Daily Archives: December 27, 2020

2020-12-27: News Headlines

RT (2020-12-27). 'Wait! We actually love the anime community': Arizona GOP in hot water on Twitter after vow to block users with 'anime avatars'. rt.com The Arizona Republican Party has been forced to proclaim its admiration of Japanese animation fans after getting mocked and roasted online for threatening to block Twitter accounts with anime avatars. | The trouble started on Sunday, after the Arizona GOP Twitter account announced its "new policy" of blocking people on social media. They promised to block everyone "whose accounts were created in or after November 2020, use Anime avatars, have fewer than 25 followers, and spam reply our tweets." | It was not clear what prompted the group's warning. However, the Arizona Republicans said they were not "big fans o…

yenisafak (2020-12-27). Turkish police apologize to homeless man for fining him during curfew. yenisafak.com Ali Ciftci said he was temporarily in Antalya, where he did not have a home or a place to stay. The police officer on duty still fined him for not complying with lockdown measures.The Security General Directorate said on Twitter: "Our police officer was only doing his duty in this case. But, we agree that we need to act according to context.""We contacted Ali Ciftci, provided him with the necessary support and accommodation. We will transfer him to his hometown," it said.Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also shared the security directorate's statement on Twitter.

_____ (2020-12-27). Socialise Big Tech. popularresistance.org On Wednesday 9 December, the Federal Trade Commission and forty-eight states and territories sued Facebook for its illegal social networking monopoly after an extensive investigation. The antitrust action seeks to break up the company by forcing it to divest two of its major business lines, Instagram and WhatsApp. | This latest event comes hot on the heels of October's historic investigation by the House Judiciary Committee—which detailed how dominant platform companies monopolise markets, abuse their power, and explicitly and purposely violate laws and regulations—and another lawsuit by the Departmen…

Robert Koehler (2020-12-25). Restoring the Soul of America. counterpunch.org "One major difference between GOP and Dems is that [Republicans] leverage their right flank to gain policy concessions and generate enthusiasm, while Dems lock their left flank in the basement [because] they think that will make Republicans be nicer to them." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nailed it once again, tweeting her frustration and despair a few days ago

MEE and agencies (2020-12-25). Syria hit by 'deadly barrage of Israeli missiles'. middleeasteye.net Syria hit by 'deadly barrage of Israeli missiles' | Activity heard over parts of neighbouring Lebanon, where many took to social media to denounce Christmas Day attack | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 10: 31 | Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011 (File pic/AFP) | Israeli missile strikes on Syria killed at least six Iran-backed fighters on Friday, acc…

Ralph Nader (2020-12-25). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. commondreams.org Trump and future presidents cannot be allowed to brazenly dishonor justice and undermine the rule of law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/roger_stone_0_1.jpg

Bob Topper (2020-12-25). Minority Rule in America? counterpunch.org On October 7, 2020, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "Democracy isn't the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that." Rank? Lee is saying that if all eligible voters are allowed to do so, they will thwart "prospefity"? Who knew? For an American politician

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2020-12-25). 'Shameful': Trump Golfs, Tweets Election Lies as 14 Million Set to Lose Unemployment Benefits Just After Christmas. commondreams.org "The ability of millions of Americans to pay rent and buy groceries hangs in the balance, and Donald Trump spent the day golfing." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/donald_trump_36.jpg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-24). 'Trying to Kill Me': Black Doctor Who Died of Covid-19 Posted Harrowing Video Alleging Medical Racism. commondreams.org "This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home and they don't know how to fight for themselves," said Dr. Susan Moore in a video she posted on Facebook. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/moore_1.jpg

MEE staff (2020-12-24). Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report. middleeasteye.net Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report | Sharp drop of user-reach linked to pages' coverage of recent Arab-Israeli normalisation agreements | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 14: 09 | The social media giant Facebook employs algorithm management that users will not notice (AFP) | Palestinians and Arab pages on Facebook, focusing on Israeli violations against Palestinians and on the Arab…

Asieh Namdar (2020-12-24). The Heat: Social media's influence. america.cgtn.com Critics say it's addictive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous, and it's something billions of people around the world use every day.

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-12-23). Ralph Nader: He's a Cookbook! counterpunch.org "We can all sit down and have a few beers together while we wait." — Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart), The Petrified Forest (1936) Call before, you dig? — Utility notification for unmarked Internet cables from hippy who finally got a job The other day, minding my own business, and getting lots of unwanted help doing

WSWS (2020-12-23). UK: Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth Hospital staff respond to frontline nurse's exposure of dangerous working conditions. wsws.org Posted on the NHS FightBack Facebook group page, the letter was read by hundreds of people and widely shared. It was also shared to various NHS based campaign groups across Facebook.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). Biden's POTUS account to start from zero followers. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (MNA) — Twitter said on Tuesday that it would not automatically transfer the millions of followers of official Trump administration accounts to the incoming Biden administration, but instead give users the option to continue or not.

news.un (2020-12-23). Hate speech on Facebook poses 'acute challenges to human dignity' — UN expert. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert called on Wednesday for Facebook's Oversight Board to give greater consideration to the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities before making decisions over controversial content, particularly involving hate speech.

sputniknews (2020-12-23). Trump Threatens Iran, Tweets Rocket Photos Claiming to Prove Complicity in Baghdad Embassy Attack. sputniknews.com The Trump administration has long claimed attacks against US forces in Iraq and across the Middle East are orchestrated by Iran, but it has consistently failed to present damning evidence of the claim.

2020-12-27: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Scott Walker caught lying after posting pic of 'great pizza' he ate 'tonight'… that was actually from over a year prior
rt.com | 2020-12-27
Scott Walker was caught red-handed in an Italian food-themed blunder while trying to encourage Americans to support their local restaurants. | Former Wisconsin governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker was caught red-handed in an Italian food-themed blunder after trying to encourage Americans to support their local restaurants. | On Saturday, the day after Christmas, seemingly trying to lead by example, Walker posted on Twitter "Great pizza tonight at San Giorgio Pizzeria Napoletana. We have to support our local restaurants and small businesses!", along with a picture of a delicious-look…
rt.com/usa/510842-scott-walker-pizza-tweet/

'Did she also celebrate Tupac's birthday?' Incredulous internet sleuths take aim at Kamala Harris' 'childhood memories' of Kwanzaa
rt.com | 2020-12-27
Social media users have accused US vice president-elect Kamala Harris of bending the truth after she claimed to have fond memories of celebrating Kwanzaa with her family. | Harris released a video message on Saturday in which she wished her supporters a happy Kwanzaa, and said that her own family would be observing the holiday over Zoom. | "Our Kwanzaa celebrations are one of my favorite childhood memories. The whole family would gather around across multiple generations and we'd tell stories and light the candles," she reminisced, as a traditional seven-branched Kwanzaa candle holder was displayed on a table…
rt.com/usa/510831-kamala-harris-kwanzaa-video/

'Wait! We actually love the anime community': Arizona GOP in hot water on Twitter after vow to block users with 'anime avatars'
rt.com | 2020-12-27
The Arizona Republican Party has been forced to proclaim its admiration of Japanese animation fans after getting mocked and roasted online for threatening to block Twitter accounts with anime avatars. | The trouble started on Sunday, after the Arizona GOP Twitter account announced its "new policy" of blocking people on social media. They promised to block everyone "whose accounts were created in or after November 2020, use Anime avatars, have fewer than 25 followers, and spam reply our tweets." | It was not clear what prompted the group's warning. However, the Arizona Republicans said they were not "big fans o…
rt.com/usa/510830-arizona-gop-loves-anime/

Socialise Big Tech
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-27
On Wednesday 9 December, the Federal Trade Commission and forty-eight states and territories sued Facebook for its illegal social networking monopoly after an extensive investigation. The antitrust action seeks to break up the company by forcing it to divest two of its major business lines, Instagram and WhatsApp. | This latest event comes hot on the heels of October's historic investigation by the House Judiciary Committee–which detailed how dominant platform companies monopolise markets, abuse their power, and explicitly and purposely violate laws and regulations–and another lawsuit by the Departmen…
popularresistance.org/socialise-big-tech/

Turkish police apologize to homeless man for fining him during curfew
yenisafak.com | 2020-12-27
Ali Ciftci said he was temporarily in Antalya, where he did not have a home or a place to stay. The police officer on duty still fined him for not complying with lockdown measures.The Security General Directorate said on Twitter: "Our police officer was only doing his duty in this case. But, we agree that we need to act according to context.""We contacted Ali Ciftci, provided him with the necessary support and accommodation. We will transfer him to his hometown," it said.Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also shared the security directorate's statement on Twitter.
yenisafak.com/en/world/turkish-police-apologize-to-homeless-man-for-fining-him-during-curfew-3557509

When in Russia… Get yourself a dose of Sputnik V, Foreign Ministry tells US envoy who asked Santa for VACCINE
rt.com | 2020-12-26
US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan has asked for a hockey stick, running shoes, and a Covid-19 vaccine in his letter to Santa — and Russia's Foreign Ministry was there to suggest Russian-made goods to satisfy all his wishes. | Earlier this week, Sullivan shared a photo on Facebook of his handwritten letter to Santa Claus. The ambassador insisted he had been "very nice" in 2020 and had followed all the coronavirus precautions. For his good behavior, he asked St Nick to bring him a new hockey stick and running shoes plus a coronavirus vaccine as presents. | It's unclear whether Santa saw the letter,…
rt.com/russia/510807-us-ambassador-sullivan-santa-sputnik/

Mexico records 9,679 new coronavirus cases, 665 more deaths
yenisafak.com | 2020-12-26
Mexico's Health Ministry on Friday reported 9,679 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 665 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 1,372,243 cases and 121,837 deaths.The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. Mexico says 42,900 doses of Pfizer vaccine en route to country A total of 42,900 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine are en route to Mexico from Belgium, Mexico's foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday on Twitter.The doses are slated to arrive on Saturday in Mexico City and the northern city of Mon…
yenisafak.com/en/life/mexico-records-9679-new-coronavirus-cases-665-more-deaths-3557442

Kentucky Fried Snow? KY resident uses FLAMETHROWER to clear driveway during Christmas storm (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-12-26
A Kentucky man has become a social media sensation after using what appears to be a flamethrower to melt the blanket of snow on his driveway. | Kentucky was fortunate to have a white Christmas, with parts of the state receiving as much as nine inches of snow by the early hours of December 25. The wintery weather undoubtedly added to the festive mood of the holiday, but it also required residents to get out their snow shovels… or flamethrowers, in the case of one unidentified legend. | A homeowner in Ashland, a city located in the state's northeast, was filmed by a presumably surprised onlooker as he massacre…
rt.com/usa/510793-flamethrower-clear-snow-kentucky-video/

Trump says 'elections far more secure' in AFGHANISTAN in latest 'voter fraud' twitterstorm
rt.com | 2020-12-26
President Donald Trump has claimed that "elections in Afghanistan are far more secure and much better run" than their American equivalent, recounting a conversation with a military man that may or may not have happened. | "A young military man working in Afghanistan told me that elections in Afghanistan are far more secure and much better run than the USA's 2020 Election," Trump tweeted on Saturday. "Ours, with its millions and millions of corrupt Mail-In Ballots, was the election of a third world country," he added, referring to Joe Biden as a "Fake President!" | A young military man working in Afghanistan to…
rt.com/usa/510802-trump-elections-secure-afghanistan/

WATCH: Nashville RV bombing caught on CCTV, more videos show blast impact & devastation
rt.com | 2020-12-26
A video clip purporting to capture the exact moment of the explosion in Downtown Nashville has been circulating on social media, as witnesses share more footage of the blast wave impact and the devastation left by the bombing. | READ MORE: Flights grounded, 911 services down amid widespread communications outages after blast damages AT&T building in Nashville | The low quality video, recorded from the screen of another cell phone and posted on TikTik, appears to show a piece of security camera footag…
rt.com/usa/510774-nashville-explosion-devastation-videos/

Chimaev vows to 'smash chicken Conor McGregor' after Irishman resumes talk of Khabib rematch
rt.com | 2020-12-26
UFC sensation Khamzat Chimaev has warned he will "smash" Conor McGregor after the Irish star traded Twitter blows with MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz — who counts Chimaev and former McGregor foe Khabib Nurmagomedov among his clients. | In a cryptic message on Saturday which was soon deleted, McGregor fired out the tweet: "MeDanaAliGonnaGetcha." | | McGregor sent out the tweet which draw a reaction from Abdelaziz. © Twitter | That was seen by some as a renewed push from McGregor for a rematch with unbeaten lightweight champ Khabib, using the services of UFC boss Dana White and potentially even the Russi…
rt.com/sport/510796-chimaev-mcgregor-khabib-manager/

UN hails prisoner swap between Libyan gov't, Haftar
yenisafak.com | 2020-12-26
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Saturday hailed the success of implementing a prisoner exchange between the Libyan government and eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar."UNSMIL welcomes the remarkable success registered…by the exchange of prisoners from both sides under the supervision of the Joint Military Commission (5 5)," the mission said on Twitter.On Friday, a prisoner exchange of 48 prisoners was implemented between the Libyan government and the Haftar militia in Ash Shurayf area, 417 km to the south from the capital Tripoli.UNSMIL also praised efforts of the tribal sheikhs and elders whi…
yenisafak.com/en/news/un-hails-prisoner-swap-between-libyan-govt-haftar-3557454

Shia group denies link to threats against Iraq premier
yenisafak.com | 2020-12-26