How to blur peoples faces in protest photos — and why you should do it
2023-04-02 10:25:00author：dointy.com
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How to blur peoples faces in protest photos — and why you should do it
With mass protests taking place across the United States and abroad, social media safety is more important than ever.
Enormous crowds of people are gathering in cities around the country to protest racism and police brutality in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week. Photos and videos of these protests serve the very important purpose of documenting these actions as well as exposing police mistreatment of protestors. Posting them publicly, however, comes with its own risks.
For the safety of those involved, if you're going to take photos at protests, you should consider blurring or pixelating the faces of those protesting before sharing them with the world.
Thankfully, there are some easy ways to make this happen.
Why you should blur photos
In a word: Retaliation. It's no secret that the federal government likes to surveil anti-racism protests through social media. The Intercept(Opens in a new tab) and Vice(Opens in a new tab) both reported on government monitoring of protest movements through social media after the killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland, respectively.
Buzzfeed News(Opens in a new tab) reported Tuesday that the DEA has been granted authority to collect intelligence on protestors during this current wave of uprisings, too. This is all to say that anyone who shows up to a protest and has their face photographed is at risk of being tracked down by authorities if they feel so inclined.
Since the entire point of these protests is to end the unjust treatment of minorities by police, and end systemic racism more generally, it stands to reason that you should do what you can to protect those you photograph. You can still demonstrate the enormity of the moment without putting people exercising their First Amendment rights in harm's way.
How to blur photos
The good news is this isn't so tough to do on your own, even if you aren't a Photoshop wizard. A cursory Google search reveals plenty of free websites that can do it automatically or give you the tools to do it manually in a hurry. Facepixelizer(Opens in a new tab) is just one I found that seems to work pretty well. Encrypted messaging app Signal is also adding a blur tool.
The fine folks over at Motherboard(Opens in a new tab) recommended Image Scrubber(Opens in a new tab), developed by Everest Pipkin, for covering up faces in protest photos. Image Scrubber is great because, aside from letting you easily and manually blur out faces on either a computer or a phone, it scrubs metadata from photos, too. Photos you take contain hidden data such as the date, time, and potentially even location in which they were snapped. It's possible(Opens in a new tab) for someone to get that information if they really want it.
Load a photo into Image Scrubber and the first thing it does is list this data in plain text form. It also gives you the option to nuke it from your scrubbed photo. To test it out, I put a photo of my family's cat Max into the tool. Here is Max staring blankly into the distance, generally unaware of the world around him, as usual.
Max, unscrubbed.Credit: barb perry
After about two seconds of painting over Max's face with Image Scrubber's Microsoft Paint-like tools, the cat can no longer be recognized. It doesn't look professional, but it doesn't have to.
Max, scrubbed.Credit: alex perry / mashable
It only takes a few seconds to rid a photo of valuable metadata and blur out a face. Given the intensity of police response to these protests after less than a week, it can't hurt to do this with any photos you plan on sharing on your social feeds.
Even if everyone at a protest is acting well within their rights, they can still face retaliation. We've seen peaceful protestors get tear gassed(Opens in a new tab) for the sake of a presidential photo op just this week. It can't hurt to go the extra mile to protect strangers you photograph.
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Tiffany Haddish had the distinct honor of teaching Barbra Streisand all about Cardi B
The best way to get a conversation started at a party is to always bring up your favorite artist.
Tiffany Haddish posted a selfie with the iconic Barbra Streisand at a party on Saturday and they had a lot to talk about. But the conversation mostly revolved around the art of Cardi B.
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"Just so y'all know I taught my big sister about @CardiB_ today," Haddish tweeted(opens in a new tab).
The brave woman apparently took it upon herself to teach Babs everything about the chart-topping rapper. Sometimes even big sisters can learn a lot from little sisters.
The Girl's Trip actress even mentioned in a reply(opens in a new tab) to a fan that she taught Streisand a few verses and many are hoping to see a remix to "Bodak Yellow" very soon.
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Some fans are even looking for just the two actresses to collaborate with or without Cardi. A possible comedy in the making?
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No word from Barbra Streisand or Cardi B yet, but rest assured we'll be waiting for the reveal of a new remix (or a possible musical number) very soon.
The Trump family might not love Dictionary.coms word of the year
To say 2017 has been a rough year would be an understatement. If you need some proof of the struggle look no further than Dictionary.com's word of the year: Complicit(opens in a new tab).
On Monday the online dictionary announced(opens in a new tab) that the not-so-reassuring adjective is 2017's standout word because it's "indicative of larger trends that resonated throughout the year."
🙃 🙃 🙃 🙃 🙃
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Defined as "choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act," Dictionary.com said the word is associated with everything from Russia's involvement with the U.S. election and Trump's decision to opt out of the Paris Climate Agreement to the ever-growing sexual harassment allegations in today's society.
While the word could surely be applied to several 2017 events, many remember the word "complicit" making waves back in April after Ivanka Trump sparked a debate about whether or not she understood the meaning of the word.
In an interview with CBS, Gayle King asked Ivanka(opens in a new tab) about media reports calling her and her husband Jared "complicit." Ivanka casually replied, "I don't know what it means to be complicit," and naturally the internet had a field day.
"If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then I’m complicit," Ivanka went on.
FYI, girl — that's definitely not what the word means.
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After Ivanka's comments, Merriam-Webster Dictionary shared that "complicit" had become the top on-site lookup(opens in a new tab), referencing an SNL sketch from March that showed Ivanka (played by Scarlett Johansson) promoting her new perfume, called, "Complicit."
In the months since, the word has been associated with other aspects of Russia's involvement in U.S. politics — from Facebook ads to email scandals and more.
Complicity outside of Russia
“Lookups for the word complicit increased by nearly 300 percent in searches in 2017 as compared to 2016," Liz McMillan, CEO of Dictionary.com, said in a press release. But the curiosity wasn't solely pegged to the Trump administration and Russia.
Dictionary.com noted that by pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement and not taking enough action against climate change "many feel that we are all directly complicit in the worsening extreme weather patterns that continue to impact people across the globe."
In the entertainment industry and beyond, as more and more sexual assault allegations come to light, complicity of those who aided in the longtime coverups is being discussed. And as tragedies like the opioid epidemic(opens in a new tab) and mass shootings(opens in a new tab) raise important discussions, many argue that complicity can no longer be an option.
Though complicit isn't exactly a positive word, Dictionary.com also revealed some feel-good terms that trended throughout the year too.
Earlier in 2017, the world "intersex" trended thanks to model Hanne Gaby Odiele's open discussion(opens in a new tab), "shrinkage" trended because of a Seinfeld episode, and "tarnation" gained popularity from that famous meme(opens in a new tab), to name a few.
It seems not everything is bad.
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Outlander can teach other shows a valuable lesson about sex
This story contains spoilers for Outlander Season 3, episode 11, titled "Uncharted." To refresh your memory of where we left off, check out our episode 10 recap.
Period dramas often have an uncomfortable relationship with consent; whether the setting is fantasy or historical, creators have always used the subjugation of women as a way to emphasize the danger of the time or the irredeemable villainy of an antagonist (exhibit A: Game of Thrones).
But, as Variety's Mo Ryan points out in this searing essay on how TV treats rape(opens in a new tab), it has also become a narrative shortcut to provide drama and character development across genres, regardless of the setting.
Outlander isn't immune to this -- Claire Fraser can barely enter a building without some leering fiend trying to assault her – but in addition to being refreshingly sex-positive(opens in a new tab), the show has always tried to show the physical and emotional cost of sexual violence while also emphasizing the systemic inequality that created rape culture in the first place. It spends a lot of narrative real estate exploring the difficulties that women have always faced because they're treated as objects instead of equals, and the anxiety that some men feel (regardless of the time period), when women express opinions that conflict with their own, whether that's the Porpoise's crewmen side-eying Claire over her superior medical knowledge or Frank's colleagues scoffing at her political views.
Episode 11 explores that tension in fascinating ways; the (coco)nutty Father Fogden objectifies Claire in a manner that's not overtly threatening, but carries a subtle undercurrent of menace that any woman can immediately recognize. At first he seems sympathetic (if eccentric) because he's clearly never gotten over the death of his wife, but he soon starts projecting those protective and possessive urges onto Claire, dismissing her knowledge as a doctor (and her simple desire to leave) and prioritizing his own feelings – a classic sign of emotional abuse.
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It's telling that the other woman in Father Fogden's life, Mamacita, immediately senses the danger when he becomes too proprietary and, in her own subtle way, offers Claire an assist by demanding that she leave. Whether it's because she fears her daughter being replaced or, by womanly intuition, simply knows that no good can come of Father Fodgen fixating on Claire, she makes herself into an ally even when disguising herself as an enemy, utilizing the power she knows she has over the grieving priest to create the only escape route available to Claire in that moment.
Thankfully, fate and shallow shoals bring Claire and Jamie back together soon after, and, taking a page from Diana Gabaldon's book, their reunion presents another welcome opportunity to explore respect and consent.
First, Jamie balks at the prospect of administering a dose of penicillin to Claire when she's feverish – hesitant to do anything that would hurt her, and displaying clear deference to her superior skills as a doctor. Given that the whole season has been full of men trying to undermine Claire's knowledge, this moment is a refreshing sign of how far Jamie's come since Season 1, when he gave his new wife a spanking(opens in a new tab) rather than treating her as an equal – now he's perfectly secure in himself and his relationship, happy to acknowledge that there are plenty of things Claire knows more about than he does.
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This isn't the first time the show has gone out of its way to emphasize Claire's influence on Jamie; in Episode 8, when Jamie and Claire returned Young Ian to Lallybroch, Gabaldon's book saw Jamie flogging Young Ian as punishment (for both nephew and uncle -- since Jamie then asked Young Ian to flog him in return), but the show took a different tack, with Jamie suggesting that Ian do a menial chore instead.
"It was really to reflect Claire's influence on Jamie because yes, kids were beaten back then, but so were wives," executive producer Toni Graphia tells Mashable. "And when Jamie tried that on Claire, it didn't work. She ended up telling him, 'Don't lay a hand on me again. That's the only way we can stay together.' Jamie's learned something from Claire. Even though this was done to him as a child, and that was the way back then, she's shown him that maybe there're other ways to handle things, and this isn't the best way ... And so we chose that scene specifically to reflect Claire's influence on him."
It's a welcome reminder that Jamie and Claire are partners, and he's not prepared to perpetuate the same damaging behaviors that his forebears did, even if that behavior is expected from a man of his time. (It also speaks to the adaptation process, since some things that might be more tolerable on the page would almost certainly not land in the same way on screen, especially in today's pop culture climate.)
The same is true of how the show treats sex – in "Uncharted," Jamie initially tries to dissuade Claire from being intimate when it's clear that she's feverish, injured and a little drunk from the copious quantities of sherry in Mr. Willoughby's turtle soup, insisting that he doesn't want to "take advantage" when she's not in her right mind.
While plenty of shows have romanticized, laughed off or outright ignored drunken hook-ups between its characters, having Jamie vocalize the fact that Claire's faculties may be a little compromised is a way for Outlander to subtly emphasize the importance of consent(opens in a new tab), especially while someone's under the influence of alcohol. The script has him check in with her several times to make sure she really wants to have sex, lets her drive the action to emphasize her enthusiasm, and demonstrates that she has the presence of mind to physically bolt the door herself to give them privacy.
As The Daily Beast's Lauren Sarner pointed out in her review of Episode 4(opens in a new tab), Outlander always has consent on its mind in ways that other shows don't (and it certainly doesn't hurt that the show employs so many female writers and directors while many others don't). In that episode, Jamie also went out of his way to gain consent from Geneva Dunsany, even after she had blackmailed him into bed and was clearly taking advantage of the power imbalance between them.
That scene also featured both Jamie and Geneva asking permission to touch each other, with Geneva reclaiming her agency by admitting that she wanted her first time to be with a partner like Jamie, not the grotesque old man to whom she was being married off against her will.
As Caitriona Balfe said of the Jamie/Geneva scene in an interview with Marie Claire(opens in a new tab), "I think they approached it from the way of, 'This is a young woman who has decided she's going to take the decision into her own hands about who's going to be her first. I liked it that way because it gives all the power to her. I think that's possibly the only way that scene could have been written and worked out."
And when Claire and Jamie finally reunite in episode 6, even after 20 years apart, Jamie's first instinct isn't to treat his wife like his property and grab her as most men of his time would -- he specifically asks if he can kiss her, leading to one of the most romantic and well-earned moments in the show.
While the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones has added rape scenes(opens in a new tab) – and encounters with dubious consent – that didn't exist in George R. R. Martin's books, it's refreshing that Outlander is here to remind us how vital consent is, especially when so many famous men desperately need that reminder.
Outlander airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Starz.
Watch: 'Outlander' gave its opening credits a makeover
The United States of memes has something everyone can relate to
State pride is something we can all relate to -- except when you're actually home.
As millions of people traveled back home for Thanksgiving, people started to get real nostalgic for their home state. A far-too-relatable trend began, and eventually people of the United States realized that we all hate to love and love to hate our home state.
Here’s a little bit of hometown pride from all 50 states.
WeWork acquires Meetup as acquisition spree continues
UPDATE: Nov. 28, 2017, 8:03 a.m. EST This piece has been updated to reflect WeWork's official announcement that it acquired Meetup
WeWork's global empire continues to expand.
The $20 billion coworking startup is reportedly set to acquire social networking service Meetup, according to Crunchbase(opens in a new tab).
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Meetup CEO Scott Heiferman reportedly told employees about the acquisition on Monday, and mentioned a $30 million figure, but it's not clear "if that was an acquisition price, or a reference to expected investment into his company from the acquiring entity," according to Crunchbase.
WeWork confirmed the acquisition on Tuesday morning. The company said Meetup would continue to operate as a standalone company for now.
Launched in 2002, Meetup is a social networking service that allows users to organize meetings offline related to their shared interests and passions.
It's a logical union, seeing as WeWork offers rentable space for like-minded people to work on projects.
WeWork has been expanding steadily since launching in 2010 in New York City. Within seven years, WeWork has achieved so-called decacorn status — a startup worth more than $10 billion. In August this year, WeWork raised a whopping $4.4 billion in a funding round from SoftBank.
Between a $32 million investment in women's coworking space The Wing and plans for a private WeWork elementary school in New York, the company certainly isn't sitting on its hands.
WeWork currently has 150,000 members(opens in a new tab) across 171 locations in 18 countries. Meetup, on the other hand, boasts 32.3 million members(opens in a new tab) in 182 countries.
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Starbucks reveals an all new holiday cup, says it had nothing to do with that weird controversy
Here we go again people, Starbucks is back with a whole new holiday cup for your pleasure and enjoyment this season.
What is this? Like the third holiday cup this year?
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On Tuesday, the popular coffee chain revealed to the world its newest cup design right on the heels of an odd controversy regarding their previous red cup which showed two people holding hands.
Media outlets speculated that the hands belonged to a lesbian couple and apparently pushes a "gay agenda" onto consumers, according to Business Insider(opens in a new tab).
Credit: starbucks
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Starbucks had another holiday-colored ace up its sleeve and redirected the attention onto this new cup design. It sheds a deserving light on their continuous charity efforts for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
"The new red cup is one of the many surprises we’ve had in store for our customers this holiday season," a Starbucks spokesperson told Mashable. "There have always been two cups planned for this holiday season. This year, we intentionally designed our cups so our customers can interpret them in their own way."
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According to the spokesperson, by introducing this new cup, Starbucks is encouraging costumers to recognize those who embody goodness during the holiday season by writing the person's name in the heart of the cup.
Starbucks also plans to give away $25,000 grants to 27 lucky winners of a new "Upstanders Challenge" contest. The contest recognizes benevolent individuals and groups who selflessly give back to their communities.
Additionally, on World Aids Day, Dec. 1, Starbucks will also donate 25 cents to the Global Fund for each holiday-themed beverage sold including the Peppermint Mocha, Toasted White Chocolate Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte and Eggnog Latte.
"This year marks the 20th anniversary of Starbucks holiday cups and it’s a ritual for many that’s as beloved as that first sip of Peppermint Mocha," the spokesperson said.
No one could make sense of the optical illusion dog. Can you?
The eye can often be fooled by simple things like the manipulation of light, a change of angles, or a beloved pet.
Even a photo of what looks like a wildly-deformed dog can mess with your mind.
And it can also send the web into a frenzy.
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Reddit user, chadwalk(opens in a new tab) posted a photo last week with the title, “Optical Illusion Dog”.
Credit: via Reddit user Chadwalk
At first its hard to decipher what exactly you’re supposed to be looking at. There's a dog at the front of the picture and the dog in the back looks like its in position that couldn't possibly make any sense.
Comment(opens in a new tab) from discussion Optical Illusion Dog(opens in a new tab).
Comment(opens in a new tab) from discussion Optical Illusion Dog(opens in a new tab).
The folks over at Reddit decided to dive deep into the rabbit hole that is the, optical illusion dog.
What the people eventually discovered was the pup actually had its head tilted. One user uploaded a photo diagram to try and make sense of the illusion.
CARD ID: 297025, CARD TYPE: Imgur
Comment(opens in a new tab) from discussion Optical Illusion Dog(opens in a new tab).
Someone also made a gif to try and help people who might have still been a bit confused.
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The people came together to finally figure out the dog illusion. We can now rest.
Parks and Rec couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullallys Twitter exchange is what true love is
That's right, Ron and Tammy are still going strong.
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Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally may play a monstrously dysfunctional couple in Parks and Recreation, but in real life they have been together for 18 years -- a fact they both celebrated yesterday on Twitter.
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Eighteen years is a long time, but going by Megan Mullally's current pinned tweet (which went up two years ago) that doesn't mean they've stopped adventuring as a couple.
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Unsurprisingly the Parks and Recreation fandom expressed their joy at the news.
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So congratulations to Offerman and Mullally, may your love never resemble your on-screen romance.
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The Weeknd finally deleted Selena Gomez from his social media
Just as one relationship blooms in England, another disastrously crumbles right here in America.
We're sad to announce that the The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) and Selena Gomez are now, for real, no more - both romantically and on social media, according to E! News(opens in a new tab). They broke up just about a month ago, but we all know that a relationship isn't really over until one person scrubs all proof of it from your Instagram.
Star Boy has officially done just that and also pressed the unfollow button.
Tragic.
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Selena Gomez and The Weeknd have allegedly ended their relationship after 10 months
The couple began their romance back in January of 2017 and announced their split after rumors swirling regarding Gomez and Justin Bieber getting back together and rekindling their relationship. Those rumors, of course, turned out to be true.
Obviously the Weeknd didn't take too kindly to the news and began his unfollow spree quickly and quietly unfollowing not only Gomez but her friends and family as well.
Meanwhile, Selena still has plenty photos of them together during their 10-month relationship.
A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)(opens in a new tab) on
A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)(opens in a new tab) on
A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)(opens in a new tab) on
Gomez might erase the photos once and for all and replace them with her former ex and new beau, Bieber. But, as of now, it seems as though The Weeknd is completely over and done with no sign (or photo) of looking back.
His next album will most likely have us all in our feelings mourning over the loss of such a great musical duo.
Although, if there's one thing we know it's that all of this is just very exhausting.
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All American Airlines pilots got Christmas off thanks to a computer glitch
For American Airlines, a holiday scheduling fail is a nightmare before Christmas.
With Christmastime travel one of the busiest times of the year(opens in a new tab), it's not a good look when all your pilots are taking a holiday break. But that's exactly what happened when a computer glitch for scheduling left thousands of flights pilot-less during the holiday period.
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The American Airlines pilot union, Allied Pilots, said(opens in a new tab) in a statement that American "disclosed a failure within the pilot schedule bidding system" on Friday. This week American is reportedly offering 1.5 pay to make up for the dearth of pilots.
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The union wrote in its statement(opens in a new tab) that the premium pay on offer isn't guaranteed, and the group charges that the "solution" is a contract violation.
We've reached out to American Airlines for comment about the glitch.
For passengers, this could mean a lot of cancellations if pilots aren't lured by the higher pay. Looking at last week's Thanksgiving numbers, that could spoil a lot of holiday cheer.
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Ah, this really is the most wonderful time of the year.
UPDATE Wednesday, Nov. 29, 12:34 p.m. PT: American Airlines said in a statement it expects to "avoid cancellations" during the holidays despite the scheduling glitch. Between reserve pilots and paying pilots 150 percent of their hourly rate, the airlines hopes to fill open trips.
Here's the full statement: “We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season. We have reserve pilots to help cover flying in December, and we are paying pilots who pick up certain open trips 150 percent of their hourly rate – as much as we are allowed to pay them per the contract. We will work with the APA to take care of our pilots and ensure we get our customers to where they need to go over the holidays.”
UPDATE Thursday, Nov. 30, 9:26 a.m. PT: In an updated statement American Airlines assured passengers that scheduled flights throughout December are not likely to be canceled. As of Thursday morning the airline said "only a few hundred" flights were still unassigned to pilots -- out of 200,000 December flights.
Here's the company's full statement:
Out of the 200,000 flights American will operate in December, only a few hundred are currently unassigned to pilots. That number of open flights continues to decrease thanks to our pilots who are stepping up to the plate and picking up trips to ensure customers are taken care of. It’s another example of why we are thankful to have such an incredible team. In addition, we have more reserve pilots on hand in December than normal months and they provide us with the ability to fly many of the trips that are currently uncovered. We have not canceled any scheduled flights in December and will continue to work to ensure both our pilots and our customers are cared for.
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The internet is deathly afraid of this year's White House Christmas decorations
Melania Trumps cyberbullying pamphlets look A LOT like Obamas
Melania Trump stepped into her role as First Lady on Monday and launched BE BEST, an initiative to "help our children manage the many issues they are facing today."
BE BEST seeks(opens in a new tab) to reinforce healthy behavior on social media in kids, reminding them to "choose their words wisely and speak with respect and compassion."
If you look past the irony -- the New York Times has a running list(opens in a new tab) of all the people, places, and things the president has insulted over Twitter -- BE BEST seems like an overall positive initiative.
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Its materials are also really similar to one that was published during the Obama administration.
BuzzFeed's Ryan Macc pointed out some the similarities between the material. According to BE BEST's website, "Talking with Kids About Being Online(opens in a new tab)" is "a booklet by First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission."
Its cover is nearly identical the cover for "NET CETERA(opens in a new tab)," a booklet the Federal Trade Commission released in January 2014.
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They're not exactly the same -- "NET CETERA" features some very 2014 looking phones. The phone icon for 2018's booklet depicts a sleek iPhone-looking device instead of a clunky generic smartphone.
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At least the Trump administration has some original content in their booklet. The 2014 version about sexting explains that kids could be "breaking the law if they create, forward, or even save this kind of message."
The 2018 version says the exact same thing, except its header was updated with: "Sexting: Don't Do It."
2014's pamphlet section about sextingCredit: screengrab via Federal trade commission
The 2018 pamphlet section about sexting: Don't do it!Credit: screengab via the white house
Granted, "Talking to Kids About Being Online" includes some personal touches from the first lady.
The 2018 booklet even includes this nice signed note from Melania herself! It encourages anyone who has a "young person in [their] life" to "communicate your values clearly so your kids can make thoughtful decisions when they face tricky situations."
Does the first lady remind her husband of these values? We just want to know.
The 2018 booklet includes a note from Melania Trump.Credit: screengrab via the white house
Of course, this wouldn't mean so much if President Trump didn't use every opportunity to bash the Obama administration and everything it accomplished.
A spokesperson for the First Lady told NBC News the FTC approached FLOTUS to include the pamphlet as a resource.
"The FTC approached us to include this as a good resource and we were happy to do so. It is a government resource, which is meant to be distributed," a spokesperson told NBC.
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This isn't the first time that people have noticed similarities between the two administrations. In 2016, Melania Trump was accused of plagiarizing a 2008 speech by Michelle Obama.
The Trump campaign didn't deny the accusations. In a statement(opens in a new tab), the campaign said Melania's team of writers "included fragments that reflected her own thinking."
UPDATE: May 8, 2018, 9:40 a.m. PDT: The White House released a statement on Tuesday, claiming Melania is using BE BEST to help distribute the pamphlet. As reported by BuzzFeed(opens in a new tab), the White House also change some of the language on its site, describing the pamphlet as "a booklet by First Lady Melania Trump and the FTC" to "a FTC booklet, promoted by first lady Melania Trump" after inquiries from the media on the First Lady's involvement.
After giving a strong speech that was met with a standing ovation and positive feedback, the focus from opposition media has been on an educational booklet, “Talking with Kids About Being Online” produced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2009. Mrs. Trump agreed to add Be Best branding and distribute the booklet in an effort to use her platform to amplify the positive message within. As she said in yesterday’s speech, she is going to use Be Best to promote people and organizations to encourage conversation and replication, and helping the FTC distribute this booklet is just one small example.
LeBron fires back at Laura Ingraham after she told him to Shut up and dribble
As America veers toward a Constitutional crisis, Fox News host Laura Ingraham is placing the blame not on Donald Trump but on ... LeBron James?
On Thursday, Ingraham dedicated a whole segment of her show to James, enjoining the player to "shut up and dribble" on the grounds that he wasn't "educated" enough to speak about politics. Last night, LeBron finally responded on Instagram with a pithy and forceful photo.
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"#Wewillnotshutupanddribble," Lebron wrote in the caption below.
#wewillnotshutupanddribble(opens in a new tab)
A post shared by LeBron James(opens in a new tab) (@kingjames) on
In a segment about Donald Trump, Ingraham said Lebron James and Kevin Durant's recent comments about the president were "barely intelligible." James had recently shared a clip on his video platform, UNINTERRUPTED(opens in a new tab), where he and Durant criticized the president, comparing him to a bad coach in basketball.
"Must they run their mouths like that?" Ingraham said, in what many are interpreting to be some kind of dog whistle. "This is what happens when you attempt to leave high school a year early to join the NBA. And it's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball."
The segment continued:
“You’re great players but no one voted for you,” she added, addressing Mr. James and Mr. Durant directly. “Millions elected Trump to be their coach. So keep the political commentary to yourself, or as someone once said, shut up and dribble.”
Ingraham later released a statement and denied any racial intent in her remarks: "defamatory charges of racism are a transparent attempt to immunize entertainment and sports elites from scrutiny and criticism."
Philadelphia Eagles lineman Chris Long responded by posting a series of tweets featuring Fox News hosts interviewing celebrities and athletes for their political opinions.
I’ll be replying to my own tweet with a collage of your network allowing political commentary from a few folks. https://t.co/WUGl1WQSLE(opens in a new tab)
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018(opens in a new tab)
ANACONDA GUY pic.twitter.com/FwutOPeBPH(opens in a new tab)
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018(opens in a new tab)
MUSICIAN pic.twitter.com/vb2d9UIFRC(opens in a new tab)
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) February 16, 2018(opens in a new tab)
In other tweets, Long featured Fox News appearances by Chuck Norris, Curt Schilling, Clint Eastwood, Fabio, and Joe Namath.
Durant also responded(opens in a new tab) on Friday night:
"Ignorance is something I try to ignore. That was definitely an ignorant comment,” Durant said of Ingraham's segment.
“I do play basketball, but I am a civilian and I am a citizen of the United States, so my voice is just as loud as hers, I think – or even louder."
We await President Trump's completely unsolicited tweet on the situation.
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To avoid censorship for the spread of COVID-19 misinformation, anti-vax groups on Facebook have begun coding their messages with the carrot emoji, according to a report from the BBC. The emoji is used in place of the word "vaccine" to avoid the wrath of Facebook's automated moderator algorithms.
The BBC reports(Opens in a new tab) that these groups often share unverified claims of people being killed or injured by the COVID-19 vaccine. One group with over 200,000 members states in its rules that members must "use code words for everything" and that posters cannot "use the c word, v word or b word ever" (covid, vaccine, booster).
SEE ALSO:
On Substack, COVID misinformation is allowed to flourish
According to the BBC, the algorithm the Meta-owned platform uses for moderation tends to focus on words, not images. This is unsurprising news. Back in July 2021, a Bloomberg report detailed how social media algorithms perform poorly in detecting abuse through emojis.
Marc Owen Jones, a disinformation researcher and associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, was invited to join one such group and shared the group's "very odd" attempt to evade censorship. "Initially I was a little confused," Jones said in a tweet. "And then it clicked - that it was being used as a way of evading, or apparently evading, Facebook's fake news detection algorithms."
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"My sister, 57, rushed to the hospital with breathing problems. She has two 🥕🥕 and the b🥕," one poster wrote. Another wrote, "My uncle 55 , brain tumor after 🥕🥕." Based on Jones' screenshots, a common theme in these posts is users blaming health problems associated with getting older on the COVID vaccine.
Users in that thread also pointed out some other emojis that anti-vax groups would use, like the 🍺 emoji(Opens in a new tab) (booster / booze-ster) or the 🍎 emoji(Opens in a new tab) back when the CDC started allowing kids to be vaccinated.
A cursory search on Twitter of "🥕 covid"(Opens in a new tab) will bring up hundreds of tweets in French posted by users adorning the carrot in their display names. A Google translation of some of these tweets shows users questioning the validity of COVID-19 vaccine measurements put in place by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Social Media's Auto-Moderation Problem
The use of emojis as code for something more sinister is not new. And not in a darkly funny crab emoji way but in an "I'm trying to be slick about my bigotry" kind of way.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have come under fire in the past for lackluster responses in stopping racist abuse toward Black soccer players(Opens in a new tab). Internet trolls would post emojis of monkeys and bananas as racist gestures using imagery often associated with racist stereotypes of Black people.
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Another way bad actors get away with spreading falsehoods and hate across the internet involves the use of word camouflage. In a research study(Opens in a new tab) by Ana Romero-Vicente, a researcher with EU DisinfoLab, this technique involves the subtle tweaking of keywords so that they are "understandable for users while remaining undetected to social networks’ content moderation systems." For example, "v4c11ne" would mean "vaccine."
SEE ALSO:
Meta Oversight Board finds plenty of flaws with Facebook's content moderation
Romero states that tackling this phenomenon of word camouflaging is a complex task that requires blocking lists on social media to be constantly re-evaluated and optimize to achieve a delicate balance between misinformation and content that doesn't violate the rules.
Facebook for its part is actively attempting to shut down groups that try to spread vaccine information. The platform's Help Center(Opens in a new tab) states that it will remove "Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are experimental if the context of the claim also suggests that vaccinated people are taking part in a medical experiment," and "Claims that COVID-19 vaccines kill or seriously harm people."
This talk of moderating COVID content may be moot, however. Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs wrote in July(Opens in a new tab) that he questioned whether "the time is right for us to seek input from the Oversight Board about our measures to address COVID-19 misinformation, including whether those introduced in the early days of an extraordinary global crisis remains the right approach for the months and years ahead." In other words, Meta may soon stop trying to take down anti-vax content altogether.
Protesters shine torches, lights onto the Sydney Opera House
More than 1,000 protesters, armed with torches, flashlights and smartphones, shone lights on the sails of the Sydney Opera House in Australia on Tuesday night.
Protesters sought to obscure a promotion for a horse racing event called The Everest, after the state of New South Wales' government strong-armed its way(opens in a new tab) into ensuring the projection on the building would take place.
SEE ALSO: Why putting crisp packs in mail boxes as an act of protest isn't as effective as you'd think
The Sydney Opera House has a policy in which logos, corporate identities or colours are forbidden from being projected onto its sails, as to not undermine its heritage status.
"Unless for a specific artistic purpose in relation to Sydney Opera House, text or slogans will not be permitted," the policy reads.
Police watch protesters shining lights onto the Opera House sails.Credit: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
Despite resistance from the Sydney Opera House's CEO Louise Herron, which culminated in a controversial radio interview(opens in a new tab), and more than 300,000 petition signatures(opens in a new tab) against the promotion from the public, the projection went ahead.
Protesters pointed their torches and flashlights at the sails, where horse numbers, colours and a logo for The Everest would be projected, in an attempt to wash it out.
They were unhappy with the use of the much-loved Opera House as a billboard for gambling, and the government being lobbied by the racing industry and sections of the media(opens in a new tab) into ensuring the promotion would be displayed.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, previously the director of Tourism Australia, defended State Premier Gladys Berejiklian's deal with Racing NSW, calling the Opera House "the biggest billboard Sydney has."
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Loud boos and chants rang from the base of the Opera House when the projection took place, and could be heard from a distance.
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Across the water, the lights managed to partially wash out the projection.
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Although the projection was still largely visible, it was clear that protesters had crashed the party.
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The 49ers, Kaepernicks last NFL team, criticized for Blackout Tuesday post
The San Francisco 49ers — the NFL franchise that infamously helped push Colin Kaepernick out of the league — posted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and used the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday in a tweet on Tuesday.
Folks were obviously pretty quick to point out the hypocrisy.
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Kaepernick, when he was in the NFL, started a high-profile peaceful protest against police brutality and the oppression of black people in America. He took a knee during the national anthem, which enraged certain subsets of Americans — most notably the president of the United States.
Now the nation is embroiled in massive, widespread anti-racism protests after police in Minneapolis killed George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Blackout Tuesday, an initiative started by the music industry, involved people posting black squares on social media. The initiative immediately led to controversy over whether it was really useful. (Mashable has a guide here on how you can make an actually help, if you choose to participate.)
SEE ALSO:
How to demand justice for George Floyd and support Minneapolis protesters
Kaepernick hasn't been signed to an NFL team since 2017 despite, by all objective(Opens in a new tab) and statistical measures(Opens in a new tab), being more than good enough to earn a job.
And while the QB technically opted out of his 49ers contract back in 2017, the organization has flatly admitted(Opens in a new tab) they made it clear to Kaepernick they intended to cut him. Since then, he hasn't been afforded any real chance at rejoining the league, leading to the widespread belief that he's been blackballed by the NFL.
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San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York has claimed the franchise(Opens in a new tab) didn't encourage other teams to steer clear of Kaepernick.
"We had no negative conversations with other teams saying, 'Don't sign Colin,'" York said on Freakonomics Radio's The Hidden Side of Sports in 2018. "We wouldn't do that with Colin. We wouldn't do that with anybody."
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Lots of folks aren't buying the 49ers' public comments, though.
Eric Reid, Kaepernick's former teammate who kneeled alongside him, wrote on Twitter(Opens in a new tab): "I think you meant Blackball Tuesday...I digress." Reid is currently a free agent.
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Forget Shark Week, it’s Bark Week on Mashable. Join us as we celebrate all the good dogs, which we humans do not deserve.
When it all becomes too much, it's important to have an outlet.
Sure, yoga is good, and reading a good book is nice. But we're here to talk about the greatest activity of all: looking at fluffy dogs. Not just regular fluffy dogs, either. We're talking very fluffy dogs. Like, dogs whose Embark tests would probably come back "100 percent cotton ball."
SEE ALSO:
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You're in luck! Here are a bunch of them. Please enjoy.
A chow chow sticking out its purple tongue
dog pet chow chow; Shutterstock ID 1060882775; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / BIGANDT.COM
A rough collie flaunting its gorgeous coat
Long haired gold rough collie looking forward to play at park; Shutterstock ID 524098534; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / kanashi
A Pomeranian: 90% fur and 10% dog
PomeranianCredit: Richard Stabler/Getty Images
A beautiful keeshond lounging in tall grass
Deutscher wolfspitz is sitting in a green grass. Keeshond or german spitz.; Shutterstock ID 1131973280; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / Tikhomirov Sergey
Two Samoyeds blending seamlessly into the snowy background
Purebred Samoyed dog outdoors in a Sunny winter day.; Shutterstock ID 774050992; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / Nikolay_Alekhin
A pile of fur. Perhaps there is a dog underneath
little pomeranian puppy ; Shutterstock ID 1121352383; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / NASTIA KHITIAEVA
A Newfoundland puppy sporting an interesting hairdo
Wet Newfoundland puppy dog outdoor portrait at ocean beach; Shutterstock ID 1098725033; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / everydoghasastory
A smiling Schipperke hanging out among the flowers
Summer outdoors portrait of beautiful cute black German miniature spitz. Fluffy, smiling pomeranian dog sitting with background of meadow flowers. Adorable little pom outdoors on hot sunny day; Shutterstock ID 1123185548; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / Lisjatina
A stoic coton de tulear
A purebred Coton de Tulear dog without leash outdoors in the nature on a sunny day.; Shutterstock ID 339633200; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / BIGANDT.COM
A blue merle Shetland sheepdog who loves to soak up the sun(opens in a new tab)
Outdoors portrait of cute and fluffy blue merle shetland sheepdog male. Gray little sheltie, obedient lassie dog with sable and white markings lies outdoors on sunny summer day; Shutterstock ID 1136969147; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / Lisjatina
A tufty Tibetan mastiff, whose eyes will see straight into your soul and heal what ails you
Tibetan mastiff dog puppy; Shutterstock ID 1133504642; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / olena2552
And a Pomeranian-husky mix who is grouchy, but still good (A mood)
Cute pomsky mini husky puppy standing looking at the camera seen from the side on a white background; Shutterstock ID 1034633875; Project Name: ; Requested By: ; Client/Licensee: Credit: Shutterstock / MirasWonderland
People are celebrating Lunar New Year by dressing up their dogs
Friday is Lunar New Year, and people are ringing the Year of the Dog by celebrating their pups.
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Each lunar year is based on one of the 12 Zodiac signs. In celebrating 2018's Year of the Dog, people are dressing up their pets for the most precious photoshoots.
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Some people were just happy that all of the Valentine's Day nonsense was finally over, like Twitter user @henryevil, who posted this adorable picture of their corgi surrounded by plush firecrackers and a fake orange plant. In Chinese culture, oranges represent good fortune. It looks like this corgi is ready for a prosperous year!
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Unfortunately, not all of the dogs dressed for the new year celebrations were happy about it, like this stressed pup dressed in a traditional lion dance costume usually seen at Chinese parades.
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Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in East and South Asian countries, and is based on the Lunisolar calendar. It typically falls between Jan. 20 and Feb. 20, and marks the first new moon of the year. Festivities include bright parades, an abundance of food, and lots of red.
And this year, festivities include celebrating man's best friend.
Sir Ian McKellen recorded a very sweet video for Sir Patrick Stewarts 80th birthday
Sir Patrick Stewart promised us another sonnet on his 80th birthday, and you'd better believe he delivered.
Or at least, his BFF did (with a little help from Stewart's wife, Sunny Ozell).
"Sunny and my team took over for my birthday, and arranged this gift for today's reading," Stewart wrote on Twitter on Monday, posting a video not from his own armchair, but that of his dear friend. "Sonnet 81 by Ian McKellen. Thank you, dear Ian."
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"A very happy birthday, dear Patrick," says McKellen at the end of the video, after he's finished his reading the sonnet dedicated to his friend. "Lots of love, Ian."
SEE ALSO:
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That sonnet is the latest in Stewart's ongoing series, in which he tries to read a Shakespeare sonnet every day during the coronavirus pandemic (he started the project back in March, and aside from a few breaks, he's been going strong ever since).
The official Disney Twitter account posted a weirdly dark tweet and people are confused
Disney is known for its family-friendly messages and wholesome content -- or at least they used to be.
Even when trying to be relatable across social media, they usually keep their messages light(opens in a new tab) and funny(opens in a new tab). If their posts get moodier(opens in a new tab), they're still not at the level of internet nihilism that Twitter is known for.
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On Sunday, however, the official Disney account (opens in a new tab)posted a very, uh, un-Disney-like tweet (which has since been, unfortunately, removed) with the text "when someone compliments you, but you're dead inside" over a gif of Pinocchio's lifeless puppet body.
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This isn't completely atypical social behavior for other brands, but seeing dark internet humor on the usually wholesome Disney account prompted some very confused reactions from fans.
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People were shocked to see that this came from the actual verified Disney account and not a meme account.
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Others just plain thought it was hilarious.
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Some were more compassionate, offering love and support to the Disney twitter.
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This was most likely an attempt by Disney to be more relatable to the disillusioned social media generation, but given the company's history -- focusing on listening to dreams, following hearts, and making wishes on stars -- it was certainly a bit startling to see their new take on life.
Disney's decision to delete the tweet is honestly a bit of a disappointment. Bleak, insecure, millennial-speaking Disney looked like it was going to be an exciting direction for the company.
But, hey, at least we got the comfort of seeing a brief glimpse of the truth behind the cheery outer facade? Even positive and enthusiastic Disney has hidden insecurities, apparently.
We reached out to Disney for comment, but have not yet heard back.
UPDATE: April 9, 2018, 11:22 a.m. EDT This article has been modified to include updates about Disney’s deletion of the tweet.
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What to do when you get stuck in a masturbation rut
May is National Masturbation Month, and we're celebrating with Feeling Yourself, a series exploring the finer points of self-pleasure.
When it comes to getting off, we all know the quickest way to get the job done.
Being intimately acquainted with the fastest route to giving yourself an orgasm can be a wonderful thing. And if it ain't broke don't fix it — there's certainly nothing bad about masturbating the same way over and over again. As Dr Britney Blair, licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of Lover: the Sexual Wellness App, says: "there’s nothing wrong with having a go-to location, position, technique, and fantasy."
But if you feel like you're stuck in a bit of a rut when it comes to your onanistic routine, and you want to shake things up a bit, we've some, uhh, handy advice for you.
Know the facts
If you've heard the term "death grip syndrome"(Opens in a new tab) and are concerned that gripping your penis in a very tight clench while self-pleasuring might be causing you difficulties in orgasming during partnered sex, it's important to know there is some disagreement over the legitimacy and prevalence of this issue. Death grip is not a recognised medical condition(Opens in a new tab) and there is little research into the largely anecdotally reported phenomenon. But there are plenty of articles online with advice for people(Opens in a new tab) exhibiting symptoms of desensitisation due to masturbating with large amounts of pressure and grip.
While we're on this topic, if you're worried that masturbating with a vibrator is giving you "dead vagina syndrome"(Opens in a new tab) or a loss in sensitivity, gynaecologists say(Opens in a new tab) there is "no medical evidence that dead vagina syndrome is a real condition." So, use your clit suckers and vibrators with abandon.
Change how you think about solo sex
A change in mindset can also go a long way. Duchess Iphie, who is a sex, intimacy and relationship strategist, says the best way to get unstuck from a routine is to change how we think about masturbation. "Thinking of it as self-pleasure as opposed to self-touch enables you to be open to the idea of introducing toys, changing the intensity, speed and pressure of touching yourself," says Iphie.
Variety is the spice of life. So, if you find yourself getting a bit bored of masturbating in the same old way you usually do, think about the ways you can introduce some new sensations. Duchess Iphie suggests touching parts of your body beyond your genitals. "Explore other areas of your body that feel sensual and sensitive, such as your breasts, thighs, mouth and any other sites that may be undiscovered," says Iphie. "Don't focus on just the penis or vagina. Remember to stimulate all your senses during self-pleasure to get maximum enjoyment, pleasure and orgasm without feeling pressured to share that with anyone else."
Introducing toys if you typically masturbate with your hands is another way to switch things up. Dr Blair says: "If you have a vulva, using different toys or sometimes just touching yourself so you don’t get acclimated to one sensation." And if you're not sure where to begin, here's a guide to some of the best sex toys on the market.
Switch positions or locations
While Ariana Grande's song "Positions" doesn't appear to be a masturbation anthem (though she should really consider writing one), "switchin' them positions" is a great shout when it comes to jazzing things up. Cara Thien, founder of sexual wellness CBD brand Dani Pepper, recommends trying out some new masturbation positions.
SEE ALSO:
What to do when your soul is too tired to even get off post-pandemic
"Standing, on your knees, even bent over on the kitchen counter. And be adventurous. Masturbation doesn't need to be confined to the bedroom, change your location," says Thien. "Light some candles and get comfy in the living room. Just get out of your 'normal' masturbation space."
Try edging
Edging(Opens in a new tab) — which is also known as "surfing," "orgasm training," and "peaking" — is a technique that involves bringing yourself (or a partner) to the brink of orgasmic inevitability and then stopping. You then take a few breaths and start again until you feel like you're about to come. As Duchess Iphie explains, "this is where you stop stroking when you feel yourself reaching an orgasm, take a few breaths and then start again till you feel ready to orgasm."
Slow things right down
If you've got accustomed to masturbating very quickly because you don't have much alone time or privacy, it might be time for a change of pace. Know that you can play around with pace and rhythm during your solo sex session too. "Take your time, enjoy the moment. Start slow, find a rhythm, increase your intensity, then slow down and begin again. Repeat until you just can't stop," says Thien.
There's nothing wrong with sticking to a routine when it comes to masturbation. But if you feel in the mood for a change, there are plenty of options available to you. Most importantly of all, enjoy yourself!
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