Things Noticeable this week

[scoundrel]

Trooping of the Colour today. HMQ has made a short statement of sympathy and support for victims of various recent horrors and there is to be a minutes silence at 10.45am before the ceremony of trooping the colour begins.

[Devius]

Originally Posted by Devius

Watching BBC News now, Grenfell Tower doesn't look that sturdy.

Transport for London has announced that the Circle and Hammersmith and City Underground lines, which runs nearby was partly suspended at the request of the London Fire Brigade and Police, amid safety concerns over Grenfell Tower.

[EDIT #1] PM Theresa May is now meeting residents, victims, volunteers and community leaders in Downing Street.
Meanwhile hundreds of protesters have gathered in Whitehall, calling for the prime minister's resignation.

*****************************

[EDIT #2] At least 58 people are now missing and presumed dead in the Grenfell Tower disaster, police have said.

This latest figure included the 30 already confirmed to have died in the devastating fire in a west London tower block on Wednesday.

Commander Stuart Cundy said that number "may increase" and that the "significant" recovery operation is likely to take weeks.

"As soon as we can, we will locate and recover loved ones," he added.

Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40315194

[Nobody1]

Man, now some will draw their knife. But for those of you who are interested.

Vladimir Putin's 15th annual Q&A session.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-p0g9OfO4

Oliver Stone's Interview (4 parts).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ-0385u4mg

[Devius]

Originally Posted by tsunamiSD

The One Accuser Who May Finally Bring Bill Cosby Down for Good

Bill Cosby case: Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlock

A judge has declared a mistrial in the Bill Cosby sex assault case, after the jury was deadlocked for a second time.

The seven men and five women were unable to reach a unanimous decision, following more than 50 hours of deliberations.

Mr Cosby, 79, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. His lawyers had argued the sex was consensual.

The US comedian could face new proceedings.

For now, he walks way from court a free man, but the prosecution has already said they are pursuing a fresh trial.

Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40314641

[Rogerbh]

Illinois could be the first state to go bankrupt. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/could-il...or-bankruptcy/

Huge unfunded pensions, no balanced budget for several years, lowest credit rating. Going to hell in a hand basket. California is not far behind.

We in the US make fun of Greece and other near bankrupt European countries, but parts of our country are nearly as bad.

I feel sorry for pensioners in those states who will probably only be getting pennies on the dollars of the funds they thought they would live on in retirement.

[haroldeye]

Welcome to the UK. The only pensions safe are those of the Government employees and the very top bosses. The rest of us have been hit by Gordon Brown's raid on pension funds.

[Devius]

Originally Posted by haroldeye

Welcome to the UK. The only pensions safe are those of the Government employees and the very top bosses. The rest of us have been hit by Gordon Brown's raid on pension funds.

I think the above comment can be juxtaposed with the following bit of news:

UK wealth gap 'widening over past decade' says report

The UK's wealth gap has been widening over the past decade, a report says.

Think tank the Resolution Foundation estimates 1% of adults, some 488,000 people, own 14% of the nation's assets - worth about £11 trillion.

At the other end of the financial scale, 15% (7.3 million people) either own no assets at all, or are in debt.

The government has responded to the findings by insisting that income inequality is at its lowest level since the mid-1980s.

The Resolution Foundation says it is non-partisan and was founded in 2005, with "the goal of improving living standards for the 15 million people in Britain on low and middle incomes".

The foundation says the spreading of property wealth in the mid-1990s and mid-2000s fuelled a decade-long fall in wealth inequality - but that progress has since gone into reverse.

The proportion of property wealth owned by the bottom four-fifths of adults grew from 35% in 1995 to 40% in 2005.

However, the foundation warns "that with home ownership steadily falling since its mid-2000s peak, the proportion of property wealth owned by the bottom four-fifths of the population has started to fall again".

"Given the hugely unequal distribution of wealth across Britain, it's time we looked into how the nation's wealth is divided up and what the consequences are for those who never build up assets of any significance," said Conor D'Arcy, policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation.

"Falling levels of home ownership mean that, having once been a great force in driving down inequality, shifts in who owns what property are now fuelling the wealth gap between rich and poor, while also creating sharp wealth divides between young and old."

A government spokesperson said: "We want to build an economy that works for everyone.

"Income inequality is now at its lowest level since the mid-1980s and the lowest paid saw their wages grow faster than for 20 years.

"The next step is to get Britain building more homes and halt the decline in housing affordability.

"The Housing White Paper which sets out a bold package of reforms, following a £7.2bn investment at Autumn Statement, will help ensure more working people have the security of a decent place to live."

Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40318284

[CARLTON BROWN]

Originally Posted by Devius

Transport for London has announced that the Circle and Hammersmith and City Underground lines, which runs nearby was partly suspended at the request of the London Fire Brigade and Police, amid safety concerns over Grenfell Tower.

[EDIT #1] PM Theresa May is now meeting residents, victims, volunteers and community leaders in Downing Street.
Meanwhile hundreds of protesters have gathered in Whitehall, calling for the prime minister's resignation.

*****************************

[EDIT #2] At least 58 people are now missing and presumed dead in the Grenfell Tower disaster, police have said.

This latest figure included the 30 already confirmed to have died in the devastating fire in a west London tower block on Wednesday.

Commander Stuart Cundy said that number "may increase" and that the "significant" recovery operation is likely to take weeks.

"As soon as we can, we will locate and recover loved ones," he added.

Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40315194

Presumably, the building has been inspected by structural engineers. I assume it's not going to fall over just yet as it's built from what appears to be a fairly standard steel framework? Have things changed?

I also wonder how many of the flats at the bottom remain undamaged and whether there will be attempts to recover any of the residents personal posessions?

[Puhbear69]

Originally Posted by CARLTON BROWN

Presumably, the building has been inspected by structural engineers. I assume it's not going to fall over just yet as it's built from what appears to be a fairly standard steel framework? Have things changed?

I also wonder how many of the flats at the bottom remain undamaged and whether there will be attempts to recover any of the residents personal posessions?

The building has gone lost, you can be very sure. This inspection is not more than a showcase; or more likely to tax the risk of the demolition company and the rescuers, who are searching for dead bodies.

I believe, not one of the flats are undamaged as it looks.

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by Devius

I think the above comment can be juxtaposed with the following bit of news:

[i]UK wealth gap 'widening over past decade' says report

The UK's wealth gap has been widening over the past decade, a report says.

Its not just in the UK. There are a number of similar reports saying the same thing in the US and one suspects most of the world given the interconnection of the economies and the power of multinational companies.