October 2006 Archives

Charles

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According to a new report  on America's cities, St. Louis and Detroit top the list as least safest in the nation. You will recall these two cities fielded baseball teams last week in the World Series . Both cities enjoyed exposure to a national TV audience and were able to boast their rejuvenated downtowns. I hope development efforts reach deep and represent an earnest try at making the cities good places to live.

(These two teams met in the 1968 World Series, a year after devastating riots and destruction in Detroit. That series is locally considered a major factor in healing divisions  within the burning city.)

If it's crime that makes a place generally unsafe—rather than, say, lousy roads , bad weather or falling pianos —why is it that people commit crime?  And so much of it? The answer is very complex, of course, and can't be pinned to one reason. Economics is a fundamental place to start, though .

All over the world, it's getting tougher for people to get a start  economically, experts say. Even with experience and talent , circumstances may conspire to keep someone out of work . On top of that, British experts now profess the environment is ready to play a role  in economics.

And the population is growing , even as money and weather work up (apparently) to doomsday for Mayfield . There are opportunities though, if you're willing to try someplace new. The Christian Science Monitor  tells of a growing need for artisans and skilled workers in the "remote" West, where thriving industries can use people from dying industries. All it takes is a little getting used to.

The problem is pretty neatly summed up here: Plants are closing , and folks need to find a way to put food on the table .

Charles

Wednesday afternoon, Wells Fargo's 40-foot semi-trailer from the Cartwright Ranch in Benbrook, Texas, arrived at Monster Park  in San Francisco. Normally, the truck arrives with the Wells Fargo stagecoach and horses on board, for an appearance at a community parade or other event. But this was a special trip: on board were 80 homeless cats and dogs from New Orleans and the area wrecked by hurricanes Katrina and Rita over a year ago.

Only a fraction of displaced people have returned to the New Orleans area, and there are thousands of animals living on the street .There are few local options for adoption and fostering. There is little for homeless animals to scavenge to eat, and demolition leaves strays further displaced. The only viable option is to transport them out of Louisiana.

Cody Riess of Three Wishes Foundation , a non-profit rescue resource in New Orleans, has organized a national adoption event for kittens, puppies, cats, and dogs rescued from the streets of the city post-Katrina. Animal care groups across the country are taking part.

"The disaster was at such a scale that we are overwhelmed here. By transporting a number of animals out of state, the goal is to save as many animals as possible from having to be returned to the disaster zone of New Orleans' streets," said Cody. "We have been working night and day to solve this problem."

The Southern Animal Foundation  has recently received a HSUS grant to spay and neuter the growing population of strays that are still living in New Orleans. Riess coordinates organizations to spay and neuter dozens of animals EACH DAY. All the animals have health certificates, rabies tags, vaccinations and micro chips, and they are spayed or neutered before leaving the city.

Several Northern California rescue groups received animals that will be offered for adoption at fairs and events scheduled this weekend, including:

• Bay Area Cat Rescue 
• GEPDA USA 
• Homeless Animals Response Program (H.A.R.P.) 
• Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue 
• KATMOM 
• La Honda Mountain Cats Rescue 
• TOPCats on the Ridge, Inc. 
• Purrfect Cat Rescue 
• Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation 
• Town Cats 

Each animal is "sponsored" by a group whose adoption approval processes screen homes that meet their criteria.

Charles

From Temperence, MI, Mike writes about yesterday's post:

"Charles,

That's is tough one and one that can't be compartmentalized in a case or backpack.

"What about setting up a blockwatch program? Ensuring all neighbors' outside lamps/lights are on? Would the PD be open to an extra patrol, at least for the short term?

"Maybe you should get a Rottweiler, or some dog that barks a lot.

—Mike"

The neighborhood has "Neighborhood Watch" signs, but no one has ever asked me to patrol. We are all on an email list and I sent the news around. Looks like we have to set schedules where the person "on watch" is assigned an hour or so.

In colonial times, citizens were selected to patrol the community —it was considered a way to be "one of the boys."  Think it will work 300 years later? I'm guessing they'll assign me the 3-6 a.m. watch.

As to your suggestions, we do keep our lights on and the streetlights don't have rotating times—they better not, considering how much I pay for property taxes! The cops are pretty good about patrols, since my neighborhood is close to a major boulevard with all the liquor stores and all-night donut shops. Breeding grounds for crime!

I think the dog thing is going to happen . I'm not really a pet guy, but it might make a difference. If I were a crook(yeah, yeah, knock it off ...) I'd be deterred by a dog more than an alarm system. Not to mention, my backyard is overrun with local cats. They just hang out and—well, you know—under the porch.

Yeah, dog for sure. Take care of one potential problem and one REAL problem! I'm sold, Mike! I did a search on line for "the right guard dog for me." After various criteria were entered, the Komondor was selected . And if it can't protect my home, I'm betting it can play keyboards .

Charles

I could use a little help. My neighborhood is being infiltrated by criminals, and I honestly don't know how to "prepare" for crime.

My son works at night and came home last night around midnight. He observed punks going car to car to burgle their contents or steal the thing outright, with the accomplices keeping watch. He ran inside, called the cops and kept a running commentary on the phone to them, updating the scene as they arrived with sirens blaring.

They took away one person and did the CSI  thing on the perp's car, stem to stern. The whole episode lasted till 3 a.m. (Note to editor: No wisecracks about errors. I was up all night...)

My wife is concerned the bad guys will return to our house with retaliation on their minds. Our house is not gated, does not have an armed detachment, and we don't have a Rottweiler . The car is in the driveway while we are away. Everyone in the neighborhood works during the day.

Please tell me what to do. I'm new to this whole America-gone-crazy , crime-in-the-streets  thing.

I called the insurance guys to find out what they recommend and what they expect—what coverage features they want me to have so that if anything happens, there are no questions. I don't want clerks haggling over what constitutes "damage." The car is fully covered (it better be, for the premiums!), but who wants to deal with all that?

No matter why anything happens, I want to have the right pieces in place to prevent it from happening, or to lessen the impact on my property and my peace of mind.

My kid is a hero . And a good luck charm, too—what timing to come home just in time to witness the crime in progress. If possible, it would be great to park him on the front porch till the whole thing goes away. But since he has his own life to live (the nerve!) I need a backup plan.

How do you prepare for crime? What does the Preparedness Kit consist of?

Charles

GBH has been lecturing you (here, another one here, and another here) on the importance of a healthy diet as the foundation for preparedness. Good nutrition builds healthy individuals, who are stronger and make better decisions. From there, the neighborhood, the community and—that's right—the whole dang world are peopled by survivors.

(Hey, I admitted to lecturing! It's a labor of love, people. We have a new world to build.)

Eating fish is a good habit to get you started. But as with everything good for you, there is a little knowledge involved. (Yup, health is like doing math. But once you know it, there's nothing you can't figure out.) There are some kinds of fish to avoid at times , and times when to avoid certain kinds of fish.

Fish protect us, for heaven's sake! Right now, science is using the properties of bluegills to enhance national security . Fish are the planetary equivalent of blood cells—they run things. Everything eats fish or eats something that eats fish; they populate and regulate water, which is the prime element in life; they have a central place in both science  and religion ; they are sushi , which is the royalty of food (no arguments allowed). Without fish, I declare here and now, life itself would be impossible.

Just look both ways , no matter what you had for lunch.

Charles

Were you there?

There was a 6.7 earthquake in Hawai'i over the weekend . The media were abuzz with the story. The focus was not just the damage or the unnerved residents, but also on the threat of tsunamis .

Nevertheless, everything is OK on the Big Island, even as authorities comb for tragedy. According to the USGS (your top earthquake and volcano resource), this alarm is founded in fact —guided by history, if I may. A 1946 quake in Chile sent 55-foot waves to Hilo, causing extreme damage. This event prompted the Tsunami Warning System  that still operates today.

Most Hawaiians are cool about the whole thing, as you'd expect. Will Kyle details his day , one of three historic earth-broncos he's busted. He also writes about the potential for continent changing: The science he invoked gave me a jolt, by golly.

Just another day for Hawai'i, although a more interesting one, to be sure. And at the end of each Hawaiian day is that one-of-a-kind sunset and some cultural magic .

Aloha.

Charles

USA Today reports  that a large number of American cities have gotten an "F" grade for their evacuation plans. Meaning, there is no plan—or the one these cities have is, well, dumb.

So your area has little or no real plan for moving people quickly and safely in the event of trouble. Added to this, the nation is looking at a population of 300 million people by (tick, tick, tick) this week . Evac + no plan = panic & chaos. Imagine 300 million people climbing over you. No, really. You have to be ready. You have to be strong. You have to be healthy to face the future.

Start with what you eat. Many people are getting wiser about what's in the food they order or prepare. Globs of unhealthy oils, for instance , are being looked at recently as bad enough to be like smoking or other health no-nos. Make sure you understand basic nutrition: The old saw about "everything in moderation" applies except with fruit and vegetables . (It's my own personal quirk that I treat Brussels sprouts  as I treat sour cream and onion potato chips—avoid at all costs. When offered at a dinner party, eat one to be polite.)

Then there's how we eat . This is where our society has its challenges, but we can get a hold on it anyway. It's all about the mind. That's right, eat with your head. You already do, you know!

So there you go. You drop a few pounds, give your bod some solid building blocks. When the Big, Bad Storm comes and City Hall tells you to get outta town, you're one of the people with the strength to walk a few miles past the traffic jams or ride the mountain bike  over all the hills and dales .

You can be Jack La Lanne . Well, almost anyway. There's only ONE Jack La Lanne!

Charles

Today we celebrate the strength of ideas  and offer our own award nominations for Preparedness on a Personal Scale:

Any Preparedness inventions you’d like to nominate? Let us know!

Charles

In the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, in 1900 , at least 6,000 people perished and most of the city's buildings were obliterated. America had become an industrial power in that era, and the technology of the time—telegraph, newspapers, telephone and telegraph—enabled news and recovery to travel to the farthest reaches. The disaster got a huge response from concerned Americans.

The Salvation Army, 20 years in the U.S. by that time, sent a big delegation to the stricken city to provide relief . "From these beginnings, The Salvation Army has developed local, regional and national disaster services programs," the Army's website states. Today, The Salvation Army has a substantial disaster response program in place  to aid community recovery.

In 1893, Charles Sutro , of the vaunted San Francisco family, gave The Salvation Army a donation of $100. (The check was drawn on Wells Fargo Bank, the vaunted San Francisco institution.)

I salute The Salvation Arny, on scene still in New Orleans, and with a recovery team in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania , to assist those folks how ever they can.

Charles

USA Today has several articles that offer some insight into the fast-changing nature of communities. The quick pace of modern life puts stresses on people's abilities to cope with everyday stuff, let alone preparation for a variety of unforeseen events.

For starters , solid education might be weakened if there is no coordination between preschool and early elementary. Early gains can be lost and youngsters can have learning challenges by the time the hard work begins. With coordinated programs , rates of failure and lackluster performance can be reduced. Good minds, interested in learning, are the best Preparedness tool we have. Quick decisions and good planning are best aided by intelligence.

New communities are taking shape, and quickly. This has political repercussions, as reported here . But this also reflects how communities pop up almost overnight, populated by different people with different experiences. It takes a little time for these Chia  towns to develop their own, organic sense. Put simply, neighbors are neighbors by chance. That's a big difference from memories of where you grew up, I'll bet, where everyone knew each other and helped out.

With all this change and with "strangers" everywhere, it's no surprise that threats can come from anywhere —it might not be so easy to spot a kook and steer clear. "It's not school violence—it's community violence that takes place in schools," says an expert quoted in the article. While adults deal with commutes, interest rates, and other grownup hassles, kids can feel the pressure of an unstable world , especially with recent violence on their turf—school.

The rapid pace compromises nutrition, too. A full one-third of kids are considered out of shape , and many are considered obese. Maybe family meals are the place to start.

(I know, I'm in the same boat—it's hard to have dinner before 8:00 if you get home and start cooking like Mom used to. I'm just saying ...)

It's up to us to take charge of our lives , nurture our families, build our communities. And I know you know and are working as hard as you can to do just that. The point? Stay with it, Citizen Hero. The stakes are high.

Charles

There is a new report of violence in schools , this time in Pennsylvania. Several children are reported killed and wounded as authorities try to figure out what happened and why.

It was the same last week, too. Two tragedies in Bailey, Colo.,  and in Cazenovia, Wis.,  brought the school violence thing  back to front and center.

The violence that occurs at schools  is particularly terrifying because it involves our kids. No one wants young people exposed to violence and fear—protection is a primary element of parenthood. Plus, it always seems so random. Rural school in Arkansas, suburban school in Colorado, working-class school in Oregon, elementary school in Detroit. It seems impossible to predict, adding to the fearsome nature of the event. But there are clues to when and how these events develop, and who might be thinking of acting out the pattern. This study , while old, was prepared at the height of the "epidemic" of school violence in the 1990s. Its conclusion is simple: School shootings are not as prevalent as they seem. Schools are safer than home for the majority of kids.

At root, some kids start going in the direction of violent action, but they are not invisible. Neighbors, teachers and peers can note certain problem developments and help curtail taunting and divisions between student groups. At home, pressure to achieve might push a kid to desperation. As this report  suggests, though, parents and teachers tend to take preventive action early, rather than too late—erring on the side of caution. Then again, you have cultures of violent response  to perceived threats. Access to guns  is a prime cause of youth gun violence .