A former public school librarian in Maryland previously accused of spray-painting the word “groomer” across two libraries is now facing at least seven charges of possessing child pornography, according to court documents. Charles Sutherland, 31, was arrested and charged with hate crimes over the vandalism last June, having confessed to defacing libraries in New Carrolton and Greenbelt, the latter just hours after it had held a Pride event with a drag performer, police said. Sutherland allowed investigators to search his home after the arrest, WUSA9 reported, citing charging documents. There, officers found diapers, children’s dolls, and a child-sized doll in Sutherland’s bed. Sutherland then allegedly told police that he had no children, nieces, or nephews. In January, a forensic examination of a laptop confiscated from Sutherland’s home turned up at least seven files of child pornography, according to the outlet. Sutherland is scheduled to go on trial in Montgomery County next month over the pornography, while he is expected to appear in a Prince George’s County courtroom in August over the vandalism and hate crime charges.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/charles-sutherland-man-accused-of-spray-painting-groomer-on-libraries-caught-with-child-porn-cops-say

U2: Songs of Surrender – A cynical cash grab? Put your preconceptions aside

On paper this album of rerecordings seems like nothing but a cynical cash grab – something to release to fill a gap, bolster sales of Bono’s memoir and act as a nice lead-in for U2′s big-bucks Las Vegas residency this autumn. If the unasked-for arrival of Songs of Innocence on your iPhone made you blaze with the fury of a thousand suns, Songs of Surrender may not be for you. This album is best enjoyed when you put your preconceptions aside and simply enjoy its 40 songs, recorded between lockdowns, for what they are.

The new approach doesn’t work on every track. Some of these songs lack the vision and firepower of the originals. Pride (In the Name of Love) sounds exactly as you might expect an acoustic version to sound; the softened edges of Beautiful Day make it a pleasant if forgettable number; the spacey, slo-mo tilt of The Fly lacks oomph.

More often than not, however, these tracks will surprise you. Bono’s haggard rumble on the twangy strum of I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For suggests that Johnny Cash might have made a fair fist of the song; the magnificent new version of Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of is unquestionably better than the original, stripping the bells and whistles away to expose an aching vulnerability.

Stay is superb too, its piano and murmured vocals staying true to the spirit of the song without being precious about it.

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2023/03/10/u2-songs-of-surrender-a-cynical-cash-grab-put-your-preconceptions-aside/

Elon Musk has always wanted near total control of the unfortunate souls who work long hours at his various companies, so the personal appeal of his new venture makes sense. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Twitter CEO wants to build his own town outside of Austin, Texas, near where his Boring Company and SpaceX facilities are already under construction. The working name isn’t Muskville but Snailbrook, the mascot of the Boring Company.

In meetings with landowners and real-estate agents, Musk has reportedly described his idea for the estate — which he envisions building on thousands of acres of property he purchased on the Colorado River — as a utopia, so that his employees can live, work, and play without ever leaving. (That pitch sounds awfully familiar.) He has tasked his engineers at the Boring Company to research how to incorporate the town within Bastrop County, which would allow him to set local regulations and speed up his building plans. Advisers on the project include Musk’s ex-girlfriend Grimes as well as Hitler-liker Ye, who toured the site with his personal architectural designer last year. Two years ago, Musk also reportedly discussed the idea of building a town with his brother, Kimball, to figure out how to set up an off-the-grid settlement.

https://twitter.com/mims/status/1633888063431516160
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/03/elon-musk-wants-his-own-town-in-texas.html

A detective of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) announces the shocking discovery that 30 active officers of the NYPD are members of the Ku Klux Klan.