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Power Outages Strike East Coast
fordp writes "CNN, CNBC and others are reporting that major power outages are happening just after 4:00PM EDT in New York, New Jersey, Detroit, Ottawa and Toronto, Toledo." There are reports of a Con Edison transformer on fire on 14th Street in NYC, and lots of people stuck in trains and elevators. CNN is reporting that it is, according to power officials, most likely not related to terrorism, because you know you were wondering. The Niagra Mohawk power grid is overloaded, which feeds electricity throughout the northeast U.S. and into Canada. Update: 08/14 21:06 GMT by P : The mayor said there was no fire, that it was black smoke brought on by an automatic shutdown because of the power grid failure.
Judging by this chart I'd say a whole lot of people were running their air conditioners today. Maybe that's it?
Should serve as an example to the Department of Energy. The U.S. needs a distributed power generating system ASAP. Lots of small solar and wind generators all over the nation. Every block should have one.
Right now, "officials" are saying this probably isn't terrorism. But I bet it's giving al-Qaeda some ideas.
If an accident can make this happen, I'm sure a cleverly-placed explosive can make it happen much more easily.
And once all those cities are out of power and essentially crippled, the real strikes start.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get some tea on for when the FBI guys come knocking on my door. Does Ashcroft take one lump or two?
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No. Many of us realized that it is august and bloody hot, and an outage was likely. Lots of major problems occur w/o terrorism being a likely cause.
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
No, I wasn't. I heard about this first here. My first thought was W32/Blaster. And I would have laughed...
I don't think terrorists are organised enough yet to pull something like this off. Just like SARS, West Nile, Mad Cow; I think terrorism is way over hyped. I think we need to be aware of them and deal with them, but drunk driving, not wearing seatblets and undercooked meat kill far more people, and are often overlooked.
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain
Conserving power is ludicrous. There is an unlimited supply of power in the Universe. Why should we even *consider* conserving it?
We need MORE POWER NOW! I want cheaper, more reliable power. I want a nuclear plant next to my house, better yet, in my basement, for my own personal power usage.
Conserving water, makes sense, we only have so much h2O, although it'd be better to invest in purifying our current supply and recycling water.
So, again, WHY? WHY SHOULD WE CONSERVE POWER????? WHY WHY WHY????
my power bill is $180-200. I keep my house at 72-75F, even when it's 105F outside. IF the power company gets 35% more expensive here then it will be cost effective to generate my own using propane and a generator.
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Actually with Mars being so close it will give people in big cities a very rare chance to see this site without all the light polution by which they are normally surrounded.
The USA is a funny funny place! People seem to be worried about all sorts of crimes being comitted now that there are no lights. Riots, Murders, Home Invasions...possibly even an Army of Darkness attacking (Great Movie!).
Why are you so worried? You seem to be more afraid of each other, then other things!
Well, let me tell you a couple facts about major US cities. I figure it is probably true in urban areas in other countries, but I can't directly speak for them.
Before there was any hint of a power outage on the east coast, police who would be working tonight knew it could be a tough night. It was going to be hot and muggy tonight but no rain. People would be out on the streets because the houses and apartments without air conditioning would still be hot from the daylight hours. It is a summer Thursday night and a lot of people would be getting their weekend startend early. It is almost payday for a lot of people. Checks hit on Fridays or on the 15th of the month for most people. Usually, if you have direct deposit, they hit a day early. So you combine all these factors and you are going to see a rise in domestic disputes and general violence. Now, turn off the lights and everybody's air conditioning and you have just multiplied the problem. Now you have a lot of hot people without their nightly drug (TV) or the money they expected (ATMs are down) with nothing to do but interact with other hot, annoyed people. Smell trouble?
My other question is...isn't the 2nd Amendment about creating a mulitia to defend your country...not about defending your house?
The simple answer, without politics, is yes. But how do you define 'militia'? Historically, at the time it was written, it meant all able-bodied males between the ages of 18 and 45. When the militia was called upon, they were an irregular force used to suppliment or replace regular soldiers. Often, they would take over a fort or garrison when the regular troops were needed elsewhere. Usually, this meant defending their own homes, although the British in the colonies were known to pull the militia out to other areas and force the homes to be left undefended. This would have the effect of upsetting the militia.
When the militia was called up, they were expected to bring their own weapons and provisions, hence the need for keeping weapons in their homes and knowing how to use them. The Swiss use this method to this day.
And is it the gun culture of the USA that brings about this fear?
No, it is really the media that inspires this fear. When we wake up Friday morning, we are going to be shown every bad thing that happened overnight in the blackout areas. If there isn't major unrest, we will hear about 'heat-related deaths' and traffic accidents. That is the American media mentality. I guess it must be our own fault for watching all the trash we do. What you won't see covered are things that are going on right now in New York: People are buying food and water for strangers when the shop keepers aren't just giving it away for free. People are taking in their friends and coworkers and giving them a place to stay for the night if they can't get home. People are sharing their cell phones so strangers can call home and let their families know they are alright. I saw a man walking with candles to the houses of older members of his church to make sure they were alright and had what they needed to make it through the night. What is going on right now is the true American spirit and it crosses all racial, social and economic lines. And this is true of 99.99% of the people caught out in this mess tonight. The other 0.001% will be splashed across the front pages and news broadcasts around the world and people will wonder how terrible it must be to be in that situation.
And last, but not least, this is the night that will have a ripple effect throughout the entire area. No TV, nothing to do and the condom stores are closed? Expect a mini baby boom next May of 'black-out babies'!
Viv
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