November 23, 2006

Structures of Questionable Legality

This is a shot taken from a rooftop somewhere in Taichung. In the space between the two buildings, you can see one place that is "to code" and several others that are in violation. Can you decide which is which?A part of this building was likely not included in the original design.
This is a shot looking towards the southeast of Taichung. These roofs that have been added to the tops of buildings are quite dangerous in a typhoon. A few years ago, one was ripped off a building in Taipei and landed on someone who was out walking around in a typhoon.
I've asked my darling wife time and again why the country even has laws that they don't intend to enforce. One theorey is that, in the event that you ever do anything wrong, the prosecutors can look at a shopping list of your misdeeds going back over the years and throw a stack of books at you. For example, if Lin shot Lu, the cops would have him for murder. But if Lin had an illegal roof on his house, they would have him for murder AND having an illegal structure. Then, they could crucify him. Something like that.

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