Touchy Twitter Trial
NYPD Twitter Campaign Turns Ugly
A New York Police Department campaign to engage people on Twitter via the #myNYPD hashtag backfired in a big way.
The New York Police Department learned a hard lesson this week — be careful what you ask for. Especially when dealing with a public forum like Twitter.
The trouble started at around 2 p.m. ET Tuesday, when the department took to its official Twitter account to launch a little contest intended to engage the public on social media. “Do you have a photo w/ a member of the NYPD? Tweet us & tag it #myNYPD. It may be featured on our Facebook,” the department tweeted.
They were probably expecting a few good-natured snaps showcasing New York’s Finest in action. But things didn’t exactly go as planned.
It started out innocent enough, of course. Some users posted nice photos of themselves with officers.
But when the #myNYPD hashtag went viral, thousands of others took it as an opportunity to expose police aggression by sharing embarrassing and unflattering photos of New York City officers fighting with members of the public.
One heavily retweeted photo posted by an Occupy Wall Street supporter shows a police officer pointing his gun at a dog a homeless man lies on the ground having a seizure. Others show police officers holding people to the ground, pulling hair, punching, and sleeping on the subway.
The embarrassment comes as the NYPD works to ramp up its efforts on Twitter. Just last week, five officers were given the go-ahead to begin tweeting news about their precincts.
NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis told The New York Times that the snafu would not deter the department from engaging with citizens through social media in the future.
“You take the good with the bad,” he said.
Found @: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2456989,00.asp
Hmmm…
NYP wanted some Tweets,
From homes and from the streets,
They stood for pics on their beats,
But they suffered some defeats.
People Tweeted police being rude,
Cops with bad attitudes,
One was seen punching a dude,
Showing behavior that’s crude.
Others showed cops at their best,
Taking photos at their request,
Showing badges on their proud chests,
Smiling and talking in jests.
Cops are not basically mean,
Or totally cruel and obscene,
When they arrive on the scene,
If you know what I mean.
They’re there to protect each one,
When threatened by a knife or a gun,
From bad guys they will not run,
They work ’till their job is done.
So when you see a cop,
Outside a store or shop,
It will not hurt to stop,
They might be a mom or pop.
They’re people just like you,
With a hard job to do,
Dressed in NYPD blues,
They’re heroes through and through!
God bless them one and all,
When they are on a call,
Not one of them should fall,
While they stand proud and tall.
© 2013 Ronald J. Yarosh
All rights reserved
Humorous Interludes by Ron Yarosh 
Your HORROR – Scope for the week of: April 27th, 2014
Hi there, fellow Horror-Scope aficionados.
Here is your weekly dose of prognostication perfection.
As usual, it’s got some good news, and some bad news.
We suggest you focus on the good, if you can find it.
In the mean time, stay away from all sticky substances this week.
Enjoy…
Aries… Uranus is in perigee at the moment and on the cusp of Aries. In the future, you will be enchanting with your chanting of a Carol Channing song.
Taurus… Saturn is rising now and square with Taurus. Soon you will have trouble with a lease, the police, and some hot grease.
Gemini… Pluto is suing some government officials over a dog license. Get out the rosin. You will soon yodel while eating yogurt with Yo-Yo Ma, and Dennis Miller.
Cancer… The moon is becoming new again after a make-over. You will gain fame and fortune when you write a bestselling book called, “The Fat Lip Diet”.
Leo… Neptune is in its fifth house for a poker game. In the future you will write an abstract about abstract art while abstaining from artifacts.
Virgo… The Sun is warming up to the moon in hopes for a date. You will not lose much weight if you plan on dieting on diopters.
Libra… The Earth is on the cusp of Libra at the moment. You will soon be harassed by a roving gang of silly cilantro.
Scorpio… Venus is descending and is square with Scorpio. You will be offered a position at a cemetery when someone notices your constant use of the phrase, “I dig it, man.”
Sagittarius… Mars is ready to sue the Earth for invasion of privacy. Beware and be forewarned. Your phaser will jam up just when you need it most.
Capricorn… Mercury is in its seventh house checking for loose change lost in the couch and stuffed chairs. Your idea for a theme park based on Yellow Duckies is cute, but it won’t float.
Aquarius… Pluto is trine with Aquarius at this moment. In the future, you will suddenly develop a bad drinking habit which will upset your camel.
Pisces… Jupiter is aligned with Mars for some shenanigans. Get ready to tweet. You will awaken to find yourself in a large bowl of bird’s nest soup.
And remember what Weird Al says about astrology in his song, “Your Horoscope For Today”:
“Now you may find it inconceivable or at the very least a bit unlikely that the relative position of the planets and the stars could have a special deep significance or meaning that exclusively applies to only you, but let me give you my assurance that these forecasts and predictions are all based on solid, scientific, documented evidence, so you would have to be some kind of moron not to realize that every single one of them is absolutely true.”
© 2013 Ronald J. Yarosh
All rights reserved
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