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Posted on 11 April 2017 by Robert Bruce Thompson
10:32 – It was 50.8F (10.5C) when I took Colin out at 0700 this morning, sunny and bright. By the time Lori showed up with our mail around 0915, it was 68F (20C). Ray of Ray's Weather said yesterday he'd put away his snow meter for the year because we're unlikely to see any more snow. But we're still likely to see one or more freezes/frosts between now and mid- to late-May.
Lori had only two packages for us, both from Amazon, one the ARRL General Class license manual and the other a pack of five 7-gallon planting bags. Our lettuce is already sprouting gangbusters in the small starting pots, so we'll probably use at least one of the bags for lettuce. I think we planted too much lettuce, especially since we don't have any rabbits to feed it to.
We're near finishing up several series we've been watching on Netflix and Amazon streaming, including a British series called Escape to the Country. In each episode, the presenter meets a couple who want to relocate to a rural area. The presenter shows them three houses.
I said to Barbara last night that nearly all of the couples are likable and remind me of us. They're looking for the same thing we were looking for: to get away from big city rat race (or "rat run" as the Brits apparently call it) and live in a rural area. Most of them want to have a big garden. (Again, what Americans call having a green thumb in Britain is apparently called having green fingers. I think they do it just to annoy us…)
Another thing that struck us is the high prices of homes and particularly land in Britain. I suppose that makes sense, given their much higher population density. A nice home that might cost $200,000 in a rural area in the US often costs two, three, or even four times that in the UK, depending on how close it is to London or another large city. The buyers often say they want quite a bit of land with the home, but the homes they're shown often include half an acre or less, what in the US would be considered a typical suburban residential plot. In the 20 or so episodes we've watched, only a handful of the properties they've shown have included even one full acre.
And detached homes are apparently pretty rare. A high percentage of the homes they show are semi-detached, which in the US would be called duplexes, and are pretty rare even in cities, let alone rural areas. And the Brits apparently have a lot more words and arrangements for sanitary facilities than we Americans do. In the US, a half-bath includes a toilet and sink, and a full bath includes those plus a shower and/or bathtub. In Britain, there are many different arrangements, including shower rooms that include only a shower, shower rooms that include a shower and sink, bathrooms that include only a bathtub, and toilets that include only a toilet and no sink, which strikes Americans as bizarre. Where do you wash your hands after using the toilet?
At any rate, we've enjoyed the series. There are only 25 episodes on Netflix, out of (IIRC) something like 750 episodes that the BBC has broadcast over the last several years.
I read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction. Most of it uses any of several recurring memes, all of which make for a good (and easy-to-write) story, but none of which are particularly realistic. Here, in no particular order, are several of those memes:
There is no such thing as a zombie. Enough said. Serious preppers may tell you they're preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse, but they aren't serious. That's just shorthand for preparing for any eventuality.
Walking Home
The protagonist of these stories is often stranded hundreds or even thousands of miles from home and loved ones, and proceeds to walk home. He or they have many violent encounters, but always come through pretty much unscathed. Using just what they have in their (usually outrageously heavy) backpacks, they make it home after weeks or even months of walking, conveniently finding everything they need to make the trip.
Some of these treks are more realistic than others, notably Franklin Horton's Borrowed World series and Angery American's Home series, but ultimately all of them are fantasies. The reality is that if the S really HTF and you find yourself more than two or three days' walk away from home, you're not going to make it unless you start that trek before the majority of people realize what's happened.
For example, if I were writing such a scenario and had Barbara stranded down in Winston-Salem, 60 miles or so from home, I'm not going to have her walk home. She's in excellent shape for a woman her age, but even so it's just not practical. Instead, I'd have her walk some and hitch rides when possible. Her trip back home won't take weeks, let alone months. Instead, she'll leave the moment the Event occurs and arrive back home in a day, if not later the same day. Better yet, she'd just drive home, making the normal 1.5 hour trip in, oh, 1.5 hours.
Destruction of Electronics
The two best-known books based on this meme are David Crawford's Lights Out and William R. Forstchen's One Second After. Both are better-written than average for this genre. The problem is, their scenario is very unlikely. There are two mechanisms for such an event:
o a Carrington-class solar storm (coronal mass ejection), which would damage long transmission lines, transformers, and any AC equipment that was connected, but not unconnected electronics, such as automobiles, cell phones, pacemakers, etc. etc. The aftermath would be hideously bad, but would not destroy all electronics, let alone electric motors and so on. Note that a CME is predictable, and that the world would have probably several days' warning to take measures to minimize damage.
o a high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse (HEMP or just EMP) event would have extremely severe consequences, but the extent and level of severity are unknowable, simply because it's never happened. There are simply so many variables that making even a rough prediction is impossible. It's safe to bet that a major EMP event would do incredible damage to our electric power grid and any electric/electronic devices connected to it, as well as many unconnected devices such as cell phones and other portable electronics. As to vehicles, the common meme is that all of them would be damaged beyond usability with the exception of diesels and elderly gasoline vehicles, those made in 1980 or before, which use carburetors and distributors rather than fuel-injection. In reality, modern diesels would actually be as much (or as little) affected as modern gasoline engines. My guess is that a significant percentage of EFI gasoline engines would be unaffected, other than perhaps requiring the battery to be disconnected and then reconnected to cause the vehicle computer(s) to reboot. Those vehicle computers are generally very well protected, in what amounts to Faraday cages.
Rawles' Golden Hordes
In his books, Rawles was one of the first authors other than Pournelle and Niven to predict ravening hordes of refugees flowing out of the cities and into rural areas, where they'd overwhelm the locals. That's possible, of course, depending on the type of disaster that occurs. In a financial collapse or similar widespread disaster, we'd probably see the converse: people migrating from rural areas to the large cities, because that's where government disaster relief efforts would be concentrated. Rural areas would be the last to get any such relief efforts, if indeed they received any help at all.
Even in a worst-case scenario, such as terrorists setting off dirty bombs in large cities, mass migrations to rural areas are unlikely. Most ordinary people in the cities will wait too long before deciding to evacuate, by which time it will be impossible to do so. Look what less than an inch of snow did to Atlanta in 2014. Interstates literally turned into parking lots, even though the event had been forecast well in advance. A dirty bomb attack or similar event that occurred with no notice would clog highways even faster. Accidents, disabled vehicles, and all of the other things that happen in such circumstances would make roads impassable, starting with the interstates and other main highways, but quickly clogging even 2-lane roads.
What Rawles and others ignore is what I call the tenth-value distance. How many miles of road is sufficient to cut the number of people down to 10% of the original number? That TVD obviously varies with the specifics for an area. For the Triad and Charlotte populations trying to evacuate towards Sparta, I estimated the TVD at 10 miles. In other words, if 100,000 people set out from the Triad heading towards Sparta, after 10 miles that'd be down to 10,000, after 20 miles down to 1,000, and so on. After the 60 miles to Sparta, that original number of people would be down to (0.1)e6, or one one-millionth of the original number. Call it one tenth of a person would reach Sparta.
That's the good news, at least for Sparta residents if not Triad residents. The bad news is that the TVD applies to average people. The TVD for really bad people–one percenter motorcycle gangs, inner-city gangs, and so on–is much higher. Yeah, we'd see groups of them up here, but there are plenty of Good Old Boys here, most of whom grew up hunting and shooting. Gang members who decide to come up here to rob, rape, and pillage would find themselves dead pretty quickly.
The concept of bugging out is hugely popular in PA fiction, but the reality is that it almost never makes sense to bug out except in a disaster that's very localized. If a train wreck dumps toxic chemicals near your home or a huge wildfire is approaching, yes it makes sense to bug out, but the idea of a very localized disaster with everywhere outside the immediate area unaffected is, by definition, not an apocalyptic scenario. In a widespread catastrophe, leaving your home and going out on the road is simply stupid. At home, you have all of your supplies and you are surrounded by people you've known for years. Hunkering down preserves those advantages; bugging out gives up all of them in exchange for the uncertainties of the road. Even if you have a well-stocked bugout location, getting there is by no means certain. And even if you do get there, there's a good chance you'll find it looted and perhaps occupied by squatters. Hunkering down is far safer, even if you're in a suburb of a larger city. Making a run for it is not far from suicidal.
Evil FEMA/DHS
PA authors love to cast FEMA/DHS as evil jackbooted thugs. The reality is that they're mostly ordinary people. In a catastrophe, they'll being doing their best to do their jobs. Sure there'll be some petty bureaucrats drunken with power who make things for refugees worse than they might have been, and yes the realities of having to care for thousands or tens of thousands of people will require them to enforce strict rules, but the idea that FEMA/DHS will end up running concentration camps, let alone death camps, is ridiculous. They won't be trying to make people miserable, let alone enslave them.
Not that things wouldn't be miserable despite their best efforts. Even if the country mobilized every resource available, the state and federal governments simply don't have sufficient resources to deal with even a regional disaster, let alone one that's nationwide. There simply isn't enough spare food sitting around to feed everyone, or pure water, or spare electrical generation capacity, or drugs, or anything else. Everything would be in extremely short supply, and conditions in such refugee camps would soon become unspeakably bad. But don't blame that on FEMA/DHS. Just resolve to do what it takes to take care of yourself and your family and friends, because if there is a large scale catastrophe the last place you want to be is anywhere near a refugee camp.
Breakdown of Law
Another common meme is WROL (without rule of law). The idea that the government becomes utterly incapable of enforcing even fundamental laws like those against rape, robbery, and murder. Since they can't or won't enforce such fundamental laws, plucky preppers have to do it themselves. These preppers have no fear of ever facing charges for shooting people out of hand and so on, because the government isn't there any more. Don't count on it. State and local law enforcement may be overwhelmed initially, and in fact probably would be. But they'll still be there, and when things begin to settle down they're likely to show up at your door and ask you some hard questions about that pile of bodies surrounding your house. The metric will be "were these the actions of a reasonable man?" Law enforcement, particularly in rural areas and small towns, will tend to sympathize with ordinary people who were forced to use lethal force to defend themselves, but that's about as far as it will go.
Isolated Cabins
PA novelists often fantasize about a family living in their retreat, a self-sufficient homestead miles from their nearest neighbors. In reality, such a site would be about as dangerous as living in a central city. Maybe more so. Isolating yourself geographically from bad events makes sense superficially, but only for as long as it takes you to consider the implications. Being miles from your nearest neighbor doesn't mean the bad guys won't find you. It just means the nearest help is miles away. The bad guys, if they have the common sense of a turnip, will ambush you, snipe you, and otherwise pick at you piecemeal until they've eliminated your ability to defend yourself, which was pretty limited to begin with. You're on your own. No one is coming to help you. You and your family will die alone, and the bad guys will eat everything you have stored away and then move to the next isolated cabin and do it again.
It's far better to put yourself in a small-town/rural setting where you have friends and neighbors. Not just for a common defense, but to share skills, knowledge, and other resources. I know a lot about a lot, but I don't know everything about everything, and some or many of the things I know nothing about may turn out to be critical. That's why Barbara and I chose to move where we did. There are a lot of people around here who have useful/critical skills, and by becoming part of the community we are preparing to share our own skills in the expectation that others will do the same.
So I'm preparing for none of those scenarios because none of them are very likely. Which brings me to the final common meme in PA novels, but this one actually does make sense.
Doubling Up
What Rawles calls "doubling up" essentially means sharing not just your skills but your living space with others who have complementary skills and supplies. In a critical situation, when you're surrounded by potential threats, you need trusted people above all. You and your wife aren't enough. Even if you invite your extended family to stay with you during an emergency, that's probably not enough people. There'll be loads of work to do and not enough people to do it all. Finding additional trustworthy people to be part of your group should be your highest priority.
And that turns out to be the toughest preparation of all for most preppers. And that's why I'm storing extra food, because I want to be able to offer refuge to unprepared friends. People I can trust not to shoot me in the back if the S really HTF.
I actually had this conversation with Lori quite some time ago. We're better-prepared than Lori is, if you don't count the fact that she has a 40-acre farm stocked with beef cattle and also has a year-round spring on the property. But if things ever got really bad, Lori knows we'd take her and her daughter in, and she volunteered to do the same for us. I hope it never comes to that, but it's nice to have a fall-back position.
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70 Responses to Tuesday, 11 April 2017
MrAtoz says:
Wow, that is a great summary, Dr. Bob. Do you mind if I copy and paste all your comments into one of those shitty Kindle books and put it up on Amazon? I'll call it "Dr. Bob's Guide to The Apocalypse." I'll give you a byline.
Robert Bruce Thompson says:
Sure, go ahead.
Real life consequences of assuming WROL, and of trusting in blue costumes occupied by men.
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/04/sentencing-in-danziger-bridge-massacre.html
WRT golden horde. It does in fact happen and we've seen it first hand, although it doesn't happen in the PA novel style, because the rest of the country didn't fall in the disaster, or end in WROL. The hundreds of thousands who fled katrina in a wave did in fact make it out of NOLA . To some degree in a metaphorical sense, but certainly in a literal sense too, they DID lay waste to the surrounding area. For years afterwards the area around Houston's relief effort (centered on the Astrodome) was devastated by violence and increased poverty. Displaced gang members fought with existing gangs for supremacy in our schools and on our streets. Like locusts, the refugees damaged our schools, depleted our monetary and physical resources, killed, robbed, and maimed our residents, and the effects of the wave of human ejecta washed thru Houston for MORE THAN TEN YEARS. Even just a couple of years ago, teachers were commenting to me that "Thank god the katrina refugees are finally working their way out of our schools."
We have whole cities filled with " really bad people–one percenter motorcycle gangs, inner-city gangs, and so on." If ROL didn't stay up, and if the surrounding areas weren't actively wary of the flood of katrina refugees, I believe we would have had the PA version, at least locally. It doesn't take that many bad actors to utterly destroy an area.
I remind people here that I was living and working in LA during the Rodney King riots. I saw first hand what just a few rampaging people can do. Parts of Hollywood burned to the ground. Smoke was blowing in my front door. I drove past the smouldering ruins of what were thriving businesses a day earlier. A co-worker had to shoot at looters to keep them from burning down his mother's house. Another had to load his truck and flee ahead of the fires burning down the surrounding lofts. My roommate was attacked and hospitalized by a group of men who just didn't like his skin color.
The animals that fled Katrina stole vehicles including buses. They stripped entire car sales lots. The rioting crowds in LA were mostly on foot, but spread like wildfire. Local pockets broke out wherever someone had a grievance. The vast majority of people AFTER katrina didn't stand around waiting to die, they left in waves.
To add further first hand experience, I've now seen a couple of actual city evacuations. Yes, immediately everything gridlocks and stays that way for some time. But after that, there is a time when things open up again, and you can flee. If the disaster hasn't hit yet, or devastated your area, that delayed opening can give you a second chance. It's also a chance for the horde to move.
So I'm not nearly as sanguine as our host about the golden horde. We lived thru the slow motion version after Katrina, and I'm certainly not willing to armwave them away, based on my first hand experience.
Added- also we are many hours away from NOLA by vehicle without traffic. The horde leapfrogged locals (possibly due to the entirely reasonable reset to Jim Crow Era standards for outsiders- see the signs online) and headed for the bright lights…
But your experience is all from within heavily populated areas, and is all with localized disasters. I didn't say there wouldn't be golden hordes, just that they wouldn't make it far outside the cities.
Even Katrina barely qualified as regional in terms of the affected areas. And help was sent from all over the place. Winston-Salem sent a bunch of electric power trucks, law enforcement vehicles, and many, many tractor-trailer loads of food, bottled water, and other supplies.
Yep, so it affected cities mainly. And again, although the supply chain wasn't hitting on all cylinders, it was still functioning if considerably degraded. Many gas stations, grocery stores, etc. in the affected areas remained open.
"Many gas stations, grocery stores, etc. in the affected areas remained open."
This was mainly due, in the case of Katrina (and Ike), to pre-positioned assets. Because we can see hurricanes coming from a long way away, the response has time to move assets nearby. This helps considerably and wouldn't apply in many scenarios.
I acknowledge that my experiences have been urban and suburban. I'll just note that that covers a large majority of people in the country. Unless your nearest wal*mart is a multi-hour drive, you're pretty close to urban (or live in a rural island of development.)
I'll add that while a whole lot of people are in fact stupid, the human animal didn't rise to prominence because it sat around and waited to die. People LEAVE when there is nothing left. Vis Katrina, vis Okies and the dustbowl, vis anywhere in Europe that got bombed in WWII. They'll leave in stolen vehicles, they'll commandeer buses, they'll walk out carrying whatever they can. There will be attrition, and there will be dispersion, and especially if they have to cross thru a 'resource desert' their numbers will decrease even more, but humans have always banded together for survival. I don't doubt that they will band together in the aftermath of disaster (and not in the good way).
Throughout history, large groups of loosely aligned humans (called 'armies' in the history books, but comprised of some fighting men and a larger group of affiliates) have ranged through the countryside supporting themselves on whatever they could seize, laying waste to everything as they moved.
Unless the disaster itself reduces population dramatically, I don't see any reason for history to be repealed.
ack, and now the whole morning is gone…..
Dave Starr says:
Thanks for the point out on "Escape to the Country", my wife and I will take a look. A somewhat similar BBC series you might want to chat is "Homes Under he Hammer", where in each episodes three properties, mostly residential but often some commercial and "one off" items are sold at auction and the buyers renovate these properties and show them off and have them informally appraised to see if the renovation seems profitable.
Pn Prepping:
WRT your thoughts on EMP, I have a lot of years of experience in EMP protection/hardening with the military. In a great many areas we still don't know all that we don't know but I find your evaluation pretty much spot on. An excellent guide to some thoughtful basic strategies today, thanks.
Miles_Teg says:
"…and toilets that include only a toilet and no sink, which strikes Americans as bizarre. Where do you wash your hands after using the toilet?"
That was completely routine in Australia until the last thirty or so years. The house I grew up in in Adelaide (built 1952) had a toilet with… you guessed it, a toilet, and nothing else. It was next to the laundry, we washed our hands in the laundry sink. The bathroom, with bath, shower and sink was three rooms away.
My house in Canberra (built in 1977) had a bathroom with toilet, sink/vanity unit, bath and seperate shower. The master bedroom had an ensuite of shower, vanity/sink and toilet. This is the trend nowadays. A friend's house had a toilet with small washbasin in it – the first time I'd seen that. Next room was the real bathroom.
Housing in Britain is so expensive that even people with good jobs have to content themselves with one bedroom flats or buying a house with a (platonic) friend. Even in country towns duplexes are the rule.
There are zombies. I saw them on the Deadly Earnest Show…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadly_Earnest
"…a high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse (HEMP or just EMP) event would have extremely severe consequences, but the extent and level of severity are unknowable, simply because it's never happened."
What about Starfish Prime?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime
Another thing that struck us is the high prices of homes and particularly land in Britain.
Doesn't the gentry still hold a lot of land in the rural areas?
I would also imagine that London has a lot of bug out pads owned by Mainland Chinese similar to what we saw when living outside Portland. Dad still works in the motherland while mom and kids hide in a leafy suburb of an English-speaking country, ready for the day when the SHTF at home.
dkreck says:
In probably half the new homes I've seen (my daughter has been looking) there is a trend to but the toilet in a separate but attached to the bath water closet. I'm guessing it provides a method to share a bathroom with a better sense of privacy.
Greg Norton wrote:
Not just in the country. The Duke of Westminster – one of the richest men in Britain – owns/owned a substantial amount of property in London. In 1990 in London I looked at real estate prices – often you didn't buy a house, you had a 19 year or whatever lease, paid for up front. When your lease ran out you were out. The prices were still insane.
WRT housing in the UK and most of Europe for that matter:
IIRC it used to be that ordinary people (us commoners) could not own land or certain classes of property (like all swans and deer in the UK belong to the Queen). There are a lot of "homes" in the UK that were built before we were even "The Colonies" so indoor plumbing and electricity had to be squeezed into these small homes. Sanitation is a relatively new concept, and still unknown in the majority of the world.
My Mom and Dad visited our relatives in the UK about 20-years ago. They were all living in homes that were passed down from generation to generation, all "leased" from the Queen. They were not free to make any modifications without "Royal Approval". My Mom was a larger than normal woman and had a hard time fitting into the very small bathroom and using the bucket-sized "johns". My Dad was 6'2″ and had to practically bend in half to get through the doors and walked stooped over through the house.
OFD says:
" My Dad was 6'2″ and had to practically bend in half to get through the doors and walked stooped over through the house."
Ho, ho, ho, I feel his pain, even after the fact, as it may be.
This house was built in 1830 and even Murkan peeps of that time were on the average significantly smaller; wifey is 5'10" and has to duck going up and down the stairs and I have seven inches on her. I call it the Hobbit House. Built for hobbits but orcs live here now.
pcb_duffer says:
[snip] There is no such thing as a zombie. Enough said [snip]
Around here, they're called meth-heads. Distinguished from the zombies of Hollywood myth only by their different odors, and their absolute willingness to roll over on anyone and everyone they know when confronted by law enforcement.
[snip] the effects of the wave of human ejecta washed thru Houston for MORE THAN TEN YEARS [snip]
I suppose I should be glad that most of the Katrina refugees of the 'human ejecta' class went west, toward the sort of big city they were familiar with. We got a decent number of refugees here, but the problems they caused were asymptotic to zero.
[snip] Even Katrina barely qualified as regional in terms of the affected areas. [snip]
Katrina was noteworthy because (A) it affected a very large and economically important city and (B) the mass media went hog wild trying to pin all the blame on the sitting POTUS, whom they despised for political reasons.
[snip] My roommate was attacked and hospitalized by a group of men who just didn't like his skin color. [snip]
I've had that happen to friends / employees here, but the miscreants have always been Blue Eyed Devils. The police didn't expend a lot of effort investigating.
Starfish Prime was 55 years ago, when the world was different. Nearly all electronic devices were tube-based, and suffered no damage (nor for that matter did transistor-based stuff). The area was very isolated. Power generation and distribution was still local, so by definition there could be no cascading power grid failures. For all intents and purposes, the environment in 1962 was little different from when the Carrington Event occurred 100 years earlier.
" Even Katrina barely qualified as regional in terms of the affected areas."
I was gonna let that pass without comment, but the rain has me back at my desk so–
If this is your perception of the event, it is wrong. Completely wrong. Understandable since you are out of the area, and only had the MSM to rely on for coverage, which was focused on NOLA.
I don't like relying on wikipedia but it has a nice summary article on this very subject.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina_effects_by_region
Pull quotes, but do RTWT, it's not long, and I left out the half dozen states that were only incidentally affected.
"The effects of Hurricane Katrina, in August 2005, were catastrophic and widespread. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, leaving at least 1,245 people dead, and a further 135 missing. The storm was large and had an effect on several different areas of North America."
"Hurricane Katrina's devastating impact on the state of Mississippi caused a complete re-evaluation of hurricane command centers, safety, and offshore gambling. …. Afterward, all Mississippi counties were declared disaster areas (see map).
The Gulf Coast of Mississippi suffered massive damage from the impact of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, leaving 238 people dead, 67 missing, and an estimated $125 billion in damages.[18] Since Katrina made its third and final landfall on the Louisiana/Mississippi state line, the storm's powerful northeastern quadrant hammered areas of Mississippi, as well as Alabama, causing extensive wind and flood damage."
"Alabama suffered widespread, moderate-to-heavy damage caused by hurricane-force winds, flooding by a storm tide of 14–18 feet, and tornadoes.[21] Massive damage occurred along coastal areas, pushing small ships and oil rigs ashore, flooding fishing areas with dozens of shrimp boats, destroying marinas plus hundreds of boardwalks, and swamping beachfront homes or hotels, with widespread tree damage and roofs or shingles torn off. Afterward, 22 counties in Alabama were declared disaster areas"
"Texas avoided any direct damage from Hurricane Katrina, but the state took in an estimated 220,000 people who sought refuge from Louisiana."
"…on September 3, a wave of over 120,000 additional evacuees began pouring into Texas at a rate such that, as of September 5, it was estimated there were roughly 139,000 evacuees in official shelters around the state. This, added to the estimated 90,000 that were already in hotels and homes, overwhelmed local resources."
"…By September 6, Texas had an estimated 250,000 evacuees and Governor Perry was forced to declare a state of emergency in Texas and issued an impassioned plea to other states to begin taking the 40,000-50,000 evacuees that were still in need of shelter."
I respectfully submit that a storm which kills over a 1000 people, wipes out coastal areas in 3 states, and has an entire state declared a disaster area, and displaces a few HUNDRED THOUSAND people is NOT "barely regional." The effect on the oil industry was similarly devastating as 95% of Gulf production was impacted. They were cleaning up oil rigs for YEARS.
The long term impact on TX alone was dramatic and deleterious and we only got the people. The changes to state and national disaster planning were dramatic and echo to today.
Truly massive amounts of money were spent on the recovery.
Anyone who thinks Katrina was just about NOLA doesn't have the whole story.
If the USA MOABS the nork missile facilities, what is the chance of China EMPing the USA ?
@nick
You're right. I shouldn't have said "barely regional". It wasn't even close to that. "Localized" would better characterize it . Very small death toll, very limited damage in a relatively small coastal area.
"Regional" disasters would have 100 if not 1,000 times the death toll and property damage that covered most or all of a region. A "region" is something like the Midwest or Southeast or Mountain States, NOT just small parts of a few states.
medium wave says:
The hundreds of thousands who fled katrina in a wave did in fact make it out of NOLA . To some degree in a metaphorical sense, but certainly in a literal sense too, they DID lay waste to the surrounding area.
After the initial period of looting ended, the New Orleans area experienced remarkably low crime rates for several YEARS as a result of the underclass scum having decamped to Houston and, to a lesser extent, Atlanta.
Do we know, then, what the "crime rate" became for Houston and Atlanta subsequent to the Katrina episode?
I am always suspicious of government-generated crime statistics, having been a crime statistics officer at one time for a while (on top of my regular chit, of course, thanks to the previous stats officer being a drunken loose-cannon maniac, who slapped whatever crap together once a month and sent it in). I did them accurately and carefully, and as a result, the much higher figures for both violent and property crime stats made the local nooz media, papers and tee-vee. I was then taken right the fuck outta that gig immediately and it was given to another drunken loser.
So who knows how town, city and state departments actually compile and submit the stats to the reporting agencies, in my case the MA State Police and the Feebies.
SteveF says:
The FLASHLIGHT from hell. Still a one-hand carry, though.
Understandable since you are out of the area, and only had the MSM to rely on for coverage, which was focused on NOLA.
I didn't feel a thing. 😉
From the "Ruh Roh?" Department:
Chef Boyardee canned Ravioli has disappeared from Costco and Sam's shelves locally.
If the situation isn't due to a recall, it is certainly odd. I can't recall a time that you couldn't buy that stuff by the 8 pack at the warehouse clubs.
My kids eat it at a rate that we need a new 8 pack every month or so, and I tried to keep a backlog of a couple of 8 packs, a habit from FL hurricane preparedness.
It's a region, it's got a name- The Gulf Coast. Some call it the Mid-South although that includes Georgia.
It had a bigger area of effect than an atomic bomb would have.
"Do we know, then, what the "crime rate" became for Houston and Atlanta subsequent to the Katrina episode? "
Certain crimes increased and the increase was reported despite political correctness.
I wasn't able to find it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_the_United_States
@greg n,
I've noticed lots of things go missing at costco. Some are then replaced with Kirkland versions, some return after some amount of time.
3 packs of ham steaks- disappeared, haven't returned.
Big bag of regular M&Ms, gone for 6 months, peanut in it's place. Just returned and the associate said peanut was going away.
The cereals come and go. No Healthy Cheerios in months (multigrain, purple and white box). Sometimes no Honey Nut Cheerios for a month or two. They had my brand (Sunrise Vanilla) for a short while, then gone.
Blue Ribbon Bacon- gone. Replaced with not as good Kirkland.
Naan bread- gone for a while, replaced with house brand pita, now back but only in the mini size.
Our store has switched eggs from a normal 18 pack to "cage free" in 24 packs. That's as close to regular eggs as you can get. They also switched to large from extra large. Smaller eggs, unwieldy package, higher price.
Switched the kirkland sliced ham (lunchmeat) from a 3 pack of ziploks to a 2 pack in a 'deli tray' style package that doesn't seal well.
speaking of costco, I've returned my kirkland dishwashing pods. They didn't clean in my washer and left a strong fragrance on the dishes. Also returned my Kirkland "Free" laundry liquid. Didn't clean clothes at all.
I continue to use the kirkland laundry pods though. They work well and have mild smell.
I also note the price deflation on maple syrup. It's down to $11.99 from $13.
It's Region 6 for the Feds; otherwise just a "Division," like New England, itself just part of Region 1 WRT to the Census Bureau definitions.
Depends on who's defining "region."
Since the Feds got involved with Katrina in a big way, I think I'd have to classify it as, yes, a full-fledged Region. If a similar-sized storm hit New England, then according to the Feds, we'd be a region, too.
The two monster storms that live on in our family memory are the 1938 horror and 1954. My mom, aunt and uncle were little kids for the earlier one, and had to be evacuated via rowboat from their neighborhood in Fairhaven, MA, as it had become an island and getting smaller by the minute.
It'd be a neat disaster that stuck to the census bureau's divisions.
https://www.google.com/search?q=nine+nations+of+north+america&tbm=isch&imgil=6x3u-01IwoGLLM%253A%253B9dwrYGLEWHTlDM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fen.wikipedia.org%25252Fwiki%25252FThe_Nine_Nations_of_North_America&source=iu&pf=m&fir=6x3u-01IwoGLLM%253A%252C9dwrYGLEWHTlDM%252C_&usg=__yn-pgAuisUU103sXxIL6udpBapE%3D&biw=1366&bih=762&ved=0ahUKEwjqvurPtp3TAhUJyyYKHSt9CPUQyjcIRw&ei=PlXtWOqnJYmWmwGr-qGoDw#imgrc=6x3u-01IwoGLLM:
That map is based on cultural and economic factors.
or this one based on linguistics
http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6/#this-is-the-deepest-and-most-obvious-linguistic-divide-in-america-its-also-an-example-of-how-everyone-in-south-florida-pronounces-things-in-the-northern-us-style-7
In any case, the people that live here are quite sure they live in the Gulf Coast region.
added- or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Coast_of_the_United_States
I'm curious about how our very different expectations affect what you're doing to prepare that differs from what I'm doing.
That is an excellent question. I've got a civic association meeting in 15 minutes, so I'll have to get back to this.
But that's exactly what should come out of this sort of sharing.
Horde vs no horde looks like a huge difference. In practice, I'll have to think about if it really is wrt preps….
More ammo for you?
Field-expedient claymore mines, my good fellow.
That doesn't explain Sam's. Costco strives to be PC, but Sam's doesn't in general.
Sam's does have a variety pack of the Chef Boyardee pasta bowls, but they dropped the 8 pack of the Ravioli cans at the same time as Costco.
I know the Kirkland dishwasher pods went useless the year WA State clamped down on phosphates. When we lived up there, we never had clean dishes until the landlord was forced to replace the dishwasher due to a circuit board problem (2007 capacitors strike again).
I thought seriously about that, but I decided to go with a bunch of 0.1-gauge shotguns instead. They have much more throw-weight, won't singe the house behind them, and are reloadable. Just for old times' sake, I will a sign on them, "This side toward enemy".
Nightraker says:
Re: SHTF scenarios and realistic risk assessment
It's hard to predict actual effects without knowing the severity of the "Event", or even what "Event" occurs. Memoirs such as Ferfal in Argentina's monetary collapse or Selco's hunkering in the Bosnian war zone are thought provoking but mostly applicable to urbanites.
Preppers are actually logisticians just trying to side step trouble. The Discovery Channel had a logistics analysis of WWII recently that mentioned pre-fab ports built at the Gold and Omaha beachheads and a pipeline laid across the Channel as a major element of the Allies continuing success with the Invasion. Never mind the super human efforts of the Soviets in moving their industrial plants East.
So, a small town is definitely the hot prepper ticket but Murphy's Law still applies. What if TPTB decide to disperse Winston-Salem for some urgent reason and bring in thousands of refugees to Sparta's high school or some other local "shelter" and then treat it like the Superdome? Just askin'!
H. Combs says:
"…and toilets that include only a toilet and no sink,
The older home we rented in Nottingham UK had a downstairs WC that held only an ancient loo (toilet) with tank mounted near the ceiling. I thought it was an artifact of postwar UK design. Then we moved to a newer home in Wellington NZ that had a huge bathroom with spa tub, modern vanity but the toilet was in a separate, tiny, room. Actually it was convenient, I could use the toilet while the wife or daughter was using the tub.
We visited the Mississippi gulf coast last year, well over a decade after Katrina, and the damage was still extreme and evident for hundreds of miles. The wreckage of homes and businesses still litter the landscape. Like most, I thought only New Orleans was affected, I was badly mistaken.
Ah, the Brits! It's been four decades, so… I remember thatched roofs being installed on NEW construction, never mind renewing old ones.
There was the quite prosperous gentleman and his wife who had my family over for cocktails before dinner. His daughter proudly displayed her immaculate converted attic room in their several century old home. The massive timber running waist high thru the room holding the roof together was only slightly disconcerting.
I wasn't even driving yet, but was disturbed several times by the occupant of the left hand front seat cruising down the motorway blinded by the newspaper they were reading.
the occupant of the left hand front seat
That would be the passenger, wouldn't it? Or did you mean the right front seat?
Did another two-hour Planning Commission meeting; I am being appointed to it this coming Monday at the Selectboard meeting. Getting massively interesting intel so far, too; tonight's haul was a very nice set of color and color-coded aerial/satellite photos of the whole AO from several perspectives, with roads and utilities and other stuff labeled, along with boundaries. This was in conjunction with a discussion of the proposed expanded sidewalks and bike paths in various areas. Interesting that this bay village is considered an "island" kinda sorta cut off from the larger town.
Also getting more intel at each meeting on just how things work here now, and in the past.
MEATSPACE
So Monday the Selectboard meeting, after that, a meeting per week of one or the other, plus the monthly meetings of the Legion post and gun club/range.
This may not seem a huge deal to other peeps but it's kinda huge for me, in that I'm finally getting to where I can un-isolate myself. A common hazard for all too many of Uncle's war-weary chillunz.
Went to a rock concert tonight with Fran Cosmo and a dozen band members. They played for two hours. Cosmo used to be one of the lead singers for just another band out of Boston. We and our 2,000 friends in San Antone loved them.
I live in a small town in Texas, only 130,000 people. We dont even make the list of top 25 cities in Texas.
Didn't mean to be oblique. The inattentive British passenger in the American driving position was upsetting to this United State-ian. Never mind round-abouts, dual carriageways or sidewalks in the hinder boonies. 🙂
Not a lot of help to Spartans I gather, but:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-12/wal-mart-to-discount-1-million-online-items-picked-up-in-stores
One of my favorite blues-rock guitarists bit the dust this afternoon at his house down in Groton, MA.
Requiescat in pace, J. Geils. Only 71. I'd seen him recently in a video online doing an interview at his house and showing his guitar collection. He didn't look too well then and I was surprised by the change.
Saw him and his band live twice; one at the Bangor, Maine, Municipal Auditorium, and once out at Fillmore West in Sodom-on-the-Bay. Both times they rocked the house down. I'd listened to their front man, Peter Wolf, when he was still a DJ at the old WBCN in Boston, late at night, coming down off acid trips.
Meanwhile here at the Hobbit House, Mrs. OFD is hurting bad from the old scar tissue she got just above her hip from falling onto a rock in a fall from her horse. Did something to it recently and is in a fair amount of pain. Says moving and stretching helps it. And I just totter along per usual with continued chronic back pain and sciatica and trying to lose the inner tube and get outside much more often. Couple of old fart cripples destined for the knacker's yard.
Requiescant in pace, fratres et sorores; semper paratus; tempus fugit irreparabile…
Gonna put off til tomorrow what I can't do today….
back from the civic mtg, where I'm further convinced that most people are ignorant, some willfully, and some are stupid besides. They complain about 'developers' while living in a home built by developers, in a community that only exists in Mr Hillendahl's field because of developers, shop at stores, eat a restaurants, visit Drs, and all in environments and buildings built by 'developers.' Yet you'd think they worshiped Satan and drank blended baby smoothies for breakfast.
Tired, and need to get to bed. Traveling on United tomorrow. Joy.
Pity about J.Geils, didn't think he was quite that old.
I'm sure Mrs OFD is familiar with this…Bastards.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-12/big-business-using-smaller-businesses-as-cheap-banks/8436170
As others have said, that's an excellent summary of dumb ideas in PA books. Although there's nothing wrong with the Zombie Apocalypse – those books just land in the fantasy category. For the rest of us, it's a joking way of explaining our mentality to people who think we are loony. Want more than a day's groceries in the fridge? Whatever for?
Various bits of reading lately have reminded me: most people have such a basic misunderstanding of government. They regard "government" as some sort of separate entity, usually benevolent. They don't understand that governments consist of people, and individual people are good, evil, apathetic, ambitious or whatever. In actual fact, the anonymity granted by being part of a government seems to bring out the baser tendencies. Why do people feel it's ok to trust someone from a government, when they wouldn't trust some random person off the street?
I think the United adventure with the bloodied doctor is what brought this to mind. How often do police overstep their authority? "He was resisting arrest", a couple of days of administrative leave, and the issue blows over. Yet when a private corporation (n.b. through a cop) attacks someone, it's major headlines. Just goes to show how people have come to accept governments being unnecessarily violent, whereas we would never accept this from a private company or individual.
I live in a small town in Texas, only 130,000 people
I live in a small town in Tennessee. Only 5,000 people, max.
Lynn's "small town" is about 70 times the population of our small town, and 12 times the population of our whole county.
@brad, you are correct. The water under the frog is approaching boiling point. You can look back (if you remember, most don't even try) and see point after point where another slip down the slippery slope happened. But at no point was the slip big enough to say "no further" without looking like an extremist. No single point was enough of an issue to make it your hill to die on.
And that is how we lose our civilization and our freedom. The 'funny' thing is, people recognize the effectiveness of this technique when they are using it. Almost anyone realizes that they can get what they want a little bit at a time. They seem astonished though, when the technique works against them.
Even for causes I support, I see the tactic of incrementalism used effectively. Someone posted a link to a gun rights graphic that shows the states slowly recognizing the right to carry. Win a victory here, use the precedent to leverage there, and keep fighting.
Even the ancients knew this with the warning about letting the camel's nose under the tent.
And it's everywhere. Look at your car for example. Think about the changes from something like a 1968 or 69 Mustang to a similar 'sporty' entry level car of today, like the Scion. The mustang was an engine in a metal box with a couple of seats. The scion has fuel management computers, telescoping steering wheel, abs system, crumple zones, airbags, seat belts only a serious racer would have had, carpet, stereo, fuel injection, sophisticated lighting, engineered bumpers, and the list goes on and on. MOST of these things were mandated bit by bit by law or regulation, or were the direct result of regulation. Some were the result of other forces (entertainment system forex) but most come from CAFE and other legislation, here and abroad.
Are the features desirable? Some are. Is the vehicle safer for the occupants in the event of a crash? Probably. Does all that crap make a crash more or less likely? I'm leaning toward MORE….
Every aspect of our lives has been subject to the same creeping incrementalism. Even religion has been subject to it.
Couple this with people's basic laziness and you end up with a small group of people who care about an issue driving policy for the larger group. The left in the US recognized they could win thru indirectly moving into and dominating all the soft power positions, and they did.
There isn't any quick way to fix it, and the evidence is that you can't without a major reset. One example is almost no law, no matter how bad, is ever repealed. It's just tweaked and refined and added to, until sometimes it's opposite where it started.
I'm afraid that the only way it will change is violent upset either from external forces or internal. The frogs are waking up, looking around and saying 'How did this water get so hot?' and they don't like it. I guess we'll see if enough frogs see the pot or if they think they're in a Jacuzzi…
An attack on a German soccer team's bus by…
1. Catholic nuns?
2. Swedish school girls?
3. A mooslem nutter?
Answer at 11
Cutting-edge physics research in the Islamic world
Well, yes, the thesis certainly has problems, but the fucking muslims should at least be congratulated for allowing a woman to pursue a hard-science Ph.D., no matter how worthless.
And there is no shortage of flat/young earthers here either. Although, none of them are doing it as PhD a thesis.
Well, it's been known for only about 2,000 years that our planet is a globe. You can't expect everyone to keep up with the literature.
I'll guess 1. You gotta watch out for those damned Catholic nuns.
It's part of the Nun Wars, the ongoing battle for superiority between the different communities of nuns. The soccer team was simply collateral damage.
Ya, thankfully this time the dweeb was incompetent. Three bombs, and the only injury was a fractured wrist. Ok, and a totally freaked out football team. Needless to say, they postponed the game yesterday; they're supposed to play tonight instead.
For the moment, the prog forces in Europe seem to have stabilized themselves. The alt-right didn't do well in Austria, and Marie Le Pen is losing ground in France. Which just means that the terror attacks, rapes, etc.. will keep coming. The next wave of alt-right/alt-west is inevitable, and will almost certainly succeed in taking power. I'm guessing, not long after Brexit, so in 3-5 years. Then we can finally begin cleaning house, get rid of today's de facto open borders, and put in place a sensible and controlled refugee policy.
I'm not sure why Europe would accept *any* islamic refugees. As they've made clear, as a group they have no intention to assimilate. Any country with anything approaching rational leadership would not just refuse to accept any more refugees, but would expel any currently within their borders.
I proposed a rational immigration test the day following 9/11. Require any prospective immigrants to eat a ham sandwich and piss on a copy of the koran. If they refuse, reject them. Better yet, shoot them.
Indeed. And it's made life harder for us over the past eight years. She has to pay up-front for her accommodations and cab rides and meals and then get reimbursed weeks later included in her pay checks and is responsible for the taxes thereby. But by that time the bills have piled up again and so on and so on, rinse and repeat. They supposedly are required to turn the invoices around and pay the contractors by 30 days but at least a third to half of the time it's late. The last two or three got done by very close to the deadline. And they give the idiot staff member responsible TEN DAYS before she even has to LOOK at the invoices. This person would be challenged tying her shoes and is unfortunately representative of a large part of Mordor's work force. The upper echelons continue to rake it in and mis-manage to their hearts' content, though.
"I proposed a rational immigration test the day following 9/11."
Gee, I bet you'd change your hostile and Islamophobic mind in a hurry if YOU saw all those pictures of dying babies on the beaches!
I've pointed out before to certain peeps up here that the vast majority of "refugees" seem to be mobs of sullen young musloid males of military age and I get the reactions you'd expect: anger, incredulity, and being blown off immediately. All THEY see are dead kids on the beach or some other kid who got slapped around by moronic skinheads in East Bumfuck, Nebraska. Hopeless, I guess, until we get a few hundred of them moving to Snarlbinz here. At which point my main solution is to:
BUY MORE AMMO!
all those pictures of dying babies on the beaches!
What I said at the time is what I'll say now: if their babies are dying because the parents and society don't care enough to keep them alive, then why should I care about their lives?
There were probably two or three pics that some enterprising photog guy, maybe Mr. Ray, took, and those were then splashed all over the MSM and innernet so the usual parties could wax hyper-dramatic and commence their usual extreme virtue signaling. Meanwhile we've all seen the crowds and mobs of angry-looking and sullen young men and these are the guys who set refugee camps on fire, as per the recent incident in France with rioting between Afghans and Kurds. "Cain't we all jus' git along??"
These are also the guys who engage in other entertaining capers, like spraying rock concert-goers with rifle and pistol fire, setting cars on fire all over Sweden daily, if not hourly (maybe to keep warm), and raping European girls and women at their leisure. While their own governments tell these women to basically lie back and try to enjoy it.
My parents moved us to Sugar Land, TX in 1977 when I was a senior in high school. The population at that time was 2,000 people and there was farm land between Sugar Land and the Houston megalopolis. So in 40 years, the population has increased by 65 times.
The population of Fort Bend County in 1977 was 96,000. Today it is 768,000. An increase of 8 times.
All of this is overshadowed by the Houston metropolitan population which is somewhere between 6 and 8 million, depending on what areas you include and who you believe.
I have no problems with any of this analysis. Still, the books are fun and involving to read. When I go on the road nowadays, I carry food and water and a few other items in my vehicle. Just in case of an extreme event.
My wife went to funeral for a friend's mother recently who passed away at the age of 97. Her friend's mother and father were deployed by the US Army to a small city in Germany in 1946. Her mother kept a journal of their two year stay in Germany. They lived off the Army base in a German house that survived the war. They had plenty of food since she "shopped" on the base. The Germans were in serious food shortages due to the after affects of the war. The single most amazing item to her mother was the number of orphans running loose in the neighborhood, eating from trash cans and such. She started inviting them to lunch at her home and ended up feeding all of the orphans in the neighborhood each day until they went back to the USA. She called this her Christian duty in her journal.
No nuclear or huge meteor strike ?
My favorite term for invaders / bad guys in PA fiction is the MZBs in "Light's Out". MZBs = mutant zombie bikers.
https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-David-Crawford/dp/0615427359/


All Design is currently working on the design of a steading extension for this home in Aberdeenshire, which will add both character and style to this already tasteful property.
Our proposed new East facing, 1.5 storey extension, more than doubles the footprint of the original house. It provides lots of additional light on both floors, a new master bedroom with en-suite and the landing area opens out onto a large glass framed balcony with a fabulous countryside view. There are two new double bedrooms on the first floor and at ground floor level, there's a new large open plan kitchen/dining/family/games room ,which will open out onto a new decked/patio area.


You may have heard the news that Starbucks have made their signature Pumpkin Spice Latte completely vegan.
For autumn-loving vegans around the world, this is cause for celebration! Better yet, let's make it a public holiday.
But I'm still not completely satisfied.
Now, don't get me wrong. The fact that Starbucks have listened to the thousands of vegans clamouring for a cruelty-free PSL is amazing! But I'm a little more high-maintenance than most.
I quit caffeine over four years ago (find out why here) and since then I've been searching tirelessly for caffeine-free versions of my old favourites.
There have been many successes – my boyfriend tracked down the most delicious carob chocolates one Easter, and I discovered a coffee alternative at Holland and Barrett that tastes exactly like the real thing.
But one beverage has continued to elude me. I guess the clue is in the name – it's a pumpkin spice latte after all.
Autumn has rolled around again, and I'm still no closer to finding a caffeine-free PSL. So this year, I decided to make my own. And not to brag, but it actually tastes better than the Starbucks version that I used to obsess over.
Keep scrolling to learn how to make it yourself!
And yes, the pumpkin-shaped sprinkles are essential.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the spices, vanilla extract and coffee.
Pour into two cute mugs (it tastes better if it looks good, trust me!) and top with whipped cream, sprinkles and a little extra cinammon.
Starbucks are shaking in their boots right now. Who needs caffeine when you have this creamy, dreamy vegan creation?


This site is dedicated to people over 50 years of age who have crossed the threshold of life. There is a need to pause for retrospection, explore what is to come, and consciously engage in active aging.
How can we journey through the second half of our life better? By sharing experiences, we stand a better chance of living the remaining life span meaningfully.
I sincerely hope that you will find this site and the blog useful.
The subject matters in this site is intentionally broad because Sehalifs interests are diverse.
"Sehalif" is a word coined by me (taking the first few alphabets of "Second Half Life") to represent those of us living the second half life.
Before going further, please read the Terms and Conditions for this website. In proceeding, it is deemed that you have accepted the them.
1. Hello, I am happy to see some readers signing up as member. Thank you. Please help me make this site better by telling me what you want to see more here.
2. Read about the youth-enhancing age-defying technology in the post "Major Breakthrough in Wellness". This could enhance your second half life.
3. Timothy Ferries in his book "The 4-Hour Body" proposed a concept called The Minimum Effect Dose (MED) which is defined simply as the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome. He used an analogy of boiling water. To boil water, MED is 100 degrees C at standard air pressure. Once you have reached the boiling state, higher temperature will not make it "more boiled" and all you are doing is to waste energy. More is not better. This goes with exercise too. In his book, he explains how this MED concept could be used to help you loose weight with the least effort and yet achieving the best outcome. Sounds good? Click on Book Review read the review.


These 4 CDs come from the 8 week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Cancer programme that has been adapted for people with cancer. You can use them alongside the book - or as materials within your group based programme.
Multiple sets - please email for a quote.


The Yumbox ($34.95, available in Framboise Pink and Pomme Green) is a clever lunchbox solution that encourages healthy eating. The leak proof container opens up to reveal a removable clear insert that is divided in five food compartments, each able to hold a 1/2 cup content. The compartments represent the different food groups making it a breeze to serve your child a healthy and complete lunch (Little bonus: one small compartment for a tasty dip or yummy treat in the middle).
Simply fill the five spots with grains, dairy, fruit, vegetables and protein and voila, you're done! With all the different food groups covered you can be confident your little bundles of energy have all they need to keep going all day. The innovative Yumbox lid is designed to seal each compartment separately so foods won't get mixed or leak, yay for a dairy serve of yoghurt or a fruit serve of apple sauce!
Aside from the fact that Yumbox obviously promotes a varied and healthy diet and teaches children (and parents) about portion control it is also an environment friendly product. The lunchboxes are made from high quality food safe materials and are BPA and Phthalate free. At the same time by using a Yumbox for your lunch you are eliminating the need for disposable sandwich bags, wraps and foil so you are not adding any waste to landfill.
The Yumbox is super hot in the US right now and hip mums are having a hard time getting their hands on one of these fabulous lunchboxes. The first order of Yumbox lunchboxes has arrived on Australian shores this month and they will no doubt sell like hot cakes, especially with Christmas just around the corner. Luckily you're one of the first Aussie mums to hear about them and you can order your Yumbox today at Whimsychild so you can be sure you won't miss out.
To find out more about Whimsy Child, to take a closer look at the Yumbox and to get your order in visit www.whimsychild.com.au.


text:
Befesa's profit after tax up 66.5 percent in third quarter
Asua-Erandio, 12 November 2008. Befesa's results at the end of the third quarter increased significantly compared to the same quarter last year. Sales increased by 15.9 percent, while profit after tax rose by 66.5 percent. During the third quarter, Befesa took an important step to enter the North American desalination market through the 51 percent acquisition of NRS Consulting Engineers. It was also awarded the contract for the works on the pipeline that will connect the Sant Celoni and Hostalric branch pipelines in the province of Barcelona, worth more than 26 million euro.
Consolidated sales for Befesa at the end of the third quarter totalled 630.3 million euro, an increase of 15.9 percent compared to the 543.9 million euro the previous year.
EBITDA increased by 63.4 percent to 124.8 million euro compared to 76.4 million euro for the same period the previous year. If the sale of the site of Befesa Desulfuración in Baracaldo were not taken into consideration, compared to the third quarter in 2007, EBITDA grew by 11 percent.
Income after taxes attributable to the parent company was 41.8 million euro, an increase of 66.5 percent versus the 25.1 million euro from 3Q 2007. The impact of the sale of Befesa Desulfuración's land and the changes in the consolidation scope must be excluded in order to make a like-for-like comparison of the 9M 2008 result with the previous year. Excluding these affects, income after taxes attributable to the parent company increased by 4.8 percent to 26.3 million euro compared to the same period in 2007.
Performance by business unit at the end of September 2008 was as follows:
Aluminium Waste Recycling. Accumulated sales during the first nine months increased by 25.8 percent to 210.9 million euro compared to 167.7 million euro the previous year. Some 251,000 tonnes of aluminium-containing waste was treated during the period, equivalent to an 18 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Steel and Galvanisation Waste Recycling. Sales in the third quarter totalled 195.9 million euro against 181.4 million euro for the same period 2007, equivalent to an 8 percent increase. Some 505,000 tonnes of steel and galvanisation waste were managed, an increase of 12.5 percent on the previous year.
Industrial Waste Management. This business unit recorded sales of 104.2 million euro compared to 93.1 million euro the previous year, equivalent to an 11.9 percent increase. The volume of managed waste increased by 12.4 percent to 904,000 tonnes compared to 3Q 2007.
Water. Sales by this unit at the end of September 2008 totalled 119.3 million euro versus 101.7 million euro the year before. This 17.3 percent increase was a result of desalination contracts abroad and the increase in the order book in Spain.
Significant events during the first nine months of the year include an agreement by Befesa to acquire 51 percent of the US firm NRS Consulting Engineers through Befesa's subsidiary Befesa Agua. NRS is one of the leading engineering companies in Texas in the sector for desalinating underground and brackish water, where it has designed around 30 percent of the facilities that exist in the state for treating these types of water. This acquisition marks Befesa's entry into the United States, one of the most promising water markets, through a company that is highly specialised in desalination.
Finally, Aguas del Ter de Llobregat, the public company owned by the regional government of Catalonia, has awarded Befesa, in a joint venture with ACSA, the contract for the works of the mains pipeline that will connect the Sant Celoni and Hostalric branch pipelines in the province of Barcelona, worth more than 26 million euro. This project, which includes the 16.7 kilometre pipeline section, forms part of a series of actions that aim to connect the desalination plant in Tordera with the drinking water plant in Ter de Llobregat, in order to provide a short term solution to the supply problems of more than 20,000 inhabitants in this area, who will be supplied via this pipeline with water from the drinking water plant in Ter.
Javier Molina, chairman of Befesa, "the results at the end of the third quarter show Befesa's solidity and ability to continue growing, despite the difficult international economic situation".
Befesa, the environmental services subsidiary of Abengoa, is an international company that specialises in the integral management of industrial waste and in the management and generation of water, focussing its activities on the provision of environmental services for industry and the construction of environmental infrastructures. It is a public listed company with a market capitalisation in excess of 550 million euro (close 2007). (www.befesa.com).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
A JonBenét Ramsey Lifetime Movie Is in the Works
The Lifetime movie is slated to debut in November
Patrick Gomez
Patrick Gomez is the Editor in Chief/General Manager of Entertainment Weekly. Formerly at People magazine and The A.V. Club, the Critics Choice and Television Critics Association member has appeared on 'Today,' 'Extra!,' 'Access Hollywood,' 'E! News,' 'CNN,' and 'Nightline,' and can be seen frequently on 'Good Morning America.' Follow the Texas Native at @PatrickGomezLA wherever your media is social for all things 'For All Mankind' 'Top Chef,' and puppy related.
People Editorial Guidelines
Updated on October 4, 2016 07:40 PM
Photo: Zuma Press
Twenty years after the murder of 6-year-old Colorado beauty pageant contestant JonBenét Ramsey, a TV movie centered on the shocking crime is headed to Lifetime.
Tentatively titled Who Killed JonBenét?, the movie will debut in November, PEOPLE and Deadline can reveal exclusively.
The film will star Band of Brothers' Eion Bailey as Detective Steve and Mr. Robot's Michel Gill and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion's Julia Campbell as the parents of young Ramsey (newcomer Payton Lepinski).
The 1996 death of Ramsey cast an intense spotlight on the 6-year-old's family and continues to captivate the nation.
More than 140 people have been investigated as suspects, including Patsy and John Ramsey, JonBenét's parents. But despite more than 1,400 pieces of evidence (including an unidentified footprint near JonBenét's body) and more than 50,000 pages of investigative documents (including a clue in her autopsy), the mystery of JonBenét's death remains unsolved.
In this week's issue, PEOPLE reviews the evidence, the suspects and the questions that endure nearly two decades after JonBenét's beaten and strangled body was found later that morning in the basement of the family's Tudor brick mansion.
Who Killed JonBenét? is slated to premiere in November on Lifetime.
25 Years After JonBenét Ramsey's Murder, Police Still Hope New DNA Technology Will Crack Case
Justice for JonBenét? A New Look at the Evidence and the Suspects
Read PEOPLE's Original 1997 Story on the JonBenét Ramsey Murder
The First Trailer for Lifetime's JonBenét Movie Focuses on Her Family's Behavior
JonBenét Ramsey: 5 Questions That Hold Clues to What Really Happened
The Chilling Moment JonBenét Ramsey's Mother Called 911 Featured in New Docu-Series Trailer
The Clue in JonBenét Ramsey's Autopsy That Makes a Case Expert Suspicious: 'Someone Isn't Being Truthful'
The Most Shocking Crime Stories of 2021
JonBenét's Ramsey's Brother Recalls the Last Time He Saw Her Alive, in Never-Before-Seen Police Interview
Burke Ramsey Reveals Who 'He' Thinks Killed Sister JonBenét
Behind the Murder of JonBenét Ramsey, Featured on 'People Magazine Investigates'
JonBenét Ramsey's Older Brother Tells Dr. Phil: 'I Know People Think I Did It; That My Parents Did It'
JonBenét Ramsey's Murder Investigation: Authorities Exploring New DNA Testing
Ariana Grande Apologizes for Insensitive JonBenét Ramsey Joke: 'This Was Out of Pocket'
Burke Ramsey Dismisses Theory That Mom Killed Sister JonBenét: 'It Doesn't Make Sense'
JonBenét Ramsey Case: Expert Believes Patsy Ramsey Wrote Ransom Note in Upcoming '20/20' Special


Is "Take Mokum" a Boondoggle?
Nike's Take Mokum app/campaign (via Amsterdam's Boondoggle) encourages "youngsters" to make running less "boring" through the creation of graffiti-inspired "crazy city runs." The app is supplemented by outdoor and online banners, guerrilla tactics, and a Runhouse pop-up store.
I'm a big fan of the (R/GA created) Nike+ app, and recognize that such successes are the direct result of Nike's brave experiments. I also have to acknowledge that their marketing team likely understands things I don't. Perhaps they will use efforts like this one to redefine running as an activity for young, urban hipsters like the ones portrayed in the campaign reel.
Nevertheless, this one feels off the mark. It's too complicated, too "cool," and favors campaign creative over the underlying psychology of the runner. Running isn't about creativity or "revolutionary" Facebook applications; it's about achieving a zen-like state. I call Take Mokum a brave and well-intentioned fail.
P.S. Wouldn't it be nice if copywriters gave the term "revolutionary" a bit of a break?


text:
John Paton on newspapers' future
Posted on 11. Jan, 2010 by Jeff Jarvis in Uncategorized
Two newspaper companies hired new chiefs last week. The Star Tribune hired Michael Klingensmith, my former colleague at Entertainment Weekly, and Journal Register hired John Paton, now head of Spanish-language publisher impreMedia and a newspaperman with roots in Canada. The latter didn't get the attention it deserved.
Paton has executed a strategic vision at impreMedia, turning it into company that truly puts digital first, hiving off functions that don't add value and cutting costs to make the company sustainable (that's the half of the budget that gets too little attention these days), and beginning to build a new relationship — including a commercial relationship — with the emerging ecosystem of news.
Klingensmith, on the other hand, is a big-media executive. I was disappointed that the Star Tribune did not take the opportunity of bankruptcy — or of this hire — to redefine itself. That's painfully evident in Minnesota Public Radio's interview with Klingensmith, in which he talks about print and portals. (Sherman: Stop messing with the wayback machine; it's not 1999 anymore.)
Paton's work is largely unsung because the product is in Spanish. That, I think, is why his announcement didn't get as much attention. So I decided to interview Paton via email about his plans for Journal Register. (Disclosure: In our discussions about the future of news, Paton has become a friend and an advisor for the CUNY J-school and my entrepreneurial class.)
JARVIS: What did you do at Impremedia to make it a sustainable news company in the Hispanic market?
PATON: The first thing we did was to decide that in our company, a print company, when it came to products we would be digital and brands first and print last. It was our radical way of focusing everyone on the future. By recognizing our competitors and our future were digital everything we built and did had to follow that decision.
More than two-thirds of any newspaper company's expenses are in support of the core business of content, marketing and sales. Our digital competitors don't have that two-thirds cost structure, so we attacked. it. We outsourced all printing, distribution and pre-press ad make up and page make up. We plowed a big part of the savings into expanding our digital resources – web, online video, mobile platform and widgets. We standardized I.T. We then outsourced the back end of all our digital support. Then we started cross-training journalists into one-person multi-media journalists – an ongoing process.
The second decsion was we would let the outside world in. We would share our content for free and we would play with anyone who wanted to play with us – mainstream media or bloggers. That led to our relationships with ESPN, AOL, MySpace, etc. And our launching of the Community E-Journalism Labs in Los Angeles and New York where we said we want to work with entrepreneurial journalists and help them make a living. We have opened up discussions with companies like SeeClickFix and Outside.In to augment our resources and let us re-allocate ours.
The third decision was that we would put in place a very strict protocol that follows the new news ecology of news creation and consumption. Every story of merit is first sent out as a mobile alert, then it goes to the web. After that our publications, editors and journalists use social media to push audience to the web. This process is repeated and enhanced all day with the addition of video and audio. The last step is the printed product. We are currently working to change that product to be a very different product which has to reflect how much of that story has developed and been consumed.
The result was in less than two years we went from 9 products on two platforms (print and crappy publications sites full of shovelware) to nearly 100 products on 7 platforms – with about 45% less costs.
JARVIS: What are your plans for Journal Register? What will a paper there look like in 1-5 years? Will it look like a paper?
PATON: JRC needs to enter the modern news age in a much more focused and vibrant way. That means the re-allocation of resources to a digital first and print last focus.
In my opinion, JRC is too much like most of the newspaper industry – closed to their communities and input from the outside world. They need to understand the papers and their online counterparts are just a part of the news ecological system.
One of the first steps will be to establish community E-Journalism labs in our communities where we have dailies. There is no way to be hyperlocal without harnessing the power of entrepreneurial journalists and the labs help do that by making content and more importantly sales arrangements with those entrepreneurial journalists.
Second step will be to initiate and, in some cases, expand relationships with companies like Daylife, Outside.In, SeeClickFix, GrowthSpur – any company that lets JRC expand its resources in content, audience and sales while allowing it to re-allocate and focus on its core business. I am very excited about ideas like explainthis.org and others that look at community crowd-sourcing for assignments.
The third step is to tackle the two-thirds infrastructure cost bucket.
Down the road print will change. I suspect the physical size will change and the print content will be much less "he said yesterday" journalism. The focus will become very local with national and international news procured from the very best sources. With so much of the breaking news on the digital platforms, print will become longer-form journalism complimented with vibrant opinion pieces to spark and facilitate debate of issues of importance to the communities. The online forums will expand and continue that debate.
Print will also become a much more malleable term expanded to mean the tablet versions of the actual print product.
JARVIS: I've argued that the future of news is entrepreneurial. Here you are, trying to update an institution. GIven the cost structure and culture of traditional news companies — and their failure, all in all, to reimagine and remake themselves for the digital age — what makes you think that it's better to spend your time reforming an old company than starting a new one?
PATON: That is a very valid question.
Essentially, I believe that despite the traditional cost structure, the legacy companies do have a running head start with deep relationships with readers and advertisers and their communities. They have solid, if challenged, revenue streams and they are profitable. There are no technological or web content developments closed to them and they can harness that profit to change.
At impreMedia we proved legacy media can be changed.
Finally, while now only one part of the news ecological system, legacy media is an important part. Continuing the core mission of local journalism going forward on multiplatforms, profitably, I beleive. is an important mission for this country.
JARVIS: OK, now focus on one ecosystem — say, New Haven's. Besides JRC's paper and site, the Register, the town has The New Haven Independent doing good and pioneering journalistic work online. There are independent bloggers. There are students covering the university. There's an alternative paper. There are new sources of information, such as data from government. There's Spanish-language media, a market you're familiar with. There's broadcast. So once you focus the Register and its resources on its greatest value, what is that value? What should your news organization add to the ecosystem? Is it more than reporting? Curation? Community organizing? Education? What else? And what does this mean for skills a Register journalist should have?
PATON: The New Haven Register has a long and deep commitment to journalism in New Haven. It can trace its history through predecessor companies and founders to the Connecticut Gazette co-founded in 1755 by Benjamin Franklin. Some of the first newspapers in the country were founded in and around New Haven. They have always changed to survive and can continue to do so. But now only as one part of of the news ecosystem.
The Register can bring something most new competitors cannot to the party – resources. It has more advertiser relationships, more revenue, more staff and more profit than any of its competitors. It can harness those resources to make the kind of business relationships with entrepreneurial journalists and companies that are doing fantastic work in that community. By doing so it expands that work and will let the Register focus its resources on other initiatives.
This approach lets the paper, as a news organization, engage again in investigative journalism and in-depth reporting of issues of importance to the community. It lets the company's journalists spend time data mining important government information and developments that may not necessarily be highlighted.
Re-allocating the Register's resources to create compelling original content is one benefit but the ability to curate content and add resources to put that info in context is also very exciting. Those efforts will stimulate debate in the community and the paper will become a much bigger forum for that because of those efforts.
Importantly, this approach will let the paper re-connect or perhaps connect for the first time with constituencies that either don't engage with the paper or perhaps feel disenfranchised by the paper's current coverage and platforms.
JARVIS: Now please answer the same question from the business perspective: What will the the Register's commercial relationship be with the ecosystem and economy of New Haven? There are all those entities above plus craigslist and local merchants' own sites. You've already talked about making sales arrangements with entrepreneurial journalists (I say: bravo). Will the Register still compete with those other enterprises? Can it be a platform for their success — and how? At impreMedia, you've told me, you hived off distribution, enabling former employees to set up new companies that now serve not only impreMedia's properties but also Impremedia's (former) competitors. Do you see something similar happening with local papers? What will the heart of the Register's own business be? What's not core?
PATON: No legacy media news company can move forward and become hyperlocal, as it must, unless it harnesses the power of entrepreneurial journalism. And the only way to harness the power of entrepreneurial journalists is to make them your partner and help them make a living. The E-Community Journalism labs will strike content and sales relationships with community members. We will faciliate cross-publishing with some, ditto sales. Sales training will be important. The motto will be that if they win we win too. The Register, as can any community daily, afford to lead the way in these developments. No business deal works if it is too one-sided.
I believe it is important we use the power of our traffic to strike ad relationships with local merchants. By creating vibrant search directories we help drive traffic to the merchants' sites and stores. Hitching those directories to the power of Google is a win-win for everyone. There are so many ways we can help ensure a vibrant future for the communities we serve.
It is still too early for me to know what outsourcing initiatives will be undertaken but I can say that in my past experience this has resulted in employees being set up in independent, vibrant and profitable businesses and working with our competitors to lower costs and drive profits.
The newspaper industry has been scelortic in its ability to change. It now must find the willingness to do so and become much more flexible than it has ever been.
Jeff, I should add to my comments I just sent you that I am still stupified at the amount of fear in the newspaper industry. I believe that fear has got to the point that it cripples critical thinking and action. More of the same with less is just prolonging a sure death. Thinking about change and implementing it ensures survival as news organizations….
One more, one more thing: Newspapers need to become fearless again about making their mistakes in public. We used to be good at that. We lost that along the way. The web and is ever self-correcting actions make for a fearless place of ideas.The industry has to find the strength to execute, fail and execute again, again and again. And we have to stop talking and start doing. We should remember our Ben Franklin: "Well done is better than well said."
Tags: Newspapers
links for 2010-01-12 | Joanna Geary - January 12, 2010
[…] John Paton on newspapers' future "Every story of merit is first sent out as a mobile alert, then it goes to the web. After that our publications, editors and journalists use social media to push audience to the web. This process is repeated and enhanced all day with the addition of video and audio. The last step is the printed product." (tags: innovation) […]


1 Sanjaya said: Sri Krishna then addressed the following words to Arjuna, who was overwhelmed with pity, whose eyes were filled with tears and agitated, and who was full of sorrow.
2 Sri Bhagwan said: Arjuna, how has this infatuation overtaken you at odd hour? It is shunned by noble souls; neither will it bring heaven, nor fame to you.
3 Yield not to unmanliness, Arjuna; ill does it become you. Shaking off this paltry faint-heartedness arise, O scorcher of your enemies.
4 Arjuna said: How Krishna, shall I fight Bhisma and Drona with arrows on the battle-field? They are both objects of reverence, O destroyer of foes.
5 It is better to live on alms in this world without slaying these noble elders, because even after killing them we shall enjoy only blood-stained pleasures in the form of wealth and sense-enjoyments.
6 We do not know which is preferable for us – to fight or not to fight; nor do we know whether we shall win or whether they will conquer us. The sons of Dhrtarastra, by killing whom we do not even wish to live, are arrayed against us.
7 With my very being tainted by the vice of faint-heartedness and my mind puzzled with regard to duty, I am asking you. Tell me that which is decidedly good; I am your disciple. Pray instruct me, who have sought refuge in you.
8 For even on obtaining undisputed sovereignty and an affluent kingdom on this earth and lordship over the gods, I do not see any means that can drive away the grief which is drying up my senses.
9 Sanjay said: O king, having thus spoken to Sri Krsna, Arjuna, again said to Him, "I will not fight," and became silent.
10 Then, O The joy which deadens the soul, both in the beginning and in the end, and which is derived from sleep, indolence and carelessness is said to be Tamasic.
11 Sri Bhagvan said: Arjuna, you grieve over those who should not be grieved for, and yet speak like the learned; wise men do not sorrow over the dead or the living.
12 In fact, there was never a time when I was not, or when you or these kings were not. Nor is it a fact that hereafter we shall all cease to be.
13 Just as boyhood, youth and old age are attributed to the soul through this body, even so it attains another body. The wise man does not get deluded about this.
14 O son of Kunti, the contacts between the senses and their objects, which give rise to the feelings of heat and cold, pleasure and pain, etc., are transitory and fleeting; therefore, Arjuna, ignore them.
15 Arjuna, the wise man to whom pain and pleasure are alike, and who is not tormented by these contacts, becomes eligible for immortality.
16 The unreal has no existence, and the real never ceases to be; the reality of both has thus been perceived by the seers of truth.
17 Know that to be imperishable, by which all this is pervaded; for none can bring about the destruction of this indestructible substance.
18 All these bodies pertaining to the imperishable, indefinable and eternal soul are spoken of as perishable; therefore, Arjuna, fight.
19 They are both ignorant, he who knows the soul to be capable of killing, and he who takes it as killed; for verily the soul neither kills, nor is killed.
20 The soul is never born nor dies; nor does it exist on coming into being. For it is unborn, eternal, everlasting, and primeval; even though the body is slain, the soul is not.
21 Arjuna, how will the man who knows this soul to be imperishable, eternal and free from birth and decay, cause anyone to be killed, or kill anyone?
22 As a man discarding worn-out clothes, takes other new ones, likewise the embodied soul, casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others which are new.
23 Weapons cannot cut it nor can fire burn it; water cannot drench it nor can wind make it dry.
24 For this soul is incapable of being cut; it is proof against fire, impervious to water and undriable as well. This soul is eternal, omnipresent, immovable, constant and everlasting.
25 This soul is unmanifest; it is unthinkable; and it is spoken of an immutable. Therefore, knowing this as such, you should not grieve.
26 And, Arjuna, even if you regard this soul as constantly taking birth, and constantly dying, you should not grieve like this.
27 For in that case the death of him who is born is certain; and the rebirth of him who is dead is inevitable. It does not, therefore, behoove you to grieve over an inevitable event.
28 Arjuna, all beings were unmanifest before they were born, and will become unmanifest again when they are dead; they manifest only in the intermediate stage. What occasion, then, for lamentation?
29 Hardly anyone perceives this soul as marvelous, scarce another likewise speaks thereof as marvelous, and scarce another hears of it as marvelous; while there are some who know it not even on hearing of it.
30 Arjuna, this soul residing in the bodies of all can never be slain; therefore, it does not behoove you to grieve for any being.
31 Besides, considering your own duty you should not waver; for there is nothing more welcome for a man of the warrior class than a righteous war.
32 Arjuna, it is only the lucky among the Ksatriyas, who get such an unsolicited opportunity for war, which is an open door to heaven.
33 Now, if you will not wage such a righteous war, then, abandoning your duty and losing your reputation, you will incur sin.
34 Nay, people will pour undying infamy on you, and infamy brought on a man enjoying popular esteem is worse than death.
35 And the great Maharathi's, who held you in great esteem, will now make light of you, thinking that you have desisted from battle out of fear.
36 And your enemies, disparaging your might, will speak many unbecoming words; what can be more distressing than this?
37 Either slain in battle you will attain heaven, or gaining victory you will enjoy sovereignty of the earth; therefore, arise, Arjuna, determined to fight.
38 Treating alike pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, get ready for the fight, then; fighting thus you will not incur sin.
39 Arjuna, this attitude of mind has been presented to you from the point of view of Jnanyoga; now hear the same as presented from the point of view of Karmayoga (the Yoga of selfless action). Equipped with this attitude of mind, you will be able to shake off completely the shackles of Karma.
40 In this path (of disinterested action) there is no loss of effort, nor is there fear of contrary result. Even a little practice of this discipline protects one from great fear (of birth and death).
41 Arjuna, in this blessed path the intellect is determinate and one-pointed; whereas the intellect of the undecided (ignorant men moved by desire) is scattered in many directions and endlessly diverse.
42 Arjuna, those who are obsessed by desire and devoted to the letter of the Vedas, who look upon heaven as the supreme goal and argue that there is nothing beyond heaven, are unwise.
43 They utter flowery speech recommending many acts of various kinds for the attainment of pleasure and prosperity with rebirth as their fruit.
44 Those whose minds are carried away by such words, and who are deeply attached to pleasure and worldly prosperity, cannot attain the determinate intellect concentrated on God.
45 Arjuna, the Veda thus deal with the three Gunas, or modes of Prakrti, and their evolutes in the form of worldly enjoyments, as well as the means of attaining such enjoyments; be thou indifferent to these enjoyments and their means, rising above pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, etc., established in the Eternal Existence (God), absolutely unconcerned about the supply of wants and preservation of what has been already attained, and with the mind completely under control.
46 A Brahman, who has obtained enlightenment, has the same use for all the Vedas as one has for a small reservoir of water in a place flooded with water on all sides.
47 Your right is to work only, but never to the fruit thereof. Let not fruit of action be your object, nor your attachment be to inaction.
48 Arjuna, perform your duties dwelling in Yoga, relinquishing attachment, and indifferent to success and failure; equanimity is called Yoga.
49 Action (with a selfish motive) is far inferior to this Yoga in the form of equanimity. Do you seek refuge in this evenness of mind, Arjuna; for poor and wretched are those who crave for fruit (of action).
50 Endowed with equanimity, one sheds in this life both good and evil. Therefore, exert yourself, for this Yoga of equanimity. Skill in action lies in (the practice of this) Yoga.
51 For wise men endowed with equanimity, renouncing the fruit of actions and freed from the shackles of birth, attain and blissful supreme state.
52 When your mind will cross the mire of delusion, you will then grow indifferent to what has been heard and what is yet to be heard about this world and the next.
53 When your mind, confused by hearing conflicting statements, will remain steadfast and firm in meditation (on God), you will then attain union with God.
54 Arjuna said: Krsna, what is the mark of a God realized soul, stable of mind and established in Samadhi (perfect tranquility of mind)? How does the man of stable mind speak, how he sits, how walks?
55 Sri Bhagvan said: Arjuna, when one thoroughly abandons all cravings of the mind, and is satisfied in the self through (the joy of) the self, then he is called stable of mind.
56 The sage, whose mind remains unperturbed in sorrows, whose thirst for pleasures has altogether disappeared, and who is free from passion, fear and anger, is called stable of mind.
57 He who is unattached to everything, and meeting with good and evil, neither rejoices nor recoils, his mind is stable.
58 When like a tortoise, which draws in its limbs from all directions, he withdraws has senses from the sense-objects, his mind has become stable.
59 Sense-objects cease for him, who does not enjoy them with his senses; but the taste for them persists. This relish also disappears in the case of the man of stable mind when he sees the supreme.
60 Turbulent by nature, the sense even of a wise man, who is practicing self-control, forcibly carry away his mind, Arjuna.
61 Therefore, having controlled them all and collecting his mind, one should sit for meditation, devoting oneself heart and soul to Me. For he whose senses are mastered, his mind has become stable.
62 The man dwelling on sense-objects develops attachment for them; from attachment springs up desire, and from desire (unfulfilled) ensues anger.
63 From anger arises infatuation; from infatuation, confusion of memory; from confusion of memory, loss of reason; and from loss of reason one goes to complete ruin.
64 But the self-controlled practicant, while enjoying the various sense-objects through his senses, which are disciplined and free from likes and dislikes, attains placidity of mind.
65 With the attainment of such placidity of mind, all his sorrows come to an end; and the intellect of such a person of tranquil mind, soon withdrawing itself from all sides, becomes firmly established in God.
66 He who has not controlled his mind can have no determinate reason; nor can such an undisciplined man have belief (in God). The unbelieving man can have no peace; and how can there be happiness for one lacking peace of mind?
67 As the wind carries away a barge upon the water, even so of the wandering senses, the one to which the mind is joined takes away his discrimination.
68 Therefore, Arjuna, he whose senses are completely restrained from their objects, his mind is stable.
69 That which is night to all beings, in that state (of Divine Knowledge and Supreme Bliss) the God-realized Yogi keeps awake. And that (the ever-changing, transient worldly happiness) in which all beings keep awake is the night to the seer.
70 As the waters (of different rivers) enter the ocean, which though full on all sides remains undisturbed, likewise he, in whom all enjoyments merge themselves, stains peace; not he, who hankers after such enjoyments.
71 He, who gives up all desires, and moves free from attachments, egoism and thirst for enjoyment, attains peace.
72 Arjuna, such is the state of the God-realized soul; having reached this state, he overcomes delusions. And established in this state, even at the last moment, he attains Brahmic Bliss.