A new video by The Lincoln Project, "A Republican Wakes Up," takes a humorous look at the Trump presidency from the viewpoint of a supporter who has been in a coma for the past three and a half years.
The Lincoln Project is a political action committee organized by Republicans who refuse to vote for Donald Trump in November.
After waking up from a coma, the supporter's family attempts to rationalize all of Trump's indefensible behavior in including his affairs, failure to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and botched pandemic response.
The family's inability to cogently defend the president's actions holds a mirror up to the ways the Republican establishment has defended some of the president's most terrible actions.
"It would be funny if it wasn't so true," said Rick Wilson, co-founder of The Lincoln Project. "Republican Senators are doing the same mental gymnastics to justify their support of Trump. But no one is laughing."
The video is directed by Jon Turteltaub whose credits include, "While You Were Sleeping," "National Treasure," and "The Meg."
If you think Brooks Koepka doesn’t see and hear everything that goes on in golf, you are sorely mistaken. As much as he tries to play the “I like to get away from the game, I don’t pay attention to anyone else” card, it’s becoming quite clear that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Case in point, his latest and greatest subtle shot at Bryson DeChambeau, who he may or may not have accused of taking steroids on Twitter just a few weeks ago. Well, actually, it was just a GIF of legendary “Eastbound & Down” character Kenny Powers confronting steroid allegations in the fictional HBO show, but most of us put two and two together.
This time, Koepka took aim at DeChambeau’s fire ant discussion with a rules official from Thursday at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. The Mad Scientist attempted to get relief from a “dangerous situation” involving the insects, but to no avail. He eventually made double bogey.
Naturally, DeChambeau was mocked on social media, and Koepka piled on after pulling his drive into the rough during his second round. Following a few practice swings, Koepka pointed to the ground with his club and said to his caddie Ricky Elliot “there’s an ant.” Elliot, taking it seriously, went to look, only for Koepka to say “naw, I’m just kidding.” Knee slapper!
Nothing like cracking yourself up, am I right? But seriously, it was a well-timed joke from Brooksy, who probably could not wait to bring it out when the time was right. He and DeChambeau, and their little rift, may rub some folks the wrong way, but no one can say it isn’t entertaining.
The track is said to be inspired by Rebekah West Harkness, a composer, patron of the arts, philanthropist, and socialite who died in 1982. Swift purchased Harkness' old mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, called "Holiday House," which is how the two are connected.
Anyway, in the song, Swift sings the lyrics, "And they said / There goes the last great American dynasty / Who knows, if she never showed up, what could've been." Though the lyric references Harkness and her second husband, fans have realized that it can apply to so many other famous dynasties from movies and television, such as the Gilmore family from Gilmore Girls, the Roy family from Succession, the Rose family from Schitt's Creek, and more.
But the meme doesn't just apply to people. It also can be used to honor anything good that's now gone, such as the original Motorola Razr, Blockbuster stores, or the recently fallen Taco Bell menu items.
While you brainstorm your own perfect version of the LGAD meme, please enjoy a few of our favorites so far.
With each and every folklore listen let us honor America's many last great dynasties.
WATCH: We made a social distancing slow jam with puppets
When items like umbrellas and leaf blowers are subverted into objects of resistance, they become very shareable.
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The New York Times, Sergio Olmos for The New York TimesCredit
A video frame captured in Hong Kong in August 2019 shows a group of pro-democracy protesters, smoke pluming toward them, racing to place an orange traffic cone over a tear-gas canister. A video taken nine months later and 7,000 miles away, at a Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis, shows another small group using the same maneuver. Two moments, two continents, two cone placers, their postures nearly identical.
Hong Kong, August 2019.Credit...Getty ImagesWashington, D.C., May 2020.Credit...Getty Images
Hong Kong, August 2019.Credit...Vincent Thian/Associated PressPortland, Ore., July 2020.Credit...David Swanson/EPA, via Shutterstock
Images of protest spread on social media reveal many other matching moments from opposite sides of the world, and they often feature everyday objects wielded ingeniously.
Leaf blowers are used to diffuse clouds of tear gas; hockey sticks and tennis rackets are brandished to bat canisters back toward authorities; high-power laser pointers are used to thwart surveillance cameras; and plywood, boogie boards, umbrellas and more have served as shields to protect protesters from projectiles and create barricades.
An Xiao Mina, a researcher at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, has studied these echoes. In the summer of 2014, when the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong and the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States that followed the police killing of Michael Brown were taking place, she noted that the protesters spoke a common language, even sharing the same hand gesture characterized by the chant “Hands up, don’t shoot.”
Occasionally, there was even direct acknowledgment between the disparate groups, “as when Ferguson protesters donned umbrellas against the rain and cheekily thanked protesters in Hong Kong for the idea,” Ms. Mina wrote in her 2018 book, “Memes to Movements.”
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Demosisto via Twitter, Associated Press, ReutersCredit
But often, she noted, the images’ similarity was unwitting. In their spread, their simultaneity and their indirect influence on each other, the protest videos had all the characteristics of memes, those units of culture and behavior that spread rapidly online. The same cultural transfer that gives us uncanny cake-slicing memes and viral challenges also advances the language of protest.
“We live in this world of attention dynamics so it makes sense that tactics start to converge,” Ms. Mina said. She called the images’ tendency to build on each other “memetic piggybacking,” and noted that everyday items that are subverted into objects of protest are “inherently charismatic.”
Hong Kong, November 2019.Credit...Getty ImagesPortland, Ore., July 2020.Credit...Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Franklin López, a founder and former member of Sub.media, an anarchist video collective that has filmed dozens of protests, said that “videos shared through social media and mainstream media reports become rough ‘how-to guides’ on protest tactics.”
“You see peeps in Hong Kong using umbrellas as countersurveillance tools and folks over here will say, ‘hey, brilliant idea!’ and you’ll see umbrellas at the next militant protests,” he said.
Of course, it’s not just social media mimicry. Ms. Mina pointed out that “activists from around the world do actively learn from each other and exchange tactical tips.”
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The New York Times, @gravemorgan via Twitter via StoryfulCredit
On the topic of direct communication between groups in Hong Kong and the United States, Mr. López said: “Texts outlining not only tactics and strategies but reports of what worked and what didn’t are shared and translated, but also talked about in in-person events, film screenings and internet talks.”
In June, for example, Lausan, a group that formed during the Hong Kong protests that seeks to connect leftist movements in various countries, was a host of a webinar. It provided a forum for Hong Kong and American activists to share strategies.
Katharin Tai, a doctoral candidate in political science at M.I.T. who studies Chinese foreign policy and the intersection of international politics and the internet, separated information sharing between Hong Kong and the United States into two categories.
One was group-to-group sharing of tactics between the sets of protesters, though she noted that because both protest efforts were non-hierarchical, they were not necessarily organized from above.
The second, she said, included the translation of helpful graphics and information — say, which sort of gas masks best protect against tear gas — that are then posted online. “That’s the less organized way, where they’re just kind of pushing it out into the ether,” she said.
Hong Kong, September 2019.Credit...Getty ImagesPortland, Ore., July 2020.Credit...Associated Press
The social internet has sped up a long history of direct and indirect dialogue between protest movements around the world.
Mark Bray, an organizer of Occupy Wall Street and a lecturer at Rutgers University, said that sharing or imitating protest strategies and tactics is “as old as protest strategies and tactics are,” but that social media “has exposed people to more different tactics.”
“In that sense, like all kinds of new communications technologies, it has shortened the perceived distance between movements around the world,” said Mr. Bray, who is the author of “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” a history of that movement.
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The New York Times, Mike Baker for The New York TimesCredit
Anastasia Veneti, who teaches at Bournemouth University in England and specializes in media coverage of protest movements, said that photographs and video that have been produced and circulated by the protesters “have influenced professional photographers who have begun to produce similar images.”
“With this global wave of post-2010 activism, we’ve seen that this paradigm or media framing has started to change and to a great extent, this change is to be credited to the fact that protesters themselves are better organized thanks to the use of new media technologies,” she said.
Matching protest images are not only found between Hong Kong and the United States. They crop up in Mexico and Greece, Kurdistan and Catalonia.
Nantes, France, June 2016.Credit...Stephane Mahe/ReutersNotre-Dame-des-Landes, France, April 2018.Credit...Getty Images
Hong Kong, August 2019.Credit...Tyrone Siu/ReutersHong Kong, November 2019.Credit...Fazry Ismail/EPA, via Shutterstock
Beirut, Lebanon, June 2020.Credit...Bilal Hussein/Associated PressSantiago, Chile, January 2020.Credit...Getty Images
But Hong Kong does play a central role in the activist imagination, scholars and activists said, thanks both to the tactical ingenuity of protesters there, as well as Western media’s willingness to cover pro-democracy demonstrations extensively.
Gabriella Coleman, a professor at McGill University who studies digital activism, noted that even nonpolitical publications were moved to cover the Hong Kong protests. “Because Hong Kong is seen as a Western-style democracy that’s being eaten up by its authoritarian parent, there’s no controversy in reporting on it,” she said.
Asked whether Hong Kong loomed particularly large in the eyes of experienced protesters, Mr. López answered emphatically: “Hell yeah!” He called the protests in Hong Kong “epic.”
“More than anything the discipline, organization and persistence of these folks has been awe inspiring,” Mr. López said, adding that the people of Hong Kong “are showing us what is possible.”
Hong Kong, December 2019.Credit...Danish Siddiqui/ReutersPortland, Ore., July 2020.Credit...Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
The interesting tidbit came up in today’s Congressional hearing on whether the leading tech companies have been breaking antitrust laws. Among the CEOs grilled was Mark Zuckerberg, who faced questions over Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram back in April 2012.
US lawmakers have been investigating the merger, and managed to obtain a curious email Zuckerberg sent to an unnamed senior engineer the day Facebook agreed to buy Instagram.
“Well played,” the associate said.
“Thanks. One reason people underestimate the importance of watching Google is that we can likely always just buy any competitive startups, but it’ll be a while before we can buy Google,” Zuckerberg wrote in response.
The email
Image credit: House Judiciary Committee
During today’s hearing, US Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colorado) brought up the email as evidence the company has been buying companies as a way to eliminate the competition. Although Zuckerberg didn’t recall writing the email, he said, “it sounds like a joke.”
“Well, I don’t take it as a joke,” Neguse replied. “As I review the email, it was in regards to having just closed the Instagram sale.”
The Colorado lawmaker also cited Facebook’s reported attempts to buy other startups such as Snapchat, saying this “clearly demonstrates in my view that email was not in jest.”
“It strikes me that over the course of the last several years Facebook has used its market power to either purchase or replicate the competition,” Neguse added.
US Rep. Joe Neguse
Image credit: YouTube
Zuckerberg didn't have the chance to respond. But back in 2012, Google had a market cap of $250 billion, which has since ballooned to a trillion dollars. So it’s hard to imagine Facebook having the capital to buy Google. At the same time, US regulators would almost certainly deny a merger on antitrust grounds.
Instead, Zuckerberg’s email from 2012 may reflect his salty attitude toward Google, which had recently released its own social network, Google+, to compete with Facebook.
The House Judiciary’s antitrust subcommittee has publicized the other internal emails it obtained from Facebook during its investigation. According to US lawmakers, the documents show the social network considered Instagram a serious threat to Facebook.
For instance, back in April 2012, Zuckerberg sent a seperate email to a Facebook employee where he said: “Yeah, I remember your internal post about how Instagram was our threat and not Google+. You were basically right. One thing about startups though is you can often acquire them. I think this is a good outcome for everyone.”
Days earlier, Zuckerberg sent another email to staff that said: “Instagram can hurt us meaningfully without becoming a huge business though.”
At today’s hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, (D-Washington), also accused Zuckerberg of using its market dominance to pressure Instagram into selling itself to Facebook. She cited an internal chat from Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom in Feb. 2012, which shows he was concerned Facebook would try to destroy his app if he refused to agree to an acquisition.
Zuckerberg also sent an email to Systrom, which mentions that Facebook was working on its own competing product to Instagram if the deal fell through. “Of course, at the same time we’re developing our own photos strategy, so how we engage now will also determine how much we’re partners vs competitors down the line,” Zuckerberg wrote back in March 2012.
During today’s hearing, Zuckerberg addressed the emails and denied he was trying to threaten Instagram with the creation of the copycat product. “I think it was clear this was a space where we were going to compete in, one way or another,” he said.
LELAND — Scott Craig said he finished writing his second book when bookstores closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His wife Carol Bawden encouraged him to release “Laughing in Leelanau: Or I Swear It’s True” anyway because “people need something to smile about.”
“That’s my mission — to give people something that isn’t grim,” said Craig, a Leland resident. “My goal is to make people feel good. There are no unhappy endings in this book.”
The 86-year-old retired television producer and director said the idea started when a member of weekly breakfast meeting brought in a book about humor in Maine.
Craig thought his northern Michigan home must be funnier than that northeastern state, so he spent a year and a half collecting and recording stories from places and people in Leelanau County.
“Everybody has a story worth hearing,” he said. “Many TV shows were assigned to me. This time I assigned myself to go find the funny stuff.”
His book is nearly 150 pages of stories that capture a variety of moments — from tourists asking for directions to old newspaper articles.
Craig said he organized them into categories rather than chapters.
“There are all kinds of stories about animals and people,” he said.
Craig’s grandson Henry Coleman, a recent high school graduate, drew the maps and cartoons.
“There are two old duffers sitting on a bench that keep reoccurring throughout the book,” Craig said. “I was just collecting stories, but as I went along, I found things that would be better as a cartoon.”
Mission Point Press Business Manager Doug Weaver said the company mainly assists authors in editing and designing their work.
Craig approached the staff, who Weaver said all agreed to work with him.
“We’re fairly picky about what books to take on,” Weaver said. “We loved the idea. Regional, local humor is powerful especially in these times.”
The book, Weaver, said will do well because it is geared toward a local audience, provides an introduction about the history of Leelanau County and emphasizes laughter.
“He’s got a winner,” he said.
Craig worked in the television industry for decades, forming his own production company in 1975. Though he lived in Chicago, Craig said he filmed in five continents, particularly for the HGTV show “Extreme Homes.”
He received more than 100 awards, including one national Emmy Award, 32 Emmys from the National Academy of Television’s Chicago/Midwest Chapter and a Peabody Award for his PBS documentary “Studebaker: Less Than They Promised.”
Craig said he loved his job and it made for an interesting career.
He retired about 16 years ago and more recently decided to start writing, something he said was on his bucket list.
His first book “The Story Next Door” came out in 2013. He included stories from his radio show in those pages.
The paperback “Laughing in Leelanau: Or I Swear It’s True” is available for $14.95 from Brilliant Books and Horizon Books.
Megan Thee Stallion was recently shot in an altercation with fellow rapper Tory Lanez (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
Megan Thee Stallion was recently shot in an altercation with fellow rapper Tory Lanez (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
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Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
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Megan Thee Stallion was recently shot in an altercation with fellow rapper Tory Lanez (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
Megan Thee Stallion was recently shot in an altercation with fellow rapper Tory Lanez (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
Megan Thee Stallion's shooting is painful, not funny
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Black women are often shown as having the utmost strength, but we're left to fend for ourselves when we actually feel pain.
We hear all the time on social media and other platforms about how Black women need to be protected. But it seems like it's just words-- it's performative.
Earlier in the month, Megan Thee Stallion was shot in both of her feet in an alleged altercation with Tory Lanez, and a slew of terrible 'jokes' were seen across social media.
“I suffered gunshot wounds as a result of a crime that was committed against me,” she wrote in a statement, “and done with the intention to physically harm me.”
As terrifying as it must have been to be shot, Megan also had to deal with a lot of the 'meme-ification' of her pain. Across Twitter and other platforms when the news broke, there were jokes made about her gender, how the incident happened, and people accusing her of playing the victim.
Julia Craven of Slate expressed her outrage over the issue in a blog:
"As I’ve sat here trying to write this story, I’ve wondered how to make my rage about the violence inflicted upon another Black woman palatable. I’ve wrestled with how to articulate a grand argument about why Megan being shot isn’t humorous. I’ve mulled over publicly asking folks if this scenario would still be funny were it your mother, sister, or daughter instead. But you shouldn’t need beautiful prose or a personal relationship with a woman in order to respect another’s humanity.
In Craven's blog, she also referred to distasteful tweets from Chrissy Teigen, 50 Cent, and reality star Draya Michele, who have all since apologized for their inappropriate remarks.
After the traumatizing incident, Megan took to Instagram to tell her fans the story. “I was shot in both of my feet," she said, breaking into tears. She also had words for the people who were spreading jokes, “It’s not funny,” she said. “There’s nothing to joke about."
For everyone who had jokes for Megan-- have you no soul? To make memes and jokes about a Black woman getting shot, in the midst of a pandemic, social justice reform, and an unemployment crisis? Are there not other things that people should be worried about?
As a fellow Houston native and Black woman, it hurt to watch this unfold on social media. This event brought out the worst of the worst. Megan's rise to success was so authentic and genuine. A hard working Black woman, who showed love to everyone. How can you be mad at a woman who just wants to have fun and laugh all the time?
Despite the loss of both of her parents, and her grandmother, the self proclaimed H-Town Hottie still manages to prevail. In an Instagram live video, she told fans that the bullets didn't hit any ligaments or bones, and she's expected to make a full recovery. Fellow female artist powerhouses rallied around Megan to support her in her time of need. She received care packages from both Rihanna and Houston's very own, Beyonce.
As a dedicated OG "hottie" my heart hurts for Megan. I stand with Megan, because I see so much of myself in her. Black women's pain isn't for mocking.
Via IGN, comiXology have announced “Funny Creek,” a five-issue limited series written by Rafael Albuquerque and Rafael Scavone, with art by Eduardo Medeiros. Set in 1985, the book follows Lilly and Andy, two kids who bond over their love of the titular Wild West-themed cartoon. After a terrible tragedy, Lilly becomes trapped within the world of Funny Creek, where “her cartoon hero, the Sheriff Clumsy, shows himself in a darker light than she expected.” The creative team also includes colorist Priscilla Tramontano, letterer Bernardo Brice, and editor Bis Stringer Horne.
Albuquerque and Scavone told IGN, “‘Funny Creek’ is a very dear project that we’ve been planning for years with Eduardo Medeiros, our longtime friend and partner in the Stout Club. In many ways, it’s a story about friendship. It’s also a story about growing up in a culture that idolizes violence, a place we all have been as children. It’s a very special project for the three of us, a story we believe needs to be told. So, it’s a pleasure to have it as our debut title on comiXology and Kindle across the globe.”
“We’ve wanted to collaborate in a new project for a long time and finally decided on a book aimed for young readers, which is not our comfort zone at all,” Albuquerque added. “While brainstorming ideas, heavy subjects kept coming to our minds, and we decided that we should not avoid, but embrace them — figuring out how an 8-year old kid would deal with things like loss, guilt and grief. That was the path where we found something unique and interesting for both young and mature audiences.”
“Funny Creek” #1 will released on Tuesday, August 4, with subsequent issues releasing weekly. It will be offered in both English and Portuguese, and you can read a preview now at IGN. Like all comiXology Originals, “Funny Creek” is available for free to subscribers of comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading, and will also be available for purchase in print from Amazon.com.
Abhishek Bachchan's response to a rude troll on the microblogging website has earned a lot of praise online. The troll asked him how he will feed himself now that his father, actor Amitabh Bachchan, is in a hospital.
With a casual but an impactful way, Abhishek said that he hoped for their good health.
Abhishek had shared a tweet about his show 'Breathe': Into the Shadows on Wednesday when the troll tried to throw nasty jibes at the actor. “Your father admitted in hospital... Ab kiske bharose baith ke khaoge? (who will feed you now),” they asked.
“Filhaal toh let ke kha rahe hain dono saath aspatal mein (right now both of us are eating lying on our backs at the hospital),” he wrote.
Ever since Abhishek and Amitabh have tested COVID-19 positive they have been admitted at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai.
The troll replied: “Get well soon sir... Har kisi ki kismat me let ke khana kaha (not everyone has the good fortune to eat while lying on their backs).
At this, Abhishek said: “I pray that you are never in a situation like ours and that you remain safe and healthy. Thank you for your wishes, ma’am,” he wrote.
Abhishek’s followers were also not impressed with the troll.
“I doubt you would like to exchange your own privileges with migrant labours or other poor people so why complaining about others,” asked one.
“How sweet of you Sir to reply to such trolls in such a polite manner.. Hats off.. I pray for your and Amitabh sir’s good health. Get well soon,” wrote another.
Recently, Amitabh also gave a sharp reply to an anonymous Internet user who wrote to him—‘I hope you die with this COVID.’
The actor wrote: “Hey Mr Anonymous .. you do not even write your Father’s name,.. because you do not know who Fathered you .. there are only two things that can happen .. either I shall die or either I shall live.”
Kerry Katona took down a troll who accused her of using cocaine during an Instagram live on Thursday.
The mother-of-five, 39, was taking part in a live session with Skinny Jab, the weight loss aid which is a favourite of celebrities including Gemma Collins.
But the star was taken aback by a follower who suggested she was on drugs in the comments section of the the broadcast, with Kerry swiftly calling them out.
Furious: Kerry Katona took down a troll who accused her of using cocaine during an Instagram live on Thursday
According to The Daily Star, the rude troll asked Kerry if she was 'on coke' as she discussed the controversial Skinny Jab.
She then hit back, saying: 'Why, 'cause I'm sniffing? I don't have to explain every time I've got a bloody cold.'
The Atomic Kitten star has been very open with her past problems with drug use in the past, with Kerry being clean for 10 years.
Not impressed: The mother-of-five, 39, was taking part in a live session with Skinny Jab, the weight loss aid which is a favourite of celebrities including Gemma Collins
Opening up about her past substance abuse last year, she told The Mirror: 'It wasn't so much that I was an addict, more that I binged. It got to the point I was so lonely, so empty. Cocaine was my best friend. It was always there for me when I was down.
'When I was feeling worthless it gave me that self love and confidence. But it turned out to be a liar.
'I'm not tempted to go down that route any more. I don't even drink at home – I've got to do the school run.'
Defence: She then hit back, saying: 'Why, 'cause I'm sniffing? I don't have to explain every time I've got a bloody cold'
Back in May, Kerry used her troubling appearance on This Morning in 2008 as a way to call out trolls who 'take the p**s out of people's mental health illnesses'.
The reality personality featured on the ITV magazine show 12 years ago, when she slurred her way through an interview, leading to much concern for her well-being.
It was eventually revealed that she was suffering side-effects of her bipolar medicine, and that she was battling an addiction to drugs - despite her insisting during the live interview that she was 'absolutely fine'.
Mocking: In May, Kerry used her troubling appearance on This Morning in 2008 as a way to call out trolls who 'take the p**s out of people's mental health illnesses'
Taking to TikTok, Kerry posted a video of herself mimicking her behaviour while clutching a bottle of champagne.
She mouthed along to the audio from the This Morning appearance, with her slurring: 'Absolutely fine, I've literally just got here! Woke up this morning and literally just got here. Fine - never been happier, I swear to God!'
In the interview she was questioned by then-hosts Fern Britton and Philip Schofield about her behaviour, in which she insisted she was perfectly well.
Making a point: Taking to TikTok , Kerry posted a video of herself mimicking her behaviour while clutching a bottle of champagne
She captioned the TikTok spoof: 'Soooo apparently it’s okay to take the piss out of people‘s mental health illnesses.... well if you can’t beat them join them! #ownit #past #moveon #bekind'
The latter hashtag - #bekind - came to prominence earlier this year when presenter Caroline Flack took her own life.
It appeared that Kerry was hitting out at trolls who have seemingly recently been making fun of her - although the specifics of this wasn't explained.
Turned her life around: The Atomic Kitten star has been very open with her past problems with drug use in the past, with Kerry being clean for 10 years (pictured in 2019)
Needless to say, people have opinions about this fruit (yep, it’s technically a fruit). Many turn to Twitter to share their avocado-related thoughts and anecdotes.
In honor of National Avocado Day, we’ve rounded up 28 funny and relatable tweets about avocado love.
cucun.indah.link Image copyrightEPAImage captionMr Duterte giving a state of the nation address earlier this week, before his latest comments
Philippines' president Rodrigo Duterte has once again told people to disinfect their face masks with petrol - insisting he was "not joking".
He had made similar remarks last week - but officials were quick to correct him, and suggested it was a joke.
Health officials also said cloths masks should be washed normally, and surgical masks replaced after use.
But on Friday, the president doubled down - saying "what I've said was true... go to a gasoline station".
There is no evidence that gasoline can disinfect masks; having prolonged contact with it can be harmful; and pouring flammable liquids can be a fire risk.
What did Mr Duterte say?
Referring to his earlier comments, Mr Duterte said: "They [critics] said, 'Duterte's insane.' Stupid! If I'm insane, you should be the president, not me.
"What I've said was true. If alcohol isn't available, especially for the poor, just go to a gasoline station, and use [gas] to disinfect.
"I am not joking. I am not joking. You… you try to get inside my brain."
Mr Duterte said those who didn't have cleaning supplies could use gasoline as a disinfectant to clean their masks.
"At the end of the day, hang [the mask] somewhere and spray it with Lysol if you can afford it," he said, referencing a popular disinfectant brand.
"For people who don't [have Lysol], drench it in gasoline or diesel... just find some gasoline [and] dip your hand [with the mask] in it."
After last week's comments, presidential spokesman Harry Roque quickly corrected him.
"I can't believe that after four years of him as president, you still don't know [him]," said Mr Roque, according to news site Rappler.
"[It's only a] joke. Why would we use gasoline for washing?"
Meanwhile, health official Maria Rosario Vergeire said cloth masks should be washed and dried normally, and surgical masks replaced after use.
In February - shortly after the Philippines became the first country to register a Covid-19 death outside China - President Duterte moved to downplay the issue, saying the virus would eventually "die a natural death."
But after a month-long lull in recorded cases - a period which critics say wasn't used effectively to mass test and contact trace cases - numbers began to rise.
President Duterte declared the lockdown of the country's main island Luzon in early March.
He used special powers granted to him by Congress to realign national budgets and put soldiers on the streets to tackle the crisis.
To do so, he was required to update the nation each week with a national address.
The president made the addresses late at night. He was often late to start, and was criticised on social media for being rambling and confusing, and at times veering off topic to threaten his enemies.
Mr Duterte's former spokesman, Harry Roque, was brought back to manage the message - and the evening addresses began to be edited and released the following morning.
A YouGov online survey found that Filipinos who rated the Duterte government's response to the virus as "very well" or "somewhat well" fell from 72% in May to 51% on 29 June.
Filipino pollsters - who have repeatedly recorded strong approval ratings for the President - haven't been able to do door-to-door surveys during the outbreak.
Although compared to other Covid-19 global hotspots, the Philippines' numbers of recorded cases and deaths are lower, so too are testing figures - with only around 1% of the population screened so far.
What is the virus situation in the Philippines?
A daily high of 3,954 cases was recorded in the Philippines on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 89,374.
There have been just under 2,000 confirmed Covid-related deaths.
Mr Duterte announced on Friday that restrictions in the capital Manila would remain until mid-August.
Manila is currently under a general community quarantine - which limits the movement of the elderly and children, and imposes other restrictions.
The president also promised that free vaccines would be given out - when one is eventually released - with lower-income Filipinos prioritised.
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Media captionThe Metro Manila priests fighting coronavirus with the crossThe Link Lonk
July 31, 2020 at 01:09PM
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Rodrigo Duterte: 'I'm not joking - clean masks with petrol' - BBC News
cucun.indah.link Image copyrightReutersImage captionPatricia and Mark McCloskey were dubbed "Karen and Ken" after photos emerged of them pointing firearms at protesters passing by their house in St Louis in June
The company didn't pick out the name Karen at random. "Karen" has, in recent years, become a widespread meme referencing a specific type of middle-class white woman, who exhibits behaviours that stem from privilege.
To give some examples, "Karen" is associated with the kind of person who demands to "speak to the manager" in order to belittle service industry workers, is anti-vaccination, and carries out racist micro-aggressions, such as asking to touch black people's hair.
But a predominant feature of the "Karen" stereotype is that they weaponise their relative privilege against people of colour - for example, when making police complaints against black people for minor infringements.
And in recent months, the meme has evolved into something new: Coronavirus Karen. This particular form of Karen refuses to wear a face covering in shops, won't stick to quarantine, and thinks the whole pandemic thing is overblown.
But as the meme has become increasingly mainstream, some have argued that it's sexist and ageist.
Where did the meme come from?
Although its exact origins are uncertain, the meme became popular a few years ago as a way for people of colour, particularly black Americans, to satirise the class-based and racially charged hostility they often face.
Over the last decade, as it became easier to film confrontations on our smartphones, incidents started to be captured on camera and uploaded to social media with far greater ease - a woman calling the police when a black eight-year-old child was selling water without a permit, for example.
When these videos inevitably went viral, people online would assign the perpetrators commonplace names that chimed with the situation.
The woman who complained about the young water-seller was dubbed "Permit Patty". Another woman who called the police when a black family was having a barbecue was named "BBQ Becky". And a white woman who called 911 on a black dad at a football match, while sitting in a golf cart, was called "Golfcart Gail".
This trend properly broke through in 2018, and eventually all of these names became distilled into one or two of the most popular - including Karen.
It also became synonymous with a particular type of hairstyle - specifically, the short, choppy cut sported by US reality TV personality Kate Gosselin in 2010. (Gosselin has since changed her hairstyle.)
And in recent months a male version of the Karen meme has emerged, although it is less widely used: Ken. In June, when wealthy couple Patricia and Mark McCloskey were pictured pointing guns at protesters passing by their home in St Louis, Missouri, they were widely dubbed "Karen and Ken".
Media captionFlorida residents push back on new face mask mandate
Since the coronavirus arrived in the country, videos have periodically gone viral on social media of people refusing to wear face coverings in stores and restaurants, often berating service staff.
Aggressively refusing to wear a face covering to help protect others from the virus has been seen as a new iteration of the stereotype of the entitled Karen who harasses service industry workers. Similarly, people who share coronavirus disinformation and conspiracy theories on social media are called Karens, too.
The refusal of some people to acknowledge the risks associated with the virus, and to be shielded from these risks by their white privilege, has also been seen as "Karen" behaviour.
What about racism and Black Lives Matter?
On Memorial Day this year, 25 May, black birder Christian Cooper was walking in Central Park, New York, when he ran into a woman called Amy Cooper (no relation), who had let her dog off the lead in a leash-only area of the park.
He asked her to put her dog back on the lead. Her response was to call 911 and, in histrionic tones, tell operators that "there's an African-American man threatening my life". The entire exchange was filmed, uploaded to social media, and Ms Cooper was from then on known as "Central Park Karen".
George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis that same day, just hours after the Central Park incident - meaning people began linking the racism of "Karens" such as Amy Cooper to the wider issue of systemic racism and police brutality.
This is an argument that has been repeated in recent months, as the meme has become more mainstream. Some people responded to Bindel's tweet agreeing with her summary. Even British supermarket Sainsbury's has had a run-in with the meme.
However, people who use the term "Karen" say that it is not simply a catch-all for all middle-aged white women - and is, rather, dependent on a person's behaviour.
For example, writer Karen Geier - a Karen in the traditional sense - responded to Bindel: "As the only Karen replying to you: No. If you have a problem being called 'a Karen' then don't be one? I don't call the police on people or ask to speak to the manager. Very simple!"
So, when is a Karen not a Karen?
The Wall of Moms bloc in the current protest movement in Portland, Oregon is a good example of mainly middle-class, middle-aged white women explicitly not being Karens. Instead, the Wall of Moms are seen as using their privilege to protest against the very same systemic racism and classism that Karens actively seek to exploit.
Abhishek with dad Amitabh Bachchan (courtesy bachchan)
Highlights
Abhishek and Big B were admitted to the hospital on July 11
A troll commented on Abhishek's career citing Big B's COVID-19 diagnosis
Abhishek responded to the user in a few tweets
New Delhi:
Actor Abhishek Bachchan showed in tweet responses on Thursday how to shut down a troll with dignity and grace. The 44-year-old actor, currently in Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital with COVID-19 as is his father Amitabh Bachchan, spotted a tweet from a hater shaming his career - "Ab kiske bharose baith ke khaoge? Abhishek, with his typically subtle wit, tweeted back, "Philhaal toh let let ke kha rahe hai dono ek saath hospital mein (For now, we are both lying down and eating together in hospital)." Trolls don't usually get it - this one certainly didn't, replying that very few have the privilege of "let ke khana." Needled again, Abhishek responded, "I pray that you are never in a situation like ours and that you remain safe and healthy. Thank you for your wishes, ma'am."
Here are Abhishek Bachchan's Twitter exchanges with the troll:
Abhishek's response throws into even sharper relief the one made by his father, Amitabh Bachchan, earlier this week. Big B's blog entry with a threat couched in a Hindi cuss phrase against a hater who said the actor should "die of COVID-19" went viral - and was received largely with shock and dismay.
Abhishek Bachchan is often made a target by trolls who ridicule his career choices and his star lineage. In 2018, his response to a troll who mocked him for living with his parents went crazy viral.
Yes! And it's the proudest moment for me to be able to be there for them, as they have for me. Try it sometime, you might feel better about yourself.
In a recent post on "The Bachelor" star Madison Prewett’s Instagram, she asks her followers to finish the riddle "roses are red, violets are blue..." and whoever has the best punch line will receive a dinner date on her tab. Let's just say, submissions need to be closed, because Orioles rookie Adley Rutschman's reponse won hands down.
There were plenty of submissions as you can imagine, but it's clear we have a real winner here. Rutschman went all in trying to get Madi’s attention with his response being “roses are red, violets are blue.... I’ll change your name to Rutschman from Prew.” Smooth Adley, smooth. Hey, sometimes you gotta just shoot your shot.
Madi of course took notice, responding “woah this is moving really fast..... first I need to know how do u say that last name.” Rutschman came in swinging with the most epic response saying, “guess we will have something to talk about over dinner then😉.” I mean mic-drop, voting’s closed, we have ourselves a winner. Rutschman’s teammates were even there to back their guy up. Toby Welk, Darell Hernaiz, Craig Lewis and Johnny Rizer all added their two cents. Rizer came to the rescue helping Madi out saying Adley's last name is pronounced “rutch-man. Rolls right off the tongue.” Rizer, great friend, better teammate.
Still not convinced this relationship should happen? No worries, we’ll sell you on this one. For starters, his mom is not Barb Weber but instead seems like a precious gem of a woman. We all know from Peter Weber’s season of the Bachelor how much of a nightmare his mother was, and Rutschman’s mother Carol seems anything but. If Madi is still uncertain, she should check out Rutschman's Mother’s Day interview with Carol.
In addition to having a great relationship with his mom, Adley is obviously an athlete, which means the two would get along great as Madi has such a love for sports. Basketball in particular, seeing that her father Chad is the Director of Operations for the Auburn basketball team.
Now, not that you need anymore convincing but also the age gap between the two is just two years. It didn't work out with older men for Madi, so maybe younger is the way to go. Plus, they'll be able to actually relate to each other being in similar parts of their lives. Listen, it’s clear Rutschman won this thing fair and square, Madi. The only other thing we need from you are updates. For Bachelor fans, get ready to ship this new couple. And Orioles fans, the future is bright. This guy doesn’t hold back.
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That core idea — that the first Black president couldn’t possibly have been a real American, that electing Trump would in effect set things right by erasing from history the Obama presidency, which should have never happened — is particularly galling, but also worth remembering, in light of the stark contrast we just witnessed unfolding between these two men.
It is perversely fitting that President Trump issued his clearest statement of corrupt intent yet toward our elections on the same day that Obama delivered a eulogy for John Lewis, who was revered for his willingness to sacrifice his life to realize the full promise of American democracy for African Americans, and for all Americans.
Trump tweeted his usual lies about vote-by-mail, falsely claiming it will produce a “FRAUDULENT” result, and asked whether we should “delay the election until people can properly, securely and safely vote.”
Trump cannot postpone the election, and many Republicans rejected the idea. But in floating it, Trump again tried to dissuade states from scaling up safe voting options in pandemic conditions and sought to cast in advance any outcome in which he does not prevail as fundamentally illegitimate.
Trump also reminded us again that he intends to do all he possibly can — including manipulating the levers of government and even the machinery of our justice system — to corrupt the election and maintain his grip on power, regardless of the preferences of the American electorate.
In his eulogy for Lewis only a few hours later, Obama didn’t mention Trump. But Trump’s intentions towards this fall’s elections — and our democracy — were everywhere.
Obama also tore into the voter suppression tactics targeting Democratic and minority voters still in operation today — many put in place by GOP legislatures and egged on by Trump since. And Obama pilloried efforts to undermine the postal service “in the run-up to an election that’s going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don’t get sick.”
Trump is already undermining vote-by-mail just about every day — having unabashedly revealed that this is really about ensuring fewer people exercise their right to vote against Republicans, that is, against him.
“John Lewis devoted his time on this earth fighting the very attacks on democracy and what’s best in America that we’re seeing circulate right now,” Obama said. “That’s why John crossed that bridge. That’s why he spilled his blood.”
And Obama called for strengthened voting rights going forward, including a revitalized Voting Rights Act and the removal of all manner of barriers to participation. But Obama also acknowledged that too many people sit out our elections, limiting our democratic promise.
Obama recently let it be known that he fears two things about this fall: voter suppression, and Trump’s efforts to question the outcome’s legitimacy. It is an unsettling fact about this moment that Trump is currently engaged in both. They may commingle in a uniquely toxic way, if Trump declares premature victory on election day while raging that millions of outstanding mail ballots, mostly from Democrats, should not count.
And Trump has now telegraphed it once again with total clarity. It could ultimately mean large-scale civil violence, all to avoid accepting legitimate majoritarian defeat.
On the very same day, Obama signaled his faith that if the will of the majority is truly heard with minimal impediments, then Trump will be removed from office. Obama may or may not prove right about this.
But here’s what we know right now: Trump, too, fears that this is the case. He has made this absolutely clear again and again — and did so on the day of Lewis’s funeral — by leaving zero doubt of his willingness to remain in power via illegitimate means if necessary.
And so, by offering a full-throated affirmation of true majoritarian democracy in response, Obama posed a tacit question: Who’s the impostor now?
