Monday, October 16, 2006

Shake, Rattle and Roll


THE REBELLIOUS ONE woke this morning to the news that Prop 1-D on the November ballot seeks—in addition to raising $10 billion for schools—to exempt community colleges from compliance with the Field Act. The Field Act was put in place after the 1933 Long Beach quake and requires that all public education classrooms (K-14) comply with higher earthquake standards; higher, presumably, than other public or private institutions, trailers and anything built in the city of Northridge.


Sometimes the universe offers you little moments of serendipity. Sometimes you look over at the stack of papers and curriculum revisions and course equivalency forms stacked six feet high next to your desk and see that, yes, when the Big One hits, you will be crushed to death by the writing of students who cannot distinguished between "their," "there," and "they're." But this, along with, apparently, noticing the hypocrisy of the Schwarzenegger crowd, is what we call irony. To which the front-page story of an earthquake (!) in Hawaii on the same day adds even more. Ah, Monday, Monday.

Apparently the Field Act doesn't currently cover the UCs and the Cal States. Who knew? You're on your own at the four-year universities, folks. Duck and cover. Stand in the doorway. Maybe, block up the hall. Ask our colleagues at Cal State Northridge how they fared during the last temblor.

Who knew?

Yes, we do need billions to fix aging facilities, but...Must one come at the expense of another? Is this what we call compromise?

I know, I know. Rebel Girl wants to live in an ideal world where her workplace is built to strict safety standards. Dream on.

Check out the LA Times' excellent coverage:

School Bond has a Quake Clause

And now, off to class!

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Seismograph image by Yamaguchi
Weblink to the original image: Image:Kinemetrics seismograph.jpg

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

no worries, chunk. it's really all common sense when it comes to earthquakes. for example, stay close to the temporaries you have on your campus. they are the safest place to be when the big one hits. conversely, get away from that new glass behemoth you're now building on campus. that has death trap written all over it. anyhow, good luck. if the earthquakes don't get us the islamist terrorists will continue trying for decades to come.

Rebel Girl said...

Chunk gets all the credit! And he usually deserves it - but this post was mine, buddy.

Anonymous said...

sorry, reb.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Considering the vast number of IVC classrooms and offices that are designated "T" for "temporary" even though they are anything but temporary you shouldn't feel too bad Reb.

The "T" buildings already are exempt from the Field Act.

Okay - maybe you should feel worse.

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