Fire, Wild Fire, Witch Fire And Fire Storms!

All of a sudden there seems to be a lot of fires raging around in America and Google trends. Fires in
San Diego, wildfires in California, Rice fire, fallbrook fire, etc. etc. Are arsonists at work or are they just plain accidents or is nature having fun with us humans?!! Here is the latest news stories and more on all the fires that is raging across America. Will be updated on an hourly basis.

• Wildfires seen as eclipsing the Ceder fire of 2003 (San Diego Union-Tribune)

  9:22 a.m. Oct. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE): The fires ravaging San Diego County are expected to get much worse before they get better. Over the next two days, city and county officials expect the fires will eclipse the damage caused by the 2003 Cedar fire, the worst wildfire on record in California. 14 hours ago

• U-Haul Offers 30 Days of Free Storage to Southern California Fire Evacuees (PrimeNewswire via Yahoo! Finance)

  LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22, 2007 -- U-Haul Companies of San Diego and San Fernando Valley have joined together to offer 30 days of free storage to Southern California families who need to move their belongings away from the growing fire. 13 hours ago

• Alerts relating to the fire: Parts of Del Mar advised to evacuate (North County Times)

  DEL MAR ---- Advisory evacuations have been ordered for several Del Mar neighborhoods, including the east side of Crest Road, Oribia Road, San Dieguito Road, Avenida Primavera and Serpentine Drive. 4 hours ago

• Wildfire Update: Fire Breaks Out in Fallbrook (News 8 San Diego)

  A fire reported in Fallbrook Monday became the sixth to plague San Diego County as firefighters scrambled personnel and resources. 17 hours ago

• Fallbrook gearing up for overnight fight with fire (North County Times)

  Staff reports Firefighters in Fallbrook are gearing up to battle a resurgence of flames in the Rice Canyon fire, which began as a small fire on Fallbrook's outskirts, but is moving quickly toward the historic town. All 40,000 residents of Fallbrook have been ordered to evacuate the area. The fire has eaten up about 750 acres and is spreading. It is moving toward Fallbrook on Reche Road, ... 6 hours ago

• Fallbrook gearing up for overnight fight with fire (North County Times)

  Staff reports Firefighters in Fallbrook are gearing up to battle a resurgence of flames in the Rice Canyon fire, which began as a small fire on Fallbrook's outskirts, but is moving quickly toward the historic town. All 40,000 residents of Fallbrook have been ordered to evacuate the area. The fire has eaten up about 750 acres and is spreading. It is moving toward Fallbrook on Reche Road, ... 6 hours ago

• Fire crews determined to make stand in Fallbrook (North County Times)

  A fire jumped Interstate 15 and stormed into Fallbrook late Monday night, weaving a path of destruction through a wide swath of the unincorporated community as it surged west and sent residents fleeing to the coast. 11 minutes ago

• Fire still spreading as home toll rises (San Diego Union-Tribune)

  NANCEE E. LEWIS / Union-Tribune Brian Botelho, 15, sits in the back of his aunt's truck, managing four dogs and several puppies, as they evacuate from Cotera Via Street, near Barrett Junction. They were forced to leave two horses and five goats behind as the fire approached their home. 5 hours ago

• Firestorm 2007: 6 a.m. Monday (Ramona Sentinel)

  Kean Keaton 21.OCT.07 "Our beautiful country town is destroyed," said Mike Colburn of Ramona after his drive out of town showed several houses on fire and others burned to the ground. 6 hours ago

• Firestorm 2007: All of Ramona evacuated, Witch Fire crosses into Estates; Barona Mesa evacuated (Ramona Sentinel)

  Kean Keaton 21.OCT.07 The Witch Fire was reported crossing into San Diego Country Estates behind Rutherford Road on the northwest side of Ramona at 8:22 p.m Sunday, and fire officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for all of Ramona, including San Diego Country Estates and the Barona Mesa area. 12 hours ago

• Oct. 22, 10:25 a.m.â��Fires burning in Lake Arrowhead and Green Valley have forced evacuations and closed highways. (Big Bear Grizzly)

  Portions of North Lake Arrowhead and the communities of Green Valley Lake, Running Springs and Arrowbear are under evacuation orders due to brush fires burning in Grass Valley and Green Valley Lake. The Grass fire burning near Lake Arrowhead is being whipped by winds reported at 60 mph. 13 hours ago

• Fire Threatens 1,500 Homes In Lake Arrowhead (CBS 2 Los Angeles)

  A number of communities in the San Bernardino Mountains are under mandatory evacuations, including Deer Lodge Park, Green Valley Lake, Running Springs, Arrowbear and Twin Peak. FIRE WATCH: Complete Fire Coverage SLIDESHOW: Lake Arrowhead Fire Lake Arrowhead Fire Fact Sheet 13 hours ago

• Fire destroys homes, more threatened (Big Bear Grizzly)

  Oct. 22, 6 p.m.—The Slide fire near Green Valley lake has grown to 1,500 acres, destroyed 10 homes and 400 more are threatened. The Grass Valley fire near Lake Arrowhead has destroyed 113 homes, and 1,500 more structures are threatened. 6 hours ago

• Malibu Fires Ravage one of the only Castles in Los Angeles (TheCelebrityCafe.com)

  Malibu Fires Ravage one of the only Castles in Los Angeles 4 hours ago

• Calif. Fires Force 300,000 to Flee (Washington Post)

  After region's driest year on record, massive brush fires destroy homes from Los Angeles to San Diego. 10 hours ago

• One dead, thousands evacuated in US fires (Sydney Morning Herald)

  LOS ANGELES: Thousands of Southern Californian homes could be at risk in the coming days as powerful winds continue to stoke fires that have killed one person, destroyed 31 houses and forced thousands of people to evacuate homes from the celebrity enclave of Malibu to the Mexican border. 17 hours ago

• Hundreds of thousands flee California wildfires (AFP via Yahoo! News)

  More than 250,000 people fled their homes as out-of-control wildfires raged across California on Monday, prompting authorities to draft in the US military to support weary firefighters. 13 minutes ago

• Wind-fuelled wildfires rage across tinder-dry California (AFP via Yahoo! News)

  Wind-whipped wildfires raged across California on Monday, sparking mass evacuations and besieging thousands of homes and buildings from Los Angeles to the Mexican border. 14 hours ago

• Wildfires rage in southern California (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

  A dozen wildfires stoked by gusting winds burned out of control in southern California on Sunday, killing one person in San Diego and forcing thousands to evacuate homes from the celebrity enclave of Malibu down to the Mexican border. 15 hours ago

• Calif. Fires Force 250,000 to Evacuate (KTAR 92.3 Phoenix)

  SAN DIEGO (AP) - Wildfires fanned by fierce desert winds forced the evacuations of nearly 250,000 people Monday in San Diego County, including hundreds who were being moved by school bus and ambulance from a hospital and nursing homes. 13 hours ago

• Firefighters Protect Homes In Foothill Ranch (NBC 4 Los Angeles)

  Firefighters in Foothill Ranch defend homes from a wall of flames generated by an arson fire. 16 hours ago

• Santiago Canyon Fire Scorches 15,000 Acres In O.C. (CBS 2 Los Angeles)

  An arson fire started in the hills near Santiago Canyon and the 241 toll road charred some 15,000 acres and prompted the evacuation Monday of 380 inmates from the James A. Musick jail and voluntary departures from three streets in Foothills Ranch, officials said. SLIDESHOW: Irvine Brush Fire FIRE WATCH: Complete Fire Coverage Irvine Fire Fact Sheet 3 hours ago

• O.C. Fire 30 Percent Contained (KABC-TV Los Angeles)

  A 15,000-acre fire that was deliberately set in the hills near Santiago Canyon is 30 percent contained. 21 hours ago

• Witch Creek Fire Update: Fires Merge; More Than 10,000 Acres Burned (News 8 San Diego)

  Fire officials' worst fear was confirmed Monday morning when the 10,000-acre Witch Creek Fire, which started in northeast San Diego County, merged with the San Pasqual Valley fire. 17 hours ago

• Firestorm 2007: All of Ramona evacuated, Witch Fire crosses into Estates; Barona Mesa evacuated (Ramona Sentinel)

  Kean Keaton 21.OCT.07 The Witch Fire was reported crossing into San Diego Country Estates behind Rutherford Road on the northwest side of Ramona at 8:22 p.m Sunday, and fire officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for all of Ramona, including San Diego Country Estates and the Barona Mesa area. 12 hours ago

• Wind-driven Witch fire burns 8,000 acres (San Diego Union-Tribune)

  RAMONA, Oct. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE): Fire officials evacuated the entire community of Ramona late last night as the Witch fire consumed at least 8,000 acres and sent flames more than 100 feet into the air. 22 hours ago

Amazing India - Facts And Pictures

The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.

INDIA has been called Bharat even in Satya yuga (Golden Age )

Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. (a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987).

The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.

Chess was invented in India.

Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.

The' place value system' and the 'decimal system' were developed in 100 BC in India.

The first six Mogul Emperor's of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.

The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ' 80-tonne ' piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola

India is.......the Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world AND one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10, 000 years old).

The game of snakes & ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat.' The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh.

Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.

India has the most post offices in the world !

The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people !.

The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The father of medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

Although modern images & descriptions of India often show poverty, India was one of the richest countries till the time of British in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth and was looking for route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

The art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh 6000 over years ago. The very word 'Navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.

Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. His calculations was - Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: ( 5th century ) 365.258756484 days.

The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, which was long before the European mathematicians.

Algebra, trigonometry and calculus also originated from India. Quadratic equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 ( i.e 10 to the power of 53 ) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C. during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12( 10 to the power of 12 ).

Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. ( Source . Gemological Institute of America )

The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

Sushruta is regarded as the father of surgery. Over 2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones and also plastic surgery and brain surgeries.

Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

India also celebrates the birthday of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President and Vice-President and great statesman, as "Teachers' Day".

Born on September 5, 1888, at Tiruttani, 40 miles to the north-east of Madras, Radhakrishnan grew to become the most famous Indian teacher and philosopher of all times. In his honour, this day is celebrated as Teacher's Day.

He was also the Vice-President of India from 1952-1962. He held the office of the Chancellor, University of Delhi, before taking over as the President of India in May 1962.

"What makes a nation, is the past, what justifies one nation against others is the past", says the noted historian Eric Hobsbawm.

Hence, when talking of a nation, it becomes very imperative that the past should also be talked about. And the past of India is as fascinating and interesting as it is momentous.