Unforgettable Fires

Days burn out like flames. Years pass in the blink of an eye. Experts link this increasing phenomenon to the simple passage of time. 

Experts also say a clean, healthy lifestyle is the key to longevity. They say we should get plenty of rest, eat our greens, and not sit too close to the TV.

Wait a minute, that was my grandmother!

Our lives are filled with abundant distractions, busy news cycles, and information overload. It’s hard to focus on one thing at a time, like my audiobook backlog queue. As a result, certain events fade from the public consciousness.

The news media moves on in tandem with our emotional investment. It’s a natural part of life. There is no shortage of startling, tragic events today that remain a stark reminder of the dangerous realities of our world.

Fatal Miscalculation

On January 29, 2025, shortly before 9:00 pm, an midair collision occurred over the Potomac River in D.C. between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a UH-60 Black Hawk, killing all 64 passengers and crew on the airliner and all 3 crew of the helicopter.  

The instantaneous blast was captured by security cameras at Reagan National, among the nation’s busiest airports. Fiery pieces of aircraft plummeted into the freezing river below. Innocent lives were cut short mere minutes from landing, including entire families and U.S. Figure Skating athletes as young as 11.

We know enough now to determine negligence on the part of the Black Hawk (which was quite obvious from the start). Miscommunication with the understaffed traffic tower seemingly led to confusion, resulting in Flight 5342 being completely unnoticed by the helicopter crew.

The Black Hawk struck the descending airliner at an airspeed of 180 miles per hour. The military pilot and crew were conducting night vision training in one of the most heavily trafficked airspaces in the country. Why is this allowed?

The pilot, Captain Rebecca Lobach, was not known to the public for days after the crash “at the request of her family,” even after the names of her crew were released.

The recent litany of details reveal a perfect storm of human error responsible for this tragic loss of lives. What measures have the U.S. Military and the Government taken to prevent such unacceptable negligence? We’re still waiting for answers.

Los Angeles

California is no stranger to wildfires, but the latest inferno remains unparalleled to the LA metropolitan area, particularly Pacific Palisades. Throughout January, fires ravaged communities, leaving behind an apocalyptic wasteland rarely seen in any major American city.

Strong winds, dry brush, low humidity, and an ongoing drought likely contributed to extreme fire weather conditions that culminated in the destruction of 18,000 homes and structures and the deaths of 29 people. An overwhelming number of residents lost everything.

Days after the fires spread, LA Mayor Karen Bass returned from a trip to Ghana to announce that her office would do everything to combat the destruction. But by then, most of everything was already gone.

Californians deserve answers even as they remain resolute toward rebuilding their lives. State and local authorities were ill-prepared to deal with fires of this magnitude. Firefighters and first responders did all they could, but some areas didn’t even have water, among other issues.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have since launched internal investigations to identify the numerous factors involved. Do we expect any results?

One would think fire prevention and management would be at the top of the list of California priorities. We’re still waiting for answers.

Fire Walk with Me

“If you fail while living by your principles as an artist, you die once. If you fail while living by someone else’s you die twice.” – David Lynch

Like many, I was saddened over the loss of David Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025), one of our last great American filmmakers. He was a daring artist and true visionary whose work reached dizzying heights of originality and audaciousness.  

Hearing he had emphysema last year concerned me, but I assumed he’d pull through. Soon after he was reportedly evacuated from his LA home due to the encroaching wildfires, news of his death at 78 stunned unprepared fans.

A high school friend introduced me to much of Lynch’s work in the early ‘90s. Before then, Twin Peaks (1990 – 1991) was all the rage on TV, but I was too young to get into it. My first real introduction into Lynch world was Blue Velvet (1986), a surrealistic psychological film-noir thriller I recognized as art, baffling as it was.

I next saw the equally bizarre Nicolas Cage/Laura Dern road trip movie from hell, Wild at Heart (1990). And of course, I watched Eraserhead (1977), his cosmic black & white arthouse debut. Lost Highway (1997) and Mulholland Drive (2001) further cemented my fandom.

Years later, I consumed Twin Peaks fully, feeling more immersed in Lynch’s mystery/horror mosaic than any show before or after. My favorite of his films might be Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), the much-maligned and misunderstood follow-up to the hit series.

Lynch merged multiple genres and defied the rules of conventional storytelling. Growing up with his movies gave me a false sense of security that he’d always be around. I mourn the loss of a time when such artists were at the forefront of cinema.

We’ll never have another David Lynch, but his work lives on forever.