fire in London tower block

[Guius]

Rolling 24h news has the effect of focusing our attention onto one dominant topic, sometimes I think this gives a false impression, attributing far more gravity or seriousness to a news item than is proportionate. I don't want to down play tragedy of the last few months happenings in any way, but in comparison with  world events our little corner is blessed indeed.

 

Regards

 

Guy

[chris p bacon]

Rolling 24h news has the effect of focusing our attention onto one dominant topic, sometimes I think this gives a false impression, attributing far more gravity or seriousness to a news item than is proportionate. I don't want to down play tragedy of the last few months happenings in any way, but in comparison with  world events our little corner is blessed indeed.

 

Regards

 

Guy

 

I think the rolling 24 hour news makes you lose perspective. A couple of days after the tower block fire, Portugal experienced forest fires killing 64 people in a short space of time. I saw just 60-90 seconds coverage on the news that day.

[rockershovel]

One thing about rolling news is that, like any other sort of news, it only provides the news it receives from its sources. The Grenfell Tower fire is a classic example of this, as reporting resources all focus on the same issue.

 

There's also no necessary relationship between the pace of news coverage, and the pace of actual events. This also tends to erode perspective, as every detail is given the same, hysterical treatment, the whole Brexit situation demonstrates this as various protagonists make statements which are really only the repetition of generic postures, assorted activists and agenda-pushers are given screen-time and no coherent picture emerges.

 

That said, do you REALLY want continuous coverage of, say, forest fires in Portugal and bombings in Bangladesh Desh? How does it benefit you to know that things which happen all the time, are happening?

[rockershovel]

The Law of Unintended Consequences seems to be in full swing, down in Kensington and Chelsea. It appears, from some sources, that a complex and difficult issue is emerging revolving around re-housing, as the various operations of an increasingly dysfunctional benefit system come into view...

[rockershovel]

Interesting piece on BBC right now (0755), a serious discussion of the merits, or otherwise, of BBC news coverage, with particular emphasis on accuracy, responsibility and impartiality.

 

Can't imagine Sky or CNN broadcasting anything similar...

[Horsetan]

Interesting piece on BBC right now (0755), a serious discussion of the merits, or otherwise, of BBC news coverage, with particular emphasis on accuracy, responsibility and impartiality.

 

Can't imagine Sky or CNN broadcasting anything similar...

Meanwhile, on Fox News....

[rockershovel]

Meanwhile, on Fox News....

... your meaning being? I'd always regarded "Fox News" as something of a contradiction in terms..

Edited June 24, 2017 by rockershovel

[Horsetan]

... your meaning being? I'd always regarded "Fox News" as something of a contradiction in terms..

Exactly...

[jjb1970]

Adam Smith summed up human response to remote tragedies over 200 years ago, I offer an extended version of the quote usually offered as the truncated version generally is used to misrepresent Smith:

 

Let us suppose that the great empire of China, with all its myriads of inhabitants, was suddenly swallowed up by an earthquake, and let us consider how a man of humanity in Europe, who had no sort of connexion with that part of the world, would be affected upon receiving intelligence of this dreadful calamity. He would, I imagine, first of all, express very strongly his sorrow for the misfortune of that unhappy people, he would make many melancholy reflections upon the precariousness of human life, and the vanity of all the labours of man, which could thus be annihilated in a moment. He would too, perhaps, if he was a man of speculation, enter into many reasonings concerning the effects which this disaster might produce upon the commerce of Europe, and the trade and business of the world in general. And when all this fine philosophy was over, when all these humane sentiments had been once fairly expressed, he would pursue his business or his pleasure, take his repose or his diversion, with the same ease and tranquillity, as if no such accident had happened. The most frivolous disaster which could befal himself would occasion a more real disturbance. If he was to lose his little finger to-morrow, he would not sleep to-night; but, provided he never saw them, he will snore with the most profound security over the ruin of a hundred millions of his brethren, and the destruction of that immense multitude seems plainly an object less interesting to him, than this paltry misfortune of his own. To prevent, therefore, this paltry misfortune to himself, would a man of humanity be willing to sacrifice the lives of a hundred millions of his brethren, provided he had never seen them? Human nature startles with horror at the thought, and the world, in its greatest depravity and corruption, never produced such a villain as could be capable of entertaining it. But what makes this difference? When our passive feelings are almost always so sordid and so selfish, how comes it that our active principles should often be so generous and so noble? When we are always so much more deeply affected by whatever concerns ourselves, than by whatever concerns other men; what is it which prompts the generous, upon all occasions, and the mean upon many, to sacrifice their own interests to the greater interests of others? It is not the soft power of humanity, it is not that feeble spark of benevolence which Nature has lighted up in the human heart, that is thus capable of counteracting the strongest impulses of self-love. It is a stronger power, a more forcible motive, which exerts itself upon such occasions. It is reason, principle, conscience, the inhabitant of the breast, the man within, the great judge and arbiter of our conduct. It is he who, whenever we are about to act so as to affect the happiness of others, calls to us, with a voice capable of astonishing the most presumptuous of our passions, that we are but one of the multitude, in no respect better than any other in it; and that when we prefer ourselves so shamefully and so blindly to others, we become the proper objects of resentment, abhorrence, and execration. It is from him only that we learn the real littleness of ourselves, and of whatever relates to ourselves, and the natural misrepresentations of self-love can be corrected only by the eye of this impartial spectator. It is he who shows us the propriety of generosity and the deformity of injustice; the propriety of resigning the greatest interests of our own, for the yet greater interests of others, and the deformity of doing the smallest injury to another, in order to obtain the greatest benefit to ourselves. It is not the love of our neighbour, it is not the love of mankind, which upon many occasions prompts us to the practice of those divine virtues. It is a stronger love, a more powerful affection, which generally takes place upon such occasions; the love of what is honourable and noble, of the grandeur, and dignity, and superiority of our own characters.

[jjb1970]

In my last job I used to spend quite a bit of time in Houston and New Orleans, and a guilty secret is that I loved those US shock jock radio shows, lunatics ranting about all sorts of bizarre subjects. They're so outrageous they're hilarious, we don't really get anything like them over here.

[Welly]

In my last job I used to spend quite a bit of time in Houston and New Orleans, and a guilty secret is that I loved those US shock jock radio shows, lunatics ranting about all sorts of bizarre subjects. They're so outrageous they're hilarious, we don't really get anything like them over here.

Thank goodness we don't have them over here....... yet. 

[The Stationmaster]

The Law of Unintended Consequences seems to be in full swing, down in Kensington and Chelsea. It appears, from some sources, that a complex and difficult issue is emerging revolving around re-housing, as the various operations of an increasingly dysfunctional benefit system come into view...

 

Not so much dysfunctional as overloaded , often  poorly targetted, and subjected (as now) to political whims and pressures of the moment.

[APOLLO]

And it gets worse

 

Cladding on 27 tower blocks in 15 council areas in England has failed fire safety tests, the government says.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40391395

 

I reckon by next week many more will be identified, and many more residents evacuated. Time for some Dunkirk spirit among us Brits, our "leaders" are only lining their pockets at our expense. I'm sure lots of council workers etc are trying their very best, but as Stationmaster states above, they and their systems are overloaded and it seems can't cope with escalating events of this magnitude.

 

Brit15

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

In my last job I used to spend quite a bit of time in Houston and New Orleans, and a guilty secret is that I loved those US shock jock radio shows, lunatics ranting about all sorts of bizarre subjects. They're so outrageous they're hilarious, we don't really get anything like them over here.

 They will be out of business soon enough under the current pres. Can't top that...

 

Over here, they don't need to go on air, because they regulary get elected...

[Horsetan]

In my last job I used to spend quite a bit of time in Houston and New Orleans, and a guilty secret is that I loved those US shock jock radio shows, lunatics ranting about all sorts of bizarre subjects. They're so outrageous they're hilarious, we don't really get anything like them over here.

There's an American comedian whose name I forget (I think he took British Citizenship a while ago) whose abrasive style reminds me of "shock jocks", particularly the bizarre ranting. He often appears on Radio 4 panel shows like The News Quiz or The Now Show. He presented his "US Presidential Election Breakdown" series on R4 the week Trump was elected, in the style of a radio phone-in show. Very, very funny.

[jjb1970]

There's an American comedian whose name I forget (I think he took British Citizenship a while ago) whose abrasive style reminds me of "shock jocks", particularly the bizarre ranting. He often appears on Radio 4 panel shows like The News Quiz or The Now Show. He presented his "US Presidential Election Breakdown" series on R4 the week Trump was elected, in the style of a radio phone-in show. Very, very funny.

That's Rich Hall, he is brilliant! His books are well worth reading too.

[rockershovel]

Not so much dysfunctional as overloaded , often  poorly targetted, and subjected (as now) to political whims and pressures of the moment.

It's not even that good. I'm reminded of a quote attributed to the unloveable, but ever-quotable Kelvin Mackenzie, at the time of the 1992 EMU crisis, regarding the likely imminent disposal of a large, steaming bucket full, presently on his desk...

[OnTheBranchline]

Thank goodness we don't have them over here....... yet.

There's the Mail...

[jjb1970]

Something I think is important to remember is that applying cladding is not cheap and it is not indicative of penny pinching and a refusal to invest in properties. Also, despite the hysterical denunciations of K&c council it is pretty obvious that the cladding issue is much wider, I also suspect that K&C councils responsibility for the cladding will be minor (which doesn't excuse their poor response).

Clearly the designer, contractor, cladding supplier, material approvals body, the building inspector and fire inspectors will all be answering some very uncomfortable questions.

[kevinlms]

In my last job I used to spend quite a bit of time in Houston and New Orleans, and a guilty secret is that I loved those US shock jock radio shows, lunatics ranting about all sorts of bizarre subjects. They're so outrageous they're hilarious, we don't really get anything like them over here.

We have them, fortunately mostly confined to Sydney. Alan Jones & co.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Interesting piece on BBC right now (0755), a serious discussion of the merits, or otherwise, of BBC news coverage, with particular emphasis on accuracy, responsibility and impartiality.

 

Can't imagine Sky or CNN broadcasting anything similar...

Nothing that the BBC likes better than talking about itself.

[Metr0Land]

A few pages back one of the posters suggested we might have a terrible situation where everyone can say they've done nothing wrong within the letter of law and yet it's all gone terribly wrong.

 

In the last 24 hours I've seen two instances:

 

a/ Some expert on tv news last night stating there's a gap in the regs whereby the cladding has to be fire-resitant, but where you have a sandwich of say 2 layers of aluminium you can have anything between them, which isn't regulated.

b/ One of the papers today saying that although materials have to meet UK regs, they can be tested at any lab anywhere in the world, and that lab standards of course vary.

 

I don't know how accurate these statements are, but both seem plausible to me inasmuch as cladding might meet the Regs per se, but be tragically inadequate. 

[Bernard Lamb]

I was talking to a chap at lunch time who has to pass the tower almost every day. He is the Chief Bouncer at a well know London club and as such is something of a hard man. He was very moved by the event. One remark was that although he did not believe in ghosts he felt the spirits moving the next day. He did make one comment that I have not heard from official sources though hints have been dropped. He expects the death total to reach 120.

Bernard

[Horsetan]

There's the Mail...

Then there's Wail readers....

[PhilJ W]

In my last job I used to spend quite a bit of time in Houston and New Orleans, and a guilty secret is that I loved those US shock jock radio shows, lunatics ranting about all sorts of bizarre subjects. They're so outrageous they're hilarious, we don't really get anything like them over here.

 

 

Thank goodness we don't have them over here....... yet. 

We've got 'Britain first', but going by their march against Moslems in London today their still looking for their brain cell.