Day-to-day economic fluctuations aside, pockets of the country seem to be either dissolving fast, or mutating into something, well, Thunderdomish.  In today’s NYT, Dan Barry’s excellent “This Land” column sketches a portrait of Camp Runamuck in Providence, Rhode Island, a tent city for the homeless governed by its own compact and leadership council.  The subtext, here?  Cities like this, sadly, might soon become an unavoidable part of the American landscape.  With that in mind, the current issue of The Nation includes an article by author Walter Mosley, Ten Things You Need to Know to Live on the Streets.  Mosley’s survival tips include everything from how to find food and clothing, to the always needed, always appreciated reminder that, “housing is a human right!”

In the NYT: Living in Tents, and by the Rules, Under a Bridge

Walter Mosley’s Ten Things You Need to Know to Live on the Streets