#1985 mexican earthquake

[scary-movies-on-netflix]

V/H/S/85 (2023)

“V/H/S” is a long-running series that bundles horror shorts into neat little packages.  It’s hard to believe that I have yet to review one for this, your favorite horror movie review blog!

This collection is centered around…the year 1985, which means VHS tapes, big hair, and big… uh…horror.  The shorts are bookended with 1980s clips, such as monster truck shows, commercials, and other scenes, all with that flickering, screen-tearing VHS tape ambiance.  As always, the shorts are “found footage” style, either the direct “I have a camera in your face” or “let’s gather up various cameras that might have caught the action at that time.”

The first story is about a bunch of kids that take a camper van to visit a lake for fun.  Some take a boat onto the river while two other stay on shore to have sex.  When the boaters are enjoying themselves, someone starts shooting at them and they are all murdered.  Fortunately, those that went into the water come back to life!  They return to shore, in various states of distress (one has her jaw shot off, another’s intestines are falling out, etc.) and find their friends also shot to death.  After some freaking out, they realize that they probably caught the killer on camera, as they filmed another truck at their camp site.  They seem intent on revenge…

The second story is in Spanish and starts off with a Mexican newscast.  Unfortunately, this is the date of the 19 September 1985 earthquake that struck Mexico City and killed thousands of people.  The anchorwoman is killed by a piece of falling debris.  The cameraman falls to the ground, but he is rescued by a search team.  Of course, the cameraman has to keep filming, and the group eventually finds themselves deep underground, where the Aztec god Mictlan (short for Mictlantecuhtli), the god of death, has been awakened.  The rescue team dies in various ways.  The last rescuer, a woman, kills the cameraman, then has to take off her clothes, rips out the man’s heart, and bows before the god before the cavern collapses.

The third story is about a woman performing some kind of art show with an electronic, computerized component.  She “travels into” a TRON-like world but accidentally summons some kind of evil computer spirit, which shreds her real body apart.  The audience politely applauds.

The fourth story is about a nice family having a party.  A girl is carrying a video camera, which she then hands to her creepy cousin.  Anyway, we quickly realize that this story is related to the first, as we catch a glimpse of the young peoples’ camper van, and a little boy shoots the girl with water from a water pistol they had.  Anyway, at the end of the party the family celebrates the daughter’s “seven” of something, as we realize that people in the family have a tradition of killing seven people!  The girl shows a videotape of herself killing all the kids from the first short, but the celebration is cut short when the police arrive.  The family go out in a blaze of glory.  The girl and cousin go to a bedroom.  He refuses to shoot the cops, so she kills him.  She then dies in a hail of bullets, but she comes back to life!  Because the campers had her drenched with miraculous water from the lake.  See?  The girl is dragged away by the police.

The fifth story is the longest.  Basically, a goth dude is dreaming the future, and his VHS recorder is…recording his dreams, which he’s sending to the police so they can stop the crime, I guess.  Unfortunately, the police aren’t stopping the crimes, which are being committed by the goth dude’s dad.  (The killer is a “forensic videographer” for the cops, naturlich.)  He’s killing two women who raised complaints against him and their lawyer.  The killer cop kills the main detective, who we were following in the story, and a bunch of other cops, but then his goth son kills him.  The end.

Finally, interspersed with all these shorts was another short, about a group of scientists studying a strange life form that can mimic others.  At the climax, the creature breaks out of its containment room, kills the scientists with its tentacles, and arranges their bodies to mimic the aerobics video that they make it watch. 

Overall, a solid entry.  The shorts lean heavily into gore and body horror, with people blown apart with high-powered rifles, ripped to shreds by a cyber-demon, murdered in grisly fashions, and stabbed with alien tentacles.  Lots of red paint and goo was expended!  I thought that the cop one lingered a bit too long, but the others are direct and to the point.  There’s nothing new or especially innovative about the techniques of “found footage” at this point (except maybe for the techno one, with the woman integrating some computer graphics into her show, but that was also “Lawnmower Man” (1992)), but for the most part the stories were interesting.  I liked how the dead boat kids tied into the murder family, and I was intrigued by how the alien would kill all the scientists at the end.  Basically, everyone dies.

[mapsoffun]

While there are a number of places to find Diego Rivera’s murals around Mexico City, there’s a tiny little museum right off the Alameda Central where you can find his mural Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central. It was originally commissioned in 1946 for the Hotel del Prado which was located across from La Alameda Central until it was demolished after the 1985 earthquake. The mural was the only piece that was salvaged, and they built the Museo Mural Diego Rivera to preserve this massive fresco. 

You pay a nominal fee to get in--$2.50 USD that allows you to take photos--and the mural itself is breathtaking to behold. There are numerous people who were integral to Mexican history portrayed, as well as various versions of Rivera himself and his wife Frida Kahlo. 

There are some other reprints of murals that provide some context to Rivera’s mural, as well as photos of him painting it which are pretty damn cool, and it’s a great little place to step into for a spell to see not only a fantastic mural up close, but a priceless treasure saved from the rubble of an 8.0 earthquake.

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Hottest Mexican 🇲🇽 Brazilian 🇧🇷 Actress Of The 21st Century

She was born in Mexico City on 3 October 1981 to a Mexican father and a Brazilian mother from São Paulo. Her father and mother lost everything in the earthquake that destroyed Mexico City in 1985. Thereafter, she moved with her family to her mother's native Brazil.

She is a Mexican-born Brazilian actress. In 2001, she started her career as an actress in a Brazilian telenovela. In 2009, she debuted as protagonist in the telenovela Bela, a Feia, the Brazilian version for the Colombian Yo soy Betty, la fea. Itié also took part in the film The Expendables, co-written, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone.

Please Wish This Hot & Astounding Mexican - Brazilian Actress A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

Ms. Giselle Itié Ramos aka Giselle Itié #GiselleItie #TheExpendables

[kaoarika]

In regards to this post, what I meant of "things I saw on the wild" in my tags:

Back in the early 2010s I remember specifically two things about Candy Candy merch on the wild (besides potential actual bootlegs, and by that I ALSO mean your typical bootlegs in your typical animanga-focused plaza that sells cheap knock-offs of actual merch):

1) I vaguely remember going to this magazine and newspaper stand local (with my parents? my brother?) and I remember there were manga volumes of Candy Candy. I dunno WHY, but I found it strange for two reasons, one of which was that if published locally, that wouldn't be "possible" since Kamité was the only one that was getting started in licensing stuff (and Panini MX was focusing on comics from not-the-big-two at the time?) and while Candy was quite niche, sure... who else is going to buy this very specific series from a demography that was asking more stuff like Naruto or Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon (at the time) or *insert here the mainstream series from that 2010s era*, coming from a publisher that was just starting to establish themselves (spoilers, though - they are not exactly "healthy" these days, lol).

The other possibility it was probably from another country like any other southamerican publisher (Candy was dubbed in Spanish in Argentina, btw, it wouldn't be strange if it was from there, that's what I'm saying) or, perhaps, Spain. And, I mean, YEAH. A stapple, cult shoujo series from the 70s that was brought to spanish-speaking countries was possible to get its manga licensed somehow? It wouldn't be too strange... unless you have this whole legal mess on mind. Imported stuff wouldn't be WEIRD in magazines and newspapers stand places like these (and I miss them *long sigh*), though.

...the third possibility you couldn't wait for, is that, maybe this was actually "pirate manga", which isn't strange either. And, what I might be referring to is actually bootleg manga. To be honest, I was slightly suspicious, and I could never have checked it, because it was wrapped in plastic and fro mwhat I recall is that it was... pretty basic 70's-like vintage Kodansha graphic design-like...? So I thought it might have been in Japanese at first, but I do remember the logo was romanized.

(I also vaguely remember thinking "huh, Kodansha is attempting to do this like that? getting into other territories with their stapple series? like this? we -and by we, I mean LATAM- are often ignored by them, lmao *laughs in future k-manga/pocket magazine app*" kmanga is SUCH a confusing trademark when Korean webtoons/manhwa are thriving... I feel they HAD to use it only because Comico won them the US trademark for "Pocket Comics").

2) The second is that, there used to be a DVD set that was released here around the same time I saw the former. I don't remember which company released it, but I have the hunch it was the same one that released this cute DVD set of the redubbed version of Comet-san (redubbed because the iconic Mexican dub series of this series is the most famous lost media case of local dubs lost due to the 1985 Mexico City Earthquake) that was aired in another broadcast channel around the late 2000s, also very early 2010s. And I remember seeing it in my specialized store of choice for music and DVDs at the time like "lmao, I'm pretty sure this Candy DVD set is not VERY legal to be here", because I was somewhat aware of this whole legal mess between their authors. But, TRULY, I was unaware of how MESSY it was, yeesh.

[totalmusicalencyclopedia]

Exploring the vibrant sounds of Mexico: Metro Balderas by El Tri

Depiction:

"Metro Balderas" is a legendary rock song by the iconic Mexican band, El Tri. Released in 1985, it paints a vivid picture of the bustling Balderas metro station in Mexico City, where people from all walks of life come together and find both energy and chaos of daily life in the midst of the city. The song, with its vibrant lyrics and powerful guitar riffs, focus on that place that becomes the symbol of a loving relationship that left a deep mark on the narrator. It's a musical journey that transports listeners to the heart of Mexico's capital.

Release Date:

"Metro Balderas" was first released as part of El Tri's album "Simplemente" in 1985. The song quickly became a fan favorite and remains one of the band's most beloved tracks. Its release came at a crucial time in Mexican history, as the country was going through a period of social and political change. The song's lyrics resonated with audiences and since then, became an anthem for the urban working class.

Sample of the song lyrics:

[…] There at the Balderas metro station ¶ there my reputation was muddied ¶ at the Balderas metro station ¶ there was the mark of our love. […]

Interesting anecdotes:

This is a cover of a song released a year earlier by a singer-songwriter named Rodrigo "Rockdrigo" Gonzalez. He tragically died in Mexico City due to the great earthquake of 1985 and was honored years later with his statue at the Balderas metro station.

"Metro Balderas" holds a special place in the hearts of El Tri fans. The song's popularity led to it being performed live in many of the band's concerts, becoming a crowd favorite.

It has also been covered by various Latin American artists, showcasing its enduring influence on Mexican music.

First time I've heard it.

I've never seen the official music video for this song. Even worse, I doubt that exists, because it wasn't released as a single. But on the Peruvian radio waves, it was heard widely during the 80s and 90s, even up to the turn of the century. Precisely during the highest period of what was called Hisparock, that is, rock and pop in the Spanish language, specially at the 80s, summit of synth-wave music and new romantic style. Even tough there were artists that did not conform to the prevailing fashion, such as El Tri for example, who they were heavily influenced by the former rock and roll and partly from the old-fashioned psychedelia.

My personal score:

⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars)

My personal mood for "Metro Balderas" by El Tri is: ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ. The song's energetic rock sound, combined with its evocative lyrics, creates a powerful and captivating listening experience. It's a true representation of the band's iconic style and their ability to capture the essence of Mexican urban life. Whether you're a fan of rock music or not, "Metro Balderas" is a must-listen for anyone looking to immerse themselves in the vibrant sounds of Mexican rock.

–––

So what are you waiting for? Give "Metro Balderas" a listen and let yourself be transported to the heart of Mexico City's Metro Balderas station!

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.21 (after 1950)

1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. 1951 – The catastrophic eruption of Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea claims 2,942 lives. 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States. 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board. 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people. 1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners. 1963 – The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation. 1968 – Vietnam War, Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. 1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete. 1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts. 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes. 1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people. 1981 – Production of the DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people. 1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined. 1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board. 2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad. 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless. 2004 – NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6. 2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots. 2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow. 2011 – Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people died from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office. 2014 – Rojava conflict: The Jazira Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic. 2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States. 2023 – Huu Can Tran, 72, opens fire in a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, killing eleven people and injuring nine others before later committing suicide. It is the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County since the 2008 Covina massacre.

[kuramirocket]

In the grand cosmos of her life's journey, Ali Guarneros Luna discovered early on, the path to the stars is not a straight shot - but a winding course that sometimes skirts peril and disappointment.

As an engineer at NASA, Luna knows what's involved in navigating space. Her engineering fingerprints are all over numerous satellites currently orbiting the earth. And as project manager for NASA's Small Satellite Program she's worked on projects aimed at deepening understanding of what lies beyond. But her trajectory was definitely not a direct line.

"I was born in Mexico. My mother was born there. Being an immigrant in this country," Luna said, "having a harsh beginning, being a woman, it’s difficult, right?"

Luna's passion for space travel touched-off when she was seven-years-old living in her native Mexico City.

Unlike others who gaze up at the stars contemplating the meaning of the universe, Luna wondered about the machines that would make the trip possible.

"I was just so captivated at seven -- that I was like 'I want to do that!'" Luna recalled. "That’s exactly what I want to do and at that age I was like, 'I’m going to be an aerospace engineer.' My upbringing was different, I want to say, from most girls because I was never told that I had to fit certain roles. I guess it was because I was the oldest one of four. I had to step up. And the two youngest ones were boys. And I was a hyperactive child. So I never had that actually being a situation where I felt that I was not good enough in math or science. Because I had to be the boss. So it just happens that in that environment, even though I was only one of two girls within a bunch of young kids, mostly boys, I was doing what I wanted to do. And it was very exciting. So I never really had that. So with me going into aerospace engineering, I think it was an easy thing.”

After the 1985 Earthquake in Mexico City, her life changed. Ali and her mother immigrated to California and settled in San Jose, CA. With only two pieces of luggage, they left everything behind, especially close friends and family.

During the anti-immigration efforts like California Proposition 187 in 1994, school was the only thing Ali was allowed to do as her mother feared deportation. Her new schedule was limited to traveling from home to school and back, with no room to do the sports she loved. So school became her outlet — it became a safe place for her to grow up, where she could continue to learn and grow.

“So within six months of working full-time, my mother lost her job. So I became the one that supported the whole family. And I did it for about five years. It was tough because being so young and understand that my mother needed my support. And my brothers, being they were looking up to me -- it's something that's heavy when you're so young. You don't understand. But when I was growing up, I always moved on the opportunities that presented in front of me, and I did what I needed to do without looking back.”

Despite being a single mom, Ali’s mother worked hard to make sure Ali had every opportunity growing up. Ali was very athletic and participated in many sports and gymnastics, track being her favorite. When she wasn���t playing sports, she was reading the encyclopedias that her mother bought for her.

“My mother loved encyclopedias. My mother had so many. I would just sit in the living room reading about space shuttles after school because I really wanted to understand what they did.”

On the cusp of adulthood, she graduated high school and went straight into the workforce. Although she loved school, she wanted to support her mother and her family. She attempted to go to community college while working full time, but the emotional stress was overwhelming and she dropped out. In the next few years, she had four children, with two who had special needs. While caring for her children at home and researching their disabilities, she realized that she needed to go back to school.

“I saw my kids who were born with special needs, and I asked myself ‘How I can help them?’… it was clear to me that I needed to go back to school. I wanted to give them a stable life.”

Back-to-school, together. After her youngest child enrolled in kindergarten, Ali enrolled at San Jose City College and transferred to San Jose State University majoring in Aerospace Engineering. In this transition from stay-at-home mom to full-time student, she became a single parent. She was a full-time student while being a full-time mom, taking care of four children. 

"I was too old, I was not as young as any of the students, and I definitely was not in that mold of students," said Guarneros Luna. "I had four children. I didn't think of myself as someone who was going to contribute something special."

“I went and applied for an internship without thinking that I was ever going to come and work for NASA. I did have a bachelor's degree, but I was old. I was not a young person. The internship was only going to be for three months.  Because of the internship I have to leave one job and then be here. I knew it was only for three months, but the opportunity was too much to pass up. And then I became a contractor. And then it was important to apply for a civil servant. And I became a civil servant. ”

Ali has managed ten interns, introducing them to aerospace engineering through several projects including building three satellites and researching the design for return capsules for the International Space Station. Commercializing ISS has been a difficult problem for NASA and the process to ship products back and forth from the space station has to go through large space vehicles like Falcon, which takes three to six months. Space is limited on these vehicles and launching them gets very expensive. She and her team are paving the way to redesign return capsules with small payload returns so that astronauts can get the products they need for experiments in three business days rather than months later, allowing for more research to be done more efficiently.

Here is a part of the conversation with Ali Guarneros Luna, NASA Engineer and Deputy Project Manager at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley:

Host: When you became a civil servant you were working on some safety aspects?

Ali Guarneros Luna: Yeah. Safety mission assurance. So when I started for this small set of projected, specifically the TechEdSat, you're going through the space station. And you're dealing with humans inside. So everything you put inside the space station, you have to be careful of what you put in there and understand what are the consequences if something goes wrong.

So I was one of the group of engineers who started that process and started learning and setting it up for the following satellites that are going to be deployed from the space station. So I ended up doing all the safety data package, which is like documentation about your hardware that you put into space where you analyze all the hazards that you present to the space station or to the astronauts and then how are you going to control them and how are you going to verify them. So I was doing that. I became so good that I ended up doing every single one from the one first one to now, right?

Host: You do it right once, then they keep coming back.

Ali Guarneros Luna: Yes.

Host: This is my job now.

Ali Guarneros Luna: Yes. I was an engineer. I was part of the engineer group like two years ago. But there was an opening in safety mission assurance. Just for me to learn, I just say, "Why not? Let me go in there." So when you're an engineer and you go to school, nobody teaches you anything about that. You learn it on the job.

Despite her unique circumstances, Ali believes the challenges she experienced guided her to make the right decisions for her future. “I am resilient, if there’s a problem, there’s more than one solution”, she states, “To overcome difficult decisions, you need to plan for them…educate yourself so that you have the tools to make a plan of action.”

Every summer, Guarneros Luna gives back to her community. She goes back to San Jose State as a professor. "It's important for them to hear from somebody who did not come from a privileged background and did not come from parents that were educated," she said. "In my mind, I have that 'semillita' of education, that I wanted to get educated. A seed planted in me to go and get an education early on." The next time you look up and think your dreams like the moon are too far to reach, Guarneros Luna wants you to remember: 238,000 miles is actually closer than you think.

As an aerospace engineer, Ali is an advocate and actively promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. She is registered with the NASA Ames Speakers Bureau and is an active participant of this program. Ali also supports yearly programs like, Girls Scouts Go Tech, SWE Get Set, Soles Science Extravaganza, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) “WOW that is Engineering”, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE )“Noche de Ciencia” by providing hands-on activities and tours of the labs at SJSU. In 2012, Ali had contact with the Mexican university,, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, UABC. She hosted a 6-week workshop at SJSU for the UABC students to build and launch an armature rocket. The success of this project was greatly broadcast in Mexico and as a result the Agencia Espacial Mexican, AEM, is interested in organizing a similar program but with the involvement of more universities.

Ali is committed to encouraging young people to pursue science, technology and engineering careers. In recognition of her achievements, the Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) named Ali Guarneros Luna as one of the 2013 Luminary Honorees. In October 2015, Ali was awarded the NASA Honor Award - Equal Employment Opportunity Medal., She also received the ISS Space Award in 2014 for her contributions to SPHERES, Modular Rapidly Manufactured Small Satellite (MRMSS), Nodes and TechEdSat Series Projects:

SPHERES: For dedication and exceptional performance in the development and operations of free flying robotic satellites inside the ISS testing autonomous satellite maneuvers.

MRMSS: For dedication and exceptional performance in research and development of modular design and manufacturing processes for spacecraft systems.

Nodes: For dedication and exceptional performance in two nanosatellites that will be deployed from ISS to demonstrate networking and advanced multi-spacecraft operations

TechEdSat Series: For exceptional performance and dedication in the development, test, launch, ISS deployment, and operation of the TechEdSat Nanosatellite spaceflight mission; launching the first NASA CubeSat from the ISS. TechEdSat-3p: For exceptional performance and dedication in the development, test, launch, ISS deployment, and operation of the TechEdSat-3p Nanosatellite “Exo-Brake” spaceflight mission; launching the first 3u NASA CubeSat from the ISS.

Ali Guarneros Luna currently works with the Office of System Safety & Mission Assurance (SS&MA) at NASA Ames Research Center. Prior to her work in the SS&MA, Ali worked in Ames’ Engineering Directorate as a technical authority for small satellite development and payloads bound for the International Space Station (ISS). In the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) National Lab, she worked as the system and safety engineer. In the Edison Program, Ali served as the system engineering, mission and ground operations, and launch vehicle service expert for multiple CubeSat projects including the Technological and Educational Nanosatellite (TechEdSat). Ali functioned as the Deputy Project Manager, ISS expert, and launch vehicle interface for the Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program’s Nodes project. In the Sub-Orbital Aerodynamic Re-entry EXperiments (SOAREX) Series of suborbital experiments, Ali has performed in multiple engineering roles to include design, building and testing engineer. Ali is currently the deputy project manager and co-investigator for the SOAREX 9 and SOAREX 10 missions.

She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering from San Jose State University (SJSU) in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, Ali obtained an internship at NASA Ames with the Office of the Chief Technologist. During her time as an intern, she led and helped develop education and outreach programs for SJSU. The first program was called System of Networked Autonomous Positioning Satellites (SNAPS) followed by the TechEdSat Series. As a professional engineer, Ali has lead various projects affiliated with the ISS.

During her internship at NASA Ames, Ali supported the SNAPS project, which is an evolution of the SPHERES program which aims to demonstrate the practical applications of a network of autonomous probes. SNAPS was a test bed for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) capabilities to enable probes to navigate without human interference or the need for external control.

As a professional engineer, Ali was mission manager for TechEdSat-1. In this capacity, Ali had managerial and oversight on all technical and programmatic aspects of the NASA Ames- SJSU project. In particular, Ali provided technical contributions to both speed the development and avoid ISS define hazard that could stop the mission, through innovative design, lab testing, and qualification methods for the TechEdSat flight hardware. She also developed and engineered the Auxiliary Lateral Inhibit (ALI) Switch for safety deployment from the ISS. Ali has co-authored technical papers for the TechEdSat structure and payload including the project plan and Safety Data Package, among others. 
Her efforts enabled the project to successfully meet both ISS program and Ames Engineering Requirements. Developed, built, tested and certified for flight to the ISS in only 9 months, TechEdSat-1 was the first American CubeSat deployed from the ISS as well as being one of the first CubeSats deployed from the Station overall. TechEdSat-1 completed a life cycle with over 1000 beacon packets and 208 days of service. The TechEdSat-1 deorbited May 5th, 2013.

As a result of TechEdSat-1’s enormous success, an opportunity was presented to develop, build, test and certify TechEdSat-3P which ultimately launched to the ISS in 2013. For this mission, Ali served as a mentor to the other students and engineers as well as performed the role of safety engineer. For TechEdSat-4, launched in 2015, Ali was a radio frequency, safety and system engineer.  Currently Ali is working on TES-5 as the quality and system engineer.

Ali is the deputy project manager, liaison and lead for ISS requirements for the Network and Operation Demonstration Satellites (Nodes) mission.  This mission was deployed from the ISS in May 16th, 2016.

Developing new technology, Ali currently works with the SOAREX Series team. SOAREXserves as a test bed for a variety of re-entry and supporting technologies for use in automous sample return and other applications. Within the SOAREX team, Ali has multiple engineering roles from designing, building and serving as a testing engineer. She is also the deputy project manager and co-investigator for SOAREX 9 and SOAREX 10 missions. Ali supported the Orion Thermal Protecsion System (TPS) as a S&MA lead for the sensor on the Heat Shield (HS). She oversees the quality and safety of the design, build and testing of the sensor that would be installed in the HS for the next flight back in 2018.

In 2011 Ali was a member of the Plug-n-Play Mission Operations (PPMO) Workshop organizational committee at NASA Ames and helped organize the workshop held at SJSU. In 2013, Ali was on the student committee for the 10th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW-10), which was held at SJSU the week of June 17th 2013.

Sources: (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

[orion-archives]

In case you didn't know, I'm mexican. And today, september 19th, an earthquake of 7.4 just happened around 13:08pm. This is the third time that an earthquake happen on september 19th, the past two being in 1985 and the other in 2017.

[alifeinneverland]

For people who don't know why us Mexicans fear this day.

Dates of Earthquake's in Mexico

- 19th September 1985- 8.2

- 19th September 2017 - 7.1

- 19th September 2022 - 7.4

[riotgrrrlhole]

Since Lalo is Mexican I wonder if his mother ever said to him that eating watermelon in the night is gonna make him sick , or that if u hear la llorona wailing far away means she is actually close , or what political party he voted (im sure it was PRI) , if he liked telenovelas from televisa, if he murdered Colosio ( a guy that was probably gonna become president in 1995 but got shot), if he listened to Jose Jose and Juan Gabriel , if he drank Coca Cola and coffee all day like it’s water , where he was when the earthquake of 1985 happened , did he like el chavo del ocho and el Chapulin Colorado , did he watch en familia con Chabelo on sundays ? So many unanswered questions…

[coxonaut]

Last night Mexico was stroke with an earthquake with magnitude 8.4, the strongest quake this country has faced ever since 1985. Back then, Mexico City was destroyed and many of the civilians had to work with rescue labors, unlike yesterday’s quake which didn’t cause damages in Mexico City, the situation was different for the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, were things got harder last night. 

This picture was taken in Juchitán, Oaxaca, one of the most damaged areas during the earthquake. This used to be the local Town Hall, but what’s most surprising of this, is that they found the Mexican flag alone, standing over the debris. 

What Mexico needs now solidarity and unity, we need to stand still against all odds! 

Stay safe folks! 

[amyreadsandstresses]

September 19, Mexico

TW: DISCUSSION AND IMAGERY OF EARTHQUAKES

For those that don't know (which I'm guessing are most folk that share this little corner of the internet with me), september 19, today, is a very important day round here in my home country.

This day in 1985 there was a devastating earthquake in Mexico that destroyed the city (CDMX) and severely affected the rest of the country. The generations that lived through it and still live today all have dreadful stories and often share them with their families (both my parents shared theirs with me, so did one of my grandmothers).

My mother told me of how she was walking home from school, holding onto 4 of her 5 younger siblings, as they made their way through the rubble. My dad told me of how he spent days looking at the missing bullet board in case one of his friends was there. My grandma told me of how she was home, standing under an archway while holding onto her baby.

As a way to honor those affected by what happened then, it became tradition to perform a drill as prevention in case it ever happened again. So that all mexicans could be prepared.

And, in 2017, it did.

Now, I have a story of my own from that day. Still, september 19. I remember I was at school and we had the ever present drill. I remember joking around with my friends like we always did (we were very young back then, maybe 14). It was a day like any other.

Until it wasn't.

I remember we were in lunch break, and I was eating my usual cheese sandwich while sitting on my usual planter with my back to this huge tree. I was talking with my friends, and that's when I saw one of them swinging. I remember thinking she was dancing. But then, I turned around and saw some posters fall to the floor from where they were hanging on some windows. I then turned behind me and saw this huge red antena (that was behind the school) swinging so widly I thought it would fall on us. I remember blurting out: Está temblando! (it's shaking; as in, there's an earthquake).

A friend of mine said the same thing at the same time. And that's when the alarm started. I jumped to my feet, leaving my lunchbox on the stone planter and grabbed one of my friend's hand (the one I thought was dancing). I turned to my friends and just blurted a "let's go", pulling them to the safe zone (we have them everywhere; several in every school, in every mall, office, the street, everywhere). Students and teachers started flooding the schoolyard we were in, the younger students sobbing and holding hands. I remember looking around in a frenzy, cus one of our friends was also part of the younger students and I couldn't find her.

While I was looking around, I saw the flagpole swinging from side to side, just as wildly as the antena. The huges trees that had always seemed so sturdy were also swinging. I remember watching as my lunchox, which was left on the planter, jumped over and over as it got closer to the edge until it eventually fell. More posters fell too. The not dancing friend started crying, and I kept holding her hand. I kept mumbling "where's Giselle", still looking. The alarm kept going. More lunboxes fell. People were screaming for each other, teachers were grabbing students, calling for them. I remember it was so LOUD.

And then, quiet.

The alarm stopped, the ground no longer shook, nothing else fell. I remember only hearing the sniffles and occasional sobs from the students. One of my best friends pointed and said "she's there", letting me know our younger friend was safe. I nodded, still squeezing my not dancing friend's hand as she cried.

The next hours were weird. We moved to the soccer court and sat in circles, with our friends. Some were googling what happened and yelling it out for everyone to hear. Some were making rounds to check on all their friends. Some were standing so close to teachers they were basically stuck at the hip. And many of us were desperately trying to contact our families. I called EVERYONE. My parents, my grandparents, uncles and cousins and people I barely talked to. I kept holding my crying friend, and comforted the others that were just realising they were scared. I worried for my sister, barely starting primary and all alone in a school she didn't like.

As the parents arrived to take us home, some sobbed and held their kids. My mum held my hand as we walked to the car, my sister trailing behind.

The next few days were rough. School was canceled. I found out many homes, offices and schools fell. People were left homeless. People died. One of my best friends told me all the pictures and decorations hanging in his house had fallen and some smashed upon impact. I didn't get out of the house all week. My mum and I were stuck to the news, hearing of rescuers and volunteers. Of civilians taking water bottles and sandwiches to the most impacted zones.

People recovered, slowly. Some with PTSD and trauma, others (like me), with the occassional paranoia. We all hate the sound of the alarm. The first time I heard it after 2017, I remember getting goosebumps, my heart beating. And then laughing with the others because we were nervous.

Now, why am I making this post? Why am I huddled in the library listening to Glee and writing this post? Because it's september 19, 2022. And it happened again.

I'm lucky. My school barely felt it. My loved ones are ok. I felt the need to cry for a few minutes, and my hands are still shaking a bit. But I'm ok. I don't know if others are yet. After all, the earthquake just happend. I suppose I'll find out soon.

All of this to say, if you have mexican friends out there, if you have mexican mutuals here, send them some love. We need it, for the scare if nothing else.

[onlymexico]

32 years ago, Mexico city .

The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of, Thursday, 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The event caused serious damage to the Greater Mexico City area and the deaths of at least 5,000 people. The sequence of events included a foreshock of magnitude 5.2 that occurred the prior May, the mainshock on 19 September, and two large aftershocks. The first of these occurred on 20 September with a magnitude of 7.5 and the second occurred seven months later on 30 April 1986 with a magnitude of 7.0. They were located off the coast along the Middle America Trench, more than 350 kilometres (220 mi) away, but the city suffered major damage due to its large magnitude and the ancient lake bed that Mexico City sits on. The event caused between three and four billion USD in damage as 412 buildings collapsed and another 3,124 were seriously damaged in the city.

Much of Mexico's volcanic and seismic activity stems from the movement of the North American plate against the Cocos and Pacific plates and it is one of the most active trenches in the world. Each year more than 90 tremors above magnitude 4.0 are recorded in this zone.

While not on or near any fault line like San Francisco or Los Angeles, Mexico City is vulnerable to earthquakes. The main reason for this is the surface geology of the area, especially the downtown area. The city grew from an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco outward, and Spanish conquistadors drained the lake after they and an allied force of 200,000 other native people conquered Mexico City. The near surface geology of this area is classified into three sections: the old lake bed which is soft clay from volcanic ash with a high water content, a piedmont area, much of which is capped by 5 to 30 meters of lava less than 2,500 years old, and an old river delta area.

On the bed of the historic lake, the prevailing silt and volcanic clay sediments amplify seismic shaking. Damage to structures is worsened by soil liquefaction which causes the loss of foundation support and contributes to dramatic settlement of large buildings. Mexico City's downtown area mostly lies on the silt and volcanic clay sediments of the bed of the historic Lake Texcoco, which are between seven and thirty-seven meters deep and have a high water content. Above this is a layer of sand and above this is a layer of sand and rock. The western and northwestern parts of the city are outside the old lakeshores and are located on sands from eroding volcanic cones that surround the Valley of Mexico. The southern part of the city rests on hardened basalt lava flows. The old lakebed, with its high water content, is easily moved or compressed. The old lakeshore area also has a fairly high water content, allowing movement, though not as much as the lakebed. The old lava flows have little water content or movement in comparison and are therefore stable.

Another factor is that the old lakebed resonates with certain seismic waves and low frequency signals. This lakebed has a natural "pitch" of one cycle every 2.5 seconds making everything built on the bed vibrate at the same frequency. This is the same "pitch" as a number of shallow earthquake waves. This resonance amplifies the effects of the shock waves coming from an earthquake far away.

However, only certain types of structures are vulnerable to this resonance effect. Taller buildings have their own frequencies of vibration. Those that are six to fifteen stories tall also vibrate at the 2.5-second cycle, making them act like tuning forks in the event of an earthquake. The low-frequency waves of an earthquake are amplified by the mud of the lakebed, which in turn, is amplified by the building itself. This causes these buildings to shake more violently than the earthquake proper as the earthquake progresses. Many of the older colonial buildings have survived hundreds of years on the lakebed simply because they are not tall enough to be affected by the resonance effect.

Earthquake

Map showing regional tectonic plates and the Middle America Trench The earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of the Mexican state of Michoacán, a distance of more than 350 km (217 mi) from the city, in the Cocos Plate subduction zone, specifically in a section of the fault line known as the Michoacán seismic gap. The Cocos Plate pushes against and slides under the North American Plate, primarily along the coasts of the states of Michoacán and Guerrero in Mexico. Volatile trenches along the Cocos plate generally have had seismic events 30 to 70 years before 1985. This subduction zone outside the Michoacán gap was the source of 42 earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 or stronger in the 20th century prior to the 1985 event. However, this particular section of the subduction zone had not had an event for a much longer time. Shockwaves from the earthquake hit the mouth of the Río Balsas on the coast at 7:17 am and hit Mexico City, 350 km (217 mi) away, two minutes later at 7:19 am. The 19 September quake was a multiple event with two epicenters and the second movement occurring 26 seconds after the first. Because of multiple breaks in the fault line, the event was of long duration. Ground shaking lasted more than five minutes in places along the coast and parts of Mexico City shook for three minutes, with an average shaking time of 3–4 minutes. It is estimated the movement along the fault was about three meters. The main tremor was foreshadowed by a quake of magnitude 5.2 on 28 May 1985, and was followed by two significant aftershocks: one on 20 September 1985 of magnitude 7.5 lasting thirteen seconds and the third occurring seven months later on 30 April 1986 with magnitude 7.0 lasting ten seconds. However, at least twelve other minor aftershocks were associated with the seismic event.

The energy released during the main event was equivalent to approximately 1,114 nuclear weapons exploding. The earthquake was felt over 825,000 square kilometers, as far away as Los Angeles and Houston in the United States.

In the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, near the epicenter, the 19 September event registered as IX on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale; in parts of Mexico City, it registered the same, even at a distance of about 400 km (249 mi) away. There was no historic record of such a strong quake in Mexico.

While the fault line was located just off the Pacific coast of Mexico, there was relatively little effect on the sea itself. The earthquake did produce a number of tsunamis but they were small, ranging between one and three meters (3 to 10 ft) in height. Ecuador reported the highest waves of 60 cm (2 ft).

Legacy

The Brigada Internacional de Rescate Tlatelolco-Azteca A.C (September 19th Emergency Medical, Safety and Rescue Technicians), better known as the Topos de Tlatelolco (Tlatelolco Moles) is a professional non-profit Mexican rescue team.

Their specialty is searching for victims under the debris of collapsed buildings and giving first aid. One of the group's original founders, Hector "El Chino" Méndez states that one of the things that distinguish his group from others is that they have the "balls to go in where no one else will" (huevos de entrar adonde los demás no quieren).

Today, the organization has an average of about forty members plus search and rescue dogs which they train themselves. The group, along with the Civil Protection Agency of Mexico, issues certificates and sponsors technical degrees in areas related to the field. When a volunteer enlists, he or she is trained in areas such as rescue strategies, managing collapsed structures and risk management. The main group is in Mexico City but there are branches in other parts of the country such as Poza Rica, Veracruz, Cancún and Chihuahua. Recently, a foreign branch was started in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The group maintains ties with the International Rescue and Assistance League in France and the United Firemen without Frontiers in Spain.[4] It also has associates in the United States, El Salvador, Bolivia, Peru, Germany and Indonesia.[5] Within Mexico, the group coordinates with social organizations and government agencies such as the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Interior. However, their longest association is with the government of Mexico City, whose professional ambulance corps along with the Mexican Red Cross assisted with the initial training of rescue dogs.

[mexicanhetalians]

No matter how many times we fall, we will rise again... Today september 19 2017 on the 32 anniversary of the worst earthquake in Mexico City 1985; an earthquake in the states of Morelos and Puebla and shake the Mexico city there's more than 120 deads Sorry I didn't have time to do a better draw

[kaoarika]

A few weeks ago I explained my dad about the existence of "content farms YT accounts" when I started to notice a pattern in a channel's video content because they produce stuff quickly, steal their pics from Facebook and probably put the text or whatever the OPs' originally wrote for their FB posts to do it fully by Cha/tGPT, and record the thing with a text-to-speech that I am 90% sure is now an "a/i voice", because they don't even accentuate certain local mexican words (proper names, even) THAT WELL.

I then checked the user comments on those videos and GOD, why is our bar SO low, lmao "I want docs (based in local cities) like this, too!", HELP. NO. THIS IS NOT HOW THIS SHOULD BE MADE!

I wish there were more accessible archives for Mexican historical/contemporary stuff (newspapapers and stuff requires you to be subscribed; and public libraries??? WHAT public libraries are in my gdmn freaking city??). I wish ppl didn't post their stuff in FB because it is NOT a freindly browsing site that works as an "archive". AND then these content farm channels GET money from them w/o properly sourcing them???? THE FUCK?

I want videos and docs produced in a way like channels I follow (Bright Sun Films, some Urbex channels that go the extra mile of researching, Defunctland... heck, there's this MEXICAN guy that's documenting more not-well known stories about the 1985 Mexico City earthquake), not like this, lmao. Really, we NEED to raise our standard bar with videos that are meant to be more historical and not "fast food" nostalgic content videos like THAT.

[beware-i-am-batman]

PRAY FOR MEXICO🇲🇽

My heart is broken. For me Mexico is my home, a place that taught me the importance of family, and for me all the people in this country are my family, lots of those people are suffering today because of the earthquake that strike today, it is heart breaking watching the news and seeing the terrible damages that had happened today, but you can’t describe how proud I am from how people are reacting, the amount of help everyone is willing to give and how everyone is forgetting our differences to help everyone. It is amazing how civilians are out in the streets helping people they probably don’t know, and how people are offering their houses how people are offering anything so other can communicate, and how in twitter, facebook, etc.. People are sharing information of the missing ones so they can find them.

Just 32 years ago (today is the anniversary) in 1985 lots of people lost their homes as well by another earthquake, this event marked Mexico and we still can’t forget what a terrible and heartbreaking tragedy that was. And now 32 YEARS LATER the same thing happened, for many of you Mexico is just another problematic country but I can promise you WE ARE MORE THAN THAT so please if you are reading this please pray for us, pray for Mexico, pray for the people that lost their homes, pray for the people that are trapped and alive, pray for the civilians that are helping, pray for the families that lost love ones, please keep us in your prayers tonight and I promise that one day we will return the favor.