08:32 – I thought things had calmed down a bit in Baltimore and other large cities, but apparently not. Over the holiday weekend, about 30 people were shot in Baltimore, nine of them fatally, and nearly 60 were shot in Chicago, with a dozen dead. Meanwhile, police are increasingly just standing by and watching, and who can blame them? They understand that if they do their jobs they’re likely to face felony charges, and if they’re acquitted of those charges, the feds are likely to come after them. Whatever happened to double jeopardy?
Now is not a good time to be living in the middle-class suburbs surrounding urban centers, let alone in the urban centers themselves, and it’s only going to get worse. So-called “white flight”, more properly called “middle-class flight”, is taking on a whole new meaning, as the suburbs are no longer the safe havens that they once were. It’s now becoming a question of just how far one can get away from population concentrations and still make a living. Those of us with Internet businesses have a lot more options than most people. If I had a good office job in a large population center, I’d start a part-time Internet business right now and work very hard toward transitioning it to a full-time business that would generate enough business to pay the bills.
Here is another story of eating grass to survive in a war zone. This is the third I’ve seen.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3098112/Heartbreaking-video-starving-Syrian-boy-hungry-s-eating-GRASS-survive.html
This is why we prep.
nick
I don’t think Barbara realizes that once we’re relocated I intend to go into high gear. She’ll probably flip the first time I come home with twenty or thirty 50-pound bags of assorted flour, sugar, etc. and announce that we’re having a repackaging party.
She’s on-board with taking what she considers “reasonable” steps, and I’m fortunate that her definition of reasonable is a lot more than what many spouses consider reasonable. But she doesn’t yet understand that my definition of reasonable means literally many, many tons of food. We’re fortunate in that we can afford to do that, at least for now. Many people can’t.
” So-called “white flight”, more properly called “middle-class flight”, is taking on a whole new meaning, as the suburbs are no longer the safe havens that they once were.”
Can’t find the link to a recent article that put some additional info behind this wrt Chicago, but basically:
Chicago has historically housed its poor in giant housing projects (Caprini Green, and the Robert Taylor Homes being some of the most notorious.) The projects became a black hole of crime and violence and dependency. Someone noted that the land they were on has become valuable. A movement started, to dissolve the massive complexes, move the former residents into surrounding areas in lower densities, and re-develop the land under the former projects. The unstated idea was that the crime and poverty came from the environment, and former residents would thrive once removed from it. All they really needed was to have apartments in the basement of all the new homes being built in the neighborhoods surrounding the old projects.
You can imagine how well that worked. No one wants a “hood rat” living in their basement. There were no where near enough basements to house the former residents. The residents were distributed further out, for example, into subsidized housing in my parent’s small town. This caused anyone who didn’t want to live next to the exported hood rats to flee, or ignore the problem until it was too late to flee.
The problems in the projects come from the PEOPLE THERE, not the environment. The environment reflects the inhabitants not the other way around. If you take 100 lumps of dirt and put them in 100 pounds of flour, you don’t turn the dirt to flour, you ruin the flour. This is obvious to anyone sane. So either the progressives are insane, or mendacious hypocrites. Either way, they have ruined the suburbs.
nick
I’m 35 miles south of Boston and 20 miles north of Providence. Little Plainville might get squeezed by the zombies from two directions. I can only hope that not too many actually make it out of the cities and head in my direction.
Well, it continues.
Currently raining in Houston. We’ve gotten almost 1/2 inch in the last 3 hours, with the same amount before that. So .84 inches since 1 am. Doesn’t sound like much but the ground is saturated, and the ponds and bayous are full. Streets are flooding again.
Radar looks like it will get worse before running out.
nick
“NASA’s 46-Year-Old Floating Poop Mystery”
http://mentalfloss.com/article/64345/nasas-46-year-old-floating-poop-mystery
You know, in all the SF books that I have read, the subject of floating poop has never come up.
What @Nick details is happening in a new way with the influx of illegal Guatemalans and Africans (mostly from Somalia) exasperated by the Africans being brought over by do-gooder church groups. These “imports” are illiterate and do not know what running water and a toilet is. The do-gooder church groups in particular put these people(?) in homes in middle class areas. They do not fit in or have any interest in assimilating so soon we have slum shacks dotting otherwise fine neighborhoods. Makes me appreciate the assimilated Mexicans slowly creeping into my neighbor hood as they flee the new illegal blight.
I prefer the exurbs to the suburbs. I believe that we are ok out here in the sticks.
What’s worse is that even the good folks, for whom being disbursed out of the projects is a true godsend, often do not have ANY of the skills or knowledge shared by the surrounding homeowners. IE, they have no idea how to take care of a home or property.
So even the conscientious ones, who are taking the opportunity to better themselves and their children, are starting from a deep hole. I’ve seen first hand, and on tv, how Habitat Homes recipients fail to maintain their new homes. Filters need to be changed. Maintenance needs doing. Homeownership is a serious commitment of time, money and energy. If you have to learn every bit of it, even the initial part where you learn that it needs to be done, you are handicapped. It happens to all new homeowners. It usually is a surprise how MUCH work needs doing. But at least if you are coming from a family of homeownership, you are aware of the issues.
Sun is out. Wet roofs are steaming even though it isn’t particularly warm. It is very disconcerting. I had to go out and check that my neighbor’s house wasn’t actually on fire as it looked like their ridge vent was smoking. I guess I may get out of the house today after all.
An aside, @RBT- do you remember a post you wrote that did the math on distribution of IQ in various countries, and how that impacts their ability to maintain a tech based society? I remember it but can’t find it. Not important or urgent, but if it’s easy for you, I’d like to bookmark and re-read it.
nick
Wishful thinking, boy. Or so I fear. You’re in the Houston metro area, with a population density of 2,500+ per square mile.
@nick
I’ve written so many times about IQ that I have no idea what you’re referring to. I do remember writing that the mean IQ of black African-Africans puts them in a class that used to be called morons, and that assuming a normal distribution that Africa as a continent would be expected to have only three people with genius-level IQs.
Interestingly, the last time I looked, black African-Americans had a mean IQ of about 85 (i.e., one sigma below the mean for all Americans), which means that a true genius-level IQ (+4 sigmas from the mean) is actually +5 sigmas for US blacks. That extra sigma is a huge difference, and explains why so few black Americans are in jobs that require extremely high intelligence.
The reason for the difference between African blacks and US blacks is probably a combination of their emigration from Africa (even forced emigration on slave ships selects for higher IQ, although not as much as voluntary emigration) and the admixture of the African black genotype with the US white genotype.
The women vs. men thing is a result of the fact that while women’s mean IQs are within maybe two points of men’s, the SD for women is much lower. Once you get to jobs that are populated only by those of extremely high IQ, women are going to be underrepresented simply because what’s only a four sigma difference for men may be a five+ sigma difference for women. They’re not really underrepresented, in other words. The pool is simply a lot smaller for women than for men at that IQ level.
That’s also why those high-IQ jobs are disproportionately filled by Ashkenazi Jews (mean IQ = about 115) and Chinese (mean IQ = about 106).
There. I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I hate being politically incorrect.
From the “you can’t make this up” department. LA Unions were for the $15 minimum wage. Except for Union workers. lol
If the $15/min passes, I feel small businesses are doomed. We do a lot of work in CA and the State takes it’s cut before we even get paid. If you have nexus in CA, you can file a State return and maybe get some back, but the cost in involved would be more than what we got back. Plus, who wants nexus in CA?
I went on a five day gig with MrsAtoz last week. We started in Bridgeport, WA and ended up in Corvallis, OR. We drove from Bridgeport to Bellingham WA via Route 20 through the Cascades. OMG! what a beautiful drive. Lots of little communities to live in. To far to a big airport for work though. Part of prepping for us was checking out the Bellingham area. I could live there (the airport has direct flights to Vegas to hub out of). Tons of places for sale. We picked up a bunch of those Realtor brochures. A 25+ acre farmhouse for sale for $350K popped right in our faces. Fruit trees, one of those fabric greenhouses, 15 acres of pasture for hay, forest. The house was probably run down, but 25+ acres! Sigh! We lunched at The Oyster Bar with a beautiful view of the aqua. Didn’t have time to look closely at any properties. On to OSU for a presentation for Mi Familia Weekend. Then drive back to SEATAC and flight to Vegas.
While we were gone, my Nomad 883 came in. Time to set it up and start learning. I ordered some extra materials to cut and play with that haven’t arrived yet. It comes with some stuff to work the tutorials.
@RBT, that one on africa might be the one. I remember you looking at the number of doctors, engineers, etc one could expect in a given country based on IQ (and not-coincidentally race) and determining that african countries can’t generate enough high IQ workers to keep a modern technical society running. I remember it being medium length and a complete post, not just a tossed off fragment.
WRT white flight, here’s an article
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3099443/Father-two-daughters-beaten-Memorial-Day-cookout-claim-victims-racist-attack-white-family-neighborhood.html
I’m betting that his mom did not move into a predominately hispanic neighborhood, but that she is one of the longest term residents. I also note the double standard. ANYTHING happens to a black and there is a hate crime investigation. Here, everyone has already dismissed it out of hand. He who flees first, gets the highest price, the ones who tarry get F’d.
nick
“I’m 35 miles south of Boston and 20 miles north of Providence. Little Plainville might get squeezed by the zombies from two directions. I can only hope that not too many actually make it out of the cities and head in my direction.”
You’re also right smack at the intersection of Routes 1, 95 and 495 and a gallon of gas from either Providence or Boston. Nice during those halcyon days of high tech commuting to America’s Technology Highway and just a hop, skip and jump from Rhode Island beaches and the Cape. Not so much in coming years.
“Wishful thinking, boy. Or so I fear. You’re in the Houston metro area, with a population density of 2,500+ per square mile.”
+1
Yup, I would not care to be anywhere near Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, etc. Or the border. Imagine the recent/current storm lasting a bit longer with the Grid down for a week or two.
“There. I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I hate being politically incorrect.”
Your bad attitude and incorrect beliefs have been duly noted. We’ve pretty much known this stuff innately for a very long time but chose for various reasons to attempt to gloss over it and try to make things work nicely for everybody. It ain’t working.
@Lynn McGuire
I guess my real question to you and others in your situation is, do you really, really need to stay where you are? You’ve said that your customers are all over the world, so that’s obviously not an issue. As to your building and employees, do you really need to be there? Could you not just as well be a long way away? Do your employees require constant supervision? If so, it seems you need different employees. Can you not manage things via phone, an Internet video link, and occasional on-site visits?
On the subject of (illegal) immigrants, I was approached today by an attractive young girl, maybe 14 or 15, with a little slip of paper someone else had written for her: “Hi, I am from XXX and…”. She clearly didn’t speak of word of any language spoken in Switzerland (and that’s saying something – even as an ugly American, I can by now at least understand the basics in 4-5 European languages).
It’s a known racket. Her family is dirt poor. Someone promises them riches if she goes to Switzerland to get a job. They pay some token amount in advance, and then smuggle her here. Now she is being run as a beggar during the day, and a hooker at night, by some slimeball of a pimp who takes all the money, and beats her if she actually tries to escape or get help.
What do you do with people like that? I mean, she’s in a horrible situation, but giving her money is paying her pimp. Trying to intervene, when you can’t even communicate – impossible. What do you do? I surely didn’t know, so I just sent her on her way, but it bugs the hell out of me.
– – – – –
On the subject of African IQ, what a mess. You just cannot discuss this topic openly, it’s just not acceptable. So we go on pretending that the problem doesn’t exist, as if that helps. It’s not racist to note the problem – heck, it may not be genetic, but something in the environment: disease, parasites, whatever. However, if you aren’t even allowed to acknowledge that the problem exist, how the devil are you ever supposed to address it?
Ignoring this problem is inexcusable. If the IQ difference is fixable, then we really need to fix it. If it’s genetic, then we need to deal with that too. Denying reality as not PC is just about the worst of all possible things that we can do, because it dooms Africa to continued misery for another generation, and another, and another…
On the subject of African IQ, what a mess. You just cannot discuss this topic openly, it’s just not acceptable.
Same with “The Bell Curve”. If I would have brought this up casually while still in the Army, I would have been accused of racism. Probably formerly these days. Sorry if most of the peeps left of center are minorities. RAAAACIST!!!
I just got this email from Baen Books:
Dear Baen Ebooks customer,
Starting on or about June 10, 2015, Baen Ebooks will no longer be able to provide automatic delivery of the .mobi format to a Kindle device via the “Email book to my Kindle” feature. We have just learned that to comply with Amazon’s Terms of Use, Baen Ebooks cannot use Amazon’s Personal Documents Service to deliver paid content.
Baen Ebooks will still offer the “Mobi/Palm/Kindle” format with every Ebook we sell. If you want to read that format on a Kindle, there is only one change: You can no longer send the Ebook directly to your Kindle from our site. You can, however, still email your .mobi Ebook to your Kindle by following these directions:
“Denying reality as not PC is just about the worst of all possible things that we can do…”
Yet this has been the primary hallmark of the Left and the Progs for generations now. And it was accelerated by the academic acolytes of the Frankfurt School.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_School
I guess my real question to you and others in your situation is, do you really, really need to stay where you are? You’ve said that your customers are all over the world, so that’s obviously not an issue. As to your building and employees, do you really need to be there? Could you not just as well be a long way away? Do your employees require constant supervision? If so, it seems you need different employees. Can you not manage things via phone, an Internet video link, and occasional on-site visits?
My daughter needs the advanced physicians available in the Houston area. Specifically, the infectious disease specialist who she goes to see each six weeks for treatment of her chronic Lyme disease.
And, I do like working in my office. It is fairly comfortable for me. I have a 19×20 office in the back corner with my stuff scattered all over the place. Just one PC though, but with two monitors, a 27 and a 19.
I guess that I could move out to El Campo, Texas. This place would be nice:
http://www.har.com/557-county-road-451/sale_54793029
Only 10X out of my range!
Not saying what you should do one way or the other but would it be possible to pose a hypothetical with her docs and ask them if there are any others in other parts of the country should you be making a move? If so, are they in parts of the country that would be significantly safer than the Greater Houston Metro region? Or are the only Lyme specialists at that level somehow exclusively located in Houston? And this may be off the wall completely; would your daughter possibly benefit from a change of scene/locale?
Offices can be duplicated anywhere.
We just had us a rockin’ t-storm with monsoon-level driving rains; the weather line stretched from way north of Quebec Ville to south of Schenectady, NY, a.k.a. The Vampire State. Mrs. OFD doesn’t care for t-storms; Mr. OFD loves them.
During the monsoon rains in SEA back when OFD was a young whippersnappuh, the various mammals and reptiles would be rushing, swarming, crawling and slithering to higher ground, including cobras and kraits, so we had to keep our eyes peeled and step carefully. Nothing like sitting on the front steps of yer hooch and watching the frigging cobras passing by, or for that matter, seeing them at night during patrols, just off the trails.
Basically, I am not going to move out of the area without some serious signs of destabilization of the Houston metro area. And I do have a bug-out place in Port Lavaca that is 110 miles southwest of here.
Plus, there is safety in numbers (to a certain extent). Fort Bend County may be one of the most diverse counties in the USA but there are still a lot of rednecks here who will not allow goblins to come in and rampage the area. Being across the Brazos River from the Houston metro area does give us a certain amount of isolation. There are only four bridges across the 60 mile long Brazos in Fort Bend County and those can go away or be blocked under dire circumstances.
@ofd, apparently, there have been LOTS of snakes moving to high ground here too!
I didn’t see any but then I didn’t go all misery tourist.
I did drive around town today. Had to check on my warehouse, and my rent house. Most of the freeways are back to normal, maybe a little cleaner than usual. Bayous and ditches are pretty high and moving fast. No damage at the rental or warehouse.
The neighborhood pool we belong to had some branches down and a lot of leaves piled up and standing water. That should take care of itself although people are raking the piles out to dry.
So in my world, not too much damage.
Eh, it’s Houston. We’re a swamp. We’ll cope. Most neighborhoods will be back to normal in a day or two. Some people will milk it for the next year. If we get a bunch more rain it might get interesting.
And of course, I spent the day before the deluge re-seeding and top dressing the whole front yard. All that work is gone, but the muscle ache remains.
I better get some dinner on the stove or the boss will revoke my privileges…
nick
Mr. Price is out here fixing my septic tank. Basically, the level switch failed and it started accumulating water. Nasty water. About 2,500 gallons worth. So the sprinklers are running and reflooding the low area of my land by the large spreading oak tree. Sigh, it never stops.
This weekend could be exciting, living and working 1/4 mile away from the Brazos River. The river is suppose to crest at 50.1 ft. The all time crest is 50.3 ft. I expect the ditches on our office property to backfill from the river.
http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php
The office buildings are 80 ft above sea level. The river is predicted to crest at 78 ft above sea level on Saturday and Sunday in Richmond. We are about five miles down river from the gauge. I have been figuring one ft of water level drop per mile, looks like I may get to test my theory out. All of the bayous in Sugar Land and Fort Bend County without levees are now running backwards.
We just escaped the Peoples Republic of WA State after living there for five years. I’d suggest avoiding the I-5 corridor anywhere in that state if you are looking for a bug out location. I’ll run down the issues as I see them. Of course, “your mileage may vary”, and I’ve learned that lifers cannot look at the areas west of the Cascades objectively.
Just this (unhappily transplanted) redneck boy’s observations. Don’t take ’em personally.
– Bellingham is effectively an exurb of Vancouver, BC. Before making a commitment, go watch the movement of refrigerated milk at the local Costco on a Saturday afternoon and count the Canadian plates in the parking lot. I don’t think the cities above the 48th parallel will be immune if the worst happens in the US.
– Any further south, Mt. Vernon, etc, are now effectively Seattle exurbs with Boeing shifting the bulk of their manufacturing to Everett … for now (South Carolina has a 787 plant). WA does not have “right to work” laws, and even engineers are unionized at Boeing.
– The Seattle Metro, Everett to Tacoma? Fuggedaboudit. Already a marginally functional dystopia IMHO and heavily populated out to Snoqualmie along I-90.
– Tacoma south to Olympia is dominated by Joint Base Lewis McChord. The tin foil hat crowd in WA believes that place is prepped to be turned into a concentration camp in an emergency, but I think it will simply be the Northwest transportation nexus of a half-baked response by the US Government to the crisis with lots of bureaucratic stupidity rolling out daily.
– Olympia to the Portland, OR Metro? State government, Indian casinos, and meth are the dominant industries since the US Government shut down most logging in the 90s. Well populated former logging towns with lots of armed people who have forgotten how to live without Federal and State checks. Plus, the maximum driving time to urban areas at each end is an hour.
Parts of WA State east of the Cascades are worth considering for a bug out location, but, in the mean time, you will have to live at the mercy of Olympia bureaucrats and the voters (mail-in ballots only) in Seattle — CA-level taxes are not an impossibility in the near future in my opinion, with income tax being imposed by a court either to cover the costs of recent education referendums or the (mostly Medicaid) healthcare exchange plans.
Good intel there, Mr. Greg; thanks for posting it. This is the kind of stuff we need to know. And congrats on your escape.
Thanks for the WA info Mr. Greg. We actually like the Bridgeport and east part of WA, also. Kind of barren out there, but good land, better for bugout during the Barackalypse.
I really like the countryside of Bellingham and North. It’s looking like you have to “lock and load” no matter where you go in Murka.