Do I feel sorry for people who have the sense of a chunk of basalt? Well, sort of. But probably not enough to put out any extra effort for them.

A friend of mine knows a woman who lives alone. She has natural gas heat with a fireplace with some kind of tubular insert for backup. She keeps a good stack of dry wood nearby. She has a full pantry. She has stored water. She has the tool to turn off the gas duct-taped to the back of the meter. She has a couple of boxes of useful "stuff" in her van.

She is 67 and gets around in a wheelchair and an older van with a wheelchair lift. Helpless doesn't cut it with her. So what's wrong with the more ablebodied? Early brain death? <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Sue