A DEATH TRAP

Grenfell has been a death trap since 2015 when it was retrofitted. Death by fire inevitable. It happened this past week. The death count 17 so far. Expected to exceed 100. Some burned so badly, identification may not be possible.

Grenfell is a London high rise. The fire occurred wednesday. Rapidly spread upward. Comparable to a fire drawing up a chimney.

An outer sheet was placed over the exterior of the building at the time of renovations in 2015. A space remained between the outer sheet and the building wall. The interior of the sheet plastic.

The process is called cladding. Thought to be environmentally sound. The space between the new outer sheeting and original wall served as insulation.

A final report as to the cause of the fire not yet released. Two stick out and are sure to be included. The space described and the plastic coating. The space served as a draft for the flames to quickly shoot up enclosing the entire building. The plastic highly flammable.

An American company manufactured the covering. Reynobond. Two types. One with and one without the plastic coating. The without more expensive. Probably due to the nature of a different coating.

The difference in using the safe one over the one possible of fire 5,000 pounds.

Cladding is banned outright in Germany. In the United States, it is banned in buildings more than 40 feet high.

Warnings have been forthcoming since 1999 that cladding was not safe. Primarily because of the chimney effect if a fire occurs.

Grenfell a disaster that should not have occurred. An avoidable one. Money and an environmentally sound but dangerous material major contributing factors.

My big event yesterday was shopping at Farmers Market. Bread, tomatoes and honey purchased.

Stopped at 5 Guys. Sitting at the table next to me was the owner of Harpoon Harry’s. Both of us munching away on huge cheeseburgers.

Gotcha time. We laughed when we saw each other. Caught cheating!

Trump is wrong to change the relatively new rules re Cuba. He is acceding to a handful of Cuban immigrants who each year diminish in numbers.

Castro’s revolution was 1959. Cubans who fled left at that time. Many settled in Miami.

Sixty five more or less years ago. Time generally heals wounds no matter how great initially. We should have hated Germany and Japan following World War II. Thousands of our men and women killed. We had better sense. We made them our friends. Look at the relationships that developed.

Trump is sucking up to a handful of American-Cuban voters. Typical. He does not use his head.

I came across an article re Coney Island and its roller coaster Cyclone. Both may be closed today.

Brought back memories of me and my Uncle Gus. My mother’s oldest brother. A barber in the Bronx.

Uncle Gus took me to Coney Island every year when we visited. A ride on the Cyclone always on the agenda. I was 4-10 during those years. Scared of the roller coaster.

Uncle Gus always insisted we had to sit in the front seat. I thought I was going to die each time. Fall out. In the vernacular, I shit my pants!

Uncle Gus loved it! He would yell and scream. I eventually realized I was his excuse to ride on the Cyclone.

In 1858, Lincoln was running for the United States Senate. He lost.

On this day in 1858 at a debate, Lincoln warned that America was becoming a “house divided.” He said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Heed well my friends! A warning. Words of wisdom that apply as much today as then.

Enjoy your day!

6 comments on “A DEATH TRAP

  1. Louis, I went to Cuba in 2016 from Key West. I stayed in a fixed up hotel on the square where the cruise ships now come in, and it is owned by the Cuban military jefes. They got my money not the Cuban people.

  2. My bet about Trump’s actions with Cuba, is that this is what Russia wants and that Putin asked be done. Follow the money.

  3. My bet about Trump’s actions with Cuba, is that this is what Russia wants and that Putin asked be done. Follow the money.

  4. I agree with the sentiment about a “house divided”… except that I don’t think Lincoln wasn’t talking about Republicans v Democrats. I believe he was talking about North v South.

    While I’m at it… we need to normalize relations with Cuba. None of our policies are going to change their government, so we should stop trying. Besides, I want to go there. I just hope I get there before the cruise ships change it too much.

    • I agree, China is Communist, sort of, and they are one of our largest trading partners. Cuba is a nice island. We need to get over its past just as we did with Vietnam.

  5. Love 5 Guys full of flavor, full of fat! If you gonna go, do it right.
    Cuba, Cuba Cuba…..I feel for all the Cuban-Americans who got shafted in the transition from Batista to Castro, to lose everything plain sucks. That is history, it happened and it is time for the Cuban America community to do one of two things. Either let go of your former homeland or go back and take it by force, the embargo is a failure and is hurting those left behind on the island.
    Castro was not the most paternal leader and neither was Batista. It is done.
    Maybe it is different if you come here by choice-perhaps more of a willingness to leave it all behind. Most immigrants remember the homeland but put their heart here. It is hard to serve two masters.

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