Behind Aspen’s international skiing luster lies a deep, competitive hockey culture that makes for a tough beer league. A drive to win the bragging rights to the battered Pell Cup turns architects, bartenders, contractors, lawyers, teachers, ski bums, and friends into fierce, fist-throwing rivals…former pros, Division I college players, and old goats—or, more accurately, has-beens […]
HT – Marion Nestle – https://www.foodpolitics.com/2026/03/weekend-reading-the-hidden-cost-of-cheap-food/ Download the full report – https://yuka.io/en/report-food-price-composition-us/ Yikes.
Over the years when I invited friends over for dinner they got pretty excited. One day I asked a guest what’s with all the excitement? Chinese food! They were expecting something I really sucked at making. To this day I don’t make much Chinese/Asian stuff. I’d rather go out and eat something someone actually knows […]
When I finished reading The Writing Life by Annie Dillard I realized my writing will never achieve the level of the great ones. But I am OK with this just as I was OK with deciding not to pursue writing for a living. Too hard, too demanding, too much time spent writing words into the […]
Today Monday earlier this week Monday
lifeunderwriter.net 
Do they have woodstoves?
Do they have…wood? The relatives in TX have wood burning fireplaces, no wood stove. But there’s no wood. The smart ones bought up all of the supply at their local stores.
I would think wood would be an emergency supply the way Floridians stock up on ice, bottled water, canned goods, and gasoline
The majority of Texans alive today have never experienced events anything like this past week. Wood? Bread, milk, toilet paper always. But no wood because no one ever thinks it would get that cold in TX and have the power grid fail.
I read that El Paso is on a different power grid. And they are able to get help from other states. So El Paso has power. I didn’t completely understand. But it sounds as though El Paso decided not to go with that company ERCO. I am curious why.
Now this is going to bother me all day long until I find the answer!
Texas produces more power than any other state. Here’s why it went dark anyway https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/16/business/texas-power-energy-nightmare/index.html
This isn’t the article I read. But the last two paragraphs talk about the situation.
I found this history lesson.
https://www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-city-life/2021/02/what-is-ercot
Very very interesting. This really digs deep and far back.
I still don’t have the exact answer as to why El Paso is not part of the TX grid but I suspect it may be purely geography. See map in this article. https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2021/02/17/el-paso-escapes-texas-power-grid-outage-blackouts-twitter-reacts/6779111002/
Yup
Great, and please let me know! I read this last night and now can’t find the article. And this morning at the gym it was on the early today show. I may have the acronym for the power company incorrect but I’m close.
It has to do with Texas wanting to be completely independent and relying only on power produced in Texas. Which is apparently different from other states. Most states apparently cooperate with each other across state lines. The Texas does not, except for the El Paso area.
A friend sent me this from an Austin paper. https://austonia.com/why-texas-power-outages
Nice.
A scholarly historical explanation of the situation in Texas.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-17-2021?r=53kbd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy
So Texans believe that the national power grid, with it’s regulations, is socialist. But getting FEMA to rescue their frozen asses when their poorly maintained system fails is not socialist? I’m tired of bailing out people who don’t believe in bail outs.
And I’m tired of bailing out Wall Street!
Me too!
Thanks for the link!