Arrest in the Death of Prominent Kenyan Gay Rights Campaigner

In Kenya, a suspect had been arrested in connection with the death of a prominent LGBTQ rights campaigner whose body was found stuffed into a metal box in the west of the country.

Motorbike taxi riders alerted police after they saw the box dumped by the roadside from a vehicle with a concealed number plate.  Activist Edwin Chiloba’s remains were found near Eldoret town in Uasin Gishu county, where he ran his fashion business, independent rights group the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said. 

Research suggests acceptance of homosexuality is gradually increasing in Kenya, but it remains a taboo subject for many. The country’s film board has banned two films for their portrayals of gay lives in recent years.

The death drew condemnation from several human rights groups, including the International Commission of Jurists Kenya section, which called for the speedy investigation and apprehension of those behind his killing.  “Chiloba’s death is a tragedy and an affront to human dignity and violation of the right to life #JusticeForChiloba,” it said on Twitter.   Resila Onyango, Kenya National Police Service’s spokesperson, said officers had arrested one person in connection with Chiloba’s death.  “Police arrested one male suspect in Eldoret on Friday. He is the main suspect but the matter is still under investigation,” she said.

“Words cannot even explain how we as a community are feeling right now. Edwin Chiloba was a fighter, fighting relentlessly to change the hearts and minds of society when it came to LGBTQ+ lives,” GALCK, a Kenyan gay rights group said.  Under a British colonial-era law, gay sex in Kenya is punishable by 14 years in prison. It is rarely enforced but discrimination is common. 

 

Weed Legaliztion in California Going to Pot

Xong Vang and Chia Xiong arrived in Douglas City, a town of the Gold Rush era, hoping to make good from the next big California boom.  After the state legalized cannabis in 2016, they joined a wave of newcomers settling in this mountainous, lushly forested Northern California region known to produce some of the world's best weed. They believed that here in remote Trinity County, they could find their own "Green Rush," growing pot for what was promised to be a profitable legal market.

Today, the couple are struggling to keep their 3.4-acre farm going. They live in a trailer on the side of a mountain, where they eke out a modest farm life, raising pigeons for eggs. They worry about providing for their children amid what seem like endless delays to regain licenses needed to legally cultivate their cannabis crop.

Their plight is so desperate that Vang and Xiong have resorted to a path they tried to avoid: growing without a county permit.  “People say you live paycheck to paycheck, but there’s no paycheck to live off of,” Xiong said, standing amid budding plants nestled on the slopes of a rugged peak.  They are among hundreds of local cannabis growers entangled in a legal impasse that has kept many from planting and led some to consider joining a thriving underground economy that was supposed to decline after cannabis was legalized by Proposition 64.

Part of the tri-county “Emerald Triangle” in Northern California, this expanse of forests and hidden canyons has the ideal climate for cannabis: hot days and cool summer nights. It's described by locals as the Napa Valley of weed. If any place in California would have been expected to flourish after cannabis was legalized, it was Trinity, where the crop's roots were sown during the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

But the legalization measure, which in Trinity won by only a handful of votes, was polarizing from the start. Critics of licensed farming worried that an influx of commercial growers would wreak havoc, causing ecological destruction and eroding the community's sense of safety and trust.  Following a lawsuit, a Superior Court judge last year invalidated nearly all licenses that had been awarded, ruling that the county approved them without requiring growers to document potential environmental impacts and measures to prevent harm.  By early November, just 44 licenses had been re-approved, and about 300 farmers, including Vang and Xiong, are still waiting.

In the meantime, some have let their lands lie fallow, while others have chosen to produce illegal harvests, avoiding the fees, taxes and red tape associated with obtaining a license.  Some illegal growers have diverted streams, poisoned the land with toxic chemicals, destroyed wildlife habitat and threatened people who stray near their plantings.

Financial losses from illegal operations and depressed prices have been “incalculable” for farmers, said Adrien Keys, president of the Trinity County Agriculture Alliance, an association of about 100 cultivators.  Many, he said, invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in their businesses and in a county system that is unreliable and threatens to push away manufacturers, distributors and others who rely on products from the region.

Interviews with residents and local officials and a Times review of county records reveal the repercussions of an estimated 3,000 illegal cultivation sites. Satellite images show how one hot spot, Post Mountain, has been nearly stripped bare of its once-pristine forest, as if the land were going bald.

In Trinity County, Proposition 64 passed by only six votes and the issue remains deeply controversial.  Some legalization boosters envisioned a wellspring of riches from cannabis that could help pay for college, expand hospital and mental health services and lead to skyrocketing property values.  Instead, Trinity residents say, a rural, "Mayberry" way of life in which people left their keys in their cars has been ruined. The influx of outsiders to cultivate weed has left longtime residents scared and suspicious.

 Experts who researched the local weed market said Trinity officials focused on potential revenue but gave little thought to technical details that exposed the county to legal challenges.  Grower Terry Mines has been warring with Trinity officials for years. He tried to develop a cannabis storage and distribution facility but was denied county approval in 2020. Thus far, the county has approved licenses only for cultivation, and there are no legal dispensaries.

 

Queen Humor

What We Know About the Death of Tyre Nichols

So now we have the body camera and remote pole camera footage  from the January 7 arrest and killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after officers beat and pepper-sprayed him. The footage gives a graphic depiction of the officers overreacting and (ultimately) killing Nichols after a questionable traffic stop of the unarmed man.

Nichols is heard shouting “I didn’t do anything” as officers approach him with guns pointed at him. Officers can be heard shouting multiple obscenities at Nichols during the arrest. An officer threatens to use a Taser on Nichols, who replies to them to “stop” while he’s on the ground surrounded by officers. “Bitch, put your hands behind your back before I break you,” one officer is heard saying.

Another officer then says he is going to knock Nichols “the fuck out,” threatening more force as the young man is lying on the ground.  “You guys are really doing a lot right now. I’m just trying to go home,” Nichols told police. Officers can then be seen pepper-spraying Nichols and tasing him as he shouts again, “I’m not doing anything.”   Nichols then attempts to flee as officers are using the Taser on him and his shirt is falling off.

Police eventually catch up to Nichols, surround him and beat him while he is the on ground. He is passed around among officers who take turns punching him and pressing his body to the pavement.  The violent incident takes place in a residential neighborhood. The footage shows more cop cars eventually arriving as Nichols lies on the ground.

Nichols, a FedEx worker who was known for his love of skateboarding, told officers he was experiencing “shortness of breath,” and was hospitalized with serious injuries. He died three days after his injuries.  An independent autopsy performed at the request of the family indicated that Nichols “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”  The traffic stop happened two minutes from Nichols’ home, his mother said, and he was beaten by police within 80 yards of where he lived. 

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis called the footage and beating of Nichols “incomprehensible” and said the videos are about “the same if not worse” than the images of the 1991 assault of Rodney King by police in Los Angeles.

The Memphis Fire Department has confirmed that two employees involved in the “initial patient care” of Nichols were relieved of duty pending an ongoing investigation.  Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. also said two of his department’s deputies were shown at the scene and that they had been relieved of duty pending investigation of their actions.

Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III were identified as the officers involved in Nichols’ deadly arrest.  The officers were a part of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION squad, whose name stands for Street Crimes Operation To Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. The squad, introduced by Davis in 2021, is tasked with handling violent crimes in the area.

The Memphis Police Department announced that following an internal investigation, all five officers involved in Nichols’ arrest have been fired for violating department policy and practices, including those pertaining to excessive force. All five officers were charged with second-degree murder by a grand jury.   Shelby County records say the officers were additionally charged with two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, one count of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.  The officers were all released on bond. 

The Nichols family said that Tyre, an avid photographer, was out driving so he could take pictures of the sunset.  Officers initially said Nichols was pulled over for alleged reckless driving, but even Memphis police have admitted there is no evidence to substantiate that claim. The footage released only begins after police confront Nichols at an intersection at 8:24pm local time - police say the initial traffic stop was not filmed but we don't know why.

It is evident from the footage that Nichols was in distress after the beating. He writhes on the ground before being slumped up against a car, unable to properly sit up himself.  The group of officers stood around like a typical afternoon on the street, leaving Nichols lying on the ground like a piece of garbage. There are more officers on the scene than bodycams released, and we do not know if there is additional footage. Medics arrive to examine Mr Nichols at 8:41pm-- twenty minutes later a stretcher comes into view in the video and then an ambulance arrives. We don't know how long it is before Nichols was taken to hospital.

The case was handed over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. The Department of Justice and the FBI has also announced a civil rights investigation into Nichols’ death. 

 

Shakira - BZRP Music Session #53

Indiana Joins Florida in the War Against Trans and LGBTQ Youth

The latest state to launch an assault on trans and queer people is Indiana, where there are a number of bills in the works that seek to ostracize and isolate LGBTQ+ folks, including youth. HB 1608 is a copycat of Florida’s horrific Don’t Say Gay bill. SB 354 essentially “outs” LGBTQ+ students to their parents or guardians if they share any “conflicted feelings” about their gender identity or expression with public school staff.  In addition, SB 413 mandates that schools must allow parents to access school records, basically ensuring that students no longer feel comfortable coming “out” to teachers, coaches, or other hypothetically trusted adults in their school-related life.

If this sounds like an intentional assault on all sides, that’s because it is.  These attacks are coordinated efforts to keep both adults and young people in the closet and away from living publicly and authentically. If students don't feel safe coming out at home—for fear of becoming homeless, abuse, retaliation, or any other reason—and don’t feel safe coming out to trusted adults at school, what are they supposed to do?

Sure, the internet and community spaces can be lifelines, but they can also be dangerous, especially if the person is not yet 18. Young people deserve safe, accessible care and support to be who they are and thrive as themselves. It’s incredibly damaging mentally and emotionally to be stuck in the closet, and we can’t be surprised if vulnerable queer kids lie, hide, or regress in order to cope with such despair and humiliation.

Trans youth already report disproportionately high levels of leaving school without a diploma and becoming unhoused. Those alone are very, very scary experiences that can have life-long effects. But we cannot fault young people for making these “choices” when they’re essentially forced into them. We need to support young people, not shove them into darkness.

Pompous Turd Pompeo Resurfaces With a Book That No One Cares About

As NBC News reports, Pompeo has a new book out. That you needed NBC to remind you of this isn’t surprising, as Pompeo’s book is singularly lacking in anything that has generated even the slightest appearance of “buzz.” In fact, it’s so tepid and lacking in substance that the only person Mike Pompeo could find to provide a cover quote was … Mike Pompeo. 

Even so, Pompeo doesn’t hesitate to raise his nose at the idea that Jamal Khashoggi Khashoggi was an actual journalist.  In case you've forgotten, WaPo journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tricked into visiting a Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018. Once inside, Khashoggi was captured by a team sent by Saudi dictator Mohammed bin Salman. Those men bound, beat, tortured, dissected, murdered, and burned Khashoggi. In that order. Bin Salman’s men traveled to Turkey on a government plane, bringing with them bone saws and instruments of torture. Once they had Khashoggi, they cut off the journalist’s fingers while he was held screaming in a chair. They cut off his head when they had finished with their fun. Then they dressed one of their members in Khashoggi’s clothing and paraded him around Istanbul so they could claim he left the building alive. All the while, Khashoggi’s fiancée waited for him to return with what had been the supposed reason for the visit—securing a marriage license.

The murder of Khashoggi was a blatant display of complete disregard for human life and international law by Mohammed bin Salman, a man who locked up or murdered most of his own family and presided over 147 beheadings in 2022 alone.   But Pompeo, who served as CIA director (and ought to know better) still described Khashoggi as only an “activist,” claiming that he was a journalist only “to the extent that I, and many other public figures, are journalists . . .we sometimes get our writing published, but we also do other things.”

Jamal Khashoggi started his career as a reporter for the Saudi Gazette in 1985. He became managing editor of the daily paper Al Madina in 1991, then deputy editor-in-chief of the English-language paper Arab News, where he worked until 2003 before taking over as editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Al Watan.  Khashoggi was eventually forced out of Al Watan after they published articles that were critical of harsh punishments handed down by the Saudi government.  Leaving Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi worked as a columnist for Al Arabiya before launching the satellite news channel Al-Arab in 2015 in cooperation with Bloomberg Media—only to have the network shut down on its first day thanks to pressure from the Saudi government.

So, yeah-- Khashoggi only had a 30-year career in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. He only served as a reporter, an editor, a publisher, and a newscaster. None of this apparently makes him “a journalist,” according to Pompeo.  Then again, Mike Pompeo was secretary of state for more than two years under Trump. That certainly doesn’t make him a diplomat.

 

Kroger Has Been Screwing Up Employee Paychecks For Months-- and it Still Isn't Fixed

A shift to a new payroll system at the grocery chain Kroger has left workers short on their paychecks and stirred up hundreds of employee complaints, according to a new lawsuit.  A group of workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 have filed a complaint in federal court seeking back pay and damages from Kroger. One plaintiff said he missed entire paychecks, while others said they weren’t paid for overtime or had unauthorized deductions made.

One worker said her contributions for her spouse’s health insurance were deducted twice from every paycheck for nearly two months, “resulting in the loss of hundreds of dollars.” The complaint alleges that some workers had to take out high-interest payday loans when their full wages failed to arrive.  “Kroger has been made aware of these issues, but has failed to correct them,” the complaint states.

The lawsuit involves employees in Virginia and West Virginia who work under the Kroger brand (the company also owns Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Food 4 Less and other grocery chains).  A spokesperson for the union said the irregularities began in early 2022 when Kroger moved to a payroll system workers know as “MyTime.” Since then, a complaint portal set up by the union has received over a thousand responses from workers, he said.

“It’s been a disaster,” said the spokesperson, Jonathan Williams. “We’ve had people who go weeks without a paycheck, some people who don’t have all the money in their paychecks, and people who are double-charged for things like health insurance, or taxed for [localities where] they don’t live. ... They’ve been messing up payroll big time.”  A new employee in Charleston, West Virginia, worked 79 hours for the company last August and September, including 26 hours of training, and “never received any pay from Kroger.” She no longer works for the grocer.

One employee, Mike Papas, worked as a part-time cashier at a Fred Meyer store in Beaverton, Oregon. He said he first noticed he didn't receive a paycheck around Thanksgiving.  "It's pay,--screw ups happen, so I figured this is a glitch or something is going on," Papas said. "I'll find out or figure this out."   But Papas didn't receive that payment for two weeks. In the weeks to follow, he said he received incomplete payments, late payments and partial reimbursements with the subsequent paychecks. 

"(Kroger) had this problem nationwide, it's inexcusable when people are trying to put food on their table and some are surviving paycheck to paycheck," Papas said. "If it wasn't for my family, I'd be hit a lot harder."   At one point, Papas said he received what was promised to be a $500 gift card from the company in order to apologize for the payment issues. He said he checked its balance and the card had just $259 loaded onto it, a problem other Kroger employees reported as well.   Papas decided to quit his job on December 31.  "They were still messing up my pay, I was still having to chase down my pay on a weekly basis, and the hours I spent talking to management and sending emails — it was like having a second job," he said.

The employees' union says it has filed a number of grievances alleging the payroll snafus have violated its collective bargaining agreement with the company. It has also filed unfair labor practice charges against Kroger at the National Labor Relations Board.  Matthew Handley, an attorney for the workers, said the lawsuit was filed because the problems have persisted and haven’t been adequately addressed.  “The risk of glitches really shouldn’t fall on the employees,” Handley said of the payroll system. “These aren’t the highest-wage jobs out there, and if somebody misses a week of pay — never mind four weeks of pay — that can have some really devastating effects.”

 

The Jetsons Predicted Our Future

NHL Player Blames His Religion For His Bigotry

Philadelphia Flyers player Ivan Provorov refused to take part in his team's annual Pride Night because of his Russian Orthodox religion.

The Flyers players warmed up before a game against the Anaheim Ducks wearing jerseys with their names and numbers in rainbow colors and their sticks wrapped in rainbow tape. Provorov refused to wear the jersey and cowardly avoided entering the arena saying that he wanted to "stay true to myself and my religion".   He tried to deflect criticism by saying, "I respect everyone. I respect everybody's choices."  Canadian sports pundit Sid Seixeiro called on the NHL to fine the Flyers "$1 million" over Provorov's "insulting" comments. The Sports Network commentator and The Athletic contributor Pierre LeBrun disputed Provorov's claim that he "respects" everyone.   "Provorov obviously does not respect ‘everyone’. If he did respect everyone, he would have taken part in warm-up and worn the Pride Night jersey. Don’t hide behind religion," LeBrun said about Provorov.

The Flyers players wore their usual jerseys for the match itself, with Provorov playing 23 minutes in a 5-2 win.   Flyers coach John Tortorella was too afraid to condemn Provorov's decision, saying: "This has to do with his beliefs and his religion. It's one thing I respect about [Provorov], he's always true to himself."  Apparently, even when Provorov is a jerk.

In a statement the Philadelphia Flyers said it is "committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community".    Except that neither the Flyers nor the NHL sanctioned Provorov for his bigotry.    NHL Network senior reporter EJ Hradek suggested the Russian-born Provoroc should go back to his homeland and join the fight against Ukraine if participating in Pride events is "that problematic for him" and wants to feel "more comfortable."

The Russian Orthodox church is infamous for promoting hate and indifference to marginalized people.  The head of the Russian orthodox church has parroted Putin's talking points trying to justify the war and genocide against the Ukrainian people.  Church patriarch Kirill has openly declared that Russia has the right to use force against Ukraine, and that Ukrainians and Russians are one people.  In the aftermath of the Bucha massacre, Kirill praised the Russian armed forces for "feats" of service, saying Russia is "peaceful".  

The Russian orthodox church also sees gay pride parades as part of the reason behind Russian warfare against Ukraine-- believing that Ukraine wants to "enforce" gay pride events upon the local population.

 

The Continuing War on Workers

Millions of restaurant workers have been forced without their knowledge to subsidize an organization that exists in part to keep their pay low, The New York Times reports.  On the surface, it seems that the workers are taking a kind of insultingly basic food safety course. But the company that dominates the market for such courses is owned by the National Restaurant Association (NRA), the industry group that has successfully kept the minimum wage for tipped workers set at $2.13 an hour since 1991.

The company in question is ServSafe, of which a competitor told the Times, “We believe they’ve got at least 70 percent-plus of the market. Maybe higher.” The NRA (the restaurant one) took over ServSafe in 2007, then lobbied several large states to make such trainings mandatory not just for restaurant managers but for all restaurant workers, creating a huge built-in market. So far, “More than 3.6 million workers have taken this training, providing about $25 million in revenue to the restaurant industry’s lobbying arm since 2010.” That’s more than enough to cover all of the NRA’s lobbying in that time. And the lobbying in question has included a lot of efforts to keep the minimum wage low.

The timing wasn’t coincidental on the acquisition of ServSafe: It happened soon after Congress raised the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour (where it remains stuck, thanks to industry lobby groups like the NRA), leaving the organization looking for ways to raise revenue without raising dues.  “That’s when the decision was contemplated, of buying the ServSafe program,” a former chair of the NRA’s board told the Times. “Because it was profitable.”

 

Miley Cyrus - Flowers

Will New Revelations Be a Drag on Santos' Career?

I warned you all a couple of weeks ago that the Santos saga could go on-- and as sure as shooting, the hits keeping coming.

First comes reports that Santos used a disabled veteran and his dying dog in a fundraising scam.  Richard Osthoff, a U.S. Navy veteran, says that Santos conned him in 2016 while he was living in a tent on the side of a highway in Howell, New Jersey, with his beloved dog Sapphire. Sapphire was diagnosed with a life-threatening stomach tumor, and Osthoff was quoted $3,000 for the surgery to remove it.

According to Osthoff, a veterinary technician told him he knew a guy who could help: Anthony Devolder, who ran a pet charity called Friends of Pets United, a pet charity (the IRS has said that it  has no records of a registered tax-exempt charity with that name, btw).  Anthony Devolder is one of the names that Santos, whose full name is George Anthony Devolder Santos, used among an array of aliases, including George Devolder and Anthony Zabrovsky.   Osthoff and another New Jersey veteran, retired police Sgt. Michael Boll (who was helping Osthoff back in 2016) have said that Santos set up a GoFundMe for Sapphire’s surgery.  A link to the since-deleted GoFundMe page, shows that it was created “by Anthony Devolder.”

The two veterans say that when the GoFundMe campaign reached $3,000, Santos closed it and became increasingly difficult to contact.  When Osthoff then tried to schedule Sapphire’s procedure, Santos then insisted Osthoff take Sapphire to another vet clinic (that Santos purportedly had a relationship with).  When contacted by Osthoff, the new clinic said it couldn’t operate on Sapphire's tumor. Santos then told Osthoff that he would take the money raised for Sapphire and use it for “other dogs,” Osthoff said.  Osthoff told his supporters that he had been “scammed by Anthony Devolder” and that Sapphire was facing euthanasia within months.  Unable to obtain the needed surgery, Sapphire died the following year.

One of Santos’ former roommates, Gregory Morey-Parker, was interviewed several times on CNN about Santos, who he said he lived with for a few months in 2020. Morey-Parker said he knew Santos by two names: Anthony Devolder and Anthony Zabrovsky and he had “never known him as George Santos.” According to Morey-Parker, Santos said he used the name Zabrovsky for his pet charity because he believed “the Jews will give more if you’re a Jew.”

This reporting was followed closely by new claims that Santos competed as a drag queen in Brazilian beauty pageants 15 years ago, two acquaintances told Reuters, adding to contrasts that have drawn criticism of the openly gay Republican congressman's staunchly conservative views.

A 58-year-old Brazilian performer, who uses the drag name Eula Rochard, said she befriended the now-congressman when he was cross-dressing in 2005 at the first gay pride parade in Niteroi, a Rio de Janeiro suburb.  Three years later, Santos (using the drag name "Kitara Ravache") competed in a drag beauty pageant in Rio, Rochard said.  Another person from Niteroi who knew the 34-year-old congressman but asked not to be named said he participated in drag queen beauty pageants and aspired to be Miss Gay Rio de Janeiro.

Rochard said the congressman was a "poor" drag queen in 2005, telling reporters, "George always lied about everything. He used to create stories, usually involving money—like that his dad was rich. But then people wondered why his mom was a cleaning lady. There’s nothing wrong with being a cleaning lady, but if his dad was rich, then why?” 

Santos’ complicated relationship with the truth is nothing new, Rochard said. "He's changed a lot, but he was always a liar," Rochard added.

 

New Year, Same Old War

Images of a bright, family kitchen in Ukraine, which was exposed to the world when a Russian missile strike tore off its external wall, have caused shock and sadness on social media.  The apartment was home to well known boxing coach Mykhailo Korenovsky, who was killed in Saturday's attack. His wife and children reportedly survived.

The missile strike in Dnipro, one of the deadliest single Russian attacks against Ukrainian citizens killed 40 people.  The victims included three children, with more than 30 people still unaccounted for on Monday evening. 

The image is striking for the stark contrast between the normal and the abnormal; the everyday domesticity of the cozy kitchen is framed by the sudden and total devastation delivered by a Russian attack.  The modern-looking kitchen with bright yellow cupboards remained remarkably intact after the strike, despite the total destruction of its external wall.  A bowl of apples sits on the table, dishes lie next to the sink waiting to be washed and oven gloves still hang neatly from a line of hooks.

"Here people cooked, had kitchen conversations, celebrated holidays, laughed, argued," Kyiv MP Zoya Yarosh wrote on Facebook.  She compared the destruction of the building to the fate of her country: "These are the wounds on the body of Ukraine. Wounds on our homes."

On social media, many people highlighted the small details in the photograph, suggesting a family getting on with their life as best they could, despite the raging war.  "When I look at this kitchen all I see is the flat I grew up in, the flat my grandparents lived in, the flat my cousins lived in, because we all had two stools tucked under the kitchen table just like that," wrote Ukrainian Alina on Twitter.

Before the missile strike, the kitchen seems to have been at the center of a happy family moment - a child's birthday party.

In a video published online and reposted by Ukraine's armed forces, a young girl smiles as she is presented with a huge birthday cake, and blows out her four candles. The same yellow cupboards are clearly visible, as are the oven gloves and television on the wall.  Those in the video are believed to be Mykhailo Korenovsky's family, who reportedly survived the strike, while the boxing coach did not.  It is not clear when the video was filmed, but it is a stark reminder of how suddenly war can destroy lives.

"Perhaps it was him [Korenovsky] who bought those apples for his family, left standing on the table after the building collapsed," said BBC Russian journalist Liza Fokht. "Or perhaps it was him who left a plate in the sink - there'll always be time to wash it later."

 

Gender Neutral Award Categories-- Helping or Hurting Women?

The BRIT awards (the U.K.'s version of the Grammy's) introduced an Artist Of The Year category this year as a gender neutral replacement for Best Male and Best Female Artist categories.  But you guessed it-- all five nominees this year turned out to be male. Oops!

Total and utter backlash has ensued in every London newspaper. The BBC, Telegraph, NME and many more are very angry. When the male- and female-specific categories were eliminated, industry commentators had warned that going gender-neutral in a male-dominated industry would lead to women being sidelined. And it looks like they might be right.

The BRIT awards organization had previously stated that they chose a non-gender specific award to make them "even more inclusive, recognizing exceptional work rather than how artists identify.” Unfortunately, female artists lost out and whatever the intention, the result doesn’t look “more inclusive.”

In reaction, there are some journalists doubling down on the gender-neutral categories and actually saying that there should be a mandatory rule that 50% of the nominees should be women. Guardian columnist Owen Jones said, "My view is gender neutral awards should reserve 50% of nominations for women. Women represent a majority of the music industry workforce, so the Academy making the nominations should also be weighted to be at least 50% women, too.”

If you're going to switch to a gender neutral award category, but allocate 50% of the slots to men and 50% to women-- isn't that the same as having separate nominees for men and women? If the whole point of having industry awards is to promote an industry, then shouldn't the goal be to give out more awards rather than less? It looks like the idea of gender neutral categories is now gaining traction over on this side of the pond. I'm not sure what the right approach is, but it looks like we're still struggling with this issue.

 

MLK: Ten Suprising facts about the Civil Rights Icon

1. "I have a dream speech" was improvised

Halfway through his speech at the 1963, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson shouted: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!"  The call-out prompted King to pivot to a previous sermon he'd delivered, where he described a version of the American Dream that was equal and accessible to all citizens.  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today," Dr King said. 

2. His birth name was Michael King

When he was born, MLK named after his father, Michael King. But six years later, King's father visited Germany and learned about Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant reformation.  He was said to have been so inspired that he returned home and officially changed both his and his eldest son's names to Martin Luther King. 

3. He decided at college to be a preacher

MLK was admitted to Morehouse College at the age of 15. Generations of the King family had graduated from the prestigious all-male historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia.  His time at Morehouse was instrumental in awakening his passion for social and political equality and inspired him to become a preacher. 

4. He was arrested more than 25 times

In his 13 years as a civil rights leader, King was arrested 30 times, largely for misdemeanours and civil protest violations, according to the King Center. Though he was often a target of law enforcement, King did not relish being imprisoned.  

5. He wrote five books

According to the King Center, King wrote five books over the course of his lifetime and published numerous collections of his letters and sermons. 

6. He was a Star Trek fan

Nichelle Nichols, better known as the original Lt Nyota Uhura in Star Trek, was once introduced to someone claiming to be "her biggest fan" at an awards ceremony.   When she informed King she planned to leave the show, she told the Television Academy Foundation, King was adamant that she could not abandon the iconic role.  "He said: 'For the first time on television we will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, quality, beautiful people… who can go into space,'" Nichols recalled.  "I just stood there realising every word he was saying was the truth. At that moment, the world tilted for me." She would continue in the role for years. 

7. He survived a previous assassination attempt

In September 1958, King was approached by a mentally ill woman as he signed copies of his latest book, Stride Toward Freedom, in Harlem, New York City. The woman verified that he was indeed King before stabbing him with a seven-inch blade.   After learning the woman was mentally ill, King said: "I bear no bitterness toward her" and instead called for her to receive treatment. 

8. King's mother was also assassinated

On June 30, 1974, six years after King's assassination, a 23-year-old man shot and killed King's mother, Alberta Williams King, while she was playing the organ during a service at Ebenezer Baptist Church.  The shooter was found guilty and sentenced to death, but was later re-sentenced to life in prison in part because of the King family's opposition to the death penalty.

9. The King family paid for Julia Robert's birth

In an interview with Gayle King, actress Julia Roberts confirmed a little-known fact about the day she was born. "The King family paid for my hospital bills," she said, adding that the Roberts and King families became close because her parents welcomed King's children into their Atlanta acting school.  Later, when Julia was born and her family couldn't afford the hospital bills, King and his wife, Coretta, "helped us out of a jam". 

10. He was only 39 when he was killed

Dr. King was only 39 years old when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. He spent less than 13 years in the public eye campaigning for civil rights and racial equality. But according to the King Center, in that short amount of time he was able to bring more progress towards racial equality in the United States than the previous 350 years. 

 

Disgorge George

Homework for Delinquent Juror in Young Thug Trial

A Georgia woman who skipped jury duty was ordered by the judge to write a 30-page essay on the importance of jury service. Identified only as Juror #64, she had been on a trip to the Dominican Republic and did not show up for jury selection when it began in Fulton County.  The potential juror was given the reprimand upon returning three days later.  She had been summoned for the high-profile trial of rapper Young Thug.

Doling out the punishment when she turned up late to the courtroom, Judge Ural Glanville told the woman he understood that "you can't be in two places at one time," but that several other prospective jurors had "lost hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to be here" while she went on holiday.

Judge Glanville had initially threatened to hold the woman in contempt of court, which typically comes with a $1,000 fine, 20 days in jail or both.  But, after learning she was a college graduate, he dished out a different kind of punishment: a 30-page paper due in three weeks.

"Here's the criteria: you have to do APA style, you're going to have to use at least 10 primary sources, 10 secondary sources," the judge said.  He said that "at a minimum" the essay must address the history of jury service and who could not serve on a jury in the past, as well as jury service in Georgia and discrimination in jury selection, noting that "years ago, people that look like us couldn't serve on juries".  Glanville added that the essay would be run through a plagiarism checker, telling the woman: "You've got to write it yourself, and then you're going to come back and talk to me about it."

Some 600 people have so far been summoned for the trial of the Grammy-winning artist Young Thug, who is accused of using his YSL music label for racketeering and gang conspiracy.  The trial is expected to last six to nine months and has the potential to set new legal precedents as prosecutors have submitted lyrics by "Thugger" as evidence of crime or criminal intent.

But critics argue that rap verses are being cherry-picked and misrepresented in courtrooms across the country.  The artists maintain their innocence and have strongly objected to the use of their lyrics in court.

Jury selection in the trial is expected to last at least two weeks, with dozens of potential jurors already excused from service or requesting exemptions due to child care obligations, professional hardships and other reasons.  Up to 300 witnesses may also be called, including Dr Erik Nielson - the foremost expert on the use of rap lyrics in criminal cases - and rappers Lil Wayne and Rich Homie Quan.

 

Peter Gabriel - Panopticom

So Now Cancel Culture is OK I Guess

A school district official in Ohio interrupted a discussion of a Dr. Seuss book when a third-grader observed that it offered a lesson on racism. The book was The Sneetches, in which Plain-Bellied Sneetches are looked down on by Star-Bellied Sneetches. In response, the Plain-Bellied Sneetches buy stars for their bellies, only to have the Star-Bellied Sneetches remove their stars to continue differentiating themselves from the less-favored group. 

“It's almost like what happened back then, how people were treated … Like, disrespected ... Like, white people disrespected Black people, but then, they might stand up in the book,” a third-grader said of the story. Moments after that is when the district official jumped in.

“I just don't think that this is going to be the discussion that we wanted around economics,” said Olentangy Local School District assistant communications director Amanda Beeman. “So I'm sorry. We're going to cut this one off.”

The exchange, including the children’s confusion and desire to hear how the book ended, was captured by NPR, which was recording a Planet Money podcast about economic lessons in children’s books, which was presumably the reason a district official was sitting in on a third-grade class to begin with.

Ohio hasn’t even passed the kind of ban on discussing race in schools that a number of other states have passed, though Ohio Republicans introduced a copycat bill. But after a couple of years of constant screeching about how it’s racist to acknowledge that racism has ever been a part of U.S. history, and that acknowledging racism oppresses white kids, educators and administrators have gotten the message to steer all the way clear of the topic. 

Oh the irony!  In 2021, Republicans were beyond outraged when the company that publishes Dr. Seuss' books decided to stop publishing six racist ones. It was a private business decision made because those six books “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” but then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy claimed it “outlaw[ed] Dr. Seuss,” and Sen. Marco Rubio described it as “an example of a depraved sociopolitical purge driven by hysteria and lunacy.”

 

Love and Happiness at the Pharmacy

Haiti is Officially Fucked

The last 10 remaining senators in Haiti's parliament have officially left office, leaving the country without a single democratically elected government official.  The expiration of the officials’ terms at midnight on Monday formally concluded their time in office – and with it, the last semblance of democratic order in the beleaguered Caribbean nation.

Haiti – which is currently engulfed in gang violence and the worst malnutrition crisis in decades – now officially has no functioning parliament, as the senators were the last of 30 to remain in office after successive failed efforts to hold elections.  There is now no constitutional representation at any state level, the latest sign that the country has become a failed state.

Haiti is plagued by a series of acute, overlapping crises as gangs violently exploit a power vacuum to expand their control of the capital.  Every democratic institution, from Haiti’s justice system to parliament, is no longer functioning.  All local authorities’ terms expired in 2020 and when the supreme court last met in February 2022, only five of the 12 judges remained in office.

The breakdown of Haitian democracy and its institutions has made it impossible to confront warring factions, who now control an estimated two-thirds of Port-au-Prince.

Home to 12 million, Haiti has not held timely legislative elections since October 2019 and was plunged further into uncertainty when its president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July 2021 by Colombian mercenaries in circumstances that remain unclear.

All local and national political mandates have now expired, while questions hang over the constitutional legitimacy of the interim government which has set no dates for the next round of elections.  Moïse had controversially extended his own mandate before he was assassinated and the succession of Ariel Henry – previously the prime minister – has never been ratified by law.  Henry is seen as illegitimate by most Haitians and his request in October for foreign military intervention was seen by critics as an effort to shore up a weak and unelected government.  “The entirety of the power right now is in the hands of the interim prime minister, who has been appointed in highly irregular circumstances and who is very illegitimate among great proportions of the Haitian population,” said Segura.

The explosion of gang violence engulfing Haiti has caused famine, forced hospitals to close and probably contributed to the re-emergence of cholera.  A record 4.7 million people are facing acute hunger with 1.8 million at a critical level of malnutrition, according to the World Food Programe (WFP).  In October 2022 the NGO for the first time raised its hunger alert in Haiti to level 5, the highest category often reserved for wartime famine.

Henry announced the formation of a council to oversee a transition of power on New Year’s Day, which could allow for fresh elections, but the initiative is widely regarded by observers as illegitimate.  Several leading opposition politicians have rejected the agreement and only three of the five-member transition council members have been appointed.  Opposition figures are not interested in a solution with Henry still in the frame, but Moïse’s successor shows no willingness to leave office.

“[Henry and his allies] say it’s a consensus but it’s really bogus. They’re going to try to have elections and we’re going to be right back at square one again because it’s going to be contested,” said Louis-Henri Mars, director of the Haitian peace-building non-profit Lakou Lapè.

At a summit in Mexico City on Tuesday Joe Biden was expected to lobby Justin Trudeau for Canada to lead an international security force – in part to help stem the flow of Haitian refugees reaching the US.  Activists in Haiti have warned that any foreign force would be the latest in a long history of miscalculated foreign intervention attempts in the Caribbean.

 

The Wisdom of Rock

Bolsonaro Supporters Stage Trump-style Riot in Brazilian Capital

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his electoral defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital today, just a week after the inauguration of his rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Thousands of demonstrators bypassed security barricades, climbed on the roofs, broke windows and invaded all three buildings, which are connected through the vast Three Powers square in Brasilia. Some are calling for a military intervention to restore the far-right Bolsonaro to power.

The Brazilian Congress and the Supreme Court had limited personnel inside the buildings, and President Silva was not in residence at the presidential palace.

Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting against Lula’s electoral win since October 30, blocking roads, setting vehicles on fires and gathering outside military buildings, asking armed forces to intervene. Many believed election results were fraudulent or unreliable.  Bolsonaro, who fled to the U.S. ahead of Lula’s inauguration, has not yet condemned or commented on the ongoing situation.

Despite the arrival of thousands of people in buses in the days preceding the attack, local authorities seemed unprepared to deal with the riot.  Anderson Torres, who served as Bolsonaro's justice minister, is now the top security officer in the Brazilian capital.  Video footage shows local police officers talking and taking pictures with the rioters.  

Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo met Trump in November, and also spoke with Trump advisors Jason Miller and Steven Bannon, according to reports in the Washington Post.  Bannon devoted several episodes of his podcast to claims of election fraud and promoted the hashtag #BrazilianSpring, an apparent attempt to encourage a mass mobilization against President Lula.  On Telegram and Trump’s Truth Social network, one of the key organizers of the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” campaign has been encouraging the crowds, writing: “Do whatever is necessary!”

Gleisi Hoffman, chairperson of Lula's Workers' Party, said the capital's government was "irresponsible" in facing the crisis. "It is a long-announced crime against democracy, the will of the vote," she said on Twitter.  "Governor [Ibaneis Rocha] and his Bolsonarist security secretary are responsible for whatever happens."

 

Piss-Poor Media Relations in Sudan

Six journalists in South Sudan have been detained over the circulation of footage showing President Salva Kiir appearing to wet himself at an official event, according to the national journalists union.

The footage from December showed a dark stain spread down the 71-year-old president’s gray trousers as he stood for the national anthem at a road commissioning event. The video never aired on television but subsequently circulated on social media.

The journalists, who work with the state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, were detained this week, said Patrick Oyet, president of the South Sudan Union of Journalists.   They “are suspected of having knowledge on how the video of the president urinating himself came out,” he told Reuters.

Kiir has been president since South Sudan gained independence in 2011. Government officials have repeatedly denied rumors circulating on social media that he is unwell. The country has been embroiled in conflict for much of the past decade.

The detained journalists are camera operators Joseph Oliver and Mustafa Osman; video editor Victor Lado; contributor Jacob Benjamin; and Cherbek Ruben and Joval Toombe from the control room, Oyet said.  “We are concerned because those who are detained now have stayed longer than what the law says,” he added.

By law, South Sudanese authorities are allowed to detain suspects for only 24 hours before bringing them before a judge.  The incident “matches a pattern of security personnel resorting to arbitrary detention whenever officials deem coverage unfavorable,” said the sub-Saharan Africa representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, Muthoki Mumo. 

 

Iggy Pop - Strung Out Johnny

New CAPTCHA

Arizona's Former GOP Governor Wasted $180 Million of Taxpayer Money

The cost of Arizona Republican Doug Ducey’s illegal shipping container “wall” is now close to $180 million, as the state is preparing to dismantle the ugly eyesore following a federal lawsuit, Arizona Daily Star reports. 

Arizona late last month agreed to begin taking down the unlawful “wall” following a lawsuit from the federal government. Arizona Daily Star reports it won’t be cheap: AshBritt Management & Logistics, which was paid nearly $100 million in taxpayer funds to illegally dump the containers on federal lands, will now get another $77.2 million in taxpayer funds to dismantle the faux-well and remove the containers.

It appears that Ducey’s not entirely done bilking taxpayers, because the Arizona Daily Star said that Ducey’s “private attorney-- hired with state tax dollars—filed legal papers in federal court to keep alive a separate lawsuit he filed asking a judge to declare there is no federal ownership of the land.”  It’s unclear how that will proceed since Democrat Katie Hobbs has now been sworn in as the new governor and his lawsuit has now become her lawsuit. Arizona Daily Star reported that a Hobbs press aide called the shipping containers “a political stunt that backfired at the taxpayers’ expense.’’ 

 

What the Buffalo Response to Last Week's Blizzard Really Shows

Following last week's massive blizzard that killed at least 34 people in Erie County, New York, and left many people stranded, Buffalo police certainly knew their priorities: investigating thefts at dollar stores and ticketing drivers, not recovery missions.

Emergency services were understaffed and there weren’t enough plows for the city of Buffalo. All over Twitter, people are reporting that the surrounding wealthier towns had their roads cleared while Buffalo residents were still snowed in.  The local Buffalo police have mini-tanks, long guns, dog units, and even tear gas. They do not, however, have track vehicles for rescue operations.  The State Police have them, but not enough to service the entire City of Buffalo in an emergency. Much of the equipment currently in use here was shipped in (during the storm) form places like Nassau County and Monroe County. 

According to Nate McMurray, a New York lawyer and local community advocate, Buffalo has never had a good plowing or snow removal plan For years, residents and commuters have complained about Buffalo’s snow removal policies. Even in mild winters the plowing policies are inadequate.  Buffalo's East Side (which is about 85% people of color, where the City of Buffalo is 40%, and Erie County is only about 13%) hasn't been plowed right for years. Former Mayor Griffin once said that he neglected plowing the East Side because people elsewhere "need to get to work."

With many Buffalo streets still unplowed, the police went to work—on punitive measures.  On the Tuesday after Christmas, Buffalo still had a travel ban in place, while surrounding communities were just under a travel advisory.  The local police (along with the National Guard and state troopers) were put into place to ticket people violating the travel ban-- that is,  people trying to leave after days being  trapped in places that might not be safe or secure, or might lack adequate food.

And the local police were all about investigating those dollar store thefts. “Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said the department has had to divert resources away from recovery missions because the crime that is occurring cannot be ignored,” WKBW reported.

”Cannot be ignored” is of course a statement of values. What the police are really saying is that they are there to protect businesses, not people in need of help. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still a shocking brazen admission of priorities.

 

What Has Santos NOT Lied About?

At this point in the saga of Rep.-elect George Santos, it might be easier to list the things he has claimed that are actually true rather than all the lies. It’s getting more bizarre by the day. The list of lies and inconsistencies includes his name, his sexual identity, his race, his ethnicity, his education, his professional life, his charitable work, the cause of his mother’s death and how many times she died, and his proximity to some of the nation’s deepest traumas.

He has also claimed he graduated from a college he didn’t graduate from, worked for two financial behemoths he hadn’t actually worked for, and was a Jewish descendant of Holocaust survivors. When asked to clarify the latter claim, Santos said, “I never claimed to be Jewish. I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was 'Jew-ish.'"

When he's called on any of his lies, he just lies some more—it's pathological. But that same reckless behavior is also why the new Republican congressman-to-be is in serious legal jeopardy, at the local, state, federal, and, amazingly, international levels. And because of that, he's exceedingly unlikely to serve out a full term.

After The New York Times decided to pay attention to Santos' many bizarre stories, they’re really digging in. It would have been helpful if they’d been paying attention before the election, while local New York papers like the North Shore Leader were raising the alarm about Santos’ finances. That paper concluded he was too “bizarre, unprincipled and sketchy” to hold office. But those concerns didn’t rise far enough for the other local paper, the Times, to take note in time to help stop his election.

Now that he has been elected, and the many, many discrepancies in his financial history have emerged, Santos is under investigation by county, state, and federal prosecutors. Everyone wants to know how he went from earning $55,000—his income report from his first run for congress in 2020—to between $1 and $5 million as he reported in 2022 campaign filings. And where did the $700,000 he loaned his campaign come from?

Santos also has more than 30 expenses claimed for office supplies, meals, transportation, etc. that were exactly $199.99, one cent below the threshold requiring receipts to be filed with reports.  Very suspicious.  Santos also spent huge amounts on travel expense—$30,000 for hotels, $40,000 for airfare, and $14,000 on car services—for a candidate running in an urban district measuring only 254.8 square miles.

This story is going to have legs, for sure.

 

 

Happy New Year!