AP Sings the Praises of Pakistani Transgender Culinary School, and We Wonder How Much We Paid for It
Twitchy | February 26, 2025 | Amy Curtis
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For transgender students involved in a very special project at a culinary school in Pakistan, there is more to a class than just learning the art of cooking.

Neha Malik used to dance at parties and weddings for a living and was, occasionally, a sex worker. Since January, she has been enrolled in a new course for the trans community at the Culinary & Hotel Institute of Pakistan.

The free six-month program in the city of Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital, welcomed its first group of 25 trans students in January; the second group of 25 began training on Feb. 1.

China’s Xi affirms ‘no limits’ partnership with Putin in call on Ukraine war anniversary
Reuters AOL | 2/24/2025 | Antoni Slodkowski, Laurie Chen, Yukun Zhang, Ryan Woo and Mark Trevelyan

China’s President Xi Jinping affirmed his “no limits” partnership in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Professor calls on Democrats to stop using term ‘people of color’ as Latino and Black voters side with Trump
Fox News | February 21, 2025 | Jeffrey Clark

University of California, Berkeley professor Jerel Ezell argued that Democrats should stop relying on traditional racial politics to win elections.

In a Politico opinion piece published Friday, Ezell noted that Democrats, despite their continued reliance on Black, Latino, Indigenous and Asian voters, found themselves surprised by President Donald Trump’s gains with some of those groups in the 2024 presidential election.

“The 2024 presidential election left the Democrats’ multiracial coalition in tatters,” Ezell wrote. “Nonwhite people voted in higher percentages for Trump in 2024 than they did in 2020, in some cases by double-digit increases.”

Listening Devices Found in Oval Office—President’s Desk Removed for Security Scan
X.com (formerly Twitter) ^ | February 21, 2025 | Jack Straw

In a shocking revelation that has sent ripples through Washington, sources within the White House have confirmed that the Oval Office—including the historic Resolute Desk—was subjected to a high-level security sweep following suspicions of covert surveillance.

The sweep reportedly uncovered sophisticated listening devices, leading to the immediate removal of the President’s desk for a comprehensive off-site scan.

CT man accused of cannibalism and murder is granted conditional release
NBC Boston | February 21, 2025 | Angela Fortuna

A man accused of cannibalism and murder has been granted conditional release, according to the Connecticut Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB).

The board granted Tyree Smith’s release after a careful review of his clinical progress, officials said.

He’s currently at Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown. Smith is accused of hacking a man to death with an axe in Bridgeport and eating part of the victim’s brain and an eyeball.

The PSRB said Smith has demonstrated long-term stability, remained engaged in all recommended treatments and consistently followed his care.

His conditional release requires that he remain under structured supervision and that he continues to receive necessary mental health services.

Before being granted conditional release, a person is first placed on temporary leave status. This means they’re still confined to the hospital, but have privileges that generally start with daytime passes to receive treatment in the community, including overnights and weekly check-ins at the hospital, the board said.

“Rehabilitation, not punishment, is the goal for all individuals found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI),” the PSRB said in a statement.

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https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/fairfield/board-approves-conditional-release-of-birdgeport-cannibal-killer/
Tyree Smith killed Angel “Tun Tun” Gonzalez with an ax in a cemetery on Dec. 15, 2011. He then removed an eyeball and part of the man’s brain and took them to Lakeview Cemetery, where he ate them over his cousin’s grave.

Smith was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity in July 2013. He was sentenced to 60 years in a psychiatric hospital. In 2023, he transitioned to a group home.

So 60 years = 11.5 years. OK.