Is the horribly run Twitter up for sale?

The progressive liberal social justice warriors at the helm have done nothing except lose billions of dollars for shareholders in every quarter since day one of becoming a publicly traded company.


Of course Twitters founders and the investment bankers who rolled out the initial public offering made billions of dollars.

Shadowbanning sucks! It's Rather Orwellian

by Kim D. 

Are you feeling neglected on Twitter? Did your followers stop chatting with you? If so, you might be shadowbanned.

@PastorFrisbie @JHolmsted pic.twitter.com/9PMov4l9nT

— Kim (Not a Bot) (@JBaileysMom) September 23, 2016

According to the article "Twitter Meets Orwell," 

Twitter has introduced a brave new way of screwing with users, which some have taken to calling shadowbanning.

Basically, this acts like a gag: you can send normal tweets normally, but people Following you won’t see them on their timeline. (However, people reading your profile will see them.)

The following restrictions also apply:

• Your tweets won’t show up in certain hashtags (which and why is unknown).
• Your tweets won’t show up in Search, either by keyword or by account name.

Take consolation in the fact that you certainly aren't alone in your Twitter ostracization. It's nothing personal - you probably are rooting for the wrong team in Election 2016 or appear to be doing so by a hyper-tweeked algorithm.

Don't get too upset by shadowbanning, says Daddy Warpig, who claims it usually is temporary punishment, but how do you know for certain if this had happened to your Twitter account?

Because fewer people are seeing your tweets, your Twitter stats (under “Your Tweet activity”) will likely drop. Several people have first noticed a ban when their number of Impressions, for example, fell off sharply. (People with low Follower counts might not notice a significant difference, though.)

Sometimes people who Follow you will notice you haven’t shown up in Search or in their timeline, and will contact you. (This is more likely to happen if you’re a consistent, high volume tweeter, of course.)

The easiest way to tell, though, is to just test. DM someone who Follows you. Ask them to check their timeline (under the Home tab) for recent tweets of yours, or tweet out a test tweet without @ them. If they see it, you’re okay. If not, you might be shadowbanned.

The insidious thing about a shadowban is that, short of logging in under another account, there is no way for you to tell if you’ve been banned. You tweet as normal, assuming thing are working per usual, while behind the scenes Twitter has decided to unperson you.

[This is likely the reason the two obtrusive features (see Evolution of the Shadowban, below) were removed: Twitter doesn’t want users to know when they’re being censored.]

What stinks is that there is no way to reach out to Twitter to rectify this problem unless you are on Jack's good side or are a verified account with some clout:

If you’ve been shadowbanned, there is no known way to either appeal or evade the restrictions. Since the ban usually lasts about 24 hours, all you can do is wait.

However, if you suspect someone else has caught a ban, add them to a List. Lists are not (as of this writing) subject to the restrictions of the ban: a shadowbanned person’s tweets still show up. Lists will allow you to read them normally, and are recommended in any case.

Also, some alternative Twitter clients, notably Tweetdeck (according to several reports), are notsusceptible to being spoofed by a shadowban. The banned person’s tweets show up normally.

If you don’t want Twitter to censor other people’s tweets from your timeline, use Tweetdeck.

At present time, no one knows for sure how one catches a temporary case of the shadowban bug. And, if you cannot see my tweets or view our blog, you might not even see this information, but in case you should happen to break through this Orwellian barrier, here are some tips to avoid this Twitter hell:

No one knows exactly what causes a shadowban, but it’s likely some combination of spam or harassment reports trigger it, either automatically or by hand. During the summer Twitter stated it would begin “defusing” confrontations in hashtags by punishing people who spam a tag with unrelated or abusive tweets; it is likely shadowbanning is one such tool.

If shadowbanned, you will never know why it happened and you cannot ever know for sure that it really happened. Again, Orwellian and Kafkaesque.

In general, it’s good to avoid any behavior that can trigger a spam report. Check Twitter’s online Help system for details.

Good luck out there in the Twittersphere. With the new rules, suspiciously creeping in as we are 40-some days from a pivotal election, you will need it.  Either that or just start posting cat memes.

Ecklebob Chiselfritz -Twitter has unlocked my account

So after I send a couple of emails Twitter admits it made a mistake...

BUT they continue to malign our blog Righting On The Wall...

@Instapundit Is Free

by Kim D.

Twitter has unblocked my account on condition of deleting the offending tweet. I've done so, but it's here:: https://t.co/DDkZd2el6Y

— Instapundit.com (@instapundit) September 22, 2016

In case you missed it, Glenn Reynolds (aka Instapundit) was temporarily suspended for tweeting about the riots in Charlotte. He made the suggestion (sarcastic joke really) that if one were trapped in their car and threatened by rioters, one should simply "Run them down."  Evidently this advice crossed the line and he was punished until he removed the offensive tweet.

This is another reminder that Big Brother is always watching and Twitter has joined the Gestapo using its power to silence.

Ecklebob Chiselfritz - Twitter has locked me out

Twitter has locked me out of my account. They claim I am an automated bot and they need to protect other users from spam.

They also claim our little blog here is dangerous to whatever device you are accessing the internet with.

They say Righting On The Wall might be a source of malware, chicken pox, measles, Hillary Clinton's kennel cough, 'taters and whatnot.

They are doing this under the guise of claiming "suspicious activity" on my Twitter account. The only thing suspicious about my account is my horrible spelling and atrocious grammar.

My Twitter account has never been hacked.

This blog site has never been hacked.

Please look at my Twitter time line.
I am not a serial tweeter much less a spam bot.
Some people even tell me they enjoy reading the sentences I manage to string together.
 
I am careful in what I post so as to not to violate Twitters terms of service policy.
  
Please scroll thru Righting On The Wall and read what we post.
We ask for no money. We don't even run ads.
We ask for no personal information.
We respect anonymity.

If I were a paranoid individual I might believe I'm being targeted by Twitter solely for posting my Conservative views/opinions.

I'm not a paranoid individual.

But a little voice in my head is telling me...
 

Blood and Roses (live)

Dear Prudence (Demo)

Green Grass & High Tides (Remastered)

Trying to sell books? Good luck with that

by Mouser The King Cat

The founder and chairman of Barnes & Noble moaned on the quarterly earnings conference call about the “terrible” climate for retail. Leonard Riggio said traffic in the chain’s 638 stores was “close to a historic low point.”

Same-store sales were down 6% year over year. Revenue was $45 million shy of analysts’ expectations. Surely it’s that darned retail climate, which Mr. Riggio called “one of the worst I have ever experienced in the 50 years I have been in this industry.”

He also tried to blame politicians. “The current trend can be traced precisely to the current election cycle, which is unprecedented in terms of the fear, anger and frustration being experienced by the public.”

In short, Mr. Riggio came off sounding not only stupid, but the special Macy’s strain of stupid. He tried and failed to make it sound like being in the book business had nothing to do with the results. B&N sells at high-overhead stores in major malls. Amazon.com also sells books -- at lower prices, delivered to your house. You pick the winning business model.

Amazon is also having success in e-books. Paul R. La Monica of CNN Money nailed the situation: 

The success of the company’s Kindle is also a big reason why Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader has been such a huge flop. Nook sales – which include the device as well as digital books and magazines – plunged 24.5% in the most recent quarter. Simply put, Amazon is eating Barnes & Noble’s breakfast, lunch and dinner – and Sunday brunch and midnight snacks while we’re at it.

Mr. Riggio is 75. He had planned to retire but recently kicked out his CEO after less than a year on the job. The ex-CEO wanted redesigned stores that included restaurants. B&N already has a partnership with Starbucks.

Nobody knows what will happen now. Perhaps the company, which has relatively little debt, will be taken private. It has been speculated that Starbucks might make an offer. Maybe B&N will follow its former competitor, Borders, and just go away, leaving books to be sold exclusively at modest shops in strip malls.

I love books. They contain much knowledge. But public tastes have changed. Selling a book at any level, wholesale or retail, is tough. Maybe Mr. Riggio should take a different tack and convert B&N stores into giant liquor warehouses. The retail climate he speaks of is much better in that space. For that, politicians might shoulder a smidge of blame.

Hey Twitter...

3 Jokes That Make People Instantly Like You

State Department Defends Clinton Appointing Foundation Donors: We Look for 'Diverse Backgrounds'

#Skittles Song - Oldie but Goodie

So #TrumpACandy Is now a Thing

by Kim D.

How could it not? Usually these kinds of tags produce a lot of boring jabs; however, #TrumpACandy looks promising so far:

Milky Wave#TrumpACandy pic.twitter.com/N86aS6uXMb

— Mr. Jolie-Musket (@Patriot_Musket) September 20, 2016

Bleeding out her Whatchamacallit#TrumpACandy pic.twitter.com/GAfa74vjOs

— cheerfulexgirlfriend (@cheerful_ExGF) September 20, 2016

Biggerfinger#TrumpACandy

— Mr. Jolie-Musket (@Patriot_Musket) September 20, 2016

Baby Ruthless #TrumpACandy

— Brian Coughlin (@corktowncomedy) September 20, 2016

Now and Hater #TrumpACandy

— Tim Sheehan (@mrtimsheehan) September 20, 2016

Children of the Candy Corn #TrumpACandy pic.twitter.com/PLEoGjYjtZ

— JRKRISTOFF (@1SquillionStars) September 20, 2016

Reese's Hair Pieces #TrumpACandy

— Jaime Lopez (@Lopeezie) September 20, 2016

Bazooka. To take out ISIS of course.#TrumpACandy pic.twitter.com/m97hOhcchH

— Jeff Dwoskin (@bigmacher) September 20, 2016

Heh :-) Relax Trumpkins - jokes don't care about your feelings.

Are You a Court Junkie?

by Kim D.

Are you exhausted by #Skittlegate or the angst over Brad and Angelina's breakup news? Put the social media away for a day or two and tune in to a new podcast. Consider it a much-needed Calgon moment.

That was my mindset last night when I saw that Court Junkie had followed me on Twitter. Ever since I had injured my back in the 90's and spent a week at home recuperating and watching the OJ Simpson trial live, I admit it - I'm a court junkie and lover of true crime stories. So, I found the Court Junkie podcast on Itunes and gave it a listen. 

This podcast is the creation of Jillian LeCompte:

I’m fascinated by the human mind and the choices that people make, along with the consequences of our criminal justice system. But above all, I think it’s important for everyone to know about these cases, and to know that anything detailed on this site could happen to any one of us. More awareness of these types of things might eventually lead to safer streets.

If you have a similar true-crime fascination, you will love this podcast. The sound quality is excellent and the information shared about the cases and court proceedings are well researched and professionally presented. The editing is done well mixing LeCompte's narrative of the cases with actual witness audio. While the podcast is new and few episodes are available, I think you will be interested in the first cases presented.

Three episodes cover the story of Melissa Calusinski, a daycare worker who was convicted seven years ago for the death of Illinois toddler Benjamin Kingan. According to LeCompte in Episode 1:

The cause of death was ruled a skull fracture and the manner of death a homicide. Melissa Calusinski, a 22-year-old Teacher’s Assistant at the daycare, was charged and ultimately convicted of his murder. Years later, new evidence was discovered that shows Ben may not have died from a skull fracture after all, and that his death may not have been a homicide.

As a mother whose son dove from a chair head first on our tile floor when he was about Benjamin's age, I found this podcast series fascinating. Thankfully, my son survived his horrific fall with no damage at all, but I can relate to how accidents like this unfortunately happen all the time and perhaps did in the Kingan case. Calusinski was the last caregiver of the toddler before he died and naturally was suspect, but the facts surrounding the case are fuzzy, leading many to believe Melissa has been unfairly convicted.  

Episode 2, Melissa Calusinski's Bombshell Hearings, is enhanced by the fact that LeCompte, a Illinois resident, could actually attend the trial and speak directly to family members. Currently Calusinski's lawyers are arguing for a retrial due to alleged witness perjury and questionable autopsy photos. 

In the original trial, a forensic pathologist provided damning testimony that he had actually attended the toddler's autopsy:

At the trial, Montez said that what he found was “significant trauma, violent trauma to the head,” adding that he then “went to where the organs were kept after the autopsy,” and “looked at the brain itself.”

However now this testimony has been challenged by the coroner who claims the pathologist did not physically see the body and based his opinion on autopsy notes and photos of the brain injury. 

In addition, the defense claims the autopsy photos received from the prosecutor were degraded jpegs and not good representations of the brain injury. When actual tiff images were revealed in 2015, the cause of Benjamin's death was questioned along with the possibility that Melissa was unfairly convicted.

Among the new evidence is legible X-Rays of Benjamin’s skull that were discovered by Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd in June 2015. Calusinski’s attorneys say they prove that the 16-month-old did not suffer a skull fracture, as the prosecution told the jury — 32 times — at Calusinski’s trial.

Yesterday LeCompte recorded a case update after attending day three of the evidentiary hearing which explores new evidence in the case. 

If you like listening to this new podcast, you may also be interested in reading about other cases explored on the website - and if you love listening, you might consider supporting this project on Patreon which will allow Jillian to maintain podcast equipment and provide funding to attend more live court cases and provide an "inside" perspective.