The cause may have been an overload of a power grid operated by the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation according to radio reports in New York and a radio interview with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Radio reports said that subways and the commuter railroads were not operating in New York. With lights off and phone service spotty, people are streaming out onto the streets of Manhattan. Click here for more. Just so happens that the next issue of Privatization Watch (click here for subscription info and back issues) will address how the kind of flexible pricing allowed in the airline and hotel industries could make electricity markets more efficient.