Linky Friday: The Content of Our Discontent

linky friday

[LF1] So-called “Ketamine Queen” and others charged in Matthew Perry’s death.

The now-charged ketamine dealer implicated in the death of Matthew Perry has quite the reputation:
SkyNews:

Neighbours of the so-called “Ketamine Queen” who is facing multiple charges over the death of Matthew Perry have described the loud parties and frequent visitors to the flat where she lived.

Ketamine supplied by Jasveen Sangha, 41, is alleged to have caused the Friends star’s death in October 2023 at the age of 54.

She is one of five charged with drug-related offences along with a medical doctor known as “Dr. P”, Perry’s live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Eric Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry, and another doctor, Mark Chavez.

A dual US and UK citizen, Sangha allegedly ran a “drug-selling emporium” from a flat in north Hollywood.

Neighbours who lived in the same building told Sky News’ US correspondent Martha Kelner that they often saw people “coming and going” and on occasion, Sangha had “loud parties”.

One man, Jamie Duke, said he once heard her door being “busted open” one evening, which caused “a lot of commotion in the hallway”.

He said he also saw people with briefcases and sometimes instrument cases coming in and out, so he thought they were musicians.

“It’s pretty bizarre,” Mr Duke said, adding: “I never really thought that would be something I would be next door to, it is kind of surreal and scary.”

According to federal prosecutors, Sangha had been selling ketamine and other drugs for years.

She reportedly began to provide Perry – who had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression – with the drug through Fleming, who would then give it to Perry’s assistant, Iwamasa.

According to prosecutors, the actor had been seeking out unsupervised doses of the controlled substance and had developed an “out of control” dependence on it.

In the days leading up to Perry’s death, Iwamasa was administering “at least six shots” of ketamine a day, prosecutors said.

After the star’s death federal agents and detectives searched Sangha’s home, according to Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.

Perry was found unresponsive in his swimming pool last October. Pic: AP
They found approximately 79 vials of ketamine and around 1.3kg of orange pills containing methamphetamine, hallucinogenic mushrooms and cocaine.

After her arrest on Thursday, Sangha was charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, maintaining a drug-involved premises, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

She pleaded not guilty but was not released on bail, as she had already been on bail after being arrested in March for a previous drug charge and had asked a co-conspirator to delete text messages.

Her trial is scheduled for 15 October.

[LF2] Don’t try this at home: Saving your house from a wildfire edition:

As a California firefighter earlier in life, Mike Waltz had learned to predict fire movement, and had designed an elaborate setup: 32 sprinklers, 300 feet of fire hose and a professional water pump connected to a pool and well.
From The Washington Post:

As a California firefighter earlier in life, he had learned to predict fire movement based on wind direction and fuel loads, and had designed an elaborate setup: 32 sprinklers, 300 feet of fire hose and a professional water pump connected to a pool and well — all meant to “develop a defensive line of sprinklers to lay down a humidity bubble.”

If everything on the property was wet, he said, raining embers wouldn’t ignite.

After a tearful goodbye, Amy and Bennet left with the cars and animals while Mike and Gage stayed behind to face the fast-approaching flames.

For the next couple of hours, Mike and Gage waited wearing flame-resistant gear and helmets as smoke choked the evening air and the sky grew to a terrible shade of red.

Smoke fills the sky as the Park Fire approaches Chico, Calif., from the east on July 24. (Mike Waltz)
At around 10 p.m., Mike said firefighters arrived to warn them flames were fast approaching. Cal Fire had used a bulldozer to cut a line in the vegetation about three houses down to stop the spread of the flames. Mike and Gage were on the wrong side of that line. Still, they stayed.

California fire officials said it’s not uncommon for people to defy evacuation orders.

“We see it more than we like to,” said Edwin Zuniga, a firefighter and Cal Fire public information officer.

“When people decide to stay back, it does hamper those firefighting efforts,” Zuniga added. “… We have to focus on getting people out instead of trying to focus on putting the fire out.”

Minutes after the fire crews left, Mike said the flames reached his property.

Pine trees ignite next to the Waltz family property, sending red-hot embers into the night sky on July 24. (Mike Waltz)
As the fire reached the eastern side of their defenses, the sprinklers held. The fast-moving fire continued to spread along the north and south fence lines of his home.

It was the southern hill that posed the most risk. Dry conditions had left tall California gray pine trees ripe for ignition, and they went up fast and hot. Mike described flames towering 150 to 200 feet into the air, showering hot embers down on the property like hail.

But the pair wasn’t trying to address the fire on those trees.

“We’re not going to go out and try and fight the fire,” he said. “We’re going to pull back to the house and turn the hoses on the house.”

The next hour was spent hauling wet fire hose across the property, dousing spot fires and hosing down escaped embers. The two even tried to save the neighbors’ house.

Gage Waltz uses a fire hose to douse the family home as hot embers fill the air. (Video: Gage Waltz)
Mike had lost communication with his wife. Having seen the wall of flames during their evacuation, Amy thought for sure her husband and older son were dead.

Hours later, a text finally came through: “we are ok house is saved can’t talk.”

They had saved the family home.

Gage and Mike Waltz after successfully defending their home from the Park Fire. (Mike Waltz)
“When the fire kind of passed, you know, the fire department kind of showed back up and it was euphoric,” Mike said. “… We couldn’t believe that we had made it.”

They spent the rest of the night putting out spot fires and monitoring the property line. The next morning’s light revealed another landscape.

Video recorded the morning of July 25 shows the extent of the damage caused by the Park Fire. (Video: Mike Waltz)
“When the sun came up, it was incredible. It was just this barren moonscape and where lush vegetation and trees and all that had been, it’s just gone,” he said. “You know, everything’s gone. And it was really spooky.”

The result of Mike’s efforts can be seen in satellite images taken before and after the Park Fire moved through the community. His home and pool contrast sharply against the ash and char that make up their surroundings, including his neighbor’s home that was lost in the flames.

[LF3 Welp…that escalated quickly

From Mediaite

A CNN panel devolved into a shouting match on Thursday after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) repeatedly mispronounced Vice President Kamala Harris’s name.

As Mace repeatedly said Harris’s name in an attempt to pronounce it right, Democratic strategist Keith Boykin responded, “You had it right. You almost got it.”

“I will say Kamala’s name any way that I want to,” shot back Mace, which resulted in the panel becoming heated.

After Vanderbilt University professor Michael Eric Dyson protested Mace’s mispronunciation, the congresswoman replied, “I just did and I’ll do it again.”

Boykin and Dyson then proceeded to shout over Mace as CNN host Abby Phillip said, “One at a time, guys.”

“If I purposely mispronounced your name, that would probably not be appropriate,” declared Boykin, before Dyson told Mace, “You’re normalizing that kind of viciousness, man. You’re disrespecting the woman.”

Later on, the panel became increasingly heated after the issue was brought up yet again.

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“This congresswoman is a wonderful human being,” said Dyson. “But when you disrespect Kamala Harris by saying you will call her whatever you want, I know you don’t intend it to be that way, that’s the history and legacy of white disregard for the humanity of Black people.”

Mace protested, “Oh, so now you’re calling me a racist. That is B.S. That is complete B.S.”

“I just said you weren’t a racist. No. You don’t have to intend racism to accomplish it,” replied Dyson. “Your disrespect of Kamala Harris is part and parcel of a tradition.”

[LF4] The Kamala and Tim show goes on the road

Watch the full rally with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and VP Kamala Harris in Arizona:

[LF5]

Novel idea: actually have young voters on to talk about young voters: From NewsNations On Balance

a Baradaran, a 26-year-old Democrat, says the Harris campaign is catering to what matters to women: reproductive rights, gun control and health care. Jonas Du, a Columbia University student and Republican voter, tells “On Balance” he believes that former President Donald Trump should shift to a policy-focused campaign and focus on how Republican policies will help young people.

[LF6] Everything Falun Gong touches should be suspect, a continuing series

Behind the Pageantry of Shen Yun, Untreated Injuries and Emotional Abuse
As the popular dance show grew into an international juggernaut, some of the group’s young performers paid a steep price.

From the New York Times:

In pursuit of ever larger audiences, Shen Yun has treated many of its performers as an expendable commodity, a New York Times investigation has found. It has routinely discouraged them from seeking medical care when their bodies have broken down, and commanded their obedience to grueling rehearsal and tour schedules through relentless emotional abuse and manipulation.

In interviews, some former dancers recounted performing through dislocated kneecaps, sprained ankles or other serious injuries, unwilling to seek medical treatment because the group’s belief system regarded such care as a crutch of the unfaithful.

Others were racked with emotion as they recalled being made to participate in regular weigh-ins by instructors who publicly berated them for being too fat.

Twenty-five former Shen Yun dancers, musicians and instructors spoke openly about their time with the group.Credit…The New York Times
Most described feeling used by a religious movement that was focused on spreading its views even if performers were harmed in the process — while raking in money from ticket sales.

Many of the dancers and musicians who spoke to The Times hesitated to share their stories publicly, fearing retaliation by Falun Gong and its spiritual leader. That leader, Li Hongzhi, introduced the movement in China in 1992, at a time when ancient energy-based exercises were surging in popularity. He has led it in exile while presiding over the guarded 400-acre compound in upstate New York where many of Shen Yun’s performers live and train.

In a statement, representatives of Shen Yun and Falun Gong said the performers who spoke to The Times were presenting a picture of the dance group and religious movement that distorted reality “in bizarre and dramatic ways.” They said that The Times was playing into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, which has sought to stamp out the movement, by committing a “bigoted attack” on a faith that promotes good health, moral living and strong families and communities.

Based in part on elements of Buddhism, Falun Gong holds that people who practice its poses and meditation regimen can attain enlightenment. But in speeches and writings, its founder, Mr. Li, has also incorporated less conventional ideas, implying that he is the creator of the universe, saying that faithful adherence can purge the body of illnesses and suggesting that followers can develop supernatural powers, such as the ability to levitate.

And, for the past two decades, Mr. Li has positioned his group in direct opposition to the ruling Chinese Communist Party, which has imprisoned Falun Gong followers and demonized them in state propaganda.

Falun Gong was introduced in China more than 30 years ago. Groups of practitioners can be seen practicing the movement’s gentle exercises in public parks like this one in Manhattan.Credit…The New York Times
Against that backdrop, Mr. Li’s movement has put Shen Yun forward as a propaganda tool of its own, amplifying the show’s anti-Communist message through a network of companies founded by Falun Gong practitioners, including a widely read newspaper, The Epoch Times.

Inside Shen Yun, the group’s leaders told their young performers that each show was an urgent spiritual mission, and they led them to believe that anyone who spoke out against the movement would face dire consequences.

Even so, 25 former dancers, musicians and instructors spoke openly to The Times about their experiences in Shen Yun, including a handful who had left the group within the past 18 months. They described a pattern of abusive behavior by Shen Yun’s leaders that spanned nearly two decades and occurred as hundreds of performers cycled in and out of the dance company.

[LF7] New Thai, but will remind you of the old Thai

Thai heiress brings back divisive dynasty – but for how long?
From the BBC:

Paetongtarn Shinawatra brings a fresh, young face, and yet another member of the powerful Shinawatra clan, to the country’s top job. She is the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed former PM who returned to Thailand last August after 15 years in exile. The 37-year-old is also the youngest prime minister in Thailand’s history, and only the second woman – the first was her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.

Known in Thailand by her nickname Ung Ing, Ms Paetongtarn has become a very familiar figure here since leading her party, Pheu Thai, in the general election last year. She proved a popular campaigner, speaking at rallies up to the last month of pregnancy with her second child.

However her family, in particular her mother Potjaman, who is still a powerful figure in Pheu Thai, did not want her to become prime minister, fearing she would be vulnerable to the kinds of legal interventions which forced both Ms Yingluck and Mr Thaksin into exile.

But the unexpected court ruling that brought down the premiership of Srettha Thavisin earlier this week forced the family’s hand. Aside from Mr Srettha, Pheu Thai had just two other registered PM candidates eligible to replace him; Ms Paetongtarn was one, the other an elderly former prosecutor who the party’s MPs believed did not have the energy or charisma to lead them into the next election, expected in three years time. Ms Paetongtarn’s main experience has been working in the Shinawatra-owned Rende hotel group. She was not expected to go into politics, and only joined the Pheu Thai party in 2021.

In taking on the job of prime minister, she is entering a political minefield.

She describes herself as a compassionate capitalist, a social liberal who fully supports Thailand’s new equal marriage law. But the phrase most people will remember her using is “daddy’s girl”. No matter what she does in government, she will always be presumed to be acting under the instruction of her father. And Mr Thaksin remains a very divisive figure. His return from exile a year ago was the outcome of a grand bargain with powerful conservative forces. They include the military, which deposed two Shinawatra governments in coups, and groups close to the monarchy, which have opposed Mr Thaksin for more than two decades.

The stunning success of the reformist Move Forward party in last year’s election, pushing Pheu Thai and the Shinawatra clan into second place for the first time, forced conservatives, whose parties fared even worse, to recalibrate.

[LF8] Trump Presser…and what looks like a continental breakfast spread

Trump went another 90 minutes in front of the cameras at his Bedminster property. Watch it for yourself:

[LF9] Northern Housing Crisis Exposure

What do you get when an isolated Alaskan town of 1K residents swells to 3K during the summer to accommodate the more than 1 million tourist pouring of cruise ships? You get the housing crisis that is called The Skagway Shuffle.

The Skagway Shuffle is a series about the city’s housing crisis reported and produced by Molly McCluskey. From KHNS.org

From NPR local affiliate KHNS, a six-part audio reporting series:

[LF10] Hey, that “Whip It” band Devo is still around, and still zany

From NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts:

Shortly before beginning the band’s set, Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh learned we have a closet full of stage props and costumes, everything from lab coats and wigs to a rubber chicken and fake blood. After quickly rummaging through the boxes and racks of clothes, he returned with a stack of hats that he eventually — and repeatedly — swapped out during a sometimes breathless performance.

The band’s set included songs members say they hadn’t performed in more than 40 years, opening with “It Takes a Worried Man,” a track Devo had originally recorded for the little-known 1982 comedy film Human Highway. The group also performed a skittering version of 1979’s “Blockhead,” and “Come Back Jonee” from the band’s 1978 debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

Now 74, Mothersbaugh hasn’t slowed down or lost the playfully subversive style that’s defined his time with Devo, at one point working his way into the audience with a megaphone to ask people just inches away what they’re doing with their hands (for the song “Praying Hands”).