#censor-board-ceo

[wilwheaton]

So what do we know about the faith and the worldview of Mike Johnson? Johnson, 51, has deep ties to the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. He believes in a literal reading of the Bible, including the Book of Genesis. Johnson is a close friend of Ken Ham, the CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis, and provided legal services to that ministry in 2015. Answers in Genesis rejects evolution and believes that the universe is 6,000 years old; to believe anything else would be to undermine the authority of the Bible. “We’re not just about creation/evolution, the age of the Earth or fossils,” Ham told Johnson and his wife, Kelly, on their podcast. “We’re really on about the authority of the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping equip people to have a true Christian worldview.” Johnson is enthusiastically on board; he has suggested that school shootings are the result of having taught generations of Americans “that there’s no right or wrong, that it’s about survival of the fittest, and you evolve from the primordial slime.” Johnson wants churches to be more politicized; he favors overturning the 1954 Johnson Amendment, which prevents churches from engaging in any political campaign activity if they want to keep their tax-exempt status. He also believes that churches are unceasingly under assault, and that Christian viewpoints “are censored and silenced.”

The Polite Zealotry of Mike Johnson

“When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross.”

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Washington Post Says Jeff Bezos Banned it From Endorsing Kamala Harris

DIES IN DARKNESS...

Legendary ex-editor Marty Baron is calling the move “cowardice.”

Corbin Bolies 

Media Reporter

Updated Oct. 25 2024 3:18PM EDT / Published Oct. 25 2024 12:53PM EDT 

Jeff Bezos ordered The Washington Post to censor its endorsement of Kamala Harris, the newspaper’s own reporters said Friday.

The billionaire Amazon founder stopped the publication of an endorsement of the Democratic candidate which its editorial board had already written, the paper reported.

The dramatic move was called “cowardice” by its Pulitzer Prize-winning former editor, Marty Baron. One of the paper’s star reporters, Ashley Parker, called it “a new type of October Surprise.”

The paper’s CEO Will Lewis—not its owner, Bezos—announced the endorsement ban in a note to readers, saying it was an attempt to “provide through the newsroom non-partisan news for all Americans, and thought-provoking, reported views from our opinion team to help our readers make up their own minds.”

“We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects.”

It came days after The Los Angeles Times’ editorial board was blocked from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris by its billionaire CEO Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, plunging the newsroom into chaos over its owner’s meddling in its editorial affairs.

In D.C., Lewis said the paper was “returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” citing the paper’s distant past, which it abstained from presidential endorsements.

But that era ended in 1976 when it endorsed Democrat Jimmy Carter for president, which Lewis said was for “understandable reasons.” “But we had it right before that, and this is what we are going back to,” Lewis wrote. (The Post last abstained from endorsing a presidential candidate in 1988, saying at the time it could not reach “a threshold of confidence in and commitment” in a candidate that year.)

LA Times Chaos After Billionaire Forbids Harris Endorsement

BREAKING THE NEWS

Josh Fiallo

Lewis' note set off an explosive reaction, led by Baron, the highest-profile living former leader of the paper of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

“This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty,” Baron, who shepherded the paper during Donald Trump’s first presidency wrote on X. “Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”

According to NPR, which first broke the news of the Post’s decision, opinion editor David Shipley informed staff on Friday morning about the decision. Opinion among staff, according to NPR, was “uniformly negative.”

Billionaires, Secrets, Zegnas: Will Lewis’ Thirst for Power

DON’T STOP ME NOW

Harry Lambert

“The message from our chief executive, Will Lewis—not from the Editorial Board itself—makes us concerned that management interfered with the work of our members in Editorial,” the Post’s union leadership said in a statement.

“According to our own reporters and Guild members, an endorsement for Harris was already drafted, and the decision to not to publish was made by The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos. We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers. This decision undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers’ trust, not losing it.”

Lewis’ nearly yearlong tenure at the Post has been marred by controversy after controversy. Initially welcomed by Post employees as an affable changemaker with ambitions to reinvent the paper, the staff turned on him after he booted the paper’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, for two former colleagues; reportedly tried to block the paper from reporting on his alleged role in covering up a U.K. phone-hacking scandal; insinuated the paper’s editorial staff was responsible for its business failings; and nearly installed a former U.K. colleague whose ethically questionable reporting practices eventually came to light.

Lewis’ decision came days after Soon-Shiong blocked the Times’ impending endorsement of Harris. Soon-Shiong claimed he allowed the paper to present analyses of the “POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE policies by EACH candidate” to present “clear and non-partisan information to its readers,” but the editorial board refused.

[ovaryacted]

Ok to give context. I think a popular trans woman on tumblr was banned for a raunchy photo (I think? It might’ve just been a normal photo) and she made a loony-toons style threat to the CEO (something about hitting a car with a hammer and exploding?).

The CEO, in an elon musk ass way, went fully dick and just straight up deleted her entire blog. And I THINK the reason given is the “NSFW photo” or something.

There’s also been a trend of pro-trans posts getting flagged as mature for no reason at all.

Meanwhile, Leon, in furry BDSM gear and his cock out, gets 1# trending, is reblogged by tumblr staff and not even marked as “mature”. Which exposes tumblr staffs unfair treatment of trans posts.

Yea, Leon with his cock out has helped expose the transphobia with this sites staff making him a 100% trans ally.

Okay see, I literally didn’t know any of this so thank you for the added context cause otherwise this would just pass by me.

That’s actually crazy though. Now I get why that gif brought so much concern and yeah, the double standard is stupid. I’ve always hated how trans people in particular and queer people over all are always policed for how they choose to express themselves even in NSFW content, but when you have cis-appearing individuals even fictional ones literally naked as hell, then it’s no issue.

Tumblr’s censoring issues always show some form of favoritism, like there’s other things that really should be addressed but sure, let’s rave about the Leon Anubis dick and balls mod and censors everything else yay! It’s also icky cause yeah that was funny at first but now it just highlights the hyper-sexualization of male characters across the board. Leon doesn’t even have a bulge or bouncing mechanics in the game, but people who make these mods be going crazy on not just Leon but all the characters too so yeah. I do get why it’s done, it’s for fun, but still sometimes I just go ???.

Glad that the Leon gif exposed the hypocrisy though, very much needed and necessary. Fuck the TERFs. Leon is an ally no question about it.

[beardedmrbean]

The former head of trust and safety at Twitter recently admitted that the social media company’s decision to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020 was a "mistake."

During a sit down with journalist Kara Swisher, ex-Twitter safety chief Yoel Roth said that despite concerns about the authenticity of the laptop story, it still did not reach a point where he wanted to remove the content—which was later censored anyway. Initial reporting suggested that Roth blocked user access from the October 2020 story, but the former Twitter division lead said the decision was not up to him. 

"We didn’t know what to believe, we didn’t know what was true, there was smoke—and ultimately for me, it didn’t reach a place where I was comfortable removing this content from Twitter," Roth said. "But it set off every single one of my finely tuned APT28 hack and leak campaign alarm bells."

Roth repeatedly reiterated that despite Big Tech companies' high-alert status and his personal feeling of responsibility to protect the "integrity of conversations" from foreign governments attempting to interfere in elections, it never rose to the level where he believed the story should be censored. 

CBS TARRED AND FEATHERED FOR ADMITTING EXISTENCE OF HUNTER BIDEN’S LAPTOP TWO YEARS AFTER NEW YORK POST REPORT

"But—so it was a mistake?" Swisher asked.

"In my opinion, yes," he responded. 

Roth planned to meet with the Department of Homeland Security’s now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board, where the government was expected to ask Twitter to become more involved in efforts to monitor misinformation.

HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP WHISTLEBLOWER VOWS TO BE ‘THORN’ IN PRESIDENT’S SIDE ‘UNTIL THERE'S SOME ACCOUNTABILITY’

Both Roth and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed they were approached by the FBI prior to the 2020 election, warning the platforms about foreign propaganda and misinformation.

When the New York Post's bombshell report was first published with weeks to go before the 2020 election, Twitter and Facebook were quick to limit or block sharing of the story in an unprecedented display of coordination. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has also admitted the social media platform was wrong to intervene in the Hunter Biden story.

Last week, Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk said that he might release more information on how the social media company censored the Biden laptop story. The New York Post was also initially locked out of its Twitter account for weeks over the story before being reinstated.

In addition to the censorship from Big Tech, multiple media outlets originally labeled the laptop as Russian disinformation. Dozens of former intelligence leaders and officials also signed a letter saying they believed the story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Since then, many news outlets have independently verified the laptop as authentic.

[mariacallous]

I knew College Board were trash but I'm kinda shocked they just folded, I mean don't they know they're doing a huge damage to their credibility in the other 49 states to just get one program through in one state

besides which like... not every HS offers every AP course, most only have basics, so the schools that might have AP African American Studies are really making a choice that they want it, will they pay for a censored version?

Supposedly, according to the College Board CEO, the "changes were not made to bow to political pressure."

“At the College Board, we can’t look to statements of political leaders,” he said. The changes, he said, came from “the input of professors” and “longstanding A.P. principles.”

Additionally

A version of the course is being offered in 60 high schools as a pilot and will expand to hundreds more schools in the upcoming school year, the organization has said. The course is expected to be available to all schools in the 2024-25 school year, according to the College Board website.

Unlike the pilot version, the College Board said the official framework includes additional topics, only requires the analysis of “core historical, literary, and artistic works,” does not have a required list of secondary sources and adds a research project that counts as part of the AP exam score.

So it's not yet been fully introduced (the first exam for this course wouldn't be until Spring 2025)

From that first article:

Black writers and scholars associated with critical race theory have been scrubbed from the curriculum, as have those who touch on the Black queer experience and Black feminism. Other topics, like Black Lives Matter, are now optional. 

The Board also added “Black conservatism” as a potential research topic. 

...

DeSantis’s administration rejected the original course because “the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

The administration specifically named topics of intersectionality, Black Queer Studies, the Black Lives Matter movement, Black Feminist Literary Thought, the reparations movement and the Black Study and Black Struggle in the 21st Century as key concerns.

It also identified writings by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the “founder” of intersectionality, Angela Davis, a “self-avowed Communist and Marxist,” Roderick Ferguson, Leslie Kay Jones, bell hooks and Robin D.G. Kelly as problematic. 

...

Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) sent a letter to the College Board stating he expects any AP African American studies course to “include a factual accounting of history, including the role played by black queer Americans.”

Because it's still just being set up, who knows how things'll progress, but it's not a heartening sign.

[bitacrytic]

Overheat [25]

Read Previous Chapter Here

-

If Vegas had ever met someone who was the biggest gossip, it would be Tankhun. Shaking his head, Vegas let himself out of the rehearsal room, knowing that before dinner, Tay and Time and all their combined group of friends would surely know that Vegas had stared at Pete for a little longer than was professionally necessary.

-

-

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The thirty-foot high billboard on the bridge pass by Ankam was activated. Vegas was on his way to Graham Blitz, when he spotted the three-second clip that was on repeat, on the board. Clearing off to the side, he got out of his car to get a better look. He’d seen the samples on his tablet, but they were nothing compared to the mega-sized clip of Porsche on his back, in a scanty, traditional omega attire that had been censored by a couple of gold trinkets to the nipples. The draping, red fabric that covered his arms and legs, that were attached to the band around his waist, lay on the shimmering ground beneath Porsche, that reflected what was going on above.

Pete was leaning down, his hand on Porsche’s chest as they stared into each other’s eyes, blinking slowly. “Overheat” hung above them, a dull, yet twinkling banner of text that sat against the dark, endless, reflecting ground in the background. Pete was almost unrecognizable with the amount of make-up they’d put on him.

Sexy. Alluring. Daring. 

When Vegas noticed the Ohmovit logo, at the bottom of the screen, centered between the other six logos, Vegas frowned. 

Chasing the drain of the leak had led to unfortunate assumptions. Because the ramifications for what was shaping up would take them all down if Vegas didn’t tread lightly. It would have been easy to get Kinn involved but Kinn was, as Vegas had been told, taking some time off. And even if he wasn’t, Vegas didn’t have any concrete proof of anything to go running to Kinn.

Gambit was a small company. Just like a thousand others. But their CEO was a recluse, a young mogul who’d come out of nowhere. Which wouldn’t have been a problem, if he wasn’t a young alpha seen in the company of a certain alpha collector. 

Then again, that could have been for a bunch of reasons. It was foolish to side-eye any alpha just because he was talking to Tod. Porsche was talking to Tod and that didn't mean anything. Vegas had been planning to talk to him, himself. That didn’t mean anything, either. 

But Vegas was hearing too many whispers of The Omega. Not many people knew Tod was an omega. After all, they referred to him as “the alpha’s alpha”. But how many omegas were business giants with dubious means? One. Vegas knew of exactly one such omega. And that omega had made moves on Macau and Porsche. Two people who were directly affiliated with Vegas. It wasn’t a stretch to assume that he might want something from Vegas.

But what?

Ohmovit hired Porsche, even after he’d disclosed his CCD and his undeclared status as an alpha. If they also, somehow, knew that Pete was an omega, that would be something they’d use against him. That would explain why they knew to kidnap and tape him. Ohmovit was affiliated with data companies, communication companies, etc. With Tod’s network of alphas, he could know everything about everyone in the “Overheat” production.

Getting back in his car, he headed for the camp. He had a simple way to clear or confirm his suspicions. The fabricated recordings had helped Vegas catch one of The Omega’s men. Judging from the amount of protection he had, and the respect he got from the men around him, he wasn’t just anybody.

And no matter what Vegas did, the fucker refused to talk. He had recently been rid of three toes on his left foot and still, he held his tongue, offering up nothing but a mouthful of spite to Vegas’ face.

When he got to Graham Blitz, the cast and crew were scattered around the hotel. He saw a bunch of them across the street. He saw a lot in the hallway. He even found some of them in the bar.

“Isn’t it time for rehearsals?” Vegas asked one of the actors.

“Yeah, Pete and Porsche are working on a sex scene, so the director gave us a break.”

Vegas arrived at the rehearsal room, so much faster than was humanly possible. 

The door wouldn’t open. When he knocked, there was a turn in the lock and the door clipped open.

“What are you doing here?” Vegas asked.

“Hello to you too,” Tankhun said, opening the door wider to allow him in.

The normally full room was empty, and felt so much bigger with just the six of them present. Tankhun returned to his place by the glass divider, sitting and crossing his legs as he read a book. In the corner, at the back, sat Toss, with his headphones on. He hadn't even realized that Vegas was present. Vegas decided not to disturb him.

On the rehearsal floor, Pete and Porsche were lying down, this time, with Porsche on top. One of his legs was between Pete’s while the other was hanging off to the side at a weird angle. Vegas didn’t know if he was disappointed that they had on clothes or if he was happy about it.

“Can’t I just…” Porsche asked, moving the hanging leg.

“Nope,” the director said. “That leg is blocking your penis from the east gallery.”

“What if I-”

“Look,” the director said with a sigh. “You signed a contract for one showing that won’t be filmed. Which means, the epilogue sex scene. So, even though I desperately want to show the whole world what you’re working with, we cannot do that.”

Giving up, Porsche fell back on the floor.

“Are sex scenes this tiresome?”

“You need practice,” Pete said with a laugh, leaning over Porsche, their faces so close together. “When you get comfortable with it, you won’t even notice.”

“How won’t I notice that I’m trying to hide angles and whatnot?”

“Trust me.” Pete put his head on Porsche's chest. “When you know what to do, once the scene starts, it’s easy to get into it.”

“You think so?” Porsche asked.

“Really?” the director asked, his voice etched with slight displeasure. “I’ve been saying that for weeks. Yet one word from Pete and you’re listening?”

Shaking his head, the director got up and left them on the rehearsal floor, giggling together. The clip of them together flashed the billboard through Vegas’ mind, once again. The intimacy they had with it. Three seconds that should have been nothing. Three seconds of Pete and Porsche staring into each other’s eyes. And yet, it seemed like the world had fallen away. Like the rest of them were forgotten in the vast emptiness of the reflecting glass that was in the clip. If Vegas didn’t know any better, he would believe there was something there.

Maybe on Porsche’s part. But Pete? He was too good of an actor. He’d “fallen in love” with too many of his co-stars for Vegas to believe what he was looking at was anything more than Pete clocking in on his nine-to-five.

Clearing his throat, Vegas caught Pete and Porsche’s attention.

“Hey,” Porsche said. “You’re back.”

“Not really. Pete, can I speak to you for a moment?”

Looking confused, Pete extracted himself from Porsche’s embrace and jogged over to Vegas.

“Is there a problem?”

“Do you remember what the man who took you looked like?”

Scratching his eyebrows, Pete shook his head.

“I didn’t see his face. There was a huge floodlight in my face, the entire time.”

“Did you see his silhouette? Did it remind you of anybody?”

He thought about it and shook his head again so Vegas brought out his phone and opened a bunch of pictures.

“This is Tod Setely,” Pete said, scrolling through. “I don’t know. His body kinda fits a bit. Tod is tall and slightly built with a bit of muscle. And yeah, that guy’s silhouette looked like that. But so do a million other people.”

“Did you remember anything about him?”

“His scent. I was in heat so everything about his scent was really,” he gestured towards himself. “In my face, kinda.”

“Like an alpha’s scent? Or like a fellow omega?”

Pete closed his eyes and frowned.

“No, not like that. He wasn’t rutting or in heat or anything. He was just giving off regular vibes. Like a beta.  But distinct. I can’t explain it. If I’m around him again, I’ll know.”

Tod Setely was on suppressants 24/7. His scent would read neutral like a betas to an omega in heat. 

Vegas was going crazy. He’d have to find a way to get Pete and Setely in the same room.

When he turned to go, Pete called to him.

“What?” he asked.

“Do you need me for anything?” Pete asked. “Anything at all. I’m here.”

He wanted to be useful. Vegas knew that. But to what extent, Vegas wasn’t aware. 

“I’ll let you know if I need you.”

Flashing Vegas a grateful, happy smile, Pete nodded and returned to rehearsal. Vegas couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t stop himself from sparing Pete one last look, watching him walk away in that breezy, sexy way he carried himself. Especially when he knew Vegas was looking.

Catching himself, Vegas looked away.

To find Tankhun watching him with one raised eyebrow.

Oh fuck.

“Not a word,” Vegas said.

“Hey,” Tankhun said, locking his lips and throwing away the key.

But that meant fuck all, because if Vegas had ever met someone who was the biggest gossip, it would be Tankhun. Shaking his head, Vegas let himself out of the rehearsal room, knowing that before dinner, Tay and Time and all their combined group of friends would surely know that Vegas had stared at Pete for a little longer than was professionally necessary.

[pretentiousbrownie]

I would strongly encourage my friends, mutuals, and followers to take a look at the survey - really take a moment to respond if you feel strongly about any topics affecting our experiences on Tumblr.

Now, I strongly suggest that you answer for yourselves and your specific experiences. It's important to contribute in the ways that matter most to your needs, wants, and expectations, but if many of you are like me, then I expect we may have similar misgivings with the platform:

From the communities I participate in, to the circles and groups and users I share various spaces with, we have been strongly affected by many of Tumblr's recent challenges with moderation, including (but not limited to) censorship of queer, trans, and/or POC-related topics, harassment of users from staff (Tumblr's own CEO pointedly included), disproportionate actions taken against said topics (takedowns, bans, etc), and complete lack of oversight, recourse, and intervention when these often irreversible or highly damaging moderative actions have taken place.

Couple that with increasingly frustrating spam bots that hound our ask boxes, posts, comments, and replies, porn bots that get through all the filters while real people and art and media and social topics are censored, and a disturbing amount of transphobic, homophobic, xenophobic, and other exceptionally dangerous forms of hate speech running amok, and it feels as though Tumblr's tools and teams and staff for moderation are too often working against our communities and our people.

The best way to fix that is to tell them - really engage with the teams behind screen as best you can; opportunities to give feedback and voice our opinions, displeasure, concerns, and needs as a user base are vital, and we have to be the ones to tell them.

With many sensitive topics surrounding Palestine being censored elsewhere, little information about the Congo or of Ukraine being discussed in published media, elections in countries like the USA quickly approaching, and actions like abortion bans, bans on gender affirming care, queer and gay bans, book bans, rollbacks on child protections and child labor, human and personal rights violations, increased surveillance and policing in poorer communities and communities of color, antisemitic and islamophobic hate, healthcare, welfare, environmental, and other critical aid and safety and protection programs being gutted - among thousands of other crucial topics being equally quashed and quelled across the board, we need spaces like Tumblr now, more than ever, to step up and hear us out on our concerns.

If you value Tumblr, if you value your experiences with Tumblr, if you find you have had the opportunity to speak more freely and reach more information here regarding the topics that most affect you and the people that matter most to you, then surveys like this, and direct feedback are some of the best ways to let staff know how they can improve, and right now, improvement is just what we need.

this is really fucking brave of you.

anyway here's the link, let them know exactly how you feel (independent survey website)

[marwahstudios]

AAFT Sets a New World Record with the 120th Edition of the Festival of Short Digital Films

Noida: : The prestigious AAFT Festival of Short Digital Films, celebrated its monumental 120th edition with grandeur at Marwah Studios, Noida Film City. The event, renowned for its contribution to the cinematic landscape, continues to highlight the power and impact of short films.

“Short films – in just a few minutes, they can evoke emotions, provoke thoughts, and leave a lasting impact,” remarked Dr. Sandeep Marwah, President of the AAFT Festival of Short Digital Films, during his inaugural address. The jam-packed auditorium, filled with enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds including film, television, media, art, and culture, stood as a testament to the festival’s far-reaching influence.

Highlighting the historical significance of the occasion, Dr. Marwah added, “We are creating a world record today, and everyone here is part of the history being written. This is the only festival to reach its 120th edition, happening four times a year, and the only one to offer a platform to 3,500 directors and 15,000 technicians from 100 countries to showcase their debut films over the last 30 years.”

Eminent Guests and Dignitaries: DR. Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Media Advisor and Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Palestine, shared his insights on the festival’s global impact. Dr. Parin Somani, Writer, Author, Journalist, Philanthropist, and CEO & Co-Founder of the London Organization of Skills Development, lauded the festival’s contributions to the arts. Kumar Rakesh, Senior Journalist, provided a compelling narration of the festival’s journey.

Ashok Tyagi, Filmmaker and Secretary-General of ICMEI, praised Dr. Sandeep Marwah’s relentless efforts in nurturing young talent. Dr. Sanjeeb Patjoshi, IPS, Director General, Department of Fire Force & Rescue Services & Commandant General, Kerala Home Guards, emphasized the importance of such platforms in fostering creativity. Rochika Agarwal, BJP National Media Panelist and Censor Board member, offered her guidance and support to the festival’s initiatives. Satya Bhushan Jain, National Vice Chairman of the Confederation of All India Traders, bestowed his blessings upon the event.

The formal launch of the show was followed by screenings of some of the finest short films, showcasing a diverse array of stories and styles that captivated the audience.

The program concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks by Yogesh Mishra, Dean of AAFT and Festival Director, acknowledging the efforts of all participants and supporters who made this milestone event possible.

[vicwjmc]

Day 2/3

Apologies for not updating yesterday. I was very tired.

Day 2

In the morning, we had a simulation that centered around the First Amendment. The scenario was that a teacher had admitted that she purposefully alters AP scores as she gets a pay bonus for passes. The student journalists made a report on it, the principal had it censored, and now the school board has to decide if the report should be censored or if it can be released with no censorship.

My character was an overworked school board member raising their four young kids by themself while their spouse is deployed.

When the final verdict was made (the paper was to be released uncensored and the principal and assistant principal were to be investigated), I turned around and saw the person playing the principal doing this.

We later went to Planet Word and had some fun there. Journalist Doni Holloway was the speaker there.

We later went to tour the memorials. I visited the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, among other veteran statues.

Day 3

Our first speaker of the day was Andrias White Murdaugh, an event planner and journalist. Her speech was very upbeat and put a lot of focus on the youth correspondents. After that was Kevin McCarthy (not the one you’re thinking of m), a film critic on Fox 5. His speech was also very good.

We later went to the National Press Club and saw Susan Goldberg, President and CEO of GBH, and Nicholas Johnston.

[awesomeforever]

A Pfizer board member who used to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lobbied Twitter to take action against a post accurately pointing out that natural immunity is superior to COVID-19 vaccination, according to an email released on Jan. 9. Dr. Scott Gottlieb wrote on Aug. 27, 2021, to Twitter executive Todd O’Boyle to request Twitter take action against a post from Dr. Brett Giroir, another former FDA commissioner. “This is the kind of stuff that’s corrosive. Here he draws a sweeping conclusion off a single retrospective study in Israel that hasn’t been peer reviewed. But this tweet will end up going viral and driving news coverage,” Gottlieb wrote. Giroir had written that it was clear natural immunity, or post-infection immunity, “is superior to vaccine immunity, by ALOT.” He said there was no scientific justification to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination if a person had natural immunity. “If no previous infection? Get vaccinated!” he also wrote. Giroir pointed to what was at the time a preprint study from Israeli researchers that found, after analyzing health records, that natural immunity provided better protection than vaccination. The study was later published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases following peer review. Researchers said the data “demonstrated that natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity.” BNT162b2 is the trade name for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which is the main shot used in Israel. Gottlieb’s email triggered messages on Jira, Twitter’s internal messaging system, according to journalist Alex Berenson, who was granted access to Twitter’s internal files by CEO Elon Musk. “Please see this report from the former FDA commissioner,” O’Boyle wrote. A Twitter analyst who reviewed the post determined it did not violate any misinformation rules but Twitter still put a tag on it, claiming to all users who viewed it that it was “misleading” and directing them to a link that would show “why health officials recommend a vaccine for most people.” The tag prevented people from replying to, sharing, or liking Giroir’s post. Gottlieb later defended his actions, saying he targeted posts that he thought included “false and inflammatory” information. Giroir said “my tweet was accurate then, and it remains so now” and that Twitter never responded to him. Gottlieb later messaged O’Boyle again, flagging a post from Justin Hart, a critic of lockdowns and a skeptic of COVID-19 vaccines, Berenson reported. Gottlieb took issue with Hart writing that “sticks and stones may break my bones but a viral pathogen with a child mortality rate of 0% has cost our children nearly three years of schooling.” COVID-19 poses little mortality risk to young, healthy people, studies and data show. Gottlieb did not detail why he wanted to censor Hart, but the objection came shortly before the U.S. government authorized and recommended Pfizer’s vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. O’Boyle sent the request to Twitter analysts, failing for a second time to disclose Gottlieb’s ties to Pfizer. The complaint did not trigger any action. “Our team of ragtag analysts, activists, moms and dads have been going after Scott since April 2020 when he repeatedly advocated for school closures and lockdowns. He doesn’t like people pushing back on the narrative,” Hart told The Epoch Times in a Twitter message. Twitter did not respond to requests for comment. Gottlieb also tried to get Berenson, a former New York Times reporter who now authors a Substack, banned from Twitter, a message released in 2022 showed. The message showed that Gottlieb forwarded a blog post from Berenson to a Twitter worker, writing that Berenson calling Dr. Anthony Fauci arrogant was an exa

mple of why Fauci, at the time the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, needed a security detail. Four days later, and a day after Gottlieb met with Twitter workers, Twitter banned Berenson for allegedly violating its rules on COVID-19 misinformation. Gottlieb defended his actions. “I’ve raised concerns around social media broadly,” Gottlieb said during an appearance on CNBC. “And I’ve done it around the threats that are being made on these platforms, and the inability of these platforms to police direct threats, physical threats about people, that’s my concerns around social media, and what’s going on in that ecosystem.” “I am very concerned with physical threats being made against people’s safety and the people who gin up those threats against individuals,” he also said. Berenson responded that he’d never threatened Fauci or Gottlieb and referred to Gottlieb’s comments. In the post that triggered Gottlieb’s email, Berenson criticized Fauci for saying that “attacks on me are attacks on science” and how he handled the U.S. pandemic response. Berenson was reinstated to Twitter in 2022 as part of a settlement of a lawsuit he brought against the company. Berenson obtained Gottlieb’s email about Fauci’s post during discovery. Before the settlement agreement, a judge had concluded that Berenson plausibly alleged Twitter failed to abide by a policy of five strikes before banning the journalist. Share this with everyone! source

[giftofshewbread]

Casting Truth to the Ground

 :: By Daymond Duck   Published on: April 15, 2023

When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming and the end of the age (Matt. 24:3), the first thing He said was, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matt. 24:4).

Deception is a major sign of the end of the age, and it will reach its peak during the Tribulation Period.

Jesus mentioned it four times in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:4, 5, 11, and 24).

It confirms a vision that Daniel had about a coming leader that would cast the truth to the ground (Dan. 8:12).

The angel Gabriel revealed that this coming leader (that turned out to be an evil man called Antiochus Epiphanes) would have many of the traits of a master deceiver that would rise at the time of the end (the Antichrist; Dan. 8:19).

I do not listen to a lot of news on TV, but it seems like when I do, someone is talking about misinformation, censorship, fake news, lying, or whatever.

It seems that we have been fed a lot of misinformation about Covid, the safety of Covid-19 vaccinations, false claims that Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine aren’t effective against Covid, claims that we have to switch to green energy and start eating bugs and worms or climate change will destroy the world, claims that there was no voter fraud in the 2020 election, the citizens that went to the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, are domestic terrorists, a man can be a woman, there are more than two genders, our borders are secure, we will soon own nothing and be happy, Israel is occupying Palestinian territory, the Two-State Solution will bring peace to the Middle East, and on and on, truth is cast to the ground and trampled on.

Social media is censoring people and posting misinformation like never before.

Most of the major media cannot be trusted.

Political disinformation (and spin) is rampant.

Companies and individuals are working on systems to monitor and control the validity of information, but who gets to decide what is true and what is untrue is a major problem.

I can tell you that what the angel Gabriel revealed to Daniel about the end of the age was so bad it caused him to faint and to be sick for several days (Dan. 8:27).

It is fair to say that the truth is being cast to the ground.

Here is more information that seems to indicate that the end of the age has arrived.

One, concerning corruption and deceit in the Democrat Party: the FBI, and Twitter, on Apr. 5, 2023, LifeSiteNews posted an article by Andreas Wailzer on the six most important revelations that have come from Elon Musk’s release of Twitter Files up to this time.

Democrats were requesting Twitter officials to censor conservatives on behalf of candidate Joe Biden, Twitter was censoring and shadow-banning some of them, and Twitter CEO Jack Dempsey lied to Congress about it.

The FBI seized Hunter Biden’s laptop; they knew that it was legitimate but told Twitter executives it was Russian propaganda, asked Twitter to suppress the story, Twitter suppressed the truth, and reported the FBI’s lies.

During the presidential campaign, Twitter executives were frequently meeting with officials in the FBI, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI); Twitter determined that Pres. Trump’s tweets did not incite violence at the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, Twitter had never before banned a politician or head of state for inciting violence, but Twitter changed its policy, banned Trump, and then permanently suspended Trump due to the risk of further incitement of violence.

The Biden administration and a Pfizer board member pressured Twitter to censor unfavorable information about Covid vaccinations, Twitter sometimes censored the truth, and Twitter sometimes posted misinformation.

The FBI influenced Twitter to censor many accounts that tweeted about voter fraud in the 2020 election, the FBI paid Twitter more than $3 million dollars for staff time to handle its requests between 2019-2021, and other government agencies (the DOJ, DHS, DNI, Pentagon, and CENTCOM) used Twitter to spread propaganda on other issues.

Most of the mainstream media is ignoring or downplaying what has happened, and Elon Musk is under attack for releasing it.

Here is a link to the article.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/analysis/here-are-all-the-bombshell-revelations-uncovered-by-the-twitter-files-so-far/?utm_source=daily-usa-2023-04-06&utm_medium=email

Two, during the Covid pandemic, several doctors and scientists reported that they found a toxic substance called Graphene Oxide in the Covid-19 vaccinations.

Manufacturers, health officials, and fact checkers rejected their reports.

On Apr. 9, 2023, it was reported that a U.S. Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) document released in Feb. 2023 by order of a U.S Federal Judge proves that “Pfizer, the FDA, and fact checkers lied when they said toxic Graphene Oxide was not in the Covid-19 vaccinations.”

If this report is true, and I do not doubt it, U.S. government health officials and others cast truth to the ground (a way of saying they lied to the American people and may be responsible for the death and injury of many).

Three, concerning deceit: on Aug. 26, 2021, Pres. Biden pulled America’s troops out of Afghanistan against the advice of his military leaders.

America’s troops abandoned about $80 billion of U.S. weapons, 13 U.S. servicemembers and approximately 170 Afghan citizens were killed by two suicide bombers, a U.S. drone mistakenly killed about 10 innocent Afghan civilians trying to flee in a vehicle, and many U.S. citizens and Afghan allies were left behind despite America’s promises to get them out.

The White House National Security Council has now prepared a report on what happened with the input of Pres. Biden and the Pentagon.

The report is being kept confidential, but a summary has been released of their findings, and on Apr. 6, 2023, White House spokesman John Kirby said Biden is proud of the pullout, he saw no chaos, and he blamed former Pres. Trump for what happened.

Because the truth is so well known, it is amazing that our leaders preferred to lie.

Four, concerning deceit and false accusers; on Mar. 27, 2023, a 28-year-old transgender activist killed three students and three adults at a private Christian school he/she once attended in Nashville, TN.

Even though transgender activists have been involved in several acts of violence in recent months, and even though there are transgender activist groups encouraging violence, many in the media chose to blame the shooting on guns, Christians, Republicans, and conservatives.

Because the truth that the transgender shooter probably had mental problems did not fit the narrative that some in the media like to portray, they cast the truth to the ground.

Dishonesty and false accusations in the media are setting the stage for persecution of people who become believers during the Tribulation Period.

(More: On Apr. 10, 2023, a disgruntled transgender shooter killed five people and wounded at least eight others at the Old Nashville Bank in downtown Louisville, Ky.)

(More: On Apr. 11, 2023, it was reported that Riley Gaines, a female swimmer who competed at the Univ. of Ky., was attacked and hit twice by a gender-confused man dressed as a woman at San Francisco Univ. for speaking out against biological men competing against biological women in sports. After the attack, Gaines was surrounded by a crowd of protestors shouting vulgarities, but the campus police moved in and took her to a safe place.)

(More: Some readers will remember that Loudoun County, VA, school board covered up two sexual assaults by a transgender student and attempted to have the father of one of the victims put in jail when he protested at a school board meeting.)

(FYI: If gays persist in ignoring God, He will give them over to a reprobate mind, and they will not be able to act in their own best interest; Rom. 1:28.)

Five, concerning corruption and deceit, at least 1,000 Trump supporters have been arrested for going to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to protest that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Many are still in jail.

Several members of a group called the Proud Boys that support Trump’s Make America Great Again agenda were arrested with the protestors.

On Apr. 6, 2023, government officials admitted that it had embedded eight confidential sources in the Proud Boys.

Roger Roots, an attorney for one of the Proud Boys, filed a document with the court saying a group called Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) appear to have had 19 active agents embedded with the protesters (Trump supporters).

Roots added that the Washington DC Metro Police (MPD) had 13 agents embedded with the protestors (Trump supporters), some marched with the Proud Boys, and federal prosecutors have revealed information on 12 of them.

According to Roots numbers, the various law enforcement agencies had at least 40 people embedded with the protestors (Trump supporters), and some can be seen and heard on body-worn videos instigating the protest.

If Roots’ charges are true, some of the embedded government law enforcement officials were instigating Trump supporters to protest, and then the Trump supporters were arrested and jailed (and the truth has been cast to the ground).

Six, on Apr. 11, 2023, it was reported that information obtained with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request found that the Biden administration and the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) instigated the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.

According to the senior counsellor for the agency that initiated the FOIA request, “The President and the Department of Justice unlawfully abused their power and then lied about it to the American people” (they instigated an illegal raid on the home of a political opponent and told the American people they were stunned when they found out the FBI did it).

Seven, concerning the decline of America and the rise of the New World Order: on Apr. 8, 2023, Russia announced that talks on ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine should include a discussion about creating the “New World Order.”

Russia claims she is leading a struggle against U.S. dominance worldwide, and her war in Ukraine is part of that fight.

(My opinion: Obviously, I could easily be wrong, but based on my understanding of Bible prophecy, I expect America to soon lose its position as leader of the free world, the UN Security Council to eventually be changed from 5 permanent members, and 10 temporary members to a New World Order with 10 regional leaders, kings, czars, or whatever. I do not know about timing, but I also expect Russia to be defeated in the Battle of Gog and Magog and the Antichrist to rise to power in the EU. If the New World Order is going to be established by 2030 or sooner, big changes are coming soon.)

Eight, concerning the decline of America: on Apr. 9, 2023, Emmanuel Macron, Pres. of France, was returning home from a trip to China, where he discussed ways to improve France’s relationship with China and efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

On his way home, Macron said, “Europe must reduce its dependence on the U.S.” and “reduce dependence on the dollar.”

His effort to improve France’s relationship with China appears to include casting off America’s dominance of the EU and the free world.

(My opinion: The current U.S. administration is trying to bring the Netanyahu government down, and what we are doing in Israel is coming back on us.)

Nine, on Apr. 10, 2023, it was reported that the U.S. is planning to send officials next month to some of our allies in Europe (Switzerland, Italy, and Germany) and Central Asia to threaten sanctions against them if they don’t start enforcing U.S. sanctions on Russia.

It is unclear how our allies will respond, but Iran believes they will eventually get tired of U.S. bullying.

Ten, concerning the tracking of all buying and selling: as I understand it (and there is more than anyone can keep up with), the U.S. Federal Reserve will introduce its FEDNow Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in July 2023 for transactions between banks.

The Fed must get the banks in the system before it gets individual citizens in the system.

Following a successful rollout with the banks, at some unknown point, the use of CBDCs will be expanded to transactions between U.S. citizens.

I cannot predict what will happen, but I have seen reports that citizens will be allowed to use both the present system (cash, checks, etc.) and CBDCs, but the present system (cash, checks, etc.) will eventually be phased out.

When the present system is phased out, the U.S. government will be able to track all buying and selling.

(Note: A digital currency to track all buying and selling in the U.S. is not the same as a one-world currency to track all buying and selling on earth, but it will be a major step in that direction. And I believe the Church will be Raptured before a one-world currency and the ability to track all buying and selling on earth comes into being. Those that are watching are seeing it beginning to come to pass, but Christians won’t be here when it is fully implemented all over the world.)

Eleven, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog: on Apr. 9, 2023, it was reported that Iran and its proxies and allies are launching multi-front attacks on Israel:

On Apr. 1, 2023, Iran flew a drone into Israeli airspace.

On Apr. 3, 2023, a drone from Gaza went into Israel.

On Apr. 5-7, rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.

On Apr. 6, 2023, 34 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel.

On Apr. 8-9, 2023, rockets were fired from Syria into Israel.

In addition to these attacks from outside Israel, there have been shootings, riots, and demonstrations inside Israel.

At some point, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and others are going to attack Israel on the Golan Heights and be defeated (the Battle of Gog and Magog; Ezek. 38-39).

(More: on Apr. 9, 2023, it was reported that the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said, “The elimination of Israel is on the horizon.”)

(More: On Apr. 9, 2023, it was reported that Pres. Erdogan of Turkey said, “The Muslim world must unite against Israel.” Perhaps he was being deceptive when he recently said he wants to improve Turkey’s relationship with Israel.)

(More: On Apr. 10, 2023, an Israeli expert on the Middle East published an op-ed in a Jerusalem newspaper saying that he believes Iran is planning a multi-front attack on Israel in the foreseeable future that will include all the forces at its disposal in Arab countries.)

(More: While writing this, I began to wonder if a weakened U.S. will refuse to help Israel, resulting in God getting the glory for the defeat of Israel’s enemies.)

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

[hardynwa]

NFVCB reveals why they can’t ban ‘Gangs of Lagos’ movie

Following the controversies that have trailed the movie, “Gangs of Lagos”, since it was released on Amazon Prime Video, the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, has explained why they cannot ban it. The Executive Director and CEO of the regulatory body, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, said the board can’t take any action against the movie for now. According to him, the NFVCB has no legal backing to regulate what is being exhibited on the online platform. Alhaji Thomas made this known in a telephone chat with Vanguard yesterday. He regretted that regulating online platform poses a lot of difficulties since it’s not part of the mandate of the Board. “Have you seen the movie in any cinema house or being exhibited in any open space? Our job does not cover regulating online platforms. “I don’t know why people are referring to the Censors Board to take action. We have a bill before the National Assembly seeking to empower the Board to regulate online platforms and any other platforms where movies are exhibited. “Online platform is difficult to regulate and it’s not part of our mandate,” Alhaji Thomas explained. His explanation became necessary as Lagos indigenes, on the platform of Isale Eko Descendants’ Union (IDU) recently petitioned the Censors Board over alleged defamation of their community and Eyo masquerade in the ‘Gangs of Lagos’ film. Lagos State Government, on its part, described the movie as a cultural misrepresentation as well as portraying the culture of the state in a derogatory manner. According to the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, the Ministry, being the regulatory body and custodian of the culture of Lagos State, viewed the film as a mockery of the heritage of Lagos. Co-produced by Kemi Lala Akindoju and Jade Osiberu, ‘Gangs of Lagos’ was released on Amazon Prime Video, an online platform on April 7. It featured the likes of Tobi Bakare, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Chike Osebuka, Chioma Chukwuka, Olarotimi Fakunle, Chioma Chukwuka, Bimbo Ademoye. Other stars of the hit movie are Iyabo Ojo, Zlatan, Debo “Mr Maraconi” Adedayo, Yhemolee, Pasuma, Toyin Abraham, Tayo Faniran, Damilola Ogunsi, Funke Williams, among others. Read the full article

[goldmynetv]

Why we can’t ban ‘Gangs of Lagos’ — NFVCB

Following the controversies that have trailed the movie, “Gangs of Lagos”, since it was released on Amazon Prime Video, the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, has explained why they cannot ban it. The Executive Director and CEO of the regulatory body, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, said the board can’t take any action against the movie for now. According to him, the NFVCB has no legal…

[sugarcult]

Okay, but to be more serious, this does actually make me pretty angry. Staff has to be fully aware of how hostile Tumblr Live is to their users because other countries can’t even see it in the first place - and obviously, someone at Tumblr has to make that possible and has to know that they can’t host it in non-US countries for privacy reasons. I think that’s pretty apparent, but it didn’t occur to me before. My thought process was mostly “Tumblr Live bad > how to turn off Tumblr Live > Jesus Christ, you can’t even turn it off permanently > Tumblr Live EXTRA bad and also staff sucks > What does this mean for the future updates staff will try to make?” It didn’t occur to me that a team of human beings are responsible for complying with data privacy and internet safety standards across the world and have to code the site/app accordingly. (Like, again, this is pretty obvious, but I would have been a lot angrier had I thought that far into it.)

HOWEVER -

The real kicker here is this: after rolling out the post about coming changes and Tumblr’s “core values,” I got a banner ad at the top of my dash advertising a way to give feedback! It linked to a brand new Official Tumblr side blog (I’m assuming) with only one post, reading something to the tune of: “Tumblr CEO Matt is answering your questions! Click here to access the Tumblr Live.” Which like, LOL. No thank you. It was pretty transparent - they make a super inflammatory post about the future of Tumblr, provide one platform that seems like it might actually work for us to be able to provide feedback and maybe get clarification or a vague “we will consider this and will update if we can make any changes” - and that platform is hosted on the single feature on this website that has been complained about the most by existing users!

I have been on Tumblr since the summer of 2012. I have seen Tumblr in a lot of states, some of them functional-ish but fun, some of them functional-ish but bad, some of them clearly broken but beloved, some of them actually good compared to other social media! Over the course of 2012-2017, not a lot of significant changes were made, and they all appeared to mostly be received well, until The Great Porn Ban of 2017. The changes that have been made from 2018-2023 have drawn increasing ire across the board. Tumblr’s user base is notoriously hostile to change, but that’s not because the users are old-man-yells-at-cloud about it. It’s because the nature of the changes staff have chosen to make are directly in conflict with the identity of Tumblr and its users.

The core userbase of Tumblr understands what makes Tumblr special compared to other sites:

a) anonymity

b) no algorithm (somewhat still true - not mandatory)

c) no overt advertisements (no longer true)

d) no censoring (no longer true)

e) emulating 2000s-early 2010s blogosphere rather than being in direct competition with social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (increasingly less true)

Look at that list. Of five major things that make Tumblr what it has always been, 2/5 are no longer true, 2/5 are under significant threat, and the only other 1/5 will be IMMEDIATELY taken from us upon using Tumblr Live. This is not hyperbole, and I am not being inflammatory. For any of you who have actually read the terms and conditions of Tumblr Live or done even basic research into the company hosting it, you know that it is a data privacy breach goldmine.

Requiring users to use Tumblr Live to give feedback to the CEO on the proposed changes does 3 things:

a) Uses emotionally-driven decision making to influence users to give up their rights to anonymity and data privacy

b) Skews feedback so that it is primarily coming from users who don’t care about data privacy OR the identity Tumblr has held for 15 years, who are overwhelmingly new users. This could also have the side effect of staff being able to present filtered, positive feedback to shareholders and advertisers - “look, 95% of the people who participated in our Tumblr Live were curious and excited about the coming changes! everyone loves it!”

c) Alienates users who don’t even have the product available in their country and prevents them from being able to effectively communicate feedback through the same avenues as US Americans

I knew a & b when I read the feedback with the CEO was only on Tumblr Live. Now that I know Tumblr Live isn’t even visible or suggested in many other countries, I know c is true, which is just insult to injury.

@staff , you are openly prioritizing feedback from people who both are in the US who can and will give you their personal data to sell to advertisers. You are telling your existing users/core userbase and all users in countries with data privacy protections that you do not care about their feedback. You are telling those people (at least 95% of your userbase, from the most recent metrics I’ve seen on people who use Tumblr Live!) that, because they can’t or won’t let you sell their data, you do not care if they like New Tumblr or if they stay on this site.

In your Core Values and Coming Changes post, you said the things that make Tumblr unique are creators and Tumblr’s vibrant communities. In that very post, you stated you wanted to make changes that will “help” those creators and communities, and attached that will to operating choices that will directly harm them! In addition, you are telling at least 95% of those users (who make Tumblr so unique!) that they are not important to your brand on your mission.

So which is it?

If Automattic wanted to a site that could compete with Twitter/Instagram/TikTok/Facebook, this is, at its very core, not that site. If Automattic wanted a site that could compete with the social media giants, they should have built their own site in the image they wanted it to be, instead of acquiring a decade-old platform that operates at a loss, has millions of users, and is decidedly not that.

When staff runs off the core userbase, several things will happen. Tumblr loses advertisement money due to loss of users. Tumblr ceases to provide the content it previously did, lessening sign-ups of new users. Tumblr stops bringing in a justifiable amount of money for Automattic to run it. Then, one of two things will happen: Automattic will sell Tumblr dirt cheap and as a shell of what it used to be, or Tumblr will shut down. Either way, if they don’t do a 180 on this pretty swiftly, none of us are going to get what we want: happy users on a profitable site they enjoy. And I say this is sincerely and without malice as I possibly can - if I was a Tumblr employee, I would start looking for another job.

I don’t know how many other americans are aware of this btw but I think you should know that europeans don’t have to snooze tumblr live, they can just turn it off permanently. it’s only legal for them to pull this bullshit here.

[beardedmrbean]

Subscription newsletter platform Substack poked fun at Twitter employees angry over Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk becoming the largest stakeholder in the social media company this week. Tuesday, Lulu Cheng Meservey, the Vice President of Communications at Substack, announced her company was hiring, but warned Twitter employees upset that there would be "less regulated speech" with Musk on the board not to apply for a job at Substack.

Cheng Meservey tweeted, "If you’re a Twitter employee who’s considering resigning because you’re worried about Elon Musk pushing for less regulated speech… please do not come work here."

Meservey was referring to the liberal backlash after the billionaire and free speech advocate bought a multi-billion dollar stake in Twitter.

Last month, Musk wondered if something needed to be done to combat the social media company's penchant for censorship.

In a March 26 tweet he asked, "Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?"

ELON MUSK PURCHASES STAKE IN TWITTER AFTER SLAMMING ITS APPROACH TO ‘FREE SPEECH’

Monday, it was announced that he bought a 9.2% stake in the company, becoming the largest stakeholder and joining its board of directors shortly after.

A Bloomberg op-ed ironically calling the move, "bad news for free speech," Tuesday while the hosts of ABC political talk show "The View" took a different approach and criticized Musk's electronic car company instead.

Likewise, Substack has come under fire from the left for its commitment to publishing voices outside the mainstream and independent journalists like Bari Weiss and Glenn Greenwald.

SUBSTACK DEFENDS FREE EXPRESSION AS CRITICS CALL FOR CENSORING VACCINE SKEPTICS

In January, the company was attacked by the left over accusations it had published "anti-vaccine" authors' newsletters.

[momoliee]

WHY YOU SHOULD READ MO DU/SILENT READING :

Did I spend the last 10 days holed up in a corner greedily drinking this novel in one go cause I just couldn’t get enough? Yes. Am I gonna make it everyone’s problems and drag everyone into reading it too? Also absolutely yes.

To start off, this novel is a mystery/thriller/crime/psychological horror/action modern BL novel. It has some EXCELLENT psychological analysis, criminal profilings, and very very intense cases and crimes as well as certain philosophies that will make you question society as a whole and be unable to distinguish between good and bad, justice and tragedy.

Like baby, we talking yellow ‘keep out’ tapes, white investigation boards filled with suspects, car chases, bombs, explosions, gun fights, hostages, MURDER, time limits, adrenaline, INTERROGATION ROOMS, a lot of psychological horror, absolutely no censoring, and just crime crime crime crime.

Each case has its own little twist, each case is horrifying and terrifying and creative and interesting and engaging and my god are the interrogation room scenes some of the BEST and MOST INTENSE that I’ve ever read with a whole ass battle of wits and don’t even get me STARTED on gathering evidence and rounding up suspects and being put in mortal danger—

We got Fei Du, genius psychologist, rich CEO, low key sociopathic, with some high key fucked up trauma, and some A+ flirting skills that WILL make you blush

Then we have Lou Wenzhou, captain of the violent crimes team in the city bureau, he’s hot he’s charming he’s fast he’s strong he’s quick he’s sharp he’s baby he’s HUSBAND. The only one who can handle Fei DU’s flirting by flirting back even HARDER and trapping his ass

Their relationship follows the enemies-rivals to reluctant allies with subtle sexual undertones to friends with not so subtle sexual tension to lovers and I swear, it’s one of the HOTTEST slowest most torturing and addicting romance that I’ve read in a while

Nevertheless, the novel focuses on the incredibly woven and brilliantly spun plot. Imagine you’re still 16 watching some crime show and the detective pulls out the white board with all the pictures and red lines on it. That’s the plot. Everything adds up, everything connects, no loose endings. The action will fuck you up and leave you on the edge of your seat. One scene your characters will be lazily mocking each other for checking in late, the next they’re engaged in a life or death car chase against a hoard of criminals while they fight to reach the small piece of evidence before it slips through their fingers. Priest will confuse you, she’ll make you suspect everyone, she’ll spin you around in circles before laying it all out loud and clear. And I loved every moment of it.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: psychological horror, crime, blood, explicit gore, explicit torture, psychological torture, sexual assault, rape, pedophilia, child rape, animal abuse, trauma, ptsd, suicide, self harm, depression, child abuse, explicit abuse, minors doing things minors shouldn’t do, drugs, addiction, substance abuse, human trafficking, forced prostitution, gaslighting, manipulation, arson, bullying, classicism, rehab, electric chair