A New "Free Speech" Competitor to Twitter
I announced in my latest social media digest post, I retired my 7-year-old @raguillem Twitter account over suspensions but started up a new @raguillemette account with new personal objectives. That being said I just discovered a new microblogging "free speech" platform via a recent email at parler.com. So I joined last night (@rguillem), so just a little introduction based on my initial impression: a parley is the equivalent of an original tweet; they distinguish comments/replies from parleys. Parleys/comments can be up to 1000 (vs. 280) characters long and apparently you can be down-voted as well as up-voted/liked. One thing is clear: this platform seems to be dominated by conventional GOP partisans/Trumpkins, etc. with a smattering of libertarian/conservatives. One of my first comments was critical of Trump's threat to veto any defense appropriation bill over renaming of military bases. (Hint: just guess what my next blog rant is likely to be about...) I found myself overnight up-voted 3, down-voted 9, with various adversarial comments; Parler apparently allows others to block and mute you just like Twitter, and it appears in most cases, I couldn't counter-comment. I've sometimes encountered hit-and-run tactics like that on Twitter, but it appears that right-winger's embrace of free speech is just as disingenuously tolerant as progressives'.
COVID-19 Shutdown Diary
My first cousin once removed, my cousin's RN daughter who got infected with COVID-19 some weeks back and recovered is still doing well (you know she was heading back into harm's way).I am concerned about the COVID-19 surge in Texas; 5 of my 6 younger siblings now live in Texas, plus my Mom, not to mention a simple majority of my nephews and nieces.
The political nonsense continues. I'm working on a separate blogpost rant on Trump, but it's hard to fathom how a politician could screw up the pandemic worse. I've been one person trying to defend the GOP against charges of being anti-science, etc., when you hear some Trumpkin repeat the talking point that the increased case statistics are an artifact of testing. Dude, no! Increasing pandemic-high utilization of Texas hospitals is not a sign of the pandemic under control! Positivity test rates doubling over the past 2 months, same thing! Trump, who did virtually nothing about a government monopoly over testing (versus South Korea, which quickly solicited the private marketing, seems to have no clue how testing is part of a containment status. Only recently has he consented to wearing a face mask, in part as staffers were continuing to test positive. He's used the pandemic to justify a halt to immigration, and his own ICE is cracking down on foreign students whose colleges won't offer in-person regulation, even as the EU is not allowing American entry based on the US' globally high infection base. He's pushed to hold political rallies and just recently threatened to cut off schools from federal money if they don't open up this fall. (The feds fund about 8% of public school budgets through the states.)
Entertainment Notes
In WWE the biggest news involves Keith Lee, the North American title holder of color, defeating long-tenured heel NXT champ Adam Cole. He's surprisingly agile for a big man (over 300 lbs.) I've liked others, like now-retired Mark Henry, a freakishly strong wrestler who unfortunately had some bad gimmicks like "Sexual Chocolate". Since many of the wrestling shows during the COVID-19 crisis are taped in advance, Lee's win had been leaked, and WWE management was furious. I halfway expected them to film another finish to swerve the leak. There had been some discussion Cole's contract was winding down or he might be called up to one of the main rosters (Raw or Smackdown). They're already hinting at another challenge to Lee, so I don't think they'll prolong the Cole program with the obligatory rematch.Hallmark Channel will switch batons with HMM on the Christmas in July promotion this weekend. I did see 3 of my favorites on HMM during the run:
- Christmas with Holly
- A Boyfriend for Christmas
- Holiday Engagement
I was mildly surprised because the latter two usually play on HC under its romantic comedy umbrella. So I'm mildly interested in if some of these or other favorites show up on Hallmark.
But let's be clear: I'm eagerly waiting the start of baseball due to return over the next couple of week
