Saturday, November 14, 2009

Side Effect of Last Winter's Ozark Ice Storm?

A Nice Storm Baby?
(Image from KAIT8)

Most readers will vividly recall the images of ice from last February's ice storm that paralyzed the Ozarks and other regions of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. That was nine months ago last month, as KAIT8 of Jonesboro, Arkansas reminds us:
Who can forget the paralyzing effects of the ice storm earlier this year? Communities, entire cities in total darkness for days at a time. Months later -- nine months later to be exact -- many people are remembering the natural disaster, as not such a bad time after all!
Well, it seemed pretty bad at the time:
Mother nature's fury. Unrelentless in its devastation. Tree limbs coated in ice brought down power lines... northeast Arkansas plunged into darkness. Transformers blew up and sparks flew -- both outside and inside.
I remember reporting on just about all of that as family and friends slowly came back online and sent emails. But they didn't tell everything . . . such as what went on in the cold darkness of their homes as they huddled to keep a spark of warmth:
In fact, there's a bit of a baby boom in northeast Arkansas.

"We're seeing a little over a 12% increase in deliveries," said Dr. Charles Dunn, an OB-GYN. "If we look at when the ice storm was and the date of conception, . . . [the increase in deliveries] would have pretty much happened during the month of October."

"I think I've just delivered my sixth baby this week," said Dr. Karl Hasik, an OB-GYN. "So that's in less than three weeks. We've been very busy and we're not finished yet."

55 babies were delivered during the month of October at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center. Normally they have 35 to 45. NEA Baptist Memorial delivered 66 babies in October. That's a 20% increase over a year ago.
Now if there's a baby boom being reported in Jonesboro, which is in northeastern Arkansas, then I'm going to suggest that the same boom has hit northcentral and northwestern Arkansas as well, where the Arkansas Ozarks are found. Yet if I turn out to be wrong about this, then the blame lies not with me but entirely with my fellow hillbillies!

I expect some truth-telling from friends and family, and you'uns can start by posting comments to this blog entry.

Labels: , , ,

10 Comments:

At 6:46 PM, Anonymous Research Papers said...

Many institutions limit access to their online information. Making this information available will be an asset to all.

 
At 7:42 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

I see that we can trust you guys because you know:

Where to find Research Papers Help when you are writing a Collage Research Paper for the first time?.

After all, one can always use a "collage" research paper -- it's artistic!

And why settle for a questionable question mark when a subsequent period can be appended? . . . just in case.

And there's more -- just click on "Research Papers," and get a free ticket to "Fool's Paradise"!

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 1:19 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll look further into this Jeffery however, you are aware that any information I get will be "anecdotally."

Fortunately (at least to me) I used to be an avid camper and so my house temperature only got down to a fairly cozy 62.

I'll try to put my research into an attractive collage.

JK

 
At 2:49 AM, Blogger Deplorably Bonnie Blue said...

Hi Jeffery,

OFF TOPIC, but given you have written about Jane Austen, I thought you might be interested in this article by James Collins:

It is called "What Would Jane Do?"

(Wall Street Journal Online, in case my link doesn't work.)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703683804574531863687486876.html

Cynthia

 
At 4:02 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Thanks, JK, for offering to do the legwork on this.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 4:21 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Cynthia, thanks for going off topic and directing me to an interesting reflection on Jane Austen's moral seriousness. It was indeed interesting and moved me to crystalize something that I've been thinking about concerning irony.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 1:46 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've checked with some of my relatives, and the baby boom missed all of us, as far as I know.
however, age and health factors must be taken into consideration.

Cran

 
At 4:33 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

May you be like Abraham and Sarah . . .

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 10:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

In the book by Mark Twain, Huck Finn said something to the effect that he got all in a lather in Sunday School about Moses and the Bulrushers, but was disappointed to know that they were all dead, and lost interest.
And I seem to recall that so are Abraham and Sarah.
Just exactly how do you want us to be like them?

Cran

 
At 10:32 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living," Uncle Cran, as you -- of all people -- should know.

And yet, you ask me what I mean?!

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 

Post a Comment

<< Home