When Washington is powerless
In the Time of the Great Snow I wrote a piece bemoaning the power cuts which I had suffered in my home just outside Washington, and got quite a lot of comments.
Some agreed that it was pretty poor, some suggested that I should quit complaining or move - overhead power lines were part of the beauty of the American way.
Since then the area has had quite a few more power cuts, this time as the result of summer storms. I am glad to say for me, the worst only lasted a few hours. But others were out for days.
It seems this whining Brit isn't alone in feeling frustration at what seems rather odd in the richest country in the world.
The governor of Maryland has written to the power company Pepco complaining that "power stays on more consistently in many developing nations than it does now in the communities surrounding our nation's capital".
And the company has been called before a hearing by the Maryland Public Service Commission.
According to one local politician, Roger Berliner: "The Commission expressed great incredulity that Pepco could have such a poor record for so long and not have put before them or their predecessors on the Commission an aggressive plan to remedy the situation. After almost three hours, Pepco belatedly unveiled a six-point 'comprehensive plan' that envisions, over the course of the next five years, a $250 million (£194m) upgrade of its system, $100 million more than they had previously anticipated."
You may feel this belongs in the Metro edition of the blog, but the point remains that it is very odd that the Washington suburbs are often plunged into a dark powerlessness more familiar in poorer parts of the world.
I’m Mark Mardell, the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's North America editor. These are my reflections on American politics, some thoughts on being a Brit living in the USA, and who knows what else? My 
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