My heart goes out to all those who were killed in the London flats green fell tower ......
Of course the issue of money over safety crops up .......and aesthetics ....over safety ......they wanted the place to look pretty ......because it was visble to the other up market properties in the area ......and it was a lower income housing residence .........
No surprise from me ......there was issues with electrical ......so it was said !....but no one will ever really get to the bottom of it ......
The help pouring in for these people is overwhelming .......but on the flip side of the coin ...........or maybe its because i see the underbelly of human beings .......
Not until something happens........... do human beings act up ..........acts of random kindness ......disaster ......death .........and so on .......and so forth ............. has to be bestowed upon the human race ...before they band together ..........
I mean i think its great .............. people come together to help .....but it seems people have to suffer in order for us as human beings to donate/help /raise awareness.............do something ...........its an oxymoronic part of a human being.............my point is .........if you stopped to think that if we just did this for no apparent reason............... every single day of our lives ......there may not be starvation .........suicides .....hunger.....children dying of hunger .........we need a reason to act upon a situation......i find it a disturbing part of the human being .......
I feel so sorry for those who perished in green fell towers............ and the children ......but it takes disasters and such like ......
They held a concert for those killed in Manchester .......for the stricken ....... but that's only because people were killed ......
Now if concerts were put on for say homeless......hungry children ......poor ....every weekend or something to that effect .......it would make more sense to me .......
it seems trauma .........death .........disaster ....... grief ....is the only time human beings unite through grief ............its a subliminal hypocritical part of a human being .......
The reason i embark upon this topic......... is because i witnessed within my own family ....or what was left of it .......sister sibling hatred ........until my mother died......this was the only time they became close ..........the fact that my mother had to die .........for siblings to become close ......is beyond words for me .......its hypocrisy on a scale i cannot fathom in my mind ...........of course.......... its indoctrination on how death portrays the role of family in cultures........... and similar beliefs .....its a duty that is expected for the cultures ...........but cultures like religion .......... are controlling ......... fabricated ..........and steeped in historical lies and bullshit ......much like religion ..........and when you symbiotically intertwine both ,....you have a hatred for anyone who speaks outside the aforementioned beliefs ..............
No one seems to care until they are forced to .........there are few exceptions to the rules .........but not enough to make a difference in the world ............everyone has to make a difference ..........this would include me........but none of us can ..... ....i personally have lost a ton of faith in human beings ......... because of their narcissistic drive for image....... wealth .........status .....and one up man ship on each other ...........no one cares until tragedy strikes ..........then everyone pony's up ..........i guess that's human nature or indoctrination.....whatever the perspective angle is .....
As they say its human nature !!!!!!!!......i am always reminded of the story of the frog and the scorpion .........nothing changes .....
ADDED NOTE .......isnt it funny that fire ravaged this tall structure and it still remains up ......yet the same with WTC ....and they both fell identically ...unharming the surrounding buildings .......this is just an observation .......from my mind thats all ......you decide ...i have already drawn my conclusions .......
58 missing, presumed dead in London high-rise fire, police say
At least 58 people are missing and presumed dead from the massive fire that engulfed a residential high-rise building in London earlier this week, police said on Saturday.
This latest figure includes the 30 people already confirmed dead; 16 of those bodies are being held in a mortuary, including one person who died after being transported to a local hospital. The others have been recovered from the scorched structure, according to Metropolitan Police Service Commander Stuart Cundy.
"The figure of 58 are those who are missing and that we have to presume are dead," Cundy said at a news conference in London Saturday afternoon. "It might be that some of those are safe and well, but for whatever reason have not reached [out] to let us know. Again, I would urge them if that is you, I don't care the reason, please, please contact us."
Cundy said the Metropolitan Police Service has formally identified one of the victims who died in the June 14 blaze as 23-year-old Mohammad Alhajali, a resident of the apartment building in the West London neighborhood of North Kensington. Alhajali and his brothers fled their home in Daraa, Syria, due to the ongoing civil war and moved to London in 2014.
"Mohammad was a very amazing and kind person. He gave love to everyone. He came to the U.K. because he had ambitions and aims for his life and for his family. Our whole family will miss Mohammad dearly and he will never be forgotten. To God we belong and to him we return," Alhajali's family said in a statement released by police.
Although the flames have now been extinguished, Cundy said rescuers don't expect to find any survivors inside the building at this point.
Investigators believe the fire started at around 1 a.m. local time Wednesday on the fourth floor of the 24-story Grenfell
It took nearly two hours to gain control of the conflagration, according to fire officials.
"This is an unprecedented incident," London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton told reporters Wednesday night. "In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never, ever seen anything of this scale."
The Metropolitan Police Service, which is leading the ongoing investigation, believes it has identified the origin of the fire, which so far does not appear to have been intentional. The exact cause of the fire is still unknown.
In addition to those killed, the blaze injured at least 74 people. As of Saturday afternoon, 19 remain hospitalized, with 10 in critical condition, according to police.
It's unclear exactly how many residents were inside the building at the time. But the tower, built in 1974, contained 120 apartments, according to its management company, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization.
Cundy has said that the ongoing operation to recover and identify all victims is a complex process, and some may never be identified.
"The conditions inside Grenfell Tower mean that the search-and-recovery operation to find and recover the victims is extremely challenging. The upper floors of the block are particularly hazardous due to the damage caused by the fire. The sad reality is that this work will take some time, stretching into many, many weeks," the police commander said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
"Sadly, the nature of injuries caused by such an intense fire will mean the identification process will take some time. But it would also be deeply distressing for families for us to release wrong information," he added.
The fire has left the building almost completely charred, and there were concerns about the tower's structural integrity, as it appeared to lean slightly to one side.
Search-and-recovery efforts were paused on Friday over safety concerns, but resumed Saturday afternoon, police said.
At the news conference Saturday afternoon, Cundy reiterated that the time it will take to find and recover victims will be "significant."
“Both myself and colleagues from London Fire Brigade have already said it will take weeks. It may take longer than that. My commitment to families is that as soon as we can, we will locate and recover their loved ones," he told reporters. "The reason we had to pause the search and recovery yesterday was for the safety of our staff. We do not want another fatality arising out of this tragedy.”
Following a meeting of the Grenfell Tower task-force on Saturday, London Mayor Sadiq Khanannounced that a "London-wide local authority recovery operation" was established Friday in response to the devastating fire.
Khan said people were frustrated by the lack of information about the missing and the dead, as well as a lack of coordination between support services. Residents who survived the tower blaze lost everything and have no idea where they are going to live, or how they will get back on their feet.
"The government must ensure the recovery operation receives all resources and expertise they need," Khan said in a statement posted to Facebook. "I have stressed to the task-force the need for local residents and the wider public to be provided with as much information as possible and for there to be maximum transparency."
The move comes after Khan wrote an open letter to U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, who chairs the task-force, saying people were frustrated by the lack of information about the victims, as well as a lack of coordination between support services.
"The scale of this tragedy is clearly proving too much for the local authority to cope with on their own," the mayor said in his open letter to the prime minister.
After meeting with survivors of the fire on Friday, May announced a 5 million pound ($6.4 million) fund to help them in their plight. The fund includes a guarantee to rehouse Grenfell Tower residents as close as possible to where they previously lived.
The Conservative Party leader has been criticized for failing to meet with survivors of the fire on her first visit to the site earlier this week.
ABC News' Rashid Haddou, Joshua Hoyos and Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
Associated Press
Christie struggles to recover as disappointment runs deep
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie, who fell out of the running for president and then for a position in the Trump administration, has worked to improve his image this year, dedicating himself to the state and nation's opioid epidemic and opening up again to New Jersey's press corps.
It hasn't worked.
His approval rating is among the lowest in history for any governor, as he enters the final months of his last term. He is under attack by the leading Democratic and Republican candidates — including his top deputy — running to succeed him. He describes himself as "old news."
Only 15 percent of voters approve of the Republican's job performance and 81 percent disapprove, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. The university said it's the worst gubernatorial approval rating surveyed by the poll in more than two decades. The poll surveyed 1,103 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 points.
Christie's allies say he's not worried about the low ratings, but there are few signs the voters who once gave him high marks for his handling of Superstorm Sandy and elected him twice to one of the country's most powerful governorships will change their views.
His meager popularity threatens his ability to score some wins to set his legacy before he leaves office, while also harming Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno's chances in November's governor's race, which would leave Republicans out of power in any statewide office.
"Politicians are like diapers. They both need to be changed regularly and for the same reasons," said Kurt Epps, a retired English teacher from Perth Amboy.
The registered Democrat voted for Christie twice. He says he has soured on the governor because of the so-called Bridgegate scandal in which three Christie aides were convicted or pleaded guilty in a political revenge plot, and Christie's presidential run, which took him out of the state for all or parts of 261 days in 2015.
"You got a job to do here. I don't mind someone seeking higher office, but tend to your business here," Epps said.
Epps was one of many so-called Christiecrat voters who crossed party lines to support the governor but are now disillusioned.
That dynamic was at the center of the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scheme, orchestrated as payback for a Democratic mayor who declined to back the governor in 2013. The scheme grew out of an effort to rack up as much Democratic support for Christie ahead of his re-election effort, which was seen as a forerunner to his presidential run.
Christie returned to New Jersey in early 2016 after dropping out of the race with approval ratings just under 30 percent, according to Quinnipiac. The rate tumbled by about 10 points shortly after the Bridgegate convictions .
Quinnipiac tracks about a dozen other states, including New York and Pennsylvania. None of the other states' governors has fallen as low as Christie.
Christie pledged to get back to work and said at the time that voters would recognize and reward him with higher ratings. He then hit the campaign trail for Trump, briefly chairing his transition team and finishing as a runner up as Trump's running mate.
Mike DuHaime, a longtime adviser who twice served as Christie's chief strategist, attributed the falling approval to the energy behind the left wing nationally. He cited higher Democratic voter turnout in New Jersey and Virginia primaries — the only two statewide races in the country this year.
"He will just continue to make the tough decisions that he thinks are best for New Jersey, regardless of how those issues poll," DuHaime said.
Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick, a close ally, distinguished between Christie's policies, specifically preferring lower taxes, and the governor's in-your-face personality.
"People maybe have an issue with how he approaches the issues," Bramnick said. "If people don't like the personality and think he's too strong or too tough, that can lead to it."
Experts link the governor's falling approval ratings to the 2013 George Washington Bridge scandal, which eroded voters' views of Christie as competent and credible.
"If Christie was in on it, then he doesn't deserve to be governor," said Joe Ferrandino, a Republican from Long Hill who voted for Christie twice. "And if he didn't know what was going on, then he shouldn't be governor because he was incompetent."
Christie might be able to recover a few points in polls before November, but the race between Democrat Phil Murphy and Guadagno is likely to remind voters what they don't like about him, Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Harrison said.
"People are fed up and just want him out of office," she said.
___
Contact Catalini at https://www.twitter.com/mikecataliniBill Cosby: How his legacy is still changed forever
A Pennsylvania judge on Saturday declared Bill Cosby's sexual assault case end in a mistrial after the jury was deadlocked on all three counts. Still, it doesn't mean Cosby is free.
The district attorney is planning to retry the comic on charges that he drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand more than a decade ago.
Despite a storied career spanning four decades -- from stand-up comedy to the small screen to blockbuster films -- the trial may have left Cosby's legacy of laughs irreparably harmed.
"His empire has been forever tarnished and tainted ... as is his legacy," ABC News Senior Legal Correspondent Sunny Hostin said. "Had this been a one accuser story, there’s no question that perhaps he would be able to resume a career."
Although he wasn't convicted in the Constand case, Cosby has also been accused by more than 50 other women of drugging or sexual misconduct. He hasn't been charged with any crimes in the other cases, and has maintained his innocence.
"I just don’t think he can then go back as 'America’s Dad' or go back to America as a moral authority," Hostin added.
William Henry Cosby Jr. in part became a modern-day moral authority of sorts when he gave his now famous respectability speech at a 2004 NAACP event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which desegregated public schools.
In that speech he criticized the black poor, blaming their plight on a culture of poverty, lack of education and lack of parenting, instead of institutionalized discrimination and racism.
"In our own neighborhood, we have men in prison," Cosby began. "No longer is a person embarrassed because they’re pregnant without a husband. No longer is a boy considered an embarrassment if he tries to run away from being the father of the unmarried child. ...In the neighborhood that most of us grew up in, parenting is not going on."
It may be the reason why Cosby acted as parent to many students at Temple University, where he graduated from in 1971.
The comedian stepped down from the Philadelphia university's board of trustees in 2014 amid his ongoing scandal, but the school still has a $3,000 scholarship in his name, called The Cosby Scholarship, given to rising juniors majoring in the natural sciences, according to the school's website.
Temple alumnus Adriene Boone said when she matriculated there, from 2002 to 2006, she knew that Cosby "would always show up at the sporting events, he would do the freshman orientation sometimes, and get you pumped about being a Temple Owl."
Calling him a "figure of school pride," Boone remembers her class of 2006 being disappointed that Cosby wouldn't speak at their graduation -- a long-standing tradition.
Months after Constand filed a civil lawsuit against him, Cosby was asked not to speak at Temple University's graduation, as he did in years prior. In the suit, she included depositions from 13 other women, claiming they were sexually assaulted by the Temple alumnus over the years.
"As a 21-year-old, no one really watched the news so you didn't know what was happening so I think everyone was just kind of sad about it," Boone explained. "But I don’t think anyone thought about the gravity of the situation at the time. As an adult, I will say I'm hurt."
Cosby's legacy will not only include what happened in court this week, but it'll also include what some may call his greatest achievement. Cosby created the American family fantasy: a happily married mother and father, high-powered professionals with healthy kids who only got in the sort of trouble you could laugh about it at the end of the episode.
And although many networks have pulled reruns of the hit series, "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984 until 1992, its spin-off "A Different World" still airs on TV and was recently picked up by Netflix. Not to mention, in May 2015, Cosby wrapped up his latest comedy tour, "Far From Finished."
After this, will fans still want more from him?
Longtime entertainment journalist and ESPN correspondent Chris Connelly said that "history is going to have to decide on its own."
"Throughout history, there's always been a question of if we can regard ... the work separate from the personal behavior of the person who created it and it's an ongoing question," he continued. "What everyone would agree with right now is that it feels like a tragedy."
Associated Press
Trump goes from regal to rustic this weekend at Camp David
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump chose simple over swanky this weekend.
Nearly five months into his presidency, Trump flew for the first time Saturday to Camp David, the government-owned retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. A frequent weekend traveler, Trump has favored his palatial residences in Florida and New Jersey over the wooded hideaway used by many presidents for a break from Washington.
Few expect the luxury-loving leader to make this a regular thing. After all, Trump told foreign newspapers earlier this year that Camp David was "very rustic" and "you know how long you'd like it? For about 30 minutes."
Trump's wife, Melania; their son, Barron, and the first lady's parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, joined the president for the overnight at Camp David. Trump was scheduled to return to the White House on Sunday.
Presidents have been going to the refuge about 70 miles from the White House for seven decades, and not always just for a rest. Franklin D. Roosevelt met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill there in 1943, reviewing plans for the invasion of Normandy. Jimmy Carter used it for peace talks between Egypt and Israel. George H.W. Bush's daughter Dorothy, or "Doro," got married there.
"Everything that a president needs in the White House is built in there," says Anita McBride, who was first lady Laura Bush's chief of staff. "You have military support. You have a place to house your staff if you chose to use it. It is immediately available. ... Within 20 minutes you can be there."
A short drive from the town of Thurmont, Maryland, Camp David covers more than 125 acres, with a cabin for the president and about a dozen cabins for guests. Guests can use tennis courts, a heated swimming pool, a bowling alley and a movie theater. For the golf-loving Trump, there is a single golf hole with multiple tees.
Protected by the Marines as part of the Navy budget, Camp David has been utilized more by some presidents than others. By this point in their presidencies, Barack Obama had visited four times, George W. Bush 11 times and Bill Clinton twice, according to CBS News' Mark Knoller, who tracks presidential travel.
Locals haven't seemed too concerned about when Trump might show up. As lifelong resident Donna Bollinger, 63, put it, Thurmont often barely knows when presidents are nearby, given the secluded nature of the retreat.
Now the manager of the Bollinger Family Restaurant, she recalls as a child seeing presidents come to the town's Episcopal church. "I remember Mr. Eisenhower. I remember Mr. Johnson being there, and Mr. Nixon," she said.
So far, Trump has preferred his own properties. He regularly headed to his private club Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, during the early days of his administration, embracing it as the "winter White House" and using it to host the leaders of Japan and China. More recently he has favored his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he has a home.
Going to his properties incurs additional security expenses, unlike a trip to Camp David, which is protected year-round as a military installation.
Ken Walsh, chief White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, wrote about presidential getaways in his book "From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats." He said many presidents have liked the freedom and security offered by Camp David, where they can spend time outdoors and with their families out of the public eye.
But he said of Trump: "I don't think it is his style. I'd be surprised if he went up there very much."
The first president to use the retreat was Roosevelt in 1942. He was looking for an escape from Washington's summer heat, while still remaining nearby during World War II. He dubbed the site Shangri-La, but Dwight Eisenhower, a regular visitor, later renamed it after his grandson.
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were infrequent visitors, though they did use the camp to meet with advisers from time to time. Richard Nixon was a fan of getting away there as was Ronald Reagan.
McBride said George W. Bush loved to ride his bike around the trails, while wife Laura liked to go hiking. "It was a place that really refreshed them," she said.
If Trump doesn't make it to Camp David much, Bollinger said she'd love to go in his place.
"I would like to visit, too. They have a bowling alley," she said. "It would be a great tourist attraction."Airport honors service dog with fabulous retirement party after 5 years on the job
After years on the job, one lucky dog got the retirement party of a lifetime.
Gema, a service dog who worked at Orlando International Airport for nearly five years, was feted with a party last week.
"We're celebrating the retirement of one of our most loyal and dedicated employees - & we're sending her off in style," the Florida airport wrote on Twitter.
The pup was surrounded by her furry friends, according to the airport which documented the party on social media. Her handler Eddie also saluted Gema.
"In darkness, she is my eyes. She's my sister, my protection. When lonely, she lets me know I'm not," Eddie said of Gema, according to Twitter.
At her party, Gema was treated to an oversized doggie treat and a sparkly pink tiara, which the airport called her "retirement crown."
Congrats Gema!
Associated Press
Castile trial had video evidence _ but not of key seconds
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The world learned of Philando Castile's death through a grim livestream launched by his girlfriend seconds after Castile was shot five times by a police officer. Many were outraged by what they saw as Diamond Reynolds' outwardly calm voice described Castile being shot after reaching for his wallet.
But no video existed of exactly what happened inside the car in the key seconds before Reynolds began filming, leaving a jury to decide whether to believe Officer Jeronimo Yanez's testimony that Castile was pulling out his gun despite his commands and he fired in fear for his life.
The jury opted for acquittal, clearing Yanez of manslaughter Friday after five days of deliberation that nearly ended in deadlock. Castile's family cursed and stormed from the courtroom and citizens flocked by the hundreds to the state Capitol to vent their anger. Despite the acquittal, the city where Yanez works almost immediately announced plans to dismiss him.
The finding was in line with recent history showing trials of police officers often end in non-convictions — nearly 40 percent of the time for those that Philip Stinson, a criminologist at Ohio's Bowling Green State University, has tracked since 2005. That included several recent mistrials or acquittals when officers testified they feared for their lives, Stinson said.
Juror Dennis Ploussard said the jury favored acquittal early in the week by a 10-2 margin. He said they spent a lot of time dissecting the "culpable negligence" requirement for conviction, and the two holdouts eventually agreed Friday on acquittal.
"We struggled with it. I struggled with it. It was very, very hard," Ploussard said, adding that he thought the jury delivered the right verdict.
He would not identify the two holdouts, but said they were not the jury's only two black members. The rest of the jurors were white. None was Latino.
He declined to say whether he thought Yanez acted appropriately, but said the jury sympathizes with the Castile family.
Yanez, a 29-year-old Latino officer, stopped Castile, a 32-year-old school cafeteria worker, on July 6 in a St. Paul suburb. Castile's taillight was out; Yanez also testified he thought Castile resembled a suspect in a recent convenience store robbery.
The stop turned deadly seconds after Castile alerted the officer that he was carrying a gun. Castile had a permit.
The defense argued Castile, who had traces of marijuana in his system, was stoned and it affected his responses to Yanez's commands. They raised questions about discrepancies in Reynolds' statements to investigators, including where Castile carried his wallet and who purchased the marijuana that was in the car.
Prosecutors countered that Yanez overreacted to a man who was no threat, and had options short of shooting. They also highlighted seemingly contradictory statements Yanez made right after the shooting and to investigators later about whether he saw the gun. He testified that when he told a supervisor he didn't know where it was, he meant only at first.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, who made the decision to charge Yanez, said his office considered carefully before bringing the case.
"I don't doubt that Officer Yanez is a decent person, but he made a horrible mistake from our perspective, and that's what this case was about. I know that if he could, he would take back what he did, and we all wish, and he would too, that this never happened," Choi said.
Outside the courthouse, Valerie Castile said her son followed the law.
"The fact in this matter is that my son was murdered, and I'll continue to say murdered, because where in this planet (can you) tell the truth, and you be honest, and you still be murdered by the police of Minnesota," she said, referring to the fact that her son was shot after he volunteered to Yanez, "Sir, I have to tell you, I do have a firearm on me."
"He didn't deserve to die the way he did," Philando Castile's sister, Allysza, said, through tears. "I will never have faith in the system."
Yanez stared ahead with no reaction as the verdict was read. Afterward, one of his attorneys, Tom Kelly, said the defense was "satisfied."
"We were confident in our client. We felt all along his conduct was justified. However that doesn't take away from the tragedy of the event," Kelly said.
A large crowd of protesters gathered outside of the state Capitol after the verdict, eventually leaving to march down St. Paul's streets. The State Police estimated that about 1,500 people splintered off to block traffic on Interstate 94 for about two hours, and 18 people were arrested after failing to heed a third warning to leave the roadway.
Gov. Mark Dayton offered his condolences to the Castile family on the verdict, calling his death "a terrible tragedy" in a statement that made no mention of Yanez. Dayton, a Democrat, drew criticism in the days after the shooting for suggesting that Castile might not have been shot if he was white.
The evidence included squad car video, but its wide view didn't capture exactly what happened inside the car. Prosecutors questioned whether Yanez had even seen Castile's gun, and witnesses testified that it was in a pocket of Castile's shorts when paramedics pulled him from the car.
The squad car video shows Yanez approaching Castile's car and asking for a driver's license and proof of insurance. Castile appears to give something to Yanez through the driver's side window. Castile then informs the officer he's carrying a weapon, but before he finishes his sentence, Yanez has his hand on his own gun and is pulling it out of the holster.
There is shouting, and Yanez screams, "Don't pull it out!" before he fires seven shots into the car, five of which hit Castile. Prosecutors said Castile's last words were: "I wasn't reaching for it."
In his testimony, Yanez's voice choked with emotion as he talked of being "scared to death" and thinking of his wife and baby daughter in the split-second before he fired.
Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughter, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, though sentencing guidelines suggested around four years would have been more likely. Yanez was also cleared of lesser counts related to endangering Reynolds and her daughter for firing his gun into the car near them.
___
Associated Press writer Doug Glass contributed from Minneapolis.
Actor Hill Harper reveals decision to adopt, opens up about single fatherhood
194 messages
20% 64% 16%
