HELP! Anyone else suffering the CA Power Crisis?

[newbie]

I don't know what happened, but my modem wasn't able to connect from 11:20 AM to now, 4:38 pm!! I think it's b/c of the Power Crisis--I called a bunch of my friends and they said they couldn't log in too. Do you think it's b/c of the Crisis?

Also, is anyone else being affected by the Power Crisis?

[Siobhan]

I don't live in CA, but your crisis is indirectly affecting us up in here in BC. Because BC Hydro is selling power to CA, our hydro/electricity bills have tripled!! However, the province is making a tonne of money due to BC Hydro sales in CA, so I guess it will work out. I'm just glad we don't have to deal with "planned blackouts"

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Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Gamma Chapter
University of British Columbia
Sigma 1996

[amycat412]

hey Newbie, I don't think you'd have modem prob. because of power.

I live in West Hollywood and when I was hit with rolling blackout a few weeks ago, I passed the time by taking my laptop and logging onto the internet (I connect via my phone line at home).

Amy

[Jeff OTMG]

My dad lives in Palm Springs, Ca. The power company wants to build a power station to provide power to the area due the the high population growth rate. The citizens are yelling about it. My dad told them that if they can build 90 golf courses that make people want to come to the area, but not want to supply them electricity that they are all idiots. Just wait until it is 117 degrees and they take the electricity off line for an hour or two, then they will wish they had a power station. I feel sorry for you living in the land of idiots. They want gasoline, but they don't want to drill for oil off shore, sure seems like they don't mind if they drill off shore in Texas, La, and NJ though. They want electricity, but don't want to build their own power stations, they want them built in Az and Nv and have the electricity sent in. Great politicians you have out there. With any luck the whole state power system will crater by August. I actually saw protestors saying that they weren't going to pay their electric bills. HA! Just what the power companies need is for half of the population to go without electricity so the other half will have all the power they want.

[amycat412]

I do take offense to the "land of idiots" comment. California, besides supplying the world with its entertainment is the largest agricultural state in the nation by far. So what you watch and what you eat likely come from "the land of idiots." Yes, we are a model for how NOT to do utility deregulation, but that is no cause to defame the 33 million people that live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Amy

[This message has been edited by amycat412 (edited April 09, 2001).]

[newbie]

AMYCAT, WELL SAID!@!!! I also take offense to that comment. If we were really "the land of idiots," then how come so many people chose to live in this wonderful state, over any other state in the whole nation? I think we're a pretty great state...the melting pot of all ethnicities, first in entertainment, probably first in tourism...the place of Cable Cars, Wine Valley, Hollywood USA, the San Diego Zoo, the UC System--maybe the best public system of universities, plus the beautiful rolling valleys and oceans. Not to mention some of the greatest sports teams ever--the Dodgers, the Lakers (though I don't like them). I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA...and California will ALWAYS be the state for me...power crisis or not. I don't think I could live ANYWHERE else in the world and be truly happy.

Where do you live, Jeff, may I ask? I'd like to know...it's too bad that you can't appreciate CA like almost any other American does...


[This message has been edited by newbie (edited April 09, 2001).]

[Jeff OTMG]

Born in N.Y., lived in New Orleans, Philadelphia, NYC, Monterey, Ca., Oklahoma City (hometown), Stillwater, Ok. (college), Tulsa, Ft Worth, Dallas, Huntsville, Al., Austin, Tx, San Antonio, Tx., currently working in Indianapolis, In. Much of Calif. is pretty, like where I lived. My son spent 10 years growing up in Burbank before he came to Texas and didn't want to go back. I do not think that the entertainment industry is the least bit important to daily life, I don't watch network TV and went to two movies in 2000, none this year. In the grand scheme of things with U.S. troops in Kosovo, U.S. military personel being held by China, and the market drop in the last few months, who is going to win $1 million on Survivor or who wins the World Weries or Super Bowl is really not the least bit important. A co-worker just spent the last week in San Fran and found gas to be $2.39 per gallon. He is glad he got it over with so he doesn't have to go back. You are correct that 33 million have chosen it as home, but 240 million Americans have chosen not to.

Amycat you are correct, not all the 33 million are idiots, my father lives there for one and I know a couple of real live rocket scientists at Edwards AFB, but it is the majority who voted for the politicians who have put you into this mess. The protestors did it for me. I don't hear of any of them protesting China holding U.S. hostages, but heaven forbid their electric bill should go up, now that is worth protesting. What I see from Calif. is a huge number of people who want the govt to give them as much as possible so they have to do as little as possible for it. One reason your population swelled so much was due to you having the largest welfare payout in the entire U.S. The state attempted a two tiered system where a person receiving welfare that lived in the state for more than one year would receive the standard amount, but a newcomer would receive a reduced sum for the first year. Fortunately the ACLU fought that on 14th amendment grounds violating equal protection and the law was overturned. I will admit that you have a great climate in most areas and many pretty areas (PCH is one of my favorites), but the people tend to be shallow, self-centered, and selfish. For example, a boat and/or an expensive car is an easy way to pick up women in the Laguna Beach area. Yes, that does happen some in Dallas, but you don't see it at all where I live down in Austin. As far as my food source, it is primarily from Texas, the oranges I bought today came from Florida and most, if not all, of our other fruit and veggies come from South America or Mexico. I don't know of anything that I eat that comes from Calif.

More on your power problems. The power industry suggests an 18% reserve capacity, Calif is at times as much as 2%. In Texas we have a power commission that monitors power use, we are the second in population to Ca. and growing picking up 3 new congressional seats from the 2000 census, and we are at a consistent 23% power reserve. I flew Southwest Airlines this past weekend and there is an ad in the SW magazine for another new power facility being built in Odessa, Tx. We have facilities scheduled for construction for the next 9 years to support the expected growth. By contrast in Calif. a few years ago Marin County refused to expand its' water distribution system in an attempt to restrict growth. Everything was fine until the first hint of drought and the residents started screaming to the govt for more water. They expected the govt to fix a problem that they themselves caused. Pure idiocy in my book. An emergency line was run to pump more water in, it probably became a permanent fixture. When dealing with infrastructure I am reminded of the movie 'A Field of Dreams'. Build it and they will come, then reality sets in, don't build it and they will come anyway. Calif doesn't have a lock on the idiot market by any means, Austin had an attack of 'anti-growth' two years ago when they declined a guaranteed water supply for 50 years, but Calif,being the most populous state, they certainly have the lead. The people in Wa, Or, Az, Co, and Tx just wish they would quit moving and stay in Calif.

I was in California at the beginning of the year and I experienced rolling blackouts. I love California and everything about it, and to tell you the truth, I'd move there and leave Hawaii in a second.

Lastly, I'd respond to Jeff's post, but I think John Hammel would revoke my GreekChat access if I did...so I'm keeping my mouth shut about that.

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"Talk doesn't cook rice."--Someone smart

Visit Alpha Gamma Delta-Delta Sigma chapter!

[amycat412]

Jeff, we are all entitled to our opinions, but I for one am glad you are not a Californian. We have an immense amount of pride in our state, as all of us should, and yes, ridiculous things happen here, AS THEY DO EVERYWHERE -- ie: What's up with all the dealth penalties in Texas. OPINION, Jeff. Certain things are important to you, other things are important to me.

I highly doubt that the sole or even main reason for the swell in population here is the welfare system. California has a GNP that can rival many countries. It is one of, if not the, wealthiest state in the nation. Scores of newly minted college grads move here every year to follow their Hollywood dreams, we have a large active military population, and let's not forget the perfect weather.

All I asked in your original post was that you show some respect for a state that has contributed more than most to the daily lives of Americans. Perhaps you are not a film buff, fine, but the majority of the other 240,000 million Americans DO watch television and see films. And this distraction from daily life and from the atrocities that happen in the world is a necessary part of life for many people, and a valuable commodity indeed. History has shown that economic recessions, depressions, wars--none of that has sated America's appetite for Hollywood films, they continue to see them in droves regardless of the state of the economy and the world. Ask yourself why? Because a distraction from life is an important part of being able to cope with life for many people and being able to step into a dark theatre and be transported to another time and place for 2 hours is entertainment, pure and simple. We could all use more levity in our lives.

I've lived other places. I've traveled quite a bit. And I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Please respect that as I respect your right not to live here.

Thank you,
Amy

[This message has been edited by amycat412 (edited April 10, 2001).]

[newbie]

Originally posted by JeffOTMG:
but the people tend to be shallow, self-centered, and selfish.

EXCUSE ME???????!!!!! You said you lived in Monterey, CA for a while--well, that's in the Bay Area. And the Bay Area (and the rest of CA, mostly) prides itself in being one of the most open-minded, non-exclusive, welcoming areas in the whole nation, maybe the whole world!!!! I'm sorry that you've had such "bad experiences"--but if you opened your mind a little bit more, you'd see that the people of the Bay Area, especially San Francisco, are very well respected, as well as the rest of California.

Also, do you not remember that we're the melting pot of the world? If we were so "shallow, self-centered, and selfish," then don't you think that California would only be a place primarily of white males/females? I'm happy to live in such a beautiful place, with neighbors of all ethnicities and colors. Also if we were indeed "shallow, self-centered, and selfish," then how come SF is called the "gay mecca"? It's because SF, the Bay Area, and CA are TOLERANT of people of all races, colors, genders, and sexualties. I don't see all areas of the U.S. as accepting as California is.

Oh, and you said we're "selfish"? Then why does our gov't give out the "largest sums of welfare money" then???????

[This message has been edited by newbie (edited April 10, 2001).]

[newbie]

Hey OTW! Which part of CA did you live in for a while? Hawaii is beautiful, BTW!! One of my most favorite vacation spots!

[amycat412]

Well said Newbie.

[newbie]

Thanks Amy, you too! We proud Californians must stick together!! Oh yeah, an email is coming your way soon!

[AKA_Monet]

And the fact that most of SoCal has been unseasonably cool for the past couple of days with snow at the 2000 ft levels, bills are gonna be ridiculous!!!! And WTF is up with PG&E dolein' out major funds to there phat cats then callin' theyselves (YES, I SAID IT--THEY-SELVES) chapter 13!!!! Now who's the real Slim Shady?

Unfortunately, it's the price we pay for location, location, location, location....

Just another chitty sun shiny day in Southern killer Kalifornication inSANe Diego...

[newbie]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet:
Unfortunately, it's the price we pay for location, location, location, location....

Hehe yep--but you have to admit, we live in the best location in the world!! Yeah!