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Cyanide Thunderstorms Feared As Mystery Deepens Around $1.5 Billion Tianjin Explosion

Tyler Durden's picture




 

The story behind the chemical explosion that rocked China’s Tianjin port last Wednesday continues to evolve amid fears that the public could be at risk from the hundreds of tonnes of sodium cyanide stored at the facility.

More specifically, Monday’s heightened concerns were related to the possibility that rain could interact with the water soluble chemical, releasing deadly hydrogen cyanide gas into the air. "First rain expected today or tonight. Avoid ALL contact with skin," a text message purported to have originated at the US Embassy in Beijing read. The Embassy would later deny the message’s authenticity, perhaps at the behest of the Politburo which has kicked off the censorship campaign by shutting down hundreds of social media accounts for "spreading blast rumors."

Despite efforts to preserve order and clamp down on discussion, the anger in China is palpable as citizens demand answers as to how a catastrophe of this magnitude could have happened and as it turns out, not only was Tianjin International Ruihai Logistics storing sodium cyanide in amounts that were orders of magnitude larger than what they were supposed to be storing, but they were apparently doing so without a license. "The company has handled hazardous chemicals during a period without a licence," an unnamed company official said on Tuesday. Apparently, Ruihai received the licenses it needed to handle the chemicals just two months ago, BBC reports, citing Xinhua. 

Meanwhile, it looks as though determining who actually owns Ruihai will be complicated by the fact that in China, it’s not uncommon for front men to hold shares on behalf of a company’s real owners. This is of course an effort to obscure Communist party involvement in some enterprises and as FT reports, "that seems to be the case for Shu Jing and Li Liang, who appear in State Administration of Industry and Commerce records as holding 45 and 55 per cent of Ruihai International Logistics." "Both Mr Shu and Mr Li told Chinese media they were holding their shares on behalf of someone else," FT adds, "but would not say who."

Here’s more from FT:

Licensing to operate a hazardous goods warehouse is not easy to come by, and Ruihai Logistics’ operation seems to have been approved after neighbouring lots had already been auctioned to residential developers.

 

Adding to the speculation, Tianjin’s online corporate registry database was inaccessible for four days after the blasts. When access resumed on Monday, a search for Ruihai Logistics yielded a curious gap.

The company was registered in 2012 but its current legal owners only bought their shares in 2013. The historic list of changes that should have reflected the previous owners did not appear.

 

The records reveal that many Ruihai executives are former employees of Sinochem, the giant state-owned chemicals, fertiliser and iron ore trader that owns the largest hazardous warehouse operation in Tianjin.

You get the idea. And although we’ll likely never know the true extent of the Party’s involvement with the company, local residents are furious, as evidenced by protests near the blast zone on Tuesday morning, which means Beijing must at least pretend to be serious about investigating the incident. In an effort to pacify the country’s censored masses, party mouthpiece The People’s Daily said 10 people, including the head and deputy head of Ruihai had been detained since Thursday. As Reuters reports, Yang Dongliang, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, is also under investigation:

China said on Tuesday it is investigating the head of its work safety regulator who for years allowed companies to operate without a license for dangerous chemicals, days after blasts in a port warehouse storing such material killed 114 people.

 

Yang Dongliang, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, is "currently undergoing investigation" for suspected violations of party discipline and the law, China's anti-graft watchdog said in a statement on its website.

 

The agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, did not say that Yang's behavior was connected to the explosions in the port of Tianjin but the company that operated the chemical warehouse that blew up did not have a license to work with such dangerous materials for more than a year.

While Beijing is busy engineering a smoke screen to appease the locals, thunderstorms are rolling into the area, which, as noted above, is bad news as the hundreds of tons of water soluble sodium cyanide are now exposed to the elements. Here's Xinhua:

Rains are expected to complicate rescue efforts and may spread pollution at the Tianjin port, which was rocked by warehouse blasts last week. China's central meteorological authority has predicted a thunder storm over the blast site, where hundreds of tonnes of toxic cyanide still reside. A chemical weapon specialist at the site told Xinhua that rain water may merge with the scattered chemicals, adding to probability for new explosions and spreading toxins.

On Tuesday, the Tianjin Environment Protection Bureau said it had collected 76 samples from around the blast site. "With regards to the safety levels, in total there are 29 cyanide inspection sites [and] of them, eight exceeded safety levels [with] the largest reading was 28 times over the safety standard," said Bao Jingling, the agency's chief engineer.

Indeed, some have observed what's been described as a "white foam" on the ground. 

And as for the forecast, well, things don't look promising:

Finally, the first estimates of the damage are beginning to trickle in and while we won't know the full extent of the human toll for quite sometime (if ever), Fitch puts the financial impact of the blasts for Chinese insurance companies at between $1-$1.5 billion. For anyone out there who's long (or looking to get short) the Chinese P&C space, here's Deutsche Bank's take:

Based on reported data, PICC was the largest P&C player in Tianjin with 28% market share in 2014, followed by Ping An at 23%, CPIC at 12% and Taiping at 5%. Tianjin is a relatively small market for listed insurers, accounted for 1.2% of 2014 premiums for PICC, 1.8% for Ping An, 1.4% for CPIC and 4.1% for Taiping.

 

We note that it may be too early to assess ultimate losses from this event as it generally takes time for all claims to be filed. However, assuming losses are shared based on their respective market share in Tianjin, we estimate that every Rmb1bn ultimate loss, PICC’s 2015E combined ratio could increase by 12bps, Ping An by 18bps, CPIC by 14bps, and Taiping by 32bps and PICC’s 2015E net profit would decline by 1.6%, Ping An by 0.5%, CPIC by 0.8% and Taiping by 1.2%.

 

We maintain our relatively cautious stance on Chinese P&C insurers as we expect underwriting profitability to be under pressure in the next 6-12 months amidst auto premium deregulation, potential increase in competition from online players and a tougher comp in 2H15E. 

It also looks as though the government could be on the hook for tens of millions of yuan in insurance claims for injuries and deaths. The full Fitch statement is below.

And meanwhile:

Tianjin city sells 376m yuan of 3-yr bonds at 3.38%.

 

China’s Tianjin Sells 1.46b Yuan Special Bonds in Placement.

*  *  *

Full statement from Fitch

The insured losses from a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin on 12 August are likely to be material for Chinese insurance companies, potentially exceeding USD1bn-1.5bn, says Fitch Ratings. The high insurance penetration rate in this area could make the blasts one of the most costly catastrophe claims for the Chinese insurance sector in the last few years. While the incident is still developing, Fitch expects the number of reported insurance claims cases to surge further in the coming few weeks. 

Fitch believes that claims from the blasts are likely to undermine the financial performance of some regional players and those property and casualty insurers with high risk accumulation in the affected areas. That said, it is too early to determine the exact impact that this incident will have on the credit strength of the Chinese insurance sector as a whole. 

According to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, non-life insurance premiums from Tianjin city amounted to CNY11bn (USD1.7bn) in 2014. As such, should insured losses come in at the high end of the initial USD1-1.5bn estimate, they would represent about 88% of total direct premiums written in Tianjin or roughly 5.4% of aggregated shareholder capital for the six most active issuers at end-2014. PICC Property and Casualty Company, Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance Company of China, China Pacific Property Insurance, China Continent Property & Casualty Insurance, Sunshine Property & Casualty Insurance and Taiping General Insurance are the most active insurers in the region, accounting for more than 77% of the non-life segment as measured by direct premiums written. 

Claims from the blasts could be shared with both local and international reinsurers, which could mitigate the direct impact on the Chinese insurance sector. While insurers could recover a portion of their property claims from their reinsurers, their exposure, the amount of retention and the number of reinstatements under the catastrophe reinsurance program are likely to determine the degree of severity to which they are affected. Fitch estimates that the overall risk cession ratios of major non-life players active in the Tianjin region range from 10% to 15%. 

Chinese media have reported that more than 8,000 vehicles were destroyed by the explosions. Claims from motor insurance could impair insurers' margins and capital if their reinsurance protection is marginal and the degree of risk accumulation within the affected region is significant. Aside from motor excess of loss treaties, in which the reinsurers indemnify the ceding companies for losses that exceed a specified limit, it is common for Chinese insurers to use quota share reinsurance treaties to mitigate their solvency strain due to the strong growth in recent years from the motor insurance book of business. 

The majority of claims will come from motor, cargo, liability and property insurance. However, medical and life insurance claims are also likely to be substantial. Victims of death and injuries are covered by a government-supported accident insurance plan for the Tianjin region, in addition to their own medical and life insurance policies. Each injured person who is insured by the government plan can claim compensation of between CNY20,000 and CNY35,000, depending on the extent of injuries while compensation of CNY50,000 will be paid in the event of death. 

 

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Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:23 | 6439103 Hitlery_4_Dictator
Hitlery_4_Dictator's picture

Rod of god.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:33 | 6439136 Secret Treaties
Secret Treaties's picture

Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist (hey, this is ZH), but here’s thought on the cause . . .

http://www.socom.mil/default.aspx , or

https://www.cia.gov/index.html 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:35 | 6439165 booboo
booboo's picture

Head of Information Yank Mi Yang said there are no health issues.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:39 | 6439185 Manthong
Manthong's picture

Gimme  a break..  try 5 billion or more.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:44 | 6439209 pods
pods's picture

This is about clipping corners and general shoddy company behavior.  Why do things like this always have to bring about the nutjobs?

We are talking about China here. From melamine in baby formula, to lead paint in toys, they are the poster boy for anything goes.

So please, all you rod of Godders, did the rod of God start the first fire, or was it activated after the fire was going?  Did it fire once, twice, or three times?

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:53 | 6439231 Save_America1st
Save_America1st's picture

They better send in Jack Burton to find out what's up.  I hear that company is secretly owned by David Lo Pan and The Three Storms...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM6Z3wgMNlY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENqEfNhoo8I

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:21 | 6439357 knukles
knukles's picture

Hey, all due credit and Kudos to the Chinese, for at least "China said on Tuesday it is investigating the head of its work safety regulator who for years allowed companies to operate without a license for dangerous chemicals, days after blasts in a port warehouse storing such material killed 114 people."

If it had been toxic chemicals from a government agency fucking around in an abandoned mine, spilling death and destruction into a beautiful river in the US, or something like that, Washington would blame it on a white conservative Republican Oath Keeper member of the Tea Party, gun loving, Bible owning, hate filled racist, misogynistic decorated military veteran male.

In the meantime, Paul Krugman is having an orgasm, raising his forecast for China's GDP 10 fold to 70%

And now, back to "Who the hell am I called Cait"

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:28 | 6439418 lordylord2
lordylord2's picture

The last scene of Animal House comes to mind. ALL IS WELL!!!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:37 | 6439443 Son of Loki
Son of Loki's picture

I just ordered my Hazmat Cyanide protection gear off Ebay for $9.99 to shipped out of Guangzhou. They even have a life-time guarantee that if the suit doesn't work, full money back guarantee!

 

I'll put it in the closet next to my lead-lined Fuki Radiation protection gear and my Anti-Ebola suit.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:42 | 6439461 BaBaBouy
BaBaBouy's picture

"" Adding to the speculation, Tianjin’s online corporate registry database was inaccessible for four days after the blasts. When access resumed on Monday, a search for Ruihai Logistics yielded a curious gap.

The company was registered in 2012 but its current legal owners only bought their shares in 2013. The historic list of changes that should have reflected the previous owners did not appear. ""

Well... The Chinee have learnes Well From The USA Gatekeepers...

""Classified Info And State Secret"" ...

Just like Hiliries personal Servers...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:47 | 6439480 BaBaBouy
BaBaBouy's picture

"" The company was registered in 2012 but its current legal owners only bought their shares in 2013. The historic list of changes that should have reflected the previous owners did not appear. ""

LOL ... Does ANYBODY? Still beleive that the Chinee (Only) Have @1700 Tonnes Of GOLD ??? Hahahahaha

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:16 | 6439597 jbvtme
jbvtme's picture

"this is the end of living and the beginning of survival".  chief seattle

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:47 | 6439756 dontgoforit
dontgoforit's picture

You would think that the fire and explosion would have 'converted' all the bad stuff into ash.  And let's face it, it's gonna' rain sooner or later.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:42 | 6440662 0b1knob
0b1knob's picture

"Cyanide Thunderstorm" would be a great name for a death metal band....

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:22 | 6440790 Theosebes Goodfellow
Theosebes Goodfellow's picture

~"the largest reading was 28 times over the safety standard," said Bao Jingling, the agency's chief engineer."~

How do you say "YIKES!!!!" in Madarin?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:52 | 6440905 The Blank Stare
The Blank Stare's picture

No worries, this plague will only take the first born child. Long Lambs blood.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 21:49 | 6441925 WordSmith2013
WordSmith2013's picture

Seems like something much bigger happened in Tianjin.

Chinese Rumor: Pentagon Space-based Weapon Caused The Tianjin Explosion To Short-circuit Yuan Devaluation?

http://cosmicconvergence.org/?p=10960

Was The Tianjin Explosion Caused By A U.S. Space Weapon To Stop Yuan Devaluation?

The explosion was too HUGE!!!

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 21:51 | 6441922 hxc
hxc's picture

Not a fan of gubmint standards (or anything at all) but i'll bet you they were fucking low already. 28x mild toxicity is a lot worse than 28x next to zero toxicity.

Wed, 08/19/2015 - 03:14 | 6442670 Paveway IV
Paveway IV's picture

Uh-oh...

NHK: The flash or in Tianjin explosion fire occurred ammonium nitrate

The amount of ammonium nitrate was near the fire place is that was container dozen pieces, more than 200 tons in total. 

In addition, China Central Television of the state-owned, as a story of executives of fire authorities, told from a sample of air taken in the field is entered in this week, with sodium cyanide and nerve gas poison has been detected. Kind of nerve gas is not identified, but the voice that concern the safety of the surrounding scene has risen.

Whut??

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:45 | 6439466 Implied Violins
Implied Violins's picture

Why can't this shit ever happen to crates of, like, LSD? That's an acid rain where I'd gladly walk around naked.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:12 | 6439913 El Oregonian
El Oregonian's picture

1st of 5 incoming Energy waves. 1st one just past, 2nd one will be 1,000,000 times more intense than the 1st. Prepare accordingly.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 15:56 | 6440422 Miffed Microbio...
Miffed Microbiologist's picture

I hope you haven't forgotten to stock up on duct tape. One absolute essential in all disasters.

Miffed;-)

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:05 | 6440480 pods
pods's picture

OMG Miffed that reminded me of one day stopping by an Ace Hardware for some things, and one of them was duct tape.

I was standing in line and a lady behind me was smiling looking at me. She looked at my couple rolls of duct tape and said "you too."

(She had several rolls and some plastic.) 

I got home and laughed when I read the proclamation about how we need to build our own biosafety rooms to protect us.

Modern version of duck and cover. lol.

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:25 | 6440584 Miffed Microbio...
Miffed Microbiologist's picture

During the anthrax scare I had dozens of email from friends all over the country asking me how I was handling my mail. Individually responding was too labor intensive so I wrote up a procedure for a group mailing. One, drop by mailbox on the way home from work. Two, take out mail and toss on passenger seat. Three, when home, take out mail and dump on kitchen counter. Get dinner started. Four, while meal is cooking, go through mail, toss junk mail in trash and place Mr's mail on his office computer's keyboard. Five, throw bills in the "to be paid" bin. Task accomplish.

Two people emailed back asking if I forgot to asterisk each number as a bagging/gloving step.

I stand by my procedure as written. I survived!

Miffed;-)

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:36 | 6440636 TruxtonSpangler
TruxtonSpangler's picture

Remember when we all died of Ebola?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:29 | 6440598 centerline
centerline's picture

Ever try that Gorilla duct tape stuff?  Wow.  A little pricey - but that stuff is incredible. 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 19:15 | 6441223 Debt-Is-Not-Money
Debt-Is-Not-Money's picture

It's great when it is not exposed to the hot sun. The black color gets hot, the glue softens and whatever it is holding together comes apart.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:07 | 6439873 FireBrander
FireBrander's picture

Educate yourself dumbass...the EPA was cleaning up the mess caused by the "free market"...more specifically, Kinross Gold, a Canada-based multinational mining giant...

The EPA HIRED a PRIVATE company to do the work...that PRIVATE company fucked up!...Not the EPA! Sure, maybe there is some oversight blame to fall on the EPA, but when I hire a contractor to dig a hole, and he hits a gas line...IT'S HIS FUCKEN PROBLEM..NOT MINE.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/us/colorado-epa-animas-river-spill-owner/i...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 22:04 | 6440486 Paveway IV
Paveway IV's picture

I can't say I agree with you analogy, FireBrander. The EPA does not hire their brother-in-law's remediation firm and tell them to 'go remediate the mine'. It doesn't work like that. The EPA has one of their 'experts' direct said brother-in-law's remediation outfit backhoe operator to dig out the plug.

I would bet dollars to donuts that the backhoe operator (who is probably a contractor and has no ownership interest) facepalmed when he was told to dig out the plug, looked incredulously at the EPA engineer-bureaucrat for a while and said in his best Sam Kinison voice, "OK... are you absolutely SURE you want me do to that, boss? Remember that inspection pipe you didn't want to put in the plug last year because you didn't think it was necessary? See, that would have been REALLY FUCKING HELPFUL right about now to know what's going on inside the mine before we start randomly digging out the FUCKING PLUG." Smarmy EPA engineer-bureaucrat: "Who's the expert here anyway, asshole? Do what I tell you or you'll be slinging tacos and using EBT cards to feed your family before your God damn shift ends. Dig out that f'king plug - NOW!"

On a side note, I have to point out this quote from the Gold King owner:

Hennis' company took ownership of the Gold King Mine when the previous owners were foreclosed on, and Hennis himself has not done any work on the mine outside of what the EPA has requested.

His goal with owning the mine, he said, is to find a buyer.

That seems to be the primary activity of most gold mine owners: finding a buyer for your mine. Tells you everything you need to know about hard-rock gold mining. My uncle told me this decades ago and I couldn't figure out what he was blabbering on about. Why make it so complicated? You just dig the gold nuggets out of the walls and pile them up in your little mine cart until it's full. Stupid easy and it's like free money!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:33 | 6440843 PTR
PTR's picture

Oh, CNN.  Then it HAS to be accurate.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:56 | 6439249 Bunghole
Bunghole's picture

Had never heard of the Rod of God until the teevee and Hollyweird worshipers here at ZH pointed it out.

 

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:56 | 6439264 pods
pods's picture

That crater was only visible in 1 pic that I saw.  The one displayed on the Rod of God article.  Funny all the other ones missed it.

I am not saying they don't have some type of space weapon.

I am only wondering why it is that everyone jumps through hoops to see things that clearly aren't there.

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:51 | 6439785 Dsyno
Dsyno's picture

pods says: "That crater was only visible in 1 pic that I saw. The one displayed on the Rod of God article. Funny all the other ones missed it."

pods, you just lost credibility. That crater is visible practically everywhere:
http://qz.com/481174/photos-high-res-aerial-images-of-the-tianjin-blast-...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:17 | 6439936 pods
pods's picture

Every pic is the same damn one. That is the pic from the Rod of God article I quickly had to wash from my mind.

It wasn't darkened, it was water filled.  Forgive me for losing my credibility.

Now go ahead and prove it was made by some space launched scalar weapon.  I will look around for my credibility while you do so.

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 15:16 | 6440248 jefferson32
jefferson32's picture

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

I enjoy the "Rod of God" hypothesis. 

But shouldn't we have seen a meteor falling from the sky prior to the explosion if it was a kinetic weapon launched from orbit?

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 15:33 | 6440323 HowdyDoody
HowdyDoody's picture

Lets go the whole hog - rods of god's nanothermite.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:44 | 6440650 Paveway IV
Paveway IV's picture

That's only half-hog.

Israeli-manufactured, solar-powered, low-carbon footprint depleted uranium and nanothermite-doped cobalt-tungsten-nickel Illuminati Rod of God© based on Nibiru technology with a buckey-ball encased ebola payload and a vegan, revenue bond-funded high-energy strained ring and cage nitramine boosted charge rolled on the thigh of a virgin. And (of course) Raytheon's dual-mode GPS/INS laser-guided Paveway IV tail kit featuring gender-neutral high bore offsight capability and a congressional-earmarked ZIRP-powered selective availability anti-spoofing module and nice chrome spinny-rims.

Where's my f'king grant? I can deliver these next Tuesday.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 15:39 | 6440347 813kml
813kml's picture

I'm leaning toward the theory of a blue ice meteor formed by a sewage flush on one of Virgin Galactic's cruise ships.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:31 | 6440837 Implied Violins
Implied Violins's picture

That, or the Hale-Bopp death cult rode in on a comet to top off their cyanide tanks.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:53 | 6439505 clade7
clade7's picture

They shoulda called them "Space Jarts" though...sounds more dangerous...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:11 | 6439581 pods
pods's picture

When I first read it, I thougth Rod of God = Chosen Lightning.

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:18 | 6440547 cro_maat
cro_maat's picture

Rod of God = Diefic Viagra  (comes in a 10 pack and only priced in USSA Fiat)

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:56 | 6439261 Boondocker
Boondocker's picture

I am a nut job and proud of it.....I keep getting proved right too....but I don't see a rod of god on this....maybe in Iran....

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:02 | 6439293 KnuckleDragger-X
KnuckleDragger-X's picture

This is a major port and is very heavy in the chemical export business. Sodium cyanide is nasty stuff, but there are much nastier compounds used in modern industry and we don't know and they aren't saying what other chemicals might be stored in the area.....

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:07 | 6439309 pods
pods's picture

Yep, the NaCN is a lasting problem but not what went boom.

If this was a sneaky subsidiary of a big chem manufacturer, there was probably bulk chems stored there as well.  

And if they had 700T of NaCN, there was probably ungodly amounts of actual explosive materials.  The fact this blew like it did, several times leads me to think it was some type of sealed, bulk container that went up.  

An unbelievable blast though.  Leaves you speechless.

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:35 | 6439438 tenpanhandle
tenpanhandle's picture

Heads are gonna roll.  That container wasn't suppose to blow until it reached Long Beach.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:48 | 6439486 Montani Semper ...
Montani Semper Liberi's picture

For a fascinating inside look at the nearly non-existent Chinese environmental regulations and the corrupt bureaucracy behind them, take a look at the excellent, award winning documentary 'Chai Jing's review: Under the Dome'.

 The film was banned by the Chicoms, but not before getting millions of hits on the mainland. I hope Chai Jing has managed to stay out of prison.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6X2uwlQGQM

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:57 | 6439520 pods
pods's picture

Thanks for the link!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:37 | 6441062 The Blank Stare
The Blank Stare's picture

I second that! Thanks. Banned in China, no surprise there. This is even more maddening since I was up in the hills camping last weekend away from the city lights checking out our wonderful universe. Saw 5 shooting stars, and the little girl says she's never even SEEN a star before. Reminds me of 2112.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:57 | 6439517 Lugnut
Lugnut's picture

+1 Putin could have a bad case of gas from lunch, and 3 people here will post articles showing that it was a CIA covert op. 'If only you knew what was really going on, man!'. Cripes

If ever there was a situation that defined Occams Razor its China's lax regulatory oversight biting in the ass big time. Surprised this doesnt happen more often actually.

And queue the insurers of all the neighboring properties all making a mad rush to file subrogation claims for  their losses against Ruihai's GL and Umbrella carriers. If they didnt even have licensing until recently, wouldnt be surprised if they dont have an Umbrella policy either, just the pocket the $10K; thats how shady folks roll.

I'd wager that probably a lot of these places were underinsured (Property) against actual value, and are going to be eating a lot of this loss out of pocket. Expect a lot of empty warehouse space if/when this gets rebuilt,

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 22:01 | 6442004 hxc
hxc's picture

Yes, because no group of people has ever colluded to commit a crime and then covered it up.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:39 | 6439711 MsCreant
MsCreant's picture

If you believe in God, then hypothetically, his rod, could have indeed started the very first fire. It's a big bang thing. Guess it just depends on where you think the "start" is...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:28 | 6440000 pods
pods's picture

I think it started with some Chinaman wondering where to put all the excess capacity that was backing up and not being shippped.

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 20:06 | 6441475 MsCreant
MsCreant's picture

That really does sum it up well. Nothing more needs to be said about it. How much more of that is going on elsewhere in China is the next question, is it not?

I was being pornographic about God and his rod, the big bang, the conception of the world, etc.. The name invites it to happen.

Meanwhile, I now know about kinetic weapons and the concept is interesting. I am cool with speculation, I like having my mind bent. Feels healthy.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:32 | 6441045 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

Oh no.  Scientists have proven, empirically, that rocks and gasses got together and created life out of the void.  In fact, they've proven that rocks and gasses made themselves out of the void too.  Much ado about nothing or somesuch nonsense.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 22:07 | 6442031 hxc
hxc's picture

You forgot the part about the keynesian multiplier creating material wealth out of absolutely nothing

 

Actually i think that was the origin of the universe

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 15:36 | 6440334 ebear
ebear's picture

"Why do things like this always have to bring about the nutjobs?"

Limited intellectual capacity combined with unlimited communications technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gutenberg_Galaxy

The first step on the road to comprehensive awareness is to ask yourself: why do *I* believe the things I believe. If you can cross that bridge, then the question "why do others believe the things they believe is much easier to answer.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:36 | 6441056 bunzbunzbunz
bunzbunzbunz's picture

Smartest thing ever said on ZH^

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 19:24 | 6441267 Debt-Is-Not-Money
Debt-Is-Not-Money's picture

"why do others believe the things they believe is much easier to answer.

Common Core,

National "News" media,

Unlimited control groups - Religious, political, PC, Books, Internet etc.

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 15:14 | 6439963 Manthong
Manthong's picture

 

 

You can barely build a couple of runways and a control tower in Chicago for a lousy billion and a half dollars.

It ain't THAT much cheaper in China anymore.

Maybe you could replace the facilities and lost inventory for a couple of 2 or 3 billion..

My initial reaction was for the total cost of the event including liability.

Recall that Silverstien got about 4 Billion for just a few asbestos-laden buildings.

Wed, 08/19/2015 - 00:13 | 6442408 Buck Johnson
Buck Johnson's picture

I agree at least 5 billion.

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:41 | 6439194 Buckaroo Banzai
Buckaroo Banzai's picture

Aside from "Lucky Larry" Silverstein, this has to be shaping up as one of the worlds single largest insurance payouts.

Remember that a Chinese businessman or communist party official will sell out their own grandmother for a buck. Given how difficult it is to pin down exactly who will be benefitting from this sudden mountain of cash only makes it more suspicious.

Just sayin'.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:52 | 6439241 XitSam
XitSam's picture

Krugman is wetting his pants. And it didn't even take a war or alien invasion.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:20 | 6439377 Colonel Klink
Colonel Klink's picture

Krugman jizzed in his pants, and Silvertein too.  Lots of bloken windows, and a Jewish rightning payout!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:03 | 6439299 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

"Remember that a Chinese businessman or communist party official will sell out their own grandmother for a buck."

Gee, just like it is on this side of the ocean.  There's a lesson here.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:35 | 6439697 Beowulf55
Beowulf55's picture

Well at least we know what a human life is worth:  $7,819.99 USD at curret exchange rates..........

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:08 | 6439893 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

Cheaper in India, just ask Union Carbide.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:56 | 6440157 firstdivision
firstdivision's picture

...that Ayn Rand worshipers are selfish assholes that destroy others lives (including their own children) so that they can brag about their new Ferrari?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 22:11 | 6442048 hxc
hxc's picture

Yes, because everyone that dislikes being a fucking slave to the state is a randian... and thus a selfish asshole.

 

But faggots like you that are okay with systemic, officialized theft, murder, kidnapping, etc. are moral puritans. Give me a fucking break.

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:59 | 6439524 Cheduba
Cheduba's picture

Maybe a desperate case of self arson to collect insurance claims on all that inventory lying around that couldn't be sold?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:07 | 6439563 Lugnut
Lugnut's picture

Once the payouts hit, expect another conga line of waelthy party officials emigrating to the US. I think Canada cancelled their 'wealthy investor immigrant' program a while back, no? I guess they got their fill of ex-ChiCom officials driving up real estate prices in Toronto.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:20 | 6441013 DIgnified
DIgnified's picture

Isn't Australia's still going? 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:49 | 6440891 gafgroocK
gafgroocK's picture

Head of Information Yank Mi Yang said there are no health issues.

 

Especially after a bullet behind the Ear is Administered to the "owners" in a purge of local Communist Party Officials who own the the shares

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 15:02 | 6440186 claytonmoore50
claytonmoore50's picture

Why in the world would they need so much sodium cyanide? I know China is a big gold mining country, but...

Wed, 08/19/2015 - 01:39 | 6442567 StychoKiller
StychoKiller's picture

Cyanide compounds are also used in plastics manufacturing.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:30 | 6439139 agstacks
agstacks's picture

And then HAARP to bring in the rain, right?

/s

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:30 | 6439141 Bangin7GramRocks
Bangin7GramRocks's picture

Hey! Rod of God was my name during my gay Catholic porn career in the early 80's!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:36 | 6439173 booboo
booboo's picture

Mine was "The Human Tripod"

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:48 | 6439224 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Mine was "Is it in?"

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:50 | 6439229 nopalito
nopalito's picture

Why? Because it was always pointing down?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:18 | 6439362 SSRI Junkie
SSRI Junkie's picture

^ all of the above +100 lol

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:41 | 6439456 swmnguy
swmnguy's picture

Comes in handy for finding water, if you need to drill a new well.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:08 | 6439887 dontgoforit
dontgoforit's picture

Definition of a retarded, gay lumberjack: a guy who sits on Pinnochio's face and tells lies.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:08 | 6440975 MSimon
MSimon's picture

Comes in handy for finding water,

 

Dowsing ROD.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:38 | 6439182 OrangeJews
OrangeJews's picture

I understand this but really?  I would think China would make a global spectacle of this if it were.  My take:  Someone fucked up, firefighters came to fix it but then blew the fucking lid off the place not knowing it was a storage facility for Sodium Cyanide.  Shit happens.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:03 | 6439297 pods
pods's picture

The cyanide might be the big problem now, but that wasn't what blew.

My guess is that they also were a "bit" overloaded on other materials at the place.

If they had 700 tons of NaCN and were allowed 24, my guess is they might have had a bunch more stuff of an unstable nature.

But, this is China so we will probably get little information to get to the root causes, unlike the Rocket fuel plant here in the US.

pods

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:26 | 6439648 BlindMonkey
BlindMonkey's picture

Aboput the only thing I am comfortable ruling out is the "Rod of God" theory.  

 

Unless you believe that the operators of the Rod were clever enough to start a fire first and then launch the big boom.  

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:02 | 6440456 pcrs
pcrs's picture

You would at least expect a test somewhere, to calibrate the targeting.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:37 | 6440638 enforcer92677
enforcer92677's picture

Kinetic impact weapon test successful.  Our client has already sent word of their approval with the results.

 

Dispatch media team with standard cover story.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:10 | 6440750 Bunghole
Bunghole's picture

You would expect a KE weapon traveling through the Earth's atmosphere to glow like a meteor, or do they have a cloaking device to hide those visuals too?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 17:28 | 6440756 SHRAGS
SHRAGS's picture

.You would at least expect a test somewhere, to calibrate the targeting.

 

How much publicity was there for the Manhattan project & the first nuclear explosion at Los Alamos ?    Not saying this was a Rod attack, just don't expect any public announcement prior to deployment if & when it is successfully weaponised.  There is plenty of remote ocean areas to allow testing of this type of weapon.

 

Track down the 1981 BBC series Oppenheimer, its available as a torrent here: http://kickasstorrent.one/oppenheimer-bbc-seven-part-mini-series-t749777.html  The portrayal of Edward Teller and his determination  to build "The Super" [Hydrogen] bomb both during & after WWII is most instructive.  Especially, once the penny dropped that it was  1000 x the destructive capability of the first generation devices.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:12 | 6440986 MSimon
MSimon's picture

The destructiveness of a bomb goes up as the cube root of its explosive power.

 

So a 1,000 times more powerful bomb is 10X as destructive.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:12 | 6439583 drendebe10
drendebe10's picture

... too bad it's not floating over the place where all the elected and reelected corrupt bought off rulling career political eilte miedras are in dc..... fukem...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:19 | 6439612 Fukushima Fricassee
Fukushima Fricassee's picture

Obama's pet name for Reggie.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:01 | 6440454 83_vf_1100_c
83_vf_1100_c's picture

  My inner techno geek conspiracist wants to believe "Rod of God". How cool is that, throwing tungsten rocks at your enemies from space? It would be a fair payback for all that hacking they do. Chemistry has always been a weak point in my education but it explains what happened quite well.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 16:14 | 6440522 mt paul
mt paul's picture

mmmmmmm

 

Peking Duck with

 

Cyanide Thunder sauce

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:27 | 6439118 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

So now something will happen "by accident" to a American industrial city.

Let's see... where are America's cities with big industrial plants... .... ....

DON'T WORRY!! IT SEEMS AMERICA IS SAFE!!!

thank god for Obama or America could have been in serious trouble...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:38 | 6439183 BandGap
BandGap's picture

If it is atmospheric sodium cyanide it would kill more than people. They need to have a few canaries around.

Sodium cyanide is not explosive, either. And whatever went off, that is a huge blast yield to leave behind that crater.

Something isn't quite right here. 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:44 | 6439743 Dsyno
Dsyno's picture

What crater? pods says there is no crater.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:30 | 6440010 RichardParker
RichardParker's picture

True, NaCN is not explosive.  However, if it comes into contact with NaClO (bleach) at room temp. the reaction is very violent.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:41 | 6439190 FireBrander
FireBrander's picture

"China said on Tuesday it is investigating the head of its work safety regulator who for years allowed companies to operate without a license for dangerous chemicals"

DEREGULATION FAILS AGAIN!

Or, in this case, FAILURE TO ENFORCE GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS!

The good news is that, unlike the USA, China will probably execute the CEO responsible for this...in the USA, he'd be jumpin with his golden parachute into a comfy "break from work" until he could find his next gig.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:47 | 6439212 Buckaroo Banzai
Buckaroo Banzai's picture

Government regulations exist to punish the politically unconnected, reward the politically connected, and create an illusion of public safety.

Anybody who thinks otherwise is delusional.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:53 | 6439253 youngman
youngman's picture

It took me one year and a half to get my boat license in Colombia....it could have been done in 10 minutes....

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:21 | 6439623 Fukushima Fricassee
Fukushima Fricassee's picture

District of Columbia?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:46 | 6439217 Crazy Canuck
Crazy Canuck's picture

Yep - that Mr. Shu and Mr. Li are dead men walking - the state is going to need some convienient (and soon to be dead) scapegoats.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:49 | 6439766 MsCreant
MsCreant's picture

If they "died" in the fire, would they be scrapegoats?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:00 | 6439280 J Jason Djfmam
J Jason Djfmam's picture

"Heckuva Job Brownie!"

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:27 | 6439120 Big Corked Boots
Big Corked Boots's picture

Fifty thousand yuan in case of death.

Life really is cheap in China.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:29 | 6439132 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

You even get a discount if it's only a woman who gets killed!

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:28 | 6439127 ssp2s
ssp2s's picture

China will just print money to cover the insurance claims.  If they only had been smart enough to hoard gold to back up all of that printing...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:36 | 6439170 FireBrander
FireBrander's picture

Sodium cyanide's primary industrial use is in Gold Mining...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:17 | 6439360 ssp2s
ssp2s's picture

So win-win

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:05 | 6439556 ali-ali-al-qomfri
ali-ali-al-qomfri's picture

very interesting,....

how much is normally used per ton?

is this a significant amount?

could it be a way of slowing/hobbling a supply line on porpoise?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:28 | 6439130 European American
European American's picture

Call me crazy, but I'm concerned about what the Jet Stream brings with it, living here in the Pacific NW, but then again, I was/am concerned about Fukushima.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:31 | 6439144 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

don't worry... the gluten in your pizza will kill you first!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:15 | 6439349 European American
European American's picture

Oh really? 

Wind is blowing China's air pollution 'straight across' to the US West Coast

http://www.businessinsider.com/china-pollution-is-causing-high-ozone-in-the-us-2015-8#ixzz3jBRQq57q

 


Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:32 | 6439643 Fukushima Fricassee
Fukushima Fricassee's picture

You best be moving your ass out , if you are not glowing in the dark already you fucking sure will be.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:28 | 6439131 Wahooo
Wahooo's picture

Soon we'll be seeding the clouds over Syria with this stuff. Carry on MICs.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:29 | 6439134 Hugh G Rection
Hugh G Rection's picture

Does Larry Silverstein own the lease on that chemical warehouse?

 

A Jewish businessman is discussing his new venture with his Rabbi.  The Rabbi tells him, "Shlomo, be sure to buy flood insurance, fire insurance and theft insurance."

 

Shlomo shoots him a puzzled look and asks... "Rabbi, how the hell do I start a flood???"

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:30 | 6439138 1stepcloser
1stepcloser's picture

Oh no, not the white foam.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saC13RJ8CUs

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:31 | 6439145 asteroids
asteroids's picture

Toxic rain is really bullshit. It's all dispersed by now. I eagerly await real experts to tell us what was actually stored there to give off such an energetic release. Fucking scary video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_nnZntSYjo#t=67

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:37 | 6439424 freewolf7
freewolf7's picture

Sometimes I feel like the guy filming the explosions. Should I keep reading articles about the collapse, or just get ready for the aftermath? Yes.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:01 | 6439537 Secret Weapon
Secret Weapon's picture

I think the answer to what caused the explosion will be found in analyzing the burning "streamers" that are being thrown up and out. 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:33 | 6439155 youngman
youngman's picture

Corruption at its best....just shows how engrained it is in China....

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:41 | 6439189 medium giraffe
medium giraffe's picture

Just as engrained as everywhere else.

I love the smell of almonds in the morning.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:33 | 6439158 Yen Cross
Yen Cross's picture

  That's nasty stuff.

Sodium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCN. It is a white, water-soluble solid. Cyanide has a high affinity for metals, which leads to the high toxicity of this salt. Its main application, in gold mining, also exploits its high reactivity toward metals. When it is treated with acid, it forms the toxic gas hydrogen cyanide:

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:35 | 6439168 youngman
youngman's picture

But hey..this beats the EPA mine water release......cool video too...kaboom

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:42 | 6439197 Son of Loki
Son of Loki's picture

... but at least those EPA were thrown into jail, right? Alongside the other criminals, Corzine, Reed, Pelosi, Barney, and so on....

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:12 | 6439310 FireBrander
FireBrander's picture

EPA was cleaning up the MESS LEFT BY "FREE MARKET CAPITALISM"...

PRIVATE PROFITS, SOCIAL LOSSES....The Capitalists got the gold out of that mine...the taxpayers got the bill for cleaning it up.

EPA didn't "screw up"...the PRIVATE COMPANY THEY HIRED TO DO THE WORK fucked up and tapped the mines waste water.

EPA has a LONG history of successfully cleaning up the messes of PRIVATE ENTERPRISE...of course that record will be ignored in favor of this one disaster....that was, to repeat, caused by a PRIVATE COMPANIES FUCKUP!

Even more...Kinross Gold, a Canada-based multinational mining giant is the true villian here...

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/us/colorado-epa-animas-river-spill-owner/i...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:58 | 6439497 tenpanhandle
tenpanhandle's picture

Mine water was contained behind plug until EPA stuck there incompetent fingers into it.  Spare me your response about leakage through groundwater channels.  The huge metallic sulfide bodies that were naturely there were also oxidizing and leaking there toxic constituants into the same water channels.   Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge mining is a destructive business, but so is everything else that mankind does to live.

 

I apologize if you ride a bike or horse to work instead of a car and eat your own grown organic sustainably produced food.

 

By the way, how are the bennies, there at the EPA.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:41 | 6440059 FireBrander
FireBrander's picture

A billion gallons of toxic water, what water?, where? behind a dirt plug, oh, well, how's that a problem? Just ignore it and all will be well.

Typical Right-wing moron...IGNORE PROBLEMS caused by the "free market" until they reach cataclysmic proportions, then claim "didn't see that coming".

The EPA's job is to identify, halt, and reverse the DAMAGE done, mostly, by private enterprise...THE EPA IS A CORPORATE WELFARE AGENCY....private business gets the profits, the EPA, you dumbass, gets' the cleanup bill.

The EPA didn't just go in an unplug the hole. They have been developing a plan to deal with the problem for years...the problem grew bigger in a short amount of...the PRIVATE CONTRACTOR popped the plug thinking a little bit of water would pour out as that is what the engineers had predicted...they were correct at the time the study was done...but not correct when the site was tapped.

This is a private enterprise fail...the EPA's role is to HIRE private businesses to the do the work...the EPA does NOT do the work...More corporate welfare and even if your most RightwingNutjob fantasy candidate ever became president, the EPA budget would not be cut...because the bulk of every dollar pumped into the EPA goes straight into Corporate Americas pockets.

 

Wed, 08/19/2015 - 04:31 | 6442721 dreadnaught
dreadnaught's picture

the EPA, using other peoples money, cleans up after the Industrialists strip mine the land-they dont give a shit and count on this happening

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:38 | 6439181 Son of Captain Nemo
Son of Captain Nemo's picture

Meanwhile, it looks as though determining who actually owns Ruihai will be complicated by the fact that in China, it’s not uncommon for front men to hold shares on behalf of a company’s real owners. This is of course an effort to obscure Communist party involvement in some enterprises and as FT reports, 

No Western banks don't resort to such measures when they want to hide "stuff"...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:39 | 6439184 847328_3527
847328_3527's picture

Corruption so thick you can cut it with a knife. I can't blame the people for being furious.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:53 | 6439510 tenpanhandle
tenpanhandle's picture

The air's that thick also.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:02 | 6439853 SmallerGovNow2
SmallerGovNow2's picture

Yes it is, but about half as thick as it is in Washington DC...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:40 | 6439187 rosiescenario
rosiescenario's picture

I think I might hold off on visiting Walmart for a few months........bound to be contaminated goods making their way over here.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:15 | 6439351 slyhill
slyhill's picture

"a few months" ?

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 12:25 | 6439398 pupdog1
pupdog1's picture

"... hundreds of tonnes of sodium cyanide stored at the facility."

 

This is what the toymakers use now.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:41 | 6439196 Joe A
Joe A's picture

Well, angry local residents can be dealt with by not stopping the rain. I bet all these insurance policies in China do not include "government induced death".

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:42 | 6439198 Infinite QE
Infinite QE's picture

"the fact that in China, it’s not uncommon for front men to hold shares on behalf of a company’s real owners."

Yes, most live in Tel Aviv.

Research the jews behind mao for more info.


Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:43 | 6439200 Dr. Engali
Dr. Engali's picture

Wow, all those gubbermint regulations and red tape really worked well to protect the people. What they need are moar regulations to make sure the previous regulations do what  they were meant to do.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:18 | 6439609 Winston Smith 2009
Winston Smith 2009's picture

SOME regulations are a very good idea. Trouble is, they need to be ENFORCED to be of any usefulness. I can imagine that they aren't in China even for those few safety regs they probably have. The place is well known to be corrupt as hell.

In the US, it's the financial regs that are not enforced as readers here know very well. That way, the only things that would typically blow up (markets and economy) are paid for with direct and stealth transfer of public money. Vewy cwever...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:59 | 6439832 FireBrander
FireBrander's picture

..and why aren't regulations enforced? Concentrated wealth! If you have enough money, you can "buy down" enforcement of the rules against yourself...Capitalism Kills...much more than Socialism...

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:21 | 6441016 MSimon
MSimon's picture

If you have enoug regulations anything but selective enforcement is impossible.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 13:54 | 6439807 FireBrander
FireBrander's picture

Just like our "illegal immigration" problem...we don't need more laws...we need to enforce the laws...well, we do need one more law...a stiff jail sentence for the CEO of the company found guilty of hiring illegals...notice Trumps not "for" that; even though it's a quick, easy, and effective way to dramatically scale back the draw of coming to the USA illegally.

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 11:45 | 6439211 Son of Captain Nemo
Son of Captain Nemo's picture

...not only was Tianjin International Ruihai Logistics storing sodium cyanide in amounts that were orders of magnitude larger than what they were supposed to be storing, but they were apparently doing so without a license. 

In the immortal words of Hugo Chavez "I smell something that isn't sodium cyanide but Zionist Sulpher"!...

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