Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Boat

Red alert! Soviet war machine spotted in the River Medway!


RT
Mon, 20 Nov 2017 16:57 UTC
Cold War-era Soviet submarine
© Paolo Fumo / RT
Kent seems an unlikely place to encounter a 1,950 tonne Soviet war machine. But don't be alarmed if you happen to spot U-475 'Black Widow' looming out of the river as you cross the Medway - the Cold War hasn't resumed and the Soviets aren't about to annex Strood.

Built in 1967, Black Widow saw active service with the Russian Baltic Fleet at the height of the Cold War. Although modest compared to Russia's latest Project 885 Yasen-class nuclear submarine, the U-475 was pretty formidable in its day, armed with 22 nuclear tipped warheads and 53 explosive mines.

But how did this cold warrior, built during the shoe-thumping premiership of Nikita Khrushchev, end up moored, of all places, in Rochester?
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Smiley

Children in Need charity celebrates raising 15% of Buckingham Palace refurbishing cost

Spacey
News Thump
Sat, 18 Nov 2017 17:27 UTC
Buckingham Palace
© Royal Collection Trust
Children in Need has raised a record-breaking £50.1m, which is about 15% of the amount the British taxpayer will spend refurbishing Buckingham Palace.

The astonishing amount, which is roughly £60m less than 650 MPs claim in expenses every year, will go towards providing vital assistance to children who everyone agrees should already be receiving it.

Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated the charity on raising a sum of money equivalent to 0.046% of what it will cost to renew a nuclear programme that deters absolutely f__k all.
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Magic Wand

Neighborhood memorializes Tombili - beloved street cat, made famous on the internet


Atlas Obscura
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 19:04 UTC
cat statue Istanbul
© Nevit/CC by-SA 3.0Tombili, beloved cat of Istanbul's Ziverbey neighborhood
In a city crawling with cats, it takes a fabulous feline to truly stand out. Enter Tombili, a chubby white-bellied tabby cat with a peculiar penchant for slouching against steps rather than sitting atop them. His friendly nature made him a beloved resident of Istanbul's Ziverbey neighborhood. He was, as locals were quick to realize, a cool cat.

Tombili's fame spread beyond his usual haunts after an image of him lounging in his preferred pose went viral online and became a meme. In the picture, he leans against a step, one paw draped over his tubby white tummy while the other rests atop the concrete. He's poised as if about to ask a question, perhaps a casual inquiry about how long you've been coming to the neighborhood, before launching into his own life story.
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Snowflake

Fun in any weather: Russian husky's snow tubing obsession


RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 23:11 UTC
snow tubing dog Russia
© Youtube/Viral Video UK
Playing in the snow has never been more efficient!

After a decent snowfall in Volzhsky, this husky's owner decided to take his pup out for some fun. With the rope connected to his collar, the young dog gleefully slides down the hill and immediately runs the rubber donut back for round two!

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Handcuffs

Florida man arrested for DUI while riding his lawnmower


WPVT
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:36 UTC
Kenneth Burton Alleshouse
© PSLPDKenneth Burton Alleshouse
A man was arrested on a DUI charge last week in Port St. Lucie after police spotted him riding a lawn mower, carrying a case of beer and driving erratically on an access road.

A Port St. Lucie police officer spotted 56-year-old Kenneth Burton Alleshouse on Nov. 3 at about 6:15 p.m.

Comment: See also: Lakeland, Florida woman charged with driving under the influence - on horseback

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Dreamsicle

'Get lost, please. Thank you' - Watch Russian tycoon tell pestering CNN reporter where to go


RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 12:52 UTC
Deripaska cnn manafort
Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska's encounter with a CNN reporter, who kept asking him about alleged ties with Paul Manafort, ended with the tycoon giving him a steely look and telling him to "get lost."

CNN's Matthew Chance spotted Deripaska during the APEC summit in Vietnam and immediately started following him. The journalist repeatedly asked questions about Deripaska's alleged connections to former Donald Trump aide Paul Manafort, according to the CNN video released on Friday.

After unsuccessful attempts to ignore Chance's questions, Deripaska eventually became annoyed with the reporter and said: "Get lost, please, thank you."


Comment: Yes, CNN, get lost, please. Thank you.

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Whistle

Loud screaming prompts 911 call - Sheriff responds to find culprit is... Diego the parrot

Kale Williams
The Oregonian
Thu, 09 Nov 2017 18:22 UTC
parrot screaming
© Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
Screams for help pierced the air, and a UPS driver, just going about his business delivering packages, leapt into action.

The unnamed deliveryman was tooling along his route near Clackamas on Monday around 7:45 p.m. when he heard what sounded like a person in serious distress.

He called his wife, who in turn called the cops. The UPS worker stood by while he waited for them to arrive. When deputy Hayden Sanders from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office showed up, the scene was tense.

Cautiously, the deputy approached the residence, likely worried that someone inside could be in serious trouble.
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Recycle

NATO blogger will take the 'Sarin Bucket Challenge' to prove the nerve agent is actually harmless


Russia Insider
Sat, 04 Nov 2017 17:19 UTC
sarin bucket challenge
Not photoshopped in any way shape or form.
Sarin. Some say it's a highly toxic and extremely potent nerve agent that will murder you basically immediately, even in pin prick-sized amounts. But others, such as famous YouTube sleuth Eliot Higgins, insist that while Sarin is a bummer to inhale, exposing your skin to it is gross but rarely lethal - the bio warfare equivalent of giving Harvey Weinstein a taint massage.

Take the wheel, Eliot:

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Horse

Lakeland, Florida woman charged with driving under the influence - on horseback

AP
Yahoo News
Fri, 03 Nov 2017 00:00 UTC
Donna Byrne
© Polk County Sheriff's Office via APThis undated booking photo made available by the Polk County Sheriff's Office shows Donna Byrne, of Lakeland, Fla.
A 53-year-old woman riding a horse down a busy Florida highway has been arrested and charged with driving drunk.

Polk County Sheriff's officials said in a news release that someone called 911 about a woman who appeared confused and possibly in danger. When deputies arrived they found Donna Byrne riding her horse in the road.

Officers did a sobriety test and said she gave breath samples that registered blood-alcohol level of .161 - twice Florida's legal limit of .08.

Byrne is charged with DUI and animal neglect for endangering and failing to provide proper protection for the horse.

Deputies took the horse to the Polk County Sheriff's Animal Control livestock facility. She was booked into the Polk County Jail. Jail records did not list an attorney for her.

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Mr. Potato

Porn star to run against Putin in Russian elections, vows to bring death penalty for sexual harassment in the wake of Weinstein scandal

Ed Wight
Mail Online
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 20:11 UTC
Elena Berkova
An ex-Russian porn star is the latest woman to announce she'll be standing against President Putin in next year's presidential elections.

Busty brunette Elena Berkova from the city of Murmansk in northwest Russia, who also stood for mayor of Sochi, posted a video on Instagram outlining her plans.

The 32-year-old mum-of-two, who will be the fourth female candidate to run for office, said she would introduce the death penalty for sexual harassment because she was fed up with people like Harvey Weinstein.

Comment: That's quite the insightful platform. Surely Putin will be burning the midnight oil to come up with strategies against the threat of this powerhouse political adversary. In the US she would probably have a pretty good shot, but Russians seem to be a little more discerning when it comes to their candidates. More pictures in the original article.

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