Quickly, to the U.N. weather machine!

Well, those wildfires in Southern California have caused more than one billion dollars worth of damage so far. High winds are whipping up more flames than we can hold back. I wonder what the President has to say about it.

"I wish we could control the wind," Bush said.

Um . . . yeah. I never thought I'd have turn to Schwarzenegger for a coherent statement.

You know what? I'm not going to. Let's check out the photos:


Wow. I hope everyone ends up okay -- as opposed to homeless or, you know, dead -- but that's a pretty awesome photo. I think fire is the most photogenic of natural disasters.

(And yes, I am the guy at the campsite who will stare at the campfire for hours on end. I cannot help it. Leave me alone. That big log in the middle is about to go.)

Let's try to get a bit more perspective:


This one's from space. It's not as flashy as that first photo, but I think the impact is greater. It gives you a look at how many different spots are burning, and how strong those Santa Ana winds can be.

Until we learn to control them, of course. Maybe if we all wish really hard . . .