Things Getting Better in BR

Last night, at 7:42 p.m.- 5 days 7 hours and 38 minutes after it went off-- I got Electricity!!

HURRAH!!

about 50 % of the city still is without power-- some of my fellow faculty members will need to wait WEEKS for theirs, but with much suprise and cheering, My lights, and AC are back on.

I was going to give an Homage to Thomas Edison, who I learned in School was the inventor of Electricity and the light bulb, only to learn that -

WE WERE LIED TO!!

Thomas Edison, although brilliant, didn't "Invent" electricity, or the light bulb-- but he did take other peoples work and expound upon it. He didn't invent the lightbulb- there were a few before him, one was canadian-- and he made it better. He invented the first incadescent light bulb, which could burn for hours- others didn't use a vaccum and they only were good for short periods of time.

He didn't invent electricity either-- it was first talked about in ancient Greece, but he did make it work for us. (there is a whole thing on DC Direct Current vs AC Alternating current, but you can look it up!)

This is the real person to be thankful for. Willis Carrier- the inventor of Air Conditioning!!

The 'Apparatus for Treating Air' (U.S. Pat# 808897) granted in 1906, was the first of several patents awarded to Willis Haviland Carrier.

I truely don't know how people lived in the south without it.

So back to School tomorrow. They cancelled the fall break in October to make up for the missed classes.

And now the mayor and the Governor are telling us to prepare for IKE!! It comes into the Gulf this week.

Here we go again!!

Hurricane Gustav

Since the News Media isn't covering it -- or so I am told-- I'll give you the real info.

95% of Baton Rouge still is without power!! At one point all of East Baton Rouge Parish (County) was out of Power. The Hurricane spawned a lot of Tornados and many substations and connector lines are down-- at least that's what the Governor said.

It is the worse Storm in Baton Rouge History.

here is the path that it took.

Right Up and over Baton Rouge.

It is so bad here, with the damage and all they cancelled the LSU football game for this saturday! Now you know it is BAD!!

We were declared a federal disaster area by our President--

So Today I needed Ice and got it from a very nice National Guard Unit from Tennessee. I got Ice, Water and MRE's (meals ready to eat) I'm not that desperate for food yet but you never know!! I'll try one and let you know what they are like.

They say it could be 6 weeks before everyone has power!! It is coming on in small pockets. I saw some guys working on our street (they were from an electric company in Joplin MO!) but alas, no power yet.

Today it is 88 degrees and sunny. Tomorrow it is supposed to get hotter. The pool has reopened in the complex so I'll be there!! The mall is open and I went to lunch there today for food and some AC. Tomorrow it should be a zoo, because now people know it is open!!

When you do drive around BR, this is what you see.

We aren't supposed to be driving around if we can help it, they keep broadcasting that they want people to stay at home but after 4 days-- I had to get out. Luckily LSU has power (but no AC) so I can get on the net, and charge my phone.

We are still under a curfew- 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. They have arested 40 people so far for breaking curfew....

This is my friend Ken's house; he teaches lighting design here. 3 trees fell on his house.....

Thank god I didn't have this to contend with!!

So, now I am running out of candles and batteries. They said to be preparred for 72 hours and I was. but no one thought it would be this bad.. NO ONE. People who have lived here all their lives say this is the worse they ever saw.

There are long lines everywhere, for gas, for ice, for food... I feel like I am in a 3rd world country.

I don't know why the national media isn't covering this, but now you know....

Think of US!!

WHY did I want to leave NYC??? and Come to Baton Rouge?? What was I thinking!!?? !!