My personal reflection for this week's warp...continue to look at that glass of water as being half-full instead of half-empty. And it probably wouldn't hurt to stock up on some canned goods and extra gas and maybe some water. But, only the truly paranoid will, the rest of us will continue to believe..."it can't happen to us: We're Special!"
A Light Goes On in the Dark. For one brief shining moment we all let our imaginations run to what life would be like if the 'blackout' went on forever. Time for a reality-check, in other words. As a result of this, I think we all realized life would be a disaster. (The moment that did it for me after the initial annoyances, like no cooking, computers or way to keep food from spoiling, was realizing gas pumps were electric.) We all got there from one realization or another and had a collective moment of truth on Delmarva...and, we had it in the dark!
It was an interesting lesson learned, that will need to be re-learned the next time it happens. (What?!? Do you think it will happen again?)
How One Limo Can be on Two Streets at the Same Time.
Enough of the Dark-side of the week... here's one of those stories to lighten-up life. There is a Shiek riding around in california in a 66 and 1/2 foot limo. This limo is sooooooooooooo big...it bends in the middle when it takes turns.
"Don't think so," says the state, and tells the Shiek he has to lose 18 inches of limo-reality to be legal. The mastermind behind the machine is now trying to figure out how to do this while keeping the integrity of the 'design' of the limo intact, and in general, keeping the Sheik happy, because you can bet, being a Sheik and all, he paid a lot of money for this custom-made monstrosity...and he'd better be able to use it!
Jet Rides. Cheap.
A newly released survey shows that half of the people polled would think twice before flying on ValuJet. Only half? Think twice?
Math has never been my strongest suit, but it seems to me that if half of the people wouldn't think twice, would a fourth of the people think at all ? Would this fourth include our FAA Officials who seem more intent on vindicating the airline than determining responsibility, the one and only role the government can play that will assist the families ?
"ValuJet" should have been grounded for its name alone.
Communications Breakdown
The next time this week you think you have insurmountable problems, think about this: It's another day in Jordan, Montana. FBI agents, Senator Charles Duke from Colorado and members of the Freemen are sitting around a card table set up on a muddy farm road, trying to end an almost two month long standoff. Friday's session lasted over 2 hours, after which Senator Duke said some progress was made in the talks, which involve "probably 30 or 40 major issues," and they are "horribly complex."
Who's kidding whom ? 30 or 40 horribly complex issues? Why not let them go through a Montana winter without ANY government assistance, and see if some of those issues get simpler. Let them have their own Freeman Nation. Look how well Native Americans have fared on reservations.
May 5, 1996 Kelley Rouse The Shore Journal