Lyndon James McLeod was named by police as the shooter who went on a rampage throughout Denver and Lakewood, Colorado, leaving a trail of five deceased victims and a wounded police officer on December 27, 2021.

 

Denver Mass Shooter Lyndon McLeod Identified On Social Media As A ‘White Supremacist’ And ‘Nazi’

Police say Lyndon James McLeod is the gunman who killed at least five people in and near Denver on Monday night.

By Edward Era Barbacena

The prime suspect in a deadly mass shooting in and around Denver has been widely described on social media as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer who also harbored hatred toward women. And the folks making these claims came with receipts.

After keeping his identity secret for more than 24 hours following a shooting spree in multiple locations that claimed five lives on Monday night, law enforcement officials in Denver finally named Lyndon James McLeod as the gunman who ultimately died after a brief shootout with police.

He is accused of killing two people and injuring another at a tattoo parlor at around 5 p.m. Monday in Denver; firing shots at a Denver intersection and forcing his way into a home; killing a man at his Denver home; shooting at police while they tried to pull him over; driving to nearby Lakewood and killing another person there; and killing a woman who was in a hotel in Belmar before an officer shot him.  Law enforcement, which said McLeod used to own a tattoo parlor in Denver, suggested he knew at least some of his victims and called the shootings targeted attacks.

The Denver Post reported that McLeod may have been dressed as a police officer when he carried out the killings.

The 47-year-old’s motive had not been publicly revealed as of early Wednesday morning, but a growing number of viral tweets suggested McLeod’s alleged history as a white supremacist may have had something to do with it.

A Twitter account for Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists, which describes itself as a group that is “Exposing fascists and disrupting their organizing in so-called Colorado,” tweeted to this writer that McLeod “was a white nationalist.” The group pointed to its own tweet making a similar claim.

“The Denver mass shooter was a white supremacist and a misogynist obsessed with masculinity, oppressing women, defending the white race, and shooting communists,” the tweet from Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists claimed. As proof, it posted a series of social media posts, including two that were apparently written by McLeod and posted under his social media alter ego and pen name, Roman McClay.

Martin later added in his Twitter thread that one negative review on Amazon — where the book remains for sale — made it clear that the first book “includes racist and other bigoted fantasies about killing lots of people.” Martin posted a screenshot of that review that criticized the book’s “fantasies of killing people involved in the BLM movement” and noted how it “fetishizes violence as the great equalizer.”

A Twitter account for Roman McClay widely advertised “Sanction the book,” which is described in the bio as “The book that philosophizes with a Jack-Hammer.” As of Wednesday morning, that Twitter account was still live.

Citing police sources, ABC News reported that McLeod “harbored extremist views and had a history of psychiatric episodes.” The report did not expound on those claims.

If the claims about McLeod’s suspected white supremacist views are true, he would be the latest in a long line of racist white domestic terrorists who have launched deadly shooting sprees and otherwise violent attacks across the country.

This year began with white domestic terrorism thriving and it looks like that’s exactly how this year will be ending.

This is the real America.

 

Judge Michelle Odinet

Judge Resigns Over Racist Home Video Capturing N-Word Use

By Edward Era Barbacena

Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet resigned Friday, weeks after a video surfaced that depicted her using racist remarks as she and her family watched security footage of an attempted burglary at their home.

“I take full responsibility for the hurtful words used to describe the individual who burglarized the vehicles at my home. I am sorry for the pain that I have caused my community and ask for your forgiveness, as my words did not foster the public’s confidence and integrity for the judiciary,” Odinet said in a letter submitted to the Louisiana Supreme Court filed by her attorney Dane Ciolino.

Ciolino told HuffPost Odinet “understands that this is the end of her public service, but only the beginning of what she must to do to earn the forgiveness of the community.”

Odinet confirmed the video, published by The Current on Dec. 13, was shot in her home. It depicts a television showing security footage of a burglary as several voices laugh and recap the incident while repeatedly using the N-word. Ciolino told The New York Times Odinet was one of the voices heard using a slur in the video.

After the video surfaced, Odinet asked for “forgiveness and understanding,” claiming she had taken a sedative at the time of the video and had “zero recollection” of the incident. She requested an unpaid leave of absence before being temporarily disqualified from the bench.

Ciolino told HuffPost Odinet, who has four adult children, is “humiliated, embarrassed and sorry for what she has done and the trouble that she has caused to her community.”

 

Parents are selling their children out of desperation in Afghanistan

By Edward Era Barbacena

 In a sprawling settlement of mud brick huts in western Afghanistan housing people displaced by drought and war, a woman is fighting to save her daughter.

Aziz Gul’s husband sold the 10-year-old girl into marriage without telling his wife, taking a down-payment so he could feed his family of five children. Without that money, he told her, they would all starve. He had to sacrifice one to save the rest.

Many of Afghanistan’s growing number of destitute people are making desperate decisions such as these as their nation spirals into a vortex of poverty.

The aid-dependent country’s economy was already teetering when the Taliban seized power in mid-August amid a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. The international community froze Afghanistan’s assets abroad and halted all funding, unwilling to work with a Taliban government given its reputation for brutality during its previous rule 20 years ago.

The consequences have been devastating for a country battered by four decades of war, a punishing drought and the coronavirus pandemic. Legions of state employees, including doctors, haven’t been paid in months. Malnutrition and poverty stalk the most vulnerable, and aid groups say more than half the population faces acute food shortages.

“Day by day, the situation is deteriorating in this country, and especially children are suffering,” said Asuntha Charles, national director of the World Vision aid organization in Afghanistan, which runs a health clinic for displaced people just outside the western city of Herat.

Fatima holds her 4-year-old daughter Nazia, who is suffering from acute malnutrition, at their house near Herat, western Afghanistan, Dec. 16, 2021. Two years ago, Nazia was a plump toddler, Fatima said.

“Today I have been heartbroken to see that the families are willing to sell their children to feed other family members,” Charles said. “So it’s the right time for the humanitarian community to stand up and stay with the people of Afghanistan.”

Arranging marriages for very young girls is a frequent practice throughout the region. The groom’s family – often distant relatives – pays money to seal the deal, and the child usually stays with her own parents until she is at least around 15 or 16. Yet with many unable to afford even basic food, some say they’d allow prospective grooms to take very young girls or are even trying to sell their sons.

But Gul, unusually in this deeply patriarchal, male-dominated society, is resisting. Married off herself at 15, she says she would kill herself if her daughter, Qandi Gul, is forcibly taken away.

Gul remembers well the moment she found out her husband had sold Qandi. For around two months, the family had been able to eat. Eventually, she asked her husband where the money came from, and he told her.

“My heart stopped beating. I wished I could have died at that time, but maybe God didn’t want me to die,” Gul said. Qandi sat close to her mother, her hazel eyes peering shyly from beneath her sky-blue headscarf. “Each time I remember that night…I die and come back to life. It was so difficult.”

She asked her husband why he did it.

“He said he wanted to sell one and save the others. ‘You all would have died this way,’ (he said.) I told him, ‘Dying was much better than what you have done.’”

Gul rallied her community, telling her brother and village elders that her husband had sold her child behind her back. They supported her, and with their help she secured a “divorce” for her child, but only on condition she repays the 100,000 afghanis (about $1,000) that her husband received.

It’s money she doesn’t have. Her husband fled, possibly fearing Gul might denounce him to the authorities. The Taliban government recently announced a ban on forcing women into marriage or using women and girls as exchange tokens to settle disputes.

The family of the prospective groom, a man of around 21 or 22, has already tried several times to claim the girl, she says. She is not sure how long she can fend them off.

“I am just so desperate. If I can’t provide money to pay these people and can’t keep my daughter by my side, I have said that I will kill myself,” Gul said. “But then I think about the other children. What will happen to them? Who will feed them?” Her eldest is 12, her youngest – her sixth – just two months.

Now alone, Gul leaves the children with her elderly mother while she goes to work in people’s homes. Her 12-year-old son works picking saffron after school. It’s barely enough to keep them fed, and the saffron season is short, only a few weeks in the fall.

“We don’t have anything,” Gul said.

In another part of the same camp, father-of-four Hamid Abdullah was also selling his young daughters into arranged marriages, desperate for money to treat his chronically ill wife, pregnant with their fifth child.

Abdullah borrowed money to pay for his wife’s treatments and can’t pay it back, he said. So three years ago, he received a down-payment for his eldest daughter Hoshran, now 7, in an arranged marriage to an 18-year-old in their native Badghis province. He’s now looking for someone to buy his second daughter, 6-year-old Nazia.

The family that bought Hoshran is waiting until she is older before the full amount is settled, he explained.

But he needs money now for food and treatments, so he is trying to arrange a marriage for Nazia for about 20,000-30,000 afghani ($200-$300).

Sardar Muhammad, who sold his kidney, shows the scar from his kidney removal surgery at a settlement near Herat, Afghanistan, Dec. 16, 2021.

“What should we do? We have to do it, we have no other option,” said his wife, Bibi Jan. “When we made the decision, it was like someone had taken away a body part from me.”

In the neighboring province of Badghis, another displaced family is considering selling their son, 8-year-old Salahuddin.

His mother, Guldasta, said that after days with nothing to eat, she told her husband to take the boy to the bazaar and sell him to bring food for the others.

“I don’t want to sell my son, but I have to,” the 35-year-old said. “No mother can do this to her child, but when you have no other choice, you have to make a decision against your will.”

Salahuddin blinked and looked on silently. Surrounded by some of his seven brothers and sisters, his lip quivered slightly.

His father, Shakir, who is blind in one eye and has kidney problems, said the children had been crying for days from hunger. Twice, he said, he decided to take the boy to the bazaar and twice he faltered, unable to go through with it. “But now I think I have no other choice than to sell him.”

Hamid Abdullah stands outside the room where his children are playing at a settlement near Herat, Afghanistan, Dec. 16, 2021. Abdullah was selling his young daughters into arranged marriages, desperate for money to treat his chronically ill wife, pregnant with their fifth child

Buying of boys is believed to be less common than girls, and when it does take place, it appears to be cases of infant boys bought by families who don’t have any sons. In her despair, Guldasta thought perhaps such a family would want an 8-year-old.

The desperation of millions is clear as more and more people face hunger. By the end of the year, some 3.2 million children under 5 years old are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition, according to the U.N.

Nazia is one of them. The 4-year-old lay listlessly in her mother’s arms after visiting the World Vision health clinic.

Two years ago, Nazia was a plump toddler, her mother Fatima said. Now, her emaciated limbs are just skin covering bone. Her little heart beats visibly beneath her ribcage.

“The prices are high. Flour is expensive, cooking oil is expensive, everything is expensive,” Fatima said. “All day she is asking me to give her meat, yogurt and fruit. We don’t have anything, and we don’t have money to buy it for her.”

Charles, World Vision’s national director for Afghanistan, said humanitarian aid funds are desperately needed.

“I’m happy to see the pledges are made,” she said. But the pledges “shouldn’t stay as promises, they have to be seen as reality on the ground.”

 

One of the world's most famous clocks is returning to service in time to ring in the new year.

By Edward Era Barbacens

Big Ben last bonged on August 21, 2017, before undergoing an intensive, much-needed repair project.

The Cumbria Clock Company, located in England's Lake District, took on the task of cleaning the clock's face, chiming mechanism and approximately 1,000 parts over the past four years.

The clock weighs about 5 tons and is 7 feet, 2 inches tall.

"To have had our hands on every single nut and bolt is a huge privilege," Ian Westworth, one of Parliament's team of clock mechanics, said in a statement. "It's going to be quite emotional when it's all over -- there will be sadness that the project has finished, but happiness that we have got it back and everything's up and running again."

Big Ben-- which is inside Elizabeth Tower in London's Houses of Parliament -- has been keeping time in the UK capital since 1859. This is the single biggest repair project in its history, coming with a price tag of £79.7 million (about $107 million).

Earlier this year, crew members working to repair Big Ben discovered extensive World War II-era damage from the Nazi Germany bombing campaign. The damage, which was revealed only when craftspeople were able to take the whole clock apart, added more time and money to the refurbishment project, leading some UK politicians to complain about the cost.

 

Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is one of the latest companies in a spate of controversies in Chinese media, as critics lash out against Western brands for using “discriminatory” Chinese beauty stereotypes in their ads

Mercedes-Benz removes ad with Chinese model over ‘slanted eye’ backlash

By Edward Era Barbacena

Chinese social media has been engrossed in an eye-popping debate over ads depicting alleged Western beauty ideals for Asian women, including the usage of makeup to create stereotypical “slanted eyes.”

Mercedes-Benz has reportedly removed a recent video advertisement published on Chinese social network Weibo on Dec. 25, after the brand was criticized for doing up a model’s face to give her exaggerated sloping eyes.

“Is there any beauty in this makeup?” one critic wrote. “It is not [open for] interpretation. No Chinese will think this kind of ‘beauty’ is attractive,” another added.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times said on Tuesday that the hashtag that translates to “Mercedes-Benz model’s makeup is controversial” had gained over 170 million views on Weibo.

“The premise is that Chinese cannot let the West shape our aesthetics,” wrote one critic, per Global Times. “For those malicious slanderers, we should maintain sufficient vigilance and counter-attack.”

The Post has reached out to Mercedes-Benz to confirm reports.

The luxury carmaker is one of the latest in a spate of controversies to take over Chinese social media, as critics lash out against Western brands for promoting Chinese beauty stereotypes in their ads. Earlier this week, Gucci was similarly called out for a new handbag ad that uses “discriminatory” Chinese features.

The ad was originally published on the official Weibo account for Mercedes-Benz, before it was reportedly removed due to backlash

Communication-law professor Zhu Wei, of the state’s China University of Political Science and Law, said in a statement to the Global Times regarding Gucci’s ad, “This is extremely disrespectful to our culture. The disgust and revulsion expressed by the whole society toward this kind of insult should be heard.”

Inspired by an archival design from the ‘40s, a bamboo top handle bag is reimagined by Alessandro Michele with colorful geometric patterns in a nod to the House’s equestrian heritage.

Communication-law professor Zhu Wei, of the state’s China University of Political Science and Law, said in a statement to the Global Times regarding Gucci’s ad, “This is extremely disrespectful to our culture. The disgust and revulsion expressed by the whole society toward this kind of insult should be heard.”

Fellow couturier Dior apologized in November following uproar over a handbag advertisement. Beijing-based photographer Chen Man admitted his “immaturity and ignorance” by “perpetuating racial stereotypes” for the shoot, while the fashion house responded by saying that it “respects the feelings of the Chinese people.”

It’s not just the upmarket brands who are said to be out of touch. Last week, a model for Chinese snack brand Three Squirrels stood up against the brand’s detractors, asking, “Am I not Chinese?” Consumers had bristled over an unearthed ad campaign from 2019 featuring model Cai Niang Niang, who some said was played up in the ad for her “overly slanted eyes” and posed with her hair in braids, all of which plays into 19th-century Western stereotypes of Chinese people.

She wrote on Weibo on Sunday, according to the South China Morning Post, “With small eyes, am I not Chinese? I totally agree with patriotism. However, creating big problems out of normal matters has become a morbid obsession. I hope everybody can have a healthy mindset.”

 

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos during an April 2019 court appearance. 

Trucker Rogel Aguilera-Mederos' sentence reduced from 110 to 10 years after public outcry

By Edward Era Barbacena

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has commuted the sentence of truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to 10 years with eligibility for parole in five. The 26-year-old was originally given a 110 year sentence for a 2019 crash that killed four people, but had his sentence reduced after public outcry over Colorado's mandatory sentencing laws. 

Polis announced the news Thursday along with two other commutations, fifteen individual pardons, and an executive order granting 1,351 pardons for those convicted of possessing two ounces or less of marijuana. In Aguilera-Menderos' commutation letter, Polis said he granted the commutation because the sentencing was disproportionate for a "tragic but unintentional act." 

"The length of your 110-year sentence is simply not commensurate with your actions, nor with penalties handed down to others for similar crimes," Polis said in the letter. "There is an urgency to remedy this unjust sentence and restore confidence in the uniformity and fairness of our criminal justice system, and consequently I have chosen to commute your sentence now."

Aguilera-Mederos said the crash occurred after his brakes malfunctioned while he was driving on Colorado's Interstate 70. But prosecutors argued that the trucker missed a runaway truck ramp that could have prevented the crash. Dozens were injured, and four — Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 24; Doyle Harrison, 61; Stanley Politano, 69;  and William Bailey, 67 — were killed leading to Aguilera-Mederos' 27 charges.

Local police said no alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash, according to CBS Denver.

During sentencing, Aguilera-Mederos said that he regretted the crash and that he wished he had died instead of the other victims. 

"My life is not a happy life," Aguilera-Mederos told CBS Denver. "It is a very sad life because four people died."

Because of minimum sentencing laws in Colorado, Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced to 110 years in prison for the charges, which included vehicular homicide. But his sentencing received national attention, with over three million people signing a petition asking for him to receive clemency. 

Polis added Thursday that he hoped Aguilera-Mederos' case would bring more attention to mandatory minimum and sentencing laws and encouraged the man to seek "restorative justice opportunities" for the families and the community he impacted. He also noted that a family member of Aguilera-Mederos works in the governor's office, but said he wasn't involved and had no knowledge of the trucker's commutation. 

"You have wondered why your life was spared when other lives were taken," Polis wrote to Aguilera-Mederos on Thursday. "You will struggle with this burden of this event for the rest of your life, but never forget that because of this event, countless others will struggle with the loss of their loved ones or injuries as well. And you will serve your just sentence."

Kim Kardashian West, who had advocated for his sentence to be commuted, celebrated the news of Aguilera-Mederos' commutation on Twitter. 

"This case was a clear example of why mandatory minimums don't work and need to be abolished. I'm grateful to Governor Polis for his empathy and leadership on this case," Kardashian West tweeted. "While his new sentence is ten years, he will now have an opportunity to come home in five years and be with his son and wife."

 

Giant 15-foot great white shark photographed with massive mystery bite mark

By Edward Era Barbacena

These incredible images show the scars of a 15-foot great white shark bitten by a mystery beast.

Jalil Najafov, 40, was diving in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico when he made the rare discovery.

The shark can be seen swimming in the ocean with jagged puncture marks stretching the width of two of its fins.

It is not clear how or when the fish was bitten – but the result is a huge, bloodless, circular scar.

Jalil, who is originally from Azerbaijan, said: “I was really surprised as I have never seen anything like this in my life.”

“This bite mark was so huge on a big shark, and I was like, is that real?”

“I have worked with sharks for many years and have never seen such a big scar before!”

The shark conservationist and filmmaker posted the pictures on his Instagram page, prompting nature lovers to question the shark’s injury.

The great white was spotted in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico

Jalil said he reached out to two shark experts as a result – and they both ruled out the same thing.

“What caused the bite mark was a big discussion on social media with many commenters fighting between two opinions, mating scar or act of aggression,” Jalil said.

“After I sent this image to Dr. Tristan Guttridge, he ruled out mating.

“I also sent it to Michael Domeier who also felt it was an attack from another shark.”

“That’s why this photo went very viral!”

Spirit Airlines passenger indicted after allegedly drinking, assaulting flight attendants

 

Amanda Henry is facing federal charges for assaulting two
crew members during a spirit airlines flight in November.

Spirit Airlines white passenger indicted after allegedly drinking, assaulting flight attendants

Amanda Henry faces federal charge following Nov. 27 incident

By Edward Era Barbacena

A white woman from Tennessee  is now facing a federal charge after allegedly sparking a drunken brawl with flight attendants onboard a Spirit Airlines plane headed to Nashville in late November. 

Amanda Henry, 43, of Lebanon, surrendered Wednesday to FBI agents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Tennessee says. She risks up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted on a charge of interfering with a flight crew. 

The attorney’s office, citing a criminal complaint, said Henry was onboard a Nov. 27 flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Nashville when she "became disruptive and appeared to be intoxicated." 

"Passengers seated next to Henry requested to be moved to other seats due to Henry’s disruptive behavior," it continued. "Since Henry was seated next to an emergency exit, flight attendants decided for the safety of everyone on board to move Henry to another seat." 

But prosecutors say when the cabin crew asked Henry to move, she "refused and grabbed her carry-on bag and ran toward the front of the aircraft screaming, ‘I’m getting off this plane.’" 

"Another flight attendant blocked Henry from getting to the main cabin door and began to restrain her, at which time Henry began to kick and hit the flight attendant," the attorney’s office added. "Henry also assaulted the other flight attendant who assisted in trying to restrain her." 

The flight attendants ultimately were able to restrain Henry and a "passenger who was an off-duty firefighter assisted the crew by sitting with [her] and keeping her calm for the duration of the flight," the attorney’s office also said. 

When the plane landed in Nashville, airport police arrested Henry and charged her with public intoxication. 

She was scheduled to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Wednesday. 

 

Pulse Asia: Duterte's approval rating up to 72 %

While Robredo flunked to 43 %

By Edward Era Barbacena

President Rodrigo Duterte approval rating increased to 72%, the latest Pulse Asia survey showed.

Duterte's approval in the poll conducted from December 1 to 6 went up from the 64% he got in the survey done in September.

Vice President Leni Robredo's approval went down to 43% in December from 48% in September.

Senate President Tito Sotto enjoyed a 71% approval in December while Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo has identical 31% ratings.

Pulse Asia said its nationwide survey was based on a sample of 2,400 representative adults 18 years old and above.

 

COVID rule-breakers in China forced to parade through streets

By Edward Era Barbacena

COVID “rule-breakers” in China are paraded through the streets by armed police in a brutal crackdown, reports say.

Pictures reportedly show four people wearing masks and hazmat suits – who are alleged to have flouted the country’s strict lockdown rules – being marched in front of crowds in the city of Jingxi yesterday.

The public shaming involved each suspect being held by two cops while more riot police with guns watched on.

The four suspects in Jingxi were also accused of transporting illegal migrants as the country’s borders remain largely closed due to Covid, Guangxi News reports.

The sinister parade provided a “real-life warning” to the public and “deterred border-related crimes” in the city which is close to the border with Vietnam, local media reports.

Meanwhile, the Chinese city of Xi’an was raised to the “strictest” level in an effort to control the country’s worst outbreak in 21 months.

Although no cases of the Omicron variant have yet been detected in Xi’an, the government remains on edge that any outbreak could threaten the Winter Olympics in February.

The latest announcement from the Communist Party stated that no vehicles would be allowed on the roads unless they were assisting with disease control work.

Health officials and police will “strictly inspect” cars on the roads and those who break the rules could face ten days in detention and a 500 yuan fine ($78).

Although cases are small compared to the level of infections seen in Europe, the Chinese government ordered all residents to stay at home last Thursday.

Beijing ordered open spaces, buildings and roads to be disinfected after 150 new cases were reported on Sunday and 155 on Saturday.

Residents say they are facing starvation after they were banned from going outside to get food.

Officials in Xi’an on Monday told its 13 million inhabitants they were only allowed out from their homes when invited to take part in a new round of mass COVID testing, or for medical emergencies.

Before the severe measures were introduced, one member from each household was allowed out once every two days to buy food.

Xi’an recorded 175 new cases on Tuesday as China continues its “zero Covid” policy.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.

 

Biden to threaten Putin via phone that US ‘ready to respond’ if Russia attacks Ukraine

By Edward Era Barbacena

On Wednesday, the White House previewed President Joe Biden’s plans for his Thursday phone call with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin. In their preview, the White House said Biden will warn again that the U.S. is ready to respond if Russia invades Ukraine.

A senior administration official told reporters that Biden will “make clear when he speaks with President Putin that “we are prepared for diplomacy and for a diplomatic path forward, but we are also prepared to respond if Russia advances with a further invasion of Ukraine.”

That response to Russia includes the deployment of U.S. troops to the region.

“We have made plans to reinforce NATO’s force posture in Allied states in the event of a further invasion, which would destabilize the security situation in Europe and demand adjustments to NATO forces and capabilities, especially on the eastern flank,” the official said.

Russia has gathered tens of thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine for weeks. Last week, Ukrainian defense officials reported that around 265,000 Russian troops are now positioned within 250 miles of the Ukrainian border, including 122,000 troops within 125 miles of the border.

The senior administration official said on Wednesday that the U.S. remains “gravely concerned about the nature of the Russian troop presence [around Ukraine’s border] and the capabilities that they have.”

The official said the U.S., its partners and allies, and Russia have all put their concerns forth and are prepared to discuss them.

“I think both leaders believe that there is genuine value in direct leader-to-leader engagement, that we are at a moment of crisis and have been for some weeks now, given the Russian buildup, and that it will take a high level of engagement to address this and to try to find a path of de-escalation,” the official added.

Economic sanctions are one possible U.S. response to Russia the Biden administration has revealed.

“We have coordinated with our allies to impose severe sanctions on the Russian economy and financial system, far beyond what was implemented in 2014,” the official said.

“We have made plans to reinforce NATO’s force posture in Allied states in the event of a further invasion, which would destabilize the security situation in Europe and demand adjustments to NATO forces and capabilities, especially on the eastern flank,” the official added. “And we are prepared to provide Ukraine with further assistance to defend its territory and respond to a potential Russian occupation should a further invasion proceed in the coming weeks.”

Biden issued similar warnings for Russia during a Dec. 7 phone call with Putin, during which he warned that U.S. and its allies would work together to bring “strong economic and other measures” against Russia, provide additional defensive material to Ukraine “beyond that which we are already providing” and “fortify our NATO allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities in response to such escalation.”

Any talks from the U.S. side would be carried out on the principle of “nothing about Ukraine without them,” indicating the U.S. will not issue any decisions or meet any Russian demands about Ukraine without notifying Ukraine and taking their side into account.

Russian has laid out demands in recent weeks, including that the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would not admit Ukraine into the alliance. The U.S. has its own list of demands, but won’t publish those publicly, the senior administration official said Wednesday.

“Our view is that we can make most progress actually at the negotiating table, sitting across from one another behind closed doors and in close consultation with our allies and partners,” the official said. “So, we don’t have any current plans to go publish a document or a draft agreement the way that the Russian side has done. We’ll approach this, you know, using our own methods, which are much more focused on dealing directly with the Russian side in the room so that they well understand what our concerns are and what our expectations are in terms of addressing those concerns.”

Driver busted in Florida hit-and-run that killed 2 children, injured 4 others

 

Driver busted in Florida hit-and-run that killed 2 children, injured 4 others

By Edward Era Barbacena

Police in Florida have made an arrest in the tragic Monday afternoon hit-and-run that left two children dead and four other youngsters injured — including two in critical condition.

Sean Charles Greer, 37, a WHITE man who was taken into custody Tuesday night, had his license suspended in 2016 and was on probation for burglary when he plowed into a crowd of children in Broward County, WFOR-TV said.

Detectives said Greer sped around a Broward Transit bus, seemed to lose control and overcorrected onto a driveway where the children were walking with an adult relative.

The bus driver, Selvin Arjun, spoke with 7News about the crash.

“As soon as he gets in front of me, he just went straight for the kids,” he said.

Neighbors rushed over to help the victims.

Area resident Harriet Lewis said a girl was pinned underneath a parked car.

“I said, ‘Oh, my God, she’s alive. She’s got to have a pulse,'” she said. “I was holding her hand and letting her know, ‘Just hear my voice. Don’t go. Don’t sleep, just hear my voice.'”

He now faces multiple charges in the incident that killed 5-year-old Kylie Jones and Andrea Fleming, 6, as they walked with an adult relative near a bus stop in Wilton Manors.

Judge Joseph Murphy ordered Greer held without bail at his first court appearance — after Greer flipped out, knocked over a podium and had to be whisked away by a deputy.

“We seem to have lost him for a moment,” the judge said in court.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Greer was behind the wheel of a 2009 Honda Accord shortly before 3 p.m. Monday when he tried to cut off a merging Broward County transit bus, lost control and jumped the sidewalk, striking the children.

The driver sped from the scene. Cops found the car they believe Greer was driving hours later. Greer was taken into custody on Tuesday.

Greer was hit with a slew of charges, including failing to stop in an accident involving death, failing to stop in an accident involving serious injury, tampering with evidence, and driving that caused a death or serious injury.

20-year-old Georgia man charged with killing his mom and stepdad Peyton Moyer is

 

Peyton Valor Moyer is seen in a booking photo on Tuesday morning, Dec. 28, 2022, from the Oconee County Jail in Watkinsville, Ga. Moyer was charged with two counts of murder.

20-year-old Georgia man charged with killing his mom and stepdad

Peyton Moyer is suspected of killing his mom and stepfather at home in Watkinsville, Ga., according to authorities

By Edward Era Barbacena

Probably this is the 3rd incident of an offspring harming his parents involving a white man since Christmas. On December 25,  Dino Tomassetti shot his parents in Long island and Austin Alvarez is accused of killing both his father's girlfriend and his grandmother in California.

Now, in Georgia,  a 20-year-old white man was arrested for allegedly shooting dead his mother and stepfather at the family’s home early Tuesday, authorities said.

Peyton Moyer allegedly carried out the deadly attack while his two younger sisters, 16 and 4, were at their Watkinsville home before fleeing in one of the victim’s cars, Fox News reported.

The bodies of Moyer’s 41-year-old mom, Ashley Schultz, and his 54-year-old stepdad, Benjamin Smith, were found inside the home by responding deputies, Oconee County Sheriff James Hale told the outlet.

Moyer had fled the scene in one of the victims' cars by the time deputies arrived at the home, police stated. Athens-Clarke County Police captured and arrested him "after a short pursuit." 

Police later located the suspect and captured him after a short pursuit, the sheriff’s office said.

Moyer was hit with two murder charges and one count of cruelty to children, the report said.

Investigators have not released information on a possible motive.

Sheriff James Hale described the incident as "a terrible, terrible thing," and said police had "previous encounters" with Moyer before the shootings, per FOX 5. 

Arrest records obtained by the outlet show that Moyer was previously arrested in March and subsequently charged with criminal trespass family violence and violating a family violence order. 

 

Women who have more sex have better developed brains: study says

By Edward Era Barbacena

There is evidence that women have sex on the brain just as much as — if not more than — their male counterparts, according to a new study.

Scientific researchers have identified the brain region linked to genital touch in women, finding that it is better developed in those who frequently get steamy between the sheets.

The stimulating study, published Monday in the Journal of Neuroscience, examined the connection between touch and cerebral development in 20 adult females.

As part of the research, the female volunteers — between ages 18 and 45 — had their clitorises stimulated while their brains were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

For stimulation, a small round object was applied above the underwear at the level of the clitoris, according to AFP, which first reported on the raunchy research.

The device was vibrated eight times, for 10 seconds each time, interspersed with 10 seconds of rest.

Researchers also asked the female volunteers how frequently they had had sex over the past year.

The results of the imaging confirmed that the somatosensory cortex region of the brain was activated in each woman when the device vibrated.

The researchers then measured the thickness of that brain area — finding it was more robust in the female volunteers who reported having the most sex.

“We found an association between the frequency of genital intercourse and the thickness of the individually mapped genital field,” said study co-author Dr. Christine Heim, a professor of medical psychology at Charite University Hospital in Berlin.

In other words: The more sex, the bigger the region.

However, the research was unable to confirm whether having a more developed somatosensory cortex prompts more intercourse, or whether more intercourse expands that brain region, like working out a muscle.

Researchers believe it could be the latter.

It has previously been established that certain parts of the brain become bigger the more they are used — a concept known as “brain plasticity.” For instance, the hippocampus region of the brain in London taxi drivers has been found to expand with more navigating experience.

Heim said further study is required.

“It’s completely understudied, how the female genitals are represented in the somatosensory cortex in humans, and whether it has at all the capacity to change in relation to experience or use,” she said.

In a 2013 study, Heim found that people who have suffered traumatic sexual violence had a thinning of the brain areas devoted to genitals.

“We speculated back then, that this could be the response of the brain to limit the detrimental perception of the abuse,” she told AFP, adding that she hopes her new research will help in the development of future therapies geared toward rehabilitating this region among abuse survivors.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time that research has concluded that sex is good for the brain.

Back in 2016, scientists at McGill University in Canada found young women who engage in traditional intercourse have an easier time remembering things than their less sexually active counterparts.

That same year, a Coventry University study similarly found that older guys who get laid regularly have better “brain health” and are less likely to lose memory.

Meanwhile, The Post previously published claims from a doctor who said sex offers a myriad of health benefits.

The doc declared that a regular romp can help beat a cold, cut your heart-attack risk and reduce blood pressure.

.

 

Austin Alvarez

Man shot his grandmother on Christmas day while unwrapping present 

Austin Alvarez is accused of killing both his father's girlfriend and his grandmother on December 25, 2021.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A California man has been arrested for allegedly shooting dead his grandmother and his father’s girlfriend as the family was opening their Christmas gifts.

Austin Alvarez, 23, had arrived at the family home in Reedley’s 17000 block of Goodfellow Avenue, about 20 miles southeast of Fresno, where the holiday gathering was held.

Austin Alvarez, 23, turned up at his family’s home in Reedley on Saturday afternoon and pulled out a gun just as his relatives started exchanging presents, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

His grandmother Magdalena Alvarez, 58, and his dad’s 39-year-old girlfriend Meisa Rashid were both struck and killed.

According to a news release from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived at the scene at 1.45 p.m. on Friday after the shooting was reported.

They arrived at the house to find two women with fatal gunshot wounds.

It is also claimed that Alvarez fired the gun at his father after leaving the house when he saw him sitting in a parked vehicle.

His father wasn’t injured.

Alvarez was captured by authorities in his GMC pickup truck about 10 miles from the home.

The California Highway Patrol and multiple local law enforcement agencies were involved in tracking him down.

The police investigation is still ongoing, and the motive for the horrific double-murder is still unknown.

Alvarez was booked into the Fresno County jail on two charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.

His bail was set at $2.5 million.

14 year-old girl accidentally killed by LAPD during shootout with suspects One of the shots penetrated

 

Flowers were left in memory of Valentina
Orellana-Peralta, 14, who was identified as the
shooting victim at a Burlington store in North
 Hollywood, California.

14 year-old girl accidentally killed by LAPD during shootout with suspects

One of the shots penetrated a wall and struck the girl. Preliminary, we believe that round was an officer's round

By Edward Era Barbacena

The 14-year-old girl killed at a California store Thursday when police fired at an assault suspect has been identified as Valentina Orellana-Peralta, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office told CNN Sunday.

Orellana-Peralta's manner of death is listed as homicide and her cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest, Coroner records show.

The teen was shot while in a dressing room with her mother at a Burlington store in North Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said.

One of the shots penetrated a wall and struck the girl, Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said during a news conference Thursday.

"Preliminary, we believe that round was an officer's round," Choi said.

The man suspected in the earlier attack at the store was also shot and killed by police, Choi said. A steel or metal cable lock was found near the man, and investigators believe it was involved in the assault on the woman, he said. No firearm was recovered from the scene.

The LAPD is planning to release body camera footage, 911 calls, radio transmissions and other evidence related to the shooting Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said last week.

"This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl's life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family," he said last week.

Officers responded to 'possible shooting in progress'

While en route, they received multiple calls about a "possible shooting in progress" and people were sheltering in place, the LAPD said.

Upon arrival, officers found a female who was bleeding and suffering from various injuries.

The officers then encountered a man suspected in the assault a short distance away and shot at him, the statement said. He was struck by gunfire and declared dead at the scene, authorities said.

Afterward, officers found a hole in the wall behind the man, which turned out to be a changing room. Inside, officers found a 14-year-old girl struck by gunfire and pronounced her dead at the scene, police said.

The woman who was assaulted was transported to a local hospital with head and arm injuries, police said.

Police do not believe there was any relation between the three people.

Per state law, the California Department of Justice is investigating the officer-involved shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

According to the timeline provided by the LAPD, North Hollywood police officers responded to a radio call at 11:45 a.m. for an assault with a deadly weapon in progress at a Burlington store on Victory Boulevard.

 

Florida man shoots neighbor during dispute over loud music on Christmas eve

Zachary Moncada is accused of shooting his neighbor in the back.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Florida man allegedly shot his neighbor during a dispute over loud music on Christmas Eve, a report said.

Zachary Moncada, 31, is accused of shooting the man in the back before the victim’s relatives subdued him on the front lawn of their Boca Raton home, CBS 12 reported, citing authorities.

The victim’s family disarmed Moncada, but additional rounds were fired during the struggle before police arrived.

It wasn’t immediately clear who was playing the music.

The victim was hospitalized in stable condition.

Moncada was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Zachary Moncada on Christmas Eve near the intersection of Shady Pond Lane and Sleepy Brook Way. Records show deputies booked him at about 11:20 p.m.

Aside from the premeditated first-degree murder charge, Moncada is also facing three counts of battery, two counts of aggravated assault and a weapon offense.

Man sentenced to one year in prison for attacking store worker over mask

 

White man sentenced to one year in prison for attacking store worker over mask

Luke Oeltjenbruns, 61, pleaded guilty to first and second-degree assault charges for the April incident. 

By Edward Era Barbacena

It is not really understood why white are easily triggered when reminded to wear mask in public places and they would end up attacking people. Many are begining to think that many white people have a very low emotional quotient.

A WHITE Minnesota man has been sentenced to one year in prison for attacking a Menards employee who had asked him to wear a mask — and then attacking a police officer with a hammer.

Luke Oeltjenbruns, 61, pleaded guilty to first and second-degree assault charges for the April incident. In addition to prison time, he was sentenced to 10 years of probation, ordered to perform community service, attend therapy and write apology letters to his victims.

Oeltjenbruns whacked the home improvement store worker in the head several times with a piece of lumber after the worker refused to check him out without a mask. He then fled in his pickup truck, taking police on a low-speed chase through the area.

Once he was stopped, Officer Steven Sickmann reached through the window of the truck. Oeltjenbruns closed the window on his arm, trapping him, and hit the cop in the head with a hammer.

The man’s wife, Robbie Lynn Oeltjenbruns, said during his sentencing that he suffers from depression, anxiety and PTSD from his time in the military.

 

Nostradamus predictions for 2022: cannibals, robots and the rise of cryptocurrency

His last words were "Tomorrow I shall no longer be here", but with us today are all the predictions that he made, most of which eerily came true.

By Edward Era Barbacena

As the year comes to a close, the news is getting horrendous and far grimmer, folks — at least according to the prophecies of long-dead, divining apocalyptic prophe  Nostradamus. The French-plague doctor, astrologer and seer published his famed and widely quoted book “Les Prophéties” in 1555. Chock full of poetic predictions, the book foretells the coming of wars, natural disasters, assassinations, nuclear attacks and revolutions.

Aptly referred to as the Prophet of Doom by his contemporaries, Nostradamus was far from sunny in his future outlook. Inspired by biblical texts and his own plague time trauma, his prose is heavy on words like pestilence, famine, blood, sorrow and fire — and mostly reads like a bedtime story written by a Norwegian black-metal band.

Much like the high on fumes oracle at Delphi, Nostradamus’ predictions are intentionally vague and open to myriad interpretations. For 2021 he alluded to the onset of a zombie apocalypse writing, “Few young people: half-dead to give a start.” Bleak, right? Not if you consider the possibility that Nos was warning us young folk that we are not really living, man, but simply existing. More Matthew McConaughey pep talk than certain quasi-death, dig? He also prophesied that 2021 would bring about a world-ending asteroid that so far (she types with abject trepidation) has yet to make an impact. 

So it is with a pocket full of dread — and a thimble full of skepticism — that we take a look at what that bearded harbinger of ruin forecasted for 2022.

Inflation, starvation and cannibalism?

Nostradamus predicted that inflation and starvation will befall us in 2K22, writing, “So high the price of wheat/That man is stirred/His fellow man to eat in his despair.” An essential human truth is that people get hungry and then they get mean — and with US inflation the highest it’s been in nearly four decades, Nos’ warning proves, so far, so true. No word on whether the rising price of wheat inspired this guy or this guy to take a bite out of their fellow man. 

AI becomes MVP

Nostradamus wrote, 

“The Moon in the full of night over the high mountain /The new sage with a lone brain sees it /By his disciples invited to be immortal/Eyes to the south. Hands in bosoms, bodies in the fire.”

While easily confused with Björk lyrics, that passage appears to reference the escalation of artificial intelligence. Cue Elon Musk, Time Magazine’s Person of the Year and an unequivocal alien in his own right, taking to robot-making and moving his headquarters south to Austin, Texas. Further evidence that man is destined to be overtaken by immortal machines can be found in the teachings of the aesthetic prophet Jared Leto. 

Nuclear drought

The heavy hits just keep on coming. Nos’ predictions are linked to astrological events more than calendar years and, for some time, devout doomsdayers have been awaiting a nuclear explosion that will trigger severe climate change. Based on this cheery passage, “For forty years the rainbow will not be seen/For 40 years it will be seen every day/The dry earth will grow more parched/And there will be great floods when it is seen,” we can posit that droughts and floods of biblically punishing proportions are coming. Judging by this summer’s historic drought and the painfully parched conditions in Chile, said punishment may already be upon us.

Add to this the recent revelation that China is allegedly armed, dangerous and at the ready to launch a nuclear strike that could presumably cause cataclysmic water shortages. Thus far, our leading defense against drought appears to rest in the hands and nether regions of moisture-awareness advocates Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion.

Crypto, bro

In addition to forecasting inflation, Nos nods to the rise of cryptocurrency in the year ahead. As Yearly-Horoscope translated from the original French: “The copies of gold and silver inflated/Which after the theft were thrown into the lake/At the discovery that all is exhausted and dissipated by the debt/All scripts and bonds will be wiped out.”

While Nostradamus’ predictions tend to land more near the bank than on the money, gold is currently surging and a wave of Silicone Valley engineers and executives are leaving their high-level positions to join forces with crypto startups. Coincidence or prophecy confirmed? We wait with bitcoin and bated breath.

 

Hate crime charge dropped for 5 involved in attacking a Shenandoah County pastor

By Edward Era Barbacena

According to court documents, hate crime charges against five people who were arrested for allegedly attacking a black pastor in Edinburg have been dropped.

Pastor Leon McCray

This all stemmed from an incident last summer when pastor Leon McCray was assaulted by a group of five white filthy people  at his apartment complex and pulled out a weapon in self-defense.

But when the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office arrived, McCray was arrested and was charged with brandishing a firearm.

In a prior interview, McCray told WHSV it started when he noticed two white people dragging an old refrigerator toward the dumpsters at the apartment building he owns in Edinburg.

He said he asked the two to leave the property and they “got irate” with him before leaving. But then they came back with three others, threatening him and “using all types of racial slurs,” he said.

“Racial epithets, and the N-word, and your Black life, your M-F Black life don’t make, it doesn’t make a difference in this county, it doesn’t make a difference to me, and we will kill you,” McCray told WHSV.

On June 16, the Shenandoah County Commonwealth’s Attorney filed a motion to Nolle Prosqui the charge but McCray and his attorney still wish the charge to be expunged.

On Friday, the five filty white suspects appeared in Shenandoah General District Court to have their cases finalized.

Amanda Saylers

Amanda Salyers was found guilty of assault and battery and trespassing. Both of her sentences were suspended and will serve two years under probation.

Donny Salyers

Dennis Salyers

Dennis and Donny Salyers were both found guilty of assault and battery and assault by a mob with their sentencing suspended and will serve two years under probation.

Farah Falyers

Christoper Sharp

Farah Salyers was found guilty of simple assault by a mob with her sentence suspended and will serve one year under probation. Christopher Sharp was also found guilty of trespassing with his sentence suspended under on year probation.

According to court documents, all five of the defendants had their hate crime charge dropped along with other charges dismissed. In Virginia, the Commonwealth’s Attorney is still able to bring the felony charges to a Grand Jury to seek direct indictments.

Two Des Moines men charged with a hate crime for beating a man have pleaded guilty in Polk County court.

 

Joesph Rossing (left) and Robert Shelton (right 
The two savage white men of Des Moines

Two savage white Des Moines men charged with a hate crime for beating a man have pleaded guilty in Polk County court.

One of them is a rabid white supremacist

By Edward Era Barbacena

Joseph Rossing, 35, and Robert Shelton, 49, both of Des Moines, were charged with assault in violation of individual rights causing bodily injury, among other offenses, in the April 17 attack. Rossing's hate crime charge was later dismissed; Shelton pleaded guilty to a hate crime.

According to police, the two men, both white, were meeting to discuss the sale of some kids' scooters when the victim, a Black man also of Des Moines, slowed his car and told the men to stop their children from riding the scooters in the street. The two men pried the man's car door open and assaulted him, shouting racial slurs, the victim told police.

The man sustained cuts to his face and ear. Shelton reportedly told police as he lied the man had struck him, but police saw no marks other than the victim's blood on him.

Rossing, who had a prior conviction for an assault, is reportedly a member of a white supremacist gang, according to the police report.

Court filings show Shelton pleaded guilty on Oct. 13 to burglary, criminal mischief and assault in violation of individual rights, which is Iowa's hate crime statute. He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 8. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend five years of probation and a 15-year suspended prison sentence, and to dismiss two additional assault charges.

In his guilty plea, Shelton admitted to using racial and other epithets during the assault. He also wrote in plea documents that during the attack, Rossing removed his shirt, exposing a swastika tattoo, and "pounded on his chest in that area to make his presence known to (the victim) as he assaulted him."

Rossing entered an Alford plea on Oct. 20, meaning he maintains his innocence but agrees the state has sufficient evidence to convict him. He pleaded to harassment, burglary and willful injury. Prosecutors have dismissed criminal mischief and assault in violation of individual rights charges, and the parties have agreed to recommend consecutive sentences totaling 17 years, according to plea documents.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to pursue a habitual offender enhancement against Rossing. His sentencing is set for Dec. 17.