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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
November 2, 2021
A Florida sheriff’s office said a suspect fleeing a traffic stop made a dramatic, though unsuccessful, escape attempt when he jumped from the Edison Bridge in Fort Myers, into the Caloosahatchee River below.
Video released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shows the suspect, Bryan Gray, crashing what police said was a stolen van before diving off the bridge. ...........(more)
https://pix11.com/news/video-florida-man-jumps-off-bridge-fleeing-police/
Florida man jumps off bridge into river after fleeing traffic stop
A Florida sheriff’s office said a suspect fleeing a traffic stop made a dramatic, though unsuccessful, escape attempt when he jumped from the Edison Bridge in Fort Myers, into the Caloosahatchee River below.
Video released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shows the suspect, Bryan Gray, crashing what police said was a stolen van before diving off the bridge. ...........(more)
https://pix11.com/news/video-florida-man-jumps-off-bridge-fleeing-police/
November 2, 2021
A Delta flight was diverted to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport late Monday afternoon due to an "onboard customer disturbance," the airline says.
Delta flight 365 took off Monday from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was supposed to land at Los Angeles International Airport before the incident.
One passenger tweeted a photo of police in the aisle with the caption: “unfriendly skies.” ...............(more)
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/delta-flight-diverted-to-dfw-airport-after-onboard-customer-disturbance/2797690/
Another a**hole-interrupted flight
A Delta flight was diverted to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport late Monday afternoon due to an "onboard customer disturbance," the airline says.
Delta flight 365 took off Monday from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was supposed to land at Los Angeles International Airport before the incident.
One passenger tweeted a photo of police in the aisle with the caption: “unfriendly skies.” ...............(more)
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/delta-flight-diverted-to-dfw-airport-after-onboard-customer-disturbance/2797690/
November 2, 2021
What if the truth about Jan. 6 is revealed — and the American people just don't care?
Republicans have thoroughly rewritten the history of Jan. 6 — are the media and public too exhausted to resist?
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2, 2021 9:44AM
(Salon) Reality is being rewritten before our eyes. Some Americans can see this, and understand it. The results include an inescapable feeling of dread and doom. The frustration mounts because as a group those who see the truth and are ready to speak it do not yet have the full vocabulary required to make sense of it all.
Too many other Americans appear not to care about the blatant effort by the Republican fascists and others to rewrite reality. They are indifferent or tired, or just so hyper-focused on their own lives that nihilism and surrender are preferable to confrontation and engagement. Others are either incapable or unwilling, or remain in a profound state of denial.
This is not a claim about some grand secret conspiracy. It's an observation about how people function in a society caught in an interregnum, that time of in-betweenness when the old is giving way to something new (and potentially something horrible), when truth and reality are being dismembered by fascists and their fellow travelers. It all feels like a confusing slow blur.
For those of us who do care and who choose to see the truth, what do we do when the final form, the entire ugliness behind America's crisis of democracy, is finally revealed?
On Jan. 6, Donald Trump and his cabal attempted a coup to overthrow American democracy. As part of that coup plot, Trump's followers launched a lethal terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol. These events were publicly announced by Trump, his spokespeople, allies and followers. America's political elites, including too many among the news media, chose to ignore these warnings or somehow convince themselves that it was all "hyperbole." ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/11/02/what-if-the-truth-about-jan-6-is-revealed--and-the-american-people-just-dont-care/
What if the truth about Jan. 6 is revealed -- and the American people just don't care?
What if the truth about Jan. 6 is revealed — and the American people just don't care?
Republicans have thoroughly rewritten the history of Jan. 6 — are the media and public too exhausted to resist?
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2, 2021 9:44AM
(Salon) Reality is being rewritten before our eyes. Some Americans can see this, and understand it. The results include an inescapable feeling of dread and doom. The frustration mounts because as a group those who see the truth and are ready to speak it do not yet have the full vocabulary required to make sense of it all.
Too many other Americans appear not to care about the blatant effort by the Republican fascists and others to rewrite reality. They are indifferent or tired, or just so hyper-focused on their own lives that nihilism and surrender are preferable to confrontation and engagement. Others are either incapable or unwilling, or remain in a profound state of denial.
This is not a claim about some grand secret conspiracy. It's an observation about how people function in a society caught in an interregnum, that time of in-betweenness when the old is giving way to something new (and potentially something horrible), when truth and reality are being dismembered by fascists and their fellow travelers. It all feels like a confusing slow blur.
For those of us who do care and who choose to see the truth, what do we do when the final form, the entire ugliness behind America's crisis of democracy, is finally revealed?
On Jan. 6, Donald Trump and his cabal attempted a coup to overthrow American democracy. As part of that coup plot, Trump's followers launched a lethal terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol. These events were publicly announced by Trump, his spokespeople, allies and followers. America's political elites, including too many among the news media, chose to ignore these warnings or somehow convince themselves that it was all "hyperbole." ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/11/02/what-if-the-truth-about-jan-6-is-revealed--and-the-american-people-just-dont-care/
November 1, 2021
By Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay
Ms. Kolbert, the co-founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights, argued Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the Supreme Court in 1992. Ms. Kay is a human rights lawyer who argued against Ireland’s ban on abortion before the European Court of Human Rights.
(NYT) For the first time in a generation, the Supreme Court appears likely to overturn Roe v. Wade. The end of Roe need not herald the end of an era of reproductive freedom. It may instead launch a new strategy that protects the fundamental human right to decide whether to have children and raise them in safety and dignity.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Monday in two separate cases challenging the new Texas law effectively banning abortion. The more direct nationwide threat to Roe, however, comes in December in a case challenging a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks.
To fully grasp what is at stake now, it’s worth looking back. In 1992, one of us, Ms. Kolbert, argued on behalf of Pennsylvania abortion providers in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which challenged abortion restrictions including a waiting period requirement, biased mandatory counseling, parental and spousal notification requirements and other obstacles to care. At the time many court watchers believed Roe was doomed. Justice Clarence Thomas had just joined the court, and at least four other justices appeared likely to vote to overturn the ruling.
....(snip)....
“Save Roe” has been the rallying cry of abortion-rights groups for nearly 50 years. But we need to stop banging our heads against the Supreme Court’s marble walls. While the situation is dire, we do have the potential today to realign American politics and develop a new strategy that not only preserves but expands reproductive freedoms.
First, we must think and talk about this issue differently. While our opponents talk about protecting religious beliefs or the “pre-born,” we must highlight the rights of women themselves, and point out that enabling them to choose whether, when and with whom they have children is central to gender equality and essential to the ability to control one’s own life. .............(more)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/01/opinion/roe-v-wade-abortion-supreme-court.html?
Roe Is as Good as Gone. It's Time for a New Strategy.
By Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay
Ms. Kolbert, the co-founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights, argued Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the Supreme Court in 1992. Ms. Kay is a human rights lawyer who argued against Ireland’s ban on abortion before the European Court of Human Rights.
(NYT) For the first time in a generation, the Supreme Court appears likely to overturn Roe v. Wade. The end of Roe need not herald the end of an era of reproductive freedom. It may instead launch a new strategy that protects the fundamental human right to decide whether to have children and raise them in safety and dignity.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Monday in two separate cases challenging the new Texas law effectively banning abortion. The more direct nationwide threat to Roe, however, comes in December in a case challenging a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks.
To fully grasp what is at stake now, it’s worth looking back. In 1992, one of us, Ms. Kolbert, argued on behalf of Pennsylvania abortion providers in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which challenged abortion restrictions including a waiting period requirement, biased mandatory counseling, parental and spousal notification requirements and other obstacles to care. At the time many court watchers believed Roe was doomed. Justice Clarence Thomas had just joined the court, and at least four other justices appeared likely to vote to overturn the ruling.
....(snip)....
“Save Roe” has been the rallying cry of abortion-rights groups for nearly 50 years. But we need to stop banging our heads against the Supreme Court’s marble walls. While the situation is dire, we do have the potential today to realign American politics and develop a new strategy that not only preserves but expands reproductive freedoms.
First, we must think and talk about this issue differently. While our opponents talk about protecting religious beliefs or the “pre-born,” we must highlight the rights of women themselves, and point out that enabling them to choose whether, when and with whom they have children is central to gender equality and essential to the ability to control one’s own life. .............(more)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/01/opinion/roe-v-wade-abortion-supreme-court.html?
November 1, 2021
On Oct. 28, the White House announced a deal had been reached for President Joe Biden’s economic plan. The Build Back Better framework was put to into legislative text and released by the House of Representatives as H.R. 5376.
The five-year bill is the part of the president’s agenda, which also includes the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act tackles infrastructures, the Build Back Better legislation takes on social programs and includes efforts to combat climate change.
The Build Back Better Act includes $9.75 billion through September 2026 in grants to improve access to affordable housing and enhance mobility options for low-income individuals and residents of disadvantaged communities. Among the eligible projects outlined in the bill text are new fixed guideway capital project construction; construction of bus rapid transit (BRT) routes that use zero-emissions vehicles; high-frequency service using zero-emission vehicles; acquisition of zero-emission vehicles or related infrastructure; expanding an area of service or the frequency of service including fare-free or reduced fare service; and renovation or construction of facilities related to service in disadvantaged communities among others.
Additionally, the bill includes $150 million in grants to reduce barriers to zero-emission bus deployment in disadvantaged communities and rural areas. ...........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/article/21244437/build-back-better-bill-contains-nearly-20-billion-better-transit-and-highspeed-rail
Build Back Better bill contains nearly $20 billion for better transit and high-speed rail
On Oct. 28, the White House announced a deal had been reached for President Joe Biden’s economic plan. The Build Back Better framework was put to into legislative text and released by the House of Representatives as H.R. 5376.
The five-year bill is the part of the president’s agenda, which also includes the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act tackles infrastructures, the Build Back Better legislation takes on social programs and includes efforts to combat climate change.
The Build Back Better Act includes $9.75 billion through September 2026 in grants to improve access to affordable housing and enhance mobility options for low-income individuals and residents of disadvantaged communities. Among the eligible projects outlined in the bill text are new fixed guideway capital project construction; construction of bus rapid transit (BRT) routes that use zero-emissions vehicles; high-frequency service using zero-emission vehicles; acquisition of zero-emission vehicles or related infrastructure; expanding an area of service or the frequency of service including fare-free or reduced fare service; and renovation or construction of facilities related to service in disadvantaged communities among others.
Additionally, the bill includes $150 million in grants to reduce barriers to zero-emission bus deployment in disadvantaged communities and rural areas. ...........(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/article/21244437/build-back-better-bill-contains-nearly-20-billion-better-transit-and-highspeed-rail
November 1, 2021
Right-wing media and the pandemic: A toxic feedback loop that nurtured fascism
American ignorance and paranoia were already there. Then Trump, Fox News and the virus exploited them to the max
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1, 2021 6:00AM
.....(snip).....
America's fascist brew contains many ingredients. There is the white supremacy, gangster capitalism, consumerism, extreme wealth and income inequality, anti-intellectualism, a news media that cares more about "balance" than the truth, a societal crisis of existential meaning and value, anti-rationality, collective narcissism, a culture that rewards and fetishizes violence and cruelty, sexism and misogyny, widespread corruption, a broken commons, a bloated and dying empire, a corporate oligarchy, paralyzed and dysfunctional political and social institutions, the surveillance society, general loneliness, nihilism and despair. Nearly everyone in American society knows that something is fundamentally wrong, even if we lack the language to explain it.
America's fascist brew was already highly unstable, and then even more dangerous accelerants were added to the drum of political napalm: Donald Trump and his movement, the right-wing propaganda machine, "Christian" nationalism and other right-wing religious extremism, a Republican death cult with its attack on reality and truth, white anxiety about "demographic change" and, not least of all, the coronavirus pandemic.
New research by Dan Romer and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, featured in the December 2021 edition of the journal Social Science & Medicine, offers further insights into the combustible relationship between the right-wing propaganda and the "news" media, the spread of conspiracy theories and the coronavirus pandemic. As the site PsyPost summarizes, the research found "that conservative media in the United States is particularly appealing to people who are prone to conspiratorial thinking. The use of conservative media, in turn, is associated with increasing belief in COVID-19 conspiracies and reduced willingness to engage in behaviors to prevent the spread of the virus."
Romer, who is research director at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, explained: "We have found that belief in conspiracies about the pandemic is related to lower levels of social distancing and personal hygiene behaviors recommended by the CDC, as well as mask wearing, and intentions to vaccinate. Given the importance of these behaviors to ending the pandemic, we are interested in understanding the factors that encourage these conspiracies."
.....(snip).....
The American people feel understandably exhausted by the Age of Trump, when the many crises besieging the country have come to seem insurmountable. That outcome is at least partly by design: Right-wing elites and other anti-democratic forces — especially the gangster capitalists at the top of the economic pyramid — have spent decades destroying the commons and undermining social democracy. Widespread despair is an excellent way to weaken public resolve and grease the downward slope into dystopia. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/11/01/right-wing-media-and-the-pandemic-a-feedback-loop-that-nurtured-fascism/
Right-wing media and the pandemic: A toxic feedback loop that nurtured fascism
Right-wing media and the pandemic: A toxic feedback loop that nurtured fascism
American ignorance and paranoia were already there. Then Trump, Fox News and the virus exploited them to the max
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1, 2021 6:00AM
.....(snip).....
America's fascist brew contains many ingredients. There is the white supremacy, gangster capitalism, consumerism, extreme wealth and income inequality, anti-intellectualism, a news media that cares more about "balance" than the truth, a societal crisis of existential meaning and value, anti-rationality, collective narcissism, a culture that rewards and fetishizes violence and cruelty, sexism and misogyny, widespread corruption, a broken commons, a bloated and dying empire, a corporate oligarchy, paralyzed and dysfunctional political and social institutions, the surveillance society, general loneliness, nihilism and despair. Nearly everyone in American society knows that something is fundamentally wrong, even if we lack the language to explain it.
America's fascist brew was already highly unstable, and then even more dangerous accelerants were added to the drum of political napalm: Donald Trump and his movement, the right-wing propaganda machine, "Christian" nationalism and other right-wing religious extremism, a Republican death cult with its attack on reality and truth, white anxiety about "demographic change" and, not least of all, the coronavirus pandemic.
New research by Dan Romer and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, featured in the December 2021 edition of the journal Social Science & Medicine, offers further insights into the combustible relationship between the right-wing propaganda and the "news" media, the spread of conspiracy theories and the coronavirus pandemic. As the site PsyPost summarizes, the research found "that conservative media in the United States is particularly appealing to people who are prone to conspiratorial thinking. The use of conservative media, in turn, is associated with increasing belief in COVID-19 conspiracies and reduced willingness to engage in behaviors to prevent the spread of the virus."
Romer, who is research director at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, explained: "We have found that belief in conspiracies about the pandemic is related to lower levels of social distancing and personal hygiene behaviors recommended by the CDC, as well as mask wearing, and intentions to vaccinate. Given the importance of these behaviors to ending the pandemic, we are interested in understanding the factors that encourage these conspiracies."
.....(snip).....
The American people feel understandably exhausted by the Age of Trump, when the many crises besieging the country have come to seem insurmountable. That outcome is at least partly by design: Right-wing elites and other anti-democratic forces — especially the gangster capitalists at the top of the economic pyramid — have spent decades destroying the commons and undermining social democracy. Widespread despair is an excellent way to weaken public resolve and grease the downward slope into dystopia. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/11/01/right-wing-media-and-the-pandemic-a-feedback-loop-that-nurtured-fascism/
October 31, 2021
Madrid – A 55-year-old Spanish man bled to death after being gored in the leg by a bull during a festival in which the animals are released into the streets, local authorities said Sunday.
The town hall of Onda, in the eastern Spanish province of Castellon, said in a statement that it would suspend Sunday’s last day of bull-running following the goring on Saturday afternoon during the annual festival.
The local Levante news site said that the man was taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors couldn’t save him.
It is the first known death during a running-of-the-bulls since the festivals returned to many towns across Spain after a pandemic-imposed pause. Despite the occasional casualties and growing opposition from animal rights groups, racing bulls or cows remains a popular tradition. Two other people were injured during a similar bull-run in another town, Levante reported. ................(more)
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/world/2021/10/31/man-dies-spain-after-being-gored-during-bull-run/6224142001/
Man dies in Spain after being gored during bull run
Madrid – A 55-year-old Spanish man bled to death after being gored in the leg by a bull during a festival in which the animals are released into the streets, local authorities said Sunday.
The town hall of Onda, in the eastern Spanish province of Castellon, said in a statement that it would suspend Sunday’s last day of bull-running following the goring on Saturday afternoon during the annual festival.
The local Levante news site said that the man was taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors couldn’t save him.
It is the first known death during a running-of-the-bulls since the festivals returned to many towns across Spain after a pandemic-imposed pause. Despite the occasional casualties and growing opposition from animal rights groups, racing bulls or cows remains a popular tradition. Two other people were injured during a similar bull-run in another town, Levante reported. ................(more)
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/world/2021/10/31/man-dies-spain-after-being-gored-during-bull-run/6224142001/
October 31, 2021
DELTONA, Fla. — A pizza-eating suspect responsible for a pair of car break-ins was caught after deputies followed a trail of evidence in Deltona.
Dewey J. Smith, 38, was arrested on Wednesday after being caught walking down the street, carrying victims’ credit cards and IDs. The victims reported the car break-ins around 7:30 A.M. on Jefferson Avenue. Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and discovered one of the car’s center console was open and a glove box rummaged through. The victim’s wallet was also missing. According to deputies, marinara sauce was on the inside handle of the driver’s side door.
Authorities also noticed an empty pizza box at the scene where there was another car break-in. A 9mm handgun and an old concealed weapons permit were missing, according to officials. ...............(more)
https://nbc-2.com/news/crime/2021/10/28/florida-man-arrested-for-leaving-pizza-trail-of-clues-for-deputies/
Florida man arrested after leaving a pizza trail of clues for deputies
DELTONA, Fla. — A pizza-eating suspect responsible for a pair of car break-ins was caught after deputies followed a trail of evidence in Deltona.
Dewey J. Smith, 38, was arrested on Wednesday after being caught walking down the street, carrying victims’ credit cards and IDs. The victims reported the car break-ins around 7:30 A.M. on Jefferson Avenue. Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and discovered one of the car’s center console was open and a glove box rummaged through. The victim’s wallet was also missing. According to deputies, marinara sauce was on the inside handle of the driver’s side door.
Authorities also noticed an empty pizza box at the scene where there was another car break-in. A 9mm handgun and an old concealed weapons permit were missing, according to officials. ...............(more)
https://nbc-2.com/news/crime/2021/10/28/florida-man-arrested-for-leaving-pizza-trail-of-clues-for-deputies/
October 31, 2021
When Natalie Volkova walks to or from her North York home, she no longer passes by “plain concrete” as she makes her way through a pedestrian tunnel at Wilson subway station. She passes by a meaningful cultural space instead.
Volkova has been living near the subway station, at Wilson Avenue and Allen Road, for more than a year and uses the station daily. She was among dozens of local residents who turned out for the recent unveiling of “Daily Migration,” a 1,400-square-foot mural by Canadian-Chilean artist Shalak Attack that transformed the station into a cultural space.
“It’s a new neighbourhood and it’s a developing one,” Volkova said of the area southeast of the subway station, where several residential buildings have been built over the past few years.
The mural, she said, is a “way to attract more people here because it’s a nice touch to the otherwise gloomy” pedestrian tunnel at the station, which sees more than 17,000 daily visitors. “It’s very beautiful. It’s very bright and vivid, and it tells a nice story,” she said of the artwork. “Every day when you walk in there, it’s not just the plain concrete anymore. (There’s) something to look at and enjoy.” .............(more)
https://www.toronto.com/news-story/10504406-community-engaged-art-project-transforms-wilson-subway-station-in-north-york/?
Toronto: Community-engaged art project transforms Wilson subway station in North York
When Natalie Volkova walks to or from her North York home, she no longer passes by “plain concrete” as she makes her way through a pedestrian tunnel at Wilson subway station. She passes by a meaningful cultural space instead.
Volkova has been living near the subway station, at Wilson Avenue and Allen Road, for more than a year and uses the station daily. She was among dozens of local residents who turned out for the recent unveiling of “Daily Migration,” a 1,400-square-foot mural by Canadian-Chilean artist Shalak Attack that transformed the station into a cultural space.
“It’s a new neighbourhood and it’s a developing one,” Volkova said of the area southeast of the subway station, where several residential buildings have been built over the past few years.
The mural, she said, is a “way to attract more people here because it’s a nice touch to the otherwise gloomy” pedestrian tunnel at the station, which sees more than 17,000 daily visitors. “It’s very beautiful. It’s very bright and vivid, and it tells a nice story,” she said of the artwork. “Every day when you walk in there, it’s not just the plain concrete anymore. (There’s) something to look at and enjoy.” .............(more)
https://www.toronto.com/news-story/10504406-community-engaged-art-project-transforms-wilson-subway-station-in-north-york/?
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