#Facebook Event Attendees

[sociocosmos]

Make your Facebook profile the talk of the town with Black Friday savings. Increase visibility now!

[ifelllikeastar]

Newspaper clipping of Woodstock Music and Art Fair, August 15-17, 1969 to be orginally held in Wallkill, New York.

Woodstock Ventures leased the park in the spring of 1969 for $10,000 and planned to accommodate an estimated 50,000 attendees. However, the town of Wallkill and its residents quickly opposed the festival, and the town board passed regulations that made it difficult for the event to take place :  Photo credit, Flower Power 60s, Facebook

[rad-batson]

Here’s some more about the game :D for your reading pleasure @portal-to-oblivion (Based on this post)

Freestyle Checkers: A Tim and Damian Special OR “How can we make talking to people a competition?”

They are sneaky. They are underhanded. They will do anything to win.

Originally, this was a ploy to get Bruce to ban them from the galas. Over the coming months, however, they begin to enjoy attending. A little too much.

Tim starts a conga line and convinces everyone on his team to join before marching them to Damian’s side.

Damian subtly moves the tables just an inch or two to the right all night until the whole room has switched seating arrangements.

After a particularly eventful game, Bruce now requires them both to empty their pockets and walk through a metal detector before entering the ballroom.

Tim uses his role as company heir to befriend everyone on his team and then introduce them to one another. He accidentally started a coup once.

Damian uses his puppy eyes to woo the guests into doing his bidding and avoid punishment.

He also sets fire to the curtains.

They are repeatedly caught giving death glares to each other from across the ballroom…but that’s normal. What’s not normal is the two giving death glares to a seemingly random guest at the same time. (She was only going to say hello to Maxine. Why does she feel like she’s in mortal danger?)

Tim spikes the punch with a hint of laxatives so everybody sticks to the bathrooms on Damian’s side.

Several games in, Damian finds a loophole in the rules. Even if the pieces can’t know they’re in a game, that doesn’t mean others can’t. He pays several catering staff to form a physical barrier between certain guests and places. Tim is livid and demands the loophole be written out.

Damian, after stealing a woman’s expensive watch: “Oh, I think I saw it at table seven! Here, let me take you there :)”

Tim makes a kid cry at table 20 so everyone will avoid that side of the room.

Tim: “To the left now, y’all! Left again! Right foot two stomps! Keep going left!”

Every other batfamily member has joined the game at least once, both as a piece AND as a player. On a particularly boring night, it was Tim v. Damian v. Steph v. Jason v. Duke. Every attendee was an unwilling participant. Including Bruce.

Damian is the reason death threats are no longer allowed for the game.

Tim: “Oh, you don’t want to talk to Nicole. Did you hear what she said about Leandra last night? The drama!”

Damian, tugging a guest’s arm: “Hey, is your blue Mercedes parked outside?” Guest: “Oh, hi sweetie :) Yes, why do you ask?” Damian: “It exploded.”

Damian studies the attendance sheet, makes a mental list of who eats what kind of dessert according to previous galas, then chooses all the guests who he knows like chocolate. Suddenly, there’s a surprise chocolate fountain on Tim’s side!

Tim studies the attendance sheet then figures out their addresses, hacks into their Facebook, stalks their Friends list, makes a chart of who is on good and bad terms, then chooses his team based on that.

Both of the above methods listed fail spectacularly

Damian: “So…I win.” Tim: “Damian, this is a hostage situation.” Damian: “But they’re lined up on your side. I win.” Tim: You know, I’m starting to think you set this up.”

He did.

During one particular night, a Wayne benefactor figures out what’s going on and tries to expose them so they team up, completely ruin his public reputation, and get him banned from all future galas to preserve the game.

No matter how hard he tries, Bruce cannot stop them from playing.

[sgiandubh]

For all the Landcon 7 Attendees

This is the Facebook group you must absolutely follow, as it will give all of us the latest info on the event (extras, guests and everything else): Attendees/ParticipantsLANDCON7.

I can't post the link here for some reason, but you should look for it on Facebook and will find it with ease. They will ask for your ticket number, in order to become a member (it is standard procedure and not a scam). So this is really a private, closed group where logistical info is shared and groups are being formed - for bookings, arranging transportation, etc.

My proposal is to arrange van transfers from Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport to Courbevoie (the more, the cheaper & merrier) and also the promised International Shipper Dinner/Get Along. I can and will help any shipper with that and anything else logistics related. Feel free to ask and don't be strangers. And I am thinking about some more things, too.

Also, for all of you who really wanted to attend and were unable to secure tickets, they now exceptionally opened a Waiting List enquiry, in order to see if they can/should do something about it. Please fill in this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSm75MUSf1P4RkYDcVVBuuRJV6Y2AY0kKWZoiH4bi08TMMeg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Maybe this will allow them to secure a better, bigger venue? I won't venture speculating, but I surely do hope this will be every bit as memorable as promised.

[coochiequeens]

If non-women want to be around women then they could just learn to behave themselves in the first place

A lesbian meet up, Shabby She, which was first set up in 2016 by five women who were friends with each other, has been canceled by a pub for going female-only, it was revealed. The monthly meet-up in South London has used the same venue since 2018 and, according to Kelly Frost, one of the founding hosts, the event has always “allowed” men who self-declare as trans or lesbians.

After enduring years of discomfort with the presence of trans-identified men at a lesbian meet-up, Ms Frost asked for feedback from members, many of whom reported feeling similar discomfort. The organizers then decided to make the event women-only at the end of 2022, slightly before the event was going to take a break for Christmas, even at the risk of “losing the venue.”

In February 2023, the hosts “put their plan into action” by announcing to their members by email that the event was going to be women-only.

The next day, according to Ms Frost, the pub where the meeting had been happening regularly for five years was getting “slandered” online. Frost said that she received a phone call from the pub alerting her of the slander. “I have screenshots of what was said about us in one Facebook group,” Frost told 4W. The decision by the hosts to make the event women-only was deemed as making trans-identified males “unsafe” and that the organizers were “violently anti-trans.”

“Within three more days,” said Frost, the pub sent Ms Frost an email apologizing for the fact that they would not be able to host Shabby She anymore.

Ms Frost told 4W that when she and four other women created Shabby She, she was the only one who felt uncomfortable with the presence of men who self-declared as trans at a lesbian night. “There was no point of even having the discussion,” said Frost, who used to be accused by the other hosts of being a “bigot” and a “nazi” if the event was not “inclusive.”

“We reached a sort of unspoken agreement,” said Ms Frost. She would still occasionally express her beliefs but still felt that her concerns were being ignored. However, gradually she managed to turn things around with one of the other hosts, Cath Slingsby, who started sharing her views on female-only spaces. The three other hosts who were in favor of including men who self-declared as trans eventually stepped down from their roles.

There were some “hiccups along the way,” according to Ms Frost. There was a regular demand from other organizers to not only include trans-identified men at a lesbian-only event, but also the use of “wrong sex pronouns”, a request Frost said that she was not willing to comply with. “I hate being inauthentic and I hate lying and I was being forced to lie.”

Frost said that she used to ignore their presence as much as she could and would not talk to the men, or introduce them to other women, but that also meant that she also could not talk to the female attendees who were at the presence of the men. She told 4W she felt like she was “ignoring nice women” that she wanted to be ”friendly to or want to get to know.”

After that, Frost and Slingsby, the only remaining hosts, took the decision to make the meeting exclusively for women. “I sent an email to members (on February 9) telling them that I removed around 1300 members who didn’t have pictures or were not active for more than a year on Meet Up for security reasons,” said Frost. “That basically removed most of the regular men.”

Next, Shabby She hosts asked for feedback from members about the event going female-only. “The response was very positive,” said Frost. “Many women wrote messages thanking us for the initiative.”

Ms Frost told 4W that the managers and staff at the pub are a “really lovely bunch and don’t deserve to get hassled online.”

How does not being invited to an event make someone feel “unsafe”?

[big-fan-of-botw]

Everything I know about Dashcon 2

Written August 1, 2024 and posted 9:00am CST

(Image says: dashcon 2. This website is still under construction! If you have any questions for our team please reach out to us)

DATE: July 12, 2025

LOCATION: Toronto, Canada (nothing more specific as of now)

WEBSITE: dashcontwo.com

EMAIL: queries@dashcontwo.com

Socials:

Tumblr: @dashcon-two

Instagram: dashcontwo

Twitter: DashconTwo

Facebook: link on website does not work

TikTok: dashcontwo

Their link tree (linktr.ee/dashcontwo) only links the Instagram, Tiktok, and website. Fancebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are linked on the website (their website does NOT have a link to TikTok or Instagram).

Info in the FAQ regarding convention logistics and organizers (CLICK THE "About Us" LINK ON TOP RIGHT OF WEBSITE FOR FAQ):

1.) The organizers are not the same as the ones for the original Dashcon.

2.) Dashcon 2 is not sponsored or organized by Tumblr.

3.) (Image quotes website, "Our team of organizers actually have experience in event coordination, or fields with transferable skills. We’ve taken our time to plan the road ahead carefully, and we have no intention of repeating DashCon’s mistakes.")

4.) Dashcon 2 is "a celebration of local artists, fandom, and internet history".

5.) There will be a ball pit, it will be supervised at all times to prevent anyone from peeing in it.

6.) There will be both safety guidelines for guest to follow and professional security.

7.) Large props must be approved by Weapons Check before they are allowed into the convention space.

8.) In-person attendance will be limited, and virtual tickets to panels will be offered. There is no attendance limit to virtual panels.

Extra info

There may be two ball pits (Tumblr blog)

@the-muppet-joker expressed interest in going (Tumblr blog, https://www.tumblr.com/dashcon-two/757557151949602816/im-going-to-convince-the-croaker-to-go-to-dashcon?source=share)

(Image says:

Anonymous asked: im going to convince the croaker to go to dashcon two

strange-aeons answered: YES WE DUEL IN THE PIT

the-muppet-joker Prepare for my Muppet Face and Joker Smile, Strange. You will taste my blade. And my hooves I mean feet for when I kick you into orbit. I accept your Ballpit Duel… *I chuckle darkly*)

There is a timer on the website counting down to Dashcon 2 (CLICK THE "DashCon 2" LINK IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE).

Information on the convention organizers was previously available on the website earlier today, but not yesterday (when I checked). There were 4 people listed, 2 were co-something (I believe organizer or founder ), one was something about art, and I can't remember the last one but I believe it had something to do with the logistics of the convention.

I used the wayback machine and the jobs are (in order): co-founder, co-founder, artistic director, and panels & attendee relations. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS INFORMATION IS ACCURATE OR UP TO DATE, IT MAY HAVE BEEN TAKE OFF OF THE WEBSITE DUE TO INCORRECT INFORMATION.

The current date for dashcon 2 is July 12, 2025. It will last for 1 day.

As I update this, I will post the time and date of the update and what was changed.

[linxuelian]

Anime Fest Plus 2024 Convention Experience Log - With Photos!

Hi, hello! As I've recently (as of this post, yesterday morning) attended Anime Fest+ 2024 at Tropicana Gardens Mall, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, I've decided to write an experience log about my day there! While I will be posting a few different cosplays here, since my blog is currently primarily about MDZS, TGCF and SVSSS at the moment, most of the cosplays I'll be sharing will be from these three titles. To add to the fun, I'll also have commentaries on them!

To preface, the largest anime convention in Malaysia is Comic Fiesta, an annual mecca with 70,000 attendees as of the year 2023. Anime, games and comics are popular in this country, so there are smaller cons dotted throughout the months.

Anyway, the crowd wasn't as large as Comic Fiesta. As the structure of Tropicana Gardens Mall is rather narrow, you'd technically have to file through in two to three lines to be able to walk in and out of the place.

The exhibition hall at the fourth floor hosted all performances as well as cosplay booths. You'd have to ride one of the two escalators up to the hall - plebs without a ticket are doomed to be stranded at the bottom of said escalators, unable to sop up the merriment held exclusively above.

Here are some pics though, just in case you were a pleb that day, or just didn't attend the event:

Main hall programs and booths featured mostly Hololive and sexy pretty girl cosplayers and figurines, given the regular, expected fare when it comes to the anime consuming demographic (yes, I'm calling you out, my anime-watching brothers). I didn't take pictures of the doujinshi market out of respect for the art sellers there, but I did buy a beautiful print and got some lovely free stickers from that ONE vendor who sold BL stuff among the throngs of moe girls/Genshin Impact.

Yes, there was only one stall. But that one vendor made my day! Bless your heart, sister!

Now, I'll move on to the highlight - the cosplays. Nothing fills my heart with more joy than seeing happy people wearing colorful costumes and having a blast just being part of the convention scene. To be honest, it's so common to be wearing cosplay outfits nowadays that folk don't even notice you when you're dressed up - and I say this from experience; nobody noticed at all that I was in costume (or they were far too polite to laugh at how shitty I looked LOL, I didn't even dare take pics of myself). These events usually become scavenger hunts for me, to identify the ones from series I know or my tribe (fellow MXTX fans aha!).

First up is an oldie that's a goldie - Mr. Spock from Star Trek (credit: FaceBook user Yasuhiro Orihusay):

Honestly, I did NOT expect to find any Star Trek cosplays there. My dad's a Trekkie, so this was one of the first pics I sent him at the con itself. Live long and prosper, Mr. Spock!

Next, a furry OC:

I wasn't able to get their social media account as they were waiting in line for an autograph by a cosplayer, so unfortunately I'm unable to credit here.

Furries are currently still a new thing in Malaysia - but I'm glad to see them appearing more frequently at our cons, since they do diversify our pop culture scene quite a bit. Furs Upon Malaysia (FURUM) is held annually in Kuala Lumpur. The tickets are always sold out within an hour, so it's definitely growing and also contributing to tourism (Indonesian and Singaporean furries gather there too).

Also, they're fluffy. I love fluffy things. Much thanks, furry fandom, for being fluffy!

Moving on, here's a group cosplay of Jojo's Bizzare Adventure's Six Pistols (Mista from Golden Wind's Stands, if you're wondering which season it's from):

Vibrant and very spot on! I was unable to get their social media account due to the crowd and disorientation on my part. Do try to look them up, though! They were pretty popular, so I'm sure someone would have shared some info if you're interested.

Anyway, here's a White Mage from Final Fantasy (credit: https://www.instagram.com/yari_hayashi/):

Final Fantasy's one of the older franchises, but it's definitely rising again due to the new FFVII remake. I thought he was Garnet until I saw the blond wig. Bless the mages, healing power plus!!

Next in line is one of my all-time favorites, Sailor Moon (credit: https://www.instagram.com/jiahuab0719_cos/):

I'm a Moonie so seeing a Sailor Moon made me pretty excited! I don't see too many Sailor Moon cosplays even in Comic Fiesta - cosplays at our conventions are pretty seasonal and tend to follow trends, from what I've seen. She definitely caught quite a bit of attention with her wings, too. I saw her getting stopped quite a bit, so I'm glad I got a pic before a line formed!

Aaaand! I've saved the best for last! I'll be showcasing the MXTX stuff now. To start off (with a bang), here are two cosplayers of the number one seasonal love interest of the BL world, Hua Cheng a.k.a. San Lang Didi (Grown Up Version):

Credit: https://www.instagram.com/karry.1213/ (donghua version) and https://www.instagram.com/kopiii_cos/ (manhua version)

Remember how I said cosplays at Malaysian conventions tend to be pretty seasonal? Well, the current flavor of the month for the BL world is definitely TGCF - and the hottest flavor is now San Lang didi. You're going to get stopped for photos pretty often for dressing up as this flashy guy, and for good reason too. Donned in striking red, Hua Cheng is the Ferrari of the danmei world.

I overhead Kopiii_cos' friend saying so many people have been asking for photos! Viva Fafa!

Next, we have the ever beautiful WangXian couple cosplays:

Credit: Wei Wuxian (https://www.instagram.com/purple_384/) and Lan Wangji (https://www.instagram.com/anson1510/)

WangXian's a staple when it comes to the MXTX fandom. There's nary a person who doesn't love these two soulmates, and with these elaborate costumes, they've certainly stolen the show! They were the first couple I saw at the entrance of the exhibition hall, which makes sense since there was an OTP contest going on that afternoon.

Moving along, we have the main character of his story, the Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian (credit: https://www.instagram.com/arkutagwa/):

I gotta admit that this Lian's the sweetest of the Xies so far. Had a field day calling each other cute (what can I say, we both had cute personalities)! Gotta love that charming dimpled cheek, bless!

Speaking of cute, there's also this whole cute pose thing going on with certain attendees (credit: https://www.instagram.com/chzesin/):

I won't lie - I didn't recognize the character at first. But with the dark-gray-to-white ombre, black and red colors to tell you that's a Wei Wuxian, I'm just going to take a gamble here and deduce that yes, that is indeed a Wei Wuxian and include it. Let me know if you don't think it is.

Last but not least, we have our MXTX OTP group:

Credits: https://www.instagram.com/ayafvrvv/ (Luo Binghe) and https://www.instagram.com/close0402/ (Lan Wangji) - the rest didn't share their social media accounts but they did say you can find them through each other's accounts.

Turns out they're a group who'd entered the OTP contest that afternoon. If you're wondering, no, Binghe isn't paired with air (this is Bing-mei, not Bing-ge). There was a large number of attendees that day as it was Sunday, so their Shizun was still looking for parking. I'd gotten lucky since I'd arrived there just as they'd opened up Basement 3 so ZOOM I parked near the escalators with plenty of space to spare. Until today I chalk it up to being last-minute dressed as Xie Lian, the god of good luck for hobos like myself (or, according to popular belief, Hua Cheng's blessed every Xie Lian cosplayer out there no matter how much we look like we've just stepped out of a jungle). I also had plenty of space to sit for a lovely lunch of salad and green tea!

Granted, there were actually a few other Xie Lians there as well (he's the current flavor as well), but I didn't want to chase after them from afar since the flow of human traffic in this particular mall wasn't too conducive for trying to get pictures, unlike KLCC's garden. Usually, more fans are dressed as the two main characters, Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian - or the shous/bottoms in popular danmei. Surprisingly, I actually saw quite a number of gongs/tops this trip round.

So as a bonus, here's a pic with all our dandy gongs/tops together:

A dashing lot, aren't they?

Anyway, this wraps up my experience log as an MXTX cosplay hunter! Hope you enjoyed it! Bless!

[ridenwithbiden]

"The town of Springfield, Ohio, has been forced to cancel a planned cultural festival over safety concerns as Republicans continue to level racist attacks against the town’s Haitian community.

On Monday, the city announced that Springfield’s annual CultureFest, scheduled to take place Sept. 27 and 28, has been called off by city officials.

CultureFest “is an event that celebrates diversity, arts and local culture. City officials, in consultation with local and state law enforcement, determined that canceling the event is the most responsible course of action to prevent any potential risks to attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers,” officials wrote in a Facebook post, citing “recent threats and safety concerns.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

John Kelly at The Imprint (12.10.2024):

A former foster youth and award-winning advocate for children was arrested at the U.S. Capitol tonight — a bizarre twist in an otherwise celebratory day of events — after South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace accused him of assault.   The incident took place outside a House of Representatives office building following an event honoring the anniversary of a landmark child welfare law where Mace, a firebrand Republican, had given a speech. Three witnesses at the scene told The Imprint their accused colleague James McIntyre had done nothing more than shake the congress member’s hand at the House reception, and asked her to protect the rights of transgender people. 

But in a post on the social media platform X, Rep. Mace described a violent confrontation.  “I was physically accosted at the Capitol tonight by a pro-tr*ns man. One new brace for my wrist and some ice for my arm and it’ll heal just fine,” she posted at 8:43 p.m. “The Capitol police arrested the guy. Your tr*ns violence and threats on my life will only make me double down.” The arrest stunned onlookers. A group of McIntyre’s fellow foster youth advocates rushed to the outside of the Rayburn House Office Building to watch the scene unfold. They stood by tearfully as he was searched for several minutes by police, asking officers where he’d be taken and calling frantically for an attorney who could represent him. 

McIntyre, 33, has spoken publicly about his excruciating experience growing up in foster care, and is now a leading voice in policymaking in his home state of Illinois. He is also a chapter co-founder of the influential group Foster Care Alumni of America. In 2019, the National Association of Social Workers’ Illinois chapter named him the “Public Citizen of the Year.”   An officer with the Capitol Police Department told a reporter present at the scene that they were responding to a call about an “assault.” McIntyre was then placed into a police van and driven off.  Other attendees have reacted with outrage since McIntyre’s arrest. “I want to express deep disappointment in the fact that Congresswoman Nancy Mace came to a national foster youth event, told participating youth that it was a safe space — and literally had one of them arrested by Capital police for simply shaking her hand and asking about trans rights,” said Lisa Dickson, a veteran advocate for foster youth from Ohio, in a Facebook post.   Mace is not new to such publicity. In recent weeks, she has been in the news for her successful campaign to bar newly elected Rep. Sarah McBride — a Democrat from Delaware who is transgender — from using the public women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol.

[...] In her remarks at the House event, Rep. Mace told the crowd that while she was not an adoptee or former foster youth, she had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child. She called the dozens of advocates and foster youth in attendance — McIntyre among them — “the cream of the crop.”  “I look forward to working with each and every one of you. God bless you, I will be praying for you,” Mace said.  As she finished her comments and moved to leave the room, McIntyre approached her near an exit door, witnesses said. Elliott Hinkle, a former foster youth and advocate for LGBTQ rights, said McIntyre shook her hand, and made a comment about how many transgender youth are in foster care, adding: “They need your support.” 

Queen TERF Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) fraudulently called the police on foster youth advocate James McIntyre for “assaulting” her all because he shook her hand and asked her to protect the rights of trans people. McIntyre was arrested all due to Mace’s heavy-handed twatty behavior.

See Also:

Rolling Stone: Advocacy Group Calls B.S. on Nancy Mace’s Claim That She Was Assaulted in Capitol

[sociocosmos]

Elevate Your Facebook Game with Sociocosmos's Real Engagement

[mariacallous]

On Saturday, October 5, former president Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a rally less than three months after the assassination attempt on his life at the same location. This time, Trump appeared onstage with billionaire and X owner Elon Musk.

Trump’s supporters loved it.

A day before the campaign event, Musk posted on X that he would be in attendance. The excitement about his presence was palpable: On the road leading to the rally location, an electronic billboard flashed an image of Musk’s face and a rocket ship with text reading “In Musk we trust!” On a side road, where hundreds of attendees parked their cars, a Tesla cybertruck sported two Trump flags on the back.

“If they don’t, this will be the last election,” he added ominously. “That’s my prediction.”

And Trump supporters in Butler who spoke to WIRED said that, although they’d been planning to attend the rally regardless of Musk’s presence, they were excited to have him in the MAGA fold. Some had even come from out of town to attend the event.

“That definitely did sweeten the deal,” says Sherry O’Donnell, a Trump supporter who attended the Butler rally.

“I was excited because I really like Elon Musk, and we love what he's doing with the space program,” Brian Yanoviak, who drove from eastern Pennsylvania to attend the rally, told WIRED. Yanoviak was a delegate to the Republican National Convention. “He's very intelligent, very innovative. He understands what's happening to the United States. And he truly cares about the future of our country. Very similar to Trump, very similar to Tucker Carlson, very similar to RFK Jr. … It's truly a movement, and it's a movement to make America great again, because if we don't, we're going to lose our republic.”

Musk’s appearance at the rally was part of a larger get-out-the-vote effort from the billionaire and X owner. Over the past few months, Musk has gone all in for the Trump campaign and Republican candidates all over the country, spending millions of dollars. Musk has also used his personal X account to get out the vote, posting voter registration links in swing states to his 200 million followers.

Many of the rally attendees WIRED spoke to saw Musk’s ownership of X as a boon.

Rob Gray, who also attended the Butler rally, says that he mostly posts on Facebook but does keep up with news on X. “They say, ‘Oh, Trump’s a threat to democracy.’ What’s a bigger threat to democracy than the censorship that is just so rampant in all social media?” says Gray. “I'm just totally grateful he bought Twitter, turned it into X, and people can actually have the freedom to talk to each other now."

Musk has styled himself as a “free speech absolutist.” Within weeks of taking over Twitter in 2022, he fired the vast majority of the company’s trust and safety staff, the people who keep hate speech and disinformation off the platform. He also reinstated the accounts of people who had previously been banned for violating the platform’s policies, such as conspiracist Alex Jones and neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes. Research following Musk’s takeover found that hate speech increased on the platform under Musk. Musk himself has used the platform to boost lies and conspiracies.

At the rally, Musk repeated the baseless claim that Democrats would bring in immigrants to swell the ranks of their voters. “This election is the most important election of our lifetime,” he said. “This is no ordinary election.”

Musk has not always been a fan of Trump. During the 2016 election he voiced his support for Hillary Clinton, and in 2011, Musk donated $40,000 to Obama’s reelection campaign. But in recent years, his views have become increasingly right-leaning, as have his political donations. In the hours after the first assassination attempt against Trump, Musk posted on X that he fully endorsed Trump and would be setting up a PAC to back his campaign with $45 million a month in funding. (He later backtracked on the specific amount of funding.) In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson released days after his appearance in Butler, Musk said he was “all in” on his support for Trump.

Musk is doing more than just promoting Trump and parroting right-wing conspiracies. Earlier this week, Musk said his America PAC would pay $47 referral bonuses to anyone who referred a swing state voter who was willing to sign a pledge supporting the First and Second Amendments. (At the Butler rally, Musk’s declaration that the “Second Amendment is the reason we have the First Amendment” received cheers from the crowd.) The PAC has funded an ad blitz across swing states to collect voter data to power its ground game; it has also plowed $8.2 million into Republican congressional races and offered $30 an hour to those willing to work on “increasing voter turnout.”

This comes at a time when Republican strategists have raised concerns about the Trump campaign’s lack of ground game, which appears to have been largely left to outside groups like Musk’s America PAC.

A former Twitter employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, told WIRED that they’re worried Musk’s open support for one candidate or party could have ramifications within the company when it comes to whether or not the platform chooses to enforce its policies. In 2021, after the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, Twitter banned Trump’s account for inciting violence and also took down other accounts that repeated similar claims. The former employee says those kinds of decisions would likely be harder to make now with Musk in charge of the platform.

“Often the most controversial issues get escalated to the very top of the company,” they say. “If the CEO is weighing in, and if there's partiality, it'll affect the ultimate decision both for the candidate themselves and also for their followers.”

And the former employee says it’s likely that if employees know their CEO’s political alignment, they might self-censor, deciding not to bring up issues with accounts or content supportive of Trump. “It just creates a culture of silence within an organization, because it also changes the internal norms and the ability for people to speak candidly if they feel that their views are not accepted,” they say.

That fear is not unfounded; after taking over Twitter, Musk fired several employees who disagreed with him.

After his speech, Trump thanked Musk for appearing, and the crowd chanted his name. Shortly after, Musk logged back in to X and immediately shared election fraud conspiracies. In a post shared just after leaving the stage, he wrote, “If @realDonaldTrump doesn’t win, the ‘Democratic’ Party will legalize so many illegals that there will be no swing states!”

[qnewsau]

Drag Race firebrand Willam got kicked out of DragCon

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/drag-race-firebrand-willam-got-kicked-out-of-dragcon/

Drag Race firebrand Willam got kicked out of DragCon

Security! RuPaul’s Drag Race queen Willam has shared footage of the moment she was kicked out of DragCon in Los Angeles.

The drag performer’s frosty relationship with the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise since her season is no secret.

Over the weekend, the popular three-day expo DragCon LA returned to the Los Angeles Convention Centre.

Every DragCon brings performers, drag fans and even RuPaul himself together for performances, meet and greets and of course lots and lots of merchandise.

Willam was one of the many queens who showed up for day 1 of DragCon LA. However, word quickly got around that Willam’s appearance was short-lived.

In a post on X, Willam confirmed to a fan security had escorted her out of the event.

“Yep. Listen to the [podcast] this week and watch my YouTube videos of it all happening,” Willam replied.

After the X post, Willam shared footage on Instagram and her YouTube channel of almost a dozen security guards escorting her out.

In the video, Willam bumps into fellow Drag Race star Dahlia Sin and Willam told her she was told she was a “risk for the event.”

Willam described the footage of “11 cops and guards circling me moving me out the door like the only villain. Fun stuff!”

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by WILLAM (@willam)

Willam will ‘always be’ a Drag Race fan

Willam later elaborated in a much longer Instagram post, below. The drag performer said she will “always love Drag Race and be a fan” but let rip on production company World of Wonder, DragCon and her treatment at the event.

“They trailed me around the convention centre and then waited til I went backstage [to] descend and encircle me so they wouldn’t be by the fans and cameras,” Willam claimed.

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by WILLAM (@willam)

Willam promises the tea on her Race Chaser podcast

Willam also promised to spill more tea with her co-host Alaska on the drag duo’s always honest and frequently spicy recap podcasts Race Chaser and Hot Goss.

Ahead of that, the drag performer’s followers were in the comments section with a lot of thoughts.

“Just @willam casually keeping the punk spirit of drag alive. Bless her,” one person wrote.

“I mean it’s very on brand,” another follower said.

“Looking sickening though,” someone else declared.

“Let’s be real: Willam walked straight to Ru’s line to start sh*t. Had he just acted like a person and enjoyed #DragCon, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Instead, he walked in there like it was his name on the marquee and got dealt with accordingly. It’s been years, boo. Move on,” an alleged DragCon attendee clarified.

“Cant wait for the ‘I went to DragCon 2024 and all I got was escorted out’ tshirts/merch,” someone else wrote.

More on Drag Race:

Willam blasts Michelle Visage for hosting Drag Race Down Under

Ru-vealed: Here’s the queens set for Drag Race Down Under season 4

Aussie Kween Kong confirmed for RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars

Courtney Act reunited with Adore Delano and Bianca Del Rio

Rhys Nicholson on ‘grim’ Drag Race Down Under we almost saw

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[laf-outloud]

Infinity Con & Purgatory 8:

We have good and bad news for you guys!

After receiving many many questions if Jared could attend Purgatory 8 instead of Infinity Con we tried to work something out with his agents again.

The very good news is: Jared is now available for Purgatory 8!

Because we got so many request via email, via Facebook and also privat messages we decided to move his appearance to Purgatory 8!

So everyone at Purgatory 8 will probably be super happy now. Sadly this also means, he won`t attend Infinity Con. We are working on more guests for this event of course!

Genevieve sadly won`t be able to attend Purgatory 8 tho and has to cancel Infinity Con.

So what happens now:

If you bought extras for Genevieve, please wait just a little bit longer, as we will announce a replacement guest shortly! More info on bought extras will be given then.

If you bought Jared extras (ALL Extras means Photo Ops, Autographs and Meet & Greets): Those Extras will be valid for Purgatory 8. So just print your Infinity Extra tickets and bring them with you to Purgatory 8 if you will attend this event as well.

If you won`t attend Purgatory 8 as well, please let us know. In this case we will refund your extras. In this case, please send an email to office@ent-events.de with your name and order number. We will refund as soon as possible. Please ONLY send a message, if you do not attend Purgatory 8 as well. We will check this!

Refunds will be given the same way as bought. The person who bought the ticket needs to send a refund request to our email address!

Additional Jared Extras for Purgatory 8 will be available soon!

Jared is going to be a SPECIAL GUEST and he will join us at Purgatory 8 the whole weekend. There also will be options to get Double and Triple Photo Ops with him and Jensen and Misha, but more Info on this will follow shortly.

A refund of Infinity Entry tickets is not possible. We still think the Infinity Line up is amazing and we are still working on more guests! We are awaiting a couple signed contracts soon!

ALSO: We talked to the hotel again regarding the amount of attendees and were able to add 120 Single Day Tickets per day without seating. You will be able to watch the panels but not in the seating area.

If you have ANY questions, please send an email to office@ent-events.de.

Entertainment Events

**For those who were attending Infinity Con in Germany, Jared's now been moved to Purgatory Con.**

Note this particular section: "ALSO: We talked to the hotel again regarding the amount of attendees and were able to add 120 Single Day Tickets per day without seating. You will be able to watch the panels but not in the seating area."

[beardedmrbean]

A New Year's Eve celebration was cut short for families after a brick display holding balloons for a drop collapsed into a crowded Massachusetts arcade.

The Peabody Police Department confirmed in a post on Facebook that multiple people were injured when a plastic brick display fell from a mezzanine level at the In the Game arcade in Peabody.

According to the arcade's Facebook page, they were hosting a "Noon Year’s Eve celebration" on Tuesday afternoon. 

Peabody Fire Chief John Dowling told Fox News Digital that they received a call about a partial ceiling collapse at the arcade just after noon.

After arriving at the scene, Dowling said crews discovered it was not a ceiling collapse but rather a display of play bricks, which was 12 feet tall, collapsed onto a group of people during a failed New Year's Eve balloon drop.

Dowling said the balloons were supposed to be released from the display during the party and that it appeared a person pulled too hard on the display, causing it to fall over. 

Dowling said 10 individuals sustained minor injuries. Eight were transported to the hospital for treatment, while two refused medical transport.

Of those eight who sought treatment, Dowling said three were adults and five children, sustaining mostly cuts and scrapes.

Lawren Turco, who was in attendance at the event with her family, told WBZ-TV that it was "pure chaos." 

"We watched the entire balloon drop and had no idea anything happened until we were going to leave promptly following the balloon drop,"Turco described to WBZ-TV.

"Kids were crying, there were tons of people all in the office, some with ice packs over their heads," Turco continued. 

The arcade was closed as a precaution for a brief period after the incident but reopened a short time later.

A spokesperson for the arcade told Fox News Digital that they are working with the authorities as the situation is being assessed.

[paxtonrp]

A NEW YEAR ARRIVES…

PAXTON, AZ welcomes a new year, but a new year means more problems. That's not all that's new, though. This year promises changes to the scenery and the economy. Below are the events (mostly) held at Paxton's Obsidian Holdings-affiliated locations for this January.

… …

COMMUNITY EVENTS at PAXTONRP are more or less ideas for how writers can utilize locations in their threads/to get an idea of some activities available in town. They are not mandatory for writers to use in threads/have their muses participate in. You also do not have to wait until the day the event starts to make a thread (i.e. if you want your muse to participate in something on January 18, you can post your thread at any point in January).

WITH PROMISES TO RENEW...

… … JANUARY EVENTS - From Jan. 1st - 30th.

BEDROLLS - Build Your Own Roll (Jan. 3 & 17)

New year, new food experiences, new you! Bedrolls gets their shipments on Friday. As a result, to celebrate the abundance, locals can build their own rolls for the low price of twelve dollars! As always, unlimited soup on the house!

CASTLE ROCK RESORT - Small Business Conference (Jan. 31)

Looking for a new career for you or a friend? Obsidian Holdings has partnered with local businesses in the area to offer a job fair! Admission is free for all with a local driver's license (or other forms of identification). Come see some of your neighbors and local business owners. Refreshments will be provided for all attendees starting at noon.

CASTLE SPRINGS SPA - Rejuvenation Retreat (Jan. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29)

Every Wednesday in the month of January, Castle Springs Spa will offer a package deal for pedicures, massages, sauna, and cold plunge experiences. Come melt away the post-holidays stress and welcome the new year with some rest and relaxation. You deserve it.

FOREPLAY - Sleepy Sundays (Jan. 5 & 19)

Sunday funday, right? Come enjoy a few holes-in-one and some locally-crafted cocktails on the selected Sundays above. Admission is half off and there's a reduced price for groups of 3 or more.

LASSO LICKS - Saturday Sundaes & Tuesday Treats (Jan. 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28)

Lasso Licks will price all sundaes on Saturday and Tuesday for the month of January based off the ounce rather than the usual flat rate. Enjoy as many toppings and sauces as you want. As long as you don't break the scale, you won't break the bank.

THE BACKYARD BUS, FOREPLAY, THE SILVER SADDLE, THE GLASS CACTUS & THE LOST HORSE SALOON - Paxton Play, Pay & Pull Along (Jan. 10)

This is not an official event in that all of the locations above did not come up with this idea. Rather a local group of twenty-somes decided that Paxton finally has enough places that serve alcohol for a worthy bar crawl. This event travelled through town by word of mouth and Facebook. You start with some beers at the Bus. Then, head over to Foreplay and drink while you play a game of mini golf. Then, head over to the Silver Saddle to participate in some drunken line dancing. Next, is the Glass Cactus to put those skills to the test. Finally, end your night at the Lost Horse Saloon to wind down over a game of pool. Winners make sure their friends make it to all of the bars and safely home for the night.

BUT ONLY IF YOU LEAVE YOUR GRUDGES BEHIND.

… … ROLLING EVENTS — Occur every month year-round.

BACKYARD BUS - Backyard Games (every third Saturday of the month)

It’s like the Olympic Games but the only medals are a free 55 ounce margarita for you (and your friends if you like to share). The Backyard Bus hosts the Backyard Games every third Saturday of the month. The Games include corn hole, life-size Jenga, UNO, and Mexican Train. The winner of ¾ games earns their prize.

DESERT BLOOM WINERY - Winery Tours (Last weekend of the month; weekdays by appointment only)

When a town has a winery there are tours naturally. Desert Bloom Winery tours operate by appointment only Monday-Friday. However, if having a schedule isn’t your thing, you can always stop by on the third Saturday of the month to join one of the open tours. As a note, these tours are first come, first serve. Desert Bloom has four tours of up to 10 on any given day. Wine tasting is included of course.

THE GLASS CACTUS - Genre Bend (First Friday of the month)

Small towns may have a reputation for being close-minded, but that’s not the case when it comes to the Glass Cactus. On the first Friday of every month, the Cactus introduces the public to a new music genre – it’s ultimately the DJ’s draw, but you’re guaranteed to find some new tunes.

MAIN STREET MARKET - Artisan Alley (First and third Saturday & Sunday of the month)

Paxton’s Main Street Market features a rotating group of local artisans on the first and third weekends of the month. Tent locations are random and fully based on availability when a vendor registers. It’s a ten dollar flat rate for registration.

PRICKLY PERK - Open Mic Night (Monday, Thursday, & Saturdays)

Prickly Perk hosts local bands, poets, and singers every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday evening. New acts always get assigned to Monday, but can work up to Thursday and Saturday night performances based off how well the community turns out for their shows.

THE SILVER SADDLE - Wednesday Woes & Saturday Specials (Every Wednesday & Saturday)

The Silver Saddle offers drink deals two nights a week. Wednesday Woes is a buy one get one free deal and, well, it’s mainly to drown in the woes of it only being Wednesday. Saturday Specials includes discounted prices on whatever drink the bartenders’ choose. Sometimes the bartenders pick margaritas, other times they pick shots of whiskey – it’s one big surprise.

[fanwork-exchange-promos]

MULTIFANDOM: Escapade 35 (The Slash Slumber Party)

Posted by: vex_verlain What: Escapade (The Original Slash Slumber Party) When: Friday, January 31st through Sunday, February 2nd, 2025 Where: Los Angeles, California (at the Embassy Suites by Hilton LAX North) Description: There's a fan con coming up very soon called Escapade. It's one of the oldest running fan conventions of its kind, meeting once or twice a year since 1989. They like to call themselves the original slash slumber party and the vibe is everywhere. They welcome people from all kinds of fandoms who enjoy all kinds of fanworks and welcome all ships, kinks, and ratings. There are people who got into fandom from zines, ygroups, netfic, LJ, FF.net, Wattpad, Tumblr, AO3—it's like the living history of our people. They have fannish panels during the day with content by and for attendees, followed by fan events at night, and sleep over shenanigans all day long. You can expect an art show, a dance party, a vid show, and so much more. People usually arrive for pre-con events on Thursday, while the convention itself runs from Friday to Sunday. Check out the links below for additional information! Important Links: — Escapade Website — Registration — Hotel & Travel Information Additional Links & Social Media: On Dreamwidth: escapade_con Elsewhere: Carrd, Tumblr, Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter/X comments via The Fandom Calendar https://ift.tt/m30jcAh