Topics

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General Discussion / Ah my ex-gf's hometown, this Asian gal must feel so privilege, glad she's fired!

« on: May 02, 2024, 11:21:19 PM »

California superintendent fired for allegedly threatening students who didn't clap for her daughter

California superintendent Marian Kim Phelps was fired following an investigation into accusations that she bullied members of her daughter's high school softball team.

https://people.com/superintendent-fired-allegedly-threatening-students-didnt-clap-enough-for-daughter-8642568#:~:text=California%20superintendent%20Marian%20Kim%20Phelps%20was%20fired%20following%20an%20investigation,daughter's%20high%20school%20softball%20team.

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General Discussion / I have a pool so this is the Month to go over

« on: May 02, 2024, 11:15:20 PM »

..water safety stuff  :

National Water Safety Month in May prepares us for recreational activities. Water is an attraction during the summer months. Whether we're drawn to lakes and rivers or public pools and water slides, safety is a necessary concern.

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General Discussion / This California Democrat Senator's bill is BS

« on: May 02, 2024, 10:35:57 PM »

I mean if they paid for the service, they should be able to enjoy the perks right?...Kind of like folks that paid extra for express lines at theme parks, no?  :

Tired of Clear travelers cutting the airport security line? A California lawmaker wants change

A new bill would prevent Clear customers from jumping to the front of the queue at security checkpoints. But Delta, United, and other carriers aren't on board. California could become the first state to transform backlash to services offering front-of-queue privileges into a law that targets TSA line-jumpers.

California could become the first state to transform backlash to services offering front-of-queue privileges into a law that targets TSA line-jumpers.

The California Senate transportation committee is set to vote Tuesday on a bill seeking to bar Clear’s access to screening lanes at airports statewide. The for-profit fast-track security-screening company enjoyed an impressive stock market debut in 2021 under the banner of making travel “frictionless,” but the ride since then has gotten bumpier: Today it’s worth one-third of its peak value from two and half years ago—perhaps a sign of either consumers seeing less bang for their buck, or the public getting more annoyed at new technology that allows people to buy their way to the front of lines everywhere from airport terminals to Disney World to ski resorts.

Clear was able to create a product that made travel faster and more personalized, and leverage that as an excellent branding opportunity during an era when traveling is often hell. Today, for $189 a year, Clear members get a service that verifies their identity using biometrics, plus a smiling “ambassador” who escorts them to the head of the security line. (They must still pass through actual security; Clear merely gives them a way to bypass the travel-document-screening checkpoint.)

The service is currently available in some 50 U.S. airports, as well as a handful of big sports venues. The company has also outlined plans to expand into other industries such as hospitality, healthcare, financial services, and online shopping.

But critics argue at least the airport line-cutting part is an insult to “dignity.” As the bill’s author, California senator Josh Newman, told CBS News: “Everyone is beaten down by the travel experience, and if Clear escorts a customer in front of you and tells TSA, ‘Sorry, I have someone better,’ it’s really frustrating.”

Already, his bill is being incorrectly described as a ban on Clear. The measure would simply stop Clear members from hopping to the front of TSA’s screening lanes. Instead, they’d have to enter the terminal from their own dedicated security lane, separate from general passengers and those using TSA PreCheck.

“The bill doesn’t seek to punish Clear, or put it out of business,” Newman has explained. “It wants to create a better traffic flow so customers aren’t intersecting with the general public and causing a moment of friction that is so frustrating to the average traveler.”

Clear tells Fast Company it would actually welcome this dedicated security lane, although that isn’t an arrangement it or California has the authority to make by itself. The company left criticism of Newman’s bill to Sacramento lawmakers, but a spokesperson did tell us, “We are always working with our airline and airport partners as well as local, state, and federal governments to ensure all travelers have a safer, easier checkpoint experience,” adding that the company has led the way for years on biometrics—it introduced them at airports—and proudly partners with nine California airports, “creating hundreds of jobs, sharing more than $13 million in annual revenue with our California airport partners, and serving nearly 1 million Californians.”

Backers defend Clear by arguing that if consumers want to pay to get special airport entry and the Department of Homeland Security is okay with that, why should individual states stand in their way? It probably doesn’t help that California already bans lots of other things, from gasoline cars to the red dye in Skittles.

The bill enjoys (some) bipartisan support, and at least two heavy-hitting industry allies: flight attendants’ and TSA officers’ unions. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the union representing Bay Area TSA officers both say that Clear represents a flawed pay-to-play system.

Last year, TSA called Clear’s speedy setup “vulnerable to abuse” after a man snuck through its biometrics verification system under a false name. TSA later caught him trying to smuggle ammunition into D.C.’s Reagan National Airport. In the following months, the agency reportedly uncovered at least two more lapses. Those incidents helped lead the Department of Homeland Security to require certain Clear users to present IDs to TSA agents as if they were regular old travelers.

To ensure that glitch never repeats itself, Clear told Fast Company it began rolling out a new system called Next Gen Identity+ late last year. For a minute, that switchover appeared to worsen things; frustrated Clear users took to Reddit and social media to complain that using Clear was suddenly taking longer than waiting in the regular TSA line. But the new system swaps fingerprint or iris scans for iPhone-style face scans that are 40% faster than before, with an aim of eventually allowing travelers to pass through the document-screening stage without breaking stride in this “lane of the future.”

Meanwhile, Clear’s own support network is pretty large. The major airlines are not fans of California’s bill: In a letter, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, and Hawaiian said they support Clear’s continued presence at terminals, noting that not only does the service help process airport travelers expeditiously, but also Clear pays $13 million worth of California airport fees. No more Clear would mean those fees could become their responsibility, and that might “further increase air carrier operating costs in the state,” they warn, “potentially resulting in increased fares or decreased service options.”

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General Discussion / Hopefully the courts throw out this negative attention seeking idiot's case

« on: May 02, 2024, 02:21:13 PM »

A man repeatedly punched by Mike Tyson in a viral video taken on a JetBlue flight is suing the former heavyweight champ — 2 years after the incident

A man who was punched repeatedly by Mike Tyson in first-class on a flight in 2022 has filed a lawsuit against the former boxing champion and airline JetBlue.

The incident occurred on a late-night flight from San Francisco to Florida on April 20, 2022 and went viral after video footage filmed by another passenger was shared by TMZ.

Tyson's reps told the Associated Press at the time that the man seated behind Tyson was "an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat."

In an episode of his podcast a month after the incident, Tyson said the passenger was "ducking with me," adding that he shouldn't fly on "public planes."

Around the same time, the San Mateo County District Attorney said it would not file criminal charges against the former world heavyweight champion, citing "the circumstances surrounding the confrontation."

"It is simply a case that does not belong in the criminal court. If they want to sue each other, that's their business," the DA said.

In December 2023, the passenger, Melvin Townsend, sent a "pre-litigation settlement demand" requesting $450,000 to resolve the incident without taking it to court, the LA Times reported.

Tyson's lawyer told the Times there would be no "shakedown payment."

On April 19, 2024, Townsend filed a complaint with the San Mateo County Superior Court, one day before a two-year statute of limitations came into effect for some of the claims.

Per Townsend's account of the incident in the complaint, he and a friend noticed they were seated directly behind Tyson as they boarded the plane.

Townsend, then 36, claims he initiated a conversation with the star, expressing admiration for Tyson's "illustrious boxing career" and buying alcoholic drinks for him and themselves.

He describes himself as "a fan of Mr. Tyson who was happy to be speaking to one of his childhood heroes."

Tyson offered them psilocybin mushrooms, the complaint claims, which the pair declined.

According to the court documents, the boxer then turned to his companion, a man he referred to as his manager, asking for some psilocybin mushrooms for himself. His companion declined to give him them.

"Suddenly and without warning or provocation," Tyson stood up from his seat, turned around, and began punching Townsend repeatedly while standing over him.

"Mr. Tyson punched Plaintiff numerous times in the head, face, and neck, tore the neck of Plaintiff's shirt, and caused Plaintiff to bleed from both sides of his head," the complaint says.

The boxer's companion tried to stop the attack by putting his body between the two men and taking some blows himself before Tyson eventually stopped, the suit says.

Townsend stated he was punched about 10 times.

Describing himself as 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds, he said he had no way to defend himself "due to Mr. Tyson's extraordinary strength and decades of professional fighting training and skill."

The incident has left Townsend with physical and emotional distress, according to the complaint.

In the suit he lists seven complaints for damages. Three are against Tyson, claiming assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Four are against JetBlue, claiming negligence, common carrier liability, premises liability, and negligent hiring, retention, and supervision.

Townsend is requesting a trial by jury to decide the outcome.

Tyson's representative s told Business Insider he "will be 100% refuting these ridiculous claims."

"Mr. Townsend's multiple attempts for a pre-litigation settlement demand for injuries and damages to Mr. Tyson's legal team are no coincidence giving the timing of Mike's upcoming fight," Tyson's representative s told Business Insider, referring to his upcoming return to the ring to fight YouTube Jake Paul.

"There is no real validity to these claims as Mr. Townsend was the initial aggressor and his tactic was to instigate Mr. Tyson on the JetBlue flight for a monetary shake down," they added.

"Mr. Tyson plans to fight this and will prevail."

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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General Discussion / Perhaps the grass isn't greener on the other side for some that left California?

« on: May 02, 2024, 02:15:53 PM »

California's population saw an increase for the first time since the COVID pandemic, marking a reversal from three years of declines, according to new state figures released on Tuesday. The state's population grew by more than 67,000 people last year, bringing the total to 39,128,162, the California Department of Finance (DOF) said.

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General Discussion / Bet Asian dude has pretty good shot

« on: May 02, 2024, 02:11:47 PM »

I'm a sniper in the US Army, and Hollywood doesn't show you the hardest part of my job

I'm a sniper in the US Army, and Hollywood doesn't show you the hardest part of my job. Staff Sgt. Phillip Cho is a sniper for the Army's 11th Airborne Division in Alaska. Cho said that while movies mainly focus on precision marksmanship, there's much more to sniping.

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General Discussion / Today is the first so I saw many folks at the Money Services area

« on: May 01, 2024, 11:44:44 PM »

 :

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Pro Sports Discussion / Yep, I can see the great Warren Moon in that uni

« on: May 01, 2024, 11:35:50 PM »

 :

University of Houston blowing off NFL's cease-and-desist about Oilers-like uniform: 'We're doing it'
The University of Houston isn't scared of the NFL. Even though the NFL has threatened legal action if the school keeps the school's "Love Ya Blue" uniform in its rotation, UH is going through with it anyway.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the NFL believes the uniforms, which first debuted during Houston's home opener on Sept. 2, 2023, are essentially a copy of the iconic Houston Oilers uniforms from the late 1970s. The NFL sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Cougars in October, saying “the Houston Cougars’ attempt to free ride on the popularity of the NFL and the club violates the intellectual property rights of the NFL and (Tennessee) Titans.”

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Pro Sports Discussion / Even in a neutral area (LA), my two sons are side by side

« on: May 01, 2024, 11:31:34 PM »

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General Discussion / I'm getting recruited to be an escort doing what I enjoy for some easy money

« on: May 01, 2024, 11:28:30 PM »

...but I turned it down because this kind of riding is just not that enjoyable to me:

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General Discussion / Livable wage price difference?

« on: May 01, 2024, 01:59:00 PM »

Livable wages mean more expensive burgers as California fast-food chains hike menu prices

When California's groundbreaking law raising fast-food workers' minimum wage from $15.50 per hour to $20 took effect at the start of the month, food chains including Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, Pizza Hut and Jack in the Box warned customers to expect higher costs for that go-to burrito or slice.

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General Discussion / Some Asians believe the higher your grave, the more koob hmoov for the next gen

« on: May 01, 2024, 12:04:35 AM »

Went to pay respect to a family member that passed away years ago. She wanted to be buried as high as possible because she believes the higher her grave site sits, the more prosperity and koob hmoov are passed down to the next generation(s)...

Gotta say, she does sit pretty high as we can see the downtown high rises from her grave site:




This land is for future burials:




As we were leaving, we drove pass a new customer:










This cemetery has a gate and guard/attendant to check folks in as well as answer questions:

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General Discussion / So much for Christian morals and values at Bill Clinton's church

« on: April 30, 2024, 11:50:20 PM »

Teacher, 26, charged with sexually abusing boy she met at church long attended by Bill Clinton
A teacher has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy she met at the Arkansas church once frequented by former President Bill Clinton — bombarding the teen with nude photos even after an earlier investigation, according to a report.

Reagan Gray, 26, was nabbed earlier this month after it emerged she had allegedly been assaulting the boy since 2020 when she was working as a volunteer at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, THV11 reported of the institution Clinton praised as being pivotal in preparing him for the White House.

The boy’s parents discovered a slew of text messages on their son’s phone at the time and reported Gray to a senior pastor at the church, according to court papers.

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General Discussion / Would you pay $800 for a pee stain denim?

« on: April 30, 2024, 11:44:18 PM »

This designer jeans has a dark stain in the groin area, appearing as if you have peed in it. Priced at a whooping $811 (approximately ₹67,6000), the jeans is now available in a lighter wash too for $608 (approximately ₹50,000).

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The Single & Dating Scenes / So my sister-in-law's brother told me that a White girl calls him "oppa" and it

« on: April 30, 2024, 11:41:07 PM »

...makes him uncomfortable mainly because they don't even know each other that well...

I told him she's probably been watching too much K-drama and she wants you inside of her... 

Some Korean guys are just not comfortable being called "oppa" by any women Korean or not...