Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
TWITTER HAS BEEN keeping a close eye on what millions of tweeters worldwide have been getting up to this year and compiled ’2012 Year on Twitter’.
The new website has highlighted some of the biggest events of the year on the microblogging service which has over 500 million active users and handles over 350 million tweets on a daily basis.
Some of those tweets have been deemed ‘Golden Tweets’ for having generated the most retweets of the year.
You won’t be surprised to read that this touching picture of US President Barack Obama hugging his wife Michelle that was tweeted with the words ‘Four more years’ on the night of his re-election on 6 November was retweeted the most.
The tweet got a stunning 810,000+ retweets and according to Twitter is now the most retweeted tweet ever, sent by more than 200 countries around the world.
Falling far behind but no less important is a tweet from pop superstar Justin Bieber who on 26 September tweeted ‘RIP Avalanna. i love you’, paying tribute to six-year-old Avalanna Routh who had recently died from a rare form of brain cancer.
The tweet has 220,000 + retweets and included this touching picture of Biebs and his young fan before she died.
Credit: Avalanna Routh, on Twitter
The biggest conversations of the year on Twitter centred on a number of major events.
Chief among them was the London Olympics or #London2012 which generated 150 million tweets with the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt or @UsainBolt being the most discussed athlete.
The US election was also popular with the first debate and Barack Obama’s significant stumble generating around 10 million tweets. Over thirty-one million tweets were sent about the election on Election Day itself.
Other discussions centred on sport with Euro 2012, the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Chelsea and the NFL Super Bowl generating plenty of chatter.
Not forgetting the sadder events of this year and Superstorm Sandy which had a devastating effect on the US east coast and before that, Central America and the Caribbean.
Between October 27 and November 1, there were more than 20 million tweets about Sandy’s impact and aftermath.
Twitter has also welcomed some new users this year including actor Steve Carell, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, Homeland star Damian Lewis, singer Neil Young, football legend Pelé, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, and singer Adele.
Not forgetting Pope Benedict XVI or @Pontifex who joined Twitter recently and is expected to send his first tweets today “on matters of faith” according to the Vatican.
For more visit the ’2012 Year On Twitter’ page.
The health service isn’t “overlooked”. It’s just terribly ran and inefficient.
@Seán Ó hAnnracháin: Agree the Irish Health Service consumes 11% of our GDP v 9% average for other EU countries. Transparency needed on unit production. How many total manhours per procedure (direct and all indirect) v international benchmarks? Please publish.
- 2 Tier Irish Health System is obscene.
- Belfast buses from West Cork for cataract operations.
Tidal wave of health and mental issue s will follow.
The worse is yet to come.
‘Overlooked’ as in intentionally underfunded to scare people into the arrms of private health insurance companies.
“That’s the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital” – Noam Chomsky
@The Risen: Funding has increased by 1/5 over the past 5 years, so the HSE is definitely not being “underunded”, but epically mis-managed. But don’t let facts get in the way of your little rants.
@The Risen: it’s a thought but I don’t really think so there are a lot off buffoons in charge
@The Risen: nothing underfunded about our health service… It’s run by a bunch of interest groups who are more concerned with their share rather than the health of the nation. Top heavy management that wasn’t thinned out in the move from Health Boards to the HSE maintains the lack of value and continuing inefficiency of any investment. Hospitals owned or managed by “patrons” despite being funded and developed by the state limit the mobility and efficiency of trained staff. Working practices designed to ensure as much staff as possible are paid at higher levels and a ridiculous consultant contract all contribute to ensure that any individual procedure actually costs more than the equivalent in a private setting, any of the double jobbing consultants will confirm this.
@The Risen: You say this because the HSE SHOULD BE a leftists’ wet dream – a big public sector (union dominated) organisation running our health system for the benefit of the public. But it’s a disaster. But that’s ok, because just blame the mean Gov or those evil capitalists. Hate to burst your bubble, but the HSE is the way it is because it is dominated by public sector vested interests (i.e Unions). There is no real accountability. There is no desire from within for change and any significant change is fought tooth nail because the status quo suits the special interests (i.e PS unions)- they’ve carved it out this way. At least if you’re paying for a service, the provider has an interest in providing you a good service. The HSE bureaucrat has no such interest, they are paid regardless.
All future governments will tie up the banking crisis borrowings with loans from Covid and will blame “Covid” for everything for years to come.
What health service as its near impossible to even see a GP these days
have your say