Take hate and offensive material off the internet or else... UK government warns

If you saw a cartoon depicting African immigrants tying up a white woman and stabbing her baby to death, would you consider it extremist material?

Twitter didn’t think so and refused to delete it because it didn’t breach its “hateful conduct” policy.

What about a video by David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, titled, Jews Admit to Organising White Genocide?

Google’s subsidiary, YouTube, refused to take it down because “it did not cross the line into hate speech.”

Facebook hosted community pages “devoted to stirring up hatred, particularly against Jews and Muslims.”

It thought most of the comments were just fine.

TERRORIST GUNMEN

Other posts showed videos of terrorist gunmen in battle, with calls to supporters to join them.

Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee highlighted these examples as typical of the failure by social media giants to monitor and police their content.

In a keynote report last week, it said the companies were “shamefully far” from dealing with illegal and dangerous posts.

The report scorned claims that there was little the internet companies could do and it urged Home Secretary Amber Rudd to make the hosting of such material a crime.

POLICING SITES

Noting that football clubs had to pay the cost for officers to police their games, the MPs urged the government to consult on whether internet companies should have to meet the price of policing their sites.

“The major social media companies are big enough, rich enough and clever enough to sort this problem out,” the report said.

Ms Rudd stopped short of promising legislation, but warned: “We will not tolerate the internet being used as a place for terrorists to promote their vile views … we will continue to push the internet companies to identify and remove propaganda … I will expect to see early and effective action.”

***

My mother’s mother and father died in separate bedrooms of the same house within days of each other.

I always thought that was uncanny, except that it took place during a flu epidemic in 1922 that cost thousands of lives.

JOINT FUNERAL
More extraordinary is a report from Skokie, Illinois, of a couple who were married for 69 years and died within one hour of each other.

Isaac Vatkin, 91, was holding the hand of his wife, Teresa, 89, when she succumbed to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Isaac died 40 minutes later.

“Their love was so strong, they simply could not live without each other,” said daughter Clara at the couple’s joint funeral.

When hospital nurses found Mr and Mrs Vatkin unresponsive and breathing shallowly, they placed their beds side by side. Family members positioned their hands so they touched.

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Man has wanted to fly since the Stone Age. Finally it has happened.

Richard Browning designed a flying suit using six miniature jet engines and an exoskeleton.

He has a helmet with a heads-up display that informs him about fuel use and he uses his arms to control the direction and speed of flight.

Browning took the suit from Britain to Canada and staged a short flight at a technology conference in Vancouver.

SAFETY REASONS

The inventor said the suit can fly for 10 minutes non-stop at a speed of 200 mph (321 km/h) and an altitude of a few thousand feet. But for safety reasons, he keeps speed and altitude low.

“There is something strange in seeing the human form rise up and drift around and that leaves a deep impression on people,” Browning said. He has had interest from other inventors and from the UK military but he does not think the suit is about to go mainstream any time soon. “But I do have a hunch that stuff will come along to make it more practical,” he said.

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Growing old makes you think differently …

After a long day on the golf course, old Billy stopped at his favourite restaurant to see some friends and get a bite to eat.

Someone said to him: “Look at those two beautiful waitresses. Which one would you like to be stuck in an elevator with?”

REPAIR ELEVATORS

Old Billy replied: “The one who knows how to repair elevators! I’m old, I’m tired and there are no toilets in elevators.”

***

A final few thoughts from the Great Philosophers:

America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked. — David Letterman.

Lawyers believe a person is innocent until proven broke. — Robin Hall.

America is so advanced even the chairs are electric. — Doug Hanwell.

If God had intended us to fly, he would have made it easier to get to the airport. — Jonathan Winters.

As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind — every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder. — John Glenn

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