The video exposing the offence was only recently exposed on a British tabloid. Created by The Daily Mail, the video featured a compilation of clips of Black men in altercations with white civilians and police officers (with notably zero connections to monkeys or primates).

The video was dated June 27, 2020, implying this has been a problem for over a year.

Research shows that facial recognition technologies are biased against people of colour, and have greater difficulty identifying them. These glitches only fuel discrimination against people of colour and can have serious consequences if not addressed.

Similar to Facebook, other tech giants have faced scrutiny over the years regarding biases within their artificial intelligence systems, particularly concerning race.

Back in 2015, Google Photos mistakenly labelled pictures of black people as “gorillas” to which Google responded that it was “genuinely sorry.” Two years after the scandal, it came to light that Google’s solution to the glitch was to censor the word “gorilla” from searches, in addition to blocking “chimp,” “chimpanzee” and “monkey.”

Facebook, however, has long since struggled with race-related issues.

Back in 2016, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg had to ask employees to stop crossing out the phrase “Black Lives Matter” and replacing it with “All Lives Matter” within a common space in the company’s headquarters.

Hundreds of employees staged a virtual walkout last year to protest against how the organization handled an offensive post from former President Donald J. Trump regarding the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

And after July’s European Soccer Championship, when three Black members of England’s national soccer team were racially abused on the social networking platform for missing penalty kicks in the championship game, the organization struggled to regain control and take a stance against the abuse.

In an attempt to combat these issues, Facebook has hired a vice president of civil rights and further released a civil rights audit.

However, the organization’s annual diversity report continues to expose that the company lacks representation within its talent pool. The organization’s annual most recent diversity report, published in July, disclosed that only 4.4% of its U.S.-based employees were Black, up from only 3.9% the previous year.

The lack of representation within the organization likely feeds an environment that is less sensitive to discrimination against minority groups both internally and externally.

For Facebook to remain successful in the future it will need to adopt a more holistic approach to recognizing and improving the diversity within the organization. This can be an opportunity to negate bias and build a foundation that is more understanding and open to different individuals.

We are living in a world that is less willing to accept social and racial injustices and gives the power to consumers to reject the products and services of organizations. Therefore Facebook can’t ignore dealing with racial problems or deprioritize them and expect to keep users and employees happy. Eventually, “I’m sorry” won’t cut it anymore.

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Neither did former Oklahoma resident, Caron McBride.

Earlier this year, after renewing her driver’s license at her local DMV in Texas, McBride discovered that she was faced with felony embezzlement charges.

After a phone call with the Cleveland Country District Attorney’s Office, McBride was informed that her charges were over not returning a VHS tape she rented at Movie Place in Norman Oklahoma over two decades ago.

Legal documents state that McBride had been charged with felony embezzlement of rented property in March of 2000.
However, McBride told reporters that she doesn’t even remember renting the tape or ever watching its contents, Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

She claimed that at the time she lived with a male roommate and his two daughters, who were much more likely to have rented the tape and must have forgotten to return it.

Despite McBride being unaware, her criminal charges have significantly impacted her life over the last 20 years. McBride told news reporters that she has been fired from several jobs over the years without being given a reason.

It has become obvious to her now that her criminal record has excluded her from several opportunities.

The Cleveland County Assessor’s Office disclosed records that show Movie Place went out of business back in 2008.
Although there is technically no victim in the case due to the business closure, Cleveland County still had the right to prosecute the case as charges and the warrant were filed against McBride specifically.

However, the DA’s office announced that after reviewing McBride’s case, they decided to dismiss it. Nevertheless, McBride was left responsible for the administration necessary to get her case expunged to clear her record.

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This did not sit well with Acy Wartsbaugh, organizer from the International Union of Operating Engineers (The Local 150), or the engineers and construction workers part of the union. The group took to the street in late July next to their 12-foot tall inflatable rat they call Scabby.

The beloved rat has pointed teeth, red eyes, and depictions of pus-filled scabs all over its belly. It was invented by the union almost thirty years ago and uses “scabs” as slang to describe strikebreakers.

The original Scrappy started as a simple drawing of a rat on a sign. However, over time it evoked so many questions from passersby that the union eventually made rat costumes for its members to wear while on strike. Because the costumes became too hot and impractical, the group commissioned giant inflatables, inspired by those used on car lots surrounding their local union hall in Chicago.

Despite the appearance, Wartsbaugh claims that most people have grown to love Scabby.

Union members frequently take Christmas card photos with the large rodent, and countless others can be seen on any given day the rat makes an appearance taking selfies.

However, the feelings are not mutual for everyone towards Scabby.

Companies have expressed irritation over the use of giant inflatable animals for years.

It is sometimes the case that Scabby, or another inflatable, is located outside of a business that is unrelated to the organization the rat is protesting against. This only becomes clear to viewers if they read the sign the animal is holding, regarding which company the dispute is really about.

Some business owners say that the use is unfair as it puts them in the crossfire between the union and whichever organization is in the hot seat.

Although the National Labor Relations Board has historically ruled that the use of inflatables similar to Scabby is fair nearly anywhere, that changed in late 2020 when the board announced the possibility that they may revisit the issue, and even potentially change their stance on the subject.

This was following a brief that was submitted on behalf of retail businesses, arguing that installing a giant inflatable rat outside any shop only serves to scare off customers and that the underlying message of its use, is that there’s a dispute against the party that is directly behind the rat.

Ed Maher however, a member of the Local 150 argued that the inflatables should be allowed to roam free under the First Amendment. Further stating that “Scabby the Rat has the right to free speech and is a protected symbol of free speech.” After months of debate, the National Labor Relations Board sided with the union on the issue in a 3-1 ruling.

The majority decision issued that because the Supreme Court upheld “far more offensive” actions including cross burning and anti-homosexual signs at military funerals as free speech, a giant rat should therefore be protected as well.

Scabby, among all other giant inflatable rats, cats, and pigs have now been granted free speech rights across the country.

Even though the inflatable rat’s fate could be appealed in the future, union members have announced they will be ready for the fight.

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The post Freedom of Speech Extends to Inflatable Rats in the U.S. appeared first on Relawding.

The couple documented their adventures on social media, however, updates slowed after they visited the Grand Teton National Park.

On September 1st, after one month of travelling, only Brian returned home to Florida with their white van. Gabby’s family reported her missing 10 days later. After Gabby’s disappearance, Brian Laundrie was declared a “person of interest” in the case. He was not charged with any crime and declined to speak to the police. However, he too disappeared a few days after being approached by the local law enforcement.

Two before the disappearance of Gabby Petito, on 12 August, police in a southern Utah town by the name of Moab had been called to a possible domestic violence incident involving the couple.

Police recently released bodycam footage that showed the young girl crying and confessing her mental health challenges to officers. She also noted that the couple had been arguing more frequently.

Officers recommended the two spend the night apart and no charges were filed. Although it is unknown what happened after that incident.

Recently, a body that matches the description of the missing young woman, has been found by crews searching a national park in the US state of Wyoming. Although forensic examinations have yet to confirm with 100% confidence that the human remains were those of Gabby Petito, they have been consistent with her descriptions.

FBI agent Charles Jones who has been devoted to the case, held back tears as he told media reporters that “As every parent can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for her family.” WIthin his update, he announced that the cause of death has yet to be determined.

Brian Laundrie’s family told the police that they had not seen their son since Tuesday (September 14th) and that they are praying for Gabby and her family.

A search team spent the weekend searching a 25,000-acre wildlife reserve in Florida for any signs of Brian using police dogs and drones but found no trace of the young man.

FBI Agent, Mr Jones noted within his update that the tips police had received from the public have been “remarkable” thus far and urged anyone with information to come forward. The search to find out what happened to Gabby Petito is not over yet.

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The aim is to roll out the program to prevent another difficult winter coping with the virus.

The booster shots, which will already be rolled out this month, were approved a day after the government also backed plans to offer a single vaccine dose to children ages 12 to 15 years old.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization advised the government to allow booster shots to anyone over the age of 50 in addition to healthcare workers, those with compromised immune systems, and individuals with underlying health conditions. The shots will be given no earlier than six months after the individual has received their second dose of the vaccine.

Nearly thirty million people will be eligible to receive booster shots in the UK.

The Prime Minister stood by the decision, telling reporters that this vaccination campaign will result in one of the freest societies and one of the most open economies in Europe.

Another result of the freedoms allowed in the United Kingdom is the increased number of people now contracting COVID-19.
Reports show that the number of individuals contracting the virus is significantly higher than it was this time last year, with currently over 30,000 new infections per day. However, the British government has opted not to re-introduce further virus restrictions for England, as the current vaccine strategy has lessened the number of individuals who require treatment or hospitalization for COVID-19 and has subsequently dropped death rates.

Nevertheless, Johnson noted that the government is ready to re-introduce measures over the coming weeks and months if the pressure on hospitals intensifies.

Currently, the number of people in UK hospitals diagnosed with COVID-19 is about 8,500, which is significantly down from the 40,000 hospitalized earlier this year during the catastrophic second wave of the pandemic.

The government has held the right to reserve restrictions such as mandatory mask-wearing, vaccine certifications for nightclubs in addition to other large-scale events (excluding pubs), and mandatory working from home.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization has disclosed that the Pfizer vaccine should be the primary choice for booster shots, with a half-dose of Moderna as an alternative.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, which is based on a different technology, will be offered to individuals who are unable to receive an RNA vaccine for clinical reasons.

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