Why hurricanes and tornadoes decimate American communities, while much stronger typhoons do very little damage to Chinese communities

This is something that most people never consider. But it’s pretty darn obvious. A group of tornadoes or hurricanes will flood, and destroy hundreds if not thousands of homes in the USA. We would watch the sad pictures, and hear the sad stories and they play over and over, and over on the American news media. Yet, where much larger, much more violent storms and typhoons hit China, the damage is minimal. Why?

In this article we explore the prime culprit. Which is the cheap, cheap, cheap flimsy building materials used throughout American homes today, compared to the stone, cement and steel buildings that are common throughout China.

You see, most of the world does not build “American style” homes. You will not find “McMansions” in Finland, or Russia, or in Australia. You won’t find them in the heart of Africa either. They are a uniquely “American” thing, based on material design, local building codes, and big profit margins.

Tornado strike Late 2021

Tornadoes are fearsome things. I’ve lived through them in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi and Texas – Louisiana.

Text direct from Wikipedia.

A deadly late-season tornado outbreak, the largest and deadliest on record in December, produced catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across portions of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley from the evening of December 10 to the early morning of December 11, 2021. The event developed as a trough progressed eastward across the United States, interacting with an unseasonably moist and unstable environment across the Mississippi Valley. Tornado activity began in northeastern Arkansas, before progressing into Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Tornado strike Late 2021

The most prolific activity was caused by a long-track supercell thunderstorm that produced a family of strong tornadoes that travelled across four Mid-South states. The first of these nocturnal tornadoes touched down in northeastern Arkansas, near Jonesboro and tracked through the Missouri Bootheel, ripping through towns such as Monette and Leachville, Arkansas, and Hayti and Caruthersville, Missouri. After crossing the Mississippi River into northwestern West Tennessee, that tornado dissipated, and a high-end EF4 tornado formed and moved through Western Kentucky, where the towns of Cayce, Mayfield, Benton, Princeton, Dawson Springs, and Bremen suffered severe to catastrophic damage.

Tornado strike Late 2021

Early estimates suggested that the tornado family—identified by some media outlets as the “Quad-State tornado,” due to the storm’s similar characteristics to the Tri-State tornado that occurred 96 years prior—may have cut a path of up to 250 miles (400 km) across the affected areas. If it had been a single tornado, it would have surpassed the March 18, 1925, tornado event (which carved a 219-mile [352 km] path across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana) in terms of path length.

Destroyed McMansion.

However, storm surveys found that the path was composed of two distinct EF4 tornadoes, with a break in the damage path over northwestern Obion County, Tennessee. Other tornadic thunderstorms affected portions of eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, West and Middle Tennessee, and Western and Central Kentucky during the late evening into the overnight hours of December 11, including four intense tornadoes that hit Bowling Green, Kentucky; Dresden, Tennessee; Edwardsville, Illinois; and Defiance, Missouri. This included a second supercell and tornado family, which produced an EF3 tornado tracking nearly 123 miles (198 km) in Tennessee and southern Kentucky, as well as numerous tornadoes, including three more rated EF3, throughout southern and central Kentucky.

Another destroyed McMansion

At least 91 people are confirmed to have been killed by the tornadoes, surpassing the Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado of December 5, 1953, which caused 38 fatalities, as the deadliest December tornado event ever recorded in the United States. Unconfirmed estimates suggest that the tornado outbreak may have caused over 100 deaths across five states, which would make it the deadliest tornado event in the United States since May 2011.

Destroyed home in Hattiesburg. MS.

In Kentucky alone, at least 77 people have been confirmed dead so far, making the outbreak the deadliest tornado event in Kentucky history, surpassing the Louisville-area tornado of March 27, 1890, which killed 76 people; in addition, one person remains missing and at least 138 injuries have been reported in the state.

Tornado destruction.

Super-Typhoon strike Zhuhai 2019

China has problems as well. There are typhoons, mud slides, massive rains, dust storms, and winter blizzards. The closest thing to a tornado strike like what hit the USA in December 2021 is a typhoon. Let’s look at the real nasty, big bad super typhoons that hit Zhuhai China and compare the damage.

From News24

The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in more than 40 years made its second landfall on Friday, authorities said, after leaving a trail of destruction and at least 64 dead in the neighboring Philippines.

Substantial damage to China’s many homes and buildings.

Super Typhoon Rammasun hit the city of Zhanjiang in south China’s Guangdong province on Friday night, local meteorological authorities said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Great deal of water damage.

It first made landfall Friday afternoon on Hainan island, packing winds of up to 216km/h, China’s National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said.

The typhoon was expected to bring torrential rains and was the strongest storm to strike the country’s southern regions since 1973, the NMC said.

The damage is substantial, but unlike the damage in the USA, the buildings are still standing.

It claimed its first victim in China soon after coming ashore in Wenchang, Xinhua reported, when a man was killed by debris as his house collapsed.

State-run China Central Television in news bulletins showed images of wind-whipped trees in Hainan and high waves churned up by the typhoon.

“Strong Typhoon Rammasun is too frightening,” wrote one poster on Chinese social media, adding it “came ashore with fierce winds”.

“It’s raining so hard, the wipers won’t help and it’s hard to see the road ahead,” wrote another user riding in a taxi. “The road is full of water and tree branches, and the heavy wind has blown some branches onto the power cables.”

Why does it appear that American homes are so easily torn apart, while China homes still remain standing?

I argue that the reason lies in the basic construction features of American homes compared to the construction features of Chinese homes.

To use the old childhood story of “the three little pigs”; China builds houses out of bricks and stone, while America builds homes out of straw, sticks and paper.

The Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time there was an old mother pig who had three little pigs and not enough food to feed them. So when they were old enough, she sent them out into the world to seek their fortunes.

The first little pig was very lazy. He didn’t want to work at all and he built his house out of straw.

The second little pig worked a little bit harder but he was somewhat lazy too and he built his house out of sticks. Then, they sang and danced and played together the rest of the day.

The third little pig worked hard all day and built his house with bricks. It was a sturdy house complete with a fine fireplace and chimney. It looked like it could withstand the strongest winds.

The next day, a wolf happened to pass by the lane where the three little pigs lived; and he saw the straw house, and he smelled the pig inside. He thought the pig would make a mighty fine meal and his mouth began to water.

So he knocked on the door and said:

  Little pig! Little pig!
  Let me in! Let me in!

But the little pig saw the wolf’s big paws through the keyhole, so he answered back:

  No! No! No! 
  Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin!

Then the wolf showed his teeth and said:

  Then I'll huff 
  and I'll puff 
  and I'll blow your house down.

So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down! The wolf opened his jaws very wide and bit down as hard as he could, but the first little pig escaped and ran away to hide with the second little pig.

The wolf continued down the lane and he passed by the second house made of sticks; and he saw the house, and he smelled the pigs inside, and his mouth began to water as he thought about the fine dinner they would make.

So he knocked on the door and said:

  Little pigs! Little pigs!
  Let me in! Let me in!

But the little pigs saw the wolf’s pointy ears through the keyhole, so they answered back:

  No! No! No!
  Not by the hairs on our chinny chin chin!

So the wolf showed his teeth and said:

  Then I'll huff 
  and I'll puff 
  and I'll blow your house down!

So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down! The wolf was greedy and he tried to catch both pigs at once, but he was too greedy and got neither! His big jaws clamped down on nothing but air and the two little pigs scrambled away as fast as their little hooves would carry them.

The wolf chased them down the lane and he almost caught them. But they made it to the brick house and slammed the door closed before the wolf could catch them. The three little pigs they were very frightened, they knew the wolf wanted to eat them. And that was very, very true. The wolf hadn’t eaten all day and he had worked up a large appetite chasing the pigs around and now he could smell all three of them inside and he knew that the three little pigs would make a lovely feast.

So the wolf knocked on the door and said:

  Little pigs! Little pigs!
  Let me in! Let me in!

But the little pigs saw the wolf’s narrow eyes through the keyhole, so they answered back:

  No! No! No! 
  Not by the hairs on our chinny chin chin!

So the wolf showed his teeth and said:

  Then I'll huff 
  and I'll puff 
  and I'll blow your house down.

Well! he huffed and he puffed. He puffed and he huffed. And he huffed, huffed, and he puffed, puffed; but he could not blow the house down. At last, he was so out of breath that he couldn’t huff and he couldn’t puff anymore. So he stopped to rest and thought a bit.

But this was too much. The wolf danced about with rage and swore he would come down the chimney and eat up the little pig for his supper. But while he was climbing on to the roof the little pig made up a blazing fire and put on a big pot full of water to boil. Then, just as the wolf was coming down the chimney, the little piggy pulled off the lid, and plop! in fell the wolf into the scalding water.

So the little piggy put on the cover again, boiled the wolf up, and the three little pigs ate him for supper.

Yum!

Let’s compare the construction methodology

This point came home to me rather abruptly as I work with many, many factories supplying building and construction parts and assemblies for export all over the world. Yet, not for the United States. You see, I work with domestic Chinese-owned factories. While the exports going to the United States are actually American factories inside of China using Chinese labor. It’s all about the money, you see.

Anyways, I have tried to supply windows to the United States market, but sheech! their price targets are too low, and the materials used (as specified by the architects and the builders) are so ridiculously flimsy and cheap.

Let’s show some examples so you all can get and understand what I am talking about. Ok?

Comparisons – Windows

Most American windows are ultra-cheap vinyl. Usually they are single-pane tempered glass of around 6mm thick. There are sometimes dual pane glass, with a specification for an inert gas between the layers, but that is very rare these days. Most everything is on the cheap, cheap, cheap.

Here’s a high-end dual pane American vinyl plastic window.

Most Chinese windows are thick dual pane glass with inner layers to prevent shattering. 20mm thickness is not unheard of. And the frames are not cheap plastic but are solid cast and machined aluminum, anodized and set on bearing hinges.

Here’s the Chinese equivalent of the above window…

Chinese dual pane, thin glass window.

Chinese windows are robust, well made, sturdy and using aluminum, quality fittings, and components. American windows are made out of the cheapest materials possible, arranged in the most cost effective method possible, and priced as high as possible.

Would you believe that the high quality Chinese windows are actually CHEAPER than the flimsy plastic vinyl windows used in America? Yeah. It’s important to keep American dumb and stupid so that they can be forever sheared as for-profit cattle.

Comparisons – Doors

No comparison. Most export interior doors to the United States are truly pathetic.

Cross section of an American hollow core door. Terrible in that it is flimsy and has zero sound proofing ability.

While inside China, all doors are either 100% solid wood, or wood over a closed cell sound insulation foam.

Typical interior door cross section as used in a Chinese home.

Comparisons – Counter tops

The big “thing” has been to use cheap stone countertops. These are made out of quartz and reinforced underneath. The importation of this cheap stone has been so enormous, that the US government has placed “dumping” restrictions on it. Never the less, local American quarries still produce the cheap countertops, but now charge large amounts of money for it.

Quartz countertop.

The Chinese use higher quality stone. Mostly basalt, marble, and granite.

Chinese basalt countertop.

Comparisons – Walls

Most American homes these days are made out of 2×4 frames, and sheathed in drywall. This has changed, as there is now an even cheaper alternative  to drywall (if you can believe that!) It’s compressed fiberboard. This video shows how pathetic it is… Video 9MB

While in China all homes are reinforced cement and stone, with marble, or granite, soapstone stone overlays over it. Yes, living in a typical Chinese house is like living in a museum.

A typical Chinese house interior.

Comparisons – Flooring

In America, the typical residential flooring is a foundational plywood deck, covered by carpet, or a hardwood laminate. Rarely are actual wood floors used in modern American homes any more.

Typical residential floor construction.

An China, the typical residential flooring is cement supported stone slabs or either marble, granite, or basalt.

Typical Chinese flooring.

Some examples of Chinese house interiors

video 1 1MB

video 2 7MB

video 3 10MB

video 4 sexy 40MB

Conclusion

Perhaps you are starting to see my point.

If all of the “new” homes throughout America are made for little piggies who like twigs, straw and paper. While all the homes in China and Russia are made for little piggies who like bricks, concrete and stone (with reinforcement with steel rebar). Then what would happen if big bad wolves try to start a war?

Which homes would be easier to knock down? The flimsy cardboard and paper homes, or the stone and steel homes?

Obviously this part of the calculus has never entered the minds of the master leadership inside of Washington DC. If a mere CAT 1 tornado can take down a house anywhere in the USA, image what a 500 MT thermonuclear device would do.

It’s about risk. Like this…

Do you want more?

You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

Comparisons

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A time to morn the lost buildings of the world

When I lived in Massachusetts, I noticed just how different it was from either New York, or Pennsylvania. Massachusetts had bigger homes… huge multi-generational homes. It had large beautiful cemeteries… not the spare plot of earth where you would toss the diseased into like the state of Indiana, and it had statues, and carvings, and character.

After learning about local history, and lore, I came to the realization that the people who lived in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and similar adjacent states all were founded by people who cared about their environment and their society.

And in many ways, that still exists in Massachusetts.

In those days, people would have picnics in cemeteries. (When was the last time you and your family had a picnic in a cemetery?) And went out for a stroll down the roads and lanes near your house at twilight? They, the people who lived there, designed the environment to be one that was aesthetically and socially appealing. Large lush and deep dark shady trees adorned the roads. Mailboxes, fences, and stairways were designed for beauty and appearance. Instead of the raw brutalist minimalism that had corrupted America since the psychopathic oligarchy took control in 1910.

Back in the day, say after the American Civil War, paintings depicted real art; real beauty. Buildings showed elements of interest and were designed for multi-generational families, and monies were allocated to those purposes. Parks were constantly created, maintained, and expanded upon. Statues were erected, and monuments created.

“The Royal Opera House In Valletta, Malta (1911). Built In 1866, It Was Destroyed In World War II From A Direct Hit By Luftwaffe Bombers”

All of these things are currently happening in China today because the government recognizes that to have a happy citizenry, you must create a healthy and happy environment to live in.

These things are NOT happening in America because America has devolved into a two class society. The oligarchy class of the 0.0001% live in isolated communities and live lavish and exorbitant lives. While the rest serve them in a very stratified existence. From their point of view (the ruling class), as long as the serf-sheeple are content enough not to revolt, who needs to provide them a good and healthy environment to live in. Rather to milk them dry while they are distracted in various political battles, and foreign wars.

And that’s the way it is.

Today we are going to look at the loss of these beautiful buildings and structure. We will not focus on the American progressive movement, and the American rise of the psychopaths. But rather we will simply morn the loss of buildings and structures as “works of art” in their own way. I hope you enjoy this post.

“The Original Neue Elbbrücke Bridge From 1887-1959 In Hamburg, Germany”

When I lived in Indiana I saw outdoor ice skating rinks that had been turned into open air garbage dumps, public swimming pools that had been cemented in, statutes what had been torn down and now all that existed was a plot of land with a pedestal and a bunch of old tangle weeds.

I saw housing complexes going up in areas that was fenced off “for posterity so that others can enjoy the beauty of old growth forests”, and I saw housing developments bull-dosing beautiful meandering streams, brooks and low rolling hills.

I also saw a parking lot where an old local swimming hole used to exist.

When the society becomes that of a money grabbing venture by the most evil psychopaths in society, there is no room for anyone else, beauty, or society.

““It’s Not Possible To Take Such A Photograph Anymore, As The Buildings Outside Block The Sun Rays.” Grand Central, NYC (1929)”

Indiana was an eye-opening experience for me. I used to visit the local libraries and go into the local history section and research the area where I lived. So much history.

While today it is flat and filled with soy beans and corn fields as far as the eye can see.

he Knoxville, Tennessee, courthouse circa 1903. With signage advising “Keep Off the Grass,” “No Loafing,” “Drink Hickman’s Coffee” and “Chew Ram’s Horn Tobacco.”

But you know, back when the “white settlers” were moving Westward, the land was mostly wooded with large and expansive old-growth forests, fine babbling brooks and tall wide based trees covered in deep plush mosses.

Not today. Indiana is a farming state. It’s changed, but not every change is for the best.

“Lost And Rediscovered”

So there is some hope.

One of the things that I lament about China, but I never talk about, is how the old is all being displaced with the new. yeah. I like the new malls, the clean and efficient public works and all the rest. But I believe that some attention must be made to preserve the past.

“The Hotel Netherland (NYC) Photographed In 1905 And Later Demolished In 1927”

Surely, China is trying.

Tree are being planted, parks are being established everywhere, and there are local committees all over the place dedicated to preserving the past. Some ancient and historical sites are going under.

The Wabash-Pittsburgh railway station.

If not, then are being renewed in some “architectural improvements” for the best of society. You know, maybe the ruins have their own beauty, maybe?

“Built In 1504, Demolished In 1910. What Was The Oldest House In Hamburg, Germany”

California was a land of forests that were actually nothing more than “Christmas trees on gravel”, and if you all have ever been to CA, you will know what I am talking about. however, there is some serous history in Northern California near Chico and the areas near San Francisco. The entire Pacific North West is dotted with character, and you can see it in the movies “Labyrinth“, “First Blood (a Rambo movie)” and “The Goonies“. You can see that it resembles Pennsylvania is so many ways, that I automatically became attracted and attached to it.

“The Elisabeth Bridge Built In 1903 Budapest, Hungary. It Was The Longest Single-Span Bridge In The World At The Time And An Engineering Marvel. Following The Retreat Of German Forces From The City In Ww2, It Was Blown Up In The Morning Of January 18, 1945. Replaced In 1964 By A Modernist Bridge”

The local towns all have historical societies and their history is all very interesting. I particularly loved Auburn in this regard. 

They had a museum, and in it was a full length ball-gown all made from a woman’s hair. I have never forgotten about it. I well remember going into the renovated Victorian style building and gawking at the dress while licking some frozen yogurt from TCBY. But that was on another world line and on this one people eat ice cream more than yogurt cones.

“Medieval Town Of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany. Once One Of The Most Picturesque And Pristine Late Medieval Towns In Europe. Destroyed On March 22nd, 1945, One Month Before The War’s End”

You know, when you are in a place, it is the environment that makes it special. The people, the smells, and the style of the local architecture all contribute to the ambience. It’s what makes events special.

I can relate to you special time that I have had singing with a girl on the pier in Salem Massachusetts after we had pizza and wine in a local restaurant (with red checkered tablecloths) and a candle in an old wine bottle. Or chilling out in the cemetery next to my university in Syracuse New York, or grabbing a hot dog in an obscure diner on a side alley in Philadelphia (maybe I should have gotten a Philly cheese steak sandwich).

The point is that if everything is nothing but white bland boxes or McMansions you miss out in life and special experiences that enhance the senses.

“Cincinnati Public Library 1871-1955”

When I lived in Indiana I was surprised how plain and sterile everything was. Restaurants, aside from well established chains were just empty rooms with the cheapest plastic chairs and the barest tables.  The food was the cheapest to make and the most expensive to sell. Iced tea came in a huge tureen and provided sugarless without lemon, mint twig or orange, and provided in the a really bland way. It was like eating in a school or hospital cafeteria.

Seriously.

“The Saltair Pavilion 1900-1925”

People you all need to look at things from a aesthetic perspective; one of pleasure and beauty instead of just one of profit. Why are water holes from the last century filled in or cemented over? Because no one could profit from them? That’s fucking sick! Seriously. Your society is demented if it allows them to be destroyed simply become someone cannot profit from them.

Don’t understand. I task you. Go to the local historical society and research where all the old (free) water holes were. Get the locations on a map (easy to do int he library) and go search them look. Look at what they are like today.

Replaced with tiny little hands grasping and clutching at your wallet. This is not a society. It is a concentration slave camp.

“Warsaw, Poland 1939. No Need To Say What Happened Here. Truly A Tragic Loss”

And you know what is supremely frustrating to me? It’s that no one else notices. They just accept it as a “good thing” and as “progress”. They do not see that taking something that is free and turning it into something that someone can profit from is EVIL. They fail to see this.

They are the one’s with a head problem.

One hundred years ago homes were quite different. People lived in multi-generation homes. The grandparents, the uncles and aunties and their kids, and you and your family all lived int he same house. Each family had a suite of rooms which consisted of a bedroom or two, a living area, a bath and a kitchen and a porch.

They didn’t need to mow grass. They had the lawns planted in clover.

They didn’t have or need air conditioning. They had high ceilings with above the door transoms, and large spacious deep porches with swings, swing gliders and porch swings and big enormous thick trees  that shaded the entire home form the relentless sun in the Summer.

Not today.

The design of homes is such that the owners NEED to purchase systems that they must pay for weekly or monthly to maintain a comfortable standard of living.

Now, of course, these homes are now considered to be mansions. After all they have multiple bedrooms, and living rooms, but really are they any different from McMansion’s?

In those days they didn’t have wall to wall carpeting. They had real hardwood floors. They didn’t have air conditioning. they used fans, and high vaulted ceilings to direct the hot air outward. They didn’t have refrigerators, they had cold cellars, and other systems that sound so primitive, but in all functionality work just as well today as they did back then.

A cold cellar would store vegetables and fruit for up to a week. So does a refrigerator. A high ceiling room can keep only slightly warmer than an air conditioned room set at  75 degrees F in the Summer. A house with windows open allows for the early morning and evening breezes to clean out the bad odors and smells that accumulate. Today we must use a selection of detergents to scrub the rooms to maintain a pleasant environment.

To live in the “old way” is to live cheaper, but only take a minor hit in benefit. Unless you like to keep your air conditioner set to freezing, there is no benefit in having a A/C unit unless you have enough disposable income to afford the monthly electrical bills.

And yeah. I get it. When the weather is super hot and humid, having an air conditioner does make all the difference. My point is this; how many days per year do you need to run it?

“The Late 3rd Century Tetrapylon Of Ancient Palmyra, Syria. Deliberately Destroyed By Isis, 2017”

If you have the money, and the ability, then go ahead use and have all the modern conveniences. I have, after all, spent many years designing these appliances. So it’s all up to you. But I want to underline that there is a very special characteristic of a home with a big wide porch and a nice sliding glider.

“Times Square (1919) Before All The Renovations And Billboards”

When I was 16 years old and working, one fine old lady came up to me and told me that her granddaughter really had a shine to me. She was 14 years old and the woman (Her name was “Auntie Gay”) arranged a date.

She had this big old Victorian home on one of the broad streets in East Brady, PA, and it was near the Captain Brady mansion. She invited me in, and made us some nice lemonade, and allowed us to drink it on the porch on a nice glider there. She left us alone, but we were not allowed off the porch. We were permitted to hold hands but when I tried to kiss her, the porch light went on.

I look back now. It was really charming.

“The Old Dutch House In Bristol, England. It Was Constructed In 1676 But Was Destroyed During The Bristol Blitz Of 1940 By The Luftwaffe”

She had this enormous kitchen with floor to ceiling cupboard that reached to the sky and two doors in it. One led to a pantry with was bigger than my bedroom (well, almost heh, heh) and another lead downstairs into the cold cellar. Where it was dark, damp, cool and gloomy. She had a thousand glass jars of all sorts of preserves and stored food there, as well as baskets of herbs and other items such as tree bark and Lord knows what.

“The Original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel In NYC, Demolished In 1929 To Serve As The Site For The Empire State Building”

The thing that I remember most about that house was the huge entryway. Once you existed the inner alcove and entered the house, you were in this large room, and in the middle of it was a circular table. Sitting in the middle of the table upon a lace table cloth was this wonderful Tiffany lamp. It was a beautiful work of art. I really admired it.

Tiffany lamp.

I have always admired the details in home and building design, and while I am a big fan of the Victorian style homes, I have to admit that I actually love those wonderful “Craftsman Houses” that become popular briefly before World War II.

These are truly works of art, and are quite adorable. Oh, to be a young boy growing up in either a Victorian or a Craftsman style home would have truly have been a wonderful experience. I can well imagine hanging out in a nook or two with my cat, and reading comic books while munching on a leftover chicken salad sandwich.

Such was my childhood dreams.

But I digress.

Why don’t we design buildings, parks, venues, environments for people to live in? Why does America seem to be nothing more than a bunch of hastily and cheaply produced boxes for people to rush from container one to container two? Why that’s exactly what it seems like. It really does.

“Bowhead House, Edinburgh, Scotland. Built In The Early 1500s, It Was Demolished In 1878. Many Locals Mourned The Loss, Having Regarded The House As One Of The Most Distinctive Relics Of The Old City”

To some people holding on to the old is a relic of the past, and to some degree I can actually see that. Change is how we grow. But that is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about taking things that work, things that are beautiful, things that make life pleasant and replacing them with the bland, the cheap, the simple and the ugly with no consideration what so ever to the people who live around those places.

it’s like the entire concept of American suburbia. It’s just a landscape of little boxes filled with little people doing little things.

“Sibley Breaker, Pennsylvania, Built In 1886 And Destroyed By Fire In 1906”

Here is some images of appreciation to the past.

Here are some thoughts and images that I have found that inspires me, and stirs the porridge in my soul. All credit to the wonderful and skilled architects and craftsmen who built these structures. And you too can enjoy them with me.

Detroit circa 1916. “Griswold Street from Capitol Park.” A scene last glimpsed here, before People’s Outfitting had its growth spurt. 8×10 inch glass negative.

And yeah, It’s just a park in a city. One that is now just mile and miles and miles of ruin. But before the psychopathic oligarchy took over, it was a place of commerce, and a place where people lived, made a living for themselves and their families and thrived.

The Hippodrome stood on 6th Avenue in New York City from 1905 to 1939. It was one of the largest theaters of its time, with a seating capacity of over 5,000.

I suppose that you can argue that it’s just fashion. Buildings come and go and its similar to fashion. The building styles change as the generations cycles.

I understand that.

The Old Metropolitan Opera House was built in 1883 in New York City. First home of the Metropolitan Opera Company, it was demolished in 1967, and performances were moved to Lincoln Center.

The thing is, and this is my point, is that for the last one hundred years, America has dominated the world.

And as the leader, it has influenced the rest of the world.

And the influences are driven downwards from Washington DC.

And since Washington DC has become to focal point for all the global psychopaths in the world, they have, in turn, influenced the entire planet.

And the ruins that you see in the West are but the debris from their carnage.

Chorley Park was the fourth Government House constructed in the early 20th century in Toronto. The birthplace of Toronto alderman John Hallam, it was bought by the city in 1960 and eventually demolished in 1961.

Many of the great building, the most impressive buildings, and the important building were all torn down in America between 1958 and 1965. Why?

Here’s one of the casualties…

The Schiller Theater Building (later known as the Garrick Theater) was built in Chicago in 1891 and was one of the tallest buildings in the city at the time. Inside was a 1,300-seat theater, which was razed in 1961.

Here’s another…

The Chicago Federal Building had a stunning post office and courthouse. The building was demolished in 1965, when it was replaced with the Kluczynski Federal Building.

The renovations towards the “new America” seemed to happen in waves. The 1960 (plus or minus a few years) seems to have a great affect on me personally, but the rapid destruction of American buildings had a second wave afterwards that hit around 1970 or so.

I wonder if this is a consequence of human herd behaviors.

The Old Toronto Star Building was built in 1929 and stood at 288 feet tall, an impressive feat at the time. It was torn down in 1972.

Here’s another casualty from that particular time, the Singer building. As an aside you all might know that I used to hang around with, and party with, Susan Singer the multi-Billionaire heiress to the Singer fortune. She was a nice girl. She was always worrying about how thick her ankles were though. Her ankles were just fine, and she was attractive, and nice.

But you know, that’s life. Its a really strange quirk she had, but I suppose she would tell you all that I was pretty much a weird dude in school as well. LOL.

Conclusion

I like to believe that change is a good thing. That is how we grow.

But I think that change FOR THE BETTER is and should always be welcome. While change for the worse should be avoided at all costs.

When we have a situation where profits for a tiny, tiny small minority governs the shape, appearance and structure of society, eventually that society will break down and collapse.

First you will see minor things disappear.

Then others will vanish with great rapidity. Until all that is left is the barely functional, most expensive, and of questionable utility for the people and the society to use.

And isn’t that what we see today in America?

The ONLY way that this is going to change is to [1] change the structure of the government so that psychopaths no longer can get into positions of control, and [2] Remove all the psychopathic personalities present int he Untied States today.

Which both seem to be quite unlikely.

Therefore…

It’s time to have a picnic and enjoy some companionship, some fine picnic food, and some frosty beers, or a few bottles of red wine. Life is too short to worry about things that you cannot control.

Have a great day you all!

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A look at the Chinese “ghost cities” and what’s going on regarding them.

One of the often mentioned narratives regarding China can be found on the Alt-Right and Hard-Right websites in America. It’s the narrative that China builds these huge enormous “ghost cities”. That China builds these huge concrete cities that no one lives in, and that this is just another example about how “out of touch” China is with it’s people.

Well, of course, it’s a big bunch of misdirection, misunderstandings, lies, and intentional fabrications.

Yet, what is actually going on is far more interesting.

And if you study it, you see just how healthy the government of China is, and how proactive it is in caring for the Chinese people.

In this article we are going to take a look at one of these “ghost cities” and see what is actually going on. No. It’s not about how “out of touch” the Chinese government is, but rather how forward thinking it is. People in the West simply cannot imagine what is going on. This is simply because the size, the scope, the forward planning, and the belief that if everyone is “lifted up”, then everyone prospers.

It’s unheard of in the greedy West.

Here’s the video.

And NO, it’s not me. This is a video blogger that travels the world and speaks better Chinese than I do. He has a vblog called JaYoeNation. He’s pretty good. LOL.

Take a spell and let it download. If it is taking too much time, you can click on THIS LINK and down load a zipped-file and watch the video directly. It’s pretty good. Please enjoy.

You have got to see the pictures and this video…

Do you want more?

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China and Taiwan are being linked together by high speed train and the American Military Empire is having a fit!

One the most profound realizations that one MUST arrive at is that the American (and Western) “news” is a massive propaganda organ. It’s not that they twist and distort the news. Oh, I wish it was that simple. No. Rather, they lie, and make up fanciful stories towards manipulation. That’s it, and nothing more can be said.
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Now, of course, you can categorize the the lies.
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You can say that the lies fall under categories. And of these, purposes for the manipulation of large groups of people.
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I really don’t think that this is all that difficult to understand.
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All these different organizations are vying for your mind. They want you to think certain ways, and in doing so it gives them advantage. Depending on who is involved, you can then map out the funding, and the then compare with the depth and breadth of the articles that the media bombards you with.
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I’ve posted a lot of articles about the anti-China narrative, and discussed the people behind this screed. Pretty much it’s a mix of religious fundamentalists, neocons, and hard-Right players. And when Donald Trump became President in 2016, the opened the funding floodgates, as well as staffed his administration with neocons, and the result was a “firehose” of anti-China disinformation.
They all are looking forward to getting involved in a hot war with “juicy and wealthy” China. They just want an EXCUSE.
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If you want to read more about this go HERE.
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You will find these articles all over the internet. Such as this one (below) that I pulled off of Free Republic right now…
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China's military is poised to outgun the West after HUGE growth
3/15/2021, 9:34:39 AM · by RomanSoldier19 · 12 replies
Daily Mail via msn ^ | 3/14/2021 | Marco Giannangeli

It follows an ominous warning last week by the commander of US forces in the Indo-Pacific that China may launch a military operation against Taiwan "in the next six years". This would likely lead to military reprisals from the US Navy and allies including Britain, which is sending its new carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, to lead a multinational strike force to the Far East in May. China commands the world's largest military, with 2.18 million soldiers, sailors and aviators on active duty. And after a recent 6.8 percent rise it will command a £200billion military budget this year. But it...
Oh, Ah.
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Read the text, of “ominous warning” and “military reprisals”. War in that far-away land is being jinned up, don’t you think? Any day now, some proud American Rambo’s are gonna “kick some slant eyed butt”, don’t you know.
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Not gonna happen.
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Why?
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Well, in the first case the American and UK military excursion into the South China Sea in late Summer 2020 was a disaster, and the seven aircraft carriers steamed back to American (and the UK) with their “tail between their legs”. Trump incensed that his orders were not carried out, fired his military brass as soon as then returned. It was a “Waterloo moment“, and scared the living shit out of the military brass.
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Read about it HERE.
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And in the Second Case, please just keep in mind that Taiwan is part of China. No matter how much this is omitted in the neocon publications and articles. No matter how many times the American “news” talks about the USA “doing something”, nothing is going to happen. You can yell, scream and stamp your feet but that will not change the fact that Taiwan agreed to become part of China, and this union is recognized by the United Nations.
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Taiwan stopped being an independent nation, and became a Chinese client state in 1972 by [1] The Shanghai Communiqué and the 1982 [2] Joint Communiqué and [3] the August 17 Communiqué. It's the 23rd province of China.

All of this his was codified and made permanent on October 1971, when the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, which recognized the government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China at the United Nations and established the One-China Principle.
You can read more about this HERE.
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American “news” is a big lie, and people are following it because just about everything in America has been corrupted beyond recognition. No one trusts the government, yet somehow they believe the media. They turn to alternative media in the belief that they have not been corrupted.
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Ah. But they have.
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But anyways,
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Aside from all that “noise” out of the “news”, China is moving on. It is on all fronts. So the USA doesn’t want to partner with China on anything. OK. No problem. But watch out. As I have said before; China does not play.
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Meanwhile check out what is going on with China and Taiwan right now…

China’s railway operator echoes netizens’ call for a high-speed rail route to Taiwan

Published: Mar 14, 2021 03:03 PM
Reprinted as found. All credit to the author, and edited to fit this venue.

An aerial photo shows the Pingtan Strait Road-rail Bridge in East China’s Fujian Province. The first of its kind in China, the bridge opened on Saturday, shortening travel time between the provincial capital of Fuzhou with the island county of Pingtan to 35 minutes from around two hours. The bridge will make it more convenient for compatriots in the island of Taiwan to travel to the Chinese mainland. Photo: cnsphoto

China’s top railway operator said on Sunday that it has “taken seriously the building of a railway to the island of Taiwan,” echoing Chinese netizens’ calls as well as the Russian Ambassador to China’s wish to visit the island by train.

China Railways, the country’s top railway construction company, discussed the technical issues and routes of building the high-speed railway from East China’s Fujian Province to the island of Taiwan in an article published in its official WeChat account on Sunday.

No wonder Donald Trump wanted to ban WeChat, you cannot have the anti-China narrative polluted by facts.

In the article, it mentioned China’s National Comprehensive Transportation Network Plan, which was rolled out in late February and set the construction goals from 2021 to 2035 with a long-term plan extended. A route from Fuzhou to Taipei, in the island of Taiwan, was also listed in the plan.

China’s HST (High Speed Train) rail network as of 2020.

The plan soon drew heated discussions on Chinese social media platforms. Netizens also expressed a strong wish to “visit Taiwan by train.”

Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov also voiced confidence in China’s capability to build a high-speed railway between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, and stressed that both sides across the Taiwan Straits belong to China.

Close up showing the HST bridge between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Denisov said he is looking forward to taking a high-speed train to visit the island some day in an interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV in early March. “If I could have a chance to visit Taiwan Province, of course I prefer to do it by train.”

Responding to such calls, the railway operator giant noted, “The dream that countless Chinese people have dreamt is finally drawing closer,” as the Beijing-Taipei high-speed rail has only “the last part” between the Straits left to be completed.

It further went on to explain that with the completion of the Fuzhou-Pingtan railway last December, all of the construction work on the Beijing-Taipei high-speed rail has been completed except for the last section, which will link the mainland across the Straits, referring to “the last part” from Pingtan to Taipei.

The Fuzhou-Pingtan railway, the nearest one on the mainland from Taiwan, was put into operation on December 26. Pingtan is only 68 nautical miles away from Taiwan’s Hsinchu, the closest point across the straits.

The Pingtan Strait Road-Rail Bridge, a key project of the Fuzhou-Pingtan railway, has a total length of 16.34 kilometers. It is the world’s longest cross-sea road-rail bridge and the first road-rail bridge in China.

Is this even possible, or is this a “pipe dream”?

Oh yes. It is absolutely possible. Consider that all of the neighboring nations are enthusiastically participating with China in establishing communication and trade routes and upgrading their infrastructure. And consider the a fore mentioned “Pingtan Strait Road-Rail Bridge” which was just completed last year. Which followed the HK – Macao – Zhuhai bridge effort (outside my front door)…

As discussed in this article…

China opens Fuzhou-Pingtan railway to boost cross-strait travel

Updated 14:45, 27-Dec-2020
By Hong Yaobin

The Fuzhou-Pingtan railway in east China’s Fujian Province went into operation Saturday morning after seven years of construction, allowing visitors from the Chinese mainland and China’s Taiwan to travel more conveniently across the Taiwan Straits.

The Fuzhou-Pingtan railway in east China’s Fujian Province went into operation Saturday morning after seven years of construction, allowing visitors from the Chinese mainland and China’s Taiwan to travel more conveniently across the Taiwan Straits.

The 88-kilometer railway, designed to support high-speed trains running at a speed of up to 200 km per hour, connects the provincial capital of Fuzhou with the largest island in the province, which is the nearest place in the Chinese mainland to Taiwan Island, only 68 nautical miles (about 126 km) away from Hsinchu City.

The 88-kilometer railway, designed to support high-speed trains running at a speed of up to 200 km per hour, connects the provincial capital of Fuzhou with the largest island in the province.

Noting that they have been taking the “Strait” ship to travel between Pingtan and Taiwan, Yang Binghao, who is from Taiwan and runs a cultural and creative center in Pingtan, said that with the Fuzhou-Pingtan railway, “Taiwan compatriots can now transfer via railway after arriving in Pingtan by sea, and then we can easily travel to Beijing, Shanghai and other parts of the mainland.”

Yang believes that the railway will further promote the opening-up and development of Pingtan and facilitate cross-strait travel and communication, benefiting local residents and people from both sides.

Thanks to bullet trains running on the Pingtan Strait Road-Rail Bridge, it now only takes around half an hour for residents and visitors to commute between both places.

Thanks to bullet trains running on the Pingtan Strait Road-Rail Bridge, it now only takes around half an hour for residents and visitors to commute between both places. The 16.3-kilometer-long bridge, with a six-lane highway on top and a high-speed railway at bottom, is China’s first and the world’s longest cross-sea road-rail bridge.

The 16.3-km-long Pingtan Strait Road-Rail Bridge is China’s first and the world’s longest cross-sea road-rail bridge. /CFP

The new railway will link the island county with major cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen through the transportation hub in Fuzhou, according to Li Fei, an official with the China Railway Nanchang Group Co., Ltd.

In 2009, the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone was launched in the county to facilitate cross-strait exchange and cooperation, aiming to become a “common home for compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits,” which currently houses more than 1,000 Taiwan-invested enterprises.

A young child ride the HST on the way to Taiwan.

Comprised of 126 islands, Pingtan is home to marvelous natural wonders and a number of tourist attractions such as Haitan Island, Tannan Bay, Pingtan Island National Forest Park, and Haitan Ancient City, and has become increasingly popular among visitors from home and abroad in recent years.

From January 20, up to 17 sets of bullet trains will run on the line every day, up from 9.5 sets plying currently, further boosting the development of local tourism.

So what is China doing to quench the anti-unification efforts?

Sure all this is fine and good. China is building bridges, and tunnels and aiding in economic development. However the United States is funding the Taiwan separatist movement. (As well as funding NGO’s such as the NED, and NID for insurgency efforts.) But what is China doing to quench those who want to fight a “hot war” for “American Democracy”?

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday stressed the importance of the one-China principle and 1992 Consensus in addressing the development of cross-strait relations.

The premier made the remarks during a virtual press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after the closing of the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
The Chinese mainland welcomes dialogue with different parties regarding cross-strait relations to achieve the unification of China, Li said, before stressing opposition to any form of separatist activities or foreign interference in cross-strait affairs.

The central government will continue to enable Taiwan compatriots to share in opportunities on the mainland, he added.

So yeah. Who, as you well know, already have Chinese passports, is still able to buy property and set up businesses but will now be granted easy loans and smooth sailing in new businesses and ventures.  China is “pulling out all the stops” to help integrate the Taiwanese with the mainland Chinese.

Some thoughts

When I was a young boy, the “news” was all about the “War in Vietnam”. Every day were reports on how our “brave young men were saving the world from communism”. And the media was all over it. From Walter Cronkite on television to magazines such as “Popular Mechanics (illustrated)” and “Vanity Fair”. In those days we were all afraid of “The Red Menace”, and the “Domino Effect”, and were terrified of  the “loss of our freedoms”.

Domino theory, also called Domino Effect, theory in U.S. foreign policy after World War II stating that the “fall” of a noncommunist state to communism would precipitate the fall of noncommunist governments in neighbouring states. The theory was first proposed by President Harry S.Truman.

domino theory | international relations | Britannica.com

In those days, as a young boy, I would watch Hollywood movies glorify war.  I would envision myself flying in The B-24 Liberator bombing the shit out the of the evil Nazi’s (12 O’Clock High), or fighting on the front lines with John Wayne in the movie The Green Berets (1968).

John Wayne in the movie The Green Berets (1968).

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It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized that were I to follow my boyhood dreams, I would probably have been shipped off to die in some distant land. I would have died a virgin, and forgotten by the rest of the world. But no one else realizes this, and America is still playing the same old games that ended up killing thousands of Americans, and millions of civilians over the last fifty years.

This is just a typical example of how absolutely “off the wall” American media is when it comes to reporting what is going on in China.

  • It omits facts.
  • it omits history.
  • It omits contemporaneous news.
  • It fabricates news.
  • It distorts events.
  • It produces emotion laden articles full of fear.

It is, after all, a reflection of what America stands for.

I will generate more articles along these lines in the future. For now they will all fall under the heading… “America is having a hissy fit.

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To go to the MAIN Index;

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