Collapse

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

shirtcorner

Wow, I was parked a block from here this morning:

OLD CITY – March 13, 2014 (WPVI) — A building under demolition collapsed on Thursday in the Old City section of Philadelphia.

The collapse happened around 1:20 p.m. at the intersection of 3rd and Market.

Authorities on the scene said it was the old “Shirt Corner” store.

This collapse comes less than a year after another building under demolition collapsed along Market Street in Philadelphia.

Thanks to Car Accident Lawyers at Price Benowitz LLP.

Road trip

~ susie

dock street

One of the things I like best about where I live is that I’m right next to a street that runs parallel to I-95. So if I want to shoot downtown, it’s much easier — or was, until this week. The state has just begun the two-year reconstruction of a railroad bridge over that street, and this week was the first navigating the ensuing clusterfuck of detours.

It’s mostly not an issue for me (because I work from home) but this morning, I had a last-minute doctor’s appointment, and I had to drive at the height of rush hour. I have to say, although I do miss working in an office and being around people, I most emphatically do not miss rush hour traffic. Even my last office job was an easy 22-minute commute, so I’m spoiled.

This morning? Oy. But I did finally get to Delaware Avenue and drove through Society Hill (named after the 18th century Free Society of Traders, which had their offices there) over those goddamned frigging cobblestones*. Boy, do I hate cobblestones. Every time I complain about them, people say, “But they’re historic!” They’re not, not in the way they think. (They were installed in the late 1800s, and if you really want Colonial authenticity, the streets should be mud.)

But here’s the thing: The cobblestones, unlike the rest of the city, do not have potholes. So there’s that.

*Technically, they’re not cobblestones. They’re Belgian blocks, carved from granite. Cobblestones are actual round stones. But everyone calls them that, so…

Nuclear radiation discovered in British Columbia

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

Swell:

A radioactive metal from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan has been discovered in the Fraser Valley, causing researchers to raise the alarm about the long-term impact of radiation on B.C.’s west coast.

Examination of a soil sample from Kilby Provincial Park, near Agassiz, has for the first time in this province found Cesium 134, further evidence of Fukushima radioactivity being transported to Canada by air and water.

“That was a surprise,” said Juan Jose Alava, an adjunct professor in the school of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University, in an interview on Tuesday. “It means there are still emissions … and trans-Pacific air pollution. It’s a concern to us. This is an international issue.”

Cesium 134 has a half-life of two years, meaning its radioactivity is reduced by half during that time. Its presence in the environment is an indication of continuing contamination from Fukushima.

[…] The models suggests that in 30 years, Cesium 137 levels in the whales will exceed the Canadian guideline of 1,000 becquerels per kilogram for consumption of seafood by humans — 10 times the Japanese guideline.