Cuz We Said So

A fine example of special interests costing us money

I came across a news story on the National Association of Home Builders’ 2009 International Residential Code meeting that is worth sharing. It seems a bit esoteric, but here is why you should care: This is the code that determines what is required to by in new homes. In this case, it’s going start requiring that you pay for the installation (and subsequent maintenance) of a fire SPRINKLER system.

Now, it irritates me that if I buy a new house, I’ll be footing the bill for something like that, but that’s not what really gets my goat. What just gets under my skin is this:

The sudden — and controversial — arrival on Saturday of 900 fire officials eligible to vote at the International Code Council's final action hearings in Minneapolis swelled the number of sprinkler proponents and the measure was approved by a vote of 1,283 to 470 on Sunday morning.    

About 1,200 voting devices were turned in immediately after the residential fire sprinkler mandate was approved, suggesting that most of the proponents left immediately after the vote was taken.

….

The residential fire sprinkler mandates will provide a sizable financial boon for the fire sprinkler manufacturing industry, which, like NAHB, helped provide funding for building officials to attend the hearings.

In 2005, when there were about 1.65 million new homes constructed at an average 2,340 square feet, sprinkler manufacturers would have reaped about $5.8 billion in revenue, based on average sprinkler costs of $1.50 per square foot, had the sprinkler requirement been in effect.

NAHB had identified several concerns over residential fire sprinkler systems — among them, questioning whether most home owners are prepared to perform the maintenance required to ensure that the sprinklers remain operational.

Builders also cited the potential for pipes installed in attics to freeze in colder climates and they said that the sprinklers can be discharged accidentally, with damaging results. In areas served by wells or where water is scarce, the availability of an adequate water supply is another possible problem.

NAHB pointed to several existing code requirements that have contributed to a significant decline in fire-related deaths and injuries over the past 30 years.

Special interest anyone? 

For the full text: http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/nws_ind_nws_cods_regs/article/0,2624,HPRO_26520_5938189,00.html?nl=HGPro_v185p_top5_fire

Retro Cruise Posting

We didn’t do a lot of posting around here while we were on the cruise… it’s weird how all of that Mediterranean sun, surf, and culture did nothing to inspire us to lock ourselves in our cabin and write blogs posts… but I did keep a diary for most of the trip, and as time permits, I’m going back and posting notes to the dates I wrote them.  Right now I have only through Day 1 up,. but they’ll all appear in the Med 2008 category, eventually.

2008 Blockbuster 16 "Babylon A.D."

Oh, Summer of '08, we hardly knew ye. And now we have to say a somewhat fond farewell. And what better way to do that than with a big sci-fi actioner starring everyone's favorite mumbler, Vin Diesel.

Okay, so, there was all kinds of static on the internet about how the studio hated the film, how Diesel hated the film, how the director hated the film. It was set up to fail. Now, I'm not saying it didn't deserve to fail, but it certainly didn't deserve THIS much vitriol. The first two acts, wherein we get a feel for this slightly dingy, slightly overcrowded world, and we meet the down-on-his-luck Toorop (Diesel), and we see him take on the mission of transporting the mysterious Aurora to New York... All of that is pretty nifty. Sort of "The Fifth Element" through a lens of "Children of Men".

Yeah, the third act introduces a strange and fairly annoying explanation of why Aurora is so important. I'll give them credit for making it an unexpected marriage of high-tech and religion... but neither is really all that believable. The biggest problem is that the film loses focus and sort of sputters to a headscratcher of a conclusion.

I'd almost rather hate the film than have it leave such a taste of ambivalence in my mouth.

La Mercè

Cruise Day 11: Barcelona Revisited

Cruise Day 10: At Sea

Cruise Day 8: Gibraltar

Cruise Day 7: At Sea

Cruise Day 4: Rome

Our visit to Italy’s largest and most populous city was a busy one, and themed: it was designed as a tour of locations that figure prominently in the plot of the Dan Brown novel Angels and Demons., with a smattering of other sites sprinkled in for good measure.  Our trip took us to the site of each of the “altars of Science” that appear in the book—the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria, the Piazza Navona, arriving finally in the Vatican City at Saint Peter's Square and Saint Peter’s Basilica.  We also visited the Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon, and Castel Sant'Angelo.

So what to say about Rome?  For those like me who are inspired by the sense of history, it’s like an amusement park, with one extraordinary sight after another.  Many of the ancient buildings you visit that would be impressive if built today become awe-inspiring when you consider they were built in the distant past.  I spend twenty minutes walking around inside Saint Peter’s Basilica, marveling at the sheer scope of the place.  Completed nearly four hundred years ago, it took 120 years to build.  Photographs don’t do it justice.  Smaller but no less astonishing was the Pantheon, the oldest standing domed structure in Rome—and after 19 centuries, surely one of the oldest structures on the planet.  Each of the places we visited was a work of art in its own way.  For all of this, it was clear we were just scratching the surface.  Rome is definitely a place that demands a longer visit.

Lunch today, by the way, was very good.  We were a bit apprehensive at first, because from the description, it sounded like would be a rerun of yesterday’s disappointing experience.  The similarity was only on paper, however—the lasagna and roast were reportedly delicious, and they provided a vegetarian option for me, which included a delicious pasta dish—capellini, perhaps, with garlic and herbs?—and a salad that wildly exceeded my expectations.  (Actually, I’m very easy when it comes down to it: put feta on something, and I’ll cheerfully eat it.)

Day 3: Florence and Pisa

Our travels today took us across Tuscany, as we disembarked at the port of Livorno and traveled by coach to the cities of Florence and Pisa. 

In Florence we took a walking tour of the city, visiting the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Ponte Vecchio across the River Arno, and admiring artwork and architecture dating from the city’s time as the cultural center of Renaissance.

Lunch at the Hotel Jolly was a bit uninspiring, to be honest.  The lasagna was okay, but the roast—not my preference to begin with—was laden with gristle.  Russell summarized: “mediocre.”  

Early afternoon saw us off to Pisa.  Approaching the city we saw mostly farmland; I was surprised how rural it was until you get close in to the city center.  We arrived at our destination around a quarter to three, a staging area for busses just a short walk from the focus of our visit, the Piazza dei Miracoli. 

There we saw the famous Leaning Tower, which of course everyone knows about, and also the Pisa Cathedral and its Baptistry, of which I, at least, was far less aware. 

Taking it all in, I was struck by the strange contrast, seeing such ancient building of renown nestled up against the suburban housing and office parks.  Perhaps it comes from growing up in North America, a continent where a building over than a hundred years old is remarkable, but I’ve always been fascinated by old buildings, and the epic efforts that went into building them in the days before steel and modern technology.  I found myself wishing we could see these buildings as they appeared when they were new.

(Pisa photo by Rip)