I don't want to be an alarmist,
But... more than any other time I can remember, high density urban living could quickly become hazardous to your health and well being. Consider the following:
• We are facing a potential flu epidemic even larger than in 1918 — http://tinyurl.com/b2ddv. This one could come upon us very quickly and devastate urban centers.
• The Rita and Katrina examples have shown us that millions of people are at the mercy of inadequate infrastructure, transportation systems and government agencies for their basic living requirements when real problems arise. http://tinyurl.com/7zezl.
• From Baghdad to New Orleans, when civil authority breaks down anarchy quickly strips away the veneer of modern civilization and destruction and looting spread like wildfire in a dry dense forest. While there are many stories of heroism and personal sacrifice as well, most of us would choose not to stick around to find out which gets to us first.
For these and other reasons it may be prudent to have a small retreat home where a simpler and more self-sufficient lifestyle could be maintained if times should get rough. Such an investment now could save your life and, even if none of this happens, would probably be a good real estate investment and weekend getaway should we continue to muddle along dodging the bullets.
100% agreed - better to be prepared than to wish you had been.
Big brother cannot, will not and does not wish to take care of you unless there is some way to make a profit on it for the big boys, but don't expect special attention because they care about you. Don't have the attitude that it can't happen here. Maybe it won't but if it does, that is when it is too late to do something about it.
You have been brought up to believe in the dream of social security, life after work, managed health care, stores with food in them always, gas stations with gas always. Most are on "just in time" schedules and carry no extra stock. A one to three day supply for looters or people just trying to survive.
Maybe you think it can't happen in your area-- not under sea level - not a hurricane area, etc. All it takes is a slightly larger burp in the system to include your favorite metropolitan area also. Fuel problems lead to transportation and farming problems. If trucks or farms can't get it or can't afford it, you won't have it supplied to buy either. Greenbacks don't taste good, even if you are lucky enough to have them. Develop networks with locals. Help each other. Look out for each other. Learn to garden. Have an alternate clean water supply in mind.
Use it while you can but don't get caught with your pants down. Grow up. Look around. Learn to take care of yourself. Work toward self sufficiency.
Once again Bambi saw the Great Prince Of The Forest. "Your mother can no longer be with you. You must learn to walk alone."
I've been preaching this for years, and storing water, food, and other essentials and my kids and what few friends and family I talked to about it always thought I was kind of a wacky old hippie. After New Orleans, they're asking me what they should do for their families....
Sadly, the hurricanes have been great teaching tools....
The next time you see a policeman..
Thank him for being there.
New Orleans is the American proof of what will happen if the police are not in sight.
After 9-11 I was afraid to go to a major sporting event. I still am a little freaked out in large gatherings of people. I am trying to get up enough courage to go to the Texas State fair.
I love livin' in a rural area.. Let Osama or his buddies try find me in the woods!
My understanding is that some of New Orleans' finest participated in the looting, and that some 250 officers walked off the job.
I agree with your saying thank them if they're there. The majority of them are dedicated public servants.
Some of the 250 that abandoned their posts have applied to the Dallas Police Department.
One of the things I've found particularly disturbing is the way the government handled the "mandatory" evacuation in New Orleans weeks AFTER the hurricane, and when people wouldn't leave their largely undamaged homes, confiscated their guns, thereby leaving them unable to protect themselves from the roving gangs of criminals. It seems strange to me how focused they were on disarming citizens instead of rounding up the criminals.
You'll notice there was no confiscation of firearms in Texas.... ;)
Many of the stories of violence and anrachy in New Orleans have been debunked. They were largely the product of rumor, paranoia and a press willing to publish absolutely sensational stories without getting confirmation...
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_26.html#082732
Also, we don't know that 250 officers walked off the job. Quite likely the majority of them were themselves trapped in their homes, or were outside the city and helping out wherever they happened to be stuck, or searching for their own family members.
I don't believe civilization is that fragile. Once the most basic needs of food, water and minimal shelter are taken care of, most people will pull together and help out in any way they can during a crisis.
It makes sense to be relatively self-sufficient. Depending on the government to save you is a gamble. Any large organization is subject to inertia and the tendency to "fight the last war". Government is the largest organization of all.
Having a backup plan, a place to go if the need arises, makes sense. However, being in the country isn't inherently safer than being in the city. That depends on the type and scope of the disaster. When help arrives, it will go to the population centers first. If you needed assistance, you wouldn't want to be stuck in the country without transportation or communication.
My source was per Reuters and Knight Ridder, who stated that 12 officers were being investigated for looting. 4 officers have already been suspended.
The same articles said that 249 officers were aol and were being investigated.
I'm sure some were stranded or unable to get to work but there were evidently some who abandoned their posts.
Even the officers who stayed and did their jobs weren't a match for the throngs of criminals. We need to be proactive and look out for ourselves and our families in times of crisis.
I have to offer a different view on some of that, Bart.
Country people naturally store goods since the store is not usually next door. They are used to helping each other since many services are not available without a fairly long trip. I want to encourage people to expand on that a bit, as you agreed was a good idea.
Some of the first rescuers that were turned back by Government people were from a country hunting and fishing group with near 500 boats and near a thousand people who were familiar with swamps and survival etc. FEMA ordered two WalMart stores closed. The local Parish sheriffs had to commandeer the stores, order them to open in spite of FEMA and order that if any FEMA officials tried to close them down, they would be arrested. Clearly another agenda somewhere there besides seeing that needs were cared for. Ones who were able to head for dry land on foot were met by the police with shotguns and rifles in the next town as they tried to cross the bridge to safety. They were sent back to N.O. as they were too poor to enter Gretna. They weren't going to be allowed to save themselves let alone remain to become a blight on the city.
I have to say I would prefer being semi-self sufficient in the country with no communication to being in the city with anarchy prevailing and waiting for help that I may not live to see. NOLA was not safe before Katrina at night. As convention attenders we were warned not to venture out into the back streets at night or to go near the cemeteries due to the high probability of being mugged or worse. This was several years ago when things were under control.
Police cannot control crime in any city right now from the smallest to the largest. When they are not visible -even if they are only holding a radar gun to keep up the stream of revenue, crime will be worse.
As an example, I chased down a prostitute and two pimps with my Kenworth Conventional after they stole a new portable bandsaw from my truck. I had police on the phone the first time I caught them - no available officers-- I had the dispatcher on the phone as I chased them through the outskirts of the city giving her updates on location continuously - no officers available-- finally the damn dispatch lady said "Did anyone ever tell you you should stop chasing them so you don't hurt somebody." So much for government assistance and public servants. They serve the public alright but many times it is to keep the working class from hurting the criminals. Just be late on a tax payment though.
QuoteMany of the stories of violence and anrachy in New Orleans have been debunked. They were largely the product of rumor, paranoia and a press willing to publish absolutely sensational stories without getting confirmation...
I agree that some of this was fiction.
However, in low income or no income areas people stay behind in anticipation of evacuations so they can take things that do not belong to them.
Been there..
Known the people...
What I found interesting was
3 days after Katrina hit Biloxi.
You could not buy anything with cash.
Everything became like an open air market.
The main items being traded....
Beer...
Cigarettes.....
Gasoline.......
If people knew you had these things in any quantity
you were in danger!
We had our 250 gallons of gasoline hidden deep in the trailer.
I find it interesting that the most traded items were all basically "luxuries". Do you suppose that it's because people are assuming the government is going to come in with food and water?
Seems like I'd want more vital things.
We try to keep at least a six month supply of food all the time. The bad thing is........everyone in the area knows we have a pretty much self-sufficient farm(milk cow, garden, livestock to butcher). I wonder if I could turn hungry people away......or if we'd have enough bullets?
Sherry
I don't think you could shoot your way out to preserve your goods. I would encourage others to become self sufficient also. Getting to know, deal and trade materials, labor and ideas etc. with your neighbors -networking- can be a great asset in times of problems.
Having a start from storage can give you more time to work on continued self sustenance and education of others.
I think the largest threats will be in the cities themselves with the worst elements working on taking out or from each other. The remainder may head out of Dodge if they can get there.
As John pointed out --no need to be an alarmist about it-- just prepare to be more self sufficient as would be a good idea at anytime in your everyday life.
Vitruvius
From Wikiquote
Marcus Vitruvius (b.70(c.) - d. 25bc) was a Roman Architect. He stated,
* Such as possess the gifts of fortune are easily deprived of them: but when learning is once fixed in the mind, no age removes it, nor is its stability affected during the whole course of life.
Link to possible reasons false stories were floated by government officials and news agencies in NOLA as mentioned by Bart above.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/sep2005/lies-s30_prn.shtml
And one to a story sworn to be true:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/30/nopd.looting/index.html
I havn't been around for a few weeks. Wow what a thread. When I read the start of the post I thought it was some naive alarmist...and then I look up and was surprised it's our benefactor. Made me think.... I respect many things about John, let's give this some more credibility.
I guess I could argue either way, but would side with country being a better place in really bad times.
I almost chocked when I seen the articles in the post preceding this were from a Socialist paper. Wow! I would always think this group is pretty much to the right..... and I am a bit to the left. I think we all know though that when you get out to the extreemes, some of the thinking sounds the same.
We're kind of all over the place.
I know I am--UAW retired, and overeducated bum.
We've got plenty of things in common, don't need to emphasize what we don't.
Politically- I'm not right - left - socialist or communist-- I just want the straight poop. I wouldn't pull a drowning politician out of the flood waters of New Orleans. I feel it is my duty try to help improve the world. ;D
People are turning off their TV's -- some are turning off Rush--- some are not accepting the lies they are being fed daily to keep them in fear so they can be controlled. Compare what they say to what you know to be true. Question all inconsistencies. Try to find out when you are being fed lies. Follow the money. Learn what's really going on or at least try to understand it. Lose the fear. Some are going to the Internet for news that is not dictated to the 6 major media owners by the government. Ever wonder why about 66 journalists have been shot in Iraq including ones set up by the US? They attempted to tell the truth. http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=8525
Don't fear a dying or dead past CIA asset in a cave in Afghanistan who's relatives and business partners of King George the First were flown out of the US immediately after 9-11. You are supposed to be scared. The propaganda machine is running full speed ahead. Scared people will support the savior who is going to stomp the bogeyman for them. When that bogeyman no longer scares you they will pull out another one. Example -- Code Yellow, Orange, whoops-- Code Red - get out the duct (or duck if you prefer) tape and plastic. It's the only way to keep support for an agenda based on lies.
Go buy some tickets to the game, Jimmy. Buy some hot dogs and beer. Turn off the TV. Have a look at http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ for links to real news stories - most link to mainstream media- not conspiracy theory sites- many stories the media tries to lose. After the game work on your self sufficiency ideas and continue work on the house.
You don't have to know everything that's going on - just try to understand that it is much deeper than the facade of lies you are being fed by the mainstream media. Not all terror originates in the middle east. You'll feel better for it.
When you can't believe what your public servants tell you, it is time to look out for yourself. Build the retreat - start the garden. Be prepared for whatever weirdness may appear, even if it doesn't happen. Only by advance preparation can you improve your chances in the event of unexpected calamity. Nobody is saying it will happen - just saying that if there ever was a time to try to improve your situation, it is now. It doesn't need to be a giant alarmed rush. Just make self sufficiency a goal in life. I've been working on it for years. Every step is an improvement.
* "Were the Soviet Union to sink tomorrow under the waters of the ocean, the American military-industrial establishment would have to go on, substantially unchanged, until some other adversary could be invented. Anything else would be an unacceptable shock to the American economy." -George Kennan, 1987
"The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists." ~ J. Edgar Hoover
did u see the russians launched a test missle this last week, ICBM and it hit its intended target!!
russia to launch to nuke subs with 12 nuke missles each by years end
mark
I saw the successful missle test story - I was not surprised. Our policies and leaderships desire for pre-emptive nukes has the rest of the world desiring to protect itself --only a natural reaction. http://www.spacewar.com/news/nuclear-doctrine-05zzh.html
They will not waste a nuke on your country retreat. They would target a city for the greatest infliction of casualties, just as we did in Japan, giving you time for plenty of duck tape and plastic. ;D
People of the world do not feel the same about us as we feel about ourselves. We are seen to many as the largest terrorist threat in the world. http://simurl.com/jozdok
Our leadership represents us to the rest of the world. If it spews hate and threats, naturally they will prepare for it. If we threaten to send pre-emptive nukes, we can't expect the rest of the world to send us flowers and gifts of love. The signal is sent not only to the intended victim-- it is sent to all the world. Will all nations sit back and allow this to continue as it is, or will they form other alliances just in case? http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=45963
How many Chinese does it take to bulldog a cowboy?
You should remember from school lessons that the best way to defeat the class bully was to get a bunch of your friends together and when you catch him alone, give him a good beating. As an example, go next door and slug your neighbor. No -don't - I was just trying to make a point. Now offer to help your neighbor put a plan together for helping each other in case of emergency - have a barbecue- assist on an overwhelming project. Help to make them more self sufficient also. The benefits outweigh the time spent. If we can't control our representatives to the world, we can at least make plans to get ourselves a little farther out of harms way.
QuoteGo buy some tickets to the game, Jimmy. Buy some hot dogs and beer. Turn off the TV.
Have a look at http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ for links to real news stories - most link to mainstream media- not conspiracy theory sites- many stories the media tries to lose. After the game work on your self sufficiency ideas and continue work on the house.
A ballgame, hotdog and a beer sounds really good to me right now!
That web site is a great collection of info! Thanks
I do like that J Edgar Hoover quote, especially considering the source! He did believe in those conspiracies.
I had just picked up a fitting quote. Now you made me do a quick study on him, Amanda. Looks like he should know. I guess conspiracy was part of what helped keep him in a job all those years-- that and his private files on everyone.
I met My wife in New Orleans and we lived there for a while,that town has a murder rate 10x the national average.on new years eve we sat and listened to gun fire of all kinds some automatic. most people we knew had been mugged atleast once.You always keep atleast 20$ in youre pocket there as if you have no money they get mad and shoot You. I consider myself a realist but I think our society is in decay morally etc. katrina has proved the cavalry may be late and the best and worst in people will show in an emergency. this thing with oil is getting worse and is vulnerable to weather,politics and worst of all GREED. but what scares me most are Viruses and disease. My youngest sons peditrician told me last year was the worst she had seen and FLU? season went right through the summer. It is in my mind that if any nasty plagues show its time to become a social recluse. Our global economy and increase of travel really spreads things around.There are 20,000 students in our little town and everytime they return from the holidays there seems to be new bugs around. The cabin just reached the point of floors and I am determined to finish the dry in phase before december. in the five days I just spent there I saw three cars one the meter reader ,one someone checking on a summer home for friends and a family looking for land near the water. So I see a cabin as a win ,win situation a peaceful retreat with fihing a few feet away and game of all kinds,an investment,the building process has been healthy and a study in patience and a place for us to go in an emergency.Dang why didnt I do this sooner?
Great topic. I was one of those people who did some preparations for Y2K. Of course, Y2K turned out to be no big deal. A friend of mine (who thought it was foolish to worry about it) told me "I hate to say I told you so, but I did tell you so." I told him something like, "No! Preparing was the right thing to do at the time. Experts said there were potential problems, and unless you had some insider knowledge about the future outcome that few people had, then preparing for Y2K was prudent, no matter how it turned out, like preparing for a hurricane that may or may not come ashore." (He just rolled his eyes.) But I've liked having more self-sufficiency knowledge (albeit limited), whether it comes in handy or not. I also think it heightened my long-held interest in building my own home.
I still believe in a cautious mindset as above, both because no one can know what the future holds, either for oneself or for society (e.g., illness, natural disasters, economic dislocations, and so on), and because America is too proud and distracted to acknowledge and take care of its deep-seated problems. Katrina revealed some of our weaknesses. And whether government expenditures result from policies of the left or the right, I've never understood why it's A-OK for our government to go deeply in debt, threatening our economy and passing all that onto our heirs.
As for living in the city versus the country, I'm struggling with mixed feelings. In my profession, I can telecommute (albeit with lower and less stable income), and will do so once I finish building my home. So I can live anywhere, but trade-offs include many things, such as the higher income in larger cities versus the higher real estate costs there. Until recently, I thought I wanted to live closer to the country but, ever since I started reading about the potential "peak oil" problem, I can understand the value of being near decent public transportation, and closer to other people with whom to exchange services. Also, part of me misses some of the attributes of the bigger cities. So I can't have my cake and eat it, too. I'll have to resolve this issue for myself in the future.
Well, that's enough baring of my soul for today. :-)
LN
This is a very interesting topic!! I currently live in the "country" and have for almost twenty years. Society has changed a lot since then. My home has been burglurized three times in the last ten years. Neighbors can't see the house. We store food and have gardens We use wood heat for power outages etc. We had a mind set to be some what self suffient. But maintaining fire wood, growing gardens, tending fruit trees etc is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. We commute farther so we have the expense of that. I don't think you need to run off to the country to survive a crisis. I agrre with Glenn about developing network with locals and striving toward a since of community. I wish I had more time to volunteer to help my community and less time communting. The next place I am moving to has a strong community that is way I chose the area. We can't change the world only a small part of it.
My current plan is not so much running away from the city, but to have a different kind of life altogether. I'm buying land near my sister and having the Builder's Cottage built as a weekend retreat for now, retirement home for later. Should something happen in the big city, I won't be homeless and heading for the convention center, I will at least have options. With the lower cost of living in the Builder's Cottage, and the ability to have a garden, etc. and if I can find a job in the small town, I may move out there before retirement. I also look at it as something to leave my kids. If nothing else, a retreat for them.
That sounds like exactly what we're talking about, Epiphany.
Gardens can easily be kept watered while you are away with a drip irrigation system you can install yourself. All above ground, it can be controlled with a simple battery powered hose timer and uses a relatively small amount of water. Individual drippers, drip tape, soaker hoses and mini-sprinklers are available.
We have relatives who bought land in Idaho during the Y2K thing-- they went ahead with their project, moved up there and we can hardly get them to come back to visit. They love it and don't plan to go back to city life.
The bird flu is on the news channels allot today. cdc wants that at high risk vaccinated by 10-20 something 05.just plain creepy
I just found out today the cost of electricity in Denton, Texas will go up about 40% in just one month!
If my bill was around 100 dollars it will now be 140.00 for using the same amount of electricity!
Gotta get my house built....
Move from the city for good.....
feeling faint.........
waiting for the next electric bill at my apartment....
Anybody read Anne McCaffrey's Moreta's Ride? about the first outbreak of influenza on another planet. Interesting reading, as are some of the books on the 1918 influenza.
I don't imagine that quarantines are going to do a whole lot of good. Especially if you have urban folklore about how to avoid it among the soldiers that we have enforcing the ban.
And at last report the vaccine only looked effective after three doses, and we don't have more than a million and a half.
And the vaccine may or may not do any good by the time the virus has mutated so that it can be transmitted person to person.
(at a guess it would do some good, maybe lower it from 50% mortality to under 15%, because it is the same family of influenza. Also remember that a medium flu season in the U.S. kills 30,000 people or so.)
Much food for thought in this thread.
My experience of country living is that "networking" per se is redundant. Country folk generally understand the neccesity of helping one another. Plus, with fewer "entertainment" venues, interactions with the neighbors carry greater importance for us social critters.
I can't wait to relocate and get started. Driving on the streets here is always a new level of frustration, and friends think I live in the boonies now! I nostalgically recall sitting on the porch of our farm, and when a car went by, somebody asking "Who was that?" I also remember having truly wonderful fruits and vegetables from our own orchard and gardens, and free range eggs and chickens from the folks up the street, (didn't know they were "free range" at the time!) When I was a lactose intolerant infant, there was a goat farmer nearby. Today there is "formula", whatever that is!
I don't know that it is better than city life; I won't have the same access to medical care, (but maybe I won't need it so much!). No book stores around, but there is a library about twenty miles away. No electricity, but no traffic, and very little air pollution. There is much to attract me at a time when, willy nilly, life is slowing down a bit anyway. (O.K., O.K., its ME that's slowing down a bit! ;))
I am minded of an anecdote about, I believe, Dan'l Boone, who upon going out one day, and seeing a spiral of smoke rising from a cabin chimney two mountain ridges away, decided it was time to move on 'cause the area was gettin' too crowded.
For a downunder perspective on the bird-flu issue, here are a couple of radio discussions. The first is a talkback show that has some expert commentary as well as talkback from listeners. This is on demand radio and is available for about a week after the show.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/austback/
This one is an interview format show and is available for download in MP3 format. Although I consider the presenter a bit of a dropkick, his guests are usually worth listening to.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lnl/
After all that's scared you to death, here is my favorite streaming radio for some light relief.
http://bluegrassradio.microcerv.net/bluegrassradio
jonesy. ;D
Big city real estate prices dropping - the start of a trend ???
Maye some are beginning to see the light and are dropping their prices to get out. :-/
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051024/real_estate_bubble
Here is another article from a previously hot RE market area.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/transportation/12684641.htm.
And an interesting chart of the "affordability" of houses in different cities.
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2005/06/02/cx_sc_0603home2.html
A more optimistic view of life in the city, post-oil is here:
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/100305EC.shtml
Quote
Imagine shelves bare because of gas prices.
Acres of chard and lettuce in Golden Gate Park?
The Marina Green with community gardens?
Wind turbines on top of the Bank of America Building?
Welcome to the post-oil future.
.............
The reality is that in the very near future we will no longer be a mobile society. We are already seeing the beginnings of this, with rising fuel prices squeezing commuters, taxi drivers, independent truckers, and the entire aviation industry. The post-oil era will see our transformation from a transient society to one that focuses on home and neighborhood. Sprawl development will give way to compact, walkable environments. Suburbs will disappear altogether. Those in direct proximity to cities will be replaced by farms; those farther out will gradually be reclaimed by nature.
So, in many ways, the end of oil could be a very good thing for American society, prompting changes that will strengthen communities, humanize our cities and create a healthier population.
Cities, even individual neighborhoods, will need to become more self-sufficient. Agriculture will play a much more important role in everyday American life. Cities such as San Francisco will have to be creative in finding ways to feed their populations.
Richard Register of Oakland's nonprofit Ecocity Builders has spent the past 30 years writing and speaking on the subject of environmentally friendly and energy-efficient cities. With the looming oil crisis, his writings have taken on a greater sense of urgency. Nowadays, he grapples with the problem of how energy-depleted cities can provide food, water and other basic necessities for their populations. The creative touches that adorned his previous writings - the rooftop tennis courts, the uncovered creeks meandering along urban streets - have given way to the more practical: community gardens and greenhouses.
In describing the self-sufficient neighborhoods of the future, Register speaks of "urban fractals," neighborhoods that will contain in microcosm all the elements of entire cities, including housing, jobs, schools, shops, entertainment, and access to nature - neighborhoods that minimize the need for auto or even transit use.
Also I was going to post a (another?) link to this book and its sequel, not currently available as new.
But the list of demands, had we paid attention to them when the book came out, might have been sufficient to save the world more-or-less as we know it.
One of the five-star reviews for Ragged World is mine. ;)
I didn't like the other one so much, but think I'll go back and reread it.
Ragged World
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312054998/qid=1129303263/sr=8-9/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i9_xgl14/102-5033885-9976111?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Time, Like an Ever-Rolling Stream
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312083238/qid=1129303263/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i4_xgl14/102-5033885-9976111?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
One of the countries that has traveled this road is Cuba.
With the fall of the Soviet Union their cheap oil went away and the government made the choice to move toward less reliance on imported energy, fertilizer and farming equipment.
The result is that cities like Havana now grow the majority of their fresh produce inside their city limits in urban garden plots. Cuba has broken new ground not only in reducing energy dependence, but in the development of large and small scale sustainable organic farming methods.
http://www.foodfirst.org/node/1208
[glb]An afterthought: [/glb]
Could it be that future history books will record that all these years of enforced economic isolation by the U.S. resulted in Cuba becoming a laboratory for working out how civilization will survive in the 21st century?
Link to an earlier thread on Peak Oil:http://tinyurl.com/9vk2w
Not even thinking about keeping up with the Joneses does have it's benefits.
Even if Jones is spelled U. S. A.
And it's only 80 miles away.
Lately I've been having very mixed feelings about the whole city-vs-country thing. I've been wanting to move to the sticks and put up a cabin for a long time. But I recently moved back to the city (Palo Alto, CA) to be close to work and avoid a 45-mile-one-way commute, and I have to confess that living here does have some advantages. I hardly need to use the car any more, and both work and grocery stores are a 10-minute bike ride away. I'm in a mobile home park and there is more of a neighborly feel here than other places I've lived.
Despite the advantages of living in the city, I'm still looking at this as a temporary situation. I miss the peace and quiet of the country very much. So I'm now thinking that maybe an ideal situation for me would be living in a smaller town instead of being so far out in the boonies that I have to use the car to do anything. I spent some time in Vermont in January, and fell in love with the place, so maybe that's where I'll end up.
In your case, Mark, it seems the country retreat would be a great idea, however it would probably not be anywhere near affordable to do within a short drive of Palo Alto.
Oh, good, it was in January that you were in Vermont. Although that might not give you a really good idea of what your neighbors would be like.
But if you're going to have to grow your own food there, short-season varieties, and/or greenhouses to extend the seasons are what I hear about from that part of the country.
For me to get a cup of coffee that I didn't make, it's a seven-mile round trip, probably up a steep hill no shoulders by the road, serious drop-off, which would make a bicyclist or a pedestrian nervous. (I know people who avoid that section of road at all costs no matter what they are on or in).
Plus it's nasty robusta coffee. Could be worse, could be nasty instant robusta coffee. ;)
But 50 years ago there were little stores all over the place, one just down the hill from me. And if peak oil takes hold, there probably will be again--it will be worth it to pay extra for someone to buy and hold odds and ends from town.
It was nice living in the university areas of Nashville, with even a laundromat within walking distance. I guess we could have grown a good proportion of our vegetables there then--smallish houses, small lots.
But now that area is sooooo condo/apartment cluttered, that gardens aren't accessible to many.
Even if the restaurants are better.
I definitely agree with John that Cuba may be the sustainable model, just because it didn't--couldn't--use us as a model. And even if people one talks to there would give their eyeteeth to be rich and live in the U.S.
QuoteI don't want to be an alarmist,
But... more than any other time I can remember, high density urban living could quickly become hazardous to your health and well being. Consider the following:
• We are facing a potential flu epidemic even larger than in 1918 — http://tinyurl.com/b2ddv. This one could come upon us very quickly and devastate urban centers.
Things to consider:
Note: After you have read some of the following, please post information proving it wrong, so we can see where the conspiracies are.
Follow the money. Follow the power. Who profits from a possible flu pandemic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead_Sciences
Product portfolio
In 2004, Gilead had seven products on the market, all tackling potentially life-threatening infectious diseases.
* Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
* Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)
* Emtriva (emtricitabine)
* AmBisome (amphotericin B) liposome for injection
* Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil)
* Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) * Vistide (cidofovir injection)
In January 1997, Donald Rumsfeld, a Board member since 1988, was appointed Chairman of the company. He stood down from the Board in January 2001 when appointed Secretary of Defense at the start of George W. Bush's first term as President.
http://mercola.com/blog/2005/oct/19/rumsfeld_to_profit_from_avian_flu_hoax
http://www.girlsgofishing.com/index.htm
Where are the microbiologists that could help stop this pandemic???
http://host101.ipowerweb.com/~girlsgof/pc/BioWarfare.html
http://home.comcast.net/~typezero/
Insuring world spread of the pandemic.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-04-17-flu-virus-samples-found_x.htm
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051006/plane_crash_winnipeg_051006/20051006?hub=TopStories
http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=4551
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,3605,1585977,00.html
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050903a5.htm
The virus that was "mistakenly" sent to 5000 labs was a different deadly strain from 1957-58 that killed millions. People now likely have no immunity to it. It was only discovered by accident. What does it matter what strain it was? Dead is dead. These are some of the people we trust with our health and welfare ??? No- I'll try to look out for myself, thank you, and don't try to stick me with one of those needles either. Check out the following interview.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june05/flu_4-13.html
Whats the plan ??? Don't want to take your flu shot because it is more dangerous than the flu? Can you say gulag???
Bio Terrorism: CDC's Model State Emergency Health Powers Act May Terrorize Americans
http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/dec/11/arbt121101.htm
Quote
Note: After you have read some of the following, please post information proving it wrong, so we can see where the conspiracies are.
Ok, here's just one small bit...
The lead article on the http://www.girlsgofishing.com/index.htm site ("Donald Rumsfeld - Secret Benefactor
of Bird Flu Terror Profits") includes this passage:
"If you ask Vietnam how Tamiflu works on the bird flu...they'll tell you it is ineffective. Yet it it [sic] being touted throughout the US, Canada, and Britiain, of course, as the one thing available to save us from bird flu and are stepping-up production."
To back up these claims, the author links to a CBC article at http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/09/30/tamiflu20050930.html
But that article does not claim that Tamiflu is ineffective. What it actually says is that "Experts in Hong Kong warn that the human strain of the H5N1 bird flu that surfaced in Vietnam is showing resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu." There's a big difference between "ineffective" and "showing resistance".
The CBC article also includes these passages showing that the "touted as...the one thing available" claim is also a lie:
"There are now resistant H5N1 strains appearing, and we can't totally rely on one drug (Tamiflu)"
"Drug manufacturers were urged to make more effective versions of Relenza, an inhaled antiviral that is also known to be effective in battling the much feared H5N1."
"There are currently only four flu drugs marketed to battle flu"
The girlsgofishing site seems quick to accuse others of "fearmongering" and "hyperbole", but this article proves that they are guilty of it themselves.
They are out there on the edge, but do get you to think and look farther than what is force fed by the mainstream media. They are pretty heavy on the environmental stuff too. If they only get us to look a little further into things, I think we need to give them credit for that. I do have questions about some of their stuff also but I don't usaully stop at one theory without checking farther into the veracity of it.
Actually the next article states that Tamiflu doesn't have a track record with this flu. Seems like a pretty weak case for the Fed to spend 2 Billion dollars of the taxpayers money on.
"We don't have hard data because there have only been 118 people infected, and they haven't had a situation where they can give some of them Tamiflu and others not, and compare whether Tamiflu works. We're assuming that it will work with H5N1 with a reasonably good basis for that assumption, but there's no definite proof that it would make a difference with regard to hospitalization or life or death." See below for more.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4969363
Apparently Relenza is pretty well taking a fall due to useability and other problems. GSK was issued a writ by the developing/licensing company for non-support and other problems. The other thing is that either product only seems to cut about a day off sick time, or does it? Maybe hard to tell. My wife is a nurse and says ever since the product came out, she hasn't seen the point in it-- high cost and not or not very effective.
Relenza info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relenza
Another article from Dr. Mercola claiming this is a hoax (or at least a small threat blown up) for money to be made. I guess the near future will tell us if he is right. Several pages of a Google search seemed to indicate that he is quite credible.
http://mercola.com/blog/2005/oct/18/avian_flu_epidemic_scare_is_a_hoax
Type MERCOLA in the "SEARCH" box at:
http://www.quackwatch.org/
Perhaps I'm being naive, but I'm no more worried about the bird flu than I am about any other flu at this point.
Seems like an aweful lot of alarmism and fear mongering. How many times have you or any of your friends had some strain of the flu and after a week or two recovered from it? Probably more times than you can count.
I just can't see the benefit of getting all worked up over this. You can watch it and keep track of what's happening, but it means nothing at this point to me.
I agree, tjm73. It appears to be a money thing. We can hope so.
Thanks for Quackwatch link, NELELGNE. I checked it out a bit to see what was there. I had seen the lawsuit brought by Barrett of Quackwatch, however he dropped it before it went to court.
The rest seems to be pots calling kettles black and warnings from FDA about unproven claims. As for the snake oil sold by Mercola, I wouldn't buy it, but that is not saying that it doesn't help some people in someways. Ephedra is a natural cure subject to abuse, but it is the best thing I have found taken moderately to relieve a light case of asthma. Theopholine- FDA approved on the other hand, drove me up the wall.
The difference between them and Tamiflu or similar products ??? Tamiflu admittedly will not keep you from getting the flu, you'll still throw up, you'll still feel terrible, will not guarantee to shorten the duration -- only may shorten the duration---will not keep you out of the hospital -- only may lessen your chances if taken within 48 hours of onset - how do you prove that ??? Tamiflu will not guarantee you will not die and it also may cause the flu bug to mutate into a more drug resistant form as mentioned in at least two other places. That would not be a problem for them as they would sell you something else. It has jumped through the hoops to get federal government approval. It has taken 2 Billion dollars from the American taxpayers pockets and transferred it to a corporation. Money from pain, death and dying is big business. That doesn't really seem right.
Aspirin may provide as much comfort and is on the shelves of most homes for a few cents each.
It seems for the cost incurred by the taxpayers and no guarantee of a cure by Tamiflu, in fact enough disclaimers that they can't be held responsible, that it also should be listed on Quackwatch.
The main factor here seems to be the massive scare tactics generating a large windfall for a corporation which will benefit insiders with stocks in the company and those insiders are in the group controlling the Federal taxpayers purse strings. The money cannot be taken from money we have paid, but will instead be added to the debt heap on our children.
I'd say have a nice warm bowl of chicken soup, take a couple of aspirin, spend a few extra hours in bed, and give my kid back his money. ;D
I am coming to realize we are perhaps too primed for disaster right now. The fear element has been (intentionally somewhat) ramped up by natural and man made disasters to the point that every glass of water is not only 1/2 empty, but potentially poisonous.
The Stratfor weekly report (free from www.stratfor.com) has a good article this week on the avian flu scare. It makes this point:
"A bird flu pandemic among the human population is broadly in the same category as a meteor strike. Of course it will happen sooner or later -- and when it does, watch out! But there is no -- absolutely no -- particular reason to fear a global flu pandemic this flu season."
The report includes an interesting history of the 1918 flu outbreak and how those conditions are not at all similar this time.
As long as the flu strain stays in birds, it will be difficult for it to jump to human to human transmission. Something more worrisome to look for would be if it jumped to pigs. Pigs have an immune system much more akin to humans.
I think I'll have that drink of water now...
That would be terrible, John. I'm sure it would devastate the donut industry. ;D
Sorry, I couldn't resist. :-/
QuoteI am coming to realize we are perhaps too primed for disaster right now....
I agree 110%.
Their is much unceranty (sp?) in the world right now. I said to a friend the other day that human history is moving toward a dark period right now. Things could change, but people are scared in general and they will cling to anything that supports their view. When things were good in the late 90's people irrationally clung to the market and drove unprescedented and undeserving growth. Now we're swinging the other way. Untill "people" as a group realize that it's not nearly as bad as they think, it'll remain a dark day.
Think about it - besides nature, who is keeping us primed for disaster. The same ones who fail to respond properly with the services we have paid for. Don't think that our photo-op white house resident is making so many trips to the storm ravaged south because he cares. His world is coming apart, and he needs to give the illusion that he cares. His PR people advise him of what looks better. They're going "You know George - that first fly by you did on Katrina didn't go over so well. Maybe you should act like you're taking a little more interest." He says "You're right, tell Alan to raise the rate."
As I stated earlier-
http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/newsmakers/fortune_rumsfeld/
Motive for scaring you into using an ineffective product and control of who the biggest customer is helps to make the fat wallet fatter.
Too bad it's your money going into their wallet. See how proper scare techniques can transfer wealth from poor working class taxpayers to the wallets of wealthy politicians without the poor working fools (that would be us) complaining or even having any say in where it goes -- in fact they will make you beg for it and go along with anything they do.
Believe me, they're not doing it because they are concerned that you possibly may get an extra half a day of feeling a little bit better- (remember that these guys approve of torture)- -or not if you didn't start taking the $100 to $175 (http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/18/news/midcaps/ebay.reut/ ) a pop medicine within 48 hours of onset, and if you decide to go ahead and die you are on your own. They already passed their non-responsibility legislation that will keep your family from suing them if it or any other product they make causes your death or increases your problems if I recall correctly.
http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/hanchette179.html
Follow the money and just smile ;D as you see how the system works. Grab the remote, some snacks and a beer and flip through your favorite propaganda news, sitcoms and entertainment. Don't worry-be happy -it's about all you can do. I feel it's at least fun to know what's going on. ;D
"The important thing is, NOT to stop questioning." Albert Einstein
Here's how I feel about it. :) :) :) :)
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/multimedia/bushism_fool_me_once.mp3