Energy crisis makes strange bedfellows.

Bought something from the Commies today.

Back in the pre-energy-crisis days, I used to leave the radio running all night. Now I can't fall asleep without one.

So, I had a little boombox on my bed. It didn't use much electricity, but it did use some. All that it used after I went to sleep was wasted.

I thought about installing a timer, but it would be a pain to reset it every night, and the timer itself uses electricity, so I don't know that I would be saving any.

Yesterday, I bought a crank radio on clearance at a local grocery store for $9.99.

It's packaging exaggerates a little bit the length of time that it will hold a charge. It says 30 seconds of cranking will get you 20 minutes of play. It's more like ten to fifteen, but that's okay. It stays on long enough for me to fall asleep.

It was made in China.

But then again, so are the batteries I use. So, in the long run, it will not benefit the Commies. And no American version was available.

Score one for energy independence. Take that, Osama bin Douchebag!