Jul 29 2011
No money for infrastructure? Get ready to crumble!
July 28: Ed Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania, talks with TRMS guest host Melissa Harris-Perry about the litany of benefits that would come with more investment in US infrastructure and the certain disaster if Republicans succeed in slashing government spending.
Not only infrastructure but add in alternative energy and new needed grid needs for.
Oct 18 2010
Most people never give concrete a second thought. This is a mistake. Concrete is one of the most versatile and widely used building materials known, and it has been known for a long time. Concrete like materials have been unearthed in ancient Egypt, and the Romans made extensive use of it. Concrete structures over 2000 years old are still in use today.
Roman concrete is very different than modern concrete, and it did not weather well. Thus, Roman structures were often faced with stone or brick to increase durability. This defect has been overcome with modern materials and production techniques.
Nov 17 2009
We strive to be, if anything, a participatory space around here, and I’ve had a question come to my inbox that is very much deserving of our attention.
To make a long story short, our questioner wants to know why, on the one hand, despite the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, also known as the “stimulus”), unemployment in the construction industry continues to increase, and, on the other hand, why there is such a giant disparity, on a state-by-state basis, in the cost of saving a job?
They’re great questions, and, having done a bit of research, I think I have some cogent answers.
May 15 2008
On Monday, Fu Guanyu dropped off her young son, Wang Zhilu, at his grandparents’ house so she could go to work. Minutes later, the earthquake hit.
She rushed back home and saw their apartment building in ruins. She says soldiers came right away to help, but they had no equipment.
Two days later, the heavy machinery is on the way. As an excavator clears a path, Fu and her husband Wei Wang search the debris, calling for their son.
After a long while, the workers stop. They have found bodies.
link: http://www.npr.org/templates/s…
The NPR story concludes, tragically, with the rescue worker informing the parents that three bodies were found: the grandfather, holding his two year old grandson in his arms with his wife clutching his back.