#union carbide building

[noconcessions]

[ijustwant2leavemyword]

Nana's roof [October 11, 2024]

Today, our youngest cousin came home from college for the first time and we hung out with Nana for the evening.

He was telling us about when he first came to New York from India. He was given first class on Air India in 1973? He was given meals and full service, but he felt lonely because no one else was on that floor with him, so he returned to economy for the rest of the flight lol.

When he arrived, he lived with his older brother Henry and mother Anora in a house in Flushing. He had never seen an elevator before working at Union Carbide in Manhattan. They lived together for 2 years before the rest of the family came. He had rented a 2-bedroom apartment for them when they arrived. When my grandmother came with their 5 kids, she looked at the 6 story building and said "You got all this... how am I going to clean this all?" #lol she had never seen a building like that.

Their setup went like this:

BR 1 - Nani & Nana

BR 2 - 3 girls + Anora (great dadi)

Living room - bunk bed for 2 boys

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They lived in the Flushing apartment for 2 years, then moved to a house for 4 years on Kissina Blvd, then Queens Village. This year will mark 40 years living in Queens Village for Vincent. ✧

[peacockcanyon]

Press Release

HEAD: INTRODUCING DR. LAUREL FISHBEAR

BODY COPY: A lifelong, registered independent voter, Laurel Fishbear is the CEO of Civil Society, a philanthropic organization that concentrates its efforts on climate action, income equality, reproductive rights, Native American rights, LGBTQIA rights, and libraries in the educational and municipal spheres.

Before she was a CEO, Dr. Fishbear was a musician. A classically trained flutist and singer, Dr. Fishbear's first paid gig was as a musician. She freelanced, as her school schedule allowed, throughout her teens and twenties, playing Broadway musicals, pop, country rock, Latin jazz, and music from the Great American Songbook.

She supplemented her earnings in various client service jobs for a decade before she landed her dream job as a copywriter for a major book publisher in 1987. For the next thirty-seven years, Dr. Fishbear worked as a copywriter and a marketing and branding specialist, authoring award-winning web content, print ads, press kits, fundraising materials, political action alerts, news articles, white papers, trade magazine pieces, and direct response packages.

Through it all, Dr. Fishbear found the time to get married, and study for the college degrees she eventually earned: a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Harvard University, in conjunction with Baylor University's Child Trauma Academy, and a Masters of Divinity in Biblical Ethics from Fordham University.

She had grown up in a working class family, and had joined the middle class as a woman with a career. But, in 2017, Dr. Fishbear's life changed dramatically when a benefactor she had never met willed her their considerable fortune.

Immediately, she set out to make ethical investments, and to make meaningful improvements on the issues that concerned her most. And so, Civil Society was born.

Today, Civil Society's holdings include C and H Sugar, Bethlehem Steel, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, St. Martin's Press, Chronicle Books, Hillshire Farms, Waiohai Hotel, Baboy Club, and Villa del Sol.

The organization is working on ocean cleanup; eliminating slime pits like the one in Bhopal, India, left by the Union Carbide disaster; building the shade bank from coast to coast, restoring American farmland to American farmers; ensuring income equality by paying its workers a wage above and beyond a living wage, commensurate with their experience and expertise; upgrading security at Planned Parenthood facilities across the nation; standing with municipal and school libraries in censorship fights, and with the families disenfranchised by those campaigns to restore their parental and First Amendment rights.

Dr. Fishbear is especially involved in one division of Civil Society. She is the Program Director and occasional announcer for Wash Day Radio Network, which produces and broadcasts The Vote, Febrile Ohms, and The Free South.

In her personal life, Dr. Fishbear co-parents a sizable family of kids with seven other co-parents -- a group she affectionately calls, "an asexual polycule". She goes on to describe the family this way: "We eat together. We vacation together. Our kids study and attend school together. We read together, pray together, watch movies together, sing together, do chores together. Most of my co-parents work with me at Civil Society.

"Would you believe I'm an introvert?" she laughs.

Her alone time doesn't last, she adds. "I'm a voracious reader, and always have been. But, these days, all my book recommendations come from my family and friends. They'll ask, 'How was it', and suddenly, I'm standing up in class giving book reports again."

[spookysaladchaos]

Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool, Global Top 10 Players, Market Share and Ranking (2023)

Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool Market Summary

Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool is short for PCD cutting tool. Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) is a synthetic diamond product that is produced by sintering together selected diamond particles with a metal matrix, using sophisticated technology. The diamond and matrix, when sintered together under high temperatures and pressures, creates a PCD tool blank that is high in uniform hardness and is abrasive resistant in all directions. This PCD diamond layer is then bonded to a tungsten carbide substrate, which provides strength and a brazable base to permit bonding to other metals.

According to the new market research report “Global Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool Market Report 2024-2030”, published by QYResearch, the global Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool market size is projected to reach USD 1.32 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period.

Figure.   Global Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool Market Size (US$ Million), 2019-2030

Figure.   Global Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool Top 10 Players Ranking and Market Share (Ranking is based on the revenue of 2023, continually updated)

According to QYResearch Top Players Research Center, the global key manufacturers of Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool include Sandvik Group, Sumitomo Electric, Kennametal, Ceratizit, Beijing Worldia Diamond Tools, Mitsubishi Materials, Shanghai Nagoya Precision Tools, Zhengzhou Diamond, Mapal, Union Tool, etc.

In 2023, the global top five players had a share approximately 45.0% in terms of revenue.

Figure.   Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool, Global Market Size, Split by Product Segment

In terms of product type, currently PCD Turning Tools is the largest segment, hold a share of 29.8%.

Figure.   Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool, Global Market Size, Split by Application Segment

In terms of product application, currently Automotive Industry is the largest segment, hold a share of 46.7%.

Figure.   Polycrystalline Diamond Cutting Tool, Global Market Size, Split by Region

About QYResearch

QYResearch founded in California, USA in 2007. It is a leading global market research and consulting company. With over 17 years’ experience and professional research team in various cities over the world QY Research focuses on management consulting, database and seminar services, IPO consulting, industry chain research and customized research to help our clients in providing non-linear revenue model and make them successful. We are globally recognized for our expansive portfolio of services, good corporate citizenship, and our strong commitment to sustainability. Up to now, we have cooperated with more than 60,000 clients across five continents. Let’s work closely with you and build a bold and better future.

QYResearch is a world-renowned large-scale consulting company. The industry covers various high-tech industry chain market segments, spanning the semiconductor industry chain (semiconductor equipment and parts, semiconductor materials, ICs, Foundry, packaging and testing, discrete devices, sensors, optoelectronic devices), photovoltaic industry chain (equipment, cells, modules, auxiliary material brackets, inverters, power station terminals), new energy automobile industry chain (batteries and materials, auto parts, batteries, motors, electronic control, automotive semiconductors, etc.), communication industry chain (communication system equipment, terminal equipment, electronic components, RF front-end, optical modules, 4G/5G/6G, broadband, IoT, digital economy, AI), advanced materials industry Chain (metal materials, polymer materials, ceramic materials, nano materials, etc.), machinery manufacturing industry chain (CNC machine tools, construction machinery, electrical machinery, 3C automation, industrial robots, lasers, industrial control, drones), food, beverages and pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, agriculture, etc.

[systemtek]

Semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia to Invest 200 Million USD in Hamburg

Semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia today announced plans to invest USD 200 million (appx. 184 million Euros) to develop the next generation of wide bandgap semiconductors (WBG) such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), and to establish production infrastructure at the Hamburg site. At the same time, wafer fab capacity for silicon (Si) diodes and transistors will be increased. The investments are jointly announced with Hamburg’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Dr. Melanie Leonhard, on the occasion of the 100-year anniversary of the production site. To meet the growing long-term demand for efficient power semiconductors, all three technologies (SiC, GaN, and Si) will be developed and produced in Germany starting in June 2024. This means Nexperia is supporting key technologies in the fields of electrification and digitalization. SiC and GaN semiconductors enable power-hungry applications, such as data centers, to operate with exceptional efficiency and are core building blocks for renewable energy applications and electromobility. These WBG technologies have great potential and are increasingly important for achieving decarbonization goals. “This investment strengthens our position as a leading supplier of energy-efficient semiconductors and enables us to utilize available electrical energy more responsibly,” comments Achim Kempe, COO and managing director at Nexperia Germany. “In the future, our Hamburg fab will cover the complete range of WBG semiconductors while still being the largest factory for small signal diodes and transistors. We remain committed to our strategy of producing high-quality, cost-efficient semiconductors for standard applications and power-intensive applications, while addressing one of the greatest challenges of our generation: meeting the growing demand for energy and while reducing the environmental footprint." First production lines for high-voltage GaN D-Mode transistors and SiC diodes started in June 2024. The next milestone will be modern and cost-efficient 200 mm production lines for SiC MOSFETs and GaN HEMTs. These will be established at the Hamburg factory over the next two years. At the same time, the investment will help to further automate the existing infrastructure at the Hamburg site and expand silicon production capacity by systematically converting to 200 mm wafers. Following the expansion of the clean room areas, new R&D laboratories are being built to continue to ensure a seamless transition from research to production in the future. In addition to advancing technology, the semiconductor supplier expects the initiative to stimulate local economic development. The investments make an important contribution to securing and creating jobs and enhancing the European Union's semiconductor self-sufficiency. Nexperia works closely with universities and research institutes to benefit from each other’s expertise and promote highly qualified employee training. Nexperia relies on a robust research and development ecosystem in Hamburg and throughout Europe. Development partnerships and co-operations, e.g. in the field of GaN technology as part of the Industrial Affiliation Program (IIAP) of the nanoelectronics research center imec, play a crucial role. These and other collaborations ensure continuous innovation and technological excellence in Nexperia’s products. "The planned investment enables us to bring WBG chip design and production to Hamburg. However, SiC and GaN are by no means new territory for Nexperia. GaN FETs have been part of our portfolio since 2019, and in 2023 we expanded our range of products to include SiC diodes and SiC MOSFETs, the latter in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric. Nexperia is one of the few suppliers to offer a comprehensive range of semiconductor technologies, including Si, SiC, and GaN in both e-mode and d-mode. This means, we offer our customers a one-stop shop for all their semiconductor needs”, explains Stefan Tilger, CFO and managing director at Nexperia Germany. The investment is yet another milestone in the 100-year history of Nexperia’s production site in Hamburg-Lokstedt. Since the foundation of Valvo Radioröhrenfabrik in 1924, the site has continuously developed and today supplies around a quarter of the global demand for small signal diodes and transistors. Since its spin-off from NXP in 2017, Nexperia has invested substantial sums in the Hamburg site, increased the workforce from 950 to around 1,600 and brought the technological infrastructure up to the state-of-the-art. This continued expenditure underlines the company's commitment to remaining at the forefront of the industry and providing innovative solutions to its customers worldwide. Read the full article

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.1 (after 1950)

1950 – The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight. 1957 – Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashes on Rikers Island in New York City, killing 20 people and injuring 78 others. 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". 1968 – Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams. 1968 – Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces. 1968 – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation. 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293. 1979 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile. 1981 – The Underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred when Trevor Chappell bowls underarm on the final delivery of a game between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). 1991 – A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others. 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case. 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress. 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral. 2002 – Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, kidnapped on January 23, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors. 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard. 2004 – Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured. 2004 – Double suicide attack in Erbil on the offices of Iraqi Kurdish political parties by members of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad. 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers. 2007 – The National Weather Service in the United States switches from the Fujita scale to the new Enhanced Fujita scale to measure the intensity and strength of tornadoes. 2009 – The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly gay head of government. 2012 – Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said. 2013 – The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, opens its viewing gallery to the public. 2021 – A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule. 2022 – Five-year-old Moroccan boy Rayan Aourram falls into a 32-meter (105 feet) deep well in Ighran village in Tamorot commune, Chefchaouen Province, Morocco, but dies four days later, before rescue workers reached him.

[usiigloble12]

The Evolution of EV Power Modules in Europe: A Technological Leap Towards Sustainable Mobility

Introduction

As the world embraces sustainable energy solutions, the electric vehicle (EV) market is transforming significantly. In Europe, the adoption of electric vehicles has been on the rise, driven by environmental concerns and stringent emission regulations. The EV power module is one crucial component at the heart of these vehicles' success. This article will explore the advancements, applications, and prospects of EV power modules in Europe.

The Rise of Electric Vehicles in Europe

Europe has been at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution. The European Union has set ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions, making electric vehicles a vital part of their strategy. This shift towards electric mobility has paved the way for significant developments in EV technology, including power modules.

Understanding EV Power Modules

EV power modules are the building blocks of electric vehicle powertrains. They are responsible for converting and controlling electrical energy from the battery to drive the vehicle's motor. These modules incorporate power electronics components such as Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices to efficiently manage power flow.

IGBT vs. SiC Modules

Traditionally, EV power modules have used IGBTs, which are reliable but less energy-efficient than SiC devices. Silicon Carbide (SiC) modules have gained prominence due to their superior power handling capabilities, reduced energy losses, and increased switching frequencies. This results in improved overall efficiency and extended driving range for electric vehicles.

Applications of EV Power Modules

Electric Vehicles: EV power modules are the heart of electric vehicles. They are responsible for efficiently managing power from the battery and delivering it to the electric motor. This translates to better acceleration, extended range, and enhanced overall performance.

Charging Infrastructure: EV power modules are also integral to the charging infrastructure. Fast chargers use these modules to convert grid power into the correct voltage and current required to charge EVs quickly and safely.

Renewable Energy Integration: These modules are crucial in integrating renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, with the grid. They ensure that power is efficiently managed and supplied to the grid.

Advancements in EV Power Module Technology

The European market has witnessed significant advancements in EV power module technology. These advancements include:

Higher Power Density: EV power modules are becoming more compact and powerful, allowing for more efficient power conversion and more excellent vehicle range.

Cooling Solutions: Improved thermal management systems ensure power modules operate optimally, preventing overheating and ensuring a longer lifespan.

Advanced Materials: Advanced materials, such as SiC, reduce energy losses and make power modules more efficient.

Integration of AI: Artificial Intelligence is being integrated into power modules to enhance performance and diagnostics, making them more intelligent and reliable.

Future Prospects

The future of EV power modules in Europe looks promising. With ongoing research and development, we can expect even more efficient and reliable modules, further driving the growth of the electric vehicle market. Additionally, as the EV market expands, economies of scale will likely drive down the cost of these modules, making electric vehicles more affordable for consumers.

Conclusion

The evolution of EV power modules is instrumental in propelling the electric vehicle industry forward in Europe. With advancements in technology, the transition to more energy-efficient SiC modules, and their widespread applications, these power modules are at the forefront of sustainable transportation. As the world continues its journey toward a greener future, the role of EV power modules will remain crucial in driving the success of electric vehicles across Europe and beyond.

[vintagemanhattanskyline]

Aerial view looking northeast of Midtown Manhattan in late September, 1970 with many new office skyscrapers.

The 102-story Empire State Building (Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, 1931) with the 40-story 1250 Broadway Tower (Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, 1969) are on center, foreground with the 77-story Chrysler Building (William Van Allen, 1930) are visible at backgroud. The Park Avenue’s modern skyscrapers corridor, with Pan Am Building (Walter Gropius-Emery Roth & Sons-Pietro Belluschi, 1963) are visible at background, at left. The United Nations’ Secretariat Building (Wallace K. Harrison, 1950) are at background, at right. The building under construction that can be seen just behind Empire State is the 45-story 600 Third Avenue Building (Emery Roth & Sons, 1971). The steel skeleton that be begun to rises up at extreme left, on foreground, is the future W.R. Grace Building (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 1972) under construction.

Photo: The Scheller Co.

[wurlingtonpress]

Architect Natalie de Blois was born 100 years ago today. The Union Carbide Building which she and Gordon Bunshaft designed was built in 1957 and demolished at the end of 2020. Rebuild the modernist skyscraper on the Build Your Own New York free models page

[conformi]

Natalie de Blois, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Union Carbide Building, New York City, 1957-1961 VS Alessandro Poli (Superstudio), Interplanetary Architecture. Earth moon highway, 1970-1971

[benkaden]

Ansichtskarte / Vintage Postcard

P46082

Union Carbide ATOMIC ENERGY EXHIBIT This spectacular exhibit traces the story of atomic energy from the mining of uranium to the peaceful uses of the atom. Located in the Union Carbide Building, 270 Park Avenue, New York City.

Manhattan Post Card Pub. Co., Inc., 913 Broadway, N.Y.C., N.Y.

Plastichrome by Colourpicture Publishers, INC., Boston 30, Mass., U.S.A.

[blakegopnik]

HERE’S A PHOTO of Jacques Servin, left, and Igor Vamos, the two fabulous founders of the Yes Men, who for decades have been gadflies on the corporate body. They’re getting a wonderful retrospective at Carriage Trade gallery in New York. Here’s what I just published about them in the New York Times:

The Yes Men: Revenge of the Pranksters

Here are some striking headlines from a 2009 New York Times front page that even the most assiduous readers may not remember:

“Maximum Wage Law Succeeds”

“Nationalized Oil to Fund Climate Change Efforts”

“Nation Sets Its Sights on Building Sane Economy”

If those policy achievements don’t ring a bell, that’s because the “special edition” they were trumpeted in was a fake, distributed in 80,000 copies by the Yes Men, a New York artists’ collective. Its founders Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos have spent more than two decades tweaking the nose of corporate power, or showing what the world might look like if the powerful served everyone else.

There was the time in 2004 that Servin passed himself off on TV as a representative of Dow Chemical, saying the company had decided to offer full reparations and an apology to the thousands who had suffered in the Union Carbide explosion in Bhopal, India, two decades earlier.

For another project, the Yes Men attended a conference in Salzburg, Austria, as representatives of the World Trade Organization, espousing the organized sale of democratic votes. (Where better to deploy the invisible hand of the market?)

And as members (not) of the National Petroleum Council, they told another conference that climate catastrophes might have the upside of providing corpses that Big Oil could turn into Vivoleum, its latest fuel.

The Yes Men refer to their practice as “identity correction,” ventriloquizing what corporate culture would say if a truth serum made it display its real self.

A range of Yes Men projects are now on display, as videos and clippings and props, in the collective’s first New York retrospective, at Carriage Trade gallery on the Lower East Side. The city’s museums have failed to give the Yes Men a show despite the worldwide attention they’ve garnered, maybe because of the uneasy space they occupy between art and activism. That’s a space many excellent artists have moved in, from Ben Shahn to the Guerrilla Girls and Hans Haacke.

 There’s no doubt the Yes Men would like their art to effect change, but they, like their audience, clearly also enjoy the clever fictions they create in the hopes of making change happen.

It helps that Servin, 58, and Vamos, 53, are fine actors and that they clean up so nicely: Videos at Carriage Trade reveal their mastery at putting on both corporate-speak and corporate suits, a shape-shifting that is the equivalent, for their chosen art form, of wielding a paintbrush with skill. (Natural longhairs, there’s something ritualistic about the buzzcuts they tape themselves getting each time they head into the corporate lion’s den.)

Servin, in particular, does deadpan about as well as Stephen Colbert.

Watching his performances, I found myself choking with laughter. I’ve done the same when faced with similar “hoaxes” pulled off by entertainers and ironists with no connection at all to art. In 2000, the comedian Rick Mercer got me roaring when he assumed the mantle of a journalist and asked George W. Bush, then a presidential candidate known for his shallow grasp of international affairs, what he thought of the Canadian prime minister, “Jean Poutine” — a reference to the Canadian dish of french fries, gravy and cheese curds — and got straight answers. Six years later, I screamed (and also cringed) when the actor Sacha Baron Cohen, in the character of Borat Sagdiyev, a “journalist” supposedly from Kazakhstan, made vicious fun of Americans of all stripes, from eager feminists to ardent evangelicals.

But where Mercer and Baron Cohen and their like are mostly out to entertain, with a dose of politics thrown in, the “jokes” played by the Yes Men seem to have a special heft. That’s partly because those jokes really are meant to help change the world, which is too sober a goal for any true comedian’s antics. But it also comes from those jokes being played in the context of art — the way Marcel Duchamp’s urinal mattered a whole lot more as the statue called “Fountain.��� The best of the duo’s hoaxes have a subtlety and complexity that Mercer and Baron Cohen never achieve: You know what those comedians are up to and where to place them in the cultural scheme of things, but the Yes Men straddle too many genres to leave a viewer that comfortable. The Yes Men stand in a peculiar place between the broad comedy of political satire and the heart-on-sleeve actions of most activism — and peculiar places may be the special territory of art.

During the 2001 anti-globalization protests, Servin faked his way into an appearance on CNBC as the gloriously straight-faced “Granwyth Hulatberi of the WTO.” (Servin’s delicious pseudonyms — Jude Finisterra, Kinnithrung Sprat — somehow never raise eyebrows with his targets.) Servin/Hulatberi argued that “his” organization’s views clearly had to be correct, because they were held by “many, many of the decision makers in the world, the powerful people” — might making right, yet again. It’s less about crafting a comic caricature of the world’s Hulatberis than about revealing beliefs they might really hold, at least unconsciously or in the privacy of the boardroom.

At other times, the Yes Men merely open up futures that are modestly better than what we are used to imagining, as with their faux New York Times, available free at Carriage Trade. Its altered front-page motto is “All the News We Could Hope to Print.” However unlikely to come about, at least for now, an income cap for America’s wealthy is hardly that much of a stretch — in 1952, a 92 percent supertax almost got us there. Another of their “unlikely” headlines from 2009, trumpeting a major bike lane on New York’s Ninth Avenue, pretty much describes the lane I now use on most sunny days.

“It’s a dream newspaper. It’s like you wake up, and all the things you wanted became the news,” one surprised reader said of their front page, in one of the group’s feature-length documentaries. (The first two are free on their website; the third can be rented on most streaming platforms.) “We needed to show what real change could look like,” Vamos explained.

In another piece, the Yes Men held a news conference as the United States Chamber of Commerce, to announce that “their” organization had decided to reverse its longstanding opposition to climate regulations. (Life imitates art yet again: Just a few weeks after the hoax was revealed, and the Chamber had raised a stink, it really did just that surprising reversal.)

The Yes Men aren’t utopians, pushing for a world that is entirely different from the one we live in and is therefore nigh impossible to imagine. Often, they’re just giving us a picture — as realist as it is surreal — of a world that’s a touch fairer, nicer and especially more honest than ours. What’s strange, and sad, is how that can come off as a joke. (Photo by Fiorenzo Borghi, courtesy The Yes Men.)

[measlyfurball13]

Bhopal disaster?

Ah, I see you found my reblog about my hyperfixation!

I like engineering disasters in kind of the same way people like true crime podcasts- there's this element of mystery and suspense as the stage is set, the accident unfolds, and then the race to find the "killer" (the failure point) is on. Airplane crashes and building collapses are the most dramatic of these, but all kinds of accidents intrigue me.

The Bhopal disaster, though. . . Bhopal is a story of decay. It's a story about a failing pesticide plant's spiral into neglect, just as much a product and victim of the tired system that made it. Bhopal is the abandoned smoke stack that fell down in the wind or the shed that rotted away behind a derelict cottage, only the Bhopal disaster instead cost thousands of lives.

The Union Carbide Pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, was created for a market that did not exist. From its inception, the plant was unwanted and unloved. It got permission from the Indian government to produce five times the amount of pesticides it expected to sell, and then hardly sold one fifth of that projected margin. Within a few short years the plant was all but gutted of everything it had- engineers first, and then maintenance quickly to follow. Next followed safety regulations, suffering already from extremely reduced staff and now reduced to nothing. Last to go was the replacement of failing parts. To put it simply: nothing worked, no one cared, and there was no way to fix it.

These are other factors you need to know:

there was a chemical stored on site called Methyl Isocyanate.

Methyl Isocyanate is extremely toxic.

A runaway, pressure-building reaction is created when it is exposed to water.

It was stored under pressure in great quantities beneath the Union Carbide facility.

Surrounding this facility were thousands of civilians who would pay the price.

---

On the 2rd of December, 1984, water was introduced to a Methyl Isocyanate holding tank by an untrained worker hoping to unclog the pipes. Nearing the 3rd of December, reports of rising pressure within the tanks were not believed due to the previous unreliability of the instruments. The emergency gas scrubber, attached to the pressure relief valves, was long since broken and never replaced. Forty tons of Methyl Isocyanate were released through the emergency relief valve. Two hours later, the first public alarms were sounded.

Thousands died. Hundreds of thousands needed treatment in hospitals. I don't like to focus on these parts of the disasters I study out of respect. All that needs to be known is that those affected suffered immensely, and that the effects lingered in the years that followed.

I prefer to study disasters where something is learned to improve the safety of related work. Bhopal was not one of these. I prefer to study disasters with standout heroes, a light in the darkness, perhaps an averted further crisis. Bhopal is not one of these. There is only one way to describe it as, and that is a tragedy. It is fitting that its primary comparison is to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It's the same kind of senseless violence, albeit with a different cause.

For this reason, Bhopal is my "least favorite" disaster, if such a statement can be made. There's very little mystery to it at all, and nothing but tragedy as a result.

(However, I still enjoyed being able to dump about my interest!!! Feel free to send another ask any time! If it mentions any kind of big failure-like-thing, odds are I know a good chunk about it and I'd be happy to spill my thoughts.)

[thesafetymaster]

Process Safety Management in the Chemical Industry

Chemical Industry is one of the most critical industries that brings with it unique conditions that need to be properly cared for. While safety procedures in other industries are advisable they are absolutely mandatory in the Chemical Industry.

Nobody wants a repeat of major PSM incidents (Process Safety Management) like Chernobyl (the tragic Russian Chemical Industry accident) or another Union Carbide Bhopal Gas leak tragedy. Laws are very strict for high risk industries as life and health of hundreds of citizens is directly related to them.

TheSafetyMaster™, partners with such high risk driven Chemical industries to ensure safety of its employees, environment and general public.

There is wide range of dangers in the Chemical Industry that includes: accidental inhaling of poisonous gas, burning with acid, inhalation of dust or vapors of harmful gases, accidental pollution of air/ water/ land due to leaks or incompetent safety management procedures.

With a population dense country like India process safety in chemical industry is necessary.

There is science behind Process Safety Management System that involves proper diagnostic procedures, data fed-driven systems, testing tools, engineering solutions for process safety and dynamic real time results with in depth analysis.

At TheSafetyMaster™, a Top Safety Consultant in India, we work passionately for the safety of people working in chemical industry as well as the ones directly or indirectly associated with it. We provide Process Safety Management Training and Process Safety Management System Implementation and Certification to the employees of our clients empowering them with critical know-how and information of all the safety procedures that must be followed in case of emergencies as well as on general day to day basis.

As a globally respected company, TheSafetyMaster™ provides complete solutions for process safety in the Chemical Industry. We promote the culture of safety, preparedness and risk mitigation to build an environment of trust, security and safety for every person working in this high risk industry. This culture of safety and preparedness is our motivation that leads us to provide supreme solutions in form of fire safety system, operational risk management system and risk mitigation system. Among our clients is the reputed DCM Shriram, Aurobindo Pharma, Atlas Copco, SRF, Honda, Amazon, SRF, Cadila Health Care Limited and many others.

Apart from Chemical Industry we serve other industries too that include automobile industry, food and beverages industry, FMCG industry, Oil and Gas industry, Logistics industry, Petrochemical industry, Pharmaceutical industry and construction/ building industry etc.

To know more about the Process Safety Management in industries you can join our knowledge pool for free by registering on our website. We provide easy and free access to informational material like Technical safety papers, newsletters, product sheets, safety downloads, blogs, frequently asked questions and relevant recent articles about process safety procedures used worldwide. We keep you updated with the latest advancements in the process safety management system taking place all around the globe.

 Visit our site www.thesafetymaster.com for more information or call us at tel:+91-7665231743 or write us to info@thesafetymaster.com to know more about us or book an appointment with our team.

[rabbitcruiser]

Carbide & Carbon Building, Chicago (No. 1)

The Carbide & Carbon Building is a 37-story, 503 feet (153 m) landmark Art Deco skyscraper built in 1929, located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It was converted to a hotel in 2004.

The building was designed by the Burnham Brothers (the firm launched by Daniel Burnham's sons Hubert Burnham and Daniel Burnham Jr.) as the regional office of Union Carbide and Carbon Co.. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on May 9, 1996.

The building was transformed into the Hard Rock Cafe's Hard Rock Hotel Chicago from 2001-2004. The $106 million conversion was directed by Lucien Lagrange & Associates. The hotel began hosting guests on January 1, 2004 and after its bar and restaurant were completed, it celebrated its grand opening on April 21, 2004, The current hotel capacity is 383 guest rooms and 13 suites. The Hard Rock Hotel closed on December 1, 2017, and reopened in 2018 as the St. Jane Chicago Hotel, named for Nobel Peace Prize-winner and noted Chicagoan social activist Jane Addams.

The exterior of the building is covered in polished black granite, and the tower is dark green terra cotta with gold leaf accents. The use of stylized representations of leaves on the building's exterior was an intentional reference by the architects to the prehistoric origins of subterranean carbon deposits in the decay of ancient plants. The ground floor was specifically designed to display the products of Union Carbide and Carbon's subsidiaries. The lobby features black Belgian Marble and Art Deco bronzework trim. The exterior base is black granite with black marble and bronze trim, whereas the central shaft is clad in dark green and gold terra cotta and the greenish cap (which looks from a distance like malachite but is not) is trimmed in gold leaf.

According to popular myth of the era, Burnham Brothers supposedly designed the building to resemble a dark green champagne bottle with gold foil at the top. Beginning on November 16, 2007, the gold-leaf tower was permanently illuminated at night, which further encouraged this urban legend. The design of the building has been compared to architect Raymond Hood's American Radiator Building in New York City, which allegedly inspired this one. According to an article in the April 1930 issue of Western Architect, the high profile of the Carbide & Carbon Building project allowed the Burnham Brothers to secure a commission for the Cuneo Building, another proposed skyscraper of contrasting colors; that was planned for the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street in mid-1929 and was intended to be 657 feet or 60 stories tall. However, the Stock Market Crash of October 1929, followed by the Great Depression, forced cancellation of the Cuneo Building proposal along with many other architectural projects. Thus, the Carbide & Carbon Building was the practice's last major commission before the Great Depression ended, by which time the firm had become Burnham & Hammond.

Source: Wikipedia

[anyskin]

Luxurious, exuberant and dramatic, the Carbide and Carbon Building is a metaphor for the sumptuous décor of 1920s America. The Chicago landmark is located at 230 N. Michigan Avenue. The facade is composed of luxurious polished black granite, green and gold terra cotta and gold leaf with bronze trim. The building, which was built like a green champagne bottle with gold foil according to urban legend, (that's real 24k gold foil on top of the building) in 1929, is an example of Art Deco architecture designed by Daniel and Hubert Burnham, sons of architect Daniel Burnham. The gold accents continue all the way down to street level. This is a building that simply refuses to be ignored. Union Carbide was the inventer of the dry-cell battery and the Eveready brand. It was the home to the Hard Rock Hotel and was designated a Chicago Landmark on May 9, 1996.The building was transformed into the Hard Rock Cafe's Hard Rock Hotel Chicago from 2001-2004. The $106 million conversion was directed by Lucien Lagrange & Associates. The hotel began hosting guests on January 1, 2004 and after its bar and restaurant were completed, it celebrated its grand opening on April 21, 2004. The current hotel capacity is 383 guest rooms and 13 suites. The Hard Rock Hotel closed on December 1, 2017, and reopened in 2018 as the St. Jane Chicago Hotel, named for Nobel Peace Prize-winner and noted Chicagoan social activist Jane Addams. This building's planned twin tower a block away was cancelled in 1929. It was to be called the Cuneo Building.