" as transformers have caught on fire. Periodic fire updates on CNN, Fox, and MSNBC and fulltime coverage on all local CA tv stations.

HAPPY 233rd BIRTHDAY TO THE USMC

CalifChris — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:22:00 -0500

November 10, 2008 is the 233rd birthday of the USMC. Semper Fi

Everyone on DR who's ever served in our military -- feel free to write about any stories of your time in the service (funny, sad, whatever) or give a written remembrance to any special buddies you served with who may not have made it back home again. Let's hear too from those on DR currently serving our country.

Mortgage Pioneer's Bank Fails

CalifChris — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:32:24 -0500

Regulators shut down Houston-based Franklin Bank and Security Pacific Bank in Los Angeles on Friday, bringing the number of failures of federally insured banks this year to 19. The co-founder and chairman of parent Franklin Bank Corp, Lewis Ranieri, is credited with inventing mortgage-backed securities two decades ago, but apparently was unable to save his own company from getting ensnared in the home-loan bust.

Missouri Votes To Make English State's Official Language

califchris — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:06:16 -0500

"Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved H.J. Res. 7 yesterday, strengthening the state's official English law. The measure passed with more than 85 percent of the vote, as 2.4 million Missourians cast ballots in favor of the measure. The approved measure makes English the official language of all official proceedings in Missouri, including the discussion of public business and roll call votes. It does not affect informal gatherings, social events, and as with all official English legislation, does not affect emergency services...."

BOO! What Was Your Favorite Halloween Costume As A Kid?

califchris — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:28:54 -0400

Just some Halloween fun to lighten up the usual news. What was your favorite Halloween costume when you were a little kid? How about your least favorite costume but your Mother forced you to wear it 'cause she thought you "looked adorable" in it? If you have little kids yourself, what costumes are they wearing this Halloween? And, if today you were seven years old again, what costume would you pick to wear for Halloween 2008? Also welcome are any memories of crazy Halloween parties and/or pranks from the past -- even if they landed you in jail.

Obama Must Open Trade w/Cuba For Off-Shore Oil

CalifChris — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:11:54 -0400

Mother nature ...appears to have blessed the island with enough oil reserves to vault it into the ranks of energy powers. [Cuba] announced there may be more than 20bn barrels of recoverable oil in offshore fields in Cuba's share of the Gulf of Mexico, more than twice the previous estimate. If confirmed, it puts Cuba's reserves on par with those of the US and into the world's top 20.

Obama, McCain Meet in Final Debate

califchris — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:39:56 -0400

A majority of debate watchers thought that Sen. Barack Obama won the third and final presidential debate, according to a national poll conducted at the end of the debate. Fifty-eight percent of debate watchers questioned in the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll said Democrat Obama did the best job in the debate, with 31 percent saying Republican Sen. John McCain performed best.

Stock Market Crash of 2008: How Low Can It Go?

califchris — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:52:05 -0400

"Douglas Jimerson, who is known for his prescient forecast five years ago of a bubble in U.S. real estate and later in commodities, and for previously advising his constituents to avoid stocks prior to the stock market crash of October 1987 and the crash of September 2001, is forecasting a probable stock market crash before October 15, 2008."

Attempted Rapist Dies During Home Invasion

CalifChris — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:33:55 -0400

A 52-year-old registered sex offender, David Meyers, died after allegedly breaking into a home nude intending to rape a 17-year-old girl. Meyers died after an altercation with the girl's father, either due to asphyxiation or a heart attack.

Washington Mutual Bank Collapses

CalifChris — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:03:11 -0400

JP Morgan Chase & Co. agreed to acquire Washington Mutual's deposits and branches for $1.9 billion after regulators seized the thrift in the biggest bank failure in U.S. history. Customers withdrew $16.7 billion from Washington Mutual accounts since Sept. 16, leaving it "unsound," Bank branches will open tomorrow and customers will have full access to all their accounts.

Brazil All Pumped Up Over Huge Off-Shore Oil Find

CalifChris — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:29:37 -0400

"Exploratory oil wells off Brazil's coastline indicate a vast pool of crude that could propel Brazil into the top tier of world energy producers...But foreign oil companies, whose investments helped make the recent discoveries possible, have been spooked by the Brazilian government's threat to shut them out of future projects...."

FBI Investigates Fannie, Freddie, AIG, Lehman

CalifChris — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:45 -0400

The FBI will investigate four major U.S. financial institutions whose collapse helped trigger a $700 billion bailout plan. The FBI is looking at potential fraud by mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and American International Group. Inquiries will focus on the financial institutions and the individuals that ran them.

Buchanan: Neocons Sink Hooks into Palin

CalifChris — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:38:10 -0400

"Will the neocons who tutored George W. Bush in the ideology he pursued to the ruin of his presidency do the same for Sarah Palin? Should they succeed, they will destroy her. [Neoncons] are moving even now to capture this princess of the right and hope of the party. [On] Tuesday, Palin was behind closed doors with Joe Lieberman and officials of the Israeli lobby AIPAC."

Palin Lied About Selling Her State's Jet on e-Bay

CalifChris — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:53:16 -0400

"Vice Presidential hopeful Governor Sarah Palin told fellow Republicans at the GOP Convention that she sold the states 20-year-old business jet, adding with a giggle that she put it on eBay.-- But she did not sell it on eBay." Nor, as McCain said in a speech today, did Palin sell it at a profit. Makes you wonder what other falsehoods Sarah Palin might be telling the American public.