When future generations look back and study this period of our history, they will likely wonder why the heck we weren’t willing to take the necessary measures needed to help protect ourselves from COVID-19.
At the moment, most countries are not forcing their citizens to wear face masks.
Some people think that governments should make the wearing of face masks compulsory, others believe they shouldn’t.
I don’t know why you would not want to take basic precautions which could help to protect you (and your family) from the deadly virus.
But hey, we aren’t here to preach.
Instead, we saw this image on social media (@BrynnTannehill) and thought that is summed up the feelings and sentiment of many.
If we followed the official guidance being given to us, then we could stop COVID-19 in its tracks.
For the past few weeks now, we have heard time and time again about members of the emergency services being abused and assaulted.
The very people who we ask to put their lives on the line to keep us safe are now becoming the intended targets of vicious and cowardly violence.
Some of those responsible have been caught. Many haven’t.
But other than a fine and a few weeks inside, what deterrent is there to stop people from abusing emergency workers?
Surely it is about time that we started some sort of ‘banned from using’ register that recorded the details of everyone who has been convicted of assaulting a member of the emergency services.
If your name is put on the register, then you should be banned from being able to access the emergency services.
Why should the people who dedicate their lives to helping others be subjected to abuse and violence from a small minority of individuals who take the emergency services for granted?
This ‘banning’ would not prevent individuals who are on the register from getting help for other people.
But it would mean that if someone who has been convicted of assaulting a paramedic needed the ambulance service, then it would be down to the discretion of the paramedics whether or not they responded to their abusers call for help.
Something needs to be done to stop the violence which is being directed at our emergency services.
The current system does not seem to be acting like a big enough deterrent.
We each have our own fantasy’s when it comes to sexual liaisons.
But if you have ever become turned on at the idea of someone breaking into your house armed with machetes, then it would appear that you are not alone (if you live in Australia).
One such male hired two men to break into his house, armed with machetes, so that they could then tie him up. Once tied up, then the plan was for the two masked men to stroke the ‘victim’ with a broom.
By this stage, you might think that this article is ‘fake news’ but, alas, my friends, it is not. I will add the link to the original article at the bottom of this page.
Anyway, back to the bizarre story…
So, according to the client’s wishes, the two masked men broke into what they thought was the correct address. And, to be fair, it was the address which they had been given by the ‘client’.
But it turned out that their ‘intelligence’ was not up-to-date, as they ended up breaking into the ‘wrong’ house.
Can you just imagine being the unfortunate victim of this sexual-fantasy-gone-wrong?
One minute you are sat watching repeats of ‘Neighbours’, eating your Vegemite sandwiches, the next minute you are being tied up by two machete-wielding masked men who want to tickle you with a frigging broom!
The two masked bandits ended up getting arrested after the genuine victim managed to call for help.
The peculiar role-play had been arranged via social media. The male ‘client’ who wanted to be tickled by the two masked men lives near Griffith, New South Wales.
He provided his address to the two men who were to break in with machetes, but he forgot to tell them about the fact that he was due imminently to move house.
So technically, the masked men had got the ‘right’ address – but just the wrong time.
A lawyer for Terrence Leroy, one of the accused, said:
“It was a commercial agreement to tie up and stroke a semi-naked man in his underpants with a broom. Entry was not with intent to intimidate.”
When the two males realised their error, it is reported that they shook the victim’s hand and apologised for the misunderstanding before leaving to track down their punter.
The judge who was presiding over the case managed to look at the sequence of bizarre events with a broad and open mind.
“They carried the machetes either as a prop or something to use in that fantasy,” he said. “The fantasy was unscripted, and there was discretion as to how it would be carried out.”
The judge ruled that evidence did not suggest the men’s actions were intentional.
After the two men left the victims house, they made contact with the client and promptly made their way to his new address.
But the ‘client’ himself was not entirely happy with the weapons which they were ‘packing’, and so he asked them to leave the weapons in their car.
One the ‘act’ had been completed, the happy client cooked the masked duo some noodles, eggs and bacon before they sat around and had a chat about the encounter.
But the real victim in all of this had already called the cops and the police ended up intercepting the duo at the client’s address.
There are some stories which you really could not make up. And this is one of them.
So Londoners (and people who work in the London) are being urged not to use public transport unless absolutely necessary.
That is fair enough.
After all, it is almost impossible to keep a two-metre gap on the London Underground as anyone who has used it will tell you.
So for many people, the only way of getting into work (assuming that you work in London) is to drive.
But then Transport for London announced that the ‘congestion charge’ is not only going to be extended (hours of operation) but that it is also going to go up to £15!
So the people who have been told NOT to use public transport are now going to have to pay a premium just to go to work!?
And what about the frontline NHS/emergency services personnel who have been separated from their families for weeks as they work to try and save as many lives as possible?
Well, there have been concessions for NHS employees – which is excellent news.
But this concession is not being extended to the brave men and women of the Metropolitan Police Service who have been working hard to try and keep Londoners safe.
Talking about the ridiculous situation, the Chairman of the Met Police Federation said:
“Police officers in London have worked tirelessly to keep the public safe at no small risk to themselves.
“To be told that they now have to pay the Congestion Charge when other key workers retain an exemption is a slap in the face.
Ken added: “At a time when we are being discouraged from using public transport to get to our places of work, this seems to go completely against Government guidelines.”
For many people, there is a perception that the ‘powers that be’ are making the most of a lousy situation since people are being told not to use public transport while at the same time being told that the ‘congestion charge’ is not only increasing but that its hours of operation are also being extended.
Where have all of our equitable morals gone!? If you know, let us know in the comments…
I am reasonably sure that thousands of Met Police officers will be rejoicing at the news of the fact that the Notting Hill Carnival has been cancelled this year.
For years now, overstretched and overworked police officers have had to forfeit their August Bank Holiday weekend to police an event that many feel has become too big for the streets of London.
During my own time in the Met Police, I policed Notting Hill Carnival quite a few times.
The atmosphere is always quite lovely when it begins. But then as the booze starts to flow and London’s street gangs head to the carnival, the atmosphere always changes.
Ask a Met Police officer who has policed the event about how ugly things can turn on the Monday evening.
You often get groups of lads just running through the crowds, punching anyone (police or not) who they feel like it. I have seen it with my own two eyes.
Of course, it is not just the Notting Hill carnival that results in police officers being assaulted. But for some reason, the severity and the sheer number of police officers who do get attacked while trying to police the Notting Hill Carnival is just ridiculous.
So I am happy that my former oppos in the Met Police will, this year at least, get to spend the August Bank Holiday with their loved ones rather than with some individuals who love to hurt them.
I never really used to buy my groceries online before the lockdown but, like many other people, I try to buy as much as I can now with my various online shopping accounts.
Things had been going quite well, and I was quite impressed with how quickly my regular supplier could ship stuff to me just before it went out of date.
I must admit though, that I am not overly impressed with the ‘find a replacement’ option if my local store has run out of goods which I am trying to buy.
For example, ordering condoms but getting balloons was particularly disappointing.
But imagine ordering a bottle of your favourite tipple only to find that the supermarket who you ordered it from, forgot to take the security tag off the top of the bottle!
And not just any security tag. A security tag that prevents you from drinking your liquid gold.
If I had a ninja sword, then I could slice the top clean off.
But if, like me, you do not own such a sword, then how the heck are you supposed to get to the much-needed booze!?
This message is intended for members of the emergency services who happen to be approached by ‘professional bystanders’ who want to film them because they are eating.
Earlier on today, we shared an article about an incident whereby a professional bystander approached three Met Police cops who DARED to eat items which did not constitute part of their ‘five-a-day’.
We won’t name the professional bystander in this article, because he really wants you to follow him on YouTube and he wants you to watch more of his boring videos.
But, off the back of the article, we wanted to share a message with the amazing men and women who dedicate their lives to serving their community.
And the message is a relatively simple one; If you are in uniform and a professional bystander approaches you armed with their mobile phone/camera that is pointed directly at you as they film, then just ignore them.
The moment you interact with a professional bystander who is filming you, then you have given them exactly what they need; footage of you reacting to them.
If these professional bystanders try and upload footage to social media of you ignoring them, then the footage won’t be as popular, and it won’t get as many views.
And that is what motivates these professional bystanders to film you; views.
The more views they get, then the more adverts they can cram into the video.
So when these ‘individuals’ approach you with their cameras in the hope that you will engage with them, don’t say anything!
Just ignore them. Tell them that you will only speak to them once they stop filming you. And then just tell them to foxtrot oscar.
This hardcore element of professional bystanders need to be given the attention they deserve. None.
We all know that in every large organisation you have the heroes who are working on the front line and then you have the non-heroes in top management who care only about their reputations; even during a national emergency.
Although the above might sound like a sweeping generalisation, I want to point out that, yes, there are some excellent people in top management positions.
The organisation we are talking about here is, of course, the NHS.
Not more than a few minutes goes by without me thinking about the truly remarkable men and women who are putting their own lives on the line to try and save the lives of strangers.
These people, the men and women on the front line of the NHS, are the best of the best. They are a credit to the nation, and they are a credit to humanity.
They are going to work, knowing that they could either run out of PPE or they could be given PPE that would not even protect them from someone’s bad breath.
And yet, they continue to try and save lives because they have the heart of a lion and the compassion of a saint.
Some of the men and women who are on the front line of the NHS have taken to social media to voice their concerns about not have enough or the right PPE.
In a so-called democracy, this ability to share genuine concerns is vital as it allows the relevant authorities to be held to account.
So, you can imagine our surprise when we heard that one NHS Trust had ‘advised’ its staff not to tweet about ‘political issues’ and that they had somehow come to the conclusion that not having PPE, or not having the right PPE, is a ‘political issue’.
Staff at the Norfolk & Suffolk mental health trust were issue guidance on “COVID-19 suggested subjects for tweets” in a recent staff newsletter.
Apparently, acceptable tweets included praising staff for their hard work, volunteering to move departments, working over the weekend and keeping people safe.
Unacceptable tweets included those which contained any reference to ‘political issues’.
However, the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust faced backlash over their definition of a “political issue” after an extract from the newsletter was posted to Twitter by the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The virus does not care which way you swing when it comes to your political affiliations. It will try its hardest to take the life of anyone it infects.
So when the men and women who we are asking to put their lives on the line to save the lives of our family and friends tell us that they do not have the right PPE – or no PPE at all – then any attempt to silence them by pretending that such concerns are ‘political’ is a disgrace.
If they had the right PPE, then it would not be an issue. But they do not. And the only way we know that they don’t is because they are telling us about it.
If there is one thing I cannot stand when it comes to how people in high positions conduct themselves, then it’s the ‘service to self’ attitude that emanates from egotistical managers who care more about their reputation than they do about the truly remarkable men and women who are risk their lives to save the lives of others.
In response to the tidal wave of criticism that flooded the media desks at the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, a spokesperson said:
“In response to requests for guidance from our staff who are new to social media, we produced guidelines to help support them.
“Our staff are keen to reassure the public and celebrate the work of their colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these suggestions were intended to support them to do that.
“We actively encourage our staff to use social media within the remit of our social media policy. It was never the intention to deter staff from giving their own views on these issues”.
It would seem that some people still think we live in the pre-social media ages where the traditional media would ignore individual concerns.
But this is the 21st century, and now every single voice matters; especially when it is the voice of someone who is risking their own lives to save the life of a stranger.
Last week, we heard the story about a man in Australia who tried to get a refund on the vast quantities of toilet roll and hand sanitiser that he stocked up on.
Being Australia, where there is, thankfully, a distinct lack of political correctness, the store manager told the professional toilet roll hoarder to ‘foxtrot oscar’.
John-Paul Drake, director at Drakes Supermarkets in Adelaide, South Australia, took to his YouTube channel to vent his anger towards the ‘professional toilet-roll hoarder’.
He said:
‘2020 – the year of toilet paper. The scenes that everyone has seen with the toilet paper have been absolutely ridiculous.
‘I had my first customer yesterday who said he wanted to get a refund on 150 packets of 32-pack toilet paper and 150 units of one-litre hand sanitiser.’
Mr Drake showed his middle finger to the camera and said, ‘I told him that.’ He added: ‘That is the type of person who is causing the problem in the whole country.’
Good on Mr Drake for showing the professional hoarder the middle finger.
Most people with some common sense knew that buying that sort of quantity of toilet roll and hand sanitiser was just ridiculous.
People had to wash their butts in their gardens because of the selfish individuals who were silly enough to panic buy vast quantities of items which they could have purchased at any time.
The shops were never going to shut or cease trading, so what was the point of the panic buying!?
If everyone just used their common sense and thought about other people, then we would not have seen the sorry pictures of vulnerable people crying in the shops because everyone panic-bought items which they could have purchased at any time.
But what do you think?
Should the panic buyers who try to get a refund on their surplus supplies be named and shamed? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
If you spot anything funny, engaging, strange, newsworthy or bizarre on social media which you think our team might be interested in (like the content in this article), then don’t forget to share it in our Strange Things Spotted On Social Media’ Facebook group by clicking here
As we prepare for our third week of the Thursday evening tradition of ‘clapping for carers’, some people might be tempted to light a candle before placing it in a paper bag that will float up into the atmosphere.
When you read those words back, you will probably wonder why anyone would want to release a naked flame out into the wilderness.
The adage of ‘what goes up, must come down’ does apply here.
And your sky lantern won’t return to the ground in the same majestic way that it ascended into the atmosphere.
Your sky lantern could end up being the demise of a bird, such as an owl. Or it could land on the forecourt of a petrol station, just as the petrol tanker is disconnecting its huge hose from the massive forecourt fuel tanks.
Or the now-fully-alight sky lantern could land in a timbers merchants yard and set the whole stock ablaze. I could go on, but you probably get the picture by now.
And this is why Fire services around the country have been pleading with the public not to use ‘sky lanterns’ because the risk they pose far outweighs the visual pleasure they bring.
Instead of releasing a mobile bonfire of plastic and paper into the air, why not instead just stand on your doorstep and clap till your heart’s content.
The wildlife and fire service will thank you for it (as well as our healthcare heroes).
If you spot anything funny, engaging, strange, newsworthy or bizarre on social media which you think our team might be interested in (like the content in this article), then don’t forget to share it in our Strange Things Spotted On Social Media’ Facebook group by clicking here
