December 7, 2021

Florida man finds five-foot boa constrictor inside new couch

The crazier side of the internet has been on the "nefarious things are hiding inside furniture" for quite a while. Q adherents might be disappointed to learn that a Florida man did find something inside his new couch: a five-foot boa constrictor.

Clearwater Police shared that they were called to a condo to remove a red tail boa from a recently purchased couch. CPD wrote on Facebook that they "extracted it from its hiding place" and took it to a local pet store.

"The man just got the couch the other day and he thinks the snake was hiding in the couch when it came to his house," the cops wrote. " Officers also carried the couch back in the residence for the man. It’s a jungle out there sometimes." .............(more)

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2021/12/06/florida-man-finds-five-foot-boa-constrictor-inside-new-couch

December 6, 2021

Why Fox News lets Lara Logan call Dr. Fauci a Nazi -- and get away with it

Why Fox News lets Lara Logan call Dr. Fauci a Nazi — and get away with it
Like Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, Logan is a rhetorical bomb thrower who holds the GOP together

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 6, 2021 10:01AM


(Salon) It's always a fool's game trying to keep up with the latest right-wing outrage. Theirs is a profit-making enterprise — and the customer base is in a buying mood. In the last month or so, we've seen an unusually high volume of vomitous rhetorical spew coming from both elected Republican politicians and conservative media figures. I guess it's their way of celebrating the holidays.

First, we had Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar distributing a noxious anime video depicting the killing of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and attacking President Joe Biden. The Republican leadership shrugged their shoulders and it was left to the Democrats to take action, which they did by stripping Gosar of his committee assignments and censuring him.

In her floor speech on the subject, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., saying "The Jihad Squad member from Minnesota has paid her husband, and not her brother husband, the other one, over a million dollars in campaign funds." A few days later Boebert was caught on camera joking around with laughing supporters about Omar being a suicide bomber. She did apologize on Twitter to "anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment," but then accused Omar of anti-American rhetoric in a phone call.

....(snip)....

There's no need to recapitulate the ongoing horror that is the nightly Fox News Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham insult hours. Just know that they aren't alone. Last week, we saw an act of character assassination that goes beyond even their worst. Fox Nation host Lara Logan said that people all over the world are comparing NIH scientist Anthony Fauci to the Nazi Joseph Mengele:

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1467542218240147463?s=20

Actually, nothing happened to Laura Logan.

....(snip)....

Comparing Dr. Fauci to Joseph Mengele and calling Ilhan Omar a jihadist suicide bomber is now just mainstream right-wing rhetoric, rewarded with tons of money and attention from the base of the Republican party. And it's the natural consequence of allowing people like Lara Logan to shape the mainstream media narratives that have defined our politics for years. ..........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/12/06/why-fox-news-lets-lara-logan-call-dr-fauci-a-nazi-and-get-away-with-it/

December 5, 2021

Passenger jumps out of plane taxiing at Phoenix airport

PHOENIX (AP) — A passenger on an arriving Southwest Airlines flight taxiing at Phoenix's main airport opened a galley door, jumped out and ran to an airport fire station where he barricaded himself, authorities said Saturday.

The man's identity wasn't immediately released, and it wasn't immediately clear why he jumped from Flight 4236 after it's arrival at Sky Harbor International Airport from Colorado Springs, Colorado, at about 8 a.m. Saturday.

After the man “exited the aircraft," the aircraft's captain notified the control tower so local authorities could respond to the situation, Southwest spokesperson Dan Landson said in an email. The plane with its crew and remaining passengers then went to its designated gate, Landson said.

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old man entered the fire station, walked into a dorm room and locked himself inside, Fire Capt. Todd Keller, a Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson, said in an email. ...............(more)

https://news.yahoo.com/passenger-jumps-plane-taxiing-phoenix-221227589.html

December 4, 2021

Unruly Spirit Flyer Deplanes in Zip-Ties

Overserving flyers before a trip continues to be a problem, as evidenced by the latest in-flight incident aboard Spirit Airlines.

The Nashville Tennessean reports a 42-year-old woman was arrested at Nashville International Airport (BNA) on accusations of attacking other passengers and crewmembers.

Flyer Claims “I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong” at Arrest

The incident happened after the Spirit flight departed Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) for Nashville. During the hour-long flight, the unnamed flyer reportedly became aggressive with both the crew and those around her. According to statements from the attendants, the passenger allegedly attacked two crewmembers with punches and hair pulls.

The flyer was subdued by a combination of the cabin team and other passengers. Zip-tie handcuffs were utilized to tie the traveler’s feet together, and police were called to meet the flight upon arrival. The police report states the flyer exhibited signs of being drunk, including smelling of alcohol and speaking with a slur.

When questioned by authorities, the flyer said that she had “a lot” to drink before boarding, and further claimed “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Later, the traveler reportedly told police to “shoot me” in response to their questions. .............(more)

https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/unruly-spirit-flyer-deplanes-in-zip-ties.html

December 4, 2021

Oxford High School shooting: What prosecutors say happened before the gunfire started

(Detroit Free Press) On Friday, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced her office has issued four counts of involuntary manslaughter against both parents of Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley in connection with the rampage earlier this week killing four students and wounding seven more, including a teacher.

Here's what McDonald, at a news conference, said happened in the days and hours before the teen charged in the shooting opened fire.

Nov. 26, 2021

James Crumbley purchases a 9mm Sig Sauer SP 2022 from ACME Shooting Goods in Oxford. A store employee confirmed that Ethan was with his father, James, at the time of the purchase. James Crumbley also filled out necessary federal paperwork for the purchase of the firearm.

Also on that day, Ethan Crumbley posted photos on social media of the semi-automatic handgun, along with the caption, "Just got my new beauty today," paired with heart emojis next to a photo of a similar looking gun, with the added words, "Any questions I will answer."

Nov. 27

Ethan Crumbley's mother, Jennifer, posts on social media "testing out his new Christmas present," in an apparent reference to her son and the gun.

Nov. 29

A teacher at Oxford High School sees 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley searching about ammunition on his cellphone during class and reported the episode to school officials. Later, Jennifer Crumbley was left a voicemail by school personnel about Ethan's internet search. School personnel followed up the voicemail with an email, but said they received no response from either parent. .............(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/12/03/oxford-high-school-shooting-timeline/8854011002/

December 3, 2021

'Ghost Signs' Haunt London's Reviving Neighborhoods

‘Ghost Signs’ Haunt London’s Reviving Neighborhoods
Hundreds of hand-painted signs endure in parts of the U.K. capital, marking the city’s 19th century boom. But many of these advertising artifacts are fading fast.

By Feargus O'Sullivan
December 2, 2021, 1:00 AM EST


(Bloomberg CityLab) Study the buildings flanking London’s older streets closely and you’ll see one soon enough: an old painted sign that, once bright and eye-catching, is now faded into the masonry, the name of the business or product it promoted flaking and faint.

Such “ghost signs” are fixtures of older neighborhoods in many cities around the world, but the U.K. capital, which bustled with competing commercial enterprises in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is unusually well-supplied with them. Ghost signs aren’t always easy to spot, but for sharp-eyed passersby and enthusiasts of urban history, they add an extra dimension to London’s appearance, their florid Victorian or cheerful art deco script and images a spectral reminder that once, not that long ago, these were somebody else’s streets.

Sign expert Sam Roberts has been cataloguing his obsession with these advertising artifacts in a blog since 2006. Now, with photographer Roy Reed, he has collected over 270 of London’s most attractive and intriguing — about one third of the city’s total — into a new book published by Isola Press. Ghost Signs: A London Story records a neglected part of London’s heritage, provides some fascinating insights into the bygone trade of sign-writing — and even helps chart the growth of literacy in the U.K.



These old signs are by nature fragile. They only start to count as ghost signs, after all, after they have fallen obsolete and faded, and they are vulnerable to new development. Roberts’ longtime favorite, an ad for Black Cat cigarettes featuring a giant cat, disappeared from view in 2016, when a new building went up next door (opening up the possibility that future demolition might allow it emerge again). Survivors are most likely to cluster on busy streets in the part-residential, part commercial doughnut of neighborhoods surrounding central London that developed roughly between the years 1875 and 1925. The street will likely have undergone a period of neglect before being recently revived or protected by historic preservation orders. ..............(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-12-02/artifacts-of-a-lost-london-live-on-in-fading-ghost-signs?

December 2, 2021

SCOTUS Will Gaslight Us Until the End

(Slate) Perhaps it would be refreshing if the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court no longer felt the need to lie to us. The lying, after all, is becoming nearly untenable—especially for an institution that relies on public confidence. After confirmation hearings in which they promised that stare decisis was a deeply felt value and that Roe v. Wade was a clear “precedent of the court” and “the law of the land.” there’s something sort of soothing about knowing the lying to our faces will soon be over. They were all six of them installed on the Supreme Court to put an end to Roe v. Wade after all, and that is exactly what they intend to do. There will be no more fake solicitude for women making difficult choices, no more pretense that pregnant people really just need better medical advice, and no more phony concerns about “abortion mills” that threaten maternal health. There is truly something to be said for putting an end to decades of false consciousness around the real endgame here, which was to take away a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy—rape, incest, abuse, maternal health no longer being a material factor. At least now we might soon be able to call it what it is.

But somehow, even still, only some of the six conservatives seem brave enough to admit to the real project. That became clear as oral arguments progressed this morning in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. Evaluating the constitutionality of a Mississippi law that prohibits virtually all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a pre-viability ban on its own terms that quite deliberately violates Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, some of the justices continued to pretend that what was being proposed—the overturning or hollowing out of a precedent on which generations of pregnant people had relied—was a teensy little tweak, a long-overdue tug of the constitutional sheets in the right direction.

Chief Justice John Roberts, sounding eminently Newsmax-y, referenced the private papers of Justice Harry Blackmun several times to argue that the author of Roe secretly believed the viability line established in that case is arbitrary. He then compared America’s abortion permissiveness to that of China and North Korea. (Reminder that the court’s conservatives do not like it when you compare U.S. capital punishment with foreign countries.) Justice Brett Kavanaugh, trying desperately to justify overturning Roe and Casey while sounding like the reasonable centrist he wants to be in the world, fatuously suggested, several times, that if only there were some way to balance a woman’s rights and interests against that of a fetus. The problem with Kavanaugh’s rhetorical question is that there is: It’s called Roe v. Wade, and if that wasn’t enough for him, he’d love to hear about Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which preserved the right to choose even while narrowing it. Indeed, the text of these opinions have struck that balance for 50 years. But rather than look to actual precedent, Kavanaugh instead posited that the middle place between a Constitution that outlaws all abortion and one that permits it is surely a Constitution that “leaves it to the states.” No matter that the outlawing of all abortion isn’t even on the table in this case. Say it enough times and it becomes a goalpost. ............(more)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/12/scotus-will-gaslight-us-until-the-end.html

December 2, 2021

Florida man accused of deliberately killing black bear and her cub

SEBRING, Fla. — (AP) — A Florida man is accused of fatally shooting a black bear and one of her cubs, officials said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a news release sent Tuesday that 43-year-old John Falango shot the bears in the Sun ‘n Lake community in Sebring on Oct. 26.

Falango faces four charges, wildlife officials said. The state attorney’s office is prosecuting the case.

“Our officers work tirelessly to protect Florida’s natural resources, and this egregious violation serves as a reminder of why our work is so important,” said Col. Roger Young. “The deliberate shooting of these two bears is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” ..........(more)

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-man-accused-deliberately-killing-black-bear-her-cub/G7WIQ2WTBBCIFIYS5LYGKIDIQE/

December 2, 2021

Will Supreme Court conservatives overturn Roe? Their casual contempt for women is not a good sign

Will Supreme Court conservatives overturn Roe? Their casual contempt for women is not a good sign
The GOP justices compared women's rights to white supremacy and spoke of adoption like it's donating used clothes

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1, 2021 3:00PM


(Salon) Despite all the legalese about "stare decisis" and "reliance interests," the abortion rights hearing held at the Supreme Court Wednesday morning came down to one question: Can women's rights simply be disappeared, with the ease of shaking an Etch-A-Sketch?

Unfortunately, 6 out of 9 members of the Court seemed to strongly believe that yes, it's time to hit the reset button on that whole "treating women like full human beings" experiment after nearly 50 years, since Roe vs. Wade, of women having full human rights.Through the two hours of questioning in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health, one word came to mind to describe the stance of the conservative judges: Contempt.

Wednesday's oral arguments were full of contempt for women's lives, contempt for women's intelligence, contempt for women's privacy and contempt for women's very humanity. To be sure, Center for Reproductive Rights lawyer Julie Rikelman and Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar repeatedly emphasized that women are complex human beings who have as much a right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness as anyone. But it was like talking to a brick wall of misogyny offered by the Republican appointees on the bench. The Court now seems almost certain, as was requested by Mississippi Attorney General Scott Stewart, to overturn Roe v. Wade next year.

Perhaps the most repulsive moment of the morning came courtesy of Justice Sam Alito, who is always ready to act like the biggest mansplaining creep in the highly competitive field of GOP-appointed judges. In response to Prelogar's argument that American women have come to rely on abortion rights, Alito sneeringly argued that the South had also come to rely on "white supremacy" after Plessy v. Ferguson, but that didn't stop the court from overturning it in Brown v. the Board of Education. Yes, you read that correctly: Alito compared a woman's right to control her own body to upholding Jim Crow. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/12/01/will-conservatives-overturn-roe-their-casual-contempt-for-women-is-not-a-good-sign/

December 1, 2021

Anti-vax, election conspiracy theory-promoting GOPer joins the "f'ed around and found out" club

(Detroit Free Press) William Hartmann, the Republican member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers who made national headlines for initially refusing to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, died Tuesday following a battle with COVID-19.

Douglas Reimel, Hartmann’s friend, shared the news on Facebook, and others who knew Hartmann offered their condolences online. Hartmann was 63.

Hartmann's fight with COVID-19 landed him in the ICU, where he was on a ventilator, according to a Facebook post from Elizabeth Hartmann, his sister. He was hospitalized at Wyandotte Hospital, according to Reimel. A spokesperson for the hospital did not immediately respond to a request for details.

Hartmann's death comes amid the latest surge in COVID-19 in Michigan that has filled hospital beds across the state. Michigan remains the nation's worst COVID-19 hot spot, leading the country in cases in recent weeks, according to the CDC. ..........(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2021/12/01/william-hartmann-obituary-covid-19-wayne-county-gop-canvasser/8814707002/