Volume 2 Issue 123
August 15, 2003
Welcome to the New Bush Energy Policy
Iraqi's offer tips for Americans stuck without power, the US and Canada blame each other, and taking off for the weekend
It's the new Bush Administration energy policy! Problems with power? Just shut it off! Anyway, in DC we fortunately enjoyed the benefits of power and air conditioning, and from what I've heard on the news and from folks is that the power is slowly coming back on. In fact, it looks like the long-term problem may be in the Midwest, where the folks in Cleveland have some serious water issues, and in Detroit the power may not be on until Sunday or Monday. In fact, I haven't heard of much going back on in Michigan yet at all. Plus, pretty much everywhere affected it seems like there will be rolling blackouts for the next day or so until they can get the nuclear power plants back up. Oh, and until the US invades Canada or at least the two nation stop their blame game on each other.
Anyway, I was thinking yesterday about how we're supposed to get the power back on in Baghdad when we can't even keep it on here, and apparently an AP reporter in Iraq had the same idea. So, here's your swamp for today, I'm heading out of town soon, plus 95% of the news is about the blackout, so you can get that from your traditional favorite news sources. I'd most recommend the New York Times and the Detroit Free Press. Have a great weekend!
Iraqis Offer Tips on U.S. Blackout
By NIKO PRICE, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqis who have suffered for months with little electricity gloated Friday over a blackout in the northeastern United States and southern Canada and offered some tips to help Americans beat the heat.
From frequent showers to rooftop slumber parties, Iraqis have developed advanced techniques to adapt to life without electricity.
Daily highs have soared above 120 degrees recently as Iraq (news - web sites)'s U.S. administrators have been unable to get power back to prewar levels. Some said it was poetic justice that some Americans should suffer the same fate, if only briefly.
"Let them taste what we have tasted," said Ali Abdul Hussein, selling "Keep Cold" brand ice chests on a sidewalk. "Let them sit outside drinking tea and smoking cigarettes waiting for the power to come back, just like the Iraqis."
Here are some tips from the streets of Baghdad:
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. "It's cooler there," said Hadia Zeydan Khalaf, 38.
SIT IN THE SHADE. Many Iraqis head 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."
HEAD FOR THE WATER. "We go to the river, just like in the old days," said Saleh Moayet, 53.
SHOWER FREQUENTLY. "I take showers all day," said Raed Ali, 33.
BUY BLOCKS OF ICE. Mohammed Abdul Zahara, 24, sells about 20 a day from a roadside table.
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, he said.
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."
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EDITOR'S NOTE — Niko Price is correspondent-at-large for The Associated Press.
