Timing is everything...

If you have wanted to add a standby generator to your rural home (blogger-recommended), I'd be getting my hands on one right now.

Portable power generators made by Honda Motor Co., Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (7270) and Yamaha Motor Co. are running out after Japan’s largest earthquake crippled production while simultaneously stoking demand.
Orders for the generators, used to provide hot baths and meals to survivors of the magnitude-9 temblor and ensuing tsunami, surged after the disaster knocked out power plants, causing electricity shortages.
“We’re completely out,” said Ryuzo Nishikawa, who runs his own company in Tokyo selling generators made by Fuji Heavy and Yamaha. “We ran out three days after the quake, but we’ve been receiving orders from hospitals and factories every day.” [More]

Nothing makes anticipating bad weather slightly more less nerve-wracking that knowing you can last for many days without power.

I also think we underestimate what rebuilding Japan will mean for the global economy.