Thursday, November 01, 2012

BLACKOUT 2012: DAY 4 dvtv live broadcast 11.1.12


ALL OF THE ELEMENTS THAT MADE NEW YORK THE COMMUNICATION AND THE FINANCIAL CAITAL OF THE WORLD -- ALL THESE THINGS ALL SUDDENLY VERY VULNERABLE. ALL THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE BY INDIVIDUALS -- BY BUSINESSES AND YES EVEN BY THE MAYOR TO KEEP NEW YORK THE WORLD CAPITAL OF THESE THINGS -- ALL OF IT JUST GOT NEUTERED BY A NATURAL DISASTER. IF INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES AND CORPORATIONS AND EVEN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS -- IF THEY BEGIN TO QUESTION WHY THEY SHOULD PAY THE MOST EXPENSIVE RENTS IN THE COUNTRY - FOR THE PRIVELIDGE OF LIVING AND WORKING IN THE MEDIA OR THE FINACIAL CAPITOL OF THE WORLD -- THEN OUR WORLD-LEADING POSITION IS COMPROMISED. CONCERNS ABOUT FLOODS -- COMMUNICATION BLACKOUTS -- POWER BLACKOUTS -- THESE ARE NORMALLY CONCERNS IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES. BUT NOW -- AS OF MONDAY NIGHT -- THESE THIRD-WORLD CONCERNS ARE OUR OWN. NEW YORK HAS SURVIVED MANY CATASTROPHIES IN THE PAST -- BUT NONE OF THEM HAVE SHAKEN OUR CONFIDENCE LIKE THIS. ONE CONSEQUENCE IS THAT MOST OF US ARE LIKELY TO TAKE THE NEXT WEATHER ADVISORY MUCH MUCH MORE SERIOUYSLY. ANOTHER CONSEQUENCE MAY BE THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS INSTITUTION OR OTHER ENTITY MAY QUESTION NEW YORK'S SUITABILITY AS THEIR HOME. WEEK-LONG BLACKOUTS HAVE THAT EFFECT. RIGHT NOW THE CITY STRUGGLES TO GET THE POWER BACK ON -- STRUGGLES TO EMPTY THE TUNNELS -- STRUGGLES TO GET HOMES FOR PEOPLE IN SHELTERS. AFTER THAT THE CLEANUP -- BUT AFTER THAT COMES THE REAL PROBLEM OF MAKING THE INFRASTRUCTURE SAFE FROM TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY POST-GLOBAL-WARMING WEATHER. A GOOD METAPHOR FOR THIS IS THE CRANE COLLAPSE ON 57TH STREET. CARNIGIE HALL -- THE SAN MORITZ HOTEL -- ALL NO-MANS LAND BECAUSE OF A PIECE OF STEEL DANGLING 80 STORIES ABOVE THE STREET. RIGHT NOW THE BEST SOLUTION PROPOSED HAS BEEN TO STRAP THE DANGLING CRANE TO THE BUILDING. THERE'S NO WORD ON WHEN THAT MIGHT HAPPEN -- NO WORD AS TO WHEN 57TH STREET MIGHT BE SAFE TO WALK AGAIN. APPEARANTLY SINCE TUESDAY AFTERNOON -- THE BEST ENGINEERING MINDS IN THE CITY ARE STILL LOOKING FOR A BIG ENOUGH STRAP.

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