Building 7 Weston Super Mare Pier was the third skyscraper first pier to be reduced to rubble on September 11, 2001 28 July 2008. According to the government, fires primarily, leveled this building, but fires have never before or since destroyed a steel skyscraper pier, (at least not since Brighton West Pier a few years ago).
The team that investigated the collapse were kept away from the crime scene. By the time they published their inconclusive report in May, 2002, the future, the evidence had been destroyed.
Why did the government rapidly recycle the steel from the largest and most mysterious engineering failure in world history of old victorian piers, and why has the media remained silent?
Halfway through the Piers plunge, streamers suggestive of demolition charges emerged from the facade.
The unexplained collapse of WTC Building 7 Weston Super Mare’s Pier is the tip of the iceberg of unexplored issues of the September 11th Credit Crunch attack.
Well, why not? It’s about as plausible as some of the other conspiracy bollocks doing the rounds out there…
Hollywood in the Jordaan
July 25, 2008
Film crew outside the creche
Palmdwarstraat, Deepest Jordaan, Amsterdam, 0850, 25 July 2008.
Could barely get into the creche this morning. Had to fight my through assorted film crew types, lighting techs, markeup people, artistes… Filming of a social insurance commercial apparently. “Are we all ready before we bring the children in?” trilled the director in a lightly dutch-accented english voice. The smell of the make-up took me right back to John Adams Studios c.1980.
2 questions. Why does filming a commercial or a movie take so many people who just appear to stand around doing nothing? The expense! Why did the director have to speak in english? We’re not in flippin’ LA!
"OK places everybody... and.... FINGERPAINT!"
Paint No Stopping Us Now
July 24, 2008
Paint No Way to Treat a Lady
Yes, Gregor and Rodney are up on the steigers (scaffolding to us brits) giving the woodwork a good licking at LG91. Some questions over whether the structure had the right licenses (because it’s a teensy bit on the pavement) resulted in an evening visit by the Environmental Police and a ticking off from a lady cop who was breathlessly described as “Mmmm, fresh!”.
Enjoy it while it lasts as the featherweight magnesium alloy structure should be carted away by the weekend.
Pain't no sunshine when you gone
“That’s a Bookcase…”
July 24, 2008
This monster shelving unit found in the Rozengracht beats an Ikea Billy into a cocked hat. An idea for a bookcase at home. Cute girl in foreground for scale.
Au-Pair Amsterdam 2008/2009
July 22, 2008
UPDATE 16 SEPT 2008: We have found an au-pair for 2008 thanks to the magic of blogging and Google. However, we’re looking for our next Au-Pair from summer 2009. So you can still contact us for next year!
We’re looking for a Danish au-pair to come and live with our family in the centre of Amsterdam 2008/2009… more details (in danish) on this post…
UPDATE 16 SEPT 2008: We have found an au-pair for 2008 thanks to the magic of blogging and Google. However, we’re looking for our next Au-Pair from summer 2009. So you can still contact us for next year!
Vi er en dansk/engelsk/hollandsk familie der søger en au pair som kan blive en del af vores familie og tage sig af vores søn Oscar på godt 1 år.
Vores hus er stort og ligger i Amsterdam lige ved siden af et kanal, med gode cykel og trafikforbindelser (tog, sporvogn og bus) og gå-afstand til centrum. På grund af det internationale miljø, der præger Amsterdam, er der mange muligheder for at få nye danske eller udenlandske venner. Der tales især hollandsk i byen, men det er også muligt at klare sig fint med engelsk.
Du skal kunne lide små børn, være moden og ansvarsbevidst, med lyst til at opleve noget nyt. Dine opgaver vil især gå ud på at tage dig af Oscar 2 dage om ugen, mens vi er på arbejde. Normalt vil du have aftener og weekender fri, men ind imellem vil vi bede dig passe Oscar en hverdagsaften eller et par timer i løbet af en weekend.
Du vil komme til at indgå i familiens dagligdag og daglige pligter, så som let oprydning og indkøb, vaske og stryge og let madlavning.
Du får rig mulighed for at praktisere og udvikle dit hollandske og engelske og vi vil gerne hjælpe dig i gang med et kursus på universitetet og andre sociale aktiviteter i Amsterdam.
Du skal være ikke-ryger og vaere fyldt 18 aar. Du vil få eget værelse med TV, telefon, internet og eget badeværelse ved siden af. Det ville være ideelt, hvis du kunne starte til oktober/november og blive hos os i ca. 1 år.
Vi glæder os til at høre fra dig.
Camilla og Adam Scholten-Dorrell
camilla.scholten@directness.net
Amsterdam Signwriting
July 21, 2008
Painted signage Rijwelstalling, Da Costa buurt Amsterdam
I found these two painted signs a few doors away from each other close to where we live. Note the distinct “iJ” form, and the way it’s just painted over a sign underneath. In a modern world of vinyl lettering, it’s rare to see these careful signwriting these days.
Either they got called away before finishing the phone number, or at the time the exchange was limited to about 100 numbers!
Painted signage Rijwel & Motor, Da Costa buurt Amsterdam
Oscar’s Summer 2008 Video
July 19, 2008
Oscar’s Summer Video. Music: “Still fighting it” by Ben Folds.
Damaged Railion Loco outside Sloterdijk station
It was the sound of high-voltage arcing that first caught my attention, then the white flare of sparks coming from the locomotive’s pantagraph showering along the track. As I continued to cycle under the rail bridge on the Seineweg near Amsterdam Westpoort today at about I thought it sounded like a small flash over, perhaps due to a gap in the catenary, or ice or water on the wire, but dismissed that as it was dry and fine.
Quickly stopping I turned to see the intense white arcing carried was still coming from the top of the loco, getting louder until finally with a loud bang the pantographs pickup exploded in two pieces, splitting down the middle. This broke the contact, and the power to the engine – immediately the brakes went on, and the long string of wagons starting to slow and come to a halt. Scarily, the accident left some cables dangling which brushed against the side of the wagons as they slowed. More sparks could be seen and arcing heard as the live conductors touched the trucks.
The drama, which happened at around 1130 today was all over in seconds. Some other people stopped their cars and one man phoned the railway.
I snapped a photo of the wires dangling down – you can see where the wires supporting the main cable broke, and the lack of support bracket.
The cause of the accident appeared to be a damaged pantograph further down the track, which resulted in the arcing, which eventually resulted in explosion and damage to the overhead lines.
I cycled by about two hours later and there was no sign of activitity at the explosion site, but further down to Sloterdijk I could see some men and equipment out. I saw the loco, and if you look carefully in the photo you can see the wrecked pickup gear on the top of the engine. No trains were running, so I guess it will be a long commute to Haarlem today.
Damage to pantograph and pickup - closeupDamaged Railion Loco outside Sloterdijk station
Overhead line damage
Damage to overhead lines at Seineweg brug, near Sloterdijk
Priceless Customer Comment: “Big Sparkling Wiggle”
July 14, 2008
Of course we keep all customer survey comments encrypted and locked in a vault, but this one was laugh out loud funny. It got picked out by one of our clients as abusive. Which of course it is.
Who's Bubba?
