Interesting that the President is threatening to withhold federal funding from California, even though the fire started on federal land. Guess he finds it easier to blame others before people realize that the federal government bears most of the responsibility for forest management. California isn't even allowed to perform any maintenance on federal forests without special permission. It's also harder to plan controlled burns when drought is a year round thing. Don't want to turn areas into desert either by removing all the plant life. Very tough problem. I am keeping all those affected in my prayers.

And you entirely misunderstand what is happening in California. Read the headlines. The fires that are killing people out there are not forest fires, they are wild fires, a totally different beast. A fire in an old growth forest moves slowly, giving people time to flee. In fact, your picture shows the problem. The old "unmanaged" forest on the left forms a natural windbreak that will slow the fire's spread. It's also where the wildlife will choose to live. The "properly managed" area on the right allows a 40 MPH wind to blow straight through, spreading fire through the underbrush at that same speed. I live in the middle of a forest in Michigan where lumber companies have "managed" it. They cut down the old hardwoods, and replaced them with fast growing pines. They choose varieties that grow tall and straight and drop most of their lower branches. Then the canopy deflects the wind down through the old dead branches and brush at ground level, allowing any fire all the dry fuel and oxygen it needs to move fast. Thinning a forest and allowing more brush to grow in its place isn't going to help. During drought, the new little trees are going to burn up like match sticks. And California is dealing with a long term drought problem. If the area from your picture in Montana was subjected to the same hot, dry, windy conditions as in Paradise, all the trees on both sides would suffer the same fate during a fire. Forest management has nothing to do with it. If you know of a lumbering company that will issue a warranty guaranteeing that their work will prevent fires, please tell me so I can check into it. It's not a situation where politics should be coming into play. The weather was the cause of the fire, and no amount of "management" is going to restore water to the trees and brush and grass so that it won't burn so fast.

A natural, UNMANAGED forest has its own special beauty. Just as with hurricanes, people have to take threats from disasters more seriously. Logging leaves behind debris and opens more area for brush to grow. It's the dry brush, hot temperatures, and high winds that cause the fires to spread so fast in the first place. It's why a place that suffered a devastating forest fire one year can have another 10 years later, long before trees have become a forest again. Dried out plants are just going to burn. No amount of so-called management is going to stop that, unless you choose to defoliate the area completely. This is not a new problem out west, and it is likely to keep happening for the foreseeable future.

Many people don't have the money it takes to buy an Apple product. Windows 10 works great for me on my 2 computers, but I would switch over to Linux before spending so much on an Apple. The people who think that Apple doesn't gather personal information the way Windows does would be wise to investigate further. It would also be wise to consider whether your removable hard drives, cameras, web cameras, USB microphones, etc. will work or even connect to an Apple computer.

Also right click on an empty part of the desktop screen and select "Display settings" and check the "Resolution." The update might have changed your screen resolution and pushed the task bar off the visible area.

The unpredictable part is that every place you go has its own unique combination of particles and allergens in the air. Keep closely tuned into how you are feeling, and don't simply try to tough it out if symptoms worsen. Any area that sits in a valley can allow stagnant air to form, but those areas also have their good periods too.

I read that Lindsey was suing for his share of the profits: over $2 million. It's no wonder why old groups keep touring. Their pay for one season is more than most people will earn in a lifetime.

Many of the fires out west are grass and brush fires having nothing to do with forestry management. Until we find a way to control the weather, these things are just going to happen.

I mentioned paint.net, but didn't go into detail about it. Back on page 2. It is much more than a paint drawing type program. Not hard to figure out either.

I keep GIMP installed and concentrate on learning one thing at a time. Sharpening was the first, and it worked great. Paint.NET has good features and is also free. I use Irfanview frequently for various tasks. You don't have to use just one program to edit a photo. Photoshop Express has simple controls that are good enough for many people. There are free tutorials out there for every program. Here's a YouTube video showing a few choices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X3r3QkvjI8

Darn silly answer. It was already shown by trial and error that Mojave didn't work correctly on that computer, but HS did. No new operating system is without bugs that need to be fixed.

I have noticed lots of people shopping at the Christmas displays in stores in my area, so apparently it works. If it puts people in a good mood, it's a good thing. Just sad that folks have forgotten that the holiday is NOT about Santa.

Interesting thing is that you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free. https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/
I did it Saturday on a Windows 8.1 laptop, and it worked. Many people like Windows 7, but I really disliked Windows 8. The computer is actually more responsive now with 10. It did take about 5 hours though from start to finish.

Still had a Woolworth's when my family moved back to Bay City, MI in 1968. Also a Krege's around the counter. I enjoyed both snack counter areas, mostly for the excellent chocolate shakes both offered. When they closed down, the downtown area held little interest for me. I especially remember the old juice dispensing machines that circulated the liquid around the glass tank on top as a visual display.

Indeed, inflation has eaten up most of the wage increases. Maybe more dire is what inflation is doing to those on a fixed income. Retirees are a bigger percentage of the population than ever. We can't keep fueling the economy with increased deficit spending. Next year, deficit spending will be more than twice what it was during Obama's last year. Always a mistake to run that much of a deficit during a good economy.