Come on Irene..

.. and yes I know that SHOULD be 'Eileen' before all you 80's pop-lovers start contacting me...

Those who know me will not be surprised I am utterly sick of listening to media bleating about Hurricane Irene hitting New York and environs. Whilst I feel very sorry for people who have lost their houses, or who are enduring some difficult days (remember, I was flooded myself in 2007 so I know just how miserable it is) I am surprised nobody has pointed out that the reason the US is so vulnerable to power cuts during extreme weather is because they habitually run their power cables on poles above ground. High winds, lots of snow or anything else making trees fall over and we have a serious problem, Houston... (or Manhattan in this case). So, my US buddies, start taking the sensible but expensive option of burying your cables and then I might take your hardships slightly more seriously.

I might also, rather piously I know, point out that whatever it is you are enduring for a few days is AS NOTHING to the situation literally millions are going through owing to the drought in Africa. You can always stick your poles up again and get back to normal - for people whose crops and animals have died and whose rivers have dried up, the options ain't that simple. So put it in perspective, huh??