Power out. Internet out.
Not sure why, but it’s down in a pretty wide area. I’m posting this from my phone, outside, but won’t be able to write a regular post till the internet is restored. That should happen in an hour or two – they say.
The New Neo
A blog about political change, among other things
The wind!
Several places on the east coast have lost power/internet/cable due to the strong winds playing havoc with wires.
Hopefully, it is only a connection out, and nothing more major.
Wait – are you in Cuba ?
I woke up Monday morning to no power. The far side of the big street several blocks away had power, so it was a local affair. Within 20-30 minutes, power was restored.
Thus far the longest electrical outages in my life were the TX Big Freeze of 2021 (3.5 days) and the Dec 1973 ice storm in CT (4-5 days).
I imagine some hurricanes in CT knocked out power where I was living (I heard some stories of the ’38, which was before I was born), but I don’t remember the outages
Wait – are you in Cuba ?
Senator Markey, D-MA recently made a statement about Cuba’s energy situation.
The good (for nothing) Senator brought up renewable energy. He is apparently not aware of a renewable energy source—biofuels—which fits Cuba very well. At one time Cuba was the world’s leading sugar producer. Sugar cane can be converted into ethanol, which can be used to fuel transport—but also be converted into electricity.
Brazil launches world’s first ethanol power plant to turn sugarcane into electricity
I fail to see how the US embargo prevented Cuba from using Brazilian expertise in producing ethanol from sugar cane.
BTW, Cuba’s agricultural production collapsed after the ending of the Soviet sugar daddy era.
Consider Agriculture Gross per capita Production Index Number (2014-2016 = 100)
Consider Sugar crops Gross per capita Production Index Number (2014-2016 = 100)
Then there is milk.Gross per capita Production Index Number (2014-2016 = 100)
In 1989, Cuba’s milk production was in large part dependent on corn imported from the USSR. The land that once produced sugar cane could have been used to feed milk cattle, either from pasture or from corn. Or, it could have continued to produce sugar cane which would have then been transformed into ethanol.
Instead, the former sugar cane land lay fallow. Fallow land in Cuba gets infested by the Marabu shrub. Which keeps it fallow. Circa 2013 there was some publicity about turning the Marabu shrub into charcoal. Small potatoes, it would appear.
What the Commies did to Cuban agriculture was criminal.
We had some deliberate power cut-offs in Colorado this past week because of high winds, in the interest of safety precautions. Most were north of our house, although we have enough old poles and rusty junction boxes, along with the usual urban greenery, that even very built-up areas could be at risk.
I think all the US energy companies are reacting to the Paradise CA fires and countless others caused by downed wires sparking uncut grass and trees (thanks to unhinged environmental activists and craven politicians).
Call it Paradise Paranoia if you need a label.
To Neo & Gerard’s Fans: a moment’s pause in remembrance.
I find it hard to believe that eight years have passed so swiftly.
Technically, the destruction of Paradise was part of the Camp Fire, but Camp Concern isn’t expressive enough. The reason for the paranoia is clear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Fire_(2018)
But how can a utility go to jail? In the end, was any actual person punished? Too many were culpable, inside and outside the utility. The article, which had lots of information which I didn’t see when the fire was in the news, gives details of (some of?) the bad decisions and just bad timing that contributed to the disaster.
For readers who joined the Neo-Neophiles after the fire:
https://thenewneo.com/2023/08/23/fires-in-paradise/