Comments on: Photos of USA in the early 1970s http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:20:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: firefly the great http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1281491 firefly the great Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1281491 You can still find a cooling tower like that in downtown Michigan City (coal also), with homes and businesses just as close. You can still find a cooling tower like that in downtown Michigan City (coal also), with homes and businesses just as close.

]]> By: postjosh http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1281011 postjosh Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1281011 wow! #7 shows my apartment building being constructed! what appears to be a bombed out lot is currently the tribeca home of citibank. the brick buildings on the left are the fancy lofts and restaurants of greenwich street. wow! #7 shows my apartment building being constructed! what appears to be a bombed out lot is currently the tribeca home of citibank. the brick buildings on the left are the fancy lofts and restaurants of greenwich street.

]]> By: misadventures213 http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280847 misadventures213 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280847 I can hear the Philip Glass score already... I can hear the Philip Glass score already…

]]> By: origilla http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280777 origilla Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:57:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280777 Same with Denver.  The main thing that sticks out is the lack of signs that protrude out into the line of sight. Same with Denver.  The main thing that sticks out is the lack of signs that protrude out into the line of sight.

]]> By: origilla http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280773 origilla Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:50:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280773 I got on Google Maps to look at the street view for that shot of the Manhattan Bridge.  Same buildings are there but looks so much cleaner and busier now. I got on Google Maps to look at the street view for that shot of the Manhattan Bridge.  Same buildings are there but looks so much cleaner and busier now.

]]> By: Guest http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280561 Guest Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280561 except, of course, when there is a release of radiation INTO that steam.  Which, yeah, hasn't hapenned. But the EPA, at the time this was recorded, was brand new. BRAND NEW. What their mandate was exactly had not yet been rregulated into impotency by the conservatives at this time. In 1974, the EPA was something Nixon had JUST done on his way out, in response to a movement. except, of course, when there is a release of radiation INTO that steam.  Which, yeah, hasn’t hapenned.

But the EPA, at the time this was recorded, was brand new. BRAND NEW. What their mandate was exactly had not yet been rregulated into impotency by the conservatives at this time. In 1974, the EPA was something Nixon had JUST done on his way out,

in response to a movement.

]]> By: Eric Hunt http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280555 Eric Hunt Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:20:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280555 I first found DOCUMERICA on Flickr but recently found them on Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:National_Archives_and_Records_Administration The National Archives has released over 110k photos to Wikimedia Commons. DOCUMERICA is just the tip of the iceberg. They are asking for crowdsourced help in categorizing those 110k+ photos. There are some mind-blowingly beautiful, educational, and historic photos there. Way more than on Flickr. Go spend some time perusing them and categorize one or two - many hands make light work! I first found DOCUMERICA on Flickr but recently found them on Wikimedia Commons.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:National_Archives_and_Records_Administration

The National Archives has released over 110k photos to Wikimedia Commons. DOCUMERICA is just the tip of the iceberg. They are asking for crowdsourced help in categorizing those 110k+ photos.

There are some mind-blowingly beautiful, educational, and historic photos there. Way more than on Flickr. Go spend some time perusing them and categorize one or two – many hands make light work!

]]> By: killshot http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280481 killshot Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:38:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280481 Wow, this is really clear evidence of just how many jobs the EPA obliterated starting in the 70's We really need to end their reign of terror and support the job creators so we can go back to the way things were in the good ol' days. Wow, this is really clear evidence of just how many jobs the EPA obliterated starting in the 70′s
We really need to end their reign of terror and support the job creators so we can go back to the way things were in the good ol’ days.

]]> By: Culturedropout http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280382 Culturedropout Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:54:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280382 Holy crap.  And I lived through that!  Suddenly it feels a lot more like an accomplishment... O.O Holy crap.  And I lived through that!  Suddenly it feels a lot more like an accomplishment… O.O

]]> By: knappa http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280378 knappa Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:48:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280378 Show them #14 with its caption: <blockquote>Smoke and gas from the burning of discarded automobile batteries pours into the sky near Houston, Texas, in July of 1972.</blockquote> Show them #14 with its caption:

Smoke and gas from the burning of discarded automobile batteries pours into the sky near Houston, Texas, in July of 1972.

]]> By: michael b http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280366 michael b Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:28:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280366 You know, I've had countless arguments with people, usually of the conservative persuasion, over corporate tendencies to minimize costs by cutting corners, surreptitiously polluting when they can get away with it, and the absolute need for the EPA (yes, it has problems...).  Their constant cacophony of chatter about how regulation "hurts" business and how any regulation that they perceive hinder growth, only highlights the vast divide that still exists between those that care about the environment around them, and those that see it as an exploitable resource to profit from.  Is there some kind of common ground there??  Clearly we've come some distance in cleaning up some of the worst offenders, however that battle is never over. Wonderful pictures that show slices of life from a time we'll never return to, for good and for bad. You know, I’ve had countless arguments with people, usually of the conservative persuasion, over corporate tendencies to minimize costs by cutting corners, surreptitiously polluting when they can get away with it, and the absolute need for the EPA (yes, it has problems…).  Their constant cacophony of chatter about how regulation “hurts” business and how any regulation that they perceive hinder growth, only highlights the vast divide that still exists between those that care about the environment around them, and those that see it as an exploitable resource to profit from.  Is there some kind of common ground there??  Clearly we’ve come some distance in cleaning up some of the worst offenders, however that battle is never over.

Wonderful pictures that show slices of life from a time we’ll never return to, for good and for bad.

]]> By: Robert Absten http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280347 Robert Absten Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280347 Okay, the thin stack in the back was where the plant's coal exhaust was pumped. It wasn't scrubbed at all, if I recall my many field trips there in the late 70s to early 80s (I'm a native of the area), until the regulations and laws changed mid-to-late 80s. It is one of two and was built to be exceptionally tall for an exhaust tower so as to put the sulphur-laden waste high enough in the atmosphere to avoid the temperature inversions that plague the Kanawha valley. There's now a new, modern tower system in place that scrubs most of the really nasty shit out. Most, but not all. And those cooling towers are huge. The photo just doesn't do justice to the scale. The tower in the right has a rim at the top that's wide enough to rive a car on. And on a clear day, you can see the steam clouds from those things from 25 to 30 miles away. I've lived nearby for most of my 42 years and it still amazes me when I get close. Okay, the thin stack in the back was where the plant’s coal exhaust was pumped. It wasn’t scrubbed at all, if I recall my many field trips there in the late 70s to early 80s (I’m a native of the area), until the regulations and laws changed mid-to-late 80s. It is one of two and was built to be exceptionally tall for an exhaust tower so as to put the sulphur-laden waste high enough in the atmosphere to avoid the temperature inversions that plague the Kanawha valley. There’s now a new, modern tower system in place that scrubs most of the really nasty shit out. Most, but not all.

And those cooling towers are huge. The photo just doesn’t do justice to the scale. The tower in the right has a rim at the top that’s wide enough to rive a car on. And on a clear day, you can see the steam clouds from those things from 25 to 30 miles away. I’ve lived nearby for most of my 42 years and it still amazes me when I get close.

]]> By: dr http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280325 dr Sat, 26 Nov 2011 01:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280325 As it happens, I worked for the EPA in the 70s.  When we were monitoring a plant for violations, air pollution was measured not by lab devices (which at that point in time were not very portable), but by visual inspection.  Trained smokereaders would stand in front of a stack for an extended period and write down opacity readings on a scale of 1-10 at regular, frequent intervals.  (I don't remember the interval, I was actually in water quality, not air, though we went on major field inspections together.)  A <i>very common</i> way some companies tried to defeat compliance monitoring was by injecting steam into the smokestack, and then claiming that the result was nice and clean.   As the stacks in this photo are from a coal-fired plant, then they are probably dirty as hell, but masking the particulates and sulfer emissions in the steam. As it happens, I worked for the EPA in the 70s.  When we were monitoring a plant for violations, air pollution was measured not by lab devices (which at that point in time were not very portable), but by visual inspection.  Trained smokereaders would stand in front of a stack for an extended period and write down opacity readings on a scale of 1-10 at regular, frequent intervals.  (I don’t remember the interval, I was actually in water quality, not air, though we went on major field inspections together.)  A very common way some companies tried to defeat compliance monitoring was by injecting steam into the smokestack, and then claiming that the result was nice and clean.  

As the stacks in this photo are from a coal-fired plant, then they are probably dirty as hell, but masking the particulates and sulfer emissions in the steam.

]]> By: zephyr1 http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280286 zephyr1 Sat, 26 Nov 2011 00:02:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280286 Like Fnordius points out, the point of th DOCUMERICA project wasn't just to take photos of pollutants being pumped into the atmosphere, it was about creating a visual record of what America looked like in the early 1970s. If you take a look through the photostreams on the National Archives' Flickr page, many of the photos are of people at work, or involved in other activities, lots of them are just straight up portraits that have nothing whatsoever to do with the environment. The project was actually quite similar in intent to the FSA/OWI photographic collection from the 1930s and early 40s. Like Fnordius points out, the point of th DOCUMERICA project wasn’t just to take photos of pollutants being pumped into the atmosphere, it was about creating a visual record of what America looked like in the early 1970s. If you take a look through the photostreams on the National Archives’ Flickr page, many of the photos are of people at work, or involved in other activities, lots of them are just straight up portraits that have nothing whatsoever to do with the environment. The project was actually quite similar in intent to the FSA/OWI photographic collection from the 1930s and early 40s.

]]> By: dragonfrog http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280265 dragonfrog Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280265 I'm not generally a fan of the over-safetyfication of everything - but man, photo 23 looks terrifying. I’m not generally a fan of the over-safetyfication of everything – but man, photo 23 looks terrifying.

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280253 Antinous / Moderator Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:03:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280253 The photoset looks a bit like concept photos for Soylent Green. The photoset looks a bit like concept photos for Soylent Green.

]]> By: Halloween_Jack http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280238 Halloween_Jack Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:34:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280238 Protip: check Wikipedia on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Amos_Power_Plant" rel="nofollow">the power plant in question</a> before making such pronouncements. Looks like they had desulfurization units retrofitted to the plant in the late aughts. Protip: check Wikipedia on the power plant in question before making such pronouncements. Looks like they had desulfurization units retrofitted to the plant in the late aughts.

]]> By: Work_Watch_Buy_Repeat http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280237 Work_Watch_Buy_Repeat Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280237 Check out all the skinny people! Check out all the skinny people!

]]> By: Mark_Frauenfelder http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280234 Mark_Frauenfelder Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:28:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280234 The photo is an interesting juxtaposition of architecture, but you were too busy assuming people aren't as bright as you to notice. The photo is an interesting juxtaposition of architecture, but you were too busy assuming people aren’t as bright as you to notice.

]]> By: Fnordius http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280235 Fnordius Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:28:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280235 If you read the accompanying article, the EPA was interested in documenting everyday life as well. Besides, this was before Three Mile Island, so nuclear energy was still seen as cleaner than coal plants. Besides, the towers themselves were an eyesore in their own right, ya gots to admit. ;) (edited to correct how Safari "helpfully" autocorrected gots to goes. Sigh.) If you read the accompanying article, the EPA was interested in documenting everyday life as well. Besides, this was before Three Mile Island, so nuclear energy was still seen as cleaner than coal plants.

Besides, the towers themselves were an eyesore in their own right, ya gots to admit. ;)

(edited to correct how Safari “helpfully” autocorrected gots to goes. Sigh.)

]]> By: Spinkter http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280231 Spinkter Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:16:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280231 The <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/11/documerica-images-of-america-in-crisis-in-the-1970s/100190/#img29" rel="nofollow">LIMTV program</a> in the early '70s was a success, giving the US a 25 year lead over the rest of the world in high-speed mag-lev type transportation technology.  The US, of course, then squandered it. The LIMTV program in the early ’70s was a success, giving the US a 25 year lead over the rest of the world in high-speed mag-lev type transportation technology.  The US, of course, then squandered it.

]]> By: Gavin McKeown http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280218 Gavin McKeown Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:49:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280218 Exactly what do water cooling towers have to do with the EPA..? Do people realize that's just fog coming out of those towers..? Water vapor that is saturating the ambient air due to relative humidity. They do it all the time, only sometimes you can't see it if the surrounding air is dry. The water that is being cooled is just from a cooling circuit inside the power plant and does not have any contact with anything that would cause issues for the EPA. Exactly what do water cooling towers have to do with the EPA..? Do people realize that’s just fog coming out of those towers..? Water vapor that is saturating the ambient air due to relative humidity. They do it all the time, only sometimes you can’t see it if the surrounding air is dry. The water that is being cooled is just from a cooling circuit inside the power plant and does not have any contact with anything that would cause issues for the EPA.

]]> By: Chris http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280214 Chris Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:43:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280214 bitchin' Camaro, doin' donuts on your lawn... bitchin’ Camaro, doin’ donuts on your lawn…

]]> By: bo1n6bo1n6 http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280203 bo1n6bo1n6 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280203 It's the deregulation American Dream...  It’s the deregulation American Dream… 

]]> By: ADM http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280195 ADM Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:12:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280195 Wow, I didn't know they had Instagram in the '70s. [I know you wanted to, but I *needed* to be the first(?) to say it.] Wow, I didn’t know they had Instagram in the ’70s.

[I know you wanted to, but I *needed* to be the first(?) to say it.]

]]> By: Pfad Rhamses XV http://boingboing.net/2011/11/25/photos-of-usa-in-the-early-197.html#comment-1280181 Pfad Rhamses XV Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131612#comment-1280181 WV still looks like that today. WV still looks like that today.

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