Arnold feels the burn
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 21:52 
UNDATED One-hundred-eight degrees in Kansas, 110 in northern California and 120 degrees in South Dakota. America is baking, and there may not be much of a cool down for many folks before the weekend. But before you crank up the a-c, the company that operates the electric grid for all or part of 13 states and the District of Columbia is asking people to reduce power usage, especially in the afternoon and early evening. With the heat pushing power consumption to record levels in some states, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered state offices to adjust thermostats and turn off non-essential lights for the rest of the week. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has been handing out frozen-fruit treats to the gorillas, giving the bears ice-covered fish to play with, and hosing down the elephants. Not everybody is suffering. The owner of an air-conditioning installation and repair business in Oklahoma City says he's got more business then he can handle.
Reader Comments (2)
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.
Zebras are reactionaries,
Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo.
from Paul Simon's At the Zoo (Bookends, 1968)