And now for something weird...

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,494
You would not believe the phone calls and face-to-face confrontations those guys go through. I had an Uncle who was a county commissioner in Tennessee. He gave it up because of all the idiots who thought he could immediately deliver, to their satisfaction, any whim of their desire. And didn't mind calling him to demand it at any time of the day or stopping him anywhere in town to do so either. There are lots of people out there with very insane expectations of what they are due. IE, can the Mayor unfreeze water lines from personal wells or inside their house, or fix downed power company lines?
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,338
True. But only when you don't pay for it. Your utility bills are there for a reason. The utility is supposed to support the infrastructure. So yes, they ARE owed power, gas and water. Taxes are for the government who is supposed to legislate the regulations for power companies. Texas opted for their own power grid to avoid government regulations. They experienced a cold snap some years ago which also crippled a lot of the infrastructure.

But I suppose the Mayor believes people should be out there restoring their own electricity, water and gas. Can't WAIT to see how that goes. How dare those people freeze to death. Lazy bums.
The lazy statement from the Mayor was wrong but people should have emergency systems. I've got backup electrical power, food, water and fireplace wood because it's a wise thing in a place that often does get bad winter weather and power outages from falling trees. The cold snap years ago should have been a wake-up call for users of power too.

People laugh at the preppers but guess who have power and heat in Texas. The utility is supposed to support the infrastructure but there's no federal or state law that mandates them to provide service TO YOU as Joe Blow home owner in a wide-area emergency.


2021 F-150 7.2kw onboard generator texas power outage 1.jpg
https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...he-day-3-days-during-texas-power-outage.1826/
 
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Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
9,744
Being prepared is smart. People in general are not always smart. That includes government officials. Houston, I've lived there a few years, generally doesn't get that cold nor cold for that long. In 94 we had 90 degrees, snow the next day, 88 degrees following that, then ice. It CAN happen. And I've always had a plan too. But not everyone can afford to have a generator and a supply of food/water or a fireplace. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck. I've been there too. Times when I couldn't afford the gas to get to work. Forget buying a generator. And sometimes poor people are poor because others don't allow them to rise up out of poverty, forcing them to work for minimum wage. And in the time of a pandemic - - - there's a lot more people without a paycheck. Forget about being prepared. And when people need help it doesn't mean they're lazy. And government leaders shouldn't forget who put them in office. Oh, wait - - - that would probably be the big energy conglomerates.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,338
They Tx aren't hooked any other grid, to keep the "govmnt" out of their lives. But they are willing to accept FEMA bringing in resources to save them.
People in Texas do pay Federal Taxes so you're damn right, they expect a federal response to a emergency just like you would in a State wide-event.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,338
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo...BM3Gaj-5dhlnRB5SbU3AIPA0BuKOE&t=1613911578638
Saudi media reported that a veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on the camels a few days before the pageant, according to UAE's The National. In addition to the injections, the clinic was surgically reducing the size of the animals' ears to make them appear more delicate.

"They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, a regular at such festivals and the son of a prominent Emirati breeder, told the newspaper. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.' "
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,629
Today I received a letter. It was addressed to 'the householder' at my address and had a Jean Luc Picard' first class postage stamp stuck on it. Inside there were two sheets of paper - one had the word 'ERROR' printed on it ten times and the second sheet had just '2' printed on it. There was no return address and the postmark is illegible.

WTF?
 

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
9,744
People in Texas do pay Federal Taxes so you're damn right, they expect a federal response to a emergency just like you would in a State wide-event.
So - um - then they were - um - "Not" lazy? They were expecting their government to protect them?

I know you said the Gov was wrong for saying they were, and I agree with you on that. But I got the impression, maybe wrongfully so, that you felt there was a measure of truth to their being lazy about not working on the power grid themselves. I've seen enough video's of people foolish enough to get too close to high voltage transmission lines and the consequences it wrought.

As I've mentioned, I lived in Houston for two years. Experienced a freeze and a snow fall. Fortunately for me it wasn't a problem. But had it been the recent cold snap that crippled power, water and gas; I'd have been screwed. And I wouldn't call myself lazy. I worked 40 to 50 hours a week and supported a family of six. And we lived paycheck to paycheck. My rent was only $595 a month for a four bedroom house with 2 car garage and a fenced yard. And every month it was a scramble to provide the necessary things. We did it. But we would have been just as frozen as the pipes if we lost power. AND we had a fireplace. Rarely had wood to burn in it; would have had to burn the furniture for sure. But "Lazy"?
 

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
9,744
Don't understand how or why there's more lift pulling this up than there is pulling it down. Is there a fishing line attached to that protuberance and eyelet at the top?
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,629
Don't understand how or why there's more lift pulling this up than there is pulling it down. Is there a fishing line attached to that protuberance and eyelet at the top?
Maybe the rotor blades are pivoted or flexible?
I have an ornithopter which just flaps its wings up and down and this action generates lift and thrust because of how the wing fabric flexes.
You certainly couldn't do covert filming with it!
 
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