The thick smoke from the wild fires in Los Angeles and from the other fires across California is now reaching as far as Las Vegas, Nevada and even Denver, Colorado — that’s a distance of over 1,000 miles. NASA has also sent in photos of the smoke, which is quite visible from space.

Among the servicers participating in the government’s mortgage modification program is a new recruit that’s not like the others. PennyMac, a firm founded by the former president and chief operating officer of Countrywide, buys distressed home loans on the cheap with the goal of modifying them and later selling them for a profit.

The report from the new commander in Afghanistan, and former head of black-ops during the Bush-era, General McChrystal is finally completed and is being reviewed by the Pentagon & NATO. The report, not made available to the press, reviews the 8 year-long war in Afghanistan. McChrystal made this very short statement today:”The situation is serious, but success is still achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of efforts.”

Today is the start of the 3rd world climate conference. It is organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It is hosted by Switzerland, and takes place between August 31 to September 4.

The fires in Los Angeles may be engulfing television and radio antennas on Mount Wilson this evening, causing viewers that use antennas to lose 22 channels, including the ones from ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and other major networks.