Breaking Tweets » United States

Afghanistan: Resignation, controversy and potential divisions

David Mac Dougall — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:43:57 +0000

BBC News reports the chief of the British army in Scotland has quit his job, apparently in “disillusion” over aspects of the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Major General Andrew Mackay commanded troops in Helmand Province, and The Scotsman says Mackay had become “increasing angry at the perceived lack of resources and commitment to the war in Afghanistan.” Britain’s Telegraph newspaper has a profile of the General, and @STVNews notes that General Mackay had once commanded Prince Harry while deployed in Afghanistan.

Researchlight (UK) It’s a shame our greedy corrupt war-mongering politicians don’t share the same patriotic loyalties as Major General Mackay… 25 Sep 2009 from web

MediaOps (UK) Afghanistan general quits over disillusionment with government strategy http://bit.ly/4AySmD #afghan09 25 Sep 2009 from bit.ly

Meanwhile, CBS News will air an interview this weekend where the top US General in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, says that the situation there is “probably a little worse” then when he took up his post several months ago. The Huffington Post also notes that cautions against using “overwhelming” firepower in Afghanistan.

edl830 (New York, USA) General McChrystal 60 Minutes Interview: Overwhelming US Firepower Not The Way Forward In Afghanistan (VIDEO) http://viigo.im/0Zmg 25 Sep 2009 from Viigo

sevenish (New York, USA) Gen. McChrystal says Afghanistan was worse than he expected. But -didn’t Condi Rice declare victory there in 2002? Was that incorrect? #tcot 25 Sep 2009 from web

altnews_ (London, UK) General McChrystal: Afghan violence ‘worse’ than expected http://bit.ly/45aSJi
#news 25 Sep 2009 from twitterfeed

And other media outlets are picking up on a possible rift between US General McChrystal and President Barack Obama. The Australian reports the difference of opinion is over whether or not to send more combat troops to Afghanistan.

vyadav (New York, USA) 500,000 troops over 5 years in Afghanistan? No way General. Consider this war over. 24 Sep 2009 from web

bbirr (Missouri, USA) Just when the general in charge calls for more troops in Afghanistan, Biden recommends scaling back. If only America understood his genius. 24 Sep 2009 from Echofon

UKProgressive (Cardiff, Wales) Afghanistan Commander Gen Stanley McChrystal, says there is no rift between military & White House over war policy http://bit.ly/4oOK32 25 Sep 2009 from web

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Featured TwitPic: Clouds descend on Maui mountains in Hawaii

Craig Kanalley — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:36:26 +0000

@tikitales of Haiku, Maui, Hawaii, often posts TwitPics of the scenery around her hometown. She posted the following TwitPic on Sunday night with the caption “More clouds on west Maui mountains.”

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Featured TwitPic: Coastal highway in California

Nicole Russo — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:22:50 +0000

“CA-1: California’s coastal highway…” (Posted by @mad_tante of Ozarks, Missouri)

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Metro D.C. train crash leaves at least six dead

Nicole Russo — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:37:04 +0000

Per CNN, at least six have been killed after two trains collided in Washington, D.C., during the evening rush hour on Monday. The incident involved two trains on a Metro Red Line and occurred near Takoma Park, Md.

Some were on the Red Line today and used Twitter as a way to let people know they were OK.

wendywoowho Yes, am DC person; yes, was on Red Line; yes, am SAFE, and was home before the major nasties. 22 Jun 2009 from web

AllisonEhrlich Was on the red line but not on that red line train. Thanks for all the calls and texts 22 Jun 2009 from TwitterBerry

DianaWeiFang Was on the train behind the train that collided 2day. 2 have died so far. Thank you lord for making me late today. God bless those families 22 Jun 2009 from TwitterBerry

TimmyGotSoul @dequese hey I’m good. My phone been ringing off the hook. Tia just called me. I was on the train at that time, just not that train. 22 Jun 2009 from TwitterBerry

GarretOhm I was on the Red Line (metro) briefly today. About an hour before the crash. Feeling pretty fortunate. 22 Jun 2009 from TwitterGadget

nikkidecoy For those texting- yes I was on the red line headed to the theatre in Froendship Heights. No I wasn’t on either train that crashed. 22 Jun 2009 from Tweetie

Others expressed sadness for the victims. For many in the area, the incident hit close to home.

KinitaA Oh crap. Two DC Metro lines just collided. Four dead so far. That’s my line. 22 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

dougaus Very thankful to have not been in DC Metro accident. I feel bad for those killed or hurt. 22 Jun 2009 from web

JohnKelly Heartstopping 15 mins as we scrambled to see if our daughter was on the Red Line trains that collided. She was a few stations back. She’s ok 22 Jun 2009 from web

ADJCalledMonte I am glad I chose not to ride the Metro today!!!! 22 Jun 2009 from txt

yourshaddow Thanking God I got out of work early. My prayers are with those injured and killed on the DC Metro 22 Jun 2009 from web

Jo_Crew @mangoatdotnet tell me you didn’t choose today to try out the metro? you ok? 22 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

CollegeMag college kids ride the metro all the time..scary http://bit.ly/lrNL6 22 Jun 2009 from web

AuroraFirechild my heart goes out to any one taking the DC Metro redline this afternoon… it’s so awful… 22 Jun 2009 from web

maianajewel So glad hubby was home today, not taking the metro home + step-mom wasn’t on either – my heart goes out to those who were on the two trains 22 Jun 2009 from web

blackhat95 Prayers going out to the families of the 4 deceased and “scores” that were injured in the Metro collision. 22 Jun 2009 from web

sweetie_pi Why don’t Metro cars or any rail cars have seat belts, or any safety features? Rail crashes may be rarer than car, but force much >, no? 22 Jun 2009 from web

@technosailor of Bethesda, Md., posted this TwitPic of the incident:

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Earthquake jolts Anchorage, Alaska

Craig Kanalley — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:42:30 +0000

Per The Anchorage Daily News, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake was felt throughout south-central Alaska at 11:27 a.m. local time today. Officials said this part of Alaska experiences one or two such quakes per year. There were no immediate reports of damage.

@ak_hepcat, a self-described musician, actor and “geek of all trades,” recorded the first tweet on the earthquake. His breaking tweet was followed be hundreds within minutes.

ak_hepcat (Anchorage, Alaska) Earthquake!

22 Jun 2009 from mbpidgin

Here were some other first tweets as the quake hit, providing the first thoughts from Alaskans experiencing the quake.

aekropp (Anchorage, Alaska) My son just faked an earthquake by shaking the kitchen table. But then, we had a REAL earthquake! How weird is that? 22 Jun 2009 from web

jessejoseph (Anchorage, Alaska) A kind of big earthquake… For a second I almost made a dash for a door frame. 22 Jun 2009 from UberTwitter

wasillakatie (Anchorage, Alaska) Whoah! That was the biggest earthquake I’ve felt since I moved here! 22 Jun 2009 from txt

chelsead (Anchorage, Alaska) Hate that post-earthquake feeling. That’s the largest earthquake I’ve ever been through. This place is crazy. 22 Jun 2009 from twhirl

muskyox (Anchorage, Alaska) Just rattled by the earthquake. The whole world was topsyturvy 22 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon

SmallBizMuse (Anchorage, Alaska) Just had a pretty good earthquake hit near us – http://twurl.nl/oohkeq (location & magnitiude). No damage but things fell off counters. 22 Jun 2009 from twhirl

sunhusky (Anchorage, Alaska) @adndotcom Came in waves, no “jolt”. Didn’t time, but lasted awhile, earth still seemed to be moving once wind chimes had quieted, tho’. 22 Jun 2009 from web in reply to adndotcom

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Featured TwitPic: Building collapse in Brooklyn, New York

Nicole Russo — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:07:37 +0000

The collapse of a four-story building prompted an emergency response in Brooklyn on Sunday. The following TwitPic of the event was posted by @Irwin of New York City with the caption “entire building just collapsed on Myrtle and ryerson in ft greene / Clinton hill”:

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Photos: Protesters gather on global scale in the name of Iran

Sophia Madana — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:00:27 +0000

Twitterers have posted these TwitPics showing demonstrations forming all over the world in support of an honest election in Iran. Photos show protesters wearing green and holding green signs, the colored-theme of Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s campaign.

Protesters hit the streets worldwide, outraged because they believe Iran’s election was stolen from the Iranian people when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was announced as the country’s winning candidate.

Posted by @bbnetworked

pic3 from the SF protest tonight 6-16 #IranElection

Posted by (Iran Twitterer)

Iran/Tehran/Protesters/Topkhone Sq #iranelection

Posted by (Iran Twitterer)

They Killed My Bro Koz He Asked: 'Where's My Vote' -June 17

Posted by @csanati

Protest in Union Square in New York #iranelection #tehran

Posted by (Iran Twitterer)

we are stay #iranelection

Posted by @dunveganSF

Protest in San Francisco in support of Iranian People

Posted by @persian_twitts

wow! she is one of the many heroes. Keep it up Iran!

Posted by @fergburgerz

There is always hope #iranelection

Posted by @rebelunicorn

Iranians in Berlin

Posted by @Prestwickuk

More images from London demo- SOLIDARITY! #iranelection #gr88

Posted by @json_h

Translation- 'First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.' -Gandhi

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Japan warns U.S. of possible July 4 North Korea launch

Craig Kanalley — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:58:00 +0000

Per the Daily Mail, Japanese intelligence officials have informed the United States that North Korea may fire a long-range ballistic missile toward U.S. land on July 4, America’s Independence Day. Intelligence officials do not believe North Korea would be capable of hitting Hawaii, 4,500 miles away. The Taepodong-2 missile is believed to have a range of about 4,000 miles. It could, however, reach the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

Twitterers in the United States cringed at the idea and fired back:

LeRaySpeaks (San Antonio, Texas) NORTH KOREA! U must be insane! U r goin to launch a missle at Hawaii during the 4th of July weekend? What r u askin 4 us 2 do? Shoot back? 18 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon

Hoont (Brooklyn, N.Y.) North Korea is considering firing a ballistic missile at Hawaii on July 4?! What the F! 18 Jun 2009 from web

paullangdale (Austin, Texas) Japanese intelligence suggests North Korea likely to fire a missile at U.S. on July 4. Big test for Obama’s @whitehouse. http://bit.ly/LR15A 18 Jun 2009 from web

KrisPRhawaii (Honolulu, Hawaii) reading Tweets: Yay 4 Wall St. ending losing streak pred ; boo for potential 4th of July streaks in the sky from North Korea 18 Jun 2009 from web

levi99 (Dallas, Texas) Did anyone else know that North Korea is possibly PLANNING on launching a nuke at Hawaii on July 4??? http://bit.ly/qPpG2 18 Jun 2009 from Power Twitter

Rmajeski (Colorado) read this article about north korea and next launch
http://bit.ly/Pr4xzjuly 4! our birthday!18 Jun 2009 from web

zeph1 (Pennsylvania) North Korea to possibly launch missile toward Hawaii between July 4-8. http://tinyurl.com/northkre Obama’s reaction so far? *crickets* #tcot 18 Jun 2009 from web

renaudandco (St. Louis, Mo.) If North Korea sends a missile anywhere near hawaii on July 4, I hope they’ve made their peace with GOD, and I hope BHO has the balls #TCOT 18 Jun 2009 from Tweetie

MichaelForney (Southern California/Seattle, Wash.) NKorea to fire missile towards Hawaii on July 4 – I am glad they respect us so much. 19 Jun 2009 from web

jessiejessup (Dallas, Texas) N.Korea may attack U.S. on 7/4???? AGAIN I ask who is protecting Guam? It is closer than Hawaii and vulnerable as hell http://bit.ly/7kFDX 19 Jun 2009 from web

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Featured TwitPic: Night rainbow in Loveland, Colorado

Craig Kanalley — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:57:30 +0000

@zoenishimuta has posted a collection of TwitPics of scenery in her town Loveland, Colorado, the last several days. Loveland is located north of Denver and outside of Fort Collins. This particular TwitPic, posted on Thursday night, had the caption, “Night Rainbow.”

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Italy accepts Guantanamo Bay prisoners

John Niederkorn — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:24:58 +0000

Per BBC, Italy has agreed to imprison three inmates from Guantanamo Bay, President Barack Obama has said. President Obama disclosed the agreement at the White House after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The European Union had previously reached an agreement with Washington to transfer an undisclosed number of Guantanamo prisoners to Europe.

Twitter users in Italy and America comment:

xantar76 (Padova, Italy) 3 detenuti di guantanamo in italia? E dove li mettono? Le prigioni fra poco esplodono…(3 detainees at guantanamo in italy? And put them where? The prisons soon explode) 16 Jun 2009 from Gravity

DivasonaDate (Undisclosed) Italy agrees to take 3 Guantanamo inmates http://bit.ly/JY8KH – I think this is so strange. Interesting, but strange. 16 Jun 2009 from web

zebmckey (Italy, Treviso, Vittorio Venet) provate solo a pensare a guantanamo come stanno saltando di gioia i tre detenuti che verranno in Italia (just try to think about guantanamo like jumping for joy are the three that will be held in Italy) 16 Jun 2009 from Friendbar

semioticmonkey (Undisclosed) Ok. We have prisons full of people in Italy aaaaaand Berlusconi and Obama give us 3 Guantanamo prisoners as a gift for B visit, i guess. 16 Jun 2009 from web

TechyDad (New York, N.Y.) Also: “Obama’s sending Gitmo detainees someplace you might go on vacation!” (Italy) FOX made it seem like we’re putting terrorists in villas 16 Jun 2009 from Seesmic Desktop

pdgoodman (U.S.) Why on Earth would Italy take 3 Gitmo detainees? http://bit.ly/Ep1kd 16 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

oakenquill (Blacksburg, Va.) Italy taking 3 Gitmo detainees. They’ve gone from Club Fed to a full-blown Club Med vacation. 16 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

MLGiannini (New York, N.Y.) I’m Italian-American and I truly love Italy. But I wouldn’t trust those guys to guard my bike, let alone my terrorists. #italy #guantanamo 17 Jun 2009 from web

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