Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Fire

Mark Steel: We need to hear all sides of the story in the Grenfell Tower inquiry, not just one-sided anti-fire views from the residents

Grenfell Tower inquiry cartoon
© Steve Bell
Whatever else the Grenfell Tower inquiry reveals, it ought to commend the efforts of the local council to rehouse the survivors; there are 196 families in need of accommodation and already permanent places have been found for two of them. At this rate, they'll get the whole lot sorted in only 24.5 years.

Government Minister Sajid Javid explained: "We mustn't force families into snap decisions; we must work at the pace that suits the needs and circumstances of residents."

This considerate approach must be the reason for the gentle pace of rehousing, because the last thing a family needs after its home has burned down is having to make a snap decision about whether to move into a new home, or stay in a bed and breakfast with nowhere to cook or eat or live. Then they'll have to make more snap decisions such as which cupboard to put their cups and saucers in. They don't need that after all they've been through, so it's heartening that the authorities have been so sensitive.

Theresa May did promise a slightly quicker rate of rehousing, originally promising that all would be "rehoused permanently within three weeks". But she clearly meant the three weeks at the start of March 2041 so we shouldn't be critical.

Comment: Crazy Marxists want to give homes to Grenfell survivors. Thankfully, we live in a fair capitalist society


Bulb

Jennifer Lawrence is the voice of crazy in a world gone crazy!

Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence: "I's is smart."
Jennifer Lawrence is the darling of mainstream media who can do and say no wrong. She continues that streak in this expose by Paul Joseph Watson by showing off her comedic abilities, even when she's not trying to by funny.

USA

Kid Rock's recent campaign speech looks frighteningly similar to a scene from Idiocracy

Kid Rock Camacho
Oh. My. God.
Kid Rock gave what could be considered his first campaign speech this week, and it looked almost exactly like a scene out of Idiocracy.

During a fog machine-filled concert Wednesday night at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI, Detroit's Robert Ritchie aka Kid Rock gave his version of a 'campaign' speech. During the profanity-laden tirade, he bashed "dead-beat dads, wannabe gangsters," women who have too many babies, and welfare. As the presidential tune "Hail to the Chief" played in the background, his fans screamed on in adoration.

Wrapped in a flag, while grabbing his genitalia, Kid Rock laid the groundwork for his campaign - which is anything but consistent. As he pandered to every platform possible, Kid Rock managed to praise universal health care while simultaneously decrying distribution of wealth and celebrating "President Donald F*****g Trump" all in a single breath.

Comment: For more on this aspect of the US's disintegration and implosion:


Snowflake

#Bananagate: #OleMiss Greek Life cancelled after #bananapeel found in tree terrifies participants

lionel
© Youtube
Just when you think you've seen every example of hypersensitivity and overreaction to feigned offense . . . THIS!

Propaganda

Fake Photographs: Hurricane Harvey Edition

As usual, fake and misleading images were circulated on social media in the wake of a storm that brought catastrophic flooding to the streets of Houston.
Fake flooded Houston Hurricane
© Unknown
It's practically inevitable for fake or misleading photographs to circulate in the wake of a major natural disaster. So when images of the destruction from Hurricane Harvey first appeared on social media in late August 2017, many users were wary about which images they could trust.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the most popular (and misleading) photographs that circulated in the wake of Hurricane Harvey:

Comment: Some more from thatsnonesense.com
Did Black Lives Matter prevent rescue workers?

An image purported to show a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters preventing rescue workers from saving Texas residents affected by the hurricane.
2016 Atlanta protests
© Unknown
Wrong! This fake story was published by a known fake news site ourlandofthefree.com (ThatsFake.com listed them as a fake news website.)

The image is a still from a video taken in 2016 in Atlanta showing a protest after a number of police shootings. The crowd were not preventing emergency services or rescue workers from reaching a destination.

Evacuees being asked for immigration papers?

Rumours claimed that those seeking refuge would be asked for immigration papers or status when entering a shelter. These rumours are false and have been dismissed by the official Twitter account form the City of Houston.

Corpus Christi turning off utilities?

Online rumours claimed that Corpus Christi were turning off public utilities ahead of the storm, and another rumour claimed the city were preventing residents from returning to their homes to inspect any damage caused.

The Twitter account for Corpus Christi debunked these rumours here and here.



Blackbox

UFO? Russian sub detector? Mystery object pulled from the sea off Rhode Island coast

Rhode Island
© Rhode Island Drone Services / Vimeo
A mysterious metal object has been pulled from the sea off the coast of Rhode Island, prompting a series of wild theories about what it might be.

The circular eight-legged contraption has puzzled Westerly bathers for months, after it was discovered more than a quarter of a mile from an oceanfront mansion owned by pop star Taylor Swift.

It was tugged from the sea by an excavator and dismantled before being moved to an undisclosed location Thursday, WFSB News reported.

Attention

Princeton Scientists Cause Uproar by Discovering "Sex Chromosome"

Chromosomes
Scientists at Princeton University say they have made a startling discovery which could change the way we think about biological sex. Until now, it had been assumed that the sex of a person was not fixed, and could be changed according to how a person felt, but according to the team of researchers, their new findings could blow that idea out of the water.

USA

Satire: Antifa protesters vow to disrupt Neo-Nazi rally...or whatever else happens to be going on that day

protesters
Vowing to derail whichever event it is by any means necessary, local Antifa organizers announced plans Monday to disrupt an upcoming neo-Nazi rally or whatever else is going on that day. "We will stop at nothing to prevent these vile fucking neo-Nazi hatemongers from gathering, or, if not them, someone else," said Sarah Jackson, 26, adding that the only way to end the spread of fascism is to physically confront Nazis, peaceful right-wing protesters, or just random people going about their daily lives.

Cloud Precipitation

Going viral: Dog snapped carrying bag of food after Hurricane Harvey

dog dog food Herricane Harvey
© Tiele DockensOtis has got this.
Hurricane Harvey couldn't keep Otis the dog down.

A dog that accidentally got loose Friday night during Hurricane Harvey has become an unlikely symbol of Texas strength.

Otis, a German shepherd mix, got loose Friday night from a screened-in back porch in Sinton, Texas, while in the care of Salvador Segovia, 65. Segovia was watching the dog, who belongs to his 5-year-old grandson Carter who had fled the city due to flooding.

When Segovia went to check in on the dog Friday night, he was gone.

"I kept yelling his name and yelling his name and he wasn't around," Segovia told Chron.com Saturday afternoon.

Segovia checked his porch Saturday morning and noticed Otis' bag of dog food was missing. Segovia drove around his neighborhood looking for the pooch when he was flagged down by a neighbor who said they saw Otis walking around with the bag of food in his mouth.

Footprints

Soldier excited to take over his Dad's old patrol route in the never-ending war in Afghanistan

soldier
Saying he "never could have imagined" he would have the opportunity to follow directly in his father's footsteps, 19-year-old U.S. Army Pvt. Tyler Corcoran was reportedly excited Tuesday to take over his dad's old patrol route in Afghanistan. "It's just so incredible that I'll soon be walking the very same footpath as my old man, securing the perimeter of Camp Chapman in Khost Province just like he did so many years ago," said Corcoran, who explained how, throughout his childhood, he had heard his father's stories of guarding the forward operating base but never once considered that he would one day be traversing along the exact walls and securing the identical checkpoints his father had during his tours of duty.