On 2/12/2011 10:52 p.m., N wrote:
Me wrote on 12/2/2011 :
On 2/12/2011 7:37 p.m., David J Taylor wrote:
"RichA" wrote in message
...

Oh my GOD! Cameras built in what was a SEWER not long ago!!!

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/12...sumesshipments

I'm sure that all those who depend on work in that area will be wanting
to get back to normal just as soon as possible - they have had a lot to
bear. I am pleased by the news.

So am I.
Having survived a recent natural disaster (but still dealing with the
ongoing hassles which will probably take 25 years to rectify), I could
only hope that the next event happens under RichA's arse, harms
nobody, but give him something else on which to focus his attention.
My city: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/62466002

One of my photos of part of your city:
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o...l/59233890.jpg
from the 25th floor of Grand Chancellor.

The hotel is being "deconstructed" now.
Overall deconstruction of the CBD is scheduled for completion in April.
Provisional rebuild plan is for a 7 story "high rise" limit on new
buildings - there won't be much left above that height. Wouldn't be
much point building anything higher, as after experiencing 7,000 quakes
over the past 15 months or so, I doubt they'd be commercially viable -
not to tenant to locals anyway. The high rises didn't topple, but are
almost all uneconomical to repair even to pre-quake condition, which
retrospectively seems to have been rather inadequate.
Commission of enquiry for building collapses resulting in death is under
way now. Likely result will be revision of building standards,
particularly buildings built to codes applying until the late '80s.
Codes were much the same here as in Japan and California, so code
revision here will probably have ramifications there.
There was massive underestimation of peak ground acceleration impact on
structures from close/shallow quakes, particularly not allowing for
vertical component of shaking. It was a bugger of a way to find out
that they got it wrong.