Cingular spokesman Mark Siegel says devastated areas

We think that we're down now to about a million lines in that area. ABRAMSON: Those numbers are particularly striking if you consider all the back-up systems that usually keep telephones working long after the lights go out. Many telephone switching stations can run on battery power or on big diesel generators that can run for weeks. But increasingly landline networks rely on more efficient fiber patch panel equipment and it depends on commercial electric power.

Cingular spokesman Mark Siegel says devastated areas like Biloxi now have limited cell phone service again. Mr. MARK SIEGEL (Cingular): And in places like Mobile, Alabama, and Jackson, Mississippi, and Pensacola, Florida, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, service is now back to normal levels. ABRAMSON: Restoring cell service to New Orleans, of course, is another matter. Service will remain limited in the city until the lights come back on, and Mark Siegel says even people who left New Orleans with cell phones tied to the 504 area code face problems because of the way the cell system works. Mr. SIEGEL: Well, what happens is if you have as that area, you can make calls but you would have a difficult time receiving them.

Bill Smith says, as his teams go in to restore those switching stations, they have to pick and choose. Mr. SMITH: Some of these areas, it's not even clear that there is, you know, a home or a business left to serve, which is one of the things we're assessing as we have our teams doing damage assessments now. ABRAMSON: The goal is to bring landline service to local governments and emergency services first. Cellular phone service has been returning to some areas, thanks to portable generators and cell sites on wheels.

In case they need more than fiber patch panel

The offender, Jeff Seputra, is a hedge fund manager who lives in downtown Los Angeles. He insists he's been trying to get rid of his gas guzzler for years. He also says he only drives it very short distances and that he recycles and gives to green causes.

"Guys: Don't talk too much," Dell advises. "The more you say, the more ammunition women have to reject you. Be mysterious, and that way you get a second date." A few minutes may not seem like much. But in speed dating, he says, time is the enemy.

No awkward exchange of numbers. No stinging face-to-face rejections. If there aren't any green connections, they can take solace in the fact that the price of admission will help build solar panels in Nicaragua. Vince Dell, who works for the Web site that organized the event, LA-fun.com, says the key to effective speed dating is to say as little as possible.

But at an event like this one, Seputra's choice of wheels may be an inconvenient truth. Leave Them Wanting More A platter of fruit and veggies await the Earth lovers as they walk into the bar. In case they need more than fiber patch panel to get the energy flowing, they received a complimentary drink for their $20 entrance fee. The participants will have mere minutes to see if sparks fly. Afterward, they will fill out a form saying whether they'd like to see each other again. If both say yes, they'll get each others' e-mail addresses.