BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?

Subject: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 07:11 PM

For once, the Mudcat did NOT go down at the slightest bobble in the power grid. But many of our Northeastern contributors are silenced for the duration. When the power comes back, and you log on to visit the 'Cat, tell us how you managed? Anyone stuck in subways or elevators or gridlock?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Bobert
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 08:36 PM

I'll just take this opportunity to say: I DIDN'T DO IT!.... There... That feels good... I mean, like maybe I had too many things plugged into the power strip but, I didn't do it! That's my story...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: SINSULL
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 09:34 PM

Not only am I not in NYC sweltering without light or air conditioning, but I also am comfortably situated in a well lit, adaquately cooled house with its own spare generator.

Here I wait breathlessly for the inevitable tall tale from InObu. How goes it guy?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: MMario
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 10:17 PM

Went home from work early because of a water main break - power flickered when in grocery store - power fine at home - hotter then blazes though.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Bill D
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 10:20 PM

I guess I could loan 'em my gerbils...haven't needed them to run the old PC lately.........

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: maire-aine
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 10:58 PM

I'm in SE Michigan, and we left the office early when the power went out at 4pm. Got home OK but it was slow. I've been listening to my battery operated radio and reading by the light of my oil lamp. My computer is a laptop, so I've got some power in reserve. I won't be online long tonight. Things are pretty quiet. Everybody's taking it in stride so far.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Alice
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 11:06 PM

Hey, one bright note, if you are in a city, now you can see Mars in the dark sky.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 12:47 AM

Ha! That reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons. Lisa shorts out the whole town so they can see a meteor display. There is something that comes along about now, isn't there, in addition to Mars?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 03:51 AM

From the Office of the President:
Hold that candle still, Condaleeza, I can't see the paper:
My Fellow Amerindians,
It has come to my notice that a Mr Homer Simpson of Springfield Ohio, Ohio's second most notiforarious citizen, has spilt a can of Duff beer into the control console of the Montgomery Burns Power Plant and caused a serious power outage. The Department of Homeland Security will leave no tern unstoned to root out these beers of mass destruction and if necessary we will invade Canada (wherever that is) to prevent the notorized Reg brothers from copy cat behaviour in Toronto.
Borther Jed assures me he's lined up some good ole boys, Cletus and Rufus, to utilize a unique source of methane to get Ohio up and running again, I'm told there are enough old farts on something called the Mudcat, to power the whole of the United States.
As soon as we can get the power back on, I'll broadcast to tell you how to get the power back on. Damn, that hot wax hurts, Condy, hold the candle higher...
Brrrrrpttt, flash, bang.
Message ends abruptly.

RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 03:52 AM

Windsor was actually kinda fun with the lights out... I'll come back and post more when I'm not quite this drunk!

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: katlaughing
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 04:22 AM

LOL, Clinton!

RtS! Classic and BRILL!!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 06:36 AM

I imagine the people of Baghdad and the other cities in Iraq that have been without power and services now for months will be gettig some wry satisfaction from hearing about this.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Beccy
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 07:54 AM

Stuff it, McGrath (and I mean that as nicely as possible- I have nothing against you.) This is a big news story whether or not it has something to do with the suffering of people who are not in our immediate geographic vicinity. This had the potential to become a tragedy but thankfully rested at the inconvenience stage and that is why it warrants discussion. No one is saying that this was a great burden to bear- it's just fun to compare stories... Besides- you know the inevitable baby boom and its inevitable news stories will be coming down the pike in a few months time.

That out of the way, the hubby was at work when the power went out. He is, thankfully, situated right near the expressway system on the Southeastern side of Rochester and was able to make a quick getaway and get home within an hour. I feel really bad for the folks who were trying to muddle through traffic near the PGA event happening at Oak Hill. Pittsford/Brighton/Penfield is hard enough to get through quickly even in the best traffic and I'm sure the streetlight outages didn't help!
We had power out here in the boonies and only had a momentary outage of about 45 seconds. All was well after that and the worst that happened was waiting in line for gas at the local station for about 1/2 an hour to fill the spare tanks.

Beccy

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: bflat
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 08:35 AM

Sitting in my kitchen teaching a sweet nine year old the open B string, in northern New Jersey. We finished the lesson in ambient light. I thought it was my house only at first because I had three room air-conditioners humming and some work being done with the use of power tools. I had been warned by a contractor that my circuit breaker box needed to be replaced as the Feds band the further installation of it's kind. Naturally, I thought the problem began there and regretted not replaceing it.

My son called just about then from Manhattan to inquire if we had power. He did not. He lives in New York state north and west of the city but drove three co-workers home to Connecticut who otherwise would have had a difficult commute to their homes. He later remarked that there were so many cars with only one passanger leaving the city and that surely there must have been someone these drivers could have helped out.

Anyway, we do need a national response to the bigger issues that this has exposed. First rate nation; 21st century trying to run on antiquated technology....got to wonder why a crisis is the only way things get addressed.

Ellen

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 08:42 AM

I wasn't saying it shouldn't be a big story, because obviously it should be.

But I hope it might help people in America have more understanding of what it means to have to get by when all the services are cut off - and maybe to imagine what that must do to people when it lasts for months, and how it likely to make them regard the people who are in charge.

And where I live people in Iraq are not that much further away geographically than people in America.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Peter T.
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 09:21 AM

Toronto - Toast city, except the toasters weren't working.

Right in the middle of a report due this morning was where I was, on a university server. Did it get done? No. Chaos, but polite chaos.

To paraphrase an earlier remark: Toronto is like Switzerland, run by the Liberians.


yours,
Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Beccy
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 09:40 AM

McGrath- If you think that it takes a power outage of mass proportions to make Americans think of people less fortunate than themselves then you have less faith in humanity than I do.

Beccy

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Peter T.
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 09:44 AM

Where do we sign up for less faith lessons? yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:01 AM

McGrath's point is well made. Appreciating the substance of a situation is often a step or three removed from thinking about those poor guys over there.

And as Nicole pointed out, those who were laughing about California being too stupid to keep the lights on...well...never mind.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:28 AM

Safe in Maine where the regional circuit breakers actually worked.

You really got to wonder whose toaster oven finally did it?

Best wishes to those south, west and north of us.

How did Mudcat survive?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:41 AM

DC kept power, luckily, I was with my quite old and suffering from the heat already Mom, don't know what we'd have done, cold showers I guess, but she's also really sick and barfy and we were glad to have the lights available, and the AC.

If anyone gets news like this in Iraq I hope they all have a good laugh at us.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:58 AM

So the lights went out for a few hours, some people were late getting home from work and the yuppies' cell phones didn't work.

ARMAGEDDON!!!!

Dear God, I hope Americans are never faced with any sort of REAL problems to deal with. This is really pitiful.

Great to see President Geirge W. Dumbf$$k smirking on the TV assuring people it wasn't a towelhead attack, too. Even MORE pitiful.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 11:13 AM

hey greg - how about the people that were stuck in elevators for four hours or so; the hundreds of thousands who had to walk down forty or fifty flights of stairs to get into the open air? The thousands on subways and trains? The thousands of businesses that lost an entire evening revenue? And that is JUST in NYC - not to mention the people on ventilators, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Peter T.
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 11:24 AM

I thought people handled it pretty well.

The one thing that did alarm me, about which I did not know (I worked in emergency planning for three years) is that the city of Toronto only has 24 hours worth of water in its reservoir, and without electricity that is it. It also supplies communities much further north in the sprawl zone. Apartments of course ran out of water without upper floor pumping in just the 3-4 hours things were off. 3 days without electricity would stop being fun at all.

yours,

Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Willie-O
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 12:09 PM

Our power was out for 19 hours, just came on at 11 a.m. We had minimal backup suplies of drinking water, just plain careless of us since our water is from a deep well.

A few things that I know happened in Ottawa.

2 fatalities: a disabled teenager in a fire, and a man who was (details sketchy) trying to intervene in a problem situation and got hit by a car.

My brother who had a quadruple bypass a few years ago, and who has suffered from a severe infection in his leg that had him off work the past couple of weeks, walked up 17 floors to his apartment.   

Reportedly 22 incidents of looting, and 3 armed robberies. (In peaceful Ottawa!!!)

It was a big deal and is not yet over. About 90% of Ontario's population was affected, I estimate. (Everywhere except the northwest; Thunder Bay was the only major city untouched). They are now running rolling blackouts and of course we're coming up to peak heat time. They say they will have about 70% of normal generating capacity by the end of the day, which is definitely not enough on such a hot summer day.

It's not the end of the world, but neither is it trivial.

W-O

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 12:29 PM

As I said, Guest, temporary inconveniences. Skinned knees. Hangnails.
What tragedy! Hell, they might not even be able to get latté! A WHOLE DAY (24 hours- Count 'em!) without air conditioning!!

UNTHINKABLE!!

A Nation of spoiled, whining Wimps.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: The O'Meara
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 12:35 PM

I was in an elevator between the 25th and 26th floor of a downtown office building with the prospect of being trapped for several days without food, water, or ventilation, and then having to walk 20 miles home in the sweltering heat. Fortunately, this was in Denver where the power was not interrupted at all and everything worked fine.

O'Meara

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: The O'Meara
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 12:38 PM

Stilly;
You're probably thinking of the Perseid meteor shower due about now. Please keep in mind that the meteor shower and the blackout are attempts to soften us up for the Martian attack due on the 27th.

O'Meara

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 12:58 PM

A Nation of spoiled, whining Wimps.

Greg:

This sort of carping invective is typically born in the hot cauldron of projection. Ya been doing some whining lately???


A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: akenaton
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:24 PM

Back in the 70s when Britain suffered from a series of power strikes, nine months later it was found the birth rate had rocketed....I remember a folk song about it "Its better in the dark"...I think it was big Hamish Imlach who sung it....You lucky Yanks...Ake

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Burke
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:36 PM

For some strange reason I did not check any news reports yesterday. I'm in central New York State. So here I am right in the middle of the Niagara Mohawk service area that was supposed to be to blame & I knew nothing about it until I heard on the news this morning.

At work, a little after four everything in the building flickered like we sometimes get with lighting strikes. The computer restarted & the surge protectors set off their low voltage alarms. The alarms lasted 10 mins. max. We thought it was something local. Apart from the air staying off, we didn't think much of it.

When I got home later I had no problems & none of the usual things (clocks, microwave) flashed a need to be reset. I seem to have been in an especially luck pocket as power was apparently out nearby. Locally fellow workers have reported 2-8 hour outages, nothing worse than can happen from a bad storm for us.

There are advantages to living out in the sticks instead of the big cities. I won't expect a baby boomlet in 9 months around here.

It was not terribly hot yesterday, so you have to wonder. Unfortunately it is hot today, I hope everyone gets their power & water back soon. I'm glad it was not worse & hope people can enjoy their bonus 3 day weekend.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:39 PM

it was pretty dang hot in my neck o' the woods, Burke! And humid. (breathing was like trying to inhale beef consome!)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Deda
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:40 PM

Yeah, what Amos said -- and furthermore, where is it written that we are not supposed to have complaints until or unless our vital organs are being ripped out? Or that we are silly to express compassion for people who are not undergoing torture and mayhem? When my daughter gets tired or my son gets lonely or my friend gets anxious or my husband has aches, I'd like to offer them some compassion and interest and help, not just tell them that their suffering doesn't measure up.

Similarly, offering compassion to people in some near or distant place who have gone through an unsettling and inconvenient disruption is no crime. The world needs more of that, not less.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Ron Olesko
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:48 PM

Where did Greg learn to read? I don't think I saw any whining posted here on in news stories.   Stop being such a pessimist Greg. You look at the glass and not only do you say it is half empty but you also complain it was dirty too! Sure there was some tragedy and hardship, but we took it in stride. Life goes on. For many in NYC it was a party.   I am sure, as was the case in the two previous blackouts, we will be hearing about a population explosion nine months from now.

I was at work and our building has an emergency generator. The lights flickered, or pulsated, for about 10 seconds before the generator kicked on. It reminded me of the old gangster movie where the lights dim when someone gets the electric chair.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:59 PM

I'm sorry - I think having over 20 million people (a conservitive guess) without electricity is reason for a bit of hoo-rah

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Ron Olesko
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 02:06 PM

50 million over an area 9300 square miles. It hasn't been mentioned, but in some parts of that area people are also without water.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 04:17 PM

I wouldn't bet money on a mini-baby-boom--when it is as hot as this, and this many folks felt it necessary to sleep outside on sidewalks and in parks, I doubt lack of privacy and the muggy heat were an invitation to initmacy.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Ron Olesko
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 04:36 PM

It made it all that much more fun!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 08:07 PM

Well Guess who was in the air about to land at LaGurdia. When we landed( THank you god! ) I found : Lots of people without water. All sold before we got there. Cars everywhere out of gas. (No pumps) . I saw two crashes because of no signal lights. THousands of people unable to move ( just around me).After 4 hours I found someone with a Ct licence plate and got up to Stanford and then to Trumble . 4 Hours at the curbside at the air port and 4 hours getting home and I was very very lucky. Lots of those panpered Americans sleeping in the streets. No one dead yet so I guess we are having fun . Lots to learn all around. I would love every American and Brit to have a few days in a third world envirnment to get a feel for what we all have but hopefully we can do it without being in a life threatening situation. !! A little slack gang !    All the best to all here of good will ! Guy

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 08:23 PM

Amos: Sorry, no whining here lately. But thanks for asking, doc. Hows 'bout you, as long as we're discussing projection?

Ron: I read just fine, thanks. "tragedy and hardship"? Please. Tell that to the Iraquis, or the Israelis, or the Palestinians, or the Afghanis, or most of the rest of the world. You must be watching different news programs than those I've seen- you'd think it was the effing Blitz, or the siege of Stalingrad.

Mario: " 20 million people (a conservitive guess) without electricity..." check the second & third worlds some time.

Bleat, bleat, bleat. Mommy! I Skinned my KNEEEEE!!!! MOMM-MEEEE!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: annamill
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 08:29 PM

Toronto and Switzerland are run by the Librarians???

Love. Annamill (??could be worse I guess??)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 08:34 PM

One good thing about living in a hut is you don't get stuck in a lift or a subway train in a power cut.

It's not a joke having this kind of thing happening, and in no way should it be something to sneer at. But it can be a wake-up call to us living in the energy rich parts of the world.

It'd be good if this led to the occupying forces (or rather the politicians giving them their orders) pulling their fingers out when it comes to getting essential services restored in Iraq, as a top priority. And not just because the likely consequences of failing to do that are potentially disastrous for the occupiers, but more because the Iraqis are our brothers and sisters.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: jaze
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 09:58 PM

I'd like to say how proud I am of all the people who took it all in stride. What could have turned into a nasty situation, didn't. My respect for New Yorkers( and all of you) is immense. Hang in there!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:05 PM

Greg:

Well, I am sure you know best what your own reasons are for being so hypercritical of others.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:11 PM

The media coverage of this was hysterical, and way overblown. But that's what happens when the lights go out in the media center of the world. There are a number of important stories that need to be told about the largest blackout in the history of North America (as they kept saying on all the news programs tonight). But it sure as shit ain't the stories being told by the mainstream media. Oh no. The big news there were all those human interest stories about those special New Yorkers...

And the "9/11 flashback stories"...

Yawn. Spare the rest of us the self-absorbed, narcissistic New York stories, please.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:16 PM

Thanks, Amos, I really appreciate your smarmy condescension.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:23 PM

Actually Greg F, I am with you too. And it is nice to know that the American media whores decided to make a story out of the Iraqis who enjoyed the poetic justice of The Mother of All East Coast Blackouts:

Iraqis 10 tips to beat the blackout heat

There is still a whole lot of taboo around Iraq, Afghanistan, etc in the US. All those gung ho "kill Saddam" types are still deeply in denial about how fucked up the entertainment war is that we are waging on the Iraqi people.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 10:37 PM

I WAS RIGHT HERE TAKING THIS PICTURE

http://www.angelfire.com/md2/customviolins/blackout.jpg

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 11:30 PM

Gee, Don, I never would have thought you'd look quite like that!! Wodda surprise!

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 16 Aug 03 - 01:50 AM

Give it a rest GregF and guest! I would love to see what newscasts you are watching. I have not seen a single newscast that compare this to the Blitz or Stalingrad. Stopping being so dramatic. You are a real spin doctor!

The media did not ignore the fact that our grid is an antique. The media is questioning why we can't get a simple answer on why this happened. The media showed that people are surviors. The media also gave information to people in the are who were living through this. Information on where to find help, how to get home, and how to survive. There was no whining like you are trying to portray. Don't be such an opportunist and try to turn this into something it isn't.

NYC is pretty lucky. Think about Detroit where it appears they will be without power for the weekend and Cleveland where finding water is an issue. These people are showing they are survivors too.

Of course it doesn't compare with the hardships that is taking place in Iraq, Afganistan and other parts of the world. The war is fucked up without a doubt.   But for you to compare the coverage of the blackout to that doesn't cut it. Cheap shots and really beneath you.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 16 Aug 03 - 09:19 AM

Ron, to give you the benefit of the doubt you must simply not be seeing the hysterical coverage of this largely non-event. Anyone living in a remotely rural area is used to power outages as a matter of course.

The media showed that people are surviors....people ... who were living through this
Your own hyperbole makes my point. SURVIVORS??
what the hell is this? The Black Death? Nuke-U-Lar
annhilation? The goddamn lights went out for a few hours. Or even a few days. So what? Shit happens. All the time.

Jaysus, walk it off, already, and get back in the game.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: InOBU
Date: 16 Aug 03 - 10:20 AM

Hot and such, but had a blast. Played the pipes on a darkened St. Marks place, by candle light, then vidio taped a huge bon fire in Thomkins Sq, park, where folks danced around and through the fire, just like belthane without the human sacrifices, almost, one fellow walked into the fire instead of jumping through, and is not feeling overly well - but I believe he will not be completely sacrificed, and has I hope, learned a bit of wisdom, don't do drugs before you fire walk, well lights and computer back on, and back to work. Cheers all,\
Larry
PS McGrath, you are dead on right, one fellow in Bagdad has it right, I hope they sit in the dark for 20 years. Anyone who does not see the irony of the US getting blacked out, well, a short period of silence to think is not a bad idea. Cheers again, Larry

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 16 Aug 03 - 05:31 PM

Well, we woke up here in DC to no power (Mom still barfy...) and wondered if it was a general thing or not... turned out to be just local, everything back on in a few hours, whew.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Mark Clark
Date: 16 Aug 03 - 07:29 PM

According to this ABC story the blackout was caused by 3 transmission line problems near Cleveland, Ohio.

Did Spaw have something to do with this???

The story doesn't directly say the transmission line problems were due to methane overload in the general vicinity but I think it's clear that suspicions are aroused.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 16 Aug 03 - 08:04 PM

I had the very same tyhought Mark -- where are the Reg brothers about tnow? Are they trying to automate their portapotties?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 12:45 AM

I have it on good authority that the Reg Bros. et alia are busy trying to re-interface their Dixie cups and string with a certain PC which had had enough of being *tied up*...far, far away from Cleveland. Though...it is cornseason in Ah-hie-ah.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 01:53 AM

GregF, you are right, I am not seeing "hysterical" coverage in the media. I'm curious what news you are listening to or watching.

Based on your posts and over-reaction to the media, I guess you have shown me how to use hyperbole and I slipped whe I used the word "surivor". Please forgive me. I did not expect that you would jump on such a word and declare that the sky was falling. Talk about over reaction!

I assume that you live in a rural area or another country, because you fail to grasp what happened. Walking down 50+ story buildings is a lot different than going out to the barn to check on how the cow is doing. There were deaths reported as a direct result. As for my mention of Cleveland and the water problems, the media told people what the problems were and how to cope. It doesn't take a genius to realize the potential for disease if not dealt with properly. In a city like NYC where you had MILLIONS of people trying to get to their homes.

As you pointed out we did "walk it off" and we are back in the game. I'm sorry if this news interupted your livestock reports, but there were about 50 million people who found it interesting.

Relax and try that decaf. It isn't the big deal you are trying to make it out to be. We know that. I hope you will see that too.

Ron

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 03:20 AM

My nephew who's working in NY at the moment said he walked home OK and groped his way up 12 floors to his apartment in the dark, hoping he'd counted the floors right! Fortunately his wife had lots of candles in, but his 2-year old objected to being deprived of something called the Wiggles on daytime tv!

RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 10:38 AM

Hey, Ron, you rough-and-tough rugged survivor, you! Be careful with assumptions.

I know that being without instant messaging for a matter of hours was a near-death experience for you but:

I assume that you live in a rural area or another country
Not.

because you fail to grasp what happened.
Not only grasped it, personally experienced it.

Walking down 50+ story buildings...
Been there, done that. And SURVIVED!!

a lot different than going out to the barn to check on how the cow is doing.
I see you're possessed of the typical snide, yuppie prejudice and disdain for anyone not living in a city of several millions. Is this intended to be "cute" or "funny"? How about telling a few "ignorant shit-kicker" jokes while you're at it?

It doesn't take a genius to realize the potential for disease if not dealt with properly.
WHOA! lucky typhoid and cholera didn't spontaneously erupt in the few hours the water was off! (brush up on basic epidemiology before you make an ass of yourself- again)

I'm sorry if this news interupted your livestock reports,
This bigotry wasn't amusing the first time around either.

did not expect that you would... declare that the sky was falling.
Where, exactly??

Did you read the posts by Larry & Roger & others? Perhaps you're the one that's a bit over the top on this? Maybe take your own advice?

Cheers- Greg

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 11:13 AM

Chill Greg - that hair can be removed, don't worry!

Talk about over-reacting and making assumptions!

You accuse me of making "shit kicker" jokes but it was okay for you to start the ball rolling and spew yuppie jokes about those who live in the metro area. Work on fixing your own bigotry. BEFORE I posted my reaction to your statements, you posted - "So the lights went out for a few hours, some people were late getting home from work and the yuppies' cell phones didn't work." You also posted - "Hell, they might not even be able to get latté! A WHOLE DAY (24 hours- Count 'em!) without air conditioning!!" So it is okay to make a joke about people who live in cities but if someone makes a similar joke about you jump all over it. Talk about hypocritcal double standards! You prove you are no different from the rest.

When did I ever say I was inconvenienced by this? Pay attention please. I never lost power in my town. If you really, really read my posts you would have noticed that I said this wasn't a big deal and MOST people handled it as a party.   However, the media played it's roll by giving INFORMATION to people when they needed it. The immediate question in people's minds were "is this a terror attack"? It was important to calm people and INFORM them of what was happening.

I'm sure if the media ignored this you would have jumped all over them for failing their responsibility. If they did not pursue answers as to why this occured I would bet that you would say they glossed it over.

Again Greg, try to relax today. Calm yourself buddy, the sky isn't falling.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Mark Clark
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 01:02 PM

R. Bukminster Fuller understood the degree to which modern civilization is dependent on power when he said (approximately):

If the sources of power [energy] were to fail, millions of people living in urban centers would soon starve to death since the means to provide food and water depend on power. On the other hand, providing that the sources of power were maintained, all the earth's politicians could be placed in a rocket and sent into the sun and no human condition would be worsened.

We've seen a hint of the first choice, now I'd like to see an experiment with the second. <g>

      - Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 01:16 PM

Now, Now, Ron, calm down.

Lets be accurate: I didn't ACCUSE you, you DID make disparaging comments intended to be jokes about me personally and livestock. You sure seem to have the clichéd bourgeois contempt for & condescension toward those engaged in agricultural pursuits.

I didn't single out yuppies for ridicule (touchy, touchy, Ron!) I made general comments about morons- of whatever persuasion: yuppie, newscaster, president, whatever - who blow inconveniences up out of all proportion into major tradgedies and then pat themselves on the back for "surviving" them. Do you perhaps number yourself among this group?

You ignorantly disparage what a power outage can mean to people engaged in agriculture, particularly dairying or stock raising, where loss of mains power really can be a disaster- with effects far more serious than any of the situations you describe. I know there are rural 'Catters who can speak to the details of this better than I can. The prudent dairy farmer or stock raiser makes provision for these inevitable outages and carries on. Oh, sure, there are a FEW that don't, then whine for government assistance and bailouts - all the while whining about people on welfare- which provides some comic relief to an otherwise grim situation.

If this whole business truly has no effect on you, it would seem your replies would be less overwrought. Would you care to respond to any of the substantive points I raised about your ridiculous assumptions or do you prefer to continue calling names, pointing fingers, and avoiding the issue?


I'm sure if the media ignored this you would have jumped all over them for failing their responsibility. If they did not pursue answers as to why this occured ... you would say they glossed it over.

Wow! You've got the gift of second sight, too!

Chill, yerself! :)

Greg

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 01:42 PM

What a spin doctor in our midst! You make me laugh with your ignorant spins that you are trying to play. You remind me so much of Rush Limbaugh, turning others comments into something they did not say.

You want me to talk to your points, okay -

1) "I'm sure if the media ignored this you would have jumped all over them for failing their responsibility. If they did not pursue answers as to why this occured ... you would say they glossed it over. Wow! You've got the gift of second sight, too!"

That wasn't even my quote. Nice editing Greg! I appreciate you proving my point how you twist things around. I said "If they did not pursue answers as to why this occured I WOULD BET THAT that you would say they glossed it over. "   Those four words changed the whole tone of what I was saying from an assumption to a suggestion of a possiblity. Plus, I would still make that bet.

2) "I didn't single out yuppies for ridicule (touchy, touchy, Ron!)

Actually, you did. See your own quote.

You did take offense to my joke, which was made in response to the several comments you made.

3) "I made general comments about morons- of whatever persuasion: yuppie, newscaster, president, whatever - who blow inconveniences up out of all proportion into major tradgedies and then pat themselves on the back for "surviving" them. Do you perhaps number yourself among this group?"

Again, you did not read what I said. I never claimed to have suffered.

I actually agree with your statment about morons of whatever persuasion.   Our discussion only started when I disagreed with you that people were patting themselves on the back for "surving" them. Sure there were stories of "hardship" that some went through, and there were stories of what might have been, but the overall tone was that "hey, it wasn't so bad and it could have been worse. Time to turn back to the ballgame." We still want answers.

4) "You ignorantly disparage what a power outage can mean to people engaged in agriculture, particularly dairying or stock raising, where loss of mains power really can be a disaster- with effects far more serious than any of the situations you describe."

No, I did not. Now you are the one making assumptions. (Spin doctor again) Of course this would be a tragedy in a rural area. I never claimed otherwise. You simply failed to recognize the possible danger in having 50 million people without power, the large majority living or stranded in urban areas.

Most of us have sympathy for those that were affected and we are grateful that it wasn't worse. We are sorry for the handful of deaths that occured because of this.

We are also grateful that it did not affect farmers and those who had a tougher time.

Believe it or not, I do agree with you on a couple of things.   I do think those in rural areas would have been more prepared. However it is apples and oranges. Completely different circumstances and potential problems. Again, I'm thankful that it wasn't worse.

I also agree with you that it really wasn't a huge problem.

The one item that I disagree with you with (from the beginning) was the role of the media.   From the coverage I saw, they were being pre-emptive and not over reactionary.   I've worked in network newsrooms and the data the flows through is often is mind boggling. There is often a rush to report, simply to get the "bragging rights" that they reported it first. This leads to wrong information being transmitted. That can be dangerous.

I've never claimed the media is holy. They make huge mistakes. In this ONE instance, I felt that they did not over react, nor do I think that the people in the areas over reacted as you claimed.   I felt that the media handled its responsiblity wisely in this ONE case.

Sorry this has turned into a grudge match. (I have no clue who you are).   I have always been calm, even if my notes may not read that way. I've never claimed to be a author or master of letters.   I simply respect common sense and I don't care for the Chicken Little response these events produce.

I've said enough. Greg, it is obvious that we have different opinions and we will never get the other to agree, even though we probably agree on more items than either of us would care to admit publicly. Maybe it is the heat. (I rarely use air conditioning, even when we have power). I'm sorry for bothering the rest of the Mudcatters with what has become a silly war of words. This is not in the spirit of what these forums are about.

I agree to disagree. Let's get back to the ballgame.

Ron

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 01:53 PM

FIrst time I ever saw two intelligent human beings co-produce a cowpie. Impressive, when viewed from a distance.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 03:02 PM

Talk about thread digression! So where the fuck was everyone else when the lights went out? Can we expect any Mudcat babies in nine months?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Hillheader
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 03:37 PM

Here is a link to the Hamish Imlach song mentioned previously

It's still appropriate

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 03:39 PM

Amos & others - you are absolutely correct. I apolgize for letting myself lose control and drifting so much.   It was BS on my part.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 04:14 PM

'S alright Ron -- anyonbe can get sucked into a firefight once in a while.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 06:24 PM

FIrst time I ever saw two intelligent human beings co-produce a cowpie

Amos! I love it. Maybe it isthe heat.

Lets get back to the ballgame.

Best, Greg

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 07:25 PM

And we're back to the ballgame folks, looking for a pitcher to provide straight deliveries on the ole topic and no funny business. The umps are breathing fire tonight, folks so keep the spit off the ball if ya know what's food for ya! The fans are screaming for answers!    Yogi's sending the signal -- he says Casey wants to know where wuz ya when the lights went out?


A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 07:34 PM

Umps are breathing fire????

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: bbc
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 08:30 PM

I was driving home from shopping in my former hometown when it happened. When we walked through the door at home, we noticed we had had a brief power glitch, as only the most sensitive of our electronic devices were blinking. A half hour later, we left to drive to Albany. Tried to stop for food when we arrived, but found stores & restaurants closed--no power. In nearby Troy, at my son's apartment, the power was on, but we had our problems, anyway! My sons were supposed to be flying out of Albany Airport on a very early flight the next day, w/ David's girlfriend from Long Island. He waited at the train station for her for more than 2 hours. Then, he came home & tried to call her parents. That took several tries, but he was finally able to discover that she had, indeed, gotten on a train. Eventually, she called & told him that she was stranded in Penn Station & couldn't get back to Long Island or to him in Troy. Ironically, the only place she *could* go was Newark, the origination point of their 2nd of 3 flights! She was up all night & had to get to Newark on her own, but it worked out ok. We spent longer than usual at Albany Airport in the morning, since their phones & systems were down & they were ticketing by hand! I was just able to find out that they did, indeed, arrive safe & sound, along w/ their luggage! I spent 2 days w/ a friend in Fishkill, NY. Her power was off from 4 pm to approx. 2 am. When I got home, I didn't have Internet access, but was able to figure out, today, that I just needed to reset my system. Duh.

Not bad, really.

best to all,

bbc

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 10:54 PM

BBC,

Glad it wasn't any worse, duckie!


A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: bbc
Date: 17 Aug 03 - 11:35 PM

Yup, Amos; thanks!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 01:15 AM

Hate to burst anybody's bubble, but according to Snopes the "baby boom" nine months after the 1965 New York blackout is strictly an urban legend - click here. And if the '65 blackout, which occurred in November when snuggling is fun, didn't put a spike in the birth rate there's no way that the recent one that occurred during a record heat wave will.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Metchosin
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 02:27 AM

Just came back to so called civilization after spending a week in the bush; no hydro, no phone, no newspaper, no internet.

Think I would gladly return for a few more weeks after reading this thread.

Thread drift alert....We didn't know the lights were out somewhere, but one thing of which we were well aware, was the smoke and drifting ash. The fires here are said to be discharging the equivalent energy of one small nuclear bomb per hour. Saw two new ones getting a foothold on the drive home from Alberta yesterday.

Oh for a bit of rain.......hydro or no hydro.

Subject: Lyr Add: IT'S BETTER IN THE DARK (Gordon McCulloch
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 04:10 AM

IT'S BETTER IN THE DARK (Gordon McCulloch / traditional)

(Chorus:)
From Alaska down to Panama, Hawaii to New York
Ten people out of nine agree it's better in the dark

Come people pay attention, listen to my song
There's only ninety verses, I'll not detain you long
How Uncle Sam he blew a fuse which caused the lights to fail
And plunged the nation into gloom, come listen to my tale

John Citizen came home from work like any other night
Found his house in semi-darkness, his wife all in a fright
John, John, the power's gone, the TV's up the spout
But John just pulled his trousers down and blew the candle out

When things go wrong, this proves to all the world - if proof were wanted
Mankind reverts to type, carries on undaunted
As they lay there struggling and breathless on the floor
She murmured, John, how come we never thought of this before

But nine long months have passed and gone and there's a bill to pay
Doctor Kildare and all his men are working night and day
Love, they say, is a costly game and must be properly planned
But a packet of three is hard to see when darkness rules the land

John Citizen has changed his ways, he's joining in the fight
For longer darker power cuts, he wants them every night
He won't go off to war, he has a better plan instead
For out of darkness comes the light, he'd rather go back to bed



High time this fine song was brought to light (so to speak) again!

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 09:16 AM

Ron, Ron -- where's your imagination? Fire-breathing umps is a nach'al!!!

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST,Strollin' Johnny
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 09:27 AM

Somebody might have already made this point (if so I apologise for not noticing) but here in the UK the lights went out every night for six years between 1939 and 1945, but we didn't have Mudcat to whinge about it like bunch of Jessies, so we just got on with our lives.

Oh, and by the way, while the lights were out every night, a load of German Nazi loonies flew over and dropped thousands upon thousands of tons of high explosive on us, but they only managed to kill a couple of million of us.

Welcome to the Real World.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 10:06 AM

But did we have a baby boom when it ended...

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 10:27 AM

It was THE baby boom over here.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 10:45 AM

Don't look at me -- I wasn't born till 1951!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Donuel
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 12:00 PM

For some, a $25 billion loss of productivity is bigger than the loss of 20,000 lives.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: NicoleC
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 07:35 PM

Now that the news has stopped screaming hysterically about "BLACKOUT 2003!!! (three... three...three...)" a little perspective is probably in order. The only folks, in fact, who seemed to have a grip on the situation are the ones who were actually in it. If you've ever been in an extended blackout -- even one as short as two days -- you rapidly discover that despite the annoyance of having all the food go bad in the fridge, it really isn't that big of a deal. Even the worst case scenarios like being trapped in an elevator are pretty tame after you calm down and realize that not only are you not going to get there on time, but at the moment it doesn't matter if you are on time anyway.

Here, we had "special reports" from the news every 10 minutes to report that, yes, the lights were still out and, no, they still didn't know why. Apparently, even though the authorities admitted they didn't know why there was a blackout, we were still supposed to take their word for it that they knew it wasn't terrorism. I guess they really do think we are all stupid.

NYC got ALL the coverage, as if it was the only place that mattered. I guess that's understandable given the vast amount of New Yorker natives in California who constantly whine about how much better NYC is, but nonetheless never get around to moving back there.

There were bleeding heart stories about the poor people in NYC who had to walk to get home or, heaven forbid, didn't make it home that night to their suburban homes in Connecticut. Meanwhile, not a single mention about the thousands of New Yorkers who don't get home every night because they don't have one.

Then there were the horror stories of having 90 degree weather with *no air conditioning.* Of course, the millions in America (let alone around the world) that never have air conditioning are presumably surviving somehow.

The real story is the fragility of the modern American lifestyle that crumbles under the slightest technical bobble. Our windows don't open and we've forgotten how to walk and living 50 miles away from work is just slightly above normal. But don't expect the evening news to ask the hard questions. Instead, it'll be all about the SHOCK!!! of discovering your cell phone doesn't work.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: LadyJean
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 08:00 PM

I was camping out with Twelve Thousand of my dearest friends at the Society For Creative Anachronism's annual Pensic War, in Slippery Rock, PA. One of the lovely things about Pensic is how far away we are from the real world.
We had news of the blackout, but everyone handled it well. People called home to see if they had power. We talked about it. I camped with three people from the Detroit area, and they were all very blase' about it. We're merchants, and we were more concerned with slow sales than a blackout.
Pensic is a camping event. Electricity is scarce. But it is not what I miss most. I love Pensic, but I long for plumbing! I HATE PORT O JOHNS!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Peg
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 11:06 PM

Pensic!! I was at Brushwood this weekend and many of our regular seasonal campers were still   at Pensic...

I was en route to Albany by bus when it happened. Heard nothing until I got off t eh bus at about 4:30. The first announcement over the loudspeakers: "Attention: all service to New York City has been cancelled."

huh?

Then they repeated it with the phrase "due to the power outgae."

I started talking to people and my friend was late picking me up (some problems at his workplace due to the situation) so we all rapped about it. I was shocked to hear power was out all over the Northeast. Why not Boston (where I came from?)
Although all the national news reports (which we watched on TV) said Albany was affected, the city proper was not; but most of the surrounding towns were.We "foraged" in his freezer for dinner to stay in the spirit of things.

Called Elmira that evening (where my friend and I were headed the next day) and talked to Mom. Power okay but she said the city was turning off the juice voluntarily in a bit to prevent any problems. All was well when we arrived.

Eventually got to Brushwood Saturday and heard tales of how the ownewrs rushed to fill up the water reserve barrels so they could flush the campsite's toilets just in case. They lost power for about eight hours (they are between Erie, PA and Chatauqua NY). We got a hellacious storm Saturday night (hailstones the size of marbles) which certainly might have affected power but blissfully   did not.

Even though I was in the midst of it I did not directly experience the outage. I found the media coverage fascinating   (Fox   was blaming everyone it could think of, funny as hell); those who could not watch TV because of the outage might have liked to see it, those who could probably were not interested...

EVERYONE needs to be prepared for such an emergency. Extra food, water, blankets, flashlights, radio, medicines, etc. Mother nature is a hideous bitch goddess and we must respect what she is capable of. Although this particular event seems entirely man-made. Any answers yet on exactly what casued it????

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 11:57 PM

Mother nature is a hideous bitch goddess and we must respect what she is capable of.

Funny, Peg -- that's a lesson I would have expected to hear only from a fellow mariner!! A real true point and one easily forgotten in the day to day comfort of our veneer of organization.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 12:01 AM

I am betting the cause will be the usual one - a squirrel. They always find a crispy little squirrel whenever a transformer blows, I am sure this will be the same.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 09:28 AM

Oh, Sure! Blame it on the squirrels!!



RODENTS OF THE WORLD UNITE!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: PeteBoom
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 09:50 AM

Glasgow, Scotland. At band practice - then the Todd Bar at Strathclyde Uni, where we were staying. Read the first reports in the Evening Times and the Herald and said - "Right, lightning, sure..." Then had another pint of Belhaven... ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 10:00 AM

More likely a CHinese Gerbil. Send in the Eagles!


A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 10:45 AM

All these squirrel huggers!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST,CarolC
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 05:05 PM

In Ypsilanti Michigan. I was on my way to the library to log on to the Mudcat and found it closed due to a power outage. The rest is history. It wasn't too bad for us though because living in a travel trailer as we are, we're pretty self contained. We have a backup battery for lights and things like that, our stoves and grill use gas, and our fridge automatically switches to gas if the electricity goes off. We couldn't use the AC, but it's not as hot here in the shaded campground as in many other places. And we couldn't do laundry.

We were headed for Toronto for the weekend on Friday, and we were very lucky that the power was restored to our hotel shortly before we got there. We didn't have any problems while in Toronto (other than avoiding the parts of the city that didn't have power, and walking instead of using the somewhat crippled public transportation system), and we were able to get our laundry done there.

We're seriously thinking about getting a solar panel to charge our battery so we won't have to run the van to do it if we ever find ourselves without power again.

Considering the state of the power grids in this country (and around the world), this power outage would seem to be a very strong signal to people who can afford it, to try to become as energy self-sufficient as possible.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 05:53 PM

I probably shouldn't post this , but

I just read this thread beyond my own early post for the first time....as I read, I reacted much like Ron did to Greg F's posts. I'm glad I waited. My thoughts go somewhat along the lines of:

"Why make light of real problems, just because there are worse problems elsewhere?"
Some people(especially elderly folks) DID suffer from lack of AC, water, transportation..etc...and the fact (and it is a fact) that others in the world have it worse, should not trivialize the matter. In Iraq and Afghanistan, people died when deprived of water & health care...but do we have to have lots of deaths before we recognize it as a problem?

There are problems, serious problems, VERY serious problems...etc...and the fact that we lucked out and only had isolated instances of 'serious' should serve to give us some perspective about what VERY serious could be, and help us plan better and appreciate how lucky we are...but should not be greeted with the condescending ridicule Greg resorted to.

(sat and re-read this for several minutes trying to decide whether to poosha da 'submit' button)....maybe it just helped ME to get it off my chest, 'cause I'm sure it won't change any minds.

*Now, back to your regularly scheduled thread*

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 06:29 PM

Well, it is a fact of life that there all degrees of ability to face tings in the world. Some people feel their life is full of risk if they handle one mouse in a week, and others can fight off a tornado, six terrorists and an aluminum-siding salesman before breakfast and still wonder why things are so dull. Same with seriousness -- some people may have felt having the whole city go black was terrifying, and others may have had a cooler perspective. It is a purely subjective thing, a matter of the makeup of the individual how much they can comfortably face.

In a forum which has mutual acceptance and tolerance as a guideline, which this one does explicitly or no, it is prolly a good thing to remember that and not throw stones at people for getting stirred up, just because you don't think the reaction is warranted. It's kinda rude, which is why some folks got annoyed with Greg upstairs a bit. It is perfectly true that objectively the degree of risk and harm was pretty low during the blackout. But ya know, emotions are not objective, are they?


A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 06:32 PM

Hmmm...power flickered for maybe 30 seconds out here in the woods of north central Pennsylvania. I thought perhaps too much power was being used about the house. I turned off most everything that was on and settled into playing some fiddle tunes while our 11 year old read a book. About 20 minutes after the power blip, I got a phone call from my Mom asking if we had power and then if I had seen the news. I hadn't and she explained. We hustled around a bit to gather extra drinking water for the animals and ourselves (just in case there was a problem)....then returned to fiddling and a night of peace and quiet. Didn't lose power here.....but gave us all an excellent excuse to turn off what we did have and to enjoy the night. :)

Lily =^..^=

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 07:42 PM

Our power has gone out twice in the past three weeks. Once due to a bad transformer; not sure why the second time. This could have very serious implications for someone who relies on an oxygen concentrator which is run by electricty. Fortunately, I have a stand-by tank of O2 which I can hook up using a pulse dose thingie which runs on double A batteries. Failing that, Rog has my concentrator fixed up so that he can run it off the car battery if need be. I wouldn't even want to think how scary it must have been for anyone caught out with a limited supply of O2. I could make do, just wouldn't be able to move very quickly (or at all in the heat:-), but people who have lung problems would really be in serious trouble. And, I am not talking about people in institutions which may have had back-up generators. I mean those of us who are active and out in society in general.

Anyone heard from Tinker?

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: InOBU
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 08:48 PM

Sorry folks... I videoed folks dancing around a bon fire in Thomkins Sq. Park untill about 1:30 or 2, nice video, but a friend tells me that about 2:30 every threw their clothes into the fire, sorry folks, I don't have that on tape. I was home abed. Cheers Larry

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Greg F.
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 09:00 PM

IN RE: Bill, et.al.- and this is positively my last comment.

Yes, indeed there are real and serious problems that it would behoove America to address- homelessness, people without adequate health care, unwanted pregnancies, old folks in such economic straits they're reduce do eating dog food, large numbers of unemployed and underemployed, inadequately funded education, .... the list goes on and on- not to mention REAL natural disasters; tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, etc.   

Having to sit in the dark for a matter of hours somehow pales in comparison, and it behooves no one to exagerate temporary inconvenience to the status of major trauma.

This is not "making light" of things- its keeping them in rational perspective.

Over & out-

Greg

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: NicoleC
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 09:01 PM

Ah... and a new excuse has entered the American lexicon! Today, Fedex told me they lost my original, signed loan docs because they had a "blackout" last night.

Uh huh. Very believable. Especially since they insist they are delivering the "lost" docs tomorrow. Meanwhile, my seller is hearing "the check's in the mail -- er, Fedex" from my escrow company!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 10:03 PM

katlaughing made an excellent point about the people the media coverage should have been following and reporting about, particularly in the wake of the news out of France last week. But how many of you saw any of those sorts of stories on any national network?

Or saw any extensive media coverage of Detroit, Cleveland, any rural areas, etc. It was so obvious the media could not STAND the reports coming from anywhere but the center of THEIR universe, NY. You could tell as you watched the "round the clock" coverage (and what in god's name is duller than watching 24/7 coverage of media whores with bad hair and bad lighting, interviewing people who looked just like themselves?) that the media whores just couldn't wait for that Detroit piece to end so they could get back to the REAL Blackout 2003 story (cut to more coverage of people walking over the Brooklyn Bridge for the eight thousandth time, please). I was so enlightened to learn that media bureaucrats camped out in their offices overnight. Now that was important for all of us to note.

The list of people truly endangered by the blackouts weren't, it appears, in so much danger that the mainstream media felt it necessary to cover THEM.

Or as Jon Stewart said on the Daily Show last night (and I paraphrase here):

"The fucking lights went out people--get OVER it! It wasn't the blitz."

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 11:31 PM

I've said my piece, but I do have to chuckle how much this reminding me of the Monty Python sketch where a group of old codgers are sitting around reminiscing about how rough their childhood was and each one making up a more preposterous story of how difficult they had it.   After complaining about being beaten, waking up before going to bed, working 26 hours a day and so for - they ended with "but those were the good old days - try telling that to the youth today!"

It is obvious that people do not have any compassion these days (that is one of the major problems with the world) and they always have to compare one problem to a bigger tragedy. They blame the media, yet it seems that everyone hear must have been glued to their sets. Inaction in action!!!

I haven't heard anyone feeling sorry for the dinosaurs. If only more people were concerned perhaps they could have stopped that asteroid and those poor dinosaurs would be roaming the globe today.   Damn inconsiderate bastards - all of you!!!!!

Ron

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Amos
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 11:43 PM

"Your species got eliminated, Deeno -- get over it!!"

**bg**

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 11:44 PM

since Greg is no longer commenting, I can't ask him how long without electric power it would be before he considered it serious. I'm sure traffic cops and gas station owners and elderly folk in high buildings in summer heat and water pumping station managers and hospitals with limited generator power thought 8-24 hours was quite enough. During winter ice storms, there have been longer periods, but seldom so widespread.

But, perspectives differ..............

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You/Lights Went Out?
From: GUEST,CarolC
Date: 20 Aug 03 - 05:25 PM

Greg, I find myself looking on the bright side a bit with this situation. Maybe this experience can give some people a big kick in the butt to start doing more to conserve energy, and to find (and utilize) alternative energy sources. Already, I'm hearing stuff on the radio about ways we can change things for the better, and a lot of them involve using less fossil fuel to generate energy. This can be a significant development that would help a lot of people besides those of us in the US.

Examples: less consumption of pollution causing energy sources would improve air quality and cause less global warming. If more people use alternative energy sources, economy of scale can make them more affordable for everyone, including people who live in areas where access to power is a huge problem. Just think of what a boon it would be to third-world and developing countries if they had access to some of these technologies. They would laugh at our silly power grids.

So I see it as a good thing that people are making a big noise about this power outage. Maybe it'll help move things in a much better direction for everyone.