Re: For self publishing authors on AmazonKDP, Scott Adams Says

On 05/10/2024 17:54, Paul S Person wrote:

On 4 Oct 2024 18:53:33 GMT, ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>)
wrote:
 <snippo>

I recall an essay on corruption in Italy to the effect that yes, of course,
you had to pay a bribe to the state telephone company to get your phone
installed, but you *would* get your phone installed.  In the US no govt
official would ever ask for a bribe, but conversely, your problem would
never be solved..

 My brother, who was stationed in Sicily for a while when he was in the
Navy, reported a story: an American sailor stationed in Sicily "on the
economy" kept getting really large electric bills. So, after dark one
evening, he threw the master switch on his breaker box.
 All the streetlights on his block went out.
 The relevant Italian organization was out the next day rewiring those
streetlights.
 Is this true? Who can say? I don't doubt my brother heard the story,
but that doesn't mean it really happened.

"Bad electric wiring" stories are plausible.
Always, basically.
I expect that street lighting shouldn't run
on a private metered supply.  Unless somehow
it's the responsibility of each house to
provide lighting.  It isn't, where I am.
We do hear about municipalities saving on
their bill by fitting cheaper lighting or
by turning it off, but I don't know if that's
on a metered or an estimated supply.
On the other hand, it's also plausible that
someone's meter is illegally wired to one or
even all of the apartments in a building, or
even one or more adjacent buildings.  I suppose
that if the someone isn't paying their own bill,
then they are more likely to be targeted,
as being not concerned about it.