4 ms·

It appears that it was a chemical storage warehouse, which contained calcium carbide (among other hazardous chemicals). A fire broke out in the warehouse and fi

by bradyd 11y ago

It appears that it was a chemical storage warehouse, which contained calcium carbide (among other hazardous chemicals). A fire broke out in the warehouse and firefighters were fighting the fire with water. When calcium carbide reacts with water it produces acetylene gas, which is highly explosive. http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/14/china-experts-focus-on-chemicals-in-tianjin-explosion.html http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/14/china-experts-focus-on-chemic...

ChuckMcM 11y ago
Great link, I agree with the comment that if the carbide went off it could set off the ammonium nitrate. Basically a really really big car bomb at that point.
jandrese 11y ago
Wow, what a title: "Lei Jinde, the deputy propaganda department head of China's fire department" I hope that's a translation error. Fire Fighters are the last people who should need a propaganda department.
- mikeash 11y ago
  The only difference between a "propaganda department" and a "PR department" is the word used in the title.
- differentView 11y ago
  Some non-English speaking government officials are ignorant to the word's modern meaning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_propaganda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_propaganda
  - dragonwriter 11y ago
    > Some non-English speaking government officials are ignorant to the word's modern meaning. Or, rather, in some parts of the world, the negative connotations (not actual a change in meaning) it developed in some places from popular association with the German use of the term hasn't caught on, so there is no perceived need to replace it with a new word with the same denotation that "propaganda" has had for centuries.
- prewett 11y ago
  Nope. Go to a large Chinese police/tax building and you'll see a sign for the "Propaganda Department". Part of me respects them for being honest about it. I think probably my (engineers in general?) distaste for "marketing" and "public relations" and "spin" is the propaganda (telling you what we want you to think) component that is often there. It sounds nicer if you say PR, and in the US we tend not to be quite so blatantly at odds with the facts, but PR and marketing are often trying to accomplish the same thing. At least the Chinese are honest about what they are doing.
  - hebdo 11y ago
    It is so easy to forget how did the term Public Relations come into wide use. > Due to negative implications surrounding the word propaganda because of its use by the Germans in World War I, he promoted the term "Public Relations". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays#Life_and_influences https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays#Life_and_influe... For more I recommend the BBC documentary "The Century of the Self".
- dredmorbius 11y ago
  "Public Relations" was invented (and named) by Edward Bernays after "propaganda" got a bad name from the German's use of it during the First World War. Otherwise, it's the same thing.
nosuchthing 11y ago
a list of suspected chemicals at the Tianjin warehouse: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/firm-says-tianjin-warehouse-stored-many-hazardous-materials/2015/08/14/a2903d50-4275-11e5-9f53-d1e3ddfd0cda_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/firm-says-...
TD-Linux 11y ago
It also contained a bunch of oxidizers like potassium nitrate. In fact, I was a bit confused because I didn't pick up the calcium carbide -> acetylene generation, and just a huge amount of oxidizers wouldn't cause such an explosion without sufficient fuel.

by bradyd 11y ago

ChuckMcM 11y ago

Great link, I agree with the comment that if the carbide went off it could set off the ammonium nitrate. Basically a really really big car bomb at that point.

jandrese 11y ago

Wow, what a title: "Lei Jinde, the deputy propaganda department head of China's fire department" I hope that's a translation error. Fire Fighters are the last people who should need a propaganda department.

mikeash 11y ago
The only difference between a "propaganda department" and a "PR department" is the word used in the title.
differentView 11y ago
Some non-English speaking government officials are ignorant to the word's modern meaning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_propaganda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_propaganda
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > Some non-English speaking government officials are ignorant to the word's modern meaning. Or, rather, in some parts of the world, the negative connotations (not actual a change in meaning) it developed in some places from popular association with the German use of the term hasn't caught on, so there is no perceived need to replace it with a new word with the same denotation that "propaganda" has had for centuries.
prewett 11y ago
Nope. Go to a large Chinese police/tax building and you'll see a sign for the "Propaganda Department". Part of me respects them for being honest about it. I think probably my (engineers in general?) distaste for "marketing" and "public relations" and "spin" is the propaganda (telling you what we want you to think) component that is often there. It sounds nicer if you say PR, and in the US we tend not to be quite so blatantly at odds with the facts, but PR and marketing are often trying to accomplish the same thing. At least the Chinese are honest about what they are doing.
- hebdo 11y ago
  It is so easy to forget how did the term Public Relations come into wide use. > Due to negative implications surrounding the word propaganda because of its use by the Germans in World War I, he promoted the term "Public Relations". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays#Life_and_influences https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays#Life_and_influe... For more I recommend the BBC documentary "The Century of the Self".
dredmorbius 11y ago
"Public Relations" was invented (and named) by Edward Bernays after "propaganda" got a bad name from the German's use of it during the First World War. Otherwise, it's the same thing.

nosuchthing 11y ago

a list of suspected chemicals at the Tianjin warehouse: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/firm-says-tianjin-warehouse-stored-many-hazardous-materials/2015/08/14/a2903d50-4275-11e5-9f53-d1e3ddfd0cda_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/firm-says-...

TD-Linux 11y ago

It also contained a bunch of oxidizers like potassium nitrate. In fact, I was a bit confused because I didn't pick up the calcium carbide -> acetylene generation, and just a huge amount of oxidizers wouldn't cause such an explosion without sufficient fuel.