House and property tours are popular online, but one woman's has gone viral with her New York City apartment tour since she did it after her place got burned in a fire. Kelsey Soles (@kelseysoles) provided the backstory as she explained how her apartment caught fire as she slept the night before and admitted she was still "in shock" from the incident. “So I woke up surrounded by flames,” she said. “I was going around my apartment trying to find stuff to save. But It’s only up from here,” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Though on a lighter note, Kelsey added there was “a bit of comedic relief was that there was one really cute firefighter that was helping me put out the fire.” She asked for a pair of shoes from her flat as she was barefoot, to which the firefighter retrieved her new pair of 3-inch wedges. Kelsey then showed photos of her burned-down apartment. For the video caption, the TikToker wrote: "My apt burned down last night life is gooooood." While in another video, which she posted from the flat, you could see the place was completely black from where the flames had been put out. In a follow-up clip, Kelsey responded to comments which were asking what the cause of the fire was. “I don’t know the exact cause,” she said. “It was where my Wi-Fi was plugged into and an extension cord plugged into that.” @kelseysoles My apt burned down last night life is gooooood Since sharing what happened, Kelsey's videos have gone viral, receiving 1.5m and 4.5m views respectively, while many took to the comment section to send their love and support. One person said: "Girl this is traumatizing and horrible I’m so sorry this happened to you but I know you're gonna push through. I’m wishing u the best." "Praying for you hun, at least you’re safe. Material things are replaceable you aren’t," another person wrote. Someone else added: "I’ve been through this and it’s actually one of the worst things ever, realise that it’s okay to mourn it wasn’t “just stuff” I promise you’re being set onto a better path, just keep pushing through." "That is so scary I’m so glad you’re okay," a fourth person commented. A GoFundMe for Kelsey has been set up by her friends that has already raised more than $7000. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A new milkshake inspired by McDonald’s mascot Grimace has taken the internet by storm after inspiring a new TikTok trend. The limited-edition milkshake is part of the new Grimace Birthday meal that was rolled out in the US this month to mark the 52nd anniversary of the character’s introduction. Who is Grimace and what is in his viral milkshake? Grimace is a purple character first revealed by McDonald’s on 12 June 1972 when he appeared in an advert where he was known as “Evil Grimace” after running off with milkshakes. In 2012, Roy T. Bergold Jr., the company’s previous vice president of advertising, described Grimace as “a soft, plush, two-armed blob of a sweetheart”. McDonald's explained: “Grimace is from Grimace Island and comes from a huge family (including his Grandma Winky, aunts Millie and Tillie and his Uncle O’Grimacey!).” Since he stopped appearing in adverts in 2003, the grinning purple blob began fading into obscurity, aside from the odd Thanksgiving parade appearance or Twitter mention. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Now, his character has remerged in a major way, helping to spark a trend thanks to the birthday meal which features a purple-coloured milkshake. The Grimace milkshake is a purple limited edition berry-flavoured drink, “inspired by Grimace’s iconic colour and sweetness”, according to McDonald’s. It contains berry flavouring, vanilla soft serve and whipped cream. It is available with the Grimace Birthday Meal, available in the US, where customers can choose either a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets with fries. The limited-edition shake is available only “while supplies last”. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The world is full of ridiculous gender stereotypes and tropes: girls like pink and Barbies; boys like blue and cars, to name but two of the most obvious. And yet, when it comes to masculinity, we didn’t know hydration could prove such a fraught subject. However, one Twitter user (named only as Chloe) has sparked an impassioned debate after publicly announcing: “Men who carry water bottles out in public give me the ick. Especially at the airport.” She then added, by way of explanation: “You can’t go a few hours without having your little sips of water? Carrying around anything is a feminine trait. “The only things men should be carrying around are his wallet and a pocketknife.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Her tweet racked up 6.5 million views and more than 4,220 shares in less than two days as commentators shared their take on her assessment. Inevitably it was met with fury by many, who suggested it be added to a seemingly endless list of things “masculine men aren’t allowed to do (according to social media)”. “Now we can’t even enjoy the most vital nutrient known to mankind,” lamented another. Others pointed out that carrying a penknife in an airport was far from advisable, with one writing: “This idiot is missing her flight because her man tried to bring a pocketknife through security and along with his uncomfortable strip search is gonna have to buy a $7 bottle of water to quench his thirst after a tense hour in the TSA’s custody.” Others described Chloe as “Andrew Tate’s dream girl”, and pointed to laughably ridiculous comments he once made about men who carry water bottles not being “combat ready”. Meanwhile, Chloe doubled down on her original statement, writing that men should “take [their] sips of water in private”. In response to another comment which read: “Real men drink sparkling water at nice dinner [sic],” she wrote simply: “Yes, this is true.” Her replies prompted numerous commentators to suggest the whole thing was either a joke or a sneaky attack on masculinity itself. One such observer wrote: “I truly think the way to defeat patriarchy would just be to make up increasingly impossible and random standards of masculinity until men break and admit they aren't into this whole masculinity thing anyway.” However, if you glance through one of Chloe’s Substack blogs, you’ll note it’s not the first time she’s expressed a belief in polarising gender standards. In one piece, in which she analyses the cult right-wing book ‘Bronze Age Mindset’, she writes: Every man should read this book if they wish to reclaim their masculinity and innate life-force that modern society has taken away from them.” All we can say is, we need more than a sip of water after all this. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

No fighting for overhead locker space, no awkward toilet waits – one man has revealed how he enjoyed the ultimate dream flight after becoming the only passenger on board. Phil Stringer explained how his flight from Oklahoma City to Charlotte, North Carolina was delayed by 18 hours, but rather than give up on the journey he decided to endure the long wait. His patience paid out dividends when he rocked up at the departure gate to find he was the only person there – but the flight still went ahead. Originally scheduled for 6.20am on Sunday, it finally took off after midnight, and Stringer became king of the skies: with his pick of first class seats and the finest food and drink American Airlines has to offer. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The TikToker filmed the empty jet accompanied by the caption: “When you buy every single ticket on the plane so you don’t have to deal with people.” He then added: “Just kidding, it was delayed 18 hours and everyone else gave up,” before giving viewers a taste of his once-in-a-lifetime experience. Addressing the camera directly, Stringer said incredulously: “I am the only person on this plane and they have an entire flight crew. They do not want to do this flight.” Laughing, he then filmed a smiling baggage handler who acknowledged that he’d just loaded “all the bags” onto the aircraft. “All” being “one”, that is. Stringer then explained that the airline had been forced to “pull” staff from a nearby hotel to man the flight “for just one person”. He then recorded the aircrew clearly enjoying the whole, bizarre situation: playing up to the camera and keeping things light-hearted as they went through the standard safety announcements. Stringer’s video racked up more than 21.9 million views and 4.5 million likes in just one day, as fellow TikTokers shared their delight and envy at the unusual scenario. “That plane flew just for you! Who else can say that?” one commented, adding: “Private Boeing.” “Love how they all engaged in your experience!” wrote another. @phil.stringer 18-hour delay turned this flight into a private party! ✈️? Watch how the amazing crew and I made the most of it! #americanairlines #flightattendant #airplanetiktok #privateparty #FlightFun #delayedflight #fyp #viral In an interview with Insider, Stringer said that he initially thought he’d missed boarding when he turned up at the empty departure area. “I went to the gate and nobody was there. I was like, ‘Did you guys already board everyone?'” he explained. But, he said, the flight attendant responded: “No, honey, you’re the only passenger.” The lucky traveller told the news outlet that he had tried to change his flight multiple times, to no avail, so spent nearly a whole day waiting in the airport for his delayed departure. Stringer said he felt terrible for getting the crew dragged out of bed to man his journey, insisting he apologised to them “like 400 times”. “They were kind of teasing me, like, ‘Really, bro, you couldn’t have left a few hours later?'” he added. Once the flight finally took off, the unintended VIP spent the whole flight chatting and joking with the friendly team, all while enjoying those tasty first class perks. Reflecting on the adventure, Stringer said: “I believe that your attitude determines your destination. “Yeah, it was a sucky day. No one wants to stay in the airport for 18 hours, but if you have a positive view, you can turn something into a lot of fun.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A lifestyle influencer and self-styled “mummy blogger” has quit social media after being pummelled with abuse after making a disturbing admission. Emma Claiir said she’d been subjected to a flood of death threats and harassment from “haters trying to ruin [her] life” after speaking openly about some worrying incidents from her past. During a discussion on her ‘Simply Chaotic’ podcast back in April, Claiir told listeners that she had killed not one, but two cats when she was a child. In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, the mum-of-one said she’d been left suicidal and had gone into hiding because of the resulting outcry. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In the clip, Claiir confessed to her co-host: “I killed my cat,” before stressing that she “didn’t mean to”. “I was young, I was a child, and I was like swinging my cat around – I was just thinking it was like a stuffed toy and I accidentally let go of it and it died. It died from the fright.” She continued: “My sister did not speak to me for months – months – and my mum was f***king fuming at me.” She then added: “And then if you really want to know more about me, I also killed my best friend's cat.” @indigoreports Influencer Emma Claiir dropped from brand deals after ‘admitting to k!lling cats’ #emmaclaiir #influencer #aussieinfluencer #aussieinfluencers #aussieinfluenceropinions #influencernews #news #popculture #popculturenews #podcast #show #viraledits The brutal online backlash came not just from appalled fans, but from a number of brands who declared they would be ending their relationship with the 29-year-old. Claiir initially responded to the furore by doubling down, telling her followers via an Instagram story that it was all a “bit of light humour” and they needed to “chill”. “I was a small child,” she pointed out, before adding: “After that accident, I have been the best mother to multiple cats.” However, after the retribution and threats showed no sign of abating, she issued a more considered statement, apologising for her behaviour. She conceded that the story was “not light humour” but was, in fact, “very serious”. “I have taken time to think about my actions and want to confirm that I do have empathy about the situation,” she stressed. “It’s not something I am proud of as it really hurt myself and my family 21 years ago.” And yet, two months after that fateful podcast segment, Claiir revealed that her whole life had been turned upside down. In her lengthy Instagram statement, posted on 26 June, she wrote: “As most of you know I gave birth on the 12.4.23 to the most amazing, precious little boy and he changed my life completely. “I was so excited to share my life with you all, share where things were from and just be real with my postpartum journey and experiences with my baby. “But unfortunately that all became not possible when I shared a story from when I was kid on my podcast. I quickly became cancelled and the death threats started rolling in.” Claiir then insisted that the story had been blown “out of proportion” and “turned into something it never was”. “People started a witch hunt on me and were doing everything to make sure my life was ruined,” she continued. “I lost my job, my mental health was impacted massively and people were just having a laugh about it.” She said she then decided to take a “small break” from social media to spend more time with her son but, once she returned, “people decided it was OK to spread cheating rumours, make up lies and try to continue to ruin the life of a new mother who was already pretty open about her mental health struggles in life”. The 29-year-old said that even people she’d considered close friends “joined in on the lies and rumours”, even sharing her private messages online. Describing this as “breaking point” for her, she said she “started to feel unsafe in [her] own home” as the death threats, lies and rumours grew louder and louder. “My mental health finally crumbled. I entered a very dark space that was extremely scary and unfamiliar,” she went on. “I was constantly telling myself that the only thing that would make this all go away is if I took my own life. The only way to make the haters happy is if I disappeared for good and officially left this world. “Maybe my son and my husband really would be better off with out me and I should just let them go, maybe my friends and family would also be better off with out me so I should just let them go. “These are thoughts no new mother should be having.” Claiir wrapped up her impassioned monologue by saying she had since sought “professional help” for her anxiety and depression and was now on “the right path”. She then said that it was now “officially time to say goodbye to Emma Claiir,” adding: “Will it be forever? I don’t know yet.” But, she insisted, she felt proud that she was now “taking back ownership of her life”. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Stir-fried stones are the newest and most bizarre food trend going viral, especially as the stones themselves are inedible. Every now and then, a new food fad goes viral on the internet, with everything from the mysterious Pink Sauce to the TikTok famous baked feta pasta capturing people’s imaginations. Now, it is the turn of Chinese street vendors to have their moment, as a dish named soudui (“suck and throw”) has taken off online. What are stir-fried stones? The dish is a stir fry made of inedible pebbles, vegetables and spices that coat the pebbles with delicious flavour. Ingredients added to the stones on a griddle include chilli oil, garlic, rosemary and pepper. It is consumed by sucking the stones to get the flavour off, then discarding them. It costs around $2 per serving. Despite taking off with huge popularity now, the dish is thought to be centuries old having originated in the central Hubei province. It started when fishermen ran out of food and used the pebbles for sustenance instead. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @jeenjajaa วันนี้คุณลุงมากินให้ดูด้วยย หายสงสัยแล้วว่าต้องกินยังไง555555??✨ Cr.抖音号：_COOL0818 #fyp #douyin #แปลจีน #ผัดหิน #ของแปลก #抖音 #กินหิน #อาหารแปลก #จีนจ๋าจ๋า After going viral online, hawkers and street vendors have been jumping on the trend which has also been given a boost by Mukbang content creators, who film themselves eating. 石头也能当菜吃？自制湖北“爆炒鹅卵石”，原来这才是最硬的菜 www.youtube.com According to local news, Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Xiaohongshu are awash with videos of street hawkers making the dish and people sampling it. But, opinion about the dish appears varied, with many focused on the obvious point that the stones can be reused. One translated TikTok comment read: “After eating, wash and continue to fry.” Another joked: “How do you see which ones are cooked or not?” “Can be recycled,” another said. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The “Grimace Shake” has been going viral on TikTok as the trending milkshake is put back on the menu by McDonald's. On the social media platform TikTok, trends can take off in the blink of an eye, ranging anywhere from the skipping challenge and viral dances to dating trends. In recent days, it is a limited edition purple-coloured milkshake that has captured the imagination of TikTokers. Fast food retailer McDonald’s added the Grimace Birthday meal to its United States menus on 12 June in honour of the purple character’s 52nd birthday since it was introduced by the company. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In response, a new trend has been born with people bizarrely pretending to be dead after consuming the purple drink. What is the Grimace Shake trend? The hashtag #grimaceshake has received 142 million views on TikTok as the trend that sees people pose with the purple shake around them in what appears to be a crime scene has emerged. @kale1ay Bro pls domt get the grimace shake #viral #meme #grimaceshake #grimaceshakemeal #grimaceshakememe #grimacememe #mcdonadlsmeme #skit In the videos, the TikTokers begin by taking a sip of the purple-coloured Grimace milkshake. Then, the scene typically changes to them lying on their side with some of the shake positioned as if they have thrown it up having been poisoned. @wheresxander the foot twitch… it’s grimace taking over. #grimaceshake #grimacesbirthday Some videos are done in an even more dramatic style, with people coughing up the shake as they lay there. @_loganross @abby tried the grimac eshake too !! said it was not too very good, 4/10 because it at least taste dlike bluedberry✌️‼️#fyp #grimaceshake Like most trends, the Grimace shake will gradually die down, particularly given it is a limited edition menu item “while supplies last”. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

An extract from Sir Elton John’s memoir has gone viral again after his closing set at Glastonbury festival on Sunday (June 25). The passage was shared on Twitter by user Carl Woodward who added the caption: “I often think about Elton John’s memoir.” The extract from John's 2019 autobiography Me says: “I don't need a psychiatrist to tell me that material possessions aren't a replacement for love or personal happiness. I've spent enough miserable, lonely nights in houses filled with beautiful things to have worked that out for myself a long time ago. “And I really don't recommend going shopping in the depressing aftermath of a three-day cocaine binge, unless you want to wake up the next day confronted by bags and bags filled with absolute crap you don't actually remember buying. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Or, in my case, you wake up the next morning to a phone call informing you that you've bought a tram. Not a model tram. An actual tram. “A Melbourne W2 class drop-centre combination tram, that the voice at the end of the phone is now informing you has to be shipped from Australia to Britain, where it can only be delivered to your house by hanging it from two Chinook helicopters.” It has prompted an outpouring of affection for the pop star on social media. One person replied: “Brilliant book! Like being at the pub with him whilst he tells anecdote after anecdote.” Another person added: “I loved his memoir. One of the best things I've read in ages.” One other commenter said: “The Legend has such style!” The best bit? He still has the tram, according to a tweet by the original poster. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Social media star Joe Bartolozzi has been the victim of a viral hoax after rumours of his alleged death began to circulate online. Fans became concerned when the words “Joe Bartolozzi dead” trended online, but who is the influencer and why was he a victim of the death hoax? Who is Joe Bartolozzi? 21-year-old Bartolozzi is an American YouTuber, TikToker and streamer who has grown a social media following thanks to his amusing commentary and content. He boasts a staggering 22.5 million followers on TikTok where his clips have racked up 1.8 billion likes. Since creating a YouTube channel in 2020, Bartolozzi has gained 1.46 million subscribers, while his other social media platforms also have millions of followers and lots of engagement. So, when fake rumours suggested that Bartolozzi had died, it didn’t take long for the phrase “Joe Bartolozzi dead” to start trending as people tried to get to the bottom of it. But, his fans were quickly reassured when Bartolozzi continued to post on his social media channels. In one TikTok which has been viewed over 11 million times, Bartolozzi addressed the death hoax saying that it had become very annoying for him. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @joe.bartolozzi @river its been a week and im over it He yelled: “I didn’t die because it would be impossible for me to talk about how I died. It has been one week – one week, seven days – it’s already really f***ing annoying.” In the comments, fans poked fun at the rumours, joking that his video was produced by artificial intelligence. One fan joked: “This Ai stuff is getting out of hand let him rest.” “AI is getting too far…” another said. Someone else mocked: “He made backup videos so we won't be sad that he is not here. Fly high joe.” Bartolozzi has posted regularly since the rumours began so it’s safe to say he is alive and well. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Longtime fans of the ‘Disney Villainous’ board game might consider this a collectible.

A bloke was forced to go on a date with a cardboard cut-out of Taylor Swift after losing at fantasy football. Greig Dick was forced to sit at a table with it as a forfeit for coming last in his league. Unlucky Greig and his date were both given a menu at a local restaurant in Motherwell, Scotland. A grinning waitress took their order. The fake Taylor was later taken to a casino where Greig put a £22 bet on red – a nod to the singer's hit tune and album. Later she joined the lad and his mates for a pint in a pub. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Pal Gregor Sleith said: "A boy in our team was in a fantasy football league with his mates. “The lad who finished bottom for the year had to do a public forfeit. "They made him sit at a table at a restaurant with a cut out as a date." Football fans have praised the humiliating penalty. The official Fantasy Premier League account called it "incredible." Elsewhere, Donagh Barry said: "At least he can scroll away on his mobile phone without being given out to." Jason added: "Where do I sign up to be 'punished' by going on a date with a cutout of Taylor Swift?" Arthur Fowler said: "She's pretty fit to be fair." Mac added: "Decent night out that. Cheap and quiet." James Caiger added: "This is amazing." Another football fan said: "I’ve been on worse dates." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

James Baldwin's novel 'Giovanni’s Room' was rejected by editors and publishers before it was eventually released in 1956.