Emoji of red flags are all over Twitter. Here’s why

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Red flags are everywhere.

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Twitter is full of warnings this week. A new trend on the platform has users tweeting the red flag emoji to highlight opinions and behaviors they find to be, well, red flags.Β 

The platform says it’s seen a 455% increase over the last week in tweets using the emoji in the US. Tuesday saw 1.5 million red-flag-emoji tweets globally.

From people cautioning about worrisome behavior from a prospective date, dunia kesehatan to brands trying to capitalize on the trend, here’s the rundown on the rows of red flags filling up your timeline.

What do the red flags mean?

Outside Twitter, the phrase red flag is used as a warning. as a “warning signal or sign,” or “something that indicates or draws attention to a problem, danger, or irregularity.” The dictionary pinpoints the first usage of red flag as a noun dating back to 1748.

Thanks to the red flag emoji, Twitter users can just punctuate a tweet with the symbol, or even use a whole row of them to show something is troublesome.Β 

How did the trend start?

According to , the trend started among Black Twitter users this week who were talking about red flags in dating. The tweets covered things like someone who’s always online but is slow to text back; someone saying they’re still friends with their ex, or “going all day without talking to me.” A tweet calling out the latter is one of the top retweeted tweets of this trend, raking in more than 28,000 retweets so far.Β 

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Though not always, many of the tweets are formatted as quotes followed by the flags.

What are people warning each other about?

In short, everything. People are tweeting opinions on sports, food, movies, music, politics and more that they find to be problematic. Not all the tweets are serious; many of them are jokes.

One Twitter user tweeted: “My favorite movie is Fight Club.”

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Another tweeted: “My team is the Dallas Cowboys.”

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Celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi tweeted that a red flag for her would be someone saying, “I don’t like Indian food.”

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From sports teams to restaurants, brands are also going all in on the trend, like the PGA Tour flagging, “Golf is not a real sport.”

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Russian woman's face 'shrank' after beauty treatment aged her 10 years

A female architect has told how she ‘lost her face’ in the hours and days after undergoing beauty treatment because her then boyfriend told her she looked ‘old’.

Svetlana, 37, from Perm in , claims it had the opposite intended effect and aged her 10 yearsΒ overnight saying: ‘My face shrank like in mummification.’Β 

She claims the cosmetic surgeon used a new drug recently approved for use in Britain and other Western countries, but that it destroyed her looks ‘irreversibly ageing her ten years’.

Before: Svetlana, 37, from Russia, revealed she 'lost her face' in the hours and days after undergoing beauty treatment

After:Β  She claims it ages her 10 years overnight

Before and After:Β Svetlana, 37, from Russia, (pictured before, left) revealed she ‘lost her face’ in the hours and days after beauty treatment that aged her 10 years overnight (right)

She turned into a ‘recluse’, saying: ‘My skin sagged like a rag, the face completely departed from the skull.

‘The connection of the skin to the skull, the so-called ligaments of the face, info kesehatan disappeared.’

A criminal case has now been launched into her case in Russia, but Svetlana says her love life and career has been ruined and she has spoken out to warn other women.Β 

‘It’s very scary,’ she said.’As if you were killed, you decompose – and see it every day in the mirror.Β 

‘It’s like your face is melting and you can’t stop it. Doctors don’t know how to treat it.

‘If I had even had the slightest hint that this could happen, I would never have gone to a beautician at all.’

She decided to undergo the cosmetic procedure because her then boyfriend told her she looked 'old' and joked he would 'find himself a younger model' (pictured, before the treatment)

She decided to undergo the cosmetic procedure because her then boyfriend told her she looked ‘old’ and joked he would ‘find himself a younger model’ (pictured, before the treatment)

She claims the cosmetic surgeon used a new drug, Longidaza, to remove old gel implants but it 'destroyed the collagen' on her face and her 'skin became saggy' (pictured)

She claims the cosmetic surgeon used a new drug, Longidaza, to remove old gel implants but it ‘destroyed the collagen’ on her face and her ‘skin became saggy’ (pictured)

Her problems started when she was advised by her cosmetologist to remove old lifting gel implants with injections of Longidaza, a Russian drug with multiple uses that has been approved this year for use in many Western countries, reported Russian channel NTV.

She had sought treatment because ‘my then boyfriend kept telling me – supposedly as a joke – “You’re old – I’ll find myself a younger model”,’ she said.

Subconsciously, she believed him and tried to improve her face with cosmetic surgery, then he dumped her when her surgery went wrong, she said.

Svetlana has been advised that the drug ‘destroyed the collagen’ on her face and her ‘skin became saggy’.

Svetlana says her love life and career has been ruined and she has spoken out to warn other women after she said herΒ 'face shrank like during mummification'

Svetlana says her love life and career has been ruined and she has spoken out to warn other women after she said herΒ ‘face shrank like during mummification’

She said within three days of the treatmenr, the under-eye and the upper eyelid, was completely dry, her eyebrows had dropped down, and the outer corners of the eyes dropped

She said within three days of the treatmenr, the under-eye and the upper eyelid, was completely dry, her eyebrows had dropped down, and the outer corners of the eyes dropped

She had gone to a surgeon in March 2020 who she had visited earlier in her home city Perm.

The medic – a fully qualified doctor – assured her that the Longidaza would break down excess gel under the skin beneath her eyes, she said.

She had other treatments, too, injecting gel into her cheeks and into her nasolabial fold.

She received enzyme and hyaluronic filler in one procedure, she said.

‘In the evening I went to the mirror and saw that my face had began to change,’ she said.’The skin under my eyes dried up and literally fell through.

‘In the morning, the volume of dried tissue under the eyes increased even more. Rapid changes were taking place, every hour my face was altering.

She said she turned into a 'recluse' after the treatment went wrong, and hid behind Covid face masks and also wore large dark glasses and a cap, to completely cover her face (pictured)

She said she turned into a ‘recluse’ after the treatment went wrong, and hid behind Covid face masks and also wore large dark glasses and a cap, to completely cover her face (pictured)

‘Within three days, not only the under-eye, but also the upper eyelid, was completely dry.My eyebrows dropped down, the outer corners of the eyes dropped. I couldn’t understand what was going on.’

She has been told subsequently that the Longidaza, an allergenic anti-scar drug, was ‘eating away at my tissues’.

Svetlana said: ‘I didn’t realise at the time that it was irreversible.’

Her beautician Dr Irina Freimanis then injected more gel but also used more of the new drug, this time giving her treatment for free, said the victim.

The new fillers caused her pain but did not solve the worsening problem.

‘After all these injections, I saw another person in the mirror every day,’ said Svetlana.

‘It was clear that some kind of chemical process was taking place and the face was changing.This was really scary.’

Svetlana said two years ago she was successful and her career as an architect was going in an upward trajectory but the visit to the beautician 'broke her whole life'

Svetlana said two years ago she was successful and her career as an architect was going in an upward trajectory but the visit to the beautician ‘broke her whole life’

Surgeons and ophthalmologists warned her that due to damage to her eye area , her vision would be damaged.

‘I stopped communicating with people, I shut myself away,’ she said.Everyone asked what happened to me, why I didn’t look like myself, what was wrong with my eyes.

‘I continued to swell a lot, and stopped leaving the house so as not to scare anyone.’

Covid face masks saved her embarrassment but she also wore large dark glasses and a cap, completely covering my face since in profile I had a very unnaturally flat forehead and temples.

‘My face shrank like during mummification,’ she said.

On the web she realised that she was not alone in suffering such problems.

She went to the Russian Investigative Committee which is now examining the case, and was medically checked as she sought a way out.

‘Some doctors told me: “Yes, this drug has corroded your face, it is irreversible..”.’

Her cosmetologist – who is contesting the case – was caught on video saying: ‘Go and prove I injected you with Longidaza.’

Svetlana says she bitterly regrets undergoing the treatment saying:Β ‘I now look at my photos and videos before this and I see that everything was good’.

She said she ‘found fault’ with herself because of her boyfriend’s words.

‘In most cases, women do not need any procedures.You just need to drink vitamins, eat well and lead a healthy lifestyle. But society imposes its stereotypes on us, the cult of beauty is actively imposed on us.’

A criminal case has now been launched against her beautician, Dr Irina Freimanis,Β a fully qualified doctor, (pictured) in Russia, who is contesting the case

A criminal case has now been launched against her beautician, Dr Irina Freimanis,Β a fully qualified doctor, (pictured) in Russia, who is contesting the case

She said: ‘I am telling my story here to warn other girls and women… what might happen to them.

‘You can’t blindly trust doctors, even with many qualifications.You need to love yourself and watch Instagram less, and not listen to people who say: “You’re getting old”.

‘Better to grow old with dignity and do nothing with your face. I am very sorry that I even applied for any procedure.I wish I hadn’t.

‘I just wanted to correct the minimal age-related changes, but I could not even think that my face would be ditched in such a way that it would cost me my whole life.’

Svetlana said: ‘Two years ago I was successful, everything worked out for me, my career was going in an upward trajectory, everything was fine.

‘And this fatal mistake – my visit to a beautician – broke my whole life.It looks like appearance is not important. But appearance is very important, especially for a woman.

‘Your face is your calling card. I would agree to anything to get my face back. But this is unreal.

‘Even after (restorative) surgery, it will be a completely different face, and the skin will not be completely restored.’

Longidaza has used widely in Russia and neighbouring countries for 15 years.

It has applications in pulmonology, urology, and has been used to treat Covid-19 patients, assisting in overcoming breathing problems.Its makers say it has some uses in cosmetology.

The committee is investigating the case, and assessing Svetlana’s claims.

When confronted with a claim from Svetlana, the doctor said on video: ‘I don’t care what you brought… goodbye, go away.’

Southwest Airlines flight cancellations aren’t due to vaccine mandate. What you should know

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Why did Southwest cancel so many flights

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Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights this past weekend due to multiple issues, leaving passengers stranded across the US. But don’t blame the mass cancellations on protests against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.Β 

Some people on social media had speculated that the widespread disruption was due to pilots or air traffic controllers protesting . The Federal Aviation Administration and the airline say this isn’t true.Β 

What caused all the flight cancellations?

this past weekend were canceled. The airline cited issues of weather and info kesehatan limited staffing at Florida airports. “ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation,” Southwest said in a .

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The airline added more details about the issues on Monday.

“On Friday evening, the airline ended the day with numerous cancellations, primarily created by weather and other external constraints, which left aircraft and crews out of pre-planned positions to operate our schedule on Saturday,” . “Unfortunately, the out-of-place aircraft and continued strain on our crew resources created additional cancellations across our point-to-point network that cascaded throughout the weekend and into Monday.”

The FAA confirmed that weather and staff shortage issues as well as military training Friday near the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center in Hilliard, Florida, contributed to the cancellations.Β 

This created a cascading effect for Southwest that continued into Monday, with more than 300 flights canceled, according to .Β 

Are the cancellations due to walkouts over COVID-19 vaccine mandates?

No, according to Southwest and the FAA.Β 

A began circulating Saturday alleging a walkout of air traffic controllers at the Jacksonville International Airport due to a . Others on social media suggested Southwest employees are protesting the .Β 

and , both Republicans from Texas, tweeted about the cancellations. Roy said while he was unsure if this was airline employees or air traffic controllers rebelling, they would have his support. Cruz put the blame on Biden’s push for vaccine mandates.Β 

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In regard to the rumor of an air traffic controller walkout, flights in and out of the Jacksonville International Airport — where many Southwest flights were canceled — are handled by the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center. The FAA, which employees most air traffic controllers, said in a statement Monday there have been no staff shortages since Friday.

In a letter to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority board of directors received by on Sunday, Jacksonville Aviation Authority COO Tony Cugno said the air traffic controller staff issue at the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center was a combination of different factors. The first was approved leave for employees, and the second was a required 48-hour period when employees at the center have to stay home to self-monitor for any side effects after receiving a vaccine shot.

The FAA said it’s working to have its workersΒ .Β 

Another issue with the rumor: There would have been far more cancellations by other airlines if there was a walkout by air traffic controllers. According to FlightAware,Β , while the US airline with the second-most cancellations wasΒ .Β 

On Oct. 4, Southwest said it will require . However, it confirmed in an emailed statement that the weekend’s canceled flights weren’t due to their new requirements. Β 

“There is no truth behind the rumors that this is a job-related action,” the company said.

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The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) that represents the airlines’ pilots also confirmed the cancellations weren’t due to a protest over the company’s vaccination requirements, according to a report from the .Β 

The COVIDΒ  in preventing hospitalization. Over the summer, as the delta variant swept across the US, the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths surged. As some states see record numbers of cases, unvaccinated people have accounted for nearly all the hospitalizations and deaths — . With the federal mandates, the Biden administration aims to counter the surge and put pressure on the tens of millions of people who are eligible but aren’t yet vaccinated.

Why did this only affect Southwest?Β 

This past weekend exposed some issues with Southwest’s business strategy. Though it’s one of the , it’s feeling the effects of the COVID pandemic.Β 

“We were thinly staffed coming into the weekend,” Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly CNBC on Tuesday. “We were significantly set behind on Friday, and it takes several days to catch up.”Β 

It also doesn’t help that Southwest uses a linear route network, also calledΒ . With this model, airplanes go directly from one city to another without going through a major hub city, like Delta Airlines flights do with, for instance, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta and United Airlines flights do with, for example, Chicago O’Hare airport. One of the benefits of Southwest’s strategy is that it lets the airline deal with airports that have less traffic, which keeps costs down and lets the company pass the savings on to customers as lower ticket prices. On the other hand, a major issue can cause a domino effect.Β 

In the case of this past weekend, there were thunderstorms across Florida on Friday, which caused the initial disruption. “Every single airport in the state of Florida was impacted by this,” Kelly said. “We’re probably the largest airlines in terms of seats offered in the state of Florida.”

The combination of those delays and cancellations due to weather in Florida created a ripple effect as other factors came into play. For instance, the FAA requires flight crews to take anΒ . When a flight is delayed by several hours on a Friday, and that same crew is supposed to be handling a flight Saturday morning, they’re required to wait those eight hours before they can work on that next flight. This pushes back that flight. Because of Southwest’s point-to-point model, the plane that was going to travel to four or five cities that day won’t make those flights, and there isn’t a hub for those passengers to get rerouted.Β 

Southwest employees have complained for months about their exhaustion. Unions for Southwest said in August thatΒ  the company had scheduled.Β 

Southwest also . If a Delta flight is canceled, Delta can offer passengers a flight on American.Β 

Southwest’s weekend fiasco was a headache for many travelers, but the cause wasn’t an employee uprising over vaccine mandates. The airline has urged people impacted by delayed and canceled flights to on Southwest.com.Β