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'Death to America!' Thousands of Iranians rally outside former US Embassy, marking 1979 takeover of the mission


RT
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 13:54 UTC
Trump
© AFP / Atta KenareDemonstrators hold a placard mocking US president Trump during a rally outside the former US embassy in Tehran November 4, 2019
Thousands of people gathered at the former US Embassy in Tehran and other Iranian cities on Monday, chanting 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel', marking the 40th anniversary of the US Embassy takeover.

Demonstrators were seen burning US flag replicas and waving signs mocking President Trump.

In preparation for the anniversary events, Iranian officials unveiled new anti-American wall murals at the former embassy - still referred to as the 'den of spies' in Iran - depicting a crumbling Statue of Liberty, Mickey Mouse with a smoking gun, the Global Hawk spy drone downed by the Iranians earlier this year, and skulls floating in blood.

Comment: Iran has every reason to be furious with decades of malevolent US (and Israeli) foreign policy: See also:

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Gold Coins

Pied-à-terre tax revival has the one percent complaining about 'latest threat' to NYC's luxury housing market


Crain's New York
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:31 UTC
luxery housing new york city condos
© BloombergLuxury condominiums in New York City
Fresh off imposing an increased "mansion tax" and eliminating privacy protections favored by well-heeled buyers, state lawmakers are reviving efforts to tax second-home purchases of $5 million or more.

There's a growing desire among Democrats to address wealth inequality, and for them, the idea of slapping a annual tax on the uber rich who scoop up Manhattan apartments is long overdue. But for William Zeckendorf, whose firm built some of the city's most expensive condo towers, the proposal is the wrong idea at the wrong time.
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Heart

Transit worker saves fallen passenger in breathtaking rescue at the very last second


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 19:03 UTC
bart train
A quick-thinking transport employee is being hailed as a hero for rescuing a stricken commuter from certain death after they fell onto the tracks, mere seconds before an oncoming train came speeding into the station.

Stunned commuters were left stunned at transit worker John O'Connor's selflessness and bravery after he bent down, grabbed the fallen man by the shoulders, pulled him up off the tracks, and then rolled away with him as the train pulled into the station at roughly 36mph. CCTV footage of the whole incredible incident was shared by San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).


"There wasn't a lot of time to think," O'Connor said after the incident at Coliseum Station in Oakland. "I just grabbed him and pulled him out... God put me there for a reason, I think."

The unidentified passenger was intoxicated and accidentally fell onto the tracks at the busy station after an NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The visibly drunk commuter mis-stepped and fell onto the tracks below, almost certain to meet his maker, were not for the lightning-fast reflexes of O'Connor.

"I thought the train was going to cut him in half, honestly," O'Connor told local news station KPIX. "I didn't want to see this guy die."

The two men shared a hug after the incident and O'Connor told the passenger to pay it forward.

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Rainbow

Why? Dutch city unveils worlds' first 'transgender crosswalk'


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:45 UTC
rainbow crosswalks
© REUTERS/Regis DuvignauCrosswalks, painted as a rainbow flag, are pictured in the street near the Gay Games village at the Hotel de Ville city hall in Paris, France, August 4, 2018.
A city outside of Amsterdam has the unique distinction of possessing the first-ever 'transgender' crosswalk. The colorful zebra crossing has left social media users scratching their heads.

Almere opened its tri-color pedestrian walkway in a show of support for transgender people. Purportedly the first of its kind, the crosswalk is painted pink for girls, blue for boys, and white for those who feel that their biological sex doesn't reflect who they really are.


Alderman Jerzy Soetekouw said during the crosswalk's opening ceremony that "everyone can be who they want to be" in Almere. "It is a city where everyone can feel valued, including the Rainbow community," he added.

"Can I walk over it as a straight man?" one netizen wrote. "Or is it only for LGBTQRSTUVW-ers?"

"As a * trans * woman, I find this pointless and unnecessary. Is there also a Hetero crosswalk or a gender neutral crosswalk?" wrote another commenter.

Comment: Critics should check their privilege. A crosswalk can identify as whatever gender it wants. The gods of social justice have deemed it so, and so it must be.

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Handcuffs

Hundreds of Oklahoma inmates being released Monday in largest commutation in U.S. history

Daniel Arkin
NBC News
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:16 UTC
oklahoma prison commutation
© Sarah Phipps / The Oklahoman via APPeople applaud after the Pardon and Parole Board read the names of 527 Oklahoma inmates recommended for commutation at the Kate Barnard Correctional Center in Oklahoma City on Nov. 1, 2019. Oklahoma will release more than 400 inmates after a state panel approved what they say is the largest single-day mass commutation in U.S. history.
More than 400 inmates across Oklahoma were being released from prison Monday in what the governor's office calls the largest single-day mass commutation in the nation's history.

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board approved the commutations Friday and forwarded them to Gov. Kevin Stitt, a former mortgage company CEO who was elected in 2018. The board voted unanimously to recommend that the sentences of 527 state inmates be commuted, with 462 of those inmates slated to walk out of prison Monday and 65 others being held on detainer.

"With this vote, we are fulfilling the will of Oklahomans," Steve Bickley, executive director of the board, said in a statement Friday. "However, from Day One, the goal of this project has been more than just the release of low-level, nonviolent offenders, but the successful re-entry of these individuals back into society."

Stitt, a Republican, has advocated for criminal justice reform, pledging to move away from policies that have made Oklahoma the state with the highest incarceration rate in the country. At a news conference Friday, Stitt hailed the decision to give hundreds of Oklahomans "a second chance."

Comment: More states should follow suit. It's ridiculous that so many people are locked up for nonviolent drug-related crimes. But even that will only make a dent in mass incarceration in the U.S. From the Prison Policy Initiative website (follow the link to see pie-chart breakdowns for incarceration statistics):
It's true that police, prosecutors, and judges continue to punish people harshly for nothing more than drug possession. Drug offenses still account for the incarceration of almost half a million people, and nonviolent drug convictions remain a defining feature of the federal prison system. Police still make over 1 million drug possession arrests each year, and many of these arrests do lead to prison sentences. Drug arrests continue to give residents of over-policed communities criminal records, hurting their employment prospects and increasing the likelihood of longer sentences for any future offenses.

But at the state and local levels, far more people are locked up for violent and property offenses than for drug offenses alone. To end mass incarceration, reforms will have to go further than the "low hanging fruit" of nonviolent drug offenses. (As it happens, some of the boldest strategies for reforming the criminal justice system — such as heavy investments in social services and community-based alternatives to incarceration — benefit not only those with substance use disorders, but people at risk of incarceration for any offense.)
By comparison, around 900,000 Americans are incarcerated for violent crimes, and another 400,000 or so for property-related crimes (theft, fraud, etc.).

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Attention

Maryland man dies in knife fight over a Popeye's chicken sandwich

Tim Stelloh
NBC News
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:20 UTC
popeye's chicken
A man was stabbed to death outside a Maryland Popeyes in a fight over the chain's popular fried chicken sandwich, police said.

A spokeswoman for the Prince George's Police Department said the 28-year-old, who has not been identified, was killed at a restaurant in Oxon Hill, outside Washington D.C.

A fight began after someone cut in line, spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said.

"For you to get that angry over anything — for that type of anger to develop into this type of violence, again is a very sad and tragic day," Donelan said.

The fight began inside the restaurant and later moved outside, Donelan said. The man was rushed to a hospital where he later died.
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Whistle

Husband snitches on wife who scammed thousands of dollars with a phony cancer story

Jackie Salo
New York Post
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:15 UTC
Jessica Cornell Smith
© Chester County District Attorney's OfficeJessica Cornell Smith
A Pennsylvania woman was busted for using a phony cancer diagnosis to scam donors out of thousands of dollars after her husband tipped off authorities to the scheme, officials said.

Jessica Cornell Smith, 32, of Uwchlan Township was arrested Monday after her spouse told authorities his wife was lying about her cancer to raise more than $10,000 in donations for her supposed medical bills, news station WCAU reported.

"This is a disturbing situation where she preyed upon the good nature of other people," Chester County's First Assistant Attorney Michael Noone told news station KYW-TV.

Prosecutors said Smith claimed to be suffering from a rare form of colon cancer on a GoFundMe page and Facebook fundraiser, where she sought donations to cover medical bills, travel costs and child care.
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Info

6 Islamic extremists deemed danger to Sweden allowed to remain in country on 'humanitarian grounds'


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:03 UTC
sweden mosque
© REUTERS/Anders WiklundSwedish policemen stand outside a mosque in Uppsala January 2, 2015
A group of radical Islamists deemed a threat to Sweden are slated to be expelled from the country - but the deportation order has been suspended over concerns that the six men could face persecution in their home countries.

The extremists, who were detained last spring, are believed to be central figures in spreading radical Islam in the Scandinavian nation.

Among them is 53-year-old Iraqi-born imam Abo Raad, an outspoken proponent of the extreme Salafist school of Islamic thought. His son was also part of the group of radicals arrested by Sapo, the Swedish Security Service, in May. The others hail from Iraq, Egypt and Russia. One of the men is stateless.

The government decided in late October that the group "contribute to Islamist radicalization" in Sweden and would be expelled. The order, however, has been halted by the country's Migration Tribunal, which said that the deportation cannot go ahead because the men are at risk of persecution in their home nations.

Security officials are reportedly now trying to find a way to work around this legal barrier - likely by obtaining assurances from the foreign countries that they will treat the extremists fairly.

In the meantime, all six men have reportedly been released. However, they remain under surveillance by Sapo. They are also reportedly required to check in with law enforcement several times a week, or risk returning to prison. Media coverage of the bizarre legal loophole has been fiercely criticized. One Swedish report described Abo Raad as a "rock star" who was treated to a "hug party" upon returning to his mosque in Gavle - apparently unconcerned that Sapo had labeled the man a threat to the country.

Comment: Watching developments in Sweden is like observing a slow-motion car wreck. They just can't seem to do anything right:

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Fire

It's the end of California as we know it

Farhad Manjoo
The New York Times
Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:01 UTC
firefighter california wildfires
© Jose Carlos Fajardo/San Jose Mercury News, via Associated PressBattling a grass blaze in Knightsen, Calif., on Oct. 27.
I have lived nearly all my life in California, and my love for this place and its people runs deep and true. There have been many times in the past few years when I've called myself a California nationalist: Sure, America seemed to be going crazy, but at least I lived in the Golden State, where things were still pretty chill.

But lately my affinity for my home state has soured. Maybe it's the smoke and the blackouts, but a very un-Californian nihilism has been creeping into my thinking. I'm starting to suspect we're over. It's the end of California as we know it. I don't feel fine.

It isn't just the fires — although, my God, the fires. Is this what life in America's most populous, most prosperous state is going to be like from now on? Every year, hundreds of thousands evacuating, millions losing power, hundreds losing property and lives? Last year, the air near where I live in Northern California — within driving distance of some of the largest and most powerful and advanced corporations in the history of the world — was more hazardous than the air in Beijing and New Delhi. There's a good chance that will happen again this month, and that it will keep happening every year from now on. Is this really the best America can do?

Comment: See also:

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Megaphone

Internet unites in disgust at tweet promoting 12yo drag queen 'Desmond is Amazing' as the FUTURE


RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:04 UTC
'Desmond is Amazing'
© Reuters / Caitlin Ochs
The liberal media may be happy to proclaim that the sexualization of children is "the future," but ordinary people aren't buying it. A video celebrating a cross-dressing child has united Twitter in revulsion.

We live in a permissive age, but even in 2019 some limits remain intact. Enter 'Desmond is Amazing', a 12-year-old New York boy whose appearances at gay pride parades - and even at strip clubs, where he danced for the attention and dollars of grown men - has landed him spots on television and fawning coverage in the pink press.

"Desmond Is Amazing is the future and we're here for it," declared media news site Mashable on Sunday, tweeting a video featuring Desmond describing visiting drag clubs at five years of age, and telling "haters" to "just go away."
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