| It happens and more often than I would have | | | | from the bright side. How dependent we have got |
| expected. That something as basic as electricity | | | | from these basic supplies and that we do no longer |
| becomes unavailable is sometimes hard to imagine. | | | | accept a small intervention. This local (?) crisis took |
| There are many reasons. Sometimes it's due to | | | | only a few hours. The freezer remained cool enough |
| maintenance work on the central in the neighborhood. | | | | not to spoil the food and before you know it, it is over |
| Some other times it is due to extreme warmth where | | | | again. |
| the cooling installations fail. | | | | A third thought is about how lucky we should be in this |
| During such moments its better not to dig into a | | | | (first) world. Having "everything" we need, engaged in |
| probable cause. The electricity company can't often tell | | | | some luxury problems when three hours out of an |
| you and you are left to guess what the real problem | | | | annual of about 8600 there is no electricity. |
| may be. | | | | During those hours we go back and think how it was |
| My first reaction on an electricity failure is emotional; I | | | | in those days, we light a candle and we think how |
| get angry. "How in the world, in 2008, in the 21st | | | | lucky we are, compared to the rest of the world. |
| century where energy companies pressure to | | | | Thinking about a story of one of my ex-colleges who |
| promote nuclear energy again, how in the world is it | | | | told me about his experiences in Gabon. "There is only |
| possible that there is a failure in de supply? If they can't | | | | about three hours a day electricity." And let's also not |
| do that right, how should we trust them in supplying | | | | forget about the water problems they have in those |
| nuclear energy?" | | | | countries... |
| But it is only a first reaction... | | | | H.J.B. |
| Than my next thoughts are more moderate. I look at it | | | | |