1-year anniversary of LA Fires (1/7)

First anniversary commemoration of the Eaton Fire starts at 4:30 pm, Wednesday eve.

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Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster

Firestorm (Jacob Soboroff)

This hardcover -- released January 6, 2026 -- by victim and author Jacob Soboroff has 3.0 out of 5 stars (with 4 reviews) yet is somehow already a #1 Best Seller in Natural Disasters on Amazon.

Why? [It is] A "gripping, unshakeable firsthand account" (San Francisco Chronicle) of the firestorm that consumed Los Angeles, from the MS NOW reporter and New York Times bestselling author of Separated, who covered the fires on the ground as an LA native.

"Read[s] like a sci-fi thriller.” — Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles reporter Jacob Soboroff

[One year ago,] on the morning of January 7, 2025, a message pinged the phone of Jacob Soboroff, a national reporter for MS NOW. “Big Palisades fire. We are evacuating,” his brother texted within minutes of the blaze engulfing the hillside behind the home where he and his pregnant wife were living.

“Really bad.” An attached photo showed a huge black plume rising from behind the house, an umbrella of smoke towering over everything they owned. Jacob rushed to the office of the bureau chief. “I should go. I grew up in the Palisades.”

Pacific Palisades: 'They let us burn!' protest

Grocery Outlet of Altadena has been a hub for events since the Eaton Fire

(FOX 11 LA) Altadena's Grocery Outlet survives Eaton Fire flames

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  Michael Monks Reports | iHeart

  Eaton Fire gathering
• Grocery Outlet (at Mendocino)
• 2270 Lake Avenue, Altadena
• 4:30-7:00 pm, Jan. 7th, 2026
• RADIO: "LA Fires: One Year Later" on KFI 640 AM with Michael Monks at 7:00 pm
• A Concert for Altadena | Pasadena
• "They Let Us Burn" protest gathering in Pacific Palisades is taking place Wed., Jan. 7th by the seaside
• Spencer Pratt and wife Heidi announce reality TV's Spence will run to be California governor in outrage

Future PP Mayor Spencer Pratt

Soon he was on the front line of the blaze—his first live report of what would turn out to be weeks covering unimaginable destruction, from both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, in Altadena.

In the days to come, Soboroff appeared across the networks of NBC News as Los Angeles was ablaze, met with displaced residents and workers, and pressed California Gov. Gavin Newsom in an interview on Meet the Press.

But no story Soboroff has covered at home or abroad—the trauma of family separation at the border, the displacement of [NATO's] war in Ukraine, the [CIA's] collapse of order in Haiti—could have prepared him for reporting live as the hallmarks of his childhood were engulfed in flames around him while his hometown burned to the ground.

But for Soboroff, questions remained after the fires were controlled:

• What had he just witnessed?
• How could it have happened?
• Is it inevitable something like it will happen again?

(KTLA 5) Where's Kathryn Barger? Jews burned out of Pasadena

(NBCLA 4) Toxic? Preparation underway for ‘A Concert for Altadena'

This photo is very misleading because two LA fire departments stood down and let it burn.

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New date and location: Jan 11, 2026

This set Soboroff off on months of reporting—with firefighters, fire victims, political leaders, academics, earth scientists, wildlife biologists, meteorologists, and more—that made him keenly aware of how the misfortune of seeing his past carbonize was also a form of time travel into the dystopian world his children will inhabit.

• Eaton Fire Candlelight Vigil
• Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, 6:30 pm
• Altadena Town & Country Club
• 2290 Country Club Dr., Altadena, CA 91001

(KTLA 5) A year later: Remembering lives lost in Eaton and Palisades fires

Plans changed. See correct info above.

This is because the 2025 LA Fires were not an isolated tragedy, but rather they are a harbinger—"the fire of the future," in the words of one senior emergency—management official.

Firestorm is the story of the costliest wildfire in American history, the people it affected, and the deeply personal connection to one journalist covering it.

Eaton Fire burned LA foothills

It is a love letter to Los Angeles, a yearning to understand the fires, and why America’s new age of disaster we are living through portends that—without a reckoning of how Los Angeles burned—there is more yet, and worse, to come. More

• Who's to blame? - Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom
• What caused Eaton Fire? - SoCal Edison
• What caused Palisades Fire? - LAFD's Lachman Fire
• The windstorm contributed, but these were manmade disasters.
• (ABC News) Families try to find hope 1 year after the devastating LA wildfires
• (ABC News) Eaton and Palisades fires 1-year anniversary to be commemorated at events across SoCal
• Are we really spiritual or are we just fooling ourselves? — Science of the Spirit (sott.net)
• Jacob Soboroff (book); FOX 11 LA News; Grocery Outlet of Altadena; Gary and Shannon, Michael Monks (KFI 640 AM); compiled by Ken W., Paige, Editors, Wisdom Quarterly

Money, beauty! How can I love debt?

CEO Kiana Danial wants to get rich by offering to make you rich on linkedin.com

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Kiana Dufour signed. Wants rich spouse?

Do our names have anything to do with our life paths?

If one names a daughter "Kiana," will that benefit her more in terms of money or beauty, the main driving forces of a worldly life?

It would be best if she were virtuous, accruing profitable (kusala, wholesome) karma the Buddha called merit to gain the five most desirable things in this world, at least when looked at in the long term.

Name Numerology Calculator and What it Means (astrala.com)

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SUTRA: Five things everyone wants

What you want, get it by karma.

The Buddha: "O [rich householder], there are five wished for, pleasant, and agreeable things that are rare in the world. What are they? They are long life, beauty, happiness, fame, and [rebirth in] a heaven.

"But of these five things, O householder, I do no teach that they are to be obtained by prayer or by vows [making deals with God or the universe, promising to do something in exchange for a boon]. If one could obtain them by prayer or vows, who would not do it?

"For a noble disciple, O householder, who wishes to have long life, it is unbefitting to pray for longevity or to take delight in doing so. Instead, one should follow a path of [practice in] life that is conducive to longevity. By following such a path, one will obtain long life, be it human or divine.

"For a noble disciple, O householder, who wishes for beauty... happiness... fame... [rebirth in] a heaven, it is unbefitting to pray for them or to take delight in doing so. Instead, one should follow a path of life that is conducive to beauty... happiness... fame... [rebirth in] a heaven.

"By following such a path, one will obtain beauty, happiness, fame, and [rebirth in] a heaven." (AN 5.43)

(Jay Z) A "bitch" is dog, which the police are threatening to call to search

This vulgar and explicit hit song is about trying to get rich in America

How to get rich right now

I'm the most beautiful Kiana in
the world (Morales/listal.com)

There’s a huge misconception between good debt and bad debt. 💸 Both sit in the "liability" column on a balance sheet, but there’s a huge difference between the two, which is the critical differentiator between poor people and rich people:

Poor people have bad debt. 😖 Wealthy people take advantage of good debt. 🤑 In fact, right now, debt is my favorite type of income!

Our Million Dollar Family Accelerators have accomplished so much using leverage.💰 But be very careful not to confuse the two types of debt in day-to-day life. 🚨

OD Martinique: Kiana (Quebec MOI)

📉 Bad debt is a liability on something that doesn’t make money — like luxury bags, cars that depreciate in value, cable TV, and all the other things poor people go into debt for to look like what they think a rich people look like.

📈 In contrast, good debt, also known as funding or leverage (gearing), is defined by the money one may owe to acquire an asset, an investment. It’s something that reproduces after itself to make more wealth — like a skillset gained that will keep on giving for years to come.

Here are some debt strategies wealthy people use to generate wealth:

• 🏠 Leverage in Real Estate: Taking out a mortgage to invest in property can amplify returns.
• 💼 Investment Loans: Borrowing to invest in appreciating assets like stocks or funds.
• 📈 Business Expansion: Securing loans to expand or start a business.
• 💰 Tax Advantages: Borrowing against investments to fund purchases without triggering capital gains taxes can optimize wealth growth.
• 🎓 Education and Skill Development: Loans for education or skill enhancement that leads to higher income potential.

Remember, leveraging debt for wealth requires caution and an understanding of the risks involved.

🚨 Comment "Toolkit" to grab my risk management toolkit for free to start taking control of your financial future. 🛠️💪 More

SUTRA: Reasons for getting rich

Are we all agreed that these five are good?

The Buddha: "Householder, there are five reasons for getting rich. What are they?

"... A noble disciple with riches through work and zeal, gathered by strength of arm, earned by sweat of brow, justly obtained in a lawful way, makes oneself happy, glad, and keeps that happiness; one makes one's parents happy, glad, and keeps them so -- likewise wife and children and assistants.

"...When riches are gotten in this way, one makes friends and companions happy, glad, and keeps them so.

"...When riches are gotten in this way, bad luck... is warded off, and one keeps one's goods in safety.

"...When riches are gotten in this way, one makes the five oblations [pūjā] to one's kin, guests, spirits, kings, and deities.

"...When riches are gotten this way, the noble disciple institutes offerings of lofty aim, celestial, ripening in happiness, leading heavenward [to the deva planes, akasha loka, sagga], for all those recluses and good people who abstain from pride and indolence, who bear all things in patience and humility, each mastering self, each calming self, each perfecting self.

"Now if the wealth of that noble disciple, heeding these five reasons, comes to destruction, let that disciple consider: 'At least I have heeded those reasons for getting rich, but my wealth has gone!' Therefore, one is not upset.

"And if one's wealth increases, let one think: 'Truly, I have heeded those reasons and my wealth has grown!' Therefore, one will not be upset in either case." (AN 5.41)

Author Kiana Danial

ABOUT: Kiana Danial is a three-time bestselling author, former engineer, helping people take control of their financial futures and accelerate their freedom with Triple Compounding. She is the founder and CEO of Invest Diva.

• Kiana Dufour signing with Southern Mississippi women's soccer team has internet going nuts (BlackSportsOnline)
• Groupie Tales Archives (BlackSportsOnline)

#financialindependence #debt #budget #credit #assets #financialfreedom #financialindepedence #millionairemindset #wealthbuilding #investing #money #savemoney #savings #financialplanning #retireearly #wealth #networth #savingmoney #invest #goals #finance #saving #personalfinance #debtfree #loans #business #financialliteracy #rich #investdiva

• Kiana Danial, CEO: Debt; Brazilian athlete Kiana Dufour (BlackSportsOnline); Ven. Nyanaponika (trans.) via Hellmuth Hecker, Anathapindika: The Great Benefactor, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Q., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Buy Nothing Day: economic boycott

"Economic blackout" is planned for Friday, Feb. 28, 2025

Stick it to The Man! (Make him wait a day)

"Buy Nothing Day," will it work? Will American "consumers" really boycott capitalism and all the markets? An American meditation teacher in Chicago is sure they will at least take notice of the problem and help cement a lasting solution, unless the corporations align and undermine efforts to do anything but buy, sell, and shut up (while watching Netflix, chilling, and finding some legal source of inebriation to order online and have delivered by EV care of Postmates.com or some such Uber Lyft disruptor that makes our cushy life even easier and more dissatisfying.

• The Feb. 28, 2025, Economic Blackout | Occupy.com
• Int'l Buy Nothing Day | Northern Illinois University
• Buy Nothing Day after Thanksgiving - National Day

Southern California participates in the nationwide “economic blackout”

(KTLA 5) Feb. 26, 2025: KTLA's uber-nerd and slightly-spazzy David Lazarus reports on plans for a grassroots U.S. economic boycott this Friday.

Earl Nightingale's strangest Secret (audio)

Mr. + Mrs. Earl Nightingale; Steven Green; Ashley Wells, Kelly Ani, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

I would tell you how I made this money, but you'd have to pay me. (I work at the mint).

Steven Green testimony: I was given this record when I was 13, back in 1974. The first time I listened to it, it changed my life. I listened to it again and again then read books like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

I thought and grew rich: N. Hill

Since the first time I heard it, I have never been the same. Because of the motivation Earl Nightingale and Napoleon Hill taught me, I was the first in my family to graduate from college and left with a double major from one of the top U.S. universities.

Ten years after graduating, I was a CPA and owned millions of dollars worth of real estate I rented out. Ten years after that, I sold most of my real estate and paid my investors according to our agreement. I walked away with millions of dollars after taxes.

Best of all, I read the Christian version of the Jewish Bible and started believing in the Jesus in it. That was 22 years ago, although I come from a Jewish family. "God" [the Universe and me and my karma] gave me everything I have but used Earl Nightingale to motivate me to make it happen.

What I learned from this recording is the greatest lesson there is after knowing how God saved me and has a place in his deva kingdom waiting for me after he dismisses me from this prison life on earth.

Decline in marriages blamed on...

R.J. Johnson (@rickerthewriter, Sep. 11, 2019); Ashley Wells, Crystal Q., Wisdom Quarterly

If women can't find men to marry for love, what are they marrying for? (brilliantearth.com)

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Decline in marriages blamed on shortage of "economically-attractive" men

Love and marriage has been on the decline in America over the last decade, and one study from Cornell University may have found one of the reasons why.

According to the study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, this week, a shortage of "economically-attractive" men could be to blame for the recent decline in marriage rates.

According to data from the U.S. Census, in the 1950s, nearly 70 percent of eligible men and women were married, as compared to around 50 percent in 2018. Additionally, over the last 60 years, there's been an increase of nearly 10 percent in those people who report never getting married.

The reasons for this major demographic shift are numerous with many people delaying marriage, or a cultural shift in the perception of unmarried couples who live together, but researchers say, there's also an economic reason.

"Most American women hope to marry but current shortages of marriageable men -- with a stable job and good income -- make this increasingly difficult, especially in the current gig economy of unstable low-paying service jobs," said lead author Daniel T. Lichter, Ph.D., of Cornell University.

Unlike previous studies that looked into gender ratio discrepancies, researchers took an economic look at marriage and the potential spouses that are out there. The authors of the study say there's a major mismatch between what single men in the United States have to offer and what single women are willing to accept -- that is to say, women aren't getting married because all the good ones are taken.

Researchers used data collected by the American Community Survey on recent marriages between 2007 and 2012 and 2013 and 2017 and focused on specific socioeconomic characteristics that make a couple a good match for one another. Researchers used the data to create fake spouses and compared the socioeconomic characteristics to the actual rates of unmarried men to track the differences.

"This study reveals large deficits in the supply of potential male spouses. One implication is that the unmarried may remain unmarried or marry less well‐suited partners," the study said.

The fake, potential husbands had an income that was 55 percent higher than what single men in the U.S. actually earn. The hypothetical husbands were also 26 percent more likely to be employed, and 19 percent more likely to have a college degree. In other words, expectations are not meeting reality when it comes to dating.

Researchers also found that older women have an even smaller dating pool of economically-attractive men than younger women, who have a slightly easier time finding an acceptable partner. Well-educated women also have a shortage of economically desirable men as opposed to less-educated women.

"Marriage is still based on love, but it also is fundamentally an economic transaction," said Lichter. "Many young men today have little to bring to the marriage bargain, especially as young women's education levels on average now exceed their male suitors."

Billionaire for a Day (audio)

David Wright, The Madeleine Brand Show (scpr.org); Amber Dorrian, Wisdom Quarterly
Monty Burns, once the most despised man in America, is part of the one percent, making Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, Maggie, and just about everyone else in "Springfield" the 99%.

Kevin Roose lives in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, New York, and like most young Americans, he buys his clothes on sale, takes the subway whenever possible, and rarely eats at fancy restaurants.

But for one day, all his financial problems disappeared. Roose became a billionaire.

He didn't win the lottery. He didn't find out he was secretly related to

• Mexican Carlos Slim (the world's richest man)
• American Warren "Oracle of Omaha" Buffett, or
• British scandal-magnate Rupert Murdoch.
  

He didn't cash in merit in exchange for riches beyond belief. He didn't find it under his mattress (or his diversified portfolio which branched out to include his pillow case, coffee jar, and Wal-Mart fire safe). And he didn't dig up buried treasure.

Instead, Roose spent a day pretending he was an "ultra-high net worth individual." And he wrote about the experience for the New York Times' financial news site, Deal Book. The idea behind Roose's project was to better understand what it really feels like to have an virtually unlimited supply of money. LISTEN

• Kevin Roose's article at the New York Times
• Mexico's Slim widens lead as world's richest man
• Rupert Murdoch scandal spreads, staff arrested
• Donald Trump's transsexual beauty queen
  
• US offers $10 million reward for "terrorist"
  
• Casting doubt on murder of El Cajon Iraqi-American
  
• Tech Update: Google glasses and Facebook in your face
• Taking back forests back from illegal pot growers
• A look at the future of the SoCal nuclear power plant
• Airline rip off: getting charged for CARRY ON bags!
  

Rich and Poor have same economic views

LiveScience Staff

With the financial crisis weighing on everyone's minds, many debate whether our government's economic policies cater to the rich over the poor. But a new study finds it would be impossible to serve only one socioeconomic group, because people's preferences tend to be overwhelmingly similar when it comes to how the federal government should spend its money.

"Even if government wanted to respond only to the interests of the rich, it couldn't, because the rich and the poor tend to share similar political viewpoints -- at least on economic issues," said North Carolina State University political science researcher Chris Ellis.

Ellis and Joseph Ura, an assistant professor of political science at Texas A&M University, analyzed data from the General Social Survey on public opinion of government spending from 1973 to 2006. They found that, overall, the country would sway from being more fiscally conservative to more liberal, but that these trends occurred across all socioeconomics groups. In general, both rich and poor responded to changes in the nation's economic health, or the actions of the federal government, in broadly similar ways.

For example, the public's views of how the federal government should spend money on education, health care and the environment are similar regardless of socioeconomic level. Social issues, such as abortion, were not considered in the study. The researchers concluded that the federal government acts on the desires of all income groups either because it can't tell the difference between the preferences of the rich versus the poor, or because politicians wish to serve the public as a whole. The study was detailed in the Oct. 3 issue of the journal Political Science and Politics.

"This does not mean that the government is actually acting in the best interests of the poor, only that what the poor want is similar to what the rich want in terms of how the government appropriates its funds," Ellis said.

• The Long History of the 2008 Financial Mess
• Financial Fiasco: Can America Recover This Time?
• Forget Crystal Balls: Let the Power of Math Inform Your Future
• Original Story: Rich and Poor Have Same Economic Views