Black Out hits US, Canada

[hail2skins]

The link is below

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59083-2003Aug14.html

[TexSkin]

So I guess we wont know until later whcih of you guys got hit by this...man hope everyhting comes up quickly..that could cause a real mess. :(
Not to mention the heat right now.

[dj_stouty]

Its pretty scary in New York. Millions of people are trying to walk out of NYC to go home to NJ, and it kind of reminds me of 9-11. The helecopter video is amazing...

[Skins57]

boy, I bet the terrorist just got another idea of to hit. It is amazing what the loss of power can do to a city.

[TexSkin]

I am proud of the men and women of NYC....especially the Police and Fire dept..they handled it well and there was not much choas.

[AGibbsGirl]

Hubbo was supposed to fly up to NYC to visit customers Wed & Thur. but because of the Microsoft virus his meeting got cancelled on Wed.
(which was good 'cause I've been sick)

Then he was going to take the train up on Thurs. to visit the other customer but they also were dealing with the virus and again his meeting got cancelled.

Imagine how thankful we were that he wasn't up there when the lights went out.

[AGibbsGirl]

Originally posted by TexSkin
I am proud of the men and women of NYC....especially the Police and Fire dept..they handled it well and there was not much choas.

I was watching the 4:00 news when they started breaking in with the story, and I just marvelled at the New Yorkers streaming out of the buildings walking calmly up the streets.
Just walking along on a summers day chatting on their cell phones.

I had to laugh, they're so cool!!!!

Later, the media was saying, "Nerves are getting frayed, people are starting to panic."

But meanwhile, behind the reporters, the people were waving and laughing, making peace signs, shoving each other in fun.
My son said, "They don't look too mad."

[TexSkin]

Yup I have Satelitee and only get New York and California local stations and from what I saw everyone handled the situation as best as you could possibly hope.

[Skinzaholic]

Word was that many people had the fear that this was another terrorist attack. Funny how most of those who were afraid yesterday... could be found last week in line with the Bush haters against our going in to Iraq.

If it wasn't for a President with guts... more terrorist attacks would be a reality.

[JoeDaSchmoe]

Can we please not turn this into another political thread?

Anyway, how were they talking on cell phones if there was no power? The towers needs electricity....

[hail2skins]

Originally posted by JoeDaSchmoe
Can we please not turn this into another political thread?

Anyway, how were they talking on cell phones if there was no power? The towers needs electricity....

Yes, no politics. Please.

[Skinzaholic]

Originally posted by hail2skins
Yes, no politics. Please.



Welll now... what is the fun of THAT? How can I get Spencer mad at me with no politics involved????


oh..... ok...:rolleyes:

[hail2skins]

Originally posted by Skinzaholic
Welll now... what is the fun of THAT? How can I get Spencer mad at me with no politics involved????


oh..... ok...:rolleyes:

LOL, didn't mean to spoil your fun.

[Spence]

The Iraqis have been dealing with a blackout problem for a few months now. Here (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Blackout-Iraqs-Top-10.html) is their advice on how to deal with it.

--10: SLEEP ON THE ROOF. Without power -- and hence without air conditioning -- Iraqis have taken to climbing up stairs in the hot nights. Some install metal bed frames on rooftops, while others simply stretch out on thin mattresses. ``We sleep on the roof,'' said Hadia Zeydan Khalaf, 38, wearing a black head-to-toe abaya in the hot sun. ``It's cooler there.''

--9: SIT IN THE SHADE. Many Iraqis go outside when the power's off. ``We sit in the shade,'' said George Ruweid, 27, playing cards with friends on the sidewalk. Of the U.S. blackout, he said: ``I hope it lasts for 20 years. Let them feel our suffering.''

--8: HEAD FOR THE WATER. ``We go to the river, just like in the old days,'' said Saleh Moayet, 53. Several people said they had seen American beaches on television, and suggested they might be a good place to sit out the blackout. ``They have so many beautiful beaches,'' said Hamid Khelil, 44. ``They should go where it isn't so hot.''

--7: SHOWER FREQUENTLY. ``I take showers all day,'' said Raed Ali, 33. ``Before I go up to the roof to sleep, I take a shower and I'm cooler.''

--6: BUY BLOCKS OF ICE. When refrigerators shut down, there's no better way to keep food cool. Mohammed Abdul Zahara, 24, sells about 20 a day from a roadside table. ``When it's hot people buy a lot of ice,'' he said.

--5: CHECK FOR BITTER-ENDERS. ``They should go to the power stations and see what the problem is,'' suggested Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 21. ``Maybe there are followers of Saddam Hussein who are sabotaging their power stations. That's what happens here.''

--4: GET A GENERATOR. Abbas Abdul al-Amir, 53, has one of a long row of shops selling generators in Baghdad's Karadah shopping street. When the power goes out, sales go up. ``I sell about 30 generators a day,'' he said. ``When the shutdown lasts I can sell even more.''

--3: CALL IN THE IRAQIS. Some suggested the Americans ask the Iraqis how to get the power going again. ``Let them take experts from Iraq,'' said Alaa Hussein, 32, waiting in a long line for gas because there was no electricity for the pumps. ``Our experts have a lot of experience in these matters.''

--2: USE FOUL LANGUAGE. ``When the power goes out, I curse everybody,'' said Emad Helawi, a 63-year-old accountant. ``I curse God. I curse Saddam Hussein. And I curse the Americans.''

--And the No. 1 suggestion among Iraqis for Americans suffering without power: TAKE TO THE STREETS. Some said demonstrations can be effective in persuading authorities to turn on the switch. ``We held protests. After that we had fewer blackouts,'' Ahmed Abdul Hussein said without even a hint of sarcasm. ``I'd suggest Americans go out and demonstrate.''

[circumstance]

i actually live here in new york city--grad student at columbia. the power went out around 4pm and didn't come back on until 7am this morning.

it really wasn't that bad, or as bad of some may have envisioned/anticipated. i walked from 114 to 36 streets just to get a sense of the action, and most, if not all, the people were rather at ease with the whole situation. perhaps as a spill over from 9-11, there was more of a strong sense of comraderie. granted, at every grocery store, there were hoards of people buying up all the perishable items while the grocer's stood on milk crates screeching "$1, everything must go." but, honestly, that was as crazy as it got. most took to the streets for a sense of solidarity, and for the most part, ended up forming small, street parties lit with candles and catered with discounted beer and fruit from the local market. all in all, it was very safe, there were even joggers in central park, running along with those lights strapped to their heads (i forget what exactly you call them, but, you know, the one's cavers wear).

the people i really felt/feel for are those who commute to NJ everyday. they were backed up by the thousands at the lincoln and holland tunnels with nowhere to go, waiting for buses to come in from whereever. i'd say through time's square was the strangest part of the whole experience, no lights whatsoever, save the occasional broadcaster's lamp.

but anyway, that's about it. the power's back on and things are returning to normal--which is, ironically, the average new yorker being much more rude than he actually was during the power outage.

[Skinzaholic]

Originally posted by Spence


--6: BUY BLOCKS OF ICE.

Mohammed Abdul Zahara, 24, sells about 20 a day from a roadside table.






Now THAT is funny! :funpost:

[Skins57]

Originally posted by Skinzaholic
Now THAT is funny! :funpost:

I bet by the end of the nmorning they are all sold in buckets :D

[Green-Is-Good]

i was in toronto when it happened