Prince of Darkness
20/12/08 07:23
Just for the record, I don't think the auto industry in the US ought to get any kind of bailout. Not to mention the type of bailout that you and I (taxpayers) end up paying for. Let the free market dictate what happens to those bastards. If the GM's, the Fords, and the Chryslers think the world needs more SUV's and more of the same schlock they've been pumping out for decades, I say let the market decide. I think the people have been voting for years with their wallets but the auto industry has been tone deaf. It took an escalation in the price of sweet crude on the world market to expose the overpriced underbelly of the industry and not all the kings horses nor all the kings men will be able to put it all back together now that it lay in pieces on the floor of the world market. Ralph Nader tried to warn us long ago about the Corvair. Turns out that the Corvair was just the tip of the iceberg.
Speaking about the prince of darkness, what about the power outage here on the East coast this past weekend? We lost power for three days after an overnight ice storm hit the area . To make matters worse, the temperatures were cold all but one of the three days was warm enough to give us any semblance of comfort. Our wood stove was working fine and we had four cords of wood sitting in the driveway so we were good to go. Not everyone was so lucky. We do not have town water, however, so we had no running water and that was problematic. We got buckets of water here and there and used facilities in the local businesses when and where possible. You would be surprised at how creative you can be when it comes to coordinating such events and I must say that it all worked out rather well.
Not sure what we would have done if the local businesses had not been open so we were grateful for the spottiness of the outages in that it allowed for some semblance of decency and human comfort. We were able to salvage most of the food in our fridge until temperatures rose in to the 40's one day and then all bets were off. If all I remember of this outage in the years to come is when I ground coffee beans in my car using an auxiliary power plug and the many meals we cooked on the wood stove, then those memories will be pleasant ones. I think there are many more stories that turned out less well where young children were concerned; where old people tried to stay warm under the covers or surrounded by candles; and where creature comforts were few and far between. Maybe we learned that it is best to have supplies on hand so we'll work on that. I'll be making my list and checking it twice. Isn't that what people do during the holidays?
Speaking about the prince of darkness, what about the power outage here on the East coast this past weekend? We lost power for three days after an overnight ice storm hit the area . To make matters worse, the temperatures were cold all but one of the three days was warm enough to give us any semblance of comfort. Our wood stove was working fine and we had four cords of wood sitting in the driveway so we were good to go. Not everyone was so lucky. We do not have town water, however, so we had no running water and that was problematic. We got buckets of water here and there and used facilities in the local businesses when and where possible. You would be surprised at how creative you can be when it comes to coordinating such events and I must say that it all worked out rather well.
Not sure what we would have done if the local businesses had not been open so we were grateful for the spottiness of the outages in that it allowed for some semblance of decency and human comfort. We were able to salvage most of the food in our fridge until temperatures rose in to the 40's one day and then all bets were off. If all I remember of this outage in the years to come is when I ground coffee beans in my car using an auxiliary power plug and the many meals we cooked on the wood stove, then those memories will be pleasant ones. I think there are many more stories that turned out less well where young children were concerned; where old people tried to stay warm under the covers or surrounded by candles; and where creature comforts were few and far between. Maybe we learned that it is best to have supplies on hand so we'll work on that. I'll be making my list and checking it twice. Isn't that what people do during the holidays?