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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year

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Why Musk’s meltdown matters. :: December 12,2022

Robert B. Hubbell

Over the weekend, Musk’s delusional rantings reached orbital velocity as he escaped the pull of reality and entered the weightlessness of fact-free conspiracies. After Dr. Anthony Fauci penned an op-ed in the NYTimes on Saturday, Opinion | Anthony Fauci: A Message to the Next Generation of Scientists, Musk tweeted

My pronouns are Prosecute / Fauci.

Musk’s tweet was dangerous, ignorant, and insulting to Dr. Fauci and LGBTQ people. Should we care? Why should we pay attention to a man-child who seems to delight in provoking people who care about democracy, truth, and decency?

Yes, we should care. Consider the following:

Musk has over 100 million followers on Twitter. (Many may be bots, but he is an outsized presence on Twitter.)

Nearly 40% of Twitter users are 25 to 34 years old.

25% of the US male adult population uses Twitter.

55% of Twitter users regularly get news on the platform, amounting to 15% of the US adult population.

How many 25 to 34-year-old males do you know who read a daily newspaper? Or watch a cable news program? Or watch broadcast news? You get the point: The strong probability is that the young adult males you know hear more frequently from Elon Musk than from any mainstream journalist.

When Musk adopts a conspiracy theory or attacks a vulnerable group, his sycophant followers retweet Musk’s original disinformation and add their own snarky, cynical, and misinformed opinions. Repetition creates the illusion of fact without regard to the veracity of the original tweet.

The attack on Fauci and related LGBTQ attack matter because millions of young adult males in the US will believe (wrongly) that Dr. Fauci helped to “create” the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19. And they will believe it is acceptable to mock LGBTQ people. Why? Because Elon Musk said so.

To be clear, despite his wealth, Musk is often spectacularly wrong when he ventures beyond his areas of expertise. In March 2020, Musk assured Americans that “The coronavirus panic is dumb,” and “Based on current trends, probably close to zero cases in US by April [2020].”

One million deaths later, Musk’s flippant tweets have not aged well. So, what is the response of Musk and his conspiracy-minded followers to the truth of a pandemic they sought to deny? Answer: Blame the scientists who fought to control the pandemic, especially Dr. Fauci.

The GOP conspiracy theory about Dr. Fauci’s responsibility for “creating” SARS-CoV-2 involves a deliberate misinterpretation of an NIH letter denying that claim, a deliberate ignorance of virology and related research, and an intense hatred of Dr. Fauci because he refused to support Trump’s buffoonish effort to fool the American people into believing that Covid-19 was “just like a bad flu.” See generally, FactCheck.Org, Republicans Spin NIH Letter About Coronavirus Gain-of-Function Research.

House Republicans intend to hold hearings into the response of NIH and Dr. Fauci to the pandemic. McCarthy and his political thugs will ignore the facts. Their goal is to create soundbites of illiterate Republicans yelling at Dr. Fauci—to be shared on Twitter and Fox News. See ABC News, Republicans vow to investigate Fauci after he steps down in December.

It is difficult to overstate the harm that such hearings will inflict on the trust of Americans in future efforts by NIH scientists to control new viruses against which we have no natural immunity. By demonizing Dr. Fauci, Republicans will kill tens or hundreds of thousands of Americans in future epidemics by undermining trust in the NIH, CDC, and other federal agencies. We have already seen the effect of weaponized disinformation in the 2023 funding authorization for the US military: The budget explicitly removed mandatory Covid vaccinations for new recruits. See Military Times, Military COVID-19 vaccine mandate repealed in defense bill compromise.

This brings us back to Musk’s tweet on Saturday: “My pronouns are Prosecute / Fauci.” Musk’s tweet endorses the conspiracy theory that Fauci “created” SARS-CoV-2 and “covered up” an alleged virus leak from a lab in China. Musk is spreading vile disinformation to American adult males between the ages of 24 to 34 who regularly get their “news” from Twitter. That is bad—to say the least.

But it is made worse by the fact that Musk wrapped his dangerous conspiracy theory in a tweet intended to mock LGBTQ people who identify themselves by pronouns other than “he” or “she.” Choices meant to express gender identity should be respected, not mocked—especially at a time when MAGA extremists are attacking LGBTQ people.

While Musk undoubtedly believes that his schoolyard humor passes for “witticism” on Twitter, it is in fact transphobia. Decent people do not caricature immigrants by mocking their names, customs, or appearance. Why, then, is it acceptable for Musk to mock LGBTQ people for their choice of pronouns? It is not.

Musk plays an important leadership role in three companies that undoubtedly employ gay and trans people who do not identify by the pronouns “he” and “she.” He just told all of those employees that he believes their sincere effort to express their gender identity is a laughing matter. The NYPost said that Musk’s tweet “poked fun” at people who identified by the pronouns “they” and “them.” The NYPost likely believes that people who dress in blackface and adopt an exaggerated accent are “poking fun” at Black Americans.

Some readers may be saying, “Enough! We get it! Musk used bad judgment in making fun of trans people. Move on!” While some may be tired of hearing about this subject, I want you to know that every time I write about it, I hear from mothers (always mothers) and mental health professionals who express thanks for condemning discrimination against LGBTQ people. Mothers write in anguish about the fear, anxiety, and depression that afflicts their children and teens who hear and see the pervasive messages that try to make them “other” or “different” or “wrong.” If we don’t stand up to Musk and the NYPost and Ron DeSantis, those young people will believe (rightly) that they have been abandoned. We cannot let that happen.

And that is why Musk’s emotional and mental meltdown on Twitter matters.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

#Musk #Twitter #Robert B. Hubbel Newsletter #Robert B. Hubbell

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naturelovegify · 9 months

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Iranian chess player Sara Khadem who competed without hijab granted Spanish nationality

An Iranian chess player, who competed in an international tournament without wearing a hijab, has been granted Spanish nationality, Spain’s Minister of Justice announced on Tuesday.

Sara Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, competed in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in December 2022.

She was photographed not wearing a hijab, despite the fact that this is mandatory in Iran, leading to an arrest warrant being issued against her in her home country, according to Reuters, who interviewed Khadem in February.

Iranian chess player Sara Khadem 'inspires' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez

She has been living in Spain ever since.

Khadem was one of a number of sportswomen to appear at a sporting event without a hijab since anti-government protests erupted in September last year, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman died in mid-September after being detained by the country’s morality police for not abiding by the country’s conservative dress code, sparking outrage around a range of grievances with the regime.

Spain’s Minister of Justice, Pilar Llop, said that there were “exceptional circumstances” in Khadem’s situation, announcing that the country’s Council of Ministers granted her “Spanish nationality through a naturalization letter.”

The chess player met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in January, who said that he was “inspired” by Khadem.

“How much I have learned today from a woman who inspires me, the Women’s Chess Grandmaster Sara Khadem,” Sánchez tweeted. “All my support to women athletes. Your example contributes to a better world.”

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college-girl199328 · 1 year

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Doctors slam Canada's COVID test requirement for travelers from China | Canada (dailyhive.com)

Some Canadian doctors the Canadian government’s decision to require negative COVID-19 tests for travelers coming from China. Ottawa announced the measures Saturday afternoon amid surging cases of infectious disease in China.

The policy applies to all air passengers two years of age and older on flights from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Similar to Canada’s previous policies earlier in the pandemic, the required negative such as a PCR or a negative antigen test — must be taken no more than two days before departure and submitted to the airline before boarding.

Canadian health professionals took to Twitter, slamming the federal government’s decision. “So… the highly immune evasive XBB15 variant was first detected in New York & is spreading rapidly in the US… but Canada will require a [negative] COVID test for air travelers from China?” tweeted Dr. Amit Arya, a palliative care physician on the faculty of medicine at University of Toronto.

“This won’t control the spread of COVID. Instead, it will make xenophobia and anti-Asian hate worse.” For those who haven’t been keeping track, XBB.1.5 is Omicron’s latest variant.

According to The Guardian, the new strain is said to have emerged in and around New York state in late October and now accounts for about 40% of infections in the US, making it the new dominant COVID variant.

Based on these numbers, Dr. Fahad Razak, who specializes in internal medicine at Unity Health Toronto, questioned whether visitors from the US would also need to be screened.

“Disappointing move — no clear scientific rationale for this (or endpoint) and xenophobic — will further undercut transparency between countries,” he tweeted.

“Also, given the will, we screen all US visitors now?” Dr. Marie-Claude Grégoire agreed. “Let’s be racist in 🇨🇦 too and single out one country when we do nothing to prevent infection transmission on domestic flights or flights coming from high incidence countries like the USA,” she tweeted.

This temporary requirement will go into effect starting at 12:01 EST on Thursday, January 5, 2023. It applies to all travelers, regardless of nationality and vaccination status.

The mandatory negative test requirement will be in place for 30 days, at which point its continuation will be reassessed based on the developing pandemic situation in China.

This new policy closely follows the precautionary testing policies by other countries earlier this week, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan.

“The safety of travelers and the transportation industry remain top priorities,” said Omar Alghabra, the Canadian minister of transport, in a statement.

The Chinese Government threatened countermeasures against countries what it says are “unacceptable” COVID requirements that “lack scientific basis” at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

There are growing concerns over the severity of the pandemic in China ever since the Chinese government relaxed nearly all of its strict “Zero COVID” measures early this month in response to widespread nationwide protests over the prolonged limit to freedoms and the impact on the economy.

According to a report by Bloomberg, based on internal documents by the Chinese government, it is estimated about 250 million people in China — about one-fifth of the country’s population — may have caught COVID-19 over the first 20 days of December.

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orbitbrain · 1 year

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GitHub Announces Free Secret Scanning, Mandatory 2FA

Home › Application Security GitHub Announces Free Secret Scanning, Mandatory 2FA By Ionut Arghire on December 16, 2022 Tweet Microsoft-owned code hosting platform GitHub this week announced multiple security improvements, including free secret scanning for public repositories and mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) for developers and contributors. The secret scanning program is meant to…

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#2FA #contributor #custom pattern #developer #github #push protection #repository #secret scanning

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theechudar · 1 year

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PNB Customers Who Have Not Completed Their KYC Must Do So By December 12

Punjab National Bank is compelling customers to update their Know Your Customer (KYC) information by December 12, 2022, according to RBI regulations. The PNB tweet put out on November 20 read, “Remember: KYC updation is mandatory as per RBI guidelines. Beware: Bank does not call & request personal information of customers for KYC updation.” The bank has sent out two notices to the registered…

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masterofd1saster · 2 years

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CJ current events 8sep22

Sad, maybe a tiny drug problem?

Former NFL cornerback Stanley Wilson Jr. was arrested after reportedly breaking into a Hollywood Hills mansion and taking a bath in an outdoor fountain, Los Angeles Police Department sources told to TMZ Sports on Friday (September 2).

Wilson, 39, was charged with two felony counts of vandalism and one count of second-degree burglary, the sources confirmed.

The former cornerback is accused of breaking into the $30 million home on two separate occasions, with the most recent incident taking place on August 24.***

The California native had previously attempted to break into a Portland, Oregon home while naked in June 2016, which resulted in him being shot in the abdomen.

Wilson was also arrested for walking around naked in a Portland neighborhood in January 2017.

The former cornerback was sentenced to 10 days in jail, as well as three years probation and mandatory drug treatment for the 2016 incident before once again breaking into a home while naked just five days after his sentencing.

Wilson, who played for the Detroit Lions for three seasons, is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Stanley Wilson Sr. https://www.iheart.com/content/2022-09-02-former-nfl-player-accused-of-breaking-into-mansion-taking-bath-in-fountain/

***

They’ve probably formed a new LLC.

On Aug. 29, the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan awarded a default judgment, granting the proposed $10 million civil penalty against Diesel Ops LLC and Orion Diesel LLC of Waterford, Michigan. The violations the United States identified in its December 2021 complaint included the manufacture, sale and installation of aftermarket parts known as “defeat devices” designed to disable or bypass required vehicle emissions controls.*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-awards-10-million-default-judgment-and-permanent-injunction-against-two

***

Situational awareness may save your life

Seven people, including several Norfolk State University students, were injured during a shooting near the school's campus early Sunday (September 4) morning, NBC News reports.

The Norfolk Police Department confirmed two of the seven victims were reported to have life-threatening injuries in a tweet.

Police received a report of a shooting in the 5000 block of Killam Avenue at around 12:00 a.m.

All seven victims were hospitalized with injuries sustained in the incident.*** https://www.iheart.com/content/2022-09-04-several-students-among-victims-of-shooting-near-norfolk-state-campus/

***

All y’all are supposed to be nice

Melfort RCMP have issued a provincewide dangerous persons alert after multiple people were stabbed in the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Sask.

RCMP said in a press conference at 3:40 CT that they found 10 people deceased and at least 15 people have been hospitalized. RCMP said they found 13 incident locations in James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon.

"There may be additional injured victims who transported themselves to various hospitals," Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said.

"We are currently actively looking for [them], dedicating maximum resources to this."

RCMP said they received a report that the two suspects, identified as Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, may have been travelling in the Arcola Avenue area in Regina. Regina Police said a possible sighting of the suspects was reported around 11:20 a.m.

An RCMP alert was first issued at 7:12 a.m. CT Sunday and has since had several updates. RCMP said two male suspects are believed to be in a black Nissan Rogue with Saskatchewan licence plate 119 MPI. As the suspects may have access to a vehicle, the RCMP have expanded the alert provincewide.*** https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-rcmp-dangerous-persons-alert-stabbings-1.6572464

...

Canadian crime data indicate that stabbings are the second-most common form of homicide, following shootings. Stabbings accounted for nearly a third of Canadian homicides in 2021, Statistics Canada said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/ten-dead-15-injured-in-western-canada-stabbing-attacks-11662334130

+++

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-army-investigating-after-soldier-parachutes-over-petawawa-while-drinking-beer Wait, his crime is drinking Miller Lite, correct?

+++

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/investigation-airforce-call-signs-1.6572188 The Canadian Air Force is investigating call signs because the selection process made someone ill at ease. "But it appears someone at one of these reviews was made ill at ease by a comment, or a comment was made well across the line."

***

Instagram has removed Pornhub’s account on the social media platform following “mounting evidence” of alleged criminality stacked against the online adult entertainment company, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) told The Daily Wire in an emailed statement.

Dawn Hawkins, CEO of NCOSE, which has been exposing links between all forms of sexual exploitation and the public health harms of pornography since 1962, said Instagram made the right move by suspending Pornhub from its platform “for violating its community standards given the increasing reports of Pornhub hosting child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, filmed rape, and non-consensual videos and images.”

“Instagram served as a distribution partner with this criminal enterprise, helping to push millions to their website, including children,” Hawkins said.*** https://www.dailywire.com/news/instagram-removes-pornhub-account-following-mounting-evidence-of-alleged-criminality

***

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday that the grand jury investigating the Loudoun County school system can continue.

The grand jury was convened earlier this year by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, fulfilling an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin and a campaign promise to investigate their claims the school system covered up a sexual assault by a student at one high school, which allowed the teen to be transferred to a second school where he assaulted another girl.*** https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2022/09/virginia-high-court-rules-grand-jury-investigation-of-loudoun-co-schools-can-continue/

***

A federal judge on Monday approved former President Donald Trump’s request to appoint a special master to oversee the FBI’s audit of materials seized in an August raid on Mar-a-Lago.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved Trump’s request after the former president’s attorneys and a legal team from the Department of Justice (DOJ) met over the request in court last week. Cannon’s decision comes days after she released a more detailed list of materials confiscated by the FBI from Trump’s Florida resort, which has served as his residence since he exited the White House in January 2021.***

Last week in court, the DOJ team argued against a special master, saying that the FBI’s privilege review team had already separated potentially protected materials from government documents. The DOJ also noted that a special master appointment at such a late stage in the audit would needlessly slow the bureau’s work.

Trump’s team asserted that a special master was needed to protect Trump’s interests as the FBI reviewed seized materials, many of which have not been claimed to belong to the government. Trump’s legal team is most interested in documents and records that it claims are protected by attorney-client privilege and executive privilege, however.*** https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-judge-to-appoint-special-master-to-oversee-fbi-review-of-trump-records

***

Eliza Fletcher case

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There are new details that were released surrounding the abduction and murder of Eliza Fletcher, court records show.

On September 5, the Memphis Police Department (MPD), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), ATF, Homeland Security, and The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Search and Rescue, searched for Eliza Fletcher near East Person Avenue and Victor Street based on data collected by the FBI just after 5 p.m., the affidavit said.

Agencies searched the area of East Person Avenue to the 1500 block of Victor Street. Officials walked northbound from East Person Avenue on Victor Street and they noticed high grass south of the vacant residence in the 1600 block of Victor Street.

According to the affidavit, the officers noticed car tracks in the grass adjacent to the driveway of the address on Victor and the officer smelled an odor of decay.

Officials panned out and walked to the rear of the location.

A set of steps were noticed just north of the rear driveway and immediately to the right of the steps, he located an unresponsive woman lying on the ground and notified his search team members, records show. *** https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/local/new-details-surrounding-death-eliza-fletcher-released/IZCGT5PUVJC2FJRG2ER54QYPKQ/

That woman was identified as Eliza Fletcher. Cleotha Abston has been charged with 1st degree murder.

Mr Abston was first arrested at age 11.

He was arrested again and again, every few months from there for burglary, theft, aggravated assault, violation of curfew, truancy, rape, evading arrest, and more.

The violent crimes including rape and aggravated assault resulted in time in the detention center but it’s unclear how much time he spent there.

His file also states at the time, he had no suicidal gestures, medical problems, or mental illness. He was listed, though, as 100% violent.*** https://wreg.com/news/eliza-fletcher/cleotha-abstons-lengthy-criminal-record-started-at-11-years-old/

In 2000, he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery & aggravated kidnapping. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

***

Be on the lookout for a really fat, really rich old man

SAN DIEGO — Three weeks before he faced sentencing, the Malaysian defense contractor at the center of one of the biggest bribery investigations in U.S. military history made an escape as stunning and brazen as the case itself: U-Haul trucks were seen at his home in a tony San Diego neighborhood before Leonard Glenn Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” snipped off his ankle monitor and disappeared.

Nearly a dozen U.S. law enforcement agencies were searching for Francis on Tuesday. But officials acknowledged he may already be in Mexico, and possibly on his way back to Asia.

Four years ago, U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino feared Francis might run off when she turned down his lawyer’s request to allow him to be under house arrest without round-the-clock security guards keeping watch on the ailing defense contractor. At the time, Francis was cooperating with prosecutors as they pursued charges against dozens of Navy officials who accepted bribes in exchange for classified information that gave Francis’ ship servicing business in Asia an edge in getting military contracts.***

Sammartino repeatedly maintained that Francis, who was in poor health and needed medical care, could only remain under house arrest if private security guards were on site. At one point she expressed concern that if he were to escape and ended up “back in Malaysia for whatever reason,” her name would come up if anyone asked “who let somebody do this without any security,” according to a transcript of a closed-door hearing in February 2018 that was unsealed in January.

She raised similar concerns in a closed-door hearing on Dec. 17, 2020, after receiving a report that the home was left without anyone guarding it for nearly three hours, according to another court transcript. The guard said he had been on a long lunch break, and Francis apologized to the judge for the mishap.

It was unclear if round-the-clock security guards were still in place this weekend.*** https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2022/09/07/fat-leonard-escape-is-latest-twist-in-navy-bribery-case/

***

***Jeremy Bennett *** runs a taxidermy shop in Logan, Ohio. The shop is a private place: It sits just a few steps from Jeremy’s front door. It’s where he works to support his family. And his kids, who are homeschooled, do occasional lessons there. Jeremy doesn’t want just anybody barging into his shop—and yet, until recently, that is exactly what Ohio’s regulations allowed.

Because officers had total power to snoop around taxidermy shops for recordkeeping violations, Jeremy suffered years of intrusive inspections. Officers would show up unannounced, enter without permission, and spend hours rooting around. Things came to a head in 2020, when an officer showed up on one of Jeremy’s busiest days of the year. After an hour, the officer asked to see a part of the shop that was closed for the season. When Jeremy asked him to come back in a few weeks, the officer said OK, left—and then sought criminal charges against Jeremy for “refusing” an inspection.

Jeremy was able to strike a plea deal and avoid jail time. But by that point, he had had enough. In November 2021, with IJ’s help, Jeremy filed a Fourth Amendment lawsuit to strike down the warrantless inspection scheme. Within months, the state ordered its wardens to cease all warrantless inspections, amended its regulations to require consent or a warrant, and even agreed to pay Jeremy $5,000—about what it cost him to defend against the bogus prosecution before IJ got involved. *** https://ij.org/ll/victory-in-ohio-state-drops-warrantless-inspection-scheme-following-taxidermists-lawsuit/

***

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Keith Ellison, the state attorney general and former congressman,*** support for a failed measure last year to overhaul the Minneapolis Police Department had come up during an on-stage interview at the fairgrounds. Crime is about all his Republican opponent, Jim Schultz, wants to discuss. And in a state where the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 sparked a nationwide reckoning on public safety and police reform, it’s the primary reason Ellison is seen by political professionals of both parties in Minnesota as the single most vulnerable incumbent in the state.***

More than anything else, public safety is what Republicans in Minnesota have going for them this year, after violent crime shot up more than 20 percent last year over 2020. Prosecuting crime is not chiefly the responsibility of the attorney general in Minnesota (Ellison had been seeking legislative approval for money to hire more prosecutors for his office’s criminal division, but he had been rebuffed). But for an incumbent, the headlines have been unfavorable, probing “the geography of crime in Minnesota,” or “skyrocketing violent crime rates” throughout the state.

At the fair, I met a Democratic couple from Red Wing, southeast of the Twin Cities, who said they have neighbors who won’t go to the Twin Cities for dinner anymore. A Republican from suburban Chanhassen, who was with his wife and two young daughters, told me, “I don’t walk anywhere in Minneapolis without a sidearm.”

And it isn’t just a few people at the fairgrounds who see the politics around crime shifting in the state.*** https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/05/george-floyd-reckoning-democrat-crime-00054711

***

Active shooter shooting random people in public in Memphis, Tennessee September 7, 2022

According to the Memphis Police Department, the suspect is an armed and dangerous man who is driving a silver or blue sedan, maybe an Infiniti.

People in Memphis are being warned by the Memphis Police Department to be on the lookout for a guy who may have been using a blue or silver sedan, probably an Infiniti or Nissan, and is responsible for multiple gunshots that occurred on Wednesday while he was broadcasting them live on Facebook.*** https://www.fox3now.com/active-shooter-shooting-random-people-in-public-in-memphis-tennessee/

Criminal is in custody.

According to the documents filed in the court, Ezekiel Kelly, then 19 years old, was charged with attempted first-degree murder following an incident that occurred on February 3, 2020. In addition to that, he was charged with aggravated assault, the use of a firearm with the purpose to commit a violent felony, and reckless endangerment while armed with a lethal weapon***

***

What happens in Vegas stabs in Vegas

Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was arrested on suspicion of murder Wednesday evening in the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, whose investigation of the politician contributed to his primary election loss in June.

The stunning development came a day after Las Vegas police asked for the public’s help in identifying a suspect in the case. An early morning search of Telles’ home on Wednesday provided the first indication that the Friday killing might be related to German’s work exposing public wrongdoing. The investigative reporter was pursuing a potential follow-up story about Telles in the weeks before he was killed.***

The breakthrough in the case came after police released an image of a vehicle tied to the homicide suspect: a red or maroon GMC Yukon Denali.***

Attempts to reach Telles for comment on Wednesday were not successful. When he arrived home at about 2:20 p.m., he was wearing what appeared to be a white hazmat suit. He did not respond to reporters’ questions as he entered his garage and closed the door.***

The 45-year-old Democrat lost his re-election bid in the primary after German’s findings were published. German also had recently filed public records requests for emails and text messages between Telles and three other county officials: Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reid, estate coordinator Roberta Lee-Kennett and consultant Michael Murphy. Lee-Kennett was identified in previous stories as a subordinate staffer allegedly involved in an “inappropriate relationship” with Telles.

German, 69, was found dead on Saturday morning outside his northwest Las Vegas home, the Metropolitan Police Department reported. Police said they believe he was fatally stabbed during an altercation the previous morning.***

German’s death came months after he reported that current and former employees alleged that Telles fueled a hostile work environment and carried on a relationship that impaired the office’s ability to deal with the public. The complaints led to co-workers secretly videotaping the two in the back seat of Lee-Kennett’s car in a parking garage. The story also included claims of bullying and favoritism by Telles.***

The Review-Journal’s first investigative story on Telles was published in mid-May.

The story described a 19-page confidential retaliation complaint filed with the Clark County Office of Diversity by estate coordinator Aleisha Goodwin, where she provided details of Telles’ relationship with Lee-Kennett, the videotaping and his alleged micromanagement of the full-time workers.

“The county has failed to protect employees from a mentally and emotionally abusive situation that has continued now for two years-plus, and the mental and physical health ramifications have been felt by most of the full-time employees in this department of only eight full-time employees,” Goodwin wrote.***

***

Good essay on Britney Griner

Brittney Griner—the WNBA star recently sentenced by a Russian court to nine years in prison for bringing vape cartridges with trace amounts of hashish oil into the country—is almost definitely not a spy. She knows no state secrets, no names of any moles, no launch codes. Her strategic value to the United States is approximately zero.

But American officials are now contemplating a controversial swap to bring her home: Griner for Viktor Bout, also known as “the Merchant of Death.”

Bout was an arms dealer born in the Soviet republic of Tajikistan, and in November 2011, he was convicted in federal court in Manhattan of conspiring to kill Americans. He is serving a 25-year sentence at the federal prison in Marion, Illinois.

When Bout was sentenced in 2012, Preet Bharara—the U.S. attorney who oversaw Bout’s prosecution—said this: “Viktor Bout has been international arms trafficking enemy number one for many years, arming some of the most violent conflicts around the globe.” Referring to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Bharara added: “He was finally brought to justice in an American court for agreeing to provide a staggering number of military-grade weapons to an avowed terrorist organization committed to killing Americans.”

Anna Borshchevskaya, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told me in an email that Bout “believed the U.S. was his enemy and he sold weapons to those who targeted American personnel.” She continued, “There is no such thing as a former Soviet intelligence officer. Just look at Vladimir Putin.” ***

But when it comes to Brittney Griner, the question is: Is exchanging her for Viktor Bout too high a price? Will buying her freedom with that of an international arms trafficker inadvertently imperil the lives of Americans in dangerous places, or undermine American interests, or even possibly lead to a Bout-supplied terrorist attack in the United States?

According to attorneys who have handled cases of other Americans wrongfully detained by hostile governments, the answer to those questions is: Without a doubt. They’re backed up by Republicans on Capitol Hill who insist, on background, that the Biden Administration has embraced “a woke foreign policy,” fighting extra hard to ensure the release of Griner—a black, gay woman—at the expense of national security.***

Another attorney representing wrongfully detained Americans said that U.S. officials “know what someone is worth. I think what is really, really surprising to me is, if the news reports are accurate about Viktor Bout, I’d say offering him in trade—that would be totally shocking. I’ve been at this a long time. I cannot tell you the number of times the government has said flatly, ‘We will not consider trading people who have openly supported unlawful violence or contributed to it, it’s just a nonstarter.’” He added, “Viktor Bout is among the worst of the worst.”***

Attorneys representing other Americans behind bars in foreign countries said that State Department officials usually take several months or even years to determine whether someone has been wrongfully detained. During that time they first determine the facts of a case, whether a detainee has violated any laws, and the extent to which foreign relations may have colored the case.

“We have a hostage who was kidnapped off a runway in Dubai, drugged, and rendered to Kigali,” a source who works with American hostages and their families told me. “It took 617 days for him to be designated.”***

Griner was an almost irresistible target for the Russians: a 6’9” queer woman of color with dreadlocks, a Black Lives For Peace jacket, and the teensiest weensiest smidge of cannabis in a country that portrays itself as the last redoubt of white, Christian civilization.

She presented the Russians with two opportunities—at home and in the United States.

To a domestic audience, she was the emblem of all that was wrong with America. “For Russia, it’s a good example of their internal propaganda to show the decay of Western civilization,” said Serhiy Leshchenko, a social-media adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. “On Russian Telegram, they always use this LGBT topic to show that the West is decayed. LGBT, legalization of drugs, and gender changes—these are the big issues they use.”***

“It’s a reflection of the fact that the Russians know how to—and Putin in particular knows how to push American buttons, and that’s what he’s doing here,” said Harvey Klehr, the well-known historian of the Cold War and the American left. “They’re playing the public opinion of the United States.”

Jonathan Frank, a public relations adviser whose recent clients include Trevor Reed, the U.S. Marine released from a Russian prison in April, texted me: “This discussion is a cheap waste of time that principally benefits the Russian propagandists who are working 24/7 to inject us vs them dynamics into our discourse.”

The Russians are already winning on that front. All they had to do was arrest Brittney Griner. America took care of the rest. America, in its addled, hyper-politicized state, could be counted on to seize on Griner’s arrest and mold it into an ideological cudgel: The Nation declared that the GOP wanted “to erase” her. The American Conservative argued that the Biden Administration had succumbed to identity politics. The Atlantic, anticipating a point made by Griner’s wife on ESPN, insisted that if only women’s basketball paid its players better, they wouldn’t have to play in awful places like Ekaterinburg, Russia.*** https://www.commonsense.news/p/the-cynical-exploitation-of-brittney

***

Excellent tweetanalysis of censorship by Glenn Greenwald

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1567290905039708160?s=21&t=EYuIrM68YfW4EIi387pEsg

***

Not a tech breakthrough, just reinvestigation

A suspect in the murder of a Maryland sheriff 51 years ago was arrested in New York, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Larry David Smith, 71, also known as Larry David Becker, was arrested by Montgomery police last week, though it was only announced today, according to a press release from the Montgomery Police Department. Smith was found after detectives decided to reexamine the bureau's only unsolved case involving law enforcement on the murder's 50th anniversary. After a thorough investigation, detectives honed in on Smith, who had since changed his name and moved from Maryland, where the murder took place, to New York, the press release said. He confessed to the murder on Thursday during an interrogation, after which he was arrested, the statement added.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/suspect-murder-sheriff-half-century-ago-arrested

***

Pirates abound in DC

WASHINGTON - D.C. is the first city in the country where you can pick up your Amazon packages at a police station in an effort to combat porch pirates.

Sixth District Inspector Silvan Altieri came up with the idea that could eventually expand to other parts of the city.

The Amazon lockers are located at the 6D station on Hayes Ave. Northeast as well as the substation on Pennsylvania Ave. Southeast.

"When I reached out to Amazon, I never thought they’d call me back," Altieri said. "But they were actually really open to the idea."

He said it took about a year, but his idea became a reality Tuesday when the new lockers were unveiled. *** https://www.fox5dc.com/news/amazon-partners-with-dc-police-to-prevent-theft

+++

https://twitter.com/LindsayAWatts/status/1567319344715022337

***

What’s the most white-male crime?

COLUMBIA, Md. - A special education teacher in Howard County has been arrested and faces child pornography charges, school officials say.

Lawrence Costella, a special education instructor at Atholton High School in Columbia, Maryland was arrested Wednesday in Baltimore County and faces possession and distribution of child pornography charges, according to a letter sent to the school community by principal Robert Motley.

Motley said Costella was in his second year at the school and underwent a criminal background check and fingerprinting prior to being hired.*** https://www.fox5dc.com/news/howard-co-special-education-teacher-faces-child-pornography-charges-school-officials

***

Grampa! What up??

TEMPLE HILLS, Md. - Police say a 78-year-old man shot and killed his girlfriend Sunday morning after an argument in a Prince George's County home.

Authorities say Booker Wilkins of Temple Hills faces multiple charges including second-degree murder after fatally shooting 67-year-old Sandra Watson of Saint Pauls, North Carolina.*** https://www.fox5dc.com/news/78-year-old-man-shot-killed-girlfriend-after-argument-in-prince-georges-county-police

***

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indexuniverse-eu · 2 years

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coochiequeens · 3 years

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US — Union Township, New Jersey. A male inmate who successfully fought to be transferred into a New Jersey women’s prison embattled by sexual abuse scandal was recently returned to a men’s facility after alleging abuse by prison guards. Rae Rollins is serving a mandatory minimum sentence of four years, two months and 30 days for a count of Robbery-Bodily Injury or Force in the second degree stemming from a December 26, 2017 incident. The inmate received a transfer to Edna Mahan, New Jersey’s only women’s correctional facility, in October 2019 after five months in a men’s prison. The 25-year-old is now recognized as ‘female’ in New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) records.

On January 11, 2021, Mr Rollins had a fight with a fellow inmate. He later alleged in messages sent to his family that corrections officers handcuffed him in his cell and threw him to the floor and beating him and stomping on his head. An officer yelled, “Stop resisting.” Knee damage sustained during the incident left him in a wheelchair, he told the media. The state says part of the incident, which is under investigation, was caught on film. Though news reports of the incident centered Mr Rollins, several inmates say they were beaten that day, including three who were hurt, one sustaining a broken eye socket. Oliver Barry, lawyer for Mr Rollins, said the second incident occurred on February 18, 2021, when his client rose from the wheelchair during a confrontation with staff over who would help him move to another part of the prison. Officers maced Mr Rollins and pushed him into a wall, his lawyer said. Mr Rollins was hospitalized, and diagnosed with a concussion, hand contusion, elevated blood pressure, cervical strain, and knee and wrist sprains. William Sullivan, president of the NJ Policemen’s Benevolent Association, the state’s largest corrections union, say Mr Rollins was the aggressor, and four officers and a supervisor were treated for “minor injuries” after they were attacked. As public scandal surrounding the January 2021 incident increased, there were calls for the head of the prison system to resign. 10 officers were hit with criminal charges in relation to the incident, and an outside investigation was launched. Mr Rollins was transferred to the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, a men’s facility that houses 1,300 men. The decision was made by the Prison Rape Elimination Act Accommodation Committee without the input of the inmate. While Mr Rollins claims the move is a punishment, women on social media wondered whether it was privilege at work, pointing out that female inmates have no way of escaping the conditions at the prison.

“Women can’t transfer out,” Genevieve Gluck of Women’s Voices tweeted.

Edna Mahan has long been embattled with allegations of abuse of inmates. As of 2015, seven staff members at the women’s facility have been criminally accused of raping women. NJ.com reported that NJDOC officials have dodged media questions about what they are doing to curb rape of female inmates, and refuse to release unredacted emails. Commissioner Gary Lanigan delayed his re-nomination hearing and then finally resigned from his position in order to avoid “tough questions” lawmakers intended to ask at his confirmation hearing, the local news media outlet noted. Female inmates in US prisons are sexually terrorized by male guards at what Amnesty International USA called “crisis” rates. Additionally, researchers have speculated that sexual abuse may be a “pathway to prison” for women, as 86% of female inmates are survivors of sexual abuse. 32% of female inmates suffer from mental illness. Of the 7.1% of inmates who are female, 82% are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. Mr Rollins is not the only male inmate who has sought to enter Edna Mahan. As we previously reported, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey successfully fought to have a 40-year-old male inmate who identifies as a woman transferred into New Jersey’s only women’s prison in August 2019. NJDOC’s agreement to transfer the male inmate into the only women’s prison in the state was delayed by a legal challenge mounted by unions representing corrections officers.

#New jersey #edna mahan #Men in women’s spaces

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argumate · 4 years

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As far back as December 2015, just over a year after Amazon debuted its fleet of robots, OSHA issued a hazard alert letter against an Amazon robotic warehouse in New Jersey. OSHA called out Amazon for conditions that resulted from the robotics innovation: “The company exposed employees to ergonomic risk factors including stress from repeated bending at the waist and repeated exertions, and standing during entire shifts up to 10 hours, four days a week and sometimes including mandatory overtime shifts.”

The federal agency recommended measures – such as an extra rest break and rotating employees to different jobs throughout the day – that Amazon has yet to implement across its warehouse network. And Amazon’s data show that by the end of 2016, its robotic warehouses had significantly higher injury rates than its traditional facilities.

Yet in May 2019, Wilke, Amazon’s co-CEO, said in a tweet, “What some folks may not know is that the robots make those jobs better and safer.” He also said robots allow “people to take advantage of their innate human creativity instead of doing rote things over and over again.”

ugh come on man, it’s shit like this that builds guillotines.

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shadriella · 4 years

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3: a memory

Let’s do number three!

I will tell you one of the best memories I have. It's about the time when my luck was higher than ever.

It was June 2018.

This story began with a tweet. One of the editors of a well-known publisher in my country tweeted that he was looking for a story. He wanted something witty and fun. My friend read my story, which I published on a writing platform, and recommended it to him.

I felt anxious when my friend gave him the link to my story and tagged me. This major publishing company was my dream publisher(?) (I really want to get published by them). I didn't feel qualified—I felt like my draft was messy, and I wrote it just for fun, so I didn't plan the story AT ALL—no way he was going to like it. It was like, if I messed that up (without even knowing because I didn't plan to send it to any publisher), I didn't know if I could have another chance like that.

I mean, I was underconfident. Getting published was a dream that was still too far away to reach. If not for my friend giving the editor the link to my story, I would NEVER send it myself.

Surprisingly, he liked it. And he dm-ed me about it, asking me if he could read the full story.

At that point I legit just wanted to scream.

I told my parents about it. They have been very supportive of me and my hobby. They seemed happy seeing me feeling like I was about to pass out.

The story wasn't finished yet, so I have to finish it first. That in itself was hard, not only because of the occasional writer's block, but also because I had to participate in a mandatory programme from my university. I found new friends that I really care and I wanted to enjoy the moment with them, so I didn't write a lot.

Thankfully on October I finally finished it and sent it to my editor. On December he sent it back for me to revise it. On February 2019, the final draft was completed, and my first novel was on the waiting list to be published.

It's exciting, but one of the most exciting part was when I had to choose the cover. The story was fun, so I wanted bright color like yellow. My editor sent me three options. He and other editors liked the first one, and I did too. It was very eye-catching and fresh.

On April, 2019, my debut book, Vio: Don't Mess Up was published.

(picture by (at)splendidwords on Instagram)

How pretty is that? Her expression was on point. 😂

This is one of the most precious memories I have. I am really lucky to get published.

Today I'm currently trying to get another story published, hopefully by the same publisher.

What's your happiest memory?

#happy #memories #happy memories #30 days writing challenge #writing #debut author

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swiftlymoniquesblog · 4 years

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You and Me at Christmas Time Tom Holland x Reader

A/N: Merry Christmas friends! This was based on this request by my dear friend @tloveswriting: Heya friend! I hope your week is treating you well! I was in class and thinking about your Tom Holland story and I was wondering if I could request a Tom Holland one? If so, I would love to see a Tom x Reader where they are in a secret relationship because shes average (lol I'm original... not) but he doesn't want to be any more or honestly anything fluffy.

It’s not exactly what she asked for but I incorporated the holiday with the prompt of Tom and the reader in a secret relationship. Hope y’all are having a wonderful holiday and I’m so grateful for all of you! -Monique

Y/S = Your State

Word Count: 2179

Warnings: Angst, lying, language, secret relationship (is that a warning?) lots of fluff mostly in the end

Masterlist |Prompt List

December 15th

Tom’s POV

“And here comes superstar Tom Holland, star of this movie! At only twenty-three years old, he is the biggest up-and-coming actor of the twenty-first century! And, with friends like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, he has quite the future ahead of him! Tom, tell us about your new movie?”

Another interviewer asked me about my “latest” movie, shoving a microphone in my face during the process, as we stood on the red carpet for the premiere. You think with all the times I’ve done premieres, either my own or others, I’d be cool with all the same inane questions, but honestly, I get tired of it. There are aspects of my life I don’t get to show anyone and I wish I could talk about the things that excite me in my real life. I mean, everyone gets to see a lot of my life from interviews and social media; I really want my fans to know me. But again, I can’t always be completely open.

“So, tell us, are you dating anyone? You know, for all the single ladies out there?” The interviewer is super cheesy, overly energetic, and a tad grotesque, but he managed to make me blush.

“Oh uh, no, I’m single.” I lie once again. Over and over, interview after interview, I can’t tell the world about the most amazing girl that I happen to be dating, because she is shy and doesn’t want to be in the spotlight. So here we are, six months into our relationship, about to celebrate Christmas, and I don’t get to take her out to any parties, any clubs, movies, charity events; nothing. I just want to show her off to the world because she is mine and I adore her and want everyone to know that I am off the market and hopefully, for a very long time.

Reader’s POV

I watch as my boyfriend of six months lies with ease about our relationship. It was my idea to keep our relationship quiet but now, I wonder if I made the right decision. Sure, it’s nice having my privacy and if we were out in the open with it, I would lose that forever, but what’s the alternative? I can’t give any kind of PDA to the man I have fallen so madly in love within such a short time. If we do go out, he’s always in some kind of disguise and it’s horrible cause people look at me like I’m crazy for dating such a strange-looking man. In another world, Tom wouldn’t be famous, and we could go anywhere at any time and not have to worry about getting recognized.

“Y/N, let’s go!! Mandatory tree decorating, now!!!” My best friend, Alex, calls for me in the living room of the small apartment we shared. Christmas was always a big deal for the two of us and now that I’m dating Tom, this year was more important to me than ever.

“Coming!” I call back to her, grabbing my box of decorations I’ve inherited from my parents and grandparents, that we were going to look through and decide what was going to be put up. I step out of my room and walk down the hall to see Alex struggle with putting the star on the top of the tree.

I chuckle as I watch her, not sure why she opts to struggle all the time. “You do know we have a step-stool for this kind of thing, right?” I remind her for the third year in a row.

“I know but it’s not as satisfying as if I did it myself.” She says, right as she places the star on the top.

I shake my head and start untangling the red garland that we wrap around the white Christmas tree. Holiday music is playing from the Spotify playlist I made specifically for Christmas as we stop occasionally to sip our hot chocolate.

“So, when is Tom coming over?” Alex asks, glancing around the backside of the tree, where she hung ornaments.

“He flies in on the 22nd and stays until New Year’s Day.” I say, smiling to myself.

“He’s not going to see his family this year?” Alex asks, shocked to learn that Tom will be with me for the entire holiday week.

“No, actually this was his Mom’s idea. She really likes me and suggested we spend the holiday together, which is odd because I’ve only video chatted with her.”

“You’ve never met his parents?!”

“I haven’t yet. They’re back in London and I’m here and with my schedule and Tom’s filming schedules always fluctuating, we haven’t found any common time where we can go and meet in person.”

“Then how are you and Tom getting to spend the holiday together? You’re working up until Christmas day!”

“Well that’s the thing, he says he doesn’t mind just playing tourist while I work. He said he might sneak out to see me, take me to lunch, or breakfast depending on my shift, and then take me home; some days.”

“Are you sure he’s real? Like, I’ve never dated a guy who was that patient with my work schedule.”

“I know, he’s something else, but one hundred percent real. I’m really lucky to have him.”

December 22nd

Tom’s POV

Finally, after a fifteen-hour flight, I landed in (Y/S) and told my driver the address to Y/N’s house. I was nervous, to say the least. My knee was bouncing uncontrollably as I wondered about celebrating the holidays with my girlfriend, getting to do cute couple things, all while keeping our secret. The drive wasn’t too long but the anticipation inside me made it feel much, much longer. I scroll through my social media accounts, sending out a tweet to my fans, just to let them know what I’m up to.

@tomholland13: Heading somewhere very special for Christmas this year. Wonder if my mates think I’ve been good this year….?

“Sir? We’re here.” The driver says to me and my heart speed up.

Here we go big boy, you got this. This is your girlfriend, whom you love more than anything, and she’s invited you to spend Christmas with her and her roommate, despite she’s having to work so much. You love her, you’ll do anything for her.

I jump out of the car, grab my backpack and fling it over my shoulder, and walk up three flights of stairs until I reach apartment 320. I reach up to knock on the door but before my hand even touches the door, it opens to reveal y/n, looking utterly beautiful in a Christmas shirt that read “What The Elf?” in sequences.

“Hi.” She says, with a big smile.

“Hi.” I breathe out, still not believing she’s mine.”

I rock on the balls of my feet and wonder if she was going to invite me inside or were we going to stand out here.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake y/n, let the boy in!” A voice calls from inside the apartment; her roommate I’m assuming.

“R-right, come in.” Y/N says, stepping to the side and letting me walk in, her following close behind me.

“Wow, this is a great place,” I say, sitting my backpack down against the front door before I look up, meeting her eyes. No words were spoken but I knew what she was thinking. Before I knew it, she was quickly coming towards me as she flung her arms around my shoulders; mine snaking around her back.

“I missed you, baby girl,” I whisper to her as she buries her face into my shoulder.

“I missed you, too.” She answers but is muffled by my shirt. “I’m so glad you’re here! Here, I’ll show you my room where you can keep all your stuff.”

She takes my hand and we walk to her room, where I throw my bag once again before I tackle her and we both fall onto her bed; her squeal and giggles fill the room. I keep her in my arms as my fingers dig into her sides, causing her to erupt into very loud cackling and a few snorts here and there. When I finally let her go, she hides her face. I chuckle at her and take her hands, just for her to hide her face again.

“Why are you hiding, silly girl?” I ask her, wondering why she feels she needs to hide from me.

“Because I cackle really loud and I snort and it’s so unattractive!” She groans, throwing her face in her pillows.

“I happen to find it very adorable and very, very attractive,” I say, laying on my stomach in a similar fashion to her.

“Really?” She asks, rolling over to face me.

“Yup. Everything you do is adorable. Why else do you think I asked you to be my girlfriend? I knew I wanted to make you smile and laugh for a long time so here we are.”

She smiles at me and moves closer to me, wrapping her arm around me and snuggles into my chest.

I kiss her hair and hide my face there for some time and soon enough, we’re both asleep.

December 25th

Reader’s POV

With all the craziness from working retail around the holidays, I’m glad to have today off. I wake up to see that Tom was already awake, making breakfast for Alex and me. I walk over to him as he was working on the stove, and wrap my arms around his middle and snuggle into his back.

“Good morning, beautiful,” He says, rubbing my arms and pinching my waist affectionately.

“Good morning. Can I help?” I ask, peering over his shoulder to check out the food he was making.

“Nope, you’re too much of a distraction but, I do have an idea for something after breakfast.” He says, wiggling his way out of my grasp and I pout at the sudden coolness that he left behind.

After we eat and open presents, he asks me to get dressed in my best Christmas outfit and meet him back by the tree. I find my best Christmas dress and do my makeup before meeting Tom by the tree to find him wearing a dress shirt and slacks.

“What’s going on?” I ask, walking over to his side as he wraps his arm around my shoulder.

“I think it’s time we tell the truth. Being here with you these last few days, I don’t want to keep this quiet anymore; I have to brag about how amazing you are. And I can’t do that if people don’t think I have a girlfriend. I know you’re scared, I am too, but we can get through this together. You told me that you don’t want to go public because you think you’re “average” compared to me, but that’s not true at all. In fact, if anyone is average, it’s me. You’re incredible; you work so hard and you love everyone even if they don’t deserve it and I….”

He stops to pull me in front of him, making sure I can see him when he speaks up.

“I love you, Y/N.” He says, looking down at me with his big brown eyes that make anyone turn to mush.

“You do?” I ask.

“I do, I love you 3000.” He quotes Tony Stark from the last Avengers movie to me before he moves closer to push his lips onto mine. I instantly react, standing on my tip-toes to reach him, arms around his neck as I kiss him back. This was the first time he told me he loved me and with that kiss, I knew it was time.

“I love you too, Tom. It’s time.” He smiles and kisses me once again, before grabbing his phone and opens Instagram.

“Hey everyone, Tom Holland here, and I wanted to go live to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. You know, this year has been incredible for me. I’ve gotten to do a lot of cool things and be a part of some really great projects and meet some amazing people. But one person stands out to me more than anyone else. We met six months ago and we’ve been dating ever since. Yes, I am dating someone, and I know it’s a surprise to you guys but we wanted to keep our privacy. But now, we’ve decided to come out with our relationship. I’d like to introduce you guys to Y/N. I hope everyone can respect our privacy to a point but we understand that not all the time can we be let alone. We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and we will see you all soon, bye!!!”

I was glad when the video was over but surprisingly gladder that we told the truth about our relationship and we don’t have to hide anymore.

“Best Christmas if you ask me,” I say to Tom, who just smiles at me and kisses my head.

“Me too. Merry Christmas, baby.”

“Merry Christmas, Tom.”

Tag list: @tloveswriting @simpleboox @juju-la-tortue @fandom-princess-forevermore @forever-trapped-in-my-dreams @marvelfansworld @grace15ella @damn-stark

#tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #spiderman #fanfiction #Merry Christmas

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libertariantaoist · 4 years

Link

News Roundup 8/3/20

by Kyle Anzalone

US News

On Friday, the Trump administration signaled TikTok would be banned. However, Microsoft is in plans to buy the US version of TikTok. Facebook is set to launch its own version of TikTok. [Link]

Trump tweets Homeland Security will not leave Portland until local police clean up anarchists and agitators. [Link]

A 15-year-old Michigan high school student has been released from juvenile detention after serving several months for not completing online-education during covid. [Link]

A Key West couple, who refused a mandatory quarantine, were arrested and are being held in jail. [Link]

Foreign Policy

Nine US soldiers are believed to have died in a training accident. [Link]

The National Guard undergoes a reorganization to be more prepared for a war with Russia or China. [Link]

The US sanctions a Chinese company and two officials over alleged human rights abuses against the Uyghurs. [Link]

South America

Venezuela’s opposition parties say they will not participate in the December election. [Link]

The Brazilian supreme court fined Facebook hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to follow the courts orders. Facebook was ordered to ban the accounts of several allies to the country’s president. Facebook only blocked the accounts in Brazil. [Link]

Afghanistan

The Taliban and the Afghan government successfully held a ceasefire over the weekend. ISIS carried out one terror attack, killing 24 people. The Afghan government suggested continuing the ceasefire with the Taliban. The two sides have agreed to start talks soon. [Link]

Middle East

Iran arrested the leader of a US-based Iranian group that has carried out terror attacks in Iran. [Link]

The US sanctioned a Turkish businessman for supporting ISIS. [Link]

A US oil company signed a deal with the Syrian Kurds to produce oil in US-occupied Syria. [Link]

ISIS sold looted artifacts on Facebook. [Link]

Iraq’s Prime Minister calls for early elections to be held in June 2021. The parliament must approve the new election date. [Link]

#kyle anzalone #immersion news #libertarian institute #news roundup

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newstfionline · 3 years

Text

Thursday, January 7, 2021

The coronavirus intensified a hunger crisis last year, but 2021 could be worse (Washington Post) The coronavirus pandemic unleashed cascades of suffering in 2020. People around the globe faced the threat of the virus, along with the devastating ripple effects of efforts to control its spread. For much of the world, the legacy of the pandemic will be impossible to untangle from the stark material inequities that worsened it—and that it exacerbated. Among the most dangerous of these: a mounting hunger crisis, set to grow even more dire in 2021. The World Food Program, the branch of the United Nations responsible for delivering lifesaving food assistance, expects to need to serve 138 million people this year—more than ever in its 60-year history. The rise in hunger is “due to what I call ‘the three Cs’—conflict, covid and climate,” said Steve Taravella, a WFP spokesman. “We don’t take the word ‘famine’ loosely, but with famine looming in several countries at once, we’re facing a genuine crisis.” And as the situation worsens, the agency is also facing major funding shortfalls. It expects to raise only around half of the $15.1 billion it projects it will need in 2021, Taravella said. The agency is steeling itself “for an especially heartbreaking year,” he said.

Pro-Trump mob storms US Capitol in bid to overturn election (AP) A violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House. The nation’s elected representatives scrambled to crouch under desks and donned gas marks, while police futilely tried to barricade the building, one of the most jarring scenes ever to unfold in a seat of American political power. A woman was shot and killed inside the Capitol, and Washington’s mayor instituted an evening curfew in an attempt to contain the violence. The rioters were egged on by Trump, who has spent weeks attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to descend on Washington Wednesday to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s victory. Some Republican lawmakers were in the midst of raising objections to the results on his behalf when the proceedings were abruptly halted by the mob. The president gave his supporters an added boost Wednesday morning during an appearance at a rally outside the White House, where he urged them to march to the Capitol. He spent much of the afternoon in his private dining room off the Oval Office watching scenes of the violence on television. At the urging of his staff, he reluctantly issued a pair of tweets and a taped video telling his supporters it was time to “go home in peace.” The Pentagon said about 1,100 District of Columbia National Guard members were being mobilized to help support law enforcement at the Capitol. More than a dozen people were arrested. As darkness began to set in, law enforcement officials worked their way toward the protesters, using percussion grenades to try to clear the area around the Capitol. Big clouds of tear gas were visible.

Biden win confirmed (AP) Congress confirmed Democrat Joe Biden as the presidential election winner early Thursday after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Trump in the White House. Lawmakers were resolved to complete the Electoral College tally, and they pushed through the night with tensions high and the nation’s capital on alert. Before dawn Thursday, lawmakers completed their work, confirming Biden won the election. Trump, who had repeatedly refused to concede the election, said in a statement immediately after the vote that there will be a smooth transition of power on Inauguration Day.

Democrats ahead in Georgia (Foreign Policy) Democrat Raphael Warnock has been declared the winner in his race against Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler while the other race between Jon Ossoff and Sen. David Perdue remains too close to call, although the New York Times predicts Ossoff is likely to win. Warnock has a lead of more than 50,000 votes and Ossoff is ahead by more than 16,000 with most of the uncounted votes remaining in the heavily Democratic Atlanta area. If Democrats win both seats, they would take control of the Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Foreign Policy’s Mike Hirsh argues that no matter who prevails in Georgia, the effect on President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy is likely to be minimal. “Over the past four years the Senate Republicans have been more willing to challenge President Donald Trump on foreign-policy issues—and thus may end up being more receptive to Biden’s plans, especially when it comes to restoring relations with U.S. allies that have been so damaged during the Trump years,” Hirsh writes.

New Year & New Economic Woes for Cubans as Prices Surge (AFP) Raisa Lemus had to return home to fetch extra money to finish her shopping, Arturo Sobrado was angered by the “abusive” bus fare hike and Norma Pousada was left bemused that shops no longer accepted her money. For Cubans, the new year has begun with a steep, painful rise in prices due to a complex economic reform launched on January 1 by the government that also included an increase in salaries. The two cohabiting currencies in circulation for a quarter of a century are being fused into one: and one is worth 24 times less than the other. To soften the blow, the government announced a bumper five-fold hike in the minimum wage. But basic goods such as food and electricity have also seen a sharp rise in prices since the Christmas holidays. Although the government has set a six-month period to phase out the convertible peso—which is pinned to the dollar and was introduced in 1994 to replace the US currency that was commonly used alongside the regular peso—many stores have put up signs saying they are not accepting it any more.

Chilean lawmakers propose making coronavirus vaccine mandatory (Reuters) Chilean lawmakers on Tuesday presented a bill before Congress that would make vaccination against the coronavirus mandatory as the country’s center-right government pushes to inosculate the majority of its population by mid-year. The bill would modify the country’s health code, which already requires vaccination against smallpox, whooping cough and other diseases, according to the opposition Christian Democracy party lawmakers who submitted the legislation. An IPSOS survey in early December found that seven out of 10 Chileans said they would be willing to get vaccinated. Health Minister Enrique Paris said earlier this week that officials would study the proposal.

British judge denies WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange bail in extradition case, citing flight risk (Washington Post) A British judge on Wednesday refused to grant bail and release WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who will remain in a prison cell on the outskirts of London while the U.S. government pursues its case against him. Assange is charged with 18 federal crimes, including conspiring to obtain and disclose classified diplomatic cables and sensitive military reports from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lawyers for the U.S. government said they will appeal to Britain’s High Court the judge’s ruling to halt the extradition, a process that could take several months. Prosecutors want Assange flown to Northern Virginia to face the charges, which could lead to a life sentence in a maximum-security prison if he were convicted. In her ruling from the bench denying Assange’s bid for freedom, the judge recited some history, noting that Assange was granted bail by a British court in 2010 as he fought extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for sexual assault. The Swedish case was later dropped. The judge recalled how in June 2012 Assange fled from British justice and sought refuge in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London, which granted him asylum. Assange spent almost seven years as a fugitive in the embassy, until Ecuador revoked his protection and British police arrested him in April 2019. Since then, he has been in Belmarsh.

India’s internet shutdowns cost its economy nearly $3 billion in 2020 (Quartz India) India’s constant internet blackouts have taken a huge toll on its economy. National shutdowns left Indian businesses without hundreds of hours of vital internet access, costing billions in lost revenue. Authorities cut Indians off from the internet for more than 1,655 hours as a result of national shutdowns, according to research by Top10VPN, a publication focused on internet privacy. And many people with internet still couldn’t use it without obstacles. Governments also deliberately reduced internet bandwidths for more than 7,200 hours, bringing speeds down to 2G—SMS and voice calls continue to function but modern websites and apps are rendered useless. It’s not too far from a complete blackout. The economic cost of these restrictions amounts to a whopping $2.88 billion in 2020, according to Top10VPN.

China reacts to storming of U.S. Capitol (Foreign Policy) Pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) commenters are gleeful at the scenes of chaos in Washington on Wednesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to overturn the November 2020 election results culminated in armed supporters breaching the U.S. Capitol. Many in China have made comparisons to so-called color revolutions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which Beijing paints as U.S.-backed attempts to topple hostile governments. The belief that the United States would collapse like the Soviet Union has circulated among members of the Chinese elite since the mid-2000s, especially after the 2008 financial crisis. Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese officials have been encouraged to study the Soviet collapse closely as an example of what mistakes China should avoid. The scenes in Washington, so reminiscent of the Russian parliamentary violence of the 1990s, will only encourage such convictions.

China steps up curbs near Beijing (Reuters) Chinese authorities imposed travel restrictions and banned gatherings in the capital city of Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, in the latest escalation of measures to stave off another coronavirus wave. The province, which entered a “wartime mode” on Tuesday, accounted for 20 of the 23 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases reported in mainland China on Jan. 5, more than the total of 19 cases in the province in the three previous days. The head of the World Health Organization on Tuesday said he was “very disappointed” that China still had not authorized a team of international experts tasked with examining the origins of the coronavirus into the country.

Hong Kong Police Arrest Dozens of Pro-Democracy Leaders (NYT) The Hong Kong police arrested 53 elected pro-democracy officials and activists early Wednesday for their involvement in an informal primary election, the largest roundup yet under the new national security law imposed by Beijing to quash dissent. The mass arrests—which included figures who had called for aggressive confrontation with the authorities as well as those who had supported more moderate tactics—underscored Hong Kong officials’ efforts to weaken any meaningful opposition in the city’s political institutions. The police also visited the offices of at least one law firm and three news media organizations to demand documents, broadening the burst of arrests that started before sunrise and sent a chill through Hong Kong’s already-demoralized opposition camp. The moves suggested that the authorities were casting a wide net for anyone who had played a prominent role in opposing the government.

North Korea’s Kim says economic plan failed as rare party congress begins (Reuters) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his five-year economic plan had failed to meet its goals “on almost every sector” as he kicked off the ruling Workers’ Party congress on Tuesday, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday. The rare political gathering, which Kim last hosted in 2016, has drawn international attention as he is expected to unveil a new five-year economic plan and address foreign policy, just two weeks before U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office. In his opening speech, Kim said the country had achieved a “miraculous victory” by bolstering its power and global prestige since the last meeting, referring to military advances that culminated in successful tests in 2017 of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the U.S. mainland. But the five-year economic strategy he set forth in 2016 had failed to deliver, he said, calling for a boost in North Korea’s self-reliance to tackle internal and outside challenges hindering its progress.

Netanyahu re-election hopes hinge on vaccination campaign (AP) For media-obsessed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the coronavirus vaccine has arrived just in time. With elections approaching in March, Netanyahu has placed his world-leading vaccination drive at the center of his reelection campaign—launching an aggressive media blitz portraying him as almost singlehandedly leading the country out of the pandemic. He appears to be betting that a successful vaccination effort can persuade voters to forget about his corruption trial and the economic damage caused by the coronavirus crisis. Netanyahu, like his good friend Donald Trump and other world leaders, frequently tries to use social media and tightly controlled press conferences to bypass the traditional media—and the scrutiny that has come along with it. While this strategy has often served Netanyahu well, his obsession with controlling the message also threatens to backfire. It lies at the heart of a corruption case in which he is accused of granting favors to powerful media figures in exchange for positive coverage of him and his family. An expanded indictment released this week outlined 150 incidents showing detailed control he allegedly tried to exert over the media. This included pressure on a news site to drop critical coverage about a lacy dress worn by his wife, and pushing the site to publish photos of her meeting actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Syria says Israel strikes again, several missiles downed by air defences (Reuters) Israel struck targets in southern Syria on Wednesday in the third such attack in nearly 10 days, state TV reported as military defectors said the missiles targeted Iranian revolutionary guard bases. A military spokesman said missiles flying over the Golan Heights targeted several locations and air defences downed several missiles. Live coverage showed a multi-storey building on fire. There was no immediate comment from an Israeli military spokesman but Israel’s Defence Force Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said last month the missile strikes had “slowed down Iran’s entrenchment in Syria”. “We have struck over 500 targets this year, on all fronts, in addition to multiple clandestine missions,” Kochavi said in comments published in Israeli media.

Saudi Arabia Leads Oil Production Cuts (Foreign Policy) The OPEC+ group of oil producing countries have agreed to cut production in February, as Saudi Arabia volunteered to take one million barrels of its oil off the market per day in order to shore up prices. The decision seems to have done the trick, at least temporarily. The U.S. oil price benchmark passed the $50 dollar mark for the first time since February in the wake of the news. The Saudi decision reflects the uncertain global economic prospects in the year ahead. Vaccine programs, heralded as the quickest route to normalcy, have sputtered in some countries and are potentially years away in others. Saudi Arabia’s decision to shoulder the production cuts seems to have kept oil producing countries together, but as Edoardo Campanella argued in November, the group needs to reimagine its role if it is to remain relevant in a changing world.

Theft leads to community giving in Miami (AP) Two days before Thanksgiving, on the eve of a turkey giveaway for dozens of jobless residents in an impoverished Miami neighborhood, Sherina Jones got word that one of the free community refrigerators she’d been stocking was stolen. Jones had been helping to feed the poor in Miami for months. About half of her clients are homeless; others are day laborers who take to-go lunches or single moms who can’t feed their kids. When one of the refrigerators was stolen just before the Thanksgiving Day turkey giveaway, it was more than a theft. It felt like an act against a community in need. Just when it seemed the Grinch-like act would ruin the holiday, something magical happened: Residents of a community where many can barely afford rent pulled together, each giving a little until they ended up collecting quite a lot. The Rev. Michael Daily heard about the stolen refrigerator on the news. He works at a community agency that helps local churches and knew that many parishioners were counting on those meals. He used agency funds to buy Jones a fancy double-door refrigerator and enlisted a construction worker to help build protective housing so it can’t be stolen. A group of artists designed T-shirts and donated the proceeds. All together, more than 330 people raised over $23,000 on a fundraising website. The community’s response to a toy drive in December allowed Jones to give away dozens of bicycles, dolls and other presents to 400 families. “People come by and stock the fridge during the evenings or buy a bulk of things and drop it off. I’m so appreciative,” Jones said. “We’ve all come together to take care of each other.”

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