Large explosion in Beirut - hundreds reported injured

[Novus America]

What the explosion did to a barber shop.

on the bright side, the fellow knew to run before the blast wave hit.

He still got hit. He should have hit the ground rather than running, duck and cover.
Lay flat, ideal under something sturdy, cover you face.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_Cover_(film)

We should bring this back.

[Andsed]

What the explosion did to a barber shop.

Somehow the blasts power still shocks me and I have no clue why.

[The New California Republic]

The guy is lucky that he didn't get killed by that flying door.

[Ethel mermania]

on the bright side, the fellow knew to run before the blast wave hit.

He still got hit. He should have hit the ground rather than running, duck and cover.
Lay flat, ideal under something sturdy, cover you face.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_Cover_(film)

We should bring this back.

Thats the thing, and I don't ever remember being told this while doing the drill. Duck and cover is useless at ground zero, 15 miles out, getting behind a good wall that doesn't collapse can save you.

[Novus America]

He still got hit. He should have hit the ground rather than running, duck and cover.
Lay flat, ideal under something sturdy, cover you face.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_Cover_(film)

We should bring this back.

Thats the thing, and I don't ever remember being told this while doing the drill. Duck and cover is useless at ground zero, 15 miles out, getting behind a good wall that doesn't collapse can save you.

Sure it is useless at ground zero. If you were in the warehouse it would do jack shit.

But actually at 3km out from a nuke it can help.

But these people in this shop it could have helped even though it was not a nuke.

You do it regardless because you do not have time to determine how close you are before deciding if you want to do it or not.

My real issue with the film is the fact that it focuses solely on nuclear attacks when the advice in it should be followed in case of basically any explosion, and applies to tornadoes and other things as well.

This was not a nuclear bomb but people should have ducked and covered and it could have helped many.

[Thermodolia]

Just like a bomb. Shit.

I mean, it was a bomb.

A really really big bomb

[Borderlands of Rojava]

I mean, it was a bomb.

A really really big bomb

-Trump describing the Hiroshima attack

[Nobel Hobos 2]

You all talk like you lived here, if it wasn't for Hezbollah we wouldn't have the few social services we have.

Hezbollah is not a simple militia, it's a resistance force, without it Lebanon would be already occupied.

I'm done with this conversation anyways, we do have some large cultural gap.

The cultural gap is painful, I agree. What I wish for Lebanon is nothing more than an orderly election and a shakeup of government. Getting rid of corruption should be the primary focus, with less attention on grand plans to fix Lebanon or make it great. No plan can be implemented when its spending is syphoned off to cronies, everyone avoids paying tax because they expect the money to be wasted, and even as moral leader the government is despised and not taken seriously ... because of corruption.

Anyone who says they can fix the country in 3 or 4 years is basically promising a rate of economic growth that hasn't happened anywhere in history. Like 30% per annum or so. It would be a false promise, and you should never trust that candidate. You should favor the candidate who promises only modest improvement in living standards and puts more weight on fighting corruption.

Armchair revolutionaries from across an ocean do NOT have your interests at heart. They don't even seem to know what your interest are (and I admit I'm not sure). If their advice carries a risk of another civil war, then they're probably motivated by hatred of brown people and particularly Muslims, and their real agenda is to see them killing each other from a safe distance.

Just ignore anyone who doesn't know basic stuff about your country and its history. And you know, ignore me too if I fit that description!

[Nobel Hobos 2]

I was puzzled by how the explosion of Ammonium Nitrate alone could produce the reported "2 kilotons of TNT" explosion. That made me think the AN must have been (deliberately or accidentally) contaminated with oil.

It turns out the "kilotons of TNT" standard wasn't even the best explosive available when a standard was chosen for measuring nuclear explosions. Even dynamite (definitely available then) was more powerful. ANFO is about twice as powerful as TNT.

Meaning a much more plausible "yield" for the Ammonium Nitrate in Beirut. Instead of 75% of ANFO it's 75% of TNT, or only 37% of ANFO.

(Btw, measuring explosives is kind of tricky: they rank differently depending on whether energy, heat or gas release is used ... so my numbers might be wrong)

[Neanderthaland]

I was puzzled by how the explosion of Ammonium Nitrate alone could produce the reported "2 kilotons of TNT" explosion. That made me think the AN must have been (deliberately or accidentally) contaminated with oil.

It turns out the "kilotons of TNT" standard wasn't even the best explosive available when a standard was chosen for measuring nuclear explosions. Even dynamite (definitely available then) was more powerful. ANFO is about twice as powerful as TNT.

Meaning a much more plausible "yield" for the Ammonium Nitrate in Beirut. Instead of 75% of ANFO it's 75% of TNT, or only 37% of ANFO.

(Btw, measuring explosives is kind of tricky: they rank differently depending on whether energy, heat or gas release is used ... so my numbers might be wrong)

I mean, it was literally 2.75 kilotons of ammonium nitrate. So an explosion in the kilotons range would seem to be an appropriate order of magnitude. Give or take depending on the percentage of the ANFO that reacted.

I'm not an expert on explosives, but I've seen an interview with an explosives expert (which I inconveniently can't find now) where they said that it's very obvious that the ANFO hadn't been mixed with fuel. Because that would have had a big impact on the color of the explosion (a lot more black smoke.) And since this explosion was so widely recorded, they can be very sure that didn't happen.

[Nobel Hobos 2]

I was puzzled by how the explosion of Ammonium Nitrate alone could produce the reported "2 kilotons of TNT" explosion. That made me think the AN must have been (deliberately or accidentally) contaminated with oil.

It turns out the "kilotons of TNT" standard wasn't even the best explosive available when a standard was chosen for measuring nuclear explosions. Even dynamite (definitely available then) was more powerful. ANFO is about twice as powerful as TNT.

Meaning a much more plausible "yield" for the Ammonium Nitrate in Beirut. Instead of 75% of ANFO it's 75% of TNT, or only 37% of ANFO.

(Btw, measuring explosives is kind of tricky: they rank differently depending on whether energy, heat or gas release is used ... so my numbers might be wrong)

I mean, it was literally 2.75 kilotons of ammonium nitrate. So an explosion in the kilotons range would seem to be an appropriate order of magnitude. Give or take depending on the percentage of the ANFO that reacted.

I'm not an expert on explosives, but I've seen an interview with an explosives expert (which I inconveniently can't find now) where they said that it's very obvious that the ANFO hadn't been mixed with fuel. Because that would have had a big impact on the color of the explosion (a lot more black smoke.) And since this explosion was so widely recorded, they can be very sure that didn't happen.

Yeah. I was just puzzled how pure AN could make an explosion almost as big as ANFO. The habit of measuring explosions in TNT equivalent misled me to think TNT and ANFO were more or less the same.

Nobody uses TNT any more, a new standard of "kilotons of ANFO" would probably be better. But it's just semantics isn't it?

White smoke and black smoke are a pretty black and white proof. And the well documented fact of a smaller explosion first, the little sparkles plausibly being fireworks, there's no reason to think it was anything but a very stupid accident.

Maybe not even welders. The cheap gunpowder used in fireworks can degrade and spontaneously combust, given enough time.

[The New California Republic]

I was puzzled by how the explosion of Ammonium Nitrate alone could produce the reported "2 kilotons of TNT" explosion. That made me think the AN must have been (deliberately or accidentally) contaminated with oil.

...if it burns for a while, as this did, then it is liable to explode, no contamination needed.

It turns out the "kilotons of TNT" standard wasn't even the best explosive available when a standard was chosen for measuring nuclear explosions. Even dynamite (definitely available then) was more powerful. ANFO is about twice as powerful as TNT.

Meaning a much more plausible "yield" for the Ammonium Nitrate in Beirut. Instead of 75% of ANFO it's 75% of TNT, or only 37% of ANFO.

The unit of measurement of kilotons and megatons has been in use for decades, no sense in trying to retcon it now.

[SD_Film Artists]

on the bright side, the fellow knew to run before the blast wave hit.

He still got hit. He should have hit the ground rather than running, duck and cover.
Lay flat, ideal under something sturdy, cover you face.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_Cover_(film)

We should bring this back.

It's easy to say that now, but perhaps they were too awestruck to do anything as even for a country used to civil war and military incursions it's still surreal to see a nuke-like blast in your city.

[Nobel Hobos 2]

I was puzzled by how the explosion of Ammonium Nitrate alone could produce the reported "2 kilotons of TNT" explosion. That made me think the AN must have been (deliberately or accidentally) contaminated with oil.

...if it burns for a while, as this did, then it is liable to explode, no contamination needed.

It turns out the "kilotons of TNT" standard wasn't even the best explosive available when a standard was chosen for measuring nuclear explosions. Even dynamite (definitely available then) was more powerful. ANFO is about twice as powerful as TNT.

Meaning a much more plausible "yield" for the Ammonium Nitrate in Beirut. Instead of 75% of ANFO it's 75% of TNT, or only 37% of ANFO.

The unit of measurement of kilotons and megatons has been in use for decades, no sense in trying to retcon it now.

I think you missed the point. I was puzzled that 2.8 kilotons of AN would explode with anything like 2 kilotons of TNT. When I realized that 2 kilotons of ANFO would actually be a lot more than 2 kilotons of TNT, I made a post about it.

It just seemed like something others might have been puzzled by and might be interested in a resolution of.

If 2.8 kt of Ammonium Nitrate blew up like 2 kt of ANFO, wouldn't that be perplexing? Less than half, makes more sense.

[The New California Republic]

...if it burns for a while, as this did, then it is liable to explode, no contamination needed.


The unit of measurement of kilotons and megatons has been in use for decades, no sense in trying to retcon it now.

I think you missed the point. I was puzzled that 2.8 kilotons of AN would explode with anything like 2 kilotons of TNT. When I realized that 2 kilotons of ANFO would actually be a lot more than 2 kilotons of TNT, I made a post about it.

It just seemed like something others might have been puzzled by and might be interested in a resolution of.

If 2.8 kt of Ammonium Nitrate blew up like 2 kt of ANFO, wouldn't that be perplexing? Less than half, makes more sense.

No not reaĺly. It's a measure thay has been used for a long time, and it is sound in terms of acting as a measure of the power of an explosion.

And the estimate I gave was 1.5, as have been a few other estimates, not 2.

A few possible reasons that the measure of the quantity of ammonium nitrate is different from the estimated power. Some of it burned off, some of it did not detonate and was instead sent airborne, it wasn't set up in an optimum pattern for detonation, ammonium nitrate does not have as efficient an explosion as TNT, etc.

[Nobel Hobos 2]

I think you missed the point. I was puzzled that 2.8 kilotons of AN would explode with anything like 2 kilotons of TNT. When I realized that 2 kilotons of ANFO would actually be a lot more than 2 kilotons of TNT, I made a post about it.

It just seemed like something others might have been puzzled by and might be interested in a resolution of.

If 2.8 kt of Ammonium Nitrate blew up like 2 kt of ANFO, wouldn't that be perplexing? Less than half, makes more sense.

No not reaĺly. It's a measure thay has been used for a long time, and it is sound in terms of acting as a measure of the power of an explosion.

And the estimate I gave was 1.5, as have been a few other estimates, not 2.

I tried to make my point three times. The point was that I got it wrong the first time I heard an estimate of the power. I then learned that TNT is a lot less powerful than ANFO.

An accidental explosion started by fire shouldn't be expected to yield anywhere near as much energy as actual ANFO with a detonator near the middle of the mass. And it turns out it didn't, which pretty much rules out oil being added to the pile or a detonator. The visible explanation of a (rather large) fire setting off an explosion, is enough. The color of the smoke is just further confirmation.

A few possible reasons that the measure of the quantity of ammonium nitrate is different from the estimated power. Some of it burned off, some of it did not detonate and was instead sent airborne, it wasn't set up in an optimum pattern for detonation, ammonium nitrate does not have as efficient an explosion as TNT, etc.

Not disputing any of this. My point was nothing more than "2 kt explosion from 2.8 kt of less-than-optimal material seems suspicious, but considering that TNT is a weaker explosive it's not suspicious at all"

OK, let's use 1.5 kt. It would still be remarkable if the explosion had more than half the power of an equal quantity of ANFO, with a properly place detonator. And not remarkable (or at all surprising) considering the 1.5 kt estimate is in kt of TNT which is significantly weaker than ANFO.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

The BBC are saying that the Lebanese government are shortly to announce they are resigning.

[Aeritai]

The BBC are saying that the Lebanese government are shortly to announce they are resigning.

That was easy.

[The New California Republic]

The BBC are saying that the Lebanese government are shortly to announce they are resigning.

I just hope that this doesn't end up causing more mayhem, as a power vacuum can sometimes be infinitely more damaging than even an inept leadership that can still keep things ticking over.

[Pilipinas and Malaya]

The BBC are saying that the Lebanese government are shortly to announce they are resigning.

That was easy.

AP News had a headline saying something along the lines of “Lebanese cabinet resigns”, but J haven’t gotten around to reading the article, too lazy to read at most times, but this time the app refused to open the article.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53722909

Lebanon's government has resigned amid mounting anger over the explosion on Tuesday that devastated parts of Beirut and left more than 200 people dead.

The announcement was made in a national TV address by Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday evening.

Many people have accused the country's leaders of culpability through their alleged negligence and corruption.

Protesters have taken to the streets for two straight days over the blast.

The president has said the massive blast was the result of the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years.

[SD_Film Artists]

The BBC are saying that the Lebanese government are shortly to announce they are resigning.

I just hope that this doesn't end up causing more mayhem, as a power vacuum can sometimes be infinitely more damaging than even an inept leadership that can still keep things ticking over.

No need to worry, I mean it's not as if there's Iran-backed militias and other factions waiting for just such an opportunity.

[Pilipinas and Malaya]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53722909

Lebanon's government has resigned amid mounting anger over the explosion on Tuesday that devastated parts of Beirut and left more than 200 people dead.

The announcement was made in a national TV address by Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday evening.

Many people have accused the country's leaders of culpability through their alleged negligence and corruption.

Protesters have taken to the streets for two straight days over the blast.

The president has said the massive blast was the result of the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years.

So, Lebanon will be missing a few key officials until the next election, which is two months. Yeah, something is definitely going to go wrong.

[Punainen Suomi]

I just hope that this doesn't end up causing more mayhem, as a power vacuum can sometimes be infinitely more damaging than even an inept leadership that can still keep things ticking over.

No need to worry, I mean it's not as if there's Iran-backed militias and other factions waiting for just such an opportunity.

If they're smart, Hezbollah won't try and openly seize power. That would invite an Israeli intervention, and given how things are going for him right now I expect Netanyahu would seize on the opportunity to provide a distraction for the Israeli people.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

I just hope that this doesn't end up causing more mayhem, as a power vacuum can sometimes be infinitely more damaging than even an inept leadership that can still keep things ticking over.

No need to worry, I mean it's not as if there's Iran-backed militias and other factions waiting for just such an opportunity.

Aren't they (at least their front Amal) part of the government? If the government stepped down, doesn't that mean they stepped down?