Brian Mackie 🇺🇦

Barnet exile living in Canada since 1990. Supporter of Greenock Morton and their community initiatives. Mon eh Ton!
@brianmackie.bsky.social

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Our 2024. Every single day of it has been won by our warriors, by all our people, by everyone who defends, works, strengthens, and helps.

Hard work and courage, humanity and integrity of the entire nation filled this year. Along with care, development and love, the desire to change reality for the better, no matter what.

We Ukrainians know what it means not to wait for what tomorrow will bring, but to fight for every single day and every year of freedom. And 2024 was exactly that—a year hard-won and free. Another step towards justice, a fair peace, our victory, and a life without war.

I wish us all strength, unity, and inspiration in the coming year. Happy New Year of life and freedom—Happy Our Year!

@ZelenskaUA

[Brian Mackie 🇺🇦 @brian_toronto]

Cameron Blues' last-minute Hogmanay winner @Morton_FC #GMFCvPTFC

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

Guys,

My friends helping the families of Azovstal captives have launched an important project on Russian war crimes and testimonies from Ukrainian prisoners of war who endured torture and humiliation in Russian captivity.

It's called "Moscow Conventions," and it describes the horrific world of violence, barbarity, and atrocity that fascist Russia wants to install instead of the world of international law and human justice.

Have a look - this is essentially an e-book with many stories and pictures in many languages, available online and offline: https://t.co/KGpmKhBu1B

This work describes the monstrous version of international law, the Moscow Conventions, in a world where hypocritical "neutrality" and inaction toward crimes against humanity prevailed.

It's really useful and important.

Please read and share to help this be seen and heard.

[Natalka @NatalkaKyiv]

A Ukrainian female soldier shot down a Russian missile from an Igla MANPAD this morning. This was her first launch and first hit.

The soldier completed 5 months long preparatory courses. She was a kindergarten teacher in civilian life.

[Brian Mackie 🇺🇦 @brian_toronto]

@Shannon32308146 Not sure exactly how this works but if I can say here - let's make it US$400.

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

Chancellor Scholz is still trying to appeal to the reason of a man who has sent about 600,000 of his fellow citizens to death or injury in meat grinder assaults, wasted over 3,500 tanks, turned himself into a subservient vassal of China, released the most dangerous maniacs and cannibals from prisons, created armies of suicidal convicts, bowed to Kim and the ayatollahs, and threatens the world with nuclear holocaust daily — all because he fancied himself a new Peter the Great, launched a delusional 'special military operation' to seize Kyiv within days, and has spent three years scorching everything around himself at any cost, just to avoid admitting his failure and hold on to power.

Looks promising.

[Volodymyr Dacenko @Volodymyr_D_]

Russia is suffering more and more losses trying to look like the side that is winning.
The dynamics of Russian losses indicates the price of the Russian offensive. 1/6

[Volodymyr Demchenko @brokenpixelua]

On the left: russian advertisement for military service under contract.
Photo of a Ukrainian soldier rescuing a child from Irpin.
Days since russia stopped stealing Ukrainian history: 0

[Volodymyr Demchenko @brokenpixelua]

@realDonaldTrump Watch this video and tell me: Is Ukraine alive or not? Ukraine is in mourning, Ukraine is in blood, Ukraine is in tears, but UKRAINE EXISTS! Ukraine is fighting and Ukraine will outlast you and your inept political career.

[Tatarigami_UA @Tatarigami_UA]

I agree. When a confederation of states with a population and economy nearly equal to that of the U.S. is basing its future on U.S. elections, while the reverse is never true, it screams about a self-imposed mental limitation. And lack of leadership or a sense of direction

[WarTranslated @wartranslated]

"We are against freezing the conflict. We do not want a third war. The 2014 war was frozen with thousands of negotiations, but the full-scale war in 2022 still started" - Zelensky shares his view on ending the war.

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

This pile of rubble used to be the Ukrainian city of Vovchansk less than a year ago.

And then the plague of Russian fascism came again.

[Mike Martin MP 🔸 @ThreshedThought]

There is a lot going on in the news at the moment, but there is a story that is consistently being underreported: Russia.

A 🧵

(potentially with 🖍️)

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

To all those who are now losing their shit over NYT's reports on Zelensky requesting Tomahawk missiles as part of his 'peace plan' secret part, I'd love to pose a question -- what's the alternative?

What's the alternative to Ukraine's ability to properly undermine Russia's ability to fight this war by targeting or rendering unusable its key military facilities used against Ukraine?

What exactly should the West, particularly the U.S., go on waiting for, with all those limitations on the Ukrainian use of Western weapons on Russian territory?

What's the plan?

Should it go on waiting for Putin to finally come to reason, get horrified by all the piles of dead bodies he sent to the slaughter, and leave Ukraine alone forever?

Are big people in D.C., London, Paris, and Berlin waiting for a lucky blood clot that would suddenly put this all to an end and relieve them of the trouble of putting their electoral ratings at risk by helping Ukraine repel the largest European aggression since Adolf Hitler?

I'm afraid miracles are not real in this world.

Or should they go on stalling time into nothing until Ukraine bleeds out under Russian glide bombs and finally collapses, with Putin's hordes coming to their borders?

Who would be out there to answer for all that demagoguery of "We're Tired of Ukraine" when Putin decides who is next to be declared "not a real country" and devoured after Ukraine?

Something tells me that the "costs" of helping Ukraine now are nothing compared to the perspective of facing Russian armies in a Europe without Ukraine.

What exactly are we waiting for?

Attempts to avoid key decisions and hide from Russia's war only made things worse by giving Putin over 2 years to launch his war machine, and this "escalation management" put us as far as Russia directly involving North Korea into the boots-on-the-ground war against Ukraine.

What exactly are we waiting for next, is it for Putin feeling unpunishable enough to nuke Kyiv and Lviv and pose ultimatums next year?

I really want to know.

Support my work: https://t.co/2jsZNdSj2u
PayPal: [email protected]

[Gale Anne Hurd @GunnerGale]

#HappyAnniversary to #TheTerminator — you don’t look a day over 25 —-hard to believe we’re celebrating your #40th!

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

Leaving no one behind.

[Saint Javelin @saintjavelin]

Was that a part of the Kyiv-in-3-days plan?

[Tobi @TobiFrenzen]

I asked "Grok" (Twitter/X's AI model) what it thinks about Elon Musk's removal of the #Block feature.

It did not disappoint, demonstrating once again that it is indeed more aware and sentient than this platform's "tech-bro" owner.

Here's what it responded...

Removing the block function from a social media platform like X (formerly Twitter) could introduce several significant issues and dangers, particularly affecting user safety, privacy, and the overall user experience:

Increased Harassment and Abuse:
Without the block function, victims of online harassment could be continuously targeted. This feature removal might embolden harassers, knowing that their targets cannot completely cut off communication or visibility.

Privacy Invasion:
Blocking is often used to prevent unwanted individuals from accessing personal content. Its removal would mean that even those a user wishes to keep out can still view their posts, potentially leading to further privacy breaches or stalking.

Safety Concerns for Vulnerable Groups:
Individuals in vulnerable situations, such as victims of domestic violence, activists, or whistle-blowers, use blocking to protect themselves from threats. Without this function, these groups become more exposed to danger.

User Retention and Engagement:
Many users might feel less safe on the platform, potentially leading to a decrease in user numbers or engagement. The feeling of being unable to control who interacts with or views their content could drive users away.

Legal and Compliance Issues:
Social media platforms often must comply with regulations that require mechanisms for users to block abusive content or users. Removing this feature could put the platform at odds with legal standards in various jurisdictions, potentially leading to legal challenges or fines.

Increased Toxicity:
The lack of a block feature might exacerbate the toxicity of online interactions. Users might feel less restrained in their behavior if they know they can't be blocked, leading to an overall more hostile environment.

Platform's Reputation: Such a move could damage the platform's reputation as a safe space for dialogue, potentially affecting its attractiveness to advertisers, partnerships, and new users.

Alternative Solutions and Their Limitations:
While Elon Musk has suggested enhancing the mute function as an alternative, this does not provide the same level of protection. Muted users can still engage with the content and might not be deterred from harmful behavior since they're unaware of being muted.

User Control and Autonomy:
Removing the block feature undermines user autonomy over their digital space. Users expect control over who they interact with online, and this removal could be seen as a significant overreach by the platform.

Potential for Misinformation Spread:
If controversial figures or sources of misinformation cannot be blocked, this might lead to an unchecked spread of harmful content, affecting public discourse negatively.

There's a sentiment that removing such features could be seen as an overreach or misunderstanding of user needs for safety and privacy. While Elon Musk and others might argue for a more open platform as promoting free speech, the balance between free speech and user safety remains contentious.

Critics argue that without blocking, the platform might not only become less safe but also less appealing for everyday users who value their privacy and peace of mind. This perspective reflects a broader debate on how social media should balance openness with user protection.

[Yorkshire Victor Meldrew+his dog @TheMeldrew]

Should be mandatory in newsagents