Algerian Imane Khelif wins boxing gold medal after gender questioned by Russian official, J.K Rowling and Trump
Rob Beschizza / 6:47 am PT Sat Aug 10, 2024
Khelif on her Instagram now and in her childhood then
Imane Khelif won a boxing gold medal at the Paris Olympics Friday, after her gender was wrongly questioned by the usual suspects due to her imposing physique, rugged jawline and all the other things it's really about for them.
Khelif won in a unanimous decision as a large Algerian crowd at famed Roland-Garros Stadium cheered her on with chants of "allez Imane" and "1, 2, 3 Algérie!""I'm very happy, God made that (happen), that's my dream!" Khelif said moments after the bout. Throughout the fight, female Algerian fans could be heard cheering her with the zaghrouta, a high-pitched staccato chant. Khelif said she heard her fans at Roland-Garros. "I want to thank all the people here," she said pointing into the stands, "and the people of Algeria to come support me, my coach and Team Algeria."
Khelif didn't knock her opponent out. But she took a certain kind of gender cop—the ones with the "men have penises, women have vaginas" sorting hat—and smacked them so hard they're now talking about hormones, chromosomes, blood chemistry, the impossibility of childhood designation and the subjective evaluation of feminine and masculine characteristics irrespective of sexual organs.
Previously: JD Vance joins JK Rowling in Olympic anti-trans bigotry
Jan 6 rioter flashes white power sign after receiving 20 year jail sentence
Rob Beschizza / 5:52 am PT Sat Aug 10, 2024
David Dempsey in footage from the Jan 6 riots
David Dempsey's "brutal" attacks on police officers earned him one of the longest sentences so far handed down to the Trump supporters who sacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6, 2021. Sentencing him to 20 years imprisonment, senior D.C. District Judge Royce Lamberth described Dempsey's actions as "exceptionally egregious" and nearly resulting in a "bloodbath" in Congress.
Footage showing him lashing out, throwing projectiles at officers and using other people in the crowd as "scaffolding" was shown in court. Prosecutors cast him as "political violence personified"—a violence they said was directed against officers trying to keep the surging mob out of the building. In one attack, he swung a metal bar at an officer, breaking his helmet.
Dempsey had also attacked political enemies at earlier protests, the judge said, further warranting the lengthy jail term.
Before receiving his sentence, Dempsey groveled to the court, speaking of his "profound sense of regret" and apologizing to victims and other officers in attendance. After he learned he would not be getting leniency, however, he flashed the white power "OK" sign in court when bailiffs moved to take him away. Numerous observers at the scene reported the gesture, including NBC News's Ryan J. Reilly.
On the Jan 6 high score chart, Dempsey lands at #2 after Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, the Proud Boy leader who scored a 22-year sentence. Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boy Ethan Nordean were sentenced to 18 years, Proud Boy Joe Biggs to 15 years, and Proud Boy Zacahry Schwartz to 14 years.
Previously:
• 5 years in jail for Jan 6 rioter who injured cop
• Self-pitying Capitol rioter Rachel Powell, headed for prison, shows no remorse in CNN interview
• Former Proud Boy leader Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio sentenced to 22 years in prison
• Georgia lawyer off to jail for his part in Capitol Hill riot
• Seven year sentence for Jan 6 rioter described as 'one-man wrecking ball'
Hot-tempered corgi won't stop bickering with a ceiling fan (video)
Carla Sinclair / 5:08 pm PT Fri Aug 9, 2024
A corgi mix named Simon has many foster sister and brother doggos coming in and out of his life, and never has a problem with any of them. But the ceiling fan, on the other hand, has hit his last nerve.
"POV: your dog has beef with the ceiling fan," jokes the caption on his TikTok video, which shows Simon barking and snarling at the darn thing. But the fan doesn't give in, continuing to spin, which further agitates the pooch.
After he gives it the stink eye a couple of times, his human decides to intervene. "No. Don't look up at it," she tells him. But the pup can't help himself. He glares at the fan once again. And then, hoping to get in the last word, he growls under his breath, which his human kindly translates for us: "That ceiling fan better watch its back." (See video below, posted by simonsits.)
Via ParadePets
Previously: Crafty corgi doesn't want to get his paws wet — so he uses his short legs to his advantage (video)
FDA denies approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD
Allan Rose Hill / 4:22 pm PT Fri Aug 9, 2024
image: Couperfield/Shutterstock
The US Food and Drug Administration has denied approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder despite overwhelming evidence of the safety and efficacy of this treatment. The FDA requested another Phase 3 trial of the treatment.
"The FDA request for another study is deeply disappointing, not just for all those who dedicated their lives to this pioneering effort, but principally for the millions of Americans with PTSD, along with their loved ones, who have not seen any new treatment options in over two decades," said Amy Emerson, CEO of Lykos, the drug development public benefit company developing the therapy.
You can read more about the FDA's criticism of the trials and Lykos' response here and here.
"While conducting another Phase 3 study would take several years, we still maintain that many of the requests that had been previously discussed with the FDA and raised at the Advisory Committee meeting can be addressed with existing data, post-approval requirements or through reference to the scientific literature," Emerson said.
From The Hill:
The decision generated an enormous amount of lobbying from advocacy groups, including combat veterans. Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of more than 80 House and Senate lawmakers sent letters to FDA and the White House urging the approval.
The FDA has not approved any new treatments for PTSD in more than two decades, and proponents have said continued high rates of veteran suicides mean the government must do more to protect veterans.
A growing body of research has shown that psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and MDMA can have significant positive impacts on conditions like PTSD.
Lykos Therapeutics was incubated by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the research and educational nonprofit founded in 1986 "to develop medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana." Support MAPS here.
Previously:
• MDMA dose alters white supremacist's radical beliefs
• Scientists gave octopi MDMA, the results were 'unbelievable'
• MDMA can help treat PTSD, yet another study shows
MAGA will block a Kamala Harris win before final results roll in, says report
Carla Sinclair / 2:52 pm PT Fri Aug 9, 2024
As we get closer to Election Day, more and more headlines warn that if Kamala Harris beats Donald Trump, Republicans will refuse to certify the results. But at least one journalist takes it a step further, reporting that MAGA plans to halt the election even before the final results are in if Harris is ahead.
"No need to worry about mayhem on January 6, 2025 when Congress meets in joint session; the election deniers plan to stop a result right away if it looks like Harris is winning," said A.B. Stoddard in yesterday's Bulwark article, "Get Ready Now: Republicans Will Refuse to Certify a Harris Win."
"Their goal: Refuse to certify anywhere—even a county that Trump won—and prevent certification in that state, which prevents certification of the presidential election," she continued.
So how would this work? Stoddard explains, citing last week's Rolling Stone article, "These Swing State Election Officials Are Pro-Trump Election Deniers." Although the headline alone pretty much sums it up, Stoddard expands:
An investigation by Rolling Stone identified "in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania . . . at least 70 pro-Trump election conspiracists currently working as county election officials who have questioned the validity of elections or delayed or refused to certify results." Of those 70, 22 of them already have "refused or delayed certification" in recent past elections. Nationwide, Republicans have refused to certify results at least 25 times since 2020, in eight states—the most in Georgia. …
Then there is this. Trump's self-destructive attacks on Georgia's popular governor made the headlines from his Atlanta rally last Saturday, but he also singled out for praise three little-known Georgians—Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King—calling them "pitbulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory."
Who are Johnston, Jeffares, and King? They are three of the five members of Georgia's State Election Board. Three days after Trump's speech, this past Tuesday, those three Republicans approved a new rule requiring a "reasonable inquiry" prior to election certification that—while vague and undefined—could be exploited to delay certification and threaten the statewide election certification deadline of November 22. …
Election experts say the new rule could disrupt the entire process across the state by allowing local partisans to reject results. And Georgia appears to be at the center of Trump's plans. Casting doubt on Fulton County, which makes up the bulk of Democratic votes in the state, will help him claim he won the Peach State as the rest of the results come in red.
And from today's Raw Story article, "MAGA has game plan to halt elections if Harris takes lead":
Stoddard warns that "there are more than enough such individuals in these key posts to bring us to a constitutional crisis."
"So Trump knows there are millions among us who believe him when he says Democrats can only win if they cheat and who believe dark forces are at work to thwart him again," Stoddard explains. "And Trump needs to be president again. He wants to get his criminal cases thrown out, and to stay out of jail. There is nothing he won't try."
"I think we are going to see mass refusals to certify the election," said American Democratic Party elections lawyer Marc Elias, via Rolling Stone. "Everything we are seeing about this election is that the other side is more organized, more ruthless, and more prepared."
Granted, the Rolling Stone article came out only a week after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and since then the Democratic Party, with Kamala Harris at the helm of the race, seems more "organized, ruthless, and prepared" than it has been in a long time. Let's just hope it can keep up the momentum.
Previously: Texas AG on why he supports the Big Lie: "We're done in Texas if anyone can vote"
Can you solve this numbers-on-foreheads puzzle?
Mark Frauenfelder / 2:14 pm PT Fri Aug 9, 2024
Roman Samborskyi/shutterstock.com
The following puzzle was posted to Futility Closet:
Alice and Bob are two infinitely intelligent logicians. Each has a number drawn on their forehead. Each can see the other's number but not their own. Each knows that both numbers are positive integers. An observer tells them that the number 50 is either the sum or the product of the two numbers. Alice says to Bob, "I do not know my number," and Bob replies, "I do not know my number either." What is Alice's number?
See more brain-teasers here.