Overlooking Fire Safety and Quakes

Although I don't full picture the engineering significance of what makes for good steel, the allegation is not surprising.

Over the last 12 years, buildings have been erected in the country using a weaker type of steel bars, and manufacturers and structural engineers have been hiding this fact from the public, a group of public safety advocates said on Thursday.

Inquirer, 2018

If preparation against fire can be overlooked what more for earthquake?

There were no “proper fire exits in the building,” IOHSAD and other labor advocates found out. (Kentex factory fire) 

Manila Times, 2015

An initial investigation of 23 establishments surrounding the ill-fated Kentex factory in Valenzuela City also showed violations of the country's fire code, President Benigno Aquino III revealed on Monday, June 1.

Rappler, 2015

“Dubbed as the worst fire in Philippine history, which claimed many young lives and several others, the ash and soot of what remained of the structure once known as the Ozone Dance Club led to questions and subsequent investigations of its structural integrity and fire safety measures,” read the ruling.

Philippine Star, 2014

Ozone Disco - Rappler and Photo by AFP

A 38-storey building in Ortigas complex in Pasig has failed to comply with fire safety requirement imposed by the Fire Code of the Philippines, a top official of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said yesterday. 

Philippine Star, 2002

Yahoo Messenger - Chatting One by One

Yahoo Messenger (YM) used to be one of the first applications that was set to start up whenever I turned on my computer. Back then when Yahoo was king, having it opened first meant getting all possible messages that might have been left while one is off the grid, including email. 

Counterpart (Starz) (2017)

There is a fine line between dreams and reality, it's up to you to draw it. ~ B. Quilliam

Quotes like the above have always given the fiction writer reasons to create parallel universes. As any geek will know decisions are the catalysts in creating an alternate reality. Anyone not into fiction would see only a self-help advice. 

Counterpart is about 2 different earths living in a classic Cold War atmosphere. The doorway is even conveniently set in a German city – Berlin, considering the theme. A city that should have been one and the same but because of a decision somewhere, sometime, they’ve grown to be very different.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Spoilers

Finally an Avengers movie I enjoyed which is surprising amid subdued expectations.

How can you lose a boat and not know?

Looking at mainland Panay Island from atop the hills of Mararison Island.
Photo from Byajayro

As written in Panay News. 

The speedboat was three to four kilometers from the shoreline of Barangay Aras-Arasan at the time. 

All the passengers, except Dable, were able to hold onto the speedboat when it flipped. According to Jaromay, the speedboat hit Dable on the head.

Tan and Barrentos, on the other hand, swam for more than two hours to the shoreline to seek help until fishermen saw them, Jaromay added.

“Mayor Tan went on board a pump boat and went back to where the boat capsized and rescued his friends and visitors,” the police chief said./PN

I am someone who can't swim and has been to Mararison which is why this news is hitting me a little wrong. 

Inequality for All (2013)

President Bill Clinton’s former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich believes that income inequality is the big problem that stalls the economy and is a threat to a proper working democracy. He makes his case here in Inequality for All.

The Circle (2017)

Spoilers

The Circle is a cautionary tale about tech companies and the ever blurring meaning of privacy.

Going in Style (2017)

Joe (Michael Caine) took a hard look at himself, his friends Willie (Morgan Freeman) and Albert (Alan Arkin) and concluded that they should rob a bank. Age is going up, money is going down, and family that depend on them still around.

There’s a point in life when things are seen more as a countdown, but the point is it doesn’t have to be sad. 

Joe considered the numbers: their age and needs, risk and reward, failure of the system; robbing a bank was just a line in the sand. They’re all going out anyway so why not take a chance to go out in style.

Prisoners (2013)

From certain points of view the clean finality of death is more welcome than an unanswered question of a disappearance. Of course the question always comes down to ‘is my loved one dead?’

Inhumans (ABC) (2017)

Spoilers

The Inhuman Royal Family fight their way back to the moon after being thrown out by one of their own. 

Overthrowing a government is easy to understand; there’s a problem and a goal. Lackluster delivery notwithstanding, it is Inhumans over Iron Fist for me for just having a simple problem and a goal. They are the two of Marvel's worst output to date, both for TV and both coming out just in 2017. Although generally critically Inhumans has been called worst of all. 

These Final Hours (2013)

This is how an extinction level event movie should really be. No oil workers miraculously pulling off a drilling mission on a moving object in space. No prospect of saving a select few on an ark. And no life of adventure fighting off zombies.

These Final Hours is a beautiful movie despite the restrictions of the most definite ending imaginable. Earth dies in 12 hours. What are you going to do?

Silent Night Signals a Fight - Spotlight

Legend has it that Silent Night stopped a war, at least for a night, a hundred years ago in the trenches of the First World War. 

Accounts may differ now on what exactly caused the ceasefire, what songs were sung, what things were done such as was there a game of football? Nevertheless the Christmas truce is remembered as a miracle.

The Punisher (Netflix) (2017)

The Punisher hit all the right notes typical of a ronin of the American military machine. It blends in. I did not get any comic book feels even with Karen Page and that Detective who owes his promotion to Daredevil were on hand.

Leave No Trace - Potipot

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.

The popular traveler's adage literally means not to take, not to leave, and not to destroy anything from the places you visit. Sustainable travelling is the goal.

In the Valley of Elah (2007)

In the Valley of Elah is about a father’s search for his youngest son. On the surface it looks like the typical family drama propelled by a detective story but in truth there is a cleverly hidden antiwar subtext underneath. Too clever that I actually missed it.

Gifted (2017)

Spoilers

Gifted reminds me very much of I am Sam. The same basic elements are there: a father, a young girl, and a third party wanting to break them up. The story also plays with the what-if half of the relationship is an outlier; for Gifted it’s the girl as she is boosted to the level of a math prodigy.

My American Journey: Colin Powell

My American Journey by Colin Powell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My American Journey: Colin Powell is detailed.

Spider-man Homecoming (2017)

Spoilers

In honor of the 3 Spider-man movie versions in over 15 years, here are my 3 character related observations of the newest one Spider-man Homecoming.

Identity Crisis

The exploration of death is inevitable in a superhero story. 

Not to be confused with the loss that often makes the hero, this exploration of death is of the loss which occurs during and perhaps because of being a superhero. Batman has already lost a Robin. In Marvel, Spider-man has lost a girlfriend. 

A hero is supposed to save lives so what questions and doubts does death raise? 

What would Uncle Ben say?

 

With great power there must also come, great responsibility.

Peter Parker’s biggest regret and therefore the greatest lesson about having powers is what made the above arguably the most famous quote of Spider-man.