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       #Post#: 2009--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: guest5
       Date: November 6, 2020, 12:59 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote ---
       > You should find it no less odd to see such building styles in
       San Francisco. Western architecture is as un-American as it is
       un-Chinese.
       --- End Quote ---
       #Post#: 5521--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: April 12, 2021, 4:52 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Las Vegas wants to look more American!
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/las-vegas-pushes-become-first-154922041.html
       --- Quote ---
       > Las Vegas pushes to become first to ban ornamental grass
       > ...
       > Las Vegas-area water officials have spent two decades trying
       to get people to replace thirsty greenery with desert plants,
       and now they're asking the Nevada Legislature to outlaw roughly
       40% of the turf that's left.
       >
       > The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates there are almost
       8 square miles (21 square kilometers) of “nonfunctional turf" in
       the metro area — grass that no one ever walks on or otherwise
       uses in street medians, housing developments and office parks.
       >
       > They say this ornamental grass requires four times as much
       water as drought-tolerant landscaping like cactus and other
       succulents. By ripping it out, they estimate the region can
       reduce annual water consumption by roughly 15% and save about 14
       gallons (53 liters) per person per day.
       --- End Quote ---
       Lawns should never have existed on American soil:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn#History
       --- Quote ---
       > Lawns may have originated as grassed enclosures within early
       medieval settlements used for communal grazing of livestock, as
       distinct from fields reserved for agriculture.
       > ...
       > Lawns became popular with the aristocracy in northern Europe
       from the Middle Ages onward. The early lawns were not always
       distinguishable from pasture fields. The damp climate of
       maritime Western Europe in the north made lawns possible to grow
       and manage. They were not a part of gardens in other regions and
       cultures of the world until contemporary influence.[7]
       > ...
       > Eventually even the grasses of the Great Plains were overrun
       with European species that were more durable to the grazing
       patterns of imported livestock.[12]
       > ...
       > According to study based on satellite observations by Cristina
       Milesi, NASA Earth System Science, its estimates: "More surface
       area in the United States is devoted to lawns than to individual
       irrigated crops such as corn or wheat.... area, covering about
       128,000 square kilometers in all."[24]
       --- End Quote ---
       Western:
  HTML https://thisnzlife.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dreamstime_l_3862740.jpg
       American:
       [img]
  HTML https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Arizona_Cactus_Garden_at_Stanford_University_3.JPG/800px-Arizona_Cactus_Garden_at_Stanford_University_3.JPG[/img]
       #Post#: 5523--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: guest5
       Date: April 12, 2021, 8:33 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Since the last drought in California a lot more front yards
       around here are also looking similar to the last picture.
       California actually pays you to get rid of your lawn.
  HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/27/us/in-drought-ridden-california-the-classic-lawn-loses-ground.html
       #Post#: 6467--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: May 17, 2021, 11:30 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/senegal-architects-ditch-concrete-earth-090707537.html
       --- Quote ---
       > Senegal architects ditch concrete for earth in revival of old
       techniques
       > ...
       > Concrete is inexpensive and used with abandon in Senegal's
       capital, but it is poorly suited to the West African heat. On
       summer days, when temperatures frequently reach 100 degrees
       fahrenheit (38°C), the buildings become furnaces, cooled only
       with blasts of air conditioning.
       >
       > Earth naturally regulates heat and humidity, say the founders
       of Worofila, an architecture firm specializing in bioclimatic
       design.
       >
       > Since 2016, they have been pushing for the material to make a
       comeback. They say it could reduce pollution from cement
       factories and electricity production - and keep people cool.
       >
       > "Before air conditioning, people paid attention to materials
       and orientation for the natural regulation of heat," said
       Worofila co-founder Nzinga Mboup, while workers laid bricks for
       the upper floors of what will be a family home with a pool.
       >
       > "The moment A/C arrived, these considerations went out the
       window."
       > ...
       > Senegal's traditional dwellings were made of mud, but that has
       been abandoned. Dakar's sidewalks today are littered with piles
       of sand and stones that are mixed with cement to make cheap
       building blocks.
       >
       > To make modern earth bricks, workers mix soil with smaller
       amounts of cement and water to create a mixture that they cut
       into blocks, compress with a hand-operated machine and leave to
       dry for 21 days.
       >
       > Unlike concrete, earth bricks require little energy to
       produce. Cement, the main ingredient in concrete, accounts for
       8% of carbon dioxide emissions, according to British think tank
       Chatham House.
       --- End Quote ---
       It goes without saying that Western air conditioning wastes even
       more energy. Here is a good example of how Western civilization,
       instead of recognizing its obvious inferiority, tries to
       compensate with more inferiority.
       For reference:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_concrete
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioning#Environmental_impacts
       #Post#: 9737--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: November 10, 2021, 10:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Signs of hope:
  HTML https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-turning-cities-giant-sponges-005323851.html
       --- Quote ---
       > Conventional [WESTERN!] flood water management often involves
       building pipes or drains to carry away water as swiftly as
       possible, or reinforcing river banks with concrete to ensure
       they do not overflow.
       >
       > But a sponge city does the opposite, seeking instead to soak
       up rainfall and slow down surface run-off.
       >
       > It tries to do it in three areas. The first is at the source,
       where just like a sponge with many holes, a city tries to
       contain water with many ponds.
       >
       > The second is through the flow, where instead of trying to
       channel water away quickly in straight lines, meandering rives
       with vegetation or wetlands slow water down - just like in the
       creek that saved his life.
       >
       > This has the added benefit of creating green spaces, parks and
       animal habitats, and purifying the surface run-off with plants
       removing polluting toxins and nutrients.
       >
       > The third is the sink, where the water empties out to a river,
       lake or sea. Prof Yu advocates relinquishing this land and
       avoiding construction in low-lying areas. "You cannot fight the
       water, you have to let it go," he says.
       --- End Quote ---
       Leaving space for water also means lowering population, which is
       also what we want.
       Related:
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/colonial-era/new-world-raft-design-and-colonialist-response/
       Back to main article:
       --- Quote ---
       > Much of the concept is influenced by ancient farming
       techniques Prof Yu learnt growing up in the eastern coastal
       province of Zhejiang, such as storing rainwater in ponds for
       crops.
       --- End Quote ---
       Related:
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/mythical-world/aryan-hydraulic-empire/
       Back to main article:
       --- Quote ---
       > "The technique that evolved in European countries cannot adapt
       to the monsoon climate. These cities fail because they have been
       colonised by Western culture and copy their infrastructure and
       urban model," he says.
       --- End Quote ---
       Someone gets it!
       --- Quote ---
       > The Zhengzhou flood earlier this year, he says, was a classic
       example. The city had paved over its ponds, so not enough water
       was retained upstream when the rain began.
       >
       > The main river had been channelled into concrete drains,
       causing water flow to speed up "like a flushed toilet", he says.
       Important infrastructure such as hospitals were built on
       low-lying land.
       > ...
       > Using concrete to manage a flood is thus like "drinking poison
       to quench your thirst… it is a short-sighted view," he says.
       --- End Quote ---
       So is using any other aspect of Western civilization to solve
       any other problem. But will enough people see this before it is
       too late?
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/true-left-vs-right/if-western-civilization-does-not-die-soon/
       #Post#: 10221--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: December 21, 2021, 10:47 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Here is a private conversation I had with Zea_mays (italicized)
       about the inferiority of Western engineering:
       Interestingly, a lot of times in rural areas, people will
       inherit an old (Western architectural style) house, but put up a
       mobile home/trailer on the property to live in instead, since
       they can't afford the upkeep on the house, further demonstrating
       the inferiority of Western design.
       Definitely. Don't even get me started about the engineering
       stupidity of radiators, for example:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiator_(heating)
       --- Quote ---
       > The heating radiator was invented by Franz San Galli in 1855,
       a Kingdom of Prussia-born Russian businessman living in St.
       Petersburg.[2][3]
       --- End Quote ---
  HTML https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Brockhaus_and_Efron_Encyclopedic_Dictionary_b43_434-2.jpg/999px-Brockhaus_and_Efron_Encyclopedic_Dictionary_b43_434-2.jpg
  HTML https://www.nrgawareness.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Drawings43.jpg
  HTML https://www.nrgawareness.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Drawings30.jpg
  HTML https://www.nrgawareness.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Drawings67.jpg
       You need metal pipes installed into every room in the house
       (going through floors/ceilings and walls), so that you can't
       heat one room without also to an extent heating all the rooms
       along the path of the pipe to the room you actually want to
       heat, and you are forced to heat the entire room instead of just
       where you are sitting, and when you're not using it for a while
       you have to drain the entire system, and even when you don't
       need heating you still need to fill and drain the system
       periodically to keep it functional, and there are a host of
       things that can go wrong such as air bubbles trapped between two
       bodies of water that you can't get rid of, etc.. But instead of
       realizing the whole thing is a bad idea, Westerners react by
       adding even more **** to the system:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiator_reflector
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleed_screw
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydronic_balancing
       when a simple hot water bottle avoids all these issues in the
       first place, wastes minimal energy/water/production materials,
       and LOOKS FRIENDLIER too!
  HTML https://www.bigw.com.au/medias/sys_master/images/images/hdf/h3b/27297278001182.jpg
       Yet in Western eyes:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_warmer
       --- Quote ---
       > Advantages
       > The first advantage of this radiator is the aesthetic value
       that can help to enrich rooms with a touch of style.
       --- End Quote ---
  HTML https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Ornamental_Radiator_for_Walls_No_163_Plate_16_Pascal_Iron_Works_%281861%29.jpg/973px-Ornamental_Radiator_for_Walls_No_163_Plate_16_Pascal_Iron_Works_%281861%29.jpg[/img]
  HTML https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Screen_and_Box_Coil_Radiator_No_165-166_Plate_17_Pascal_Iron_Works_%281861%29.jpg/774px-Screen_and_Box_Coil_Radiator_No_165-166_Plate_17_Pascal_Iron_Works_%281861%29.jpg
  HTML https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Screen_for_Recess_Radiator_No_168a_Plate_17b_Pascal_Iron_Works_%281861%29.jpg/1024px-Screen_for_Recess_Radiator_No_168a_Plate_17b_Pascal_Iron_Works_%281861%29.jpg
       No, the only advantage of radiators is that they can be used to
       BANG WESTERNERS' HEADS AGAINST.
       Meanwhile, what do Westerners do with hot water bottles?
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_water_bottle_blowing
       --- Quote ---
       > Hot water bottle blowing is the deliberate inflation of a
       hot-water bottle by blowing. Air is breathed into the bottle
       until it stretches beyond its capacity and consequently
       explodes. It is a challenging feat of strength which is included
       in the Guinness World Records.
       --- End Quote ---
       [img]
  HTML https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/MACMILLAM_FORUM_020.JPG/396px-MACMILLAM_FORUM_020.JPG[/img]
       **** barbarians.....)
       ---
       And when there is a single centrally-controlled radiator boiler
       for an entire apartment complex or school building, it often
       gets so hot people have to OPEN THE WINDOWS IN THE WINTER just
       to achieve a tolerable temperature...
       But rightists will still be like: "Why aren't you thanking us
       every day for gifting you with modernity?"
       --- Quote ---
       > Radiator lowers indoor humidity, which may contribute to hair
       loss, however, a humidifier can be used to increase the
       humidity.[6]
       --- End Quote ---
       So again, just keep adding **** to compensate for the problems
       caused by the earlier ****.....
       Also, on a related subject, chimneys need to be in the interior
       of the house, or else so much heat is wasted. Look at the image
       below, heat on three sides of the fireplace is being wasted by
       radiating to the outside, rather than inside!
  HTML https://chimneys.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/chimney-house.jpg
       Another absurdity is that by the fireplace generating a
       convection current upwards, the hot air fleeing through the
       chimney inevitably draws in cold air from outside. So a
       fireplace actually makes most of the house colder.  And the
       Western response, once again, is to add even more **** to
       compensate:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draught_excluder
       #Post#: 10298--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: December 28, 2021, 10:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Another Western domestic heating inferiority:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_blanket
       --- Quote ---
       > An electric blanket is a blanket that contains integrated
       electrical heating wires.
       > ...
       > Old or damaged blankets are a concern of fire safety
       officials, due to the combination of heat, electricity, the
       abundance of flammable bedding material, and a sleeping
       occupant. In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that 5,000
       fires per year are caused by faulty electric blankets,[5] of
       which 99% are believed to have been caused by blankets 10 years
       or older.[6]
       >
       > Electric blankets also present a burn risk to those who cannot
       feel pain, such as those with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or
       who are unable to react to it, such as small children,
       quadriplegics, and the elderly.[7]
       > ...
       > Some scientists have speculated that SLF-EMFs could cause
       cancer through other mechanisms, such as by reducing levels of
       the hormone melatonin[citation needed]. There is some evidence
       that melatonin may suppress the development of certain
       tumors.[8]
       --- End Quote ---
       See also:
  HTML https://trueleft.createaforum.com/true-left-vs-right/western-civilization-is-a-health-hazard/
       #Post#: 10370--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: January 1, 2022, 3:20 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       And then there is this Western inferiority which has totally
       baffled me since childhood:
  HTML https://cdn.initial.com/content/local/in-ini/images/desktop/main_in-initial-hand-dryers-banner.jpg
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_dryer
       --- Quote ---
       > Hand dryers have been popular with industries for their
       apparent economies. According to manufacturers, hand dryers can
       cut costs by as much as 99.5% (for example a company may spend
       $2340.00 per year on paper towels, where as the hand dryer
       expenditure would be as low as $14.00 per year - this will vary
       according to the cost of paper towels and electricity). They
       require very little maintenance compared to paper towels, which
       must be replaced. An added benefit is the removal of the paper
       waste. Hand dryers represent a larger initial investment, so
       those responsible for facility management must do a careful cost
       analysis to determine whether they are cost effective in their
       building. Costs are always relative to the kWh cost that the
       facility is charged by its provider. In the UK, this will
       typically be around 10-12p, the only way to compare costs
       accurately is to work out the rated energy consumption and
       divide it by the number of drys the hand dryer is capable of
       performing back to back in 1 hour, this will give the energy
       consumption per dry. The world's lowest energy hand dryer uses
       just 1 watt-hour per dry and is rated at 0.24 kW.
       > ...
       > Another study shows that whereas the majority of the
       environmental impact of a hand dryer occurs during its use, the
       environmental impact of paper towels is predominantly in the
       material production and manufacturing stages.[5] It is estimated
       that hand dryers use 5% less energy than paper towels in the
       first year, and 20% less over five years.[6]
       --- End Quote ---
       I always dry my hands on my clothes, just like people did in
       ancient times when neither hand dryers nor paper towels existed.
       (Adults kept telling me not to.)
       #Post#: 10372--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: Ganbaru
       Date: January 1, 2022, 5:50 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I'm not sure if this was covered in the older forum, but I'll
       post it anyways:
  HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet
       --- Quote ---
       > A squat toilet also known as Indian toilet (or squatting
       toilet) is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting.
       > ...
       > Squat toilets are used all over the world, but are
       particularly common in some Asian and African nations, as well
       as in some Muslim countries.
       --- End Quote ---
       Appropriate for the current health crisis:
       --- Quote ---
       > Sitting toilets are on the one hand associated with
       development and modernization, and on the other hand with
       reduced hygiene and possible transmission of diseases.
       --- End Quote ---
       Inferiority warning from Japan...
       --- Quote ---
       > Although in Japan it is believed that the squat toilet is
       traditional, the trend in Japan is to move away from squat
       toilets: According to Toto, one of Japan's major toilet
       manufacturers, the production of Western-style toilets increased
       rapidly since 1976.[23] In 2015, only 1% of all toilets produced
       by this company were squat toilets.[23]
       --- End Quote ---
       As usual, non-Western hardware is superior to its Western
       counterparts:
       --- Quote ---
       > Some studies claim that squat toilets are healthier than
       sitting toilets due to more natural position of the body and
       they can potentially reduce the risk of rectal diseases such as
       hemorrhoids and constipation.
       --- End Quote ---
       --- Quote ---
       > Squat toilets are usually easier to clean than sitting toilets
       (pedestals), except that one has to bend down further if the
       squatting pan needs manual scrubbing. They can be cleaned by
       using a mop and hose, together with the rest of the floor space
       in the toilet room or cubicle.
       --- End Quote ---
  HTML https://www.history.com/news/who-invented-the-flush-toilet
       --- Quote ---
       > The first modern flushable toilet was described in 1596 by Sir
       John Harington, an English courtier and the godson of Queen
       Elizabeth I.
       --- End Quote ---
       "Hand dryer"
       These are also especially terrible during winter as they can
       cause the skin to dry up, and of course Westerners will quickly
       suggest using their moisturizers to compensate (another
       environmental and health hazard).
       #Post#: 10439--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Decolonized Housing
   DIR By: guest55
       Date: January 7, 2022, 9:49 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I had always been under the impression that a radiator was at
       least a little more efficient than centralized air systems? I
       actually am a certified air conditioning technician who never
       really worked in the field, but I was trained for it. I am also
       trained in solar thermal heating, which replaces the boiler of a
       radiation system with solar thermal heating methods. In this
       respect, would a radiation system not be ten times more
       efficient than both a centralized air system and and old style
       radiator heating system?
       Lest we also forget that asbestos was often used to seal the
       ducting for centralized air systems back in the day, which when
       it degraded could actually get into the ducts and blow directly
       into the living spaces of the house, another health hazard!
  HTML https://www.energydepot.com/RPUres/library/images/Swaterheater1.jpg
  HTML https://www.solarreviews.com/content/images/blog/post/focus_images/220_220-Passive-Solar-Heating-1200.jpg
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