TikTok: Double Album Taylor Swift's music back on the platform

Two months after the removal of Taylor Swift's songs, Tiktok once again allows them to be used without constraint. She is the only Universal Music Group artist to be entitled to it.

An astonishing privilege. According to our observations, as well as those of many fans, Taylor Swift's music has made a comeback on Tiktok. Two months ago, however, Universal Music Group (UMG) decided to remove its catalog from the platform, accusing it of not paying "the fair value of the music."

Taylor Swift, the only returning UMG artist

Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, but also Taylor Swift, many titles were no longer usable in users' videos. Some had nevertheless found a solution by speeding up or slowing down the music, or quite simply by offering "covers", fan versions, but also by using titles in a "live" version taken during concerts.

However, only Taylor Swift seems concerned, at this stage, by this return, which is not surprising given the fact that a new album must be released in less than ten days.

The billionaire singer, who is due to perform in Paris and Lyon as part of the Eras Tour in May and June, will offer a new album, called The Tortured Poets Department. We know Taylor Swift is very close to her fans, playing with them on social networks. It was on Tiktok that she unveiled a new version of Wildest Dreams at the request of her fans so that they could use it in their videos.

In 2015, Taylor Swift had already shown the power she had in the music sector by withdrawing her albums from streaming platforms, Apple Music or Spotify, tired of seeing them not paying artists during the trial periods offered. to users. The latter had finally accepted the establishment of remuneration, and his music had made a comeback.

Taiwan, TikTok technology: Biden and Xi speak without hiding their differences (II)

The democrat also called for respect for the "right and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea", after recent incidents involving the Philippines in particular.

“The Taiwan question is the first impassable red line in Sino-American relations,” said the official Xinhua news agency, reporting Xi Jinping's remarks. “We will not allow separatist activities or external collusion supporting Taiwan independence forces to go unchecked,” she added.

The United States does not support the independence of Taiwan, whose sovereignty Beijing claims, but it provides it with military support, and opposes any change in the status quo by force.

Joe Biden also expressed his “concern” about the economic and industrial support that Beijing offers to Moscow, according to the White House.

“Don’t sit back”

“As time has gone on, we have really seen China move to help Russia rebuild its defense industrial base,” said a senior US official.

Another contentious subject, and not the least: the measures taken by Joe Biden to limit exports to China of certain advanced technologies, which Washington fears could be used for military purposes.

Xi Jinping, who sees this as a desire to undermine Chinese technological development, made it clear to his counterpart that Beijing would not “stand idly by” in the face of these restrictions.

The warning did not have much effect on the American president, who according to the White House intends to "continue to make the necessary decisions to prevent cutting-edge American technologies from being used in ways that compromise the national security" of the United States. United.

Regarding TikTok, Joe Biden reiterated his “concern” about the Chinese parent company of the popular social network, threatened by a bill in the United States.

The 81-year-old Democrat, however, assured that the objective was not to ban the platform, but to see it change ownership, explained John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, during a briefing. press.

Taiwan, TikTok technology: Biden and Xi speak without hiding their differences (I)

Targeted by an investigation in Taiwan, TikTok denies having established a subsidiary there

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden spoke by telephone on Tuesday, signaling their desire to maintain dialogue despite the still very strong tensions between the two superpowers, whether over Taiwan or technological rivalry.

For this resumption of contact after their meeting last November in California, the Chinese president and the American president "had a frank and in-depth exchange of views", indicated the Chinese public television channel CCTV.

The White House mentioned in a press release a conversation which focused as much on the possibilities of "cooperation" as on "differences", and the spokesperson John Kirby specified that it had lasted an hour and forty-five minutes.

American Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will go to China from April 3 to 9, according to her services, and the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken will also go there soon.

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in a plush residence about forty kilometers from San Francisco last November to renew dialogue.

Chinese balloon

At the time, China and the United States were emerging from a period of very strong tension, linked to the flight over American territory by a Chinese balloon at the beginning of 2023.

The weather is therefore thawing, but there is no excessive heat coming from the official press releases published on both sides.

Particularly when it comes to Taiwan.

Joe Biden, according to the White House, called for “peace and stability” around the island which is preparing to take over a new president.

(to be continued)

President Biden promises rapid reconstruction in Baltimore

American President Joe Biden promised on Friday that he would "move heaven and earth" to rebuild the bridge that collapsed at the end of March in Baltimore, killing six people, AFP reports on Saturday, Agerpres reports.

"I'm here to tell you that your country has your back," said the Democratic president in front of the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key bridge.

President Joe Biden, who is campaigning for re-election and in competition with his predecessor Donald Trump, assured that by the end of May a new channel will be created to restore access to the port of Baltimore, one of the busiest in the country .

A temporary shipping corridor was opened earlier in the week to allow the passage of vessels involved in rescue and relief operations, but it is not wide enough to allow the passage of large commercial ships.

"I saw from above the bridge that collapsed, but on the ground I saw a united community," added the US president, who flew over the area by helicopter. "We will make sure that everything is paid for," he said, urging Congress to support his project for full financing. "We will move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as quickly as possible."

The 81-year-old Democratic president, who is trying to curry favor with the working-class electorate, also promised that reconstruction would be done with "American labor and steel" in the spirit of his industrial recovery policies which he hopes will allows him to gain an advantage over Donald Trump in the November election.

The president also paid tribute to the deceased workers, all immigrants, from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, distancing himself, in this way, from the increasingly violent rhetoric of his Republican opponent on the topic of immigration.

Baltimore is the American port through which the most new cars pass, over 800,000 last year, whether they are vehicles manufactured in the United States and exported internationally, or, conversely, imported foreign vehicles.

It is expected that the reconstruction of the Baltimore bridge, located 64 kilometers north of Washington, will take up to three years.

The current situation in Taiwan

While American President Joe Biden seemed to question the so-called “ambiguity” strategy adopted for several decades vis-à-vis China by openly declaring that “the Americans would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack” , we return to this concept initiated by decision theory but operating in international relations... as well as in everyday life.

The origin of a political strategy

“Strategic ambiguity” is a relatively recent concept, born from the historical rivalries between China and the United States over Taiwan. 

To understand its emergence, we must go back to 1949, when the Chinese nationalist party, the Kuomintang was forced to go into exile on the island of Taiwan after losing the civil war against the communists. A struggle then begins for international recognition between the two parties, both of which claim to represent all of the Chinese people. It was ultimately Mao who won in 1971, when the UN decided to bring his People's Republic of China into the organization, to the detriment of Taiwan which until then represented the country. 

Bridge that collapsed in Baltimore: several precedents in the United States (II)

EADS BRIDGE: 50 INJURED

April 14, 1998: The tugboat Anne Holly, which was traveling in the port of Saint-Louis, struck the central span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away. Three of them hit a gambling boat permanently moored under the bridge. Fifty people were slightly injured.

BIG BAYOU CANOT: 47 DEATHS

September 22, 1993: Barges pushed by a tugboat in heavy fog struck and displaced the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge near Mobile, Alabama. Minutes later, an Amtrak train with 220 people on board reached the displaced bridge and derailed, killing 47 people and injuring 103 others

SEEBER BRIDGE: 1 DEAD

May 28, 1993: The tugboat Chris, pushing the empty barge DM3021, struck a pillar of the Judge William Seeber Bridge in New Orleans. Two spans and the two-post bridge collapsed onto the barge. Two cars carrying three people fell with the deck of the four-lane bridge into a canal. One person died and two others were seriously injured.

SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDGE: 35 DEAD

May 9, 1980: The 609-foot cargo ship Summit Venture was navigating the narrow, winding channel of Tampa Bay, Florida, when the ship's radar was disrupted. The vessel sheared off a support of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, bringing down a 1,400-foot section of concrete roadway during the morning rush hour. Seven vehicles, including a bus with 26 people on board, fell 150 feet into the water. Thirty-five people died.

Bridge that collapsed in Baltimore: several precedents in the United States (I)

A container ship hit a large bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to plunge into the river below.

From 1960 to 2015, 35 major bridges collapsed worldwide following a collision with a ship or barge, killing a total of 342 people, according to a 2018 report from the World Infrastructure Association waterborne transport infrastructure (World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure). Eighteen of these collapses occurred in the United States.

Here is a list of notable disasters involving ships or barges that struck bridges in the United States:

POPP'S FERRY BRIDGE

March 20, 2009: A ship pushing eight barges struck Popp's Ferry Bridge in Biloxi, Mississippi, causing a 150-foot section of the bridge to collapse into the bay.

INTERSTATE 40 BRIDGE: 14 DEAD

May 26, 2002: A barge struck the Interstate 40 bridge over the Arkansas River in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, causing a 500-foot section of the road to collapse and plunging vehicles into the water . Fourteen people died and 11 were injured.

QUEEN ISABELLA CAUSEWAY: 8 DEAD

September 15, 2001: A tugboat and barge struck the Queen Isabella Causeway in Port Isabel, Texas, causing a midsection of the 80-foot bridge to fall into the bay below. Eight people died after motorists drove into the hole.

(to be continued)

Empty river barge hits bridge in China, at least two dead

The accident occurred in Guangzhou, in the south of the country, on Thursday morning. Three people are still missing, according to the local maritime affairs bureau.

At least two people died and three remain missing after a collision on Thursday  in China between a river barge and a road bridge, reports AFP. The shock caused a section in the middle of the bridge to collapse, authorities announced.

The empty barge was traveling between Foshan and Guangzhou, provincial capital of southern China's Guangdong, when it hit the bridge around 5:30 a.m. (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. GMT), the business bureau said Canton Maritime Services. The ship hit a pillar of the Lixinsha Bridge, causing the deck of the structure to rupture and five vehicles to fall, either into the water or onto the boat below, he said in a press release.

According to the latest report provided by the office, two people were rescued, two died, one crew member was slightly injured and three people are still missing.

Dozens of rescuers

The Guangzhou Maritime Affairs Bureau said the cause of the accident was being investigated and rescue operations were continuing.

According to the Chinese channel CCTV, dozens of rescuers were dispatched to the scene, including some who came as reinforcements from the neighboring metropolis of Shenzhen.

Baltimore's nightmare returns: barge against bridge in Oklahoma

A barge crashed into a bridge in the US state of Oklahoma. This is what local authorities reported, specifying that the accident caused no casualties and that traffic was first blocked then reopened after safety checks.

According to what the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (Okdot) posted on its X account, US Highway 59 was closed on the Arkansas River, south of Sollisaw, due to the collision. The causes of the accident are currently unknown. Just last Tuesday, a merchant ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse, an accident in which six construction workers remain missing.

On May 26, 2002, in the same Arkansas River, also in Oklahoma, 14 people died and eleven were injured when another bridge collapsed, causing ten vehicles to fall into the water after a tugboat pushing two barges struck a pylon of the structure along the river. Highway I 40, the most important highway in the Midwestern state. In this case, it was an illness of the captain of the tugboat which caused the accident.

No injuries were reported on the highway or the barge, according to state patrol officials. The bridge crosses the Arkansas River where it enters the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, which is not far from Oklahoma’s border with Arkansas.

The highway reopened to traffic around 4 p.m.

“Engineers inspected the structure and found it safe to reopen,” the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said in an email.

Is the TikTok algorithm sending you messages from the universe? (II)

“If you came across this video, it was meant for you”

In the part of TikTok reserved for New Age followers, this idea that the algorithm is a spiritual force that delivers messages to users at the right times has become a kind of evidence. Many influencers start their video by stating: “If you came across this video, it was meant for you. Stop scrolling and listen to what I have to say.” For followers of the laws of attraction, this ideology according to which the universe bends to our thoughts, then there is a certain logic: the TikTok algorithm reflecting our personality could respond to our desires or our questions. More prosaically, the application would have a whole bunch of tools to aim correctly and give you the right information at the right time.

The algorithm that loved me...

The thing is known: all beginner users start with the same experience on TikTok. The first videos that appear come from accounts with a lot of subscribers and always presenting similar content. You have to watch videos of young women waddling or pranks filmed in time-lapse for TikTok to start offering more specific content. It is in particular the watch time (the fact of watching the video to the end) and our engagement (the fact of liking, sharing or commenting on the video) which will give clues to the algorithm. It will be able to determine what makes us stay or leave a video. If you are a long-time user, it is easy to spot the moments when the platform offers you a new type of content that you might like.

The rest also comes down to suggestions and interpretation. As in the divinatory arts, everyone can interpret chance and other coincidences as messages from the universe.

...the app that sucks up my data

It remains to be agreed that TikTok is an application literally listening to you. Since 2020, we have known that the platform can activate the microphone of smartphones even when you are not scrolling videos. iPhone users are protected, but those on Android are therefore likely to be recorded without their knowledge. And that's not all. TikTok also uses so-called third-party trackers that tell the company about your online activity outside of its app. 

According to a report from the URL Genius site, 13 trackers out of the 14 on TikTok record your Google searches, your location, etc. When we understand to what extent each user is spied on by the application, then the magic tends to disappear slightly.

Black swan, the new internet trend after the Baltimore bridge collapse

Extreme-right commentators are claiming Tuesday's dramatic collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge is a "black swan" event, a niche phrase that has recently captured the imagination of internet conspiracy theorists.

What conspiracy theories are circulating on social media

"The ship was the target of a cyber attack. They turn off the lights and head deliberately towards the bridge supports. US foreign agents attack digital infrastructures. Nothing is certain,” wrote Andrew Tate on X, about six hours after the container ship collided with the bridge. "The Black Swan Event is imminent."

"This is a BLACK SWAN event," General Mike Flynn, Donald Trump's former national security adviser, also wrote on X. Others, including Benny Johnson, Laura Loomer, and some verified QAnon-affiliated accounts, can be found on a search quickly with the "black swan event", with many claiming that the bridge collapse was an act of terrorism.

"It looks deliberate to me. It's probably a cyber attack. World War III has already begun,” Alex Jones of Infowars wrote on X in response to Andrew Tate's post.