MARKET WATCH COLUMNIST
“Left in dark with many questions”, Ellis Henican Column, Newsday, November 4, 2012
SO MANY QUESTIONS, so many unanswered, at the end of a very
challenging week: Nice to hear the polls will be open on Tuesday. Now who’s
expecting to drive to one?…
You wanted waterfront property? This badly?… How will Steve Bellone enforce his no-gouging threat? Has he ever been to the
Hamptons in August?…
How much dumber are LI kids for missing school all week? How
much smarter will they be after sitting in a classroom in July? How else are
they supposed to get to 180?…The Commack library has internet and
electricity? Have you ever seen the parking lot so packed?…
Obama surveyed Sandy’s damage in Jersey and offers to survey
in NYC? Should LI be offended he hasn’t surveyed here?… Who needs a
Stairmaster? Minda Aguhob is recruiting fellow stair-climbing gym rats to
deliver food and water to older folks trapped in city high-rises…
Whose idea was it to simulcast News 12 on the radio? Thank
you. But why stop so soon? All those people who went out and bought portable
radios, what are they listening to now?…
If Sandy hit lands at Category 1, how would LI handle a Cat
5?…
Whose idea was it anyway to put electric lines near trees?
Think again, please…Can modern science please take a bow? With eight
diesel-powered generators, all the Cold Spring Harbor Lab specimens are safe
and sound post-Sandy…
Sandy might not tip Romney/Obama, but what about
Altshuler/Bishop? Whose supporters are more grateful? Whose are more fed up?…
Have you tasted one of those Sandy MREs? They’re magic! One
bite, and your hunger is gone!…
Did Expedia really say zero hotels rooms anywhere on LI well
into next week? Zero? When was the last time that occurred?…
Do Mike Bloomberg and Andrew Cuomo mind Chris Christie’s
Sandy star turn? Do Steve Bellone and Ed Mangano mind they aren’t even in the
running?… A few gas-line tussles get all the attention, but weren’t they
outnumbered 100 to 1—maybe 1,000 to 1—by the gratuitous acts of kindness?…
What are LI cellphone towers made of? They can’t withstand
some wind?…
Believe in climate change yet? How many more 100-year storms
will it take?…Now do you regret replacing the landline with a cordless phone?
Isn’t there an old reliable stored in the attic somewhere?…
How many more Sandys can James Zima’s Asharoken cedar-plank
stilt house withstand? Even one?…Insurance deductibles are based on the total
value of the home? Can Andrew Cuomo really just waive them? Why didn’t previous
governors think of that before?…
When was the last time you needed D batteries? Outside of
emergency flashlights, I mean. Who knew D batteries were even made anymore?…Who
wants to start an Electricity Appreciation Society? This week, membership
recruitment would be a breeze…
Have you played this post-Sandy guessing game? Listen for
the accents of the visiting repair crews and try to guess where they’re from.
Thank Alabama. Thank ’em all…You hear what Business Corners of Hauppauge did? Invited
anyone to come and get connected for free…
No marathon? You mean now we’ll have to run 26 miles all by
ourselves?…How much stiffer will Fire Island building codes be after
this?…Next times someone says, “Evacuate,” how many more people will
evacuate? And what about three false alarms later?…Be honest now: Before
Sandy hit, did you have any idea how dark Long Island could be at night?…
Am I doing the math right? With 3,100 LIPA workers and
526,000 LIPA customers in the dark (as of Friday afternoon), isn’t that nearly
340 customers for every two-worker crew? Realistically, how many turn-ons a
day?…
Exactly a week ago, who described the Sandy pre-coverage as “over-hyped?
Really? What was I thinking?
E-mail ellis@henican.com
Follow him at twitter.com/henican
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