April 15, 2009

Featured TwitPics: Economic protests in the United States

Hundreds of TwitPics are being posted today of economic protests across the United States, being dubbed "Tea Parties." Here are three #teaparty TwitPics, one from California, one from Texas, and one from Washington, D.C.


"Sac Tea Party #tcot #teaparty " (Posted by @Meredith_Turney, Sacramento, Calif., April 15, 2009)


"Houston Tea Party prop. There go your tax dollars right down the toilet!" (Posted by @CesLSU, Houston, Texas, April 15, 2009


"Washington, DC Tea Party #teaparty" (Posted by @AmericaMajority, Washington, D.C., April 15, 2009

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Afghan women demand repeal of new restrictive law

Per The New York Times, 300 Afghan women in Kabul marched to the Afghan Parliament to deliver a petition calling for a repeal of a new law that introduces a range of Taliban-like restrictions on women.

Violence erupted as 1000 counter-protesters surrounded the women pelting them with stones and gravel, per CBC News.

Per Al Jazeera,the Shia family law effectively legalises the rape of women by their husbands, ban women from working or receiving an education without their husbands' permission and forbids them from leaving their homes except for "legitimate purposes."

Twitterers react:

  1. Brandon Hough
    BrandonHough (Colorado Springs, Col. )RT @ nytimes Afghan Women Protest New Restrictive Law http://bit.ly/SGoZl ... amazing that parts of the world are still like that
  2. Debbie Buck
    debbiebuck (Illinois) am sickened by the new Afghan law! All women n the world need 2 go there @ same time. kick some ass! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30223599
  3. tassodikaios
    tassodikaios (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Finally, it looks like democracy is actually starting to take shape...Afghan Women Protest New Restrictive Law http://bit.ly/SGoZl


Many Twitter users noted the courage of the Afghan women:

  1. Heather Tran
    heathereileen (Tennessee) Not sure if I would have this kind of courage: Afghan Women Protest New Restrictive Law (permitting marital rape!) http://is.gd/sAt9
  2. Andrea Winchester
    RookieCookery (Sacramento, Calif.) Such courage! The world needs to support these women. RT @nytimes: Afghan Women Protest New Restrictive Law http://bit.ly/SGoZl
  3. WeNews
    Womens_eNews These fearless women will make a difference. RT @AlterNet: Afghan Women Pelted By Stones While Protesting Rape Law http://tinyurl.com/cw66q3


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U.S. cargo ship escapes pirate attack

Per CNN.com, a U.S. flagged cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, was attacked by Somalian pirates Tuesday as it headed for Mombasa, Kenya. The ship, which is carrying U.S. food and aid for Africans, has 20 Americans on board. The pirates fired automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel, which sustained damage but was not overtaken by the pirates.

Reaction from the Twitterverse indicates shock:

  1. JohnSimonds
    JohnSimonds (North Carolina) liberty sun escapes pirate attack. US Ships 2, Pirates 0
  2. smallmadeline
    smallmadeline (Maryland) what is up with all the US pirate attack? "yo ho ho and a bottle of rum". mmmmm... rum.
  3. Pastor Tai Paschall
    pastortai (Austin, Texas) Another Pirate attack? C'mon guys that is sooooo 18th Century
  4. Kirsten Paragona
    KirstenParagona (Ipswich, Maryland) RT @andersoncooper: Morning Buzz: Another pirate attack on a US Ship! http://tinyurl.com/dd27rn -there has 2 b a way 2 stop this!
  5. Jamonte Linthicum
    shady_j (Baltimore, Maryland) omg ANOTHER pirate attack tho? what year are we in again?
  6. Lea
    LeaZen (North Carolina) another pirate attack last night? I can't keep up..
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UBS to cut thousands of jobs

Per BBC, Swiss bank UBS has announced it plans to cut 8,700 jobs by next year as a result of losses from the financial crisis in the United States.

UBS said that 2,500 jobs will be lost in Switzerland, and additional cuts will be made at other outlets worldwide, according to BBC.

Immediate reaction from Twitterers in Switzerland showed the impact of the news:

  1. Vasile Cotovanu
    vasile23 (Zürich, Switzerland) chose wrong day to use public transport - Many tram11 were full of #ubs shareholders http://liip.to/C2 #zuerich #zvv
  2. Thomas Lang
    thlang (Sool, Switzerland) @lstuber mmmh ach so ja, da war doch was. Kommt davon, wenn man hinten beginnt, die #Studie zu lesen. Frohe Ostern. #ubs (@lstuber mmmh oh-so yes, there was something. Comes from when you start back, the #study to read. Happy Easter. #ubs)
  3. Dorian
    dselz (Zürich, Switzerland) ubs strategy: Keep course, shed folks
  4. Juerg Moesli
    coward23 (Oberrohrdorf, Switzerland) Die UBS entlässt massiv Mitarbeiter. Das süffisante Grinsen des Oswald Grübel geht mir mächtig auf die Nerven. (UBS dismisses massive staff. The smugly grin of Oswald Grübel me goes heavy on the nerves.)
  5. Mirco Fehr
    fehrmir (Zürich, Switzerland) arme arme arme #UBS #Banker welche nun auf der Strasse stehen... Fast kommt ein wenig Wehmut auf aber eben auch nur FAST #UBS #fail (poor poor poor #UBS #banker who now stand in the street ... Fast, a little melancholy but also to just FAST #UBS #fail)


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