Saturday, September 22, 2007 Covington: Scary By Gary Covington Looking in
ONE relay at one substation trips, leading to a knock-on effect that had switches switching out all along the line plunging great areas of Mindanao into a power blackout for half a day.
The supply flickered and sparked now and again but it wasn't until early evening, just as I was breaking out the candles, that the ref hummed on and stayed on.
The faucet dripped to dryness, malls turned into saunas, and businesses closed shop. Want to know how to bring a country to its knees? Especially a country that insists on pouring millions on high-falutin schemes rather than down to earth but boring infrastructure? Turn off the power. Scary huh?
Scary also is how current news stories - whether print or broadcast - tend to skew our way of thinking. These days whenever I see three or four guys with gym bags I don't think tennis or badminton. I think frat squad on its way to beat the crap out of a novice.
Poverty was in the news again - when is it not - with pro-admin spokespeople attempting to drown out the hoots of disbelief raised by much of the population upon hearing of the country's supposed 7 percent economic growth.
We're lucky down here in Mindanao quoth the spokespeople. Not only will we see the benefits of that magic 7 percent but we also enjoy cheap veggies and neighbors we can cadge a cup of suka from. In fact, we're "getting by" and "surviving" admirably. That's all right then.
Non-news of the week was a feature about an egg-shaped, perambulating music player developed, manufactured and put on the market by Sony. Deuced clever these Japanese but does the world really need a Walkman with a mind of its own?
Imagine the beastie rolling under the sala sofa - there to spin and jive and gurgle and flash its lights and generally behave in an irresponsible manner, ignoring all calls to come out, shut up or self destruct. And how Mr. Sony are we to "enjoy music" (Sony's Blurb) when the music concerned is rushing and rolling about the house? Ever heard of the Doppler Effect you guys at Sony?
Also catching my eye was an item reporting that Senator Mar Roxas has been telling GMA to pardon you know who. That "our people have been divided by politics for the last twenty years" and that "they (the people) remain poor because our politicians have failed to pay attention to them."
Dead right Mar, dead right. It's the politicians cocking up the country and not the people at all. And, as far as a nation divided by politics goes why, that's what politics is all about. There is an administration and there is an opposition. In the normal way of things good healthy competition. In the normal way of things.
Lastly, on Saturday, there was an interesting column by one Robby Albedo decrying the state of the nation's sidewalks. Only one comment to make, Robby -- not sidewalks -- obstaclewalks.
