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The Blackout: The Idiots!
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The blackout
that started at 4:10 P.M. Thursday, August 14, 2003 saw many good people pull
together. From the people who got out of
their cars to direct traffic in major intersections to the neighbours
checking on you to see if everything is alright to the young people who hauled
water upstairs in apartment buildings to the elderly. These are the type of people we all want to
know and trust as friends and neighbours. My mother on the Friday, August 15th
had my Dad hook up our camping stove to boil water for coffee. She then walked next door and knocked on our neighbour’s door to see if they would like a cup of
coffee. Good neighbours
can be very important in life, that is one
characteristic that I have learned from living on my street for so many
years. These neighbours
also form a community and towns in which we all live
However, there
are “idiotic” people in every neighbourhood and city
during times of crises.
WATER
Reports were
coming in through the media of various instances throughout the crises. Perhaps the first was reports of people
watering their lawns and washing their cars on Thursday on Friday. The problem is once the power goes out, the
electric pumps that draw water from aquifers and lakes stop working unless they
are powered by back-up generators. Thus,
if water systems are overburdened two things start to become a problem:
·
The first is simply water pressure.
If water pressure drops, so do the taps causing people to start to go
without water. In the heat wave that
southern Ontario saw, water
demand begins to soar as people look to increase their consumption of water for
both drinking and bathing purposes.
·
The second is for emergency purposes. In a fire situation, firefighters need access
to water. Thus, on normal high
consumption days residents are requested to reduce their consumption so that
there is enough water in order to suppress a fire situation.
At the beginning
of the of the crises people were asked to restrict the use of water by
provincial and municipal authorities. While
listening to call in shows on the radio about these idiots, I couldn’t help but
think that these people just don’t get it?
These idiots must think that since they pay their taxes, then they can
use water whenever and wherever they want.
However, the main reason behind paying taxes was it was realized that
there are some services that are cheaper to deliver if the services, like
water, was done collectively. So
everyone pays their share to save money.
Without the tax dollars going into developing the water and sewage
systems in urban areas, how much money do you think would be required to drill
your own water wells and treat and dispose of your own sewage on your own
property? So remember that, yes you pay
taxes towards the having water, put remember that we are collectively
responsible for the water. Thus, if the
city cannot draw and pump enough water, officials are going to request people
to lower the demand on water consumption.
If residents do not heed these warnings, the water pressure will drop
and possibly even cause taps run dry. In
these cases, if a fire occurs and there is no water, the fire department can
only use the water that is stored in the trucks because the fire hydrants will
be dry. If the fire outlasts the stored
water, the firefighters have no choice but to pull back and simply let the fire
burn itself out. So remember that when
these warnings occur, that it could be your house the firefighters have no
choice but to simply let burn due to some idiot down the street wanting a green
lawn.
GAS
The idiocy only
continues at the gas stations. Just a
question, if people are requested to stay off the roads, why are people lining
up at the gas stations filling up every container they can find? Then there were people who had other ideas on
how to get gas. City TV reports that about twenty people in the Toronto area who were
admitted to hospital due to inhaling gas.
It is believed these fine idiots were trying to siphon gas from parked
cars. I have only one comment for the siphoners who ended up in hospital, SERVES YOU RIGHT.
Gas station
owners (read: idiots) were also greedy during the blackout. Trying to take advantage of the fears over
the blackout were several gas stations who posted prices of 99.9 cents per litre. These
outrageous prices for gas compared to gas that averaged around 68.0 cents per litre at the closing on the previous Wednesday. A picture of a Canadian Tire gas station, one
of the culprits, was shown in a Toronto Star picture in their Saturday, August
16th edition. As a Canadian
firm, Canadian Tire should be ashamed of itself for gouging consumers at the
pumps during a crisis. I wonder how far
this company will let its corporate and affiliated stores go when the next
crisis comes around. How about twenty dollar batteries with no Canadian Tire
money in return? Shame on Canadian Tire
for allowing one of its gas stations to gouge consumers in a crisis and make an
otherwise good homegrown Canadian company look bad.
TRAFFIC LIGHTS
MALFUNCTIONING
Who knew that when power is lost every single traffic light would
go out causing traffic chaos in some cases?
Yup the turkeys who are on our roads sure took the cake this time. On a trip home on the Thursday night after
working for the Town of Aurora Day Camps’ Extended Camp
(a camp for children who’s parents can’t pick-up their children at 4:00 P.M.), I counted about three cars that failed
to stop at intersections with traffic lights that were not working. These turkeys luckily didn’t kill
anybody. However, there were bright
spots on the roads. Your average Joe was
able to direct traffic at many intersections.
These average Joes and Janes were able to keep
traffic moving in what could have turned into absolute chaos. Imagine trying to navigate who is supposed to
go next at an intersection of sixteen lanes.
York Regional Police were so hard pressed to get police officers,
according to a report in the Sunday August 17th Era-Banner, that new
recruits after being sworn in were wisked away to
nearby intersections to direct traffic.
Talk about trial by fire, not even time to have a celebratory dinner
with fellow recruits following the formality of being hired and sworn in.
Congrats to all the police officers and average Joes who took it upon
themselves to ensure that the turkeys didn’t win the battle of the intersection
and ultimately kill someone.
TOWN PHONES NOT
WORKING
On Friday
morning I reported to work as a Day Camp counselor at the local recreation
centre at 6:30 A.M. This camp is for the parents who are unable
to drop their children off at regular camp time of 9:00
A.M. After reporting to work on
Friday morning, I was shocked to find out that none of the Town of Aurora phones were
operational. We tried every phone in the
building looking to call camp staff to tell them not to come into work. Not one phone in the building was
operational. This was in a building that
has a pool involved. If
someone broke into the building at night without the maintenance person in the
building noticing. What happens
if this person drowns in the pool or attacks the maintenance staff on
duty? Who is going to call emergency
personnel? Also, there was only one
single maintenance person on duty at this building. Again what is the thinking behind this? To protect the building
from looting? If this person is
removed and he/she is on a twelve hour shift, who will find out if something
happens? Trust me this happened, the
maintenance person on duty when I arrived at 6:30 A.M. had been at the recreation complex
since 7:00 P.M. the night
before and his replacement at 5:00 A.M. didn’t show
up. One of the administrators, who
overseas day programs, could not access the Town of Aurora Town Hall due to
security features that kept the doors locked.
This seems a little silly considering a high up employee in the
department of Leisure Services could not access adequate town resources to
contact staff in order to ensure people did not try to drive their kids to
camp. Also, parents trying to drop off
their children at other Town camps told me that when they called the Town’s
main phone number, a message came on saying what was cancelled. They complained that camps were not even
mentioned. The town prides itself in its attention to providing good customer
service. So what happened? It seems the Town of Aurora needs to
reevaluate its resources in trying to ensure the safety of both its resources
and personnel. Also, the town needs to
find better ways to inform their customers of what town services have been
cancelled and what is still available.
CANDLES
Officials in the
Toronto area, in the beginning, told people to
be careful using candles. However, after
a couple of blazes broke out due to these candles being overturned by idiots,
officials started saying candles should not be used. Gee, a candle sitting on a wooden table or
near anything flammable has a chance to be tipped over, so why wouldn’t you
keep your distance. In Toronto alone there
were at least two blazes caused by candles overturned by idiots. These firemen were pulled from other
important duties such as saving people stuck in elevators and helping seniors
living in high rises receive adequate water and food supplies. However, these firemen were not helping the
less fortunate, they were tied up by idiots who had overturned their candles
and did not have fire extinguishers. So
next time we have a blackout, don’t use candles if you are an idiot! It may mean somebody does not get the help
they need.
911
Provincial and
Municipal officials requested people not to use 911 for only emergency
purposes. I wonder what idiots were
tying up the phone lines asking how to bake their defrosting turkey without
power? From an early age, people are
told to only use 911 for emergencies.
However, officials were reminding the idiots not to call 911 unless it
was an emergency. Last time I checked a
power outage is not an emergency for ninety nine percent of the
population. The other one percent it is
because they rely on hydro to power their respirators and other medically necessary
devices. Therefore, remember that 911 is
for police, ambulance and fire rescues only and not for how much barbecue fire
is required to roast that bird that might not have made it through the night in
your defrosting freezer.
POLITICIANS
Both American
and Canadian politicians appeared to be total idiots in front of the media
cameras. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomburg and New York State Governor George Pataki claimed
that the blackout originated in Canada. Canadian Defense Minister, John McCallum,
first claimed there was a lightening strike at a Niagara Falls power
plant. McCallum should be congratulated
for at least saying something, as the Prime Minister, Jean Chretien,
was still on vacation at a cottage in Quebec while his
office in Ottawa was working by
candlelight. However, McCallum dropped
the ball, meteorologists pointed out there was no record of thunderstorms or
any significant rainfall in the Niagara Falls area. In fact, area residents reported clear blue
skies. John McCallum came back with a
possible fire at a Pennsylvania power
plant. Reports from the power plant
executives said that a fire had not occurred.
It seems that politicians on both sides of the border looked foolish.
With the ongoing investigation around what caused the blackout, experts have
been fingering high voltage lines in the Cleveland an hour before
the power went down as the probable reason for the power to start
cascading. Also, President of the United States, George W.
Bush, admitted that the American electricity grid was “antiquated” and in need
of upgrading. Other American officials
called the grid “third world”.
Canadian Prime
Minister Jean Chretien should quit tomorrow and allow
John Manly to act as interim Prime Minister until a Liberal Leadership
convention has been held. John Chretien should resign immediately based on the lack of
leadership and confusion emanating from both the Prime Minister’s office and
the emergency control room set up.
First, what is
Jean Chretien, on the Friday following, still doing
in Quebec on vacation? A real leader would return back to Ottawa and lead his
country out of the problem. John Manley
did this during the September 11th crises. John Manley is a crises tested leader that
would do an admirable job if given the job.
No that was not possible, instead we have a
former top rate economist trying his best to perform the job of a Defence Minister. It
is no wonder the Canadian forces time and time again complain about under
funding. This is because if McCallum
performs his job continuously like he acted through this crisis it is no wonder
why the Canadian forces are in trouble.
Canadian forces in trouble, case that proves this, Canadian forces in Afghanistan were wearing
boreal forest green fatigues in a country that is mainly sand as far as the eye
can see. Think about it, a large green
blob in one of the world’s largest sandboxes, hmm…I wonder where the Canadian
troops are?
McCallum should be placed in an economic or financial portfolio and get
out of a ministry that he should never have been appointed to.
Secondly,
another Chretien slip up is appointing John Manley a
Finance Minister. As a former Foreign
Affairs minister and Industry Minister as well as being a current Deputy Prime
Minister, Manley has proven himself an admirable person in negotiating with
foreign countries. Manly would have been
a perfect Defence Minister. Manley already has the
foreign diplomatic network and foreign relations experience that would have
been useful. The Canadian military is
well known for leading peacekeeping missions with other countries’
involvement. However, this has since
changed since McCallum was appointed Minister of Defense. The funding for the Canadian forces has not
received enough money and has been called upon too many times that top military
officials are warning that the current mission into Afghanistan has
overstretched the forces’ manpower and strength. The Canadian forces have become an embarrassment
to Canada. So why then is a proven economist doing as
Minister of Defence when a proven Foreign Affairs
expert doing in the Finance Department? Because Jean Chretien appointed both of
these men to the wrong departments.
Therefore, John Chretien needs to resign as
soon as possible and let John Manley take the helm to guide the Canadian
government through an interim period.
TENNIS AT YORK UNIVERSITY, YONGE &
DUNDAS SQUARE & TIMES SQUARE
The Canadian
Open tennis tournament was going on at York University when the power
was coming back online in the Toronto area. Play resumed on Saturday after power was
restored to the area. However, Toronto
Police Chief, Julian Fantino, was requesting that
people not unnecessarily travel. So I
guess getting to see the semi-finals of a Tennis tournament would qualify as
“necessary travel?” The idiots
organizing the tennis tournament should be more in time on what is going on in
the city around them. Don’t the fans of the
tennis game come mainly from around the city that is hosting the tournament? Also, York University is most likely
using power from the main grid to power the court lights, kitchen services at
concession stands and other electricity using devices. These devices could be using energy that may
prevent the lights operating in a hospital or other similar healthcare
setting. The tennis tournament officials
and York University should be
ashamed of themselves for continuing the tournament when every last watt of
power in an electrical grid trying to return to normal.
However, the tennis
tournament at York University was not the
only power wasters. Billboards at the
corner of Yonge & Dundas
in Toronto and in Times Square were lighten up. The large
LG Electronics billboard and newscreen located below
the billboard were lit up. In a newspaper
story, LG Electronics commented that a technician was required to turn the
power off to the billboard and that technician wasn’t available. Perhaps, a way to turn the billboard off
should be changed so a circuit breaker can be flipped or a plug could be
pulled. Requiring a technician to turn
off the hydro to this billboard seems a little extreme. What would happen in an emergency, like a
fire, and a technician was not immediately available, to turn off the
electricity to the billboard? What then. LG Electronics has some explaining to do on
this issue about not having a technician available right away at one of Toronto’s busiest
intersections.
Watching CNN on
Friday night, with the lights off to try to conserve power, Wolf Blitzer was
reporting live from Times Square in New York City. Behind him was a scene of electric
lights. All the billboards, signs and
street lights were blazing. With the
electric grid struggling to come back online how could Times Square in New York City be back up and
operational at full light so quickly?
There were probably sections in New York City still in the
dark while Time Square was ablaze in electric powered lights. How do I know this? Not all residents in Toronto had power on
Friday night, so how could a city twice the size of Toronto have all the
electricity restored to all its residents?
CONCLUSION
Idiots surround
us all. Some people just don’t know how
to utilize their brains in the best of times, nevermind
the worst of times. Consider how many
idiots are on the roads these days and you know what I mean. However, the idiots thought that the whole
world was an episode of Survivor because of this power outage causing them to
head to the gas pumps and call 911 to ask when the power would come on so they
could cook their beloved turkeys in the oven.
Corporate idiots surrounded us to, the large billboards at the corners
of Yonge & Dundas in Toronto and Times Square in New York attest to
this. Meanwhile, officials are asking
people to conserve water and energy in order to ensure the limited amount of
hydro available is being used to benefit the most people. Therefore, the real heros in this event were the people who checked on
their neighbours, and turned unnecessary lights and
appliances off. These heros should not be overshadowed
by the idiots who only thought of themselves and their own comfort.
Links
Canadian Tire – www.canadiantire.ca
City TV – www.citytv.com
CNN – www.cnn.com
The Era-Banner – www.yorkregion.com
Toronto Star –- www.thestar.ca
Town of Aurora – www.town.aurora.on.ca
York University – www.yorku.ca
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