Nationwide Blackout & Other Odd Things

Odd points of interconnection of today's news events with my life:

Computer "blackout" yesterday emanating from Istanbul hacker.

Power returning to Colombia after nationwide blackout

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombia's electrical grid collapsed Thursday, causing a nationwide blackout that briefly halted stock trading, trapped people in elevators and left authorities struggling to determine the cause.

President Alvaro Uribe told journalists in the southern city of Cali that the blackout, which began at midmorning, "appears to have affected the entire country."

Eight-Story Apartment Building Collapses in Istanbul, 1 Rescued

ISTANBUL, Turkey — An apartment building collapsed on a crowded street in Istanbul Thursday, and rescuers pulled one person from the rubble, authorities said. Six hours later, rescue workers were trying to make sure that no one else was trapped beneath the debris.

Anatolia identified the injured man as 33-year-old Ozkan Aysan, and said his legs had been trapped under a collapsed concrete column. Aysan reportedly entered the building to pick up his computer from his fifth-floor apartment, Anatolia said.

Traveling on Indiana highway today for a job interview.

8 dead in chain-reaction crash on Indiana Toll Road

(CNN) -- Eight people were killed Thursday in a chain-reaction crash on the Indiana Toll Road about 30 miles east of South Bend, state police said.

First Sgt. Brian Olehy said the accident occurred near Bristol, Indiana, around 6:45 a.m. when a tractor-trailer ran into the back of a passenger car in traffic that had slowed due to an earlier road incident.

That sparked an "accordion-style" crash involving four passenger vehicles and three tractor-trailers, Olehy said.