This document is part of an archive of postings on Tongue Tied, a blog hosted by Blogspot who are in turn owned by Google. The index to the archive is available here or here. Indexes to my other blogs can be located here or here. Archives do accompany my original postings but, given the animus towards conservative writing on Google and other internet institutions, their permanence is uncertain. These alternative archives help ensure a more permanent record of what I have written.

This is a backup copy of the original blog



"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press" -- 1st amendment




July 31, 2022

Twitter Censors All Content From The Epoch Times




Twitter on July 28 imposed a blockade on all content from The Epoch Times without explanation, raising further concerns about freedom of speech on the platform and drawing ire from three U.S. senators.

The platform enforced a warning on all links from The Epoch Times. A click on a link directs users to a page titled “Warning: this link may be unsafe,” which prompts users to return to the previous page.

“The link you are trying to access has been identified by Twitter or our partners as being potentially spammy or unsafe,” the warning stated, citing Twitter’s URL policy.

The notice said that the link could fall into any of four categories: “malicious links that could steal personal information or harm electronic devices”; “spammy links that mislead people or disrupt their experience”; “violent or misleading content that could lead to real-world harm”; or content that “if posted directly on Twitter, are a violation of the Twitter Rules.”

Twitter’s warning page allows users to proceed to the Epoch Times link if they click on the word “continue” at the very bottom of the page.

The platform has not responded to multiple requests from The Epoch Times for clarification.

“Twitter is blocking all links to @EpochTimes, including a story about a human trafficking survivor, and labeling them as ‘spammy’ and ‘unsafe.’ Twitter must explain itself for this outrageous act of censorship,” Rubio wrote in a July 29 tweet.

Johnson described Twitter’s action as “alarming.”

“Twitter is censoring @EpochTimes under the guise of ‘unsafe’ speech. Remember what happened the last time corporate media and big tech tried to censor my investigation on Hunter Biden corruption?” he wrote. “The truth always prevails.”

Scott asked Twitter in a July 29 tweet “where’s the respect for free speech and freedom of press, Twitter.”

“We all remember your biased censorship of [The New York Post] and how that ended for you,” Scott said.

Among the first to be affected by Twitter’s blockade was Eliza Bleu, a human trafficking survivor. In an interview that premiered at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Bleu shared about how abusers groomed her by preying on her vulnerabilities.

Bleu tried to repost the link after watching the interview, and to her surprise and dismay, found that she “couldn’t even click on the link.”

“I’m pretty disheartened that the interview link was labeled as unsafe, because it’s not unsafe,” she told The Epoch Times.

“By watching the interview, anyone can tell it’s pretty educational,” she said. “I wasn’t talking about anything that wasn’t factual. I was just really just trying to educate, raise awareness, and bring attention to the issue.”

She added that the link seemed to be accessible when the interview first aired but became blocked sometime afterward.

Twitter Targets American Media, Not Chinese State Media

The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 by Chinese Americans who fled communist China and sought to create an independent media outlet to bring uncensored and truthful information to the world.

At least 10 staff members for The Epoch Times were arrested that year in China, with one editor-in-chief spending a decade in prison.

While operating outside of China, the media outlet has remained a consistent target of attacks from the Chinese regime over the past two decades.

The printing press of the Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times has suffered a series of violent break-ins, including arson, over the years, viewed as attempts by Beijing to intimidate the publication. In an official statement last year, President Joe Biden’s State Department condemnded an attack on an Epoch Times reporter in Hong Kong.

Major Chinese state media, by contrast, remain accessible on the platform as of press time.

Jeffrey Tucker, founder of the Brownstone Institute think tank and a contributor for The Epoch Times, also expressed his shock.

“The @EpochTimes, the entire media complex, has been declared by Twitter to be unsafe. This stuns me, even though I thought I was beyond shock at this point,” he wrote.

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Friday, July 29, 2022

Recession another victim of Democrats’ rewriting of the English language


When is a recession not a recession? When a Democrat is in the White House, apparently.

The traditional rule of thumb for when an economy is in a recession is a decline in gross domestic product for two consecutive quarters — a shrinking economy for half a year. Under previous presidents, that was not a controversial definition. In 2008, Joe Biden’s National Economic Council director, Brian Deese, wrote, “Economists have a technical definition of recession, which is two consecutive quarters of negative growth.”

But here’s Deese Wednesday: “Two negative quarters of GDP growth is not the technical definition of recession.” He’s not the only one. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Sunday: “we are not in a recession now” even if GDP declines for a second straight quarter. “That’s not the technical definition.”

You can guess the reason for the spin: When the second-quarter GDP number came out Thursday — surprise! — it was negative for the second straight quarter. Just don’t say the R-word. President Biden’s response: “That doesn’t sound like recession to me.” It’s like a three-card-monte dealer looking you in the eye and saying, “That’s not the queen.”

Two fig-leaf excuses are offered for this rigamarole. One is that unemployment is falling — but with inflation around 9%, the stock market down about 10% this year, the labor force shrinking and business output restricted by the millions of unfilled jobs, the fact that people are working harder while their dollars aren’t going as far is not much to crow about.

Yellen also argues it’s not a recession until the National Bureau of Economic Research says it is. But the NBER does historical statistics, so it often takes a year for it to declare a recession. Talk about trying to run out the clock.

https://nypost.com/2022/07/28/recession-another-victim-of-democrats-rewriting-of-the-english-language/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Thursday, July 28, 2022

17 Attorneys General Warn Google About Censoring Pregnancy Crisis Centers


A coalition of 17 attorneys general is threatening Google with an anti-trust investigation if it censors pregnancy crisis centers from search results related to abortion.

Pregnancy crisis centers are different from abortion centers in that they provide resources for women who choose to carry their babies to full term.

The attorneys general of Virginia and Kentucky, Jason Miyares and Daniel Cameron, respectively, are leading the group, which sent a letter to Google on July 21.

In the letter, the group asks whether the tech giant has taken any steps to treat crisis pregnancy centers differently in search results since Roe v Wade was overturned.

Google, Miyares, and Cameron did not respond to requests for comment. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said he joined the effort because he did not want to see Google succumb to political pressure.

The AGs’ joint correspondence was in response to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Congresswoman Elissa Slotnick’s (D-Mich.) June 17th letter asking what steps Google CEO Sundar Pichai will take to limit the appearance of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers in Google search results when users search for “abortion clinics” or “abortion pills.”

“Google should not be displaying anti-abortion fake clinics or crisis pregnancy centers in search results for users that are searching for an abortion clinic or abortion pill,” Warner and Slotnik wrote. “If Google must continue showing these misleading search results and in Google Maps, the results should at the very least be appropriately labeled.”

An additional 12 Senators and nine members of Congress, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), signed the letter.

“Senator Warner believes that users who search for “abortion services” should receive results that are relevant to their searches,” said Valeria Rivadeneira, a Warner spokesperson. “Crisis pregnancy centers—which routinely misinform and mislead clients about their reproductive health—make every effort to appear in these search results in order to deceive individuals into thinking they offer a full range of reproductive health services.”

Rivadeneira added that Warner has not yet received a response to his June 17th communication to Google and that Google should apply appropriate labels to all organic search and map results.

Curtis Hill, former Attorney General of Indiana, said the cadre of Democratic politicians want Google to act as an arm of the government in suppressing information.

“It’s a typical sidestep that some government officials try to create, and we’ve seen it in other areas,” he said. “So, it’s highly appropriate for the state’s attorneys general to call it for what it is…possible antitrust violations for which they would face sanctions.”

Because Google operates in all their states, the company falls under the jurisdiction of each AG’s consumer advocacy responsibilities.

“They have the right to investigate companies that are operating within their state on information that consumers are being duped or otherwise are having difficulty being treated fairly,” Hill told The Epoch Times.

He commended his former colleagues for demanding to know whether Google intends to comply with the request made by members of the Senate and Congress.

“I’d want to know if the algorithms had been changed by a particular date and if any differences or distinctions seem to be in compliance with the request that was made,” Hill added. “It’s been suggested that some of the searches be limited. So, I would want to see the searches.”

Pregnancy crisis centers like the Crisis Pregnancy Support Center (CPSC) in Texas City, Texas, don’t just rely on Google for clients.

Instead, it’s word of mouth that brings pregnant women to their doorstep, according to Christy Anne Collins, CPSC executive director.

“Most of our referrals come from people in the community who are involved in social service type of work and know the services we offer,” she said. “We’re not competing with the abortion listings, and we don’t want to.”

Collins thinks it’s appropriate that Texas AG Ken Paxton is among the Generals who signed the letter.

“Google or anybody else shouldn’t be stifling free speech, not on this issue or any other issue,” she said.

Serving up to 170 individuals per month ranging in age from 9 to 52 years old, CPSC has been in existence since 1992.

“If somebody is interested in alternative information or they are interested in crisis pregnancy centers, we shouldn’t be blocked out,” Collins told The Epoch Times. “I’m very concerned that that kind of thing could happen very easily.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/17-attorneys-general-warn-google-about-censoring-pregnancy-crisis-centers_4619340.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Wednesday, July 27, 2022

British council slams 'woke nonsense' bid to replace chairman with gender neutral 'presiding person'


A council has voted to keep using the term 'chairman' after plans to replace the title with a 'gender neutral' alternative were branded 'woke nonsense' by local councillors - including several women.  

The Conservative-run South Kesteven District Council, in South Lincolnshire, had introduced a proposal to change its constitution that would have seen 'chairman' replaced with 'presiding person.'

But critics said the move amounted to 'policing language', arguing that the current title projected authority, according to the Local Democracy reporting service.

Labour and Independent members, meanwhile, said changing the name would 'promote equality' by ensuring the default title was no longer masculine.

Conservative councillor Helen Crawford, blasted the plans, saying: 'I don't like 'presiding person'. It sounds like I should be a judge with a handkerchief on my head.'

Tory councillor Ben Green branded them 'woke nonsense', adding: 'We should spend half as long talking about the future as we do policing language.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11049579/Council-slams-woke-nonsense-bid-replace-chairman-gender-neutral-presiding-person.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Twitter says calling trans and non-binary people ‘groomer’ is hate speech


Twitter has said that it has banned the use of the word “groomer” when directed at trans and non-binary people as an anti-LGBTQ+ slur.

The use of the word “groomer” as an anti-LGBTQ+ slur, conflating queer identities with paedophilia, has been rapidly increasing in recent months.

This week, Twitter confirmed to Daily Dot in a statement that describing trans or non-binary people as “groomers” was now against its hate speech policy.

“We are committed to combating abuse motivated by hatred, prejudice, or intolerance, particularly abuse that seeks to silence the voices of those who have been historically marginalized,” Twitter’s health product communications lead Lauren Alexander said.

“For this reason, we prohibit behavior that targets individuals or groups with abuse based on their perceived membership in a protected category.

“Use of this term is prohibited under our Hateful Conduct policy when it is used as a descriptor, in context of discussion of gender identity.”

However, enforcement of the rule has been patchy, with the word being used in many different contexts.

Alexander added: “We recognize we have more work to do to ensure this content is addressed in a timely and consistent manner and we continue to invest in our automated tools and people teams to identify and address gaps in our enforcement.”

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/07/22/groomer-twitter-hate-speech-slur/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Monday, July 25, 2022

The Left does not think the First Amendment applies to the Right: Rep Jim Jordan


Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, revealed the Left's double standard on free speech Saturday on "Unfiltered with Dan Bongino."

REP. JIM JORDAN: They don't think that the First Amendment rights apply to you and [me]. Think about what they've said about your free speech rights. The Left today says if you don't agree with them, you're not even allowed to talk — and if you try, we're going to call you racist, and we're going to try to cancel you.

And now we have the Left giving a wink and a nod to people actually trying to use violence and intimidation tactics against people they disagree with. So that's what frightens me — their attack on your First Amendment rights, your Second Amendment rights, your Fourth Amendment due process rights. And now [there's] this almost this double standard that they have when it comes to violence that they see from people [who] agree with their political position.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/left-think-first-amendment-applies-right-rep-jim-jordan

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Sunday, July 24, 2022

Definition of 'Female' Gets Woke Update as American Dictionary Bows to the Left


Leftists have been attempting to redefine the terms “male” and “female” for years now, but in a troubling development, Merriam-Webster is now following suit.

As noted by Not the Bee, the definition of the word “female” in the online version of the venerable dictionary has been changed to include “having a gender identity that is the opposite of male.”

The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, whose recent documentary “What Is a Woman?” addressed this very topic, noted the change on Twitter.

“It was bound to happen,” Walsh wrote Tuesday. “Merriam-Webster has changed its dictionary definition of ‘female’ to appease the trans activists.”

The first definition remained as traditionally understood. It described female as “of, relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs.”

However, the new definition appeared as the second entry.

Even though these two definitions are inherently different from one another, Merriam-Webster added the second one in an apparent attempt to please leftist transgender activists.

A similar change was also made to the definition of “male,” which now says ” having a gender identity that is the opposite of female.”

As of Thursday, Merriam-Webster still defined “woman” as “an adult female person.” However, if the definition of “female” is now subject to the whims of gender politics, it seems likely that “woman” will get a new definition, too.

In fact, the word “girl” has received a new secondary definition: “a person whose gender identity is female.”

https://thefederalistpapers.org/us/definition-female-gets-woke-update-american-dictionary-bows-left

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Friday, July 22, 2022

Attack on satire site


<i>An email from Seth Dillon of the  Babylon Bee:</i>

We knew it was just a matter of time before another woke company canceled us... but we didn't see this one coming.

A few weeks ago, we received an unexpected email from Front, the company that manages all inbound and outbound email for the team here at the Babylon Bee, informing us that they had terminated our account, effective immediately.

Sure enough, moments later, we were unable to send or receive email.

For weeks afterwards, our team scrambled. We’re a company spread across multiple cities, so email is essential to our operation. Needless to say, this one hurt. Front decided to drop the bomb on us in whatever way would disrupt us the most, and they succeeded.

But why would they do such a thing?

By now, I'm sure you have a good guess.

It probably comes as no surprise that Front is run by a group of woke, left-wing tech elitists. Just like Twitter, Facebook, The New York Times, Snopes, and the many other companies that have attacked us, they simply can’t abide satire that dares to mock their left-wing orthodoxy.

So they orchestrated their attack to do the most damage they possibly could.

<i>editor@alerts.usconservativenetwork.com </i>

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Thursday, July 21, 2022

Society of Authors and HarperCollins welcome new court powers to protect freedom of speech


The Society of Authors and HarperCollins have welcomed justice secretary Dominic Raab’s announcement that courts will be given powers to dismiss legal actions threatening freedom of speech.

The move comes after a sharp rise in the number of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAAPs) over the past few years, seeing writers and journalists including Catherine Belton and Tom Burgis being targeted by wealthy individuals and organisations with claims of defamation in attempts to silence their work.  

Raab set out a package of measures that take aim at SLAPPs, including a new mechanism to allow courts to throw out baseless claims quicker and put a cap on costs to prevent the mega-rich from using expensive litigation as a weapon to silence their critics.

He said: “We won’t let those bankrolling Putin exploit the UK’s legal jurisdiction to muzzle their critics. So today, I’m announcing reforms to uphold freedom of speech, end the abuse of our justice system, and defend those who bravely shine a light on corruption.”

Commenting on the announcement, SoA chief executive Nicola Solomon said: “These new powers will become a crucial tool for courts in ensuring that freedom of speech cannot be so easily overridden simply because an individual or organisation has money. The rise in these cases is an abuse of our legal systems and has already stifled articles and books that are clearly in the public interest. It is essential now that the government expedites these reforms. We also call on publishers to cover authors on their insurance policies as a matter of course and to limit indemnity clauses to proven claims only, accepting responsibility for defending defamation claims.”

Earlier this year, the High Court dismissed a libel claim against Burgis and HarperCollins, brought by Kazakh-based mining giant Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), over allegations made in the 2020 book Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World (William Collins). HarperCollins also had to defend Catherine Belton’s book Putin’s People (William Collins) against various lawsuits from Russian state-controlled oil giant Rosneft and three Russian billionaires, including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.

Arabella Pike, publishing director at William Collins, said of the government announcement: "We were proud to defend the work of writers Catherine Belton and Tom Burgis against unprecedented legal attacks. We are therefore pleased that the Ministry Of Justice has recognised the chilling effects SLAPPs have on freedom of expression and welcome the changes proposed. These changes represent an important first step forward for publishers and authors to secure adequate means to challenge those who seek to use the legal system to suppress books and writing on matters of public interest. We will continue to work with the Publishers Association and others to ensure that the proposed reforms will work in practice and will provide the changes needed."

Under the reforms, a court will apply a new three-part test to determine whether a case should be thrown out immediately or allowed to progress.

First, it will assess if the case is against activity in the public interest – for example investigating financial misconduct by a company or individual. Then, it will examine if there’s evidence of abuse of process, such as whether the claimant has sent a barrage of highly aggressive letters on a trivial matter. Finally, it will review whether the case has sufficient merit – specifically if it has a realistic prospect of success.

Anyone subject to a suspected SLAPPs case will be able to apply to the court to have it considered for early dismissal. Ministers will also introduce a new costs protection scheme to level the playing field between wealthy claimants with deep pockets and defendants.  

The government said the move “seeks to shield those fighting lawsuits from crippling costs and enable meritless cases to be properly defended”. It will consult the Civil Procedure Rules Committee as necessary and set out the design of the scheme and the precise level of cost caps in due course.

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/society-of-authors-welcomes-new-court-powers-to-protect-freedom-of-speech

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Leaked document reports extensive censorship tactics used by Instagram-style app in China


A leaked document has claimed to show a deep network of censorship used to police content on a massive social media platform in China.

Content moderators for Xiaohongshu, an Instagram-like app that claims to have 200 million members, have reportedly identified 564 new offensive nicknames and sensitive terms relating to President Xi Jinping and have pre-emptively dashed them from the platform.

According to a report from the China Digital Times, per VICE, moderators have been trawling the internet for anti-Communist Party memes, in an effort to identify anything even remotely translating to criticism of the Chinese leader to develop strategies to stop sensitive content in its tracks.

Names like “Adolf Xitler”, “Winnie the Pooh”, “Mr Sh*t Pit” and random phrases like “personally commanding the epidemic” and “the general secretary is coming to my house” were part of the extensive ban list.

There is also comprehensive list of banned songs, movies and artworks relating to the Tiananmen Square Massacre (now referred to in China as June 4th).

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/leaked-document-reports-extensive-censorship-tactics-used-by-instagramstyle-app-in-china/news-story/83db9a005cf41357ec35ebf04344dc9d

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Glassdoor ordered to reveal identity of negative reviewers


A California court has ordered employer-rating site Glassdoor to hand over the identities of users who claimed they had negative experiences working for New Zealand toy giant Zuru.

In a decision that could prompt unease for online platforms that rely on anonymity to attract candid reviews, Glassdoor was ordered to provide the information so Zuru could undertake defamation proceedings against the reviewers in New Zealand.

Glassdoor is an international website where people post anonymous reviews of their current or former employers. Zuru is an international toy manufacturer that was founded in New Zealand and now has a billion-dollar turnover.

After an anonymous person or people wrote reviews alleging that Zuru was a “toxic” workplace, the company began pursuing a defamation suit against them – but first had to find out their identities.

California district court judge Alex Tse wrote in his decision that the reviews refer to Zuru as a “[b]urn out factory” with a “toxic culture,” where an “incompetent” management team “consistently talk[s] down” to employees and treats them like “dirt”.

The judge wrote that the reviews make Zuru “sound like a horrible place to work”.

Zuru says these and similar statements in the reviews are false and have cost them financially.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/glassdoor-ordered-to-reveal-identity-of-negative-reviewers-to-new-zealand-toymaker/ar-AAZJ9p1?ocid=BingHPCNews&pc=COS2&cvid=9796d226349c4021d5dea17a5f13bef6

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Monday, July 18, 2022

Major Australian retailer Gerry Harvey explains why there is now little for him to gain by doing interviews




Sunday, July 17, 2022

We are the silenced mothers


It’s been a little while now, but I will never be able to forget that day. In less than 24 hours I had found out I was pregnant and now being driven to an abortion clinic. I was tossing around the options in my head, not sure what I wanted. At the abortion clinic I told the doctors and the counsellor that I wasn’t sure about my decision. The answer I got from the counsellor was “Would you rather lose your future and your family and have this baby?”.

I was lost. My heart was telling me one thing, but my mind was telling me something else.

At the abortion clinic they did an ultrasound to see how far along I was. It wasn’t until I saw that ultrasound that I realised the beautiful being that was growing inside of me. I was mesmerised by the picture of my baby on the screen and broke down in tears.

At that moment I hesitated. I was scared to go through with this, but I knew my boyfriend didn’t want the baby. Upon seeing my hesitation, the doctor asked me to take ten minutes to think about my decision. Ten minutes! Ten minutes to choose whether I wanted to change my life. Ten minutes to choose whether I wanted to raise a child. Ten minutes to choose my baby’s fate.

During those ten minutes my boyfriend convinced me to go ahead with it.

Ten minutes. That’s all I was given.

No one told me those ten minutes would plunge me into a deep depression. To dramatic hormonal changes to my body. To painful periods that felt like childbirth. To fighting off thoughts of ending my own life.

The thought crossed my mind that if I ran away and waited then I couldn’t be pressured anymore by my partner. Imagine if abortion was legal right up until birth – that would have given him nine whole months to pressure me.

After the procedure was over, the nightmare didn’t end. The clinic staff didn’t care about me. Once it was done they made me get up and walk out of the operating room. They didn’t even offer me a wheelchair and I was still affected by the anaesthetic. I was vomiting and no one batted an eye. I was in pain and no one cared. When I started crying the nurse told me to stop.  

My heart mourns what I could have had. If I could go back in time I would not have allowed anyone to pressure me. I would have left the abortion clinic, that cold heartless place, and gone home to my parents to tell them the good news.

I am a woman and I have my rights, but that baby had his or her rights too. He or she wasn’t part of my body. It was a person growing to take its own journey.

There are many women out there who regret their decision to have an abortion, but they are silenced like me. We are the silenced mothers.

https://lifechoice.org.au/i-regret-my-abortion-i-am-the-silenced-mother/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Friday, July 15, 2022

LinkedIn Bans Scientist for Presenting Inconvenient Truths About CO2


The big-tech censors are at it again: the CO2 Coalition’s Executive Director Gregory Wrightstone has been permanently banned from LinkedIn. What did Wrightstone do to earn the banishment? His “crime” consisted of posting charts from peer reviewed research supported by official sources demonstrating that current global average CO2 levels are well within the natural range of concentrations throughout the Earth’s history.

LinkedIn’s moderators sent Wrightstone an email informing him that his violations have been so numerous and/or so severe that they couldn’t allow him to continue to use the platform. A screenshot of the email and ban inducing charts have been provided by Wrightstone and are shown below.

Not only that, but according to Wrightstone’s Twitter account, the censors at Facebook also rejected a Facebook ad linking to the CO2 Coalition’s statement on Wrightstone’s LinkedIn ban. This suggests Facebook is acting in coordination with the “professional networking” social media site LinkedIn to silence Wrightstone and the CO2 Coalition.

This isn’t the first time Wrightstone has been banned from LinkedIn. When Climate Realism reached out for comment, he said that around August of 2021, he noticed that his posts were being repeatedly removed by LinkedIn staff. Then in October, he received his first ban after years of posting climate information on the site. Wrightstone reports that he regularly got tens of thousands of views on his LinkedIn posts discussing climate science prior to the ban. The site’s reasoning for kicking him out was that his information is “false and misleading,” and that “this type of content is not allowed.” He only recently had his account reinstated before it was banned again.

https://climaterealism.com/2022/07/linkedin-bans-scientist-for-presenting-inconvenient-truths-about-co2/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Thursday, July 14, 2022

Judge stops Idaho university from punishing Christian students for opposing gay marriage


A judge issued a temporary block to a university policy that censored three Christian students who had expressed opposition to same-sex marriage on religious grounds.

Students Peter Perlot, Mark Miller and Ryan Alexander sued the University of Idaho over a policy in which they were barred from talking with a student about their views on same-sex marriage.

The three belong to the University of Idaho chapter of the Christian Legal Society, which holds traditional views on the definition of marriage and sexual ethics.

In an order released last week, Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye issued a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the university’s policies against the plaintiffs.

Nye noted that university officials targeted the plaintiffs over their specific religious views, namely their opposition to same-sex marriage.

“Defendants’ orders targeted the viewpoint of Plaintiffs’ speech. Both students and professors expressed opposing viewpoints to the views expressed by Plaintiffs without any type of intervention, let alone punishment,” wrote Nye.

“The disparity in Defendants’ approach is what bothers the Court most about this case and leans towards a finding that Defendants’ actions were designed to repress specific speech.”

https://www.christianpost.com/news/judge-stops-idaho-university-from-punishing-christian-students.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Aussie human rights activist quickly silenced at Wimbledon


Australian human rights activist Drew Pavlou has claimed he was “treated like a terrorist” while being ejected from the men’s Wimbledon final for staging a protest against the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr Pavlou, a renowned 22-year-old anti-communist activist who ran for the Senate under his Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance Party, staged the protest over the whereabouts and wellbeing of Chinese women’s tennis player Peng Shuai.

The highly anticipated decider between Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic on Sunday was interrupted during the third set when Mr Pavlou held up a “Where is Peng Shuai?” sign before shouting the phrase.

Played stopped as Kyrgios, Djokovic, officials and the Centre Court crowd looked on for the source of the commotion.

Mr Pavlou alleged that his head was smashed against a wall and his arms were twisted by security while he was being removed.

“Wimbledon security crash tackled me over a row of seats for trying to silently hold up a #WhereIsPengShuai sign. Security guard in the floral blue shirt then pushed me head first down the stairs and smashed my head into a wall while twisting my arms behind my back,” he wrote on Twitter.

“As he smashed me against the wall he said ‘the police are coming to arrest you now’. Team of security treated me like a terrorist, kept my arms twisted really painfully behind my back as they expelled me from the stadium, all while saying they were sympathetic to my cause.”

Wimbledon officials have rejected Mr Pavlou’s claim that excessive force was used.

“A spectator was removed from Centre Court after disrupting play by shouting, running down the stairs and causing a nuisance to their fellow spectators. The individual was removed by security colleagues and escorted off the grounds,” an All England Club spokesman said.

When BBC sports reporter Laura Scott said she was told that the reports of excessive force were “inaccurate”, Mr Pavlou alleged Wimbledon officials were lying to her.

Mr Pavlou revealed he snuck the sign into the stadium by hiding it in his boot. He also said he did not mean to interrupt the match and only shouted so his message was heard on the broadcast.

“I’m sorry that I disrupted the match for 30 seconds, I tried to pick a break in between games to silently hold up my Where Is Peng Shuai sign but security immediately crash tackled me which is why I shouted out so people would hear Peng Shuai’s name on the broadcast,” he tweeted.

“I didn’t want to disrupt the match, I just held up the sign and security started attacking me, it was only at that point I shouted out Where Is Peng Shuai because I wanted to get the message out, sorry Nick Kyrgios I love you man hope you win the match.”

Kyrgios said post-match he “didn't get distracted at all” by the incident after losing to Djokovic in four sets.

He also did not speak on the nature, reason or source behind the interruption. “I didn’t hear or see anything. I just saw a couple of people on each other and they got taken out,” Kyrgios said after being asked by a reporter to describe what happened.  “But I like that you were trying to bait me, I like that. Good try.”

Mr Pavlou thanked Kyrgios for “backing our right to protest”.

There has been global concern for Peng after she alleged late last year that former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her.

The three-time Olympian’s social media post was taken down and she disappeared from public life before making a limited number of appearances this year.

Mr Pavlou and other anti-CCP activists made appearances at Wimbledon throughout the week asking where she is.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/aussie-human-rights-activist-drew-pavlou-removed-from-wimbledon-over-peng-shuai-protest/news-story/33563746c1213306e5ac875679fdb6b7

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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He said opinions had become dangerous. “It doesn’t matter what you say – you get attacked,” Harvey said on What Makes You Tick. “Social media is just extraordinarily spiteful, and nasty.

“It’s at such a stage now … why am I doing this interview with you? Have I got an opinion on anything? Probably not, any more. What’s the point? Just shut up.”

Harvey has certainly been a lightning rod for online outrage at times with his opinions in recent years, which has led some activist groups to target his business, customers and advertisers.

He said the “system was silencing” people and their ideas.  “I can get up there and say something … somebody doesn’t like it, I lose all my customers, why would I do that?” Harvey said.

https://www.3aw.com.au/gerry-harvey-explains-why-there-is-now-little-for-him-to-gain-by-doing-interviews/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Tuesday, July 12, 2022

YouTube removes internet’s favourite background music over bogus copyright claim


The internet’s favourite music livestream, which provided more than two years of “lo-fi” background music for hundreds of millions of people studying or working late into the night, was removed by YouTube on Sunday night after a Malaysian music label lodged a fake copyright dispute.

Two live videos, “beats to relax/study to” and “beats to sleep/chill to”, featured 24/7 streams of low-fidelity, instrumental hip-hop music, and gained close to 800 million listeners since the channel Lofi Girl began streaming the videos February 2020, although earlier iterations had been posted since 2015.

Lofi Girl, founded by a French creator known only as Dimitri, owns the rights to all the music it plays via its music label, Lofi Records. But YouTube removed both streams from its platform after it received a takedown notice from FMC Music, which claimed the livestream featured one of its tracks. YouTube removed the video and threatened to disable the Lofi Girl channel if it was found to breach copyright again.

After a social media backlash, YouTube, which automatically accepts copyright claims without verifying them, investigated FMC Music and found it was “abusive” in its use of the copyright claim system, and terminated the account.

Unlike regular, highly produced music, low-fidelity music, or lo-fi, embraces imperfections that might otherwise be seen as flaws. With a mostly lyric-free grainy sound mixing jazz, hip-hop and soul, the purposely imperfect beats have come to occupy a unique space in internet culture. With more than one billion views on the Lofi Girl channel alone, students the world over have used the genre to help focus over the last decade.

There’s a science to it, too: lo-fi music is believed to positively affect listeners’ moods, which in turn helps boost productivity.

The stream’s cover image features an animated woman known as Jade. She has become an internet icon, with the Studio Ghibli-esque character being referenced in popular culture multiple times.

The Lofi Girl account said it was “shocked and disappointed to see that there’s still not any kind of protection or manual review of these false claims.”

“[The takedown] was entirely out of our control, and the sad part is that there was no way to appeal beforehand,” it tweeted.

Legal experts say the takedown highlights the difficulties creators face in publishing content in a highly restrictive copyright environment like YouTube.

Takedown notices “can be initiated by anyone, but supposedly an owner who claims to own the material,” says Tomoyuki Hachigo, co-founder of startup-focused legal firm Sprintlaw.“Basically it’s up to the recipient of the takedown notice to prove they own the copyright.”

“YouTube says they have a team making sure the claims are valid but they get so many so I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of false ones get through,” he says.

“It is a complicated system, there’s a lot of legal stuff there, so I can understand the confusion and frustration of small content creators and the fans who rely on Lofi Girl to study and relax.”

YouTube says it is working to reinstate the channel’s videos, but it is unclear when the livestream will return.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/youtube-removes-internet-s-favourite-background-music-over-bogus-copyright-claim-20220711-p5b0s2.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Monday, July 11, 2022

Twitter Suspends Zelenko’s Foundation Account One Day After Doctor’s Death


Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a Nobel prize-nominated physician who famously discovered and distributed an early treatment protocol for COVID, dubbed the “Zelenko Protocol,” passed away from cancer on June 30, 2022.

The next day, some Twitter users started taking note of the suspension of the account of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, a group dedicated “to provide funding to social entities and social activities surrounding education, leadership development, health literacy, advocacy, public policy, social, health and community development,” according to their website.

“It is no secret that big tech abhors free speech and instead worships at the altar of Marxist collectivism and group-think. The Silicon Valley speech cartel has sunk to new lows when twitter suspended the Zelenko Freedom Foundation account less than 24 hours after the passing of Dr. Vladimir Zelenko,” co-chair of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, Ann Vandersteel, told The Epoch Times.

She maintains that no one from Twitter reached out to verify who was managing the account.

“If they had bothered to do even the most basic of inquiries they would have learned that the account was run by the foundation, not by Dr. Zelenko. The account wasn’t established for some end around their ridiculous ban of Dr. Zelekno, the account was established to represent the interests of the Foundation, which is committed to investing in individuals and technologies that will save and extend the lives of people all across the globe,” she said.

Vandersteel thinks that the suspension of the foundation’s account was done for “no reason other than petty vindictiveness.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/twitter-suspends-zelenkos-foundation-account-one-day-after-doctors-death_4581072.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Sunday, July 10, 2022

Journalist Alex Berenson returns to Twitter as social media giant admits he shouldn't have been banned for questioning COVID vaccines


The independent journalist Alex Berenson has been reinstated to Twitter following an 11-month ban that saw him 'permanently banned'.

Last December he filed a federal lawsuit against the social media platform claiming his first amendment rights had been violated.

In the lawsuit filed in District Court for Northern California, Berenson sought to be reinstated to Twitter and requested  unspecified monetary damages over his ban which which began last August.

'The parties have come to a mutually acceptable resolution. I have been reinstated. Twitter has acknowledged that my tweets should have not led to my suspension at that time,' Berenson wrote on his Substack page earlier this week.

'Twitter banned me after I got five strikes under its Covid-19 misinformation policy. Which meant I'd supposedly made 'claims of fact' that were 'demonstrably false or misleading' and 'likely to impact public safety or cause serious harm'. Now we come to find those tweets 'should not have led to my suspension'?' he wrote.

'All in the past, though! The lil bird and I are now the best of friends,' he jokes.

'I can't wait for Insider and NBC News and everyone else who drooled over my suspension in August 2021 and later to devote equal space to the fact that I'm back and Twitter's admission it should not have banned me. Much more, actually, because this has NEVER happened before.

Berenson, 49, a former New York Times reporter and prominent skeptic of many pandemic policies, was banned over a tweet in which he stated that COVID vaccines do not prevent infection or transmission of the virus.

Berenson had previously called the pandemic an excuse for the government to overstep its boundaries in terms of rules and authority.

He notes on his blog that he is unable to explain what happened behind the scenes in order for him to be reinstated because he has been bound by secrecy.

'I can't tell you, because the statement is all I can say about the settlement.'

Berenson has said he will continue to try and uncover what caused him to be banned in the first place, noting that he believes government pressure may have played a part.  

'The settlement does not end my investigation into the pressures that the government may have placed on Twitter to suspend my account. I will have more to say on that issue in the near future. I made a promise to readers last month, and I take my promises to readers seriously,' he added.

Upon returning to Twitter, the journalist posted the exact same tweet as the one that got him banned, knowing that this time it would be allowed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10996987/Journalist-Alex-Berenson-reinstated-Twitter-suing-violation-Amendment.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Friday, July 08, 2022

UK: Woke university chiefs BAN students and academics from using terms like 'mankind', 'millennial' and 'manpower' in their work


The Universities of Bristol and Nottingham have reportedly outlawed words like 'mankind' and 'millennial' to avoid causing offence - while terms such as 'manpower' are to be replaced with 'workforce'.

Woke chiefs at the Russell Group schools fear the everyday expressions contribute to stigmas and can have negative associations, reports the Sun.

At Bristol, students and faculty have allegedly been told to replace the word 'manning' with 'stationed', while 'able-bodied' people should now be called 'non-disabled'.

The 146-year-old university, which counts stars like Simon Pegg, David Walliams and Matt Lucas as alumni, has also asked that generational nicknames like 'boomers' and 'millennials' be avoided.

As part of its style guide, 'humankind' should also replace 'mankind', while 'workforce' should be used instead of 'manpower'.

In its writing style guide on its website, under 'specific terminology', it reads: 'Avoid using generational labels ('Generation X', 'Baby Boomers', 'Millennials') where possible.

'These can reinforce negative stereotypes, and the terms are not easily understood, especially by some international audiences.'

It adds: 'When writing about people in older age groups, the term 'older people' is generally preferred... avoid the terms 'senior', 'middle-aged', 'elderly', 'pensioner', 'OAP' and 'senior citizen'.'

Meanwhile at Nottingham, phrases such as 'the request fell on deaf ears' or 'blind spot' are now deemed out of touch for potentially 'associating impairments with negative things.'

Words like 'lame' and 'stupid' are also now discouraged.

Bristol Uni agrees, as its style guide reads: 'Avoid slang that associates a disability with a negative trait, such as 'falling on deaf ears', 'turning a blind eye' or 'the blind leading the blind'.'

The guide adds: 'Use the term "non-disabled" rather than "able-bodied" if you need to describe people without disabilities.'

Tory MP Nigel Mills told the Sun: 'Free speech really is at risk because of these ridiculous ideas.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10991217/Woke-university-chiefs-BAN-terms-like-mankind-millennial.html

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Thursday, July 07, 2022

Biden censors journalists


President Joe Biden is trying to manipulate the news media through the administration’s selective access rules for White House events, according to a protest letter made public.

The letter to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was signed by 68 journalists — many of whom are at odds with each other on a daily basis — including Kaitlan Collins of CNN, Ed O’Keefe of CBS and Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News, according to the New York Post.

During his time in the White House, Biden has often left news conferences while reporters were trying to ask questions, and he has indicated from his comments that he is given a list of people to call on to ask questions, as noted by Fox News.

One of the top grievances listed in the letter was the White House’s method for deciding which reporters have access to specific events.

Jean-Pierre said last month “I actually don’t know” how reporters are selected to attend events. When asked about the selection process last year, then-press secretary Jen Psaki said, “I don’t have any more information on that.”

During past administrations, events in the East Room of the White House or the Eisenhower Executive Office Building were open to all media representatives, according to the Post.

That changed last year, with Biden administration officials blaming the pandemic for limitations that have remained long after most pandemic rules have been lifted.

The White House reporters said in their letter that the time has come to unshackle the media and allow open access.

“The current method of allowing a limited number of reporters into these events is not only restrictive and antithetical to the concept of a free press, but it has been done without any transparent process into how reporters are selected to cover these events,” the letter said.

“The continued inability of the White House to be candid and transparent about the selection process for reporters attending his remarks undermines President Biden’s credibility when he says he is a defender of the First Amendment,” it said.

The letter said that it appears the goal is to shield Biden from reporters who might ask unwelcome questions.

“The incongruity of these restrictions underscores the belief by many reporters that the administration seeks to limit access to the president by anyone outside of the pool, or anyone who might ask a question the administration doesn’t want asked,” the letter said.

“Let us be candid. Our job is not to be liked, nor is it to be concerned about whether or not you like what we ask. Reporters’ ability to question the most powerful man in our government shouldn’t be discretionary,” the letter said.

https://thefederalistpapers.org/us/wh-reporters-demand-biden-admin-change-unprecedented-rules-restrictive-antithetical-free-press

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Wednesday, July 06, 2022

Leftist hate is OK by Twitter


An unhinged transgender activist is still allowed to tweet despite having encouraged the assassinations of conservative Supreme Court justices following the landmark reversal of Roe v. Wade last week.

Abortion superfan Eli Erlick, a man who identifies as a woman, has not been punished by Twitter despite having tweeted “Supreme Court assassination challenge” on June 24 in response to the high court’s sage decision to relegate abortion as a states’ rights issue, pursuant to the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

He attempted to pass off his death threat as a joke.

Erlick, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is the creator of the “Gender Unicorn” graphic and the co-founder of youth-focused Trans Student Educational Resources.

It’s farcical that a transgender person who will never need an abortion because he can never get pregnant is such an adamant fan of murdering babies.

While Twitter flippantly suspends or bans conservatives — including a sitting U.S. president — for any number of sham reasons, it apparently had no problem with a transgender activist inciting violence against SCOTUS justices.

Erlick’s account remains active, and he continues to blithely stoke violence against conservatives — with impunity.

Meanwhile, Twitter on Tuesday suspended bestselling author Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist, for tweeting that transgender actress Ellen Page — who now calls herself Elliot Page — “just had her breasts removed by a criminal physician.”

Meanwhile, other emotionally incontinent leftists jumped on Erlick’s bandwagon in vowing or threatening to “kill” or “assassinate” Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Other “tolerant liberals” who pay lip service to championing black people also attacked Thomas with racist insults.

After years of relentless riots, vandalism and violence, it’s palpably obvious that today’s left is characterized by knee-jerk brutality and emotional instability.

https://thefederalistpapers.org/us/known-trans-educator-tweets-bloodthirsty-scotus-assassination-challenge

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Tuesday, July 05, 2022

War of words: Scrabble players are being censored


For some of us, world war has already broken out. Since 1 January, when a decision to ban 419 ‘offensive’ Scrabble words became ‘law’ on the orders of game owners Hasbro and Mattel, the previously genteel world of competitive Scrabble has become riven with hostility.

The conflict started three years ago when the North American Scrabble Players Association polled its members about the issue. After more than 1,000 ‘passionate responses’, it decided to inflict a word cull. According to the association’s head John Chew, the 91-year-old game needed to be ‘more inclusive’: ‘How can we tell prospective members they can only play with us if they accept that offensive slurs have no meaning when played on a board?’

But the ban on hundreds of words has left many players – particularly my fellow travellers in the London Scrabble league – seething. There have been bitter spats, ruptured friendships and high-profile resignations. Author Darryl Francis quit the World English-Language Scrabble Players’ Association in protest, saying: ‘Words in dictionaries and Scrabble lists are not slurs. They only become slurs if used with a derogatory purpose or intent or used with a particular tone and context. Words in our Scrabble lists should not be removed for PR purposes disguised as promoting some kind of social betterment.’

Those who aren’t resigning or arguing are moaning incessantly. And not just because the diktat has robbed them of some useful high-scoring words such as bufty, gammat and lubra. All three have now been deemed capable of causing offence, even though most people have no idea what they mean.

Because that is competitive Scrabble’s no. 1 trade secret: to succeed, you often use words whose meaning you don’t know. There are approximately 180,000 legitimate words – compared with the average person’s knowledge of 50,000 – and it is impossible to know the definition of them all.

Lubra, it turns out, is an outdated term for an Aboriginal woman and is considered offensive. I am glad I know that now, and I respect the fact that it causes offence. However, misusing it in conversation is one thing, but placing those five letters on a board is another. Gammat, by the way, refers to the accent of Cape Coloured people, and bufty is Scots slang for gay.

https://spectator.com.au/2022/07/war-of-words-4

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Monday, July 04, 2022

Pronoun Nonsense in the Navy and Beyond


Leftists ruin everything, and our language is a perfect example. Leftists arbitrarily change the meaning of words, then force the world to bend to their will. Like the word “marriage”. Undoubtedly, a union between a man and a woman. Then, Leftists went after the word. All because Leftists hate God.

Destroy marriage; or at least bastardize it. And voila. Not only do you tear down the institution of marriage, you get the government to actually destroy the principle upon which marriage is built, i.e. religion.

In a more recent example, Leftists now target pronouns.

I learned what a pronoun was long ago. But now Leftists want to change pronouns so that freaks feel better about themselves. So in what amounts to little more than a power play, some idiots introduce themselves with their pronoun preference. And it is now the responsibility of people to note such distinctions, or be accused of aggression.

In the Navy video, Naval Undersea Warfare Center engineer Jony Rozon introduces himself by telling the viewer that he uses “he/him” pronouns. His co-host, engineer Conchy Vasquez, then says she uses “she/her” pronouns.

The video goes on to promote the use of “inclusive language” and being “allies,” as well as instruction on what to do if someone is “misgendered.”

Enough is Enough!

This might age me, but remember a little thing called “School House Rock”? The series ran from 1973 until 1984, and it helped millions of kids learn conjunctions, adjective, fractions, adverbs, energy, electricity, prepositions, interjections, history, money, taxes, government and, yes, PRONOUNS!

Even today, kids use those same videos to expand their understanding of different subjects. I recently heard one of my kids in the bathroom mirror singing “conjunction junction, what’s your function?” and it struck me that soon enough someone will demand this video be stricken from the internet and our memories.

Because that’s what leftists do. They cancel anything that offends them. Recently, Disney announced they will be removing ALL gender pronouns from their cartoons.

According to the People’s Gazette:

Karen Burke, the president of Disney’s general entertainment, said the decision is to ensure wider inclusivity for all sexual orientations, specifically mentioning that half of the characters in their upcoming projects will represent the LGBTQIA+ community or racial minorities, by the end of the year.

(Sidenote: Where did the IA+ come from? Last I checked, we were still on the Q.)

Ms. Burke, the mother of two queer kids – one transgender child and one pansexual child- said this during a company-wide Zoom call.

Also, during the staff meeting on Florida’s recent enactment of the Parental Rights in Education bill, executive producer for Disney Television Latoya Raveneau talked about advancing her “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” to insert queerness into children’s animation/cartoon productions.

I don’t even want to know what the next Disney princess looks like.

Have these people lost their minds? When it comes to transexual, bisexual, or just plain sexual, I’ll tell you what I told a twelve year old that once told me she thought she might be bisexual. “You’re what they call non-sexual, because you are a child. Tell me again in a few years.” Guess what happened a few years later? She admitted to not really understanding what she said, just that several of her friends were saying it.

Why do we have to clutter up childhood with all of these adult issues they don’t need to worry about? Maybe Bert and Ernie were always gay, but we didn’t have to know that when I was a kid. And I would sleep just fine at night if I still didn’t know it.

Why can’t bedroom escapades go back to being no one’s business? And why can’t pronouns still follow the rules we learned in elementary school?

Do you know what makes English the hardest language to learn? It’s the fact that so much of it is borrowed from other languages. It’s much easier to learn a language when there are concrete rules you follow all the time. So throwing the pronoun rules out the window just makes the translations all that much harder. In fact, injecting leftism makes it all seem like Greek to me.

https://theblacksphere.net/2022/06/pronoun-nonsense-in-the-navy-and-beyond/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Sunday, July 03, 2022

Twitter suspends Jordan Peterson for tweet about Elliot Page’s trans ‘sin’

Jordan Peterson has reportedly been suspended from Twitter following a post about transgender actor Elliot Page that violated the platform’s rules “against hateful conduct.”

Screenshots posted online show the tweet in question from the Canadian clinical psychologist’s account, which reads: “Remember when pride was a sin? And Ellen Page just had her breasts removed by a criminal physician.”

Page came out as transgender in 2020, announcing he would now be known as Elliot. Peterson, 60, is guilty of “deadnaming” the 25-year-old “Umbrella Academy” star, a source close to the Oscar-nominated actor told The Post.

Peterson, who joined the staff of conservative podcast outlet Daily Wire on Thursday, is infamous for his anti-trans stance. He once claimed on Joe Rogan’s podcast that being transgender is a result of a “contagion” and similar to “satanic ritual abuse.”

Conservative political commentator Dave Rubin posted screenshots of the removed tweet online, writing, “The insanity continues at Twitter,” and claiming that Peterson “just told me he will ‘never’ delete the tweet. Paging @elonmusk.”

Peterson’s daughter, Mikhaila, also posted screenshots of the tweets online, taking aim at Twitter and Elon Musk, who has been working to acquire the social media platform.

“Wow. @jordanbpeterson got a twitter strike. No more twitter until he deletes the tweet. Definitely not a free speech platform at the moment @elonmusk,” she wrote.

https://nypost.com/2022/06/30/twitter-suspends-jordan-peterson-for-elliot-page-sin-tweet/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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Friday, July 01, 2022

New York Attorney General Demands Google Scrub Crisis Pregnancy Centers From Search Results


The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, demanded in a Tuesday letter that Google exclude crisis pregnancy centers from search results about abortion.

“A search through Google Maps seeking ‘abortion’ and a location will provide a local listing of both those health care providers who offer abortion services and organizations that do not provide abortion care,” Darsana Srinivasan wrote.

James claimed that Google had been previously informed about inclusion of crisis pregnancy centers and demanded the company address what she called “misinformation” in a Wednesday release.

“Indeed, those latter organizations known as ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ (CPCs) are not health care providers and will not provide abortion counseling or abortion referrals,” the letter from Srinivasan said. “CPCs exist solely to intercept and dissuade pregnant people from making fully informed decisions about their healthcare such as the choice to obtain an abortion.”

“New Yorkers, and others traveling to the state, should trust that Google Maps will provide accurate information and direct them to real and safe care,” James said. “My office will do whatever is necessary to work with Google to make these changes and ensure that people can locate the reproductive health care facilities that they need.”

https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/06/29/new-york-attorney-general-demands-google-scrub-crisis-pregnancy-centers-from-search-results


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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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For the notes and pix appearing in the sidebar of the original blog see HERE


Most pictures that I use in the body of the blog should stay up throughout the year. But how long they stay up after that is uncertain. At the end of every year therefore I intend to put up a collection of all pictures used my blogs in that year. That should enable missing pictures to be replaced. The archive of last year's pictures on this blog is therefore now up. Note that the filename of the picture is clickable and clicking will bring the picture up. See here (2021). See also here (2020)



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