What's in the News

building standards do make a difference as structures held together

Agreed, but surely concentration of population has something to do with it also.

*Shudder* When you've been in one of that size you never forget it.

building standards do make a difference as structures held together
Agreed, but surely concentration of population has something to do with it also.

Agreed. . . but the epicentre of this earthquake was the Christhurch CBD and, although the population density may not be the same as downtown in China, it does have a reasonable number of multi-level shops and apartment buidings. Maybe even a few more than the " remote Tan plateau" area where 1000's were killed.

If you (as in anyone) have not been in a big earthquake it goes something like this report from a couple:

The couple who live at the epicentre of Canterbury's destructive earthquake were thrown from their bed, then tossed around like they were in a washing machine.

"I was thrown on top of my husband and I just grabbed him," said Annette Stewart, speaking from her home 10km south-east of Darfield on the Canterbury plains.

"And then we were both thrown to the floor ... it was like being in a big washing machine."

The massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Canterbury at 4.35am this morning, 33km underground.

....  Mrs Stewart and her husband Graham, who farm sheep in Darfield, said the noise was so loud they initially thought someone was smashing up their house.

"We thought it was an intruder, we thought we were being pulled out of bed," Mrs Stewart said.

"But then the roar was so loud, the roar of the earthquake and the noise of the chimneys coming down. It was like a freight train coming through the house, probably worse."

"We eventually reached the doorway, it must have gone on for more than a minute before the shaking began to subside."

Years ago I was in a 7.1 earthquake and said the same thing - "it was like a freight train coming through the house." Initially the noise is the scariest part and then dealing with the movement kicks in as the big problem.

Not sure if any sheep have been lost.     

 

   

Years ago I was in a 7.1 earthquake and said the same thing - "it was like a freight train coming through the house." Initially the noise is the scariest part and then dealing with the movement kicks in as the big problem.

So, down in Kiwiland, I'm guessing that it's initially hard to tell the difference between a rare massive earthquake and a common sheep stampede.  Also, it sounds like "sheep incidents" probably kill more people than earthquakes in that country.

Sheep - be afraid, be very afraid.

I'm guessing that it's initially hard to tell the difference between a rare massive earthquake and a common sheep stampede.

No ... sheep are really not much different from humans. It's quite common for a ewe to ask, "Did the earth move for you too?"

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I'm guessing that it's initially hard to tell the difference between a rare massive earthquake and a common sheep stampede.

No ... sheep are really not much different from humans. It's quite common for a ewe to ask, "Did the earth move for you too?"

Careful, people might get ba-a-a-a-ad ideas. 

on the scale of things a fake egg does not seem so bad ....

200 airline pilots faked resumes: Report
(
SHANGHAI: Chinese officials have found that 200 pilots falsified their flying histories, with more than half of them working for the parent company of an airline involved in China's worst plane crash in several years, a report said Monday.

The results of investigations in 2008-2009 showed that airlines desperate for staff were hiring pilots whose resumes had been faked, the newspaper China Business News cited sources with the civil aviation administration during a recent teleconference.

The report comes as the agency investigates safety measures nationwide following an August 24 crash that killed 42 people at a small airport in the northeast, in China's worst commercial airline disaster in nearly six years. Another 54 people were injured in the crash of the Brazilian-made Embraer 190 plane belonging to Henan Airlines during a nighttime landing at Yichun in Heilongjiang province.

It seems xwarrior, that you are not the only one who espouses the belief of:

I have my standards. They may be low, but I have them.

When all else fails, lower your standards.   

When you can't find the landing gear, lower your standards

When all else fails, lower your standards.

When you can't find the landing gear, lower your standards

I have to fly to Shanghai tomorrow night so:

   * it does not seem like a good time to challenge a pilot with, "how low can you go?"

   * in any case, I have yet to meet anyone with standards lower than mine so he can take an 'inch is as good as a mile' approach to navigating us to Shanghai and I can cope

   * I am sure the pilots "resume" and "qualifications" will have the same legitimacy as many Foreign Teachers in China
   
   * should he fail to find the landing gear he will discover that nobody can lower their standards faster than I can
   
PS At least I am not flying with the airline I have was condemned to use last month - Shenzhen Air. The airline mentioned in the report (they whose plane crashed) had just been taken over by Shenzhen air ... and in turn Shenzhen Air was bought out by Air China. Just a thought!.
Anyway, I have been booked on Shanghai Airlines for the first time. Why, I wonder, does an airline of that name have a code of FM? I am starting to worry. Maybe it's like FM radio ... where they live in a caravan and pretend they are a real radio station.
As I am going to the Expo City of China (and the whole world!) I may have to raise my standards somewhat ... at least until the plane is in the air. 
 
   

  * it does not seem like a good time to challenge a pilot with, "how low can you go?"

What about how "high" are you?

  * I am sure the pilots "resume" and "qualifications" will have the same legitimacy as many Foreign Teachers in China

yea but the difference is that when we fail, the kid is no dumber than when he started but at least he's alive (at least physically)  

  * should he fail to find the landing gear he will discover that nobody can lower their standards faster than I can  

If he can't drop his load, you'll drop yours  

Anyway, I have been booked on Shanghai Airlines for the first time. Why, I wonder, does an airline of that name have a code of FM?

FM:  Fly?  Maybe. 

Now I know why Raoul really likes those e-cigarettes.

http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20100909/e-cigarette-firms-get-fda-warning

One firm, Cixi E-Cig Technology, was cited for products containing drugs in unapproved forms: rimonabant, a weight loss drug not approved in the U.S. or Europe, and a form of tadalafil, an erectile dysfunction drug.

Smokable Cialis - what a concept.

And I always thought that cigarettes were for afterwards.

hmm, maybe think of it as the pause that refreshes between bouts of, umm, lateral exercise?
Seriously though:

Perhaps more alarmingly, FDA tests found that the firm's Vitamin C E-Liquid product contains dangerous amounts of DEG, a contaminant that the FDA says can cause "serious and irreversible" poisoning.

Don't these guys ever learn? I'm surprised the damn things don't contain lead or melamine.