High Gas Prices Cause Parents To Murder Children

Murderous impulses abound these days. In Houston, children seem to be particularly vulnerable to their parent's frustration. It's a new phenomenon, really, child abuse, and the local government officials are grasping for reasons what has so recently gone horribly wrong. The Houston Chronicle's Dane Schiller reports:

With word Saturday that yet another parent was implicated in an attack on his children — police say he led them to the partially burned bodies — there was a feeling that something is horribly wrong with some families in the Greater Houston metropolitan area.

"Whether it is high gas prices or people not happy with their jobs or whatever, we have got a lot of anger and violence in our society, way too much, particularly family violence," Houston Councilman Peter Brown said.

Later, another expert gives his explanation:

Still, Klineberg said, they speak to growing stress for families, including the challenge of making ends meet.

"It is tough out there. People snap," he said. "And when you have 6 million people, one or two are going to snap in a bad way."

A few years ago, Andrea Yates drowned her kids in a bathtub. The gas prices were a moderate sub $2.00/gallon. Houston didn't want for violence in 2005 and gas prices were fantastic.

Houston's unemployment rate was higher in 2006 than it is now, so murders should be lower now. And maybe they are. You won't find this out from the local press, though, because it doesn't fit the narrative. And what is the narrative? The economy is horrible. Life is horrible. Gas prices are high, oil companies are bad and that's horrible.

Oh wait, when looking at the numbers, though, murders were up in 2006, but it wasn't unemployment, it was the fine folks from New Orleans. As those yahoos got put in the clink, the murder rate declined in 2007. And looky here:

HPD officials say that the City of Houston has recorded the fewest numbers of murders for the first quarter of this year since 2005.

The unofficial numbers show 78 murders were recorded through the first three months of this year.nThere were 88 murders for the same period in 2007. That’s an 11.3 percent decrease.

Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said the decline shows that the department’s targeted crime initiatives and overtime programs throughout the city are paying off. “While murders are nearly impossible crimes to predict and prevent, we do feel our overtime programs in place, including those officers assigned to our Crime Reduction Unit, can impact crimes that could escalate to murder,” said Chief Hurtt.

Wow, those are dramatic numbers and not at all the impression one gets from reading something like Dan Schiller put together. The notion that there are always going to be nutso crazies killing their kids doesn't occur to these people. What occurs to them is that it's politically expedient to exploit a child's horrific death at the hands of a parent and blame......the latest trend.

Whether it be Twinkies (really depression) or oil or the economy or global warming or fill-in-the-blank excuse, according to Leftists no one is responsible for his murderous impulses and it's always worse Right Now! because it fits the latest trendy, alarmist call to action. It's stupid. I hope no one is paying attention to them.

Oh wait, they're not.

H/T Rorschach

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Houston Is #1

Yeah, baby!

What Families Want

When Steve and I looked for a community to call home, we didn't go back to our native States--New York and Michigan--because we hated the snow, ice and gloom. We had lived in Southern California, and while it's delightful when young and single, there was no way in heck we'd live there with a family. So we scouted Arizona (too dry), Colorado (snowy, sunny, overvalued) and at our friends' behest, Houston (yes Houston), Texas.

Who expects to love Houston, or rather a suburb of Houston? That's right, no one. But you get here and love it. I've had so many people tell me this from every diverse background.

Still, city planners scoff. Houston is spread out. Houston doesn't have a "real" down-town. Houston is hot, humid, buggy, and miserable in the summer. Houston is a dirty, oil town. Houston is a cow town (this from an irony-disabled Dallas dweller).

City planners are stupid. As Joel Kotkin notes in his Wall Street Journal editorial:

Advocates of the brew-latté-and-they-will-come approach often point to greater Portland, Ore., which has experienced consistent net gains of educated workers, including families. Yet most of that migration--as well as at least three quarters of the region's population and job growth--has been not to the increasingly childless city, but to the suburban periphery. This pattern holds true in virtually every major urban region.

Here's what Houston suburbs have: planned communities, good schools, access to culture, jobs, jobs, jobs, cheap housing, etc. Sure single people might like the city. I'm a mom with three kids and I like the city. But I don't like it that much--not enough to live there.

I want to take my kids for a walk and go to parks safely. I want room. I want a mall within minutes and the grocery even closer. In short, I want the suburb of a big city. And there are lots of people just like me.

City planners need to remember the dull, boring families. We do exist.

H/T Instapundit

Georgeous Day

I've been struggling about what to write today. There's plenty of material, of course, but it's so breathtakingly gorgeous outside that I just want to enjoy the weather.

Oh, and did you notice that the hurricane season was light this year instead of horrible? I don't want to say "I told you so". What am I saying? Yes, I do. I told you so!

Texas Justice

"You sneeze, you're a dead man." But the best quote is from his wife who enthuses after her husband rounds up the rabble," It's like being a newlywed all over again." She giggled like a school-girl. It's good to be a manly man.

Hurricane Felix Cometh

He's probably visiting Beliz and Central America, but just FYI. Oh, and it's a CAT 5.

Hurricane Dean Could Have Hit Jamaica Worse

It will be bad enough. Here's what some locals are saying:

Writing from liguanea area. Winds not as bad as Ivan. Lots of trees down but
considering dean is just 50 miles south things are not as bad as we expected.
Hoping this is it.

Corinne

Looks like the worst is past Kingston now so praying for the rest of the island in Dean's path!!!

Hurricane DEAN Public Advisory

One Love,

Tracy

Well, that's just anecdotal. We'll see how it ends up tomorrow. But the worst is over. There will be terrible damage. A gazillion trees down, roofs, holes and lots and lots of rainwater, flooding, mudslides and general misery.

As the storm tracks south, it looks like the middle Yucatan Peninsula will be blasted full-force and that the storm will head to the center of Mexico, but the Sci Guy Eric Berger says that's a good thing:

If there's a bright spot today it's that Dean's landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula has also been moving south, just north of El Placer, Mexico. This is better than further north (which would batter the resorts of Cancun and Cozumel) and further south (affecting Belize City). The area in Quintana Roo around El Placer is relatively unpopulated.

Let's continue to pray that that's exactly what happens.

Pray That Hurricane Dean Lightly Touches Jamaica, It's Working!

Jamaica is starting to receive the winds of Hurricane Dean. Some are predicting a glancing blow. The satellite image looks ominous, though. Dr. Jeff Masters says:

Jamaica is already receiving high winds and heavy rain from an outer spiral band. How bad will it get? The big question is if the eyewall will move over the island.

Unfortunately for Jamaica, Dean has two eyewalls, forming concentric rings (Figure 1). The inner eyewall is 15 miles in diameter, and the outer eyewall is 37 miles in diameter. Winds of Category 3 and 4 strength are blowing in both eyewalls, as seen in the latest data from the SFMR surface winds taken by the Hurricane Hunters. So, Dean's center has to pass more than 25 miles south of Jamaica for the island to be spared the worst of the hurricane. The nation's capital, Kingston, lies on the southern portion of the island, and will be the hardest-hit major city. The tourist city of Montego Bay is on the northern part of Jamaica, and will fare much better.

A Jamaican blogger says they're already feeling it, a bit. And some Jamaican fishermen are stranded on a lower island. They're going to need a miracle (Storm Crib is the best link I've seen for local updates):

A report just came in from nationwide radio that 17
persons are stranded on the Middle Keys.(Small
low-lying Islands well 89miles south of Jamaica used
by fishermen).

Here's a link to local radio courtesy Instapundit.

Eric Berger has thoughts for Texans and this is most important:

Should that come to pass I would hope Texas and the rest of the country would do what it could to help Jamaica and Mexico, as these two nations appear set to bear the brunt of the most intense hurricane to form since 2005's Wilma.

Let's hope the hurricane rumbles through an unpopulated area.

Keep praying. It works!

Hurricane Dean Will Spare America, Probably

But the places hit by Dean will suffer mightily: Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico are in big trouble. As I said before, pray for Jamaica. And others are praying, too.

If you're an American in Mexico, vacationing, get out:

In addition, airport officials at Cancun and Cozumel were contacting airlines to ask that flights be canceled and diverted, Gonzalez said. He added 60,000 tourists had been scheduled to arrive along Mexico's Caribbean coast this weekend.

Gonzalez said it was hoped that passenger planes would arrive nearly empty and be able to carry out tourists who wish to leave. Many foreign tourists arrive in Cancun and nearby resorts on package plans, which run weekend to weekend.

I don't know what kind of person would head toward this disaster. This is one time to leave that American can-do spirit for helping those who need it afterward. And they will need help:

The short-term intensity forecast is a bit uncertain given the
double eyewall structure...but the central pressure is quite low and
the inner core could quickly reorganize at any time...so any dip in
the intensity will probably be short-lived. Throughout its stay in
the Caribbean Sea during the next 48 hours or so...atmospheric and
oceanic conditions remain supportive of a category four or five
intensity as suggested by all of the objective guidance. Since the
new track forecast results in a longer stay over the Yucatan
Peninsula...the official intensity forecast has been lowered
slightly over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico...but still indicates
a major hurricane at final landfall.

Hurricane Dean: Houston Outside The Cone, For Now

It looks like Hurricane Dean will go south of us. Well, it looks that way right now. Dean looks to be heading straight for Jamaica. If it peals off a little north or south, the course could completely change:

Still, as Sullivan notes, small wobbles can have big implications, and it would behoove everyone in the Gulf to keep paying attention. It was, after all, a wholly unexpected leftward wobble over the Florida peninsula that sealed New Orleans’s fate in 2005, sending Katrina hurtling toward the central Gulf instead of the panhandle.

Watch and wait. And continue to pray for Jamaica. They appear to be in a world of hurt. If you haven't been in winds that go up to 150 mph, it's hard to describe it. It will be a terrifying time for those in its path.

Hurricane Dean Doomsday Scenario

How's this for a doomsday scenario?

1. Stock market oscillates
2. Banks start going belly up
3. Housing continues to lose value
4. Hurricane Dean destroys Gulf oil rigs and Texas refineries (1/3 of the U.S. oil production)
5. Hurricane Dean severely damages Houston (now home to more energy companies since New Orleans bottomed out)
6. Lives are lost
   
7. Texas economy tanks
8. Oil up, inflation ensues
9. Stock market crashes

Hey, all I'm saying is that it could get worse. For concrete scary stuff that is happening right now, go visit Mama.

Brendan tells Jamaicans to get out. NOW.

And for Texans he says this:

If you live in Texas, it’s far too early to think about evacuating from Hurricane Dean — he’s at least five days away yet, and could potentially go anywhere from Belize to Louisiana, or perhaps even further east. But Eric Berger offers some good advice to Texans, particularly in the Houston-Galveston area: review the relevant disaster plans and maps, and decide if you’ll eventually need to evacuate, if Dean heads your way. That advice works well for the whole Gulf coast, actually. As Scar from The Lion King would say: “Be Prepared!”

Here's Eric Berger's advice (read the whole thing):

Residents in the outer zone along the coast are advised to evacuate during any hurricane, those in the middle zone for major hurricanes (Cat 3, 4 and 5) and those in the inner zone for Category 4 and 5 hurricanes. If you live outside a surge zone officials do not recommend evacuation unless you live in a mobile home, or until you've waited for coastal residents to evacuate.

During Rita, we stayed. East of I-45, there was considerable flooding and some friends were without power for weeks. It was nerve-wracking staying. Even here, it felt like a ghost town. The stores are closed for days after the storm. As food dwindles anxiety increases. My husband flatly stated that next time we would leave. In The Woodlands, we are clearly outside the recommended evacuation zone.

I'm inclined to evacuate after last time. This is inspiring me to take another grocery trip. More water. More water.

SURVIVE ANYTHING! Promises Popular Mechanics

Well, folks, here's the new and improved survival information, courtesy Popular Mechanics. I put a few of their lists ups before so you people didn't have to weary your frail little fingers to click on the link. This time, you'll have to go over yourself. The information is pretty exhaustive.

H/T Glenn Reynolds

Hurrican Dean: Yucutan & Jamaica In Trouble, Texas Next?

Left: This picture was in Houston during Tropical Storm Erin, yesterday.

Well, we'll see about Texas, but it's pretty clear that Dean is doing some body-building and may be suffering from Roid Rage by tomorrow. For Texans, tomorrow morning's forecast will be the critical one, according to Brendan Loy.

As an aside, reading the news this morning, I just realized how fatigued I am about the hurricane thing. It may be because the Houston area has had the rainiest summer ever. Non-stop rain for days and that has just recently lifted. It's rainy again today and the notion of having to decide whether to evacuate again. Ugh. Here's what Brendan says:

As for Dean’s future track, Berger says the latest model runs show “some hints that Dean might skirt the Yucatan peninsula and come into the Gulf between there and Cuba,” which would be the “worst-case scenario” that I diagrammed yesterday. But that’s four days away yet, and anyway most models still show the storm hitting the Yucatan.
After that? The current consensus is a final landfall somewhere between the Mexico-Belize border and the Texas-Louisiana border. Dr. Masters said earlier today that he’d “be surprised to see Dean make a turn northwards in the Gulf of Mexico towards Louisiana or points further east, as there are no strong troughs of low pressure coming across the U.S. until late next week.” That statement still appears to hold, for the most part, although the GFDL is now taking Dean toward western Louisiana.

Hurricane Dean Looks Mean

Houston survived the drenching today although parts of town flooded. Still watching Hurricane Dean gather strength. Two of the predictions have it heading to the Texas coast. The historical map has no hurricanes ever coming this way. Do those matter? I need to ask Brendan Loy that.

No matter, start yer preparations, people!

The grocery store was busy, quiet and efficient. Water displays were up everywhere. It will get more serious this weekend, especially if Dean looks intent on visiting us.

Hurricane Dean & Tropical Storm Erin: It's Raining Again

Well, Tropical Storm Erin is pouring on The Woodlands, Texas right now. Parts of Houston are flooding.

That is why I'm concerned about Dean. A stalled out storm could do severe damage.

Hurricane Dean: Pretty Map

I know, it's too early to tell for sure where Dean is headed. Middle of next week doesn't look so great, though.

What is noteworthy is the Category IV prediction. No matter where it hits, it will be destructive.

Time for the preventative shopping. It will be interesting to note whether people are stocking up on water already. I will be.

And that poor Yucatan Peninsula. Sheesh! They were just putting themselves back together when our ships docked there last year. They for sure look like they will get blasted. Again.

Hurricane Dean

OK, Brendan Loy is freaking me out. Actually, I had a feeling that last summer wouldn't be a big deal, storm-wise, and talking to a girlfriend this summer I said, "I don't know why, I just have a bad feeling about this summer. Like we're going to have a bunch of storms." She said the same thing and we both bought flood insurance even though neither of us live in a flood plain. We'll see if that was a wise choice or not. Brendan is concerned:

With regard to the official forecast track, and the age-old “line” vs. “cone” debate, Dr. Jeff Masters says that at least in the short term (i.e., the next 48 hours), we’re safe focusing more on the “line” and less on the “cone”:

The cone of uncertainty Friday morning, when Dean is expected to pass through the islands, covers a wide stretch of ocean from Grenada to Antigua. We can expect that this uncertainty cone is too wide, since the steering currents are relatively stable right now and Dean is well-formed. This puts the islands of Martinique, Dominica, and Guadaloupe in the bulls-eye.

As an aside, I’d love to see the NHC start tailoring its “track cones,” or “cones of uncertainty” — whatever you want to call them — to the actual level of uncertainty for each individual storm, instead of relying purely on historical error rates. There is no question that some forecasts can be relied upon with more confidence than others, depending on computer-model agreement, steering-pattern stability, and so forth. Yet judging from the NHC’s graphics, you’d think that all track projections are created equal. Moreover, sometimes the NHC will choose to place the official forecast track in the left or right portion of the “guidance envelope”; when they do this, shouldn’t the uncertainty cone be fatter on one side than on the other? Yet it never is. I’d love to see this change.

Sounds like it would be a helpful change. Also, I think I'm going to go look at generators again. And I'm going to post these recommendations from Glenn about disaster survival. He notes:

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS UPDATE:

Most people along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts haven't made hurricane survival plans, despite pleas from emergency officials for residents to prepare before the season starts, according to a poll released Thursday. . . .

One forecaster said odds were high that a major hurricane would hit the U.S. this year.

Nevertheless, 53% of people surveyed in 18 Atlantic and Gulf Coast states say they don't feel that they are vulnerable to a hurricane, or to related tornadoes and flooding, according to the Mason-Dixon poll. Eighty-eight percent said they had not taken any steps to fortify their homes.

Of all his links, my favorite is Popular Mechanic's list (I have some work to do myself):

Basic Emergency Kit
Gather these into a portable, free-standing container such as a large plastic tub:
• Charged cellphone (and a 12-volt cellphone charger for your car).
• Three-day quantity of food, 1 gal. of water per person per day, disposable cups, plates and eating utensils, and a means to cook, such as a camp stove with sufficient fuel.
• Sanitary supplies for three days.
• Nonscented liquid chlorine bleach.
• Rain gear.
• Work gloves.
• Multitool.
• First-aid kit and first-aid manual.
• Battery-powered flashlight.
• Battery-powered radio.
• Spare batteries.
• Light sticks.
• Filtration mask (NIOSH-N95).
• Plastic sheeting.
• Duct tape.
• Whistle.
• Can opener.
• Garbage bags and ties.
• String or twine.
• Paper pad and pencil.
• Printout of key phone numbers.
• Five-day supply of prescription medications

And for your car:

Keep in Your Vehicle
Keep these in a plastic tub:
•Road flares, reflectors.
• 12-volt cellphone charger.
• 50 ft. of nylon cord.
• Heavy-duty plastic tarp.
• Jumper cables.
• One-day supply of food, such as energy bars, and water.
• Flashlight.
• Sand for traction in snow and on ice.
• Folding entrenching shovel.
• Emergency blanket in cold climates.
• 3 gal. of potable water in hot climates.
• Multitool.
• First-aid kit.
• Fire extinguisher.
• Tire inflator/sealant.
• Duct tape.

I bought the hand-crank radio, a chain saw, a first aid kit, a bowie knife, a multitool, rope and some other things. One thing to check: some of our food was so old. I found this out the hard way cooking with some evaporated milk. It does go bad, even in a can.

Finally, the really big concern for Houstonians is our wet ground from all the early summer rain. The current tropical storms passing through making everything wetter and then having a hurricane dump on the wet ground and pull up loose trees, etc. That would be bad, to say the least.

Here Comes The Storm

La-di-dah-dah. Here comes the storm. It's alright.

Well, maybe not. We Houstonians have endured a strange summer. It rained through April, May, and June and even into July. And then Mother Nature flipped the switch and on came the heat. But really, I haven't heard too many people complain because it's been so rainy that seeing the sunshine for more than a few hours in a row has been worth the heat.

That's about to change. A couple tropical storms are set to dump on us and the ground is just now drying up. In some places, it is still soaked. It is worthwhile to remember the damage another slow moving tropical storm did to Houston. Hurricane Rita made things miserable for a few, but Tropical Storm Allison devastated downtown Houston. Millions of dollars of research were lost in the underground hospital system. It was bad. A neighborhood near here has just now recovered. That happened six years ago.

It's worthwhile to note that even with motivated home owners and significant infrastructure, it takes years to recover from flood damage. And even when it's all fixed mold is an on-going problem. I have yet to see a home that shouldn't just be torn down and rebuilt after such devastation.

So here's hoping that we get a little spot of rain and not a flood.

Hello Houston, It's Hurricane Season!

Well it's hot and it's bothered out there and that means a couple things:

1. You're going to sweat if your skin touches the air (102 today).
2. Get prepared for school.
3. Hurricanes are coming. Prepare now!

Brendan Loy, my trusty blog pal and hurricane tracker, is giving out early warnings. There are two storms to watch. And anywhere along the Eastern seaboard should pay attention.

I have just one request of Mother Nature: Could you please avoid the Virginia coast and DC area for the week of Labor Day since I'll be visiting there? Thanks.

Too Beautiful

It was too beautiful to blog today. But you're blogging today, Melissa. Technically, no, I'm not. It's tomorrow. It just feels like today.

Sheesh, it takes me months to adjust to the time change. It was gorgeous today, though. Man, I love global warming. 73 high/44 low. Perfection.