Article

2006-07-11 Caribbean-Latin America

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Posted by Fred 2006-07-11 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Surf's Up!

Posted by DanNY 2006-07-11 00:07|| 2006-07-11 00:07|| Front Page Top

#2 Corruption and physics don't mix.

I once saw a heavy duty road in Latin America being repaved. Instead of rebar, the were using the kind of mesh that we normally use stateside for patio slabs and side walks.

Posted by 11A5S 2006-07-11 00:14|| 2006-07-11 00:14|| Front Page Top

#3 11A5S:
And in Mexico, under the PRI party dominance, anyone in charge of public works projects would use public resources to build their own homes, at the same time. I am sure that that still goes on.

Posted by Anginens Threreng8133 2006-07-11 00:21|| 2006-07-11 00:21|| Front Page Top

#4 That's sick, DanNY. I'm jealous, LOL!

Didn't Powers Boothe make a silly ultra-PC movie about this way back when?

Posted by Wheang Spavirong9833 2006-07-11 01:23|| 2006-07-11 01:23|| Front Page Top

#5 11A5S

Thats wouldnt happen to have been in Honduras would it?

You and I may have seen the same road.

And the good rebar (and concrete for the underlayment) went to the local "National Guard" commander's villa.

Its the culture and mentality of the looter that poisons all those 3rd world countries.

Rand said it best:

Have you ever looked for the root of production? Take a look at an electric generator and dare tell yourself that it was created by the muscular effort of unthinking brutes. Try to grow a seed of wheat without the knowledge left to you by men who had to discover it for the first time. . . . you'll learn that man's mind is the root of all the goods produced and of all the wealth that has ever existed on earth.

"But you say that money is made by the strong at the expense of the weak? What strength do you mean? It is not the strength of guns or muscles. Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. Then is money made by the man who invents a motor at the expense of those who did not invent it? Is money made by the intelligent at the expense of the fools? By the able at the expense of the incompetent? By the ambitious at the expense of the lazy? Money is madebefore it can be looted or moochedmade by the effort of every honest man, each to the extent of his ability. . .

"Money will not purchase happiness for the man who has no concept of what he wants: money will not give him a code of values, if he's evaded the knowledge of what to value, and it will not provide him with a purpose, if he's evaded the choice of what to seek. Money will not buy intelligence for the fool, or admiration for the coward, or respect for the incompetent.'

Posted by Oldspook 2006-07-11 01:43|| 2006-07-11 01:43|| Front Page Top

#6 Great quote, OS - Thanks. It clearly applies to South America, Africa, the Middle East - everywhere that embraces the failed collective systems, tribalism, and corruption. That they have never attained the ability to realize the simple truth this quote embodies is at the root of all failed systems, governments, and societies.

It's hard to accept that only part of mankind is able to grasp such obvious truth.

Sometimes, in my weaker moments, I actually think that grabbing the offspring of the "leaders" of the failed and failing countries and giving them a solid US education would turn the tide. Then I remember that our education system has been systematically destroyed.

Posted by Wheang Spavirong9833 2006-07-11 01:59|| 2006-07-11 01:59|| Front Page Top

#7 The quote is from one of Francisco's speeches -- "The Meaning of Money". I keep it --together with an ounce of gold-- on my desk.

Posted by Kalle (kafir forever) 2006-07-11 02:00|| http://radio.weblogs.com/0103811/categories/currentEvents/]">[http://radio.weblogs.com/0103811/categories/currentEvents/] 2006-07-11 02:00|| Front Page Top

#8 The full text is here.

Thank you, gentlemen. It's been 20 years. Well worth revisiting.

Posted by Wheang Spavirong9833 2006-07-11 02:16|| 2006-07-11 02:16|| Front Page Top

#9 http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=158820&D=2006-07-11&HC=5

Posted by Skidmark 2006-07-11 07:02|| 2006-07-11 07:02|| Front Page Top

#10 "Well, damnit!"

"We tried that. Damned dam burst."

Posted by Mike 2006-07-11 07:10|| 2006-07-11 07:10|| Front Page Top

#11 They use an interesting paving technique in parts of the caribbean for asphalt roads.

A thick blanket of asphalt is laid down over the intact old surface, raising the roadway surface almost above the pavements.

At intersections, these "turtleback" roads create virtual gulleys (since the drains remain clear).

Heavy rains cause great big slabs of asphalt to be washed away.

Most amusing are the manhole covers. These ae not raised, leading to what are called "official potholes", sometimes actually surrounded with a ring of white paint to warn drivers.

Homeowners face an interesting problem, their driveways are now lower than the road surface, with the drain+roadway height presenting an obstacle to the chassis. Many consruct their own bridging ramp, made of concreate, between their driveways and the road, actually blocking most of the drainage channel.

Posted by john 2006-07-11 07:20|| 2006-07-11 07:20|| Front Page Top

#12 OS: Actually it was Bolivia.

The first thing that I look at whenever I go somewhere is the concrete. Seriously. You can read volumes about the level of corruption in a country by looking at its concrete.

Posted by 11A5S 2006-07-11 09:31|| 2006-07-11 09:31|| Front Page Top

#13 LOL, 11A5S! Women look at shoes, you look at concrete. My brain hurts. :)

Posted by Wheang Spavirong9833 2006-07-11 09:40|| 2006-07-11 09:40|| Front Page Top

#14 11A55, Care to give us your view on the top 10 states in the US?

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2006-07-11 09:45|| 2006-07-11 09:45|| Front Page Top

#15 11A5S - BTW, not that I disagree, upon reflection it makes perfect sense, just that it begged for a coffee alert. I'm going to go lie down, now, LOL.

Posted by Wheang Spavirong9833 2006-07-11 09:47|| 2006-07-11 09:47|| Front Page Top

#16 When can we expect to see this story in China on the three gorges damn?

Posted by DarthVader 2006-07-11 10:22|| 2006-07-11 10:22|| Front Page Top

#17 Nimble Spemble, I've seen some pretty bad stuff in Alabama and Missouri. Also upstate NY. But as you probably know, it varies by county as much as it does by state. The only time I've been in Louisiana is driving fast early in the morning, so I can't say much about them, but I suspect that some of the parishes would look pretty rough.

As far as developing nations, I consider the ability to build a sturdy concrete, two lane highway to be the starting point. A reinforced concrete bridge is the next step. If they can build a interchange with lots flyovers, they've got their corruption down to first world levels.

In really corrupt countries you'll see a lack of rebar, ungraded aggregate being used, skimping on cement in the mix, or old mix being used. Lots of times, you'll see what looks like smooth concrete on the sides of bridges but if you were there right after the forms were removed, you'd see workers filling in all of the air pockets with mortar. Cracks, exposed aggregate, exposed rebar -- it all adds up.

Well I'm glad I make someone laugh!

Posted by 11A5S 2006-07-11 10:28|| 2006-07-11 10:28|| Front Page Top

#18 You wanna see shitty concrete? Go to a state like Kentucky that has a million freeze thaw cycles a year.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2006-07-11 11:02|| 2006-07-11 11:02|| Front Page Top

#19 And, don't forget the "big dig" in Mass. I mean, how many times have the Founding Fathers rolled over over that state?

Another footnote, 11A5S, I remember riding I-20 west from Mississippi to Louisiana. I fell asleep (someone else driving) when we crossed the State line. It literally woke me up from deep sleep each time we hit the "seams" in Louisiana's asphalt/concrete. Constant "da-dump, da-dump" shakes & noise in the vehicle. All the way across the State, if I remember correctly.

Posted by BA 2006-07-11 11:32|| 2006-07-11 11:32|| Front Page Top

#20 Wow, this has been a bad week for aerospace and civil engineers of all stripes: missiles, aircraft, tunnels, dams. What's next, a building collapse?

Posted by Xbalanke 2006-07-11 11:58|| 2006-07-11 11:58|| Front Page Top

#21 actually, in CA we don't rebar the roads or highways, instead using high-grade concrete or asphalt in structural pavement sections over cement-treated-base or class 2 aggregate, with geo-grid fibers if necessary for poor soils....

adding asphalt over ill-prepared (no tack coat) asphalt is just asking for alligatoring or delamination of asphalt sections....

your engineering pavement notes for the day...

Posted by Frank G 2006-07-11 12:18|| 2006-07-11 12:18|| Front Page Top

#22 According to the news there was just a big structural failure in the Big Dig.

I guess Boston's part of the Carribean these days?

Posted by Phil 2006-07-11 12:49|| 2006-07-11 12:49|| Front Page Top

#23 I guess Boston's part of the Carribean these days?

Pretty much.

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2006-07-11 12:56|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2006-07-11 12:56|| Front Page Top

#24 Same culture - payoffs and looters.

Posted by Oldspook 2006-07-11 17:57|| 2006-07-11 17:57|| Front Page Top

#25 When can we expect to see this story in China on the three gorges damn?

I was shocked to read about the poor quality concrete they used in that thing.
Probably only a matter of time before it fails..

Posted by john 2006-07-11 18:37|| 2006-07-11 18:37|| Front Page Top

23:37 Seafarious
23:35 ed
23:31 GK
23:12 Russian Peasant
23:11 DanNY
22:55 flyover
22:46 bombay
22:45 RD
22:45 badanov
22:38 ExtremeModerate
22:36 RD
22:35 Alaska Paul
22:35 bombay
22:32 Frank G
22:29 tu3031
22:29 Frank G
22:27 BA
22:26 Frank G
22:24 Frank G
22:21 Fordesque
22:16 whitecollar redneck
22:12 Alaska Paul
22:08 Alaska Paul
22:03 bigjim-ky