Transformer explosion causes chaos in New York City
The explosion at a power plant in Queens, New York, caused the sky to light up a turquoise blue hue, knocked power out in the area and grounded flights at LaGuardia Airport.
Black sales exec was compared to ‘Buckwheat,’ told to dance for colleagues, lawsuit alleges
By Janelle Griffith
A former sales executive for Marriott Vacations Worldwide alleges in a lawsuit that he was asked to dance during meetings as entertainment for other employees and that a photo of the character Buckwheat was used to represent him during a team building exercise.
Daryl Robinson is suing for unlawful race discrimination, unlawful race harassment, failure to prevent race discrimination and harassment and retaliation for opposing forbidden practices.
Robinson began working in February 2017 as a sales executive with Marriott Vacations Worldwide selling timeshares to vacation properties. He says he was the only African-American employee in the office.
In the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Robinson alleges that he was asked on multiple occasions to dance by a director of sales during sales meetings, usually to music by Michael Jackson.
On another occasion, the director of sales complimented most of the staff by saying “we have a good-looking crew” or related comments, according to the suit. The director of sales then looked at Robinson and allegedly said, “Daryl looks ready to breakdance.”
Robinson said his co-workers laughed at the remark and he was “completely humiliated, dejected and felt completely defeated.”
John Dalton, Robinson’s attorney, told NBC News on Wednesday that Robinson was singled out and embarrassed while at his offices in Palm Desert, California.
“Admittedly, one time, he did get up and dance,” Dalton said. “There were a number of times he was asked and he was like, ‘No, no thanks.’ And when he did get up, he was the new guy. He didn’t want to make waves.”
Dalton said he spent several months investigating Robinson’s claims and was able to corroborate most of them by speaking to his former colleagues.
At another meeting, when Robinson did not submit a baby photo of himself to use for a team building exercise centered around how well employees knew one another, a colleague displayed a photo of “Little Rascals” character Buckwheat and asked the team: “Who do you guys think this is?”
Robinson says he had already informed his colleague who was collecting the photos that he did not have one to submit and that as the only African-American in the office, his photo would be easy to identify.
Robinson alleges that he was told by this colleague that if he did not provide a photo, she would use an image of Buckwheat. He claims that he told her that the character was stereotypically racist, degrading to African-Americans and would be inappropriate and offensive to him if she used it but she did anyway.
He walked out of the meeting in tears after the photo was shown and his two supervisors apologized, his lawyer said.
Robinson also claims that he was not given a cubicle like the other sales representatives and instead, worked out of a “cramped” storage closet that had no air conditioning. The work space was half that of his colleagues, the suit states. He claims his co-workers even wondered aloud if he was put there because of his race, according to the suit.
Robinson’s doctor put him on a medical leave because of his anxiety, his attorney said. Robinson resigned from the company on Jan. 1, 2018.
Marriott Vacations Worldwide spokesman Ed Kinney told NBC News on Wednesday: “We are aware of the allegations of this suit but as a policy, do not comment on legal issues and matters.”
Robinson is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, according to the suit.
Trump Threatens to Close Border if Congress Won’t Fund Wall
WASHINGTON — On the seventh day of a partial government shutdown, President Trump threatened on Friday to close the southern border and cut off aid to Central America if Congress refuses to fund a wall.
“We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,” Mr. Trump tweeted Friday. “Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!”
“We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,” Mr. Trump tweeted Friday. “Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!”
Mr. Trump escalated his threats as up to 800,000 government workers were left in limbo and with Congress not set to take up the issue again until after the new year. “At this point, it looks like we could be in for a very long-term shutdown,” Representative Mark Meadows, Republican of North Carolina and a close ally of Mr. Trump’s, told CNN.
Democrats stood firm against agreeing to funding for a border wall, according to a spokesman for Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California and the incoming House speaker. “Democrats are united against the President’s immoral, ineffective and expensive wall, the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for,” the spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement. Mr. Hammill also noted that the White House has made no formal outreach to Ms. Pelosi since Dec. 11, when Ms. Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, met with the president at the White House.
Mr. Trump also reiterated his threat on Twitter on Friday to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as punishment to countries he claimed “are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money.”
Migrants have been fleeing Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, choosing to join caravans and confront Mr. Trump’s threats to prevent them from crossing the border over the dangers of life at home.
Mr. Trump has made threats to shut down the border completely before. Last month, Mr. Trump said he would close the border “permanently” if Mexico refused to send asylum seekers back to their native countries.
His latest warning comes as Democrats are preparing to take control of the House of Representatives and have shown no sign of caving on his demands for $5 billion for a border wall. Democrats are considering three different ways to reopen the government, none of which include money for Mr. Trump’s proposed wall, his signature campaign promise.
In a series of tweets on Friday morning, Mr. Trump also complained that the North American Free Trade Agreement cost the United States so much money “that I would consider closing the Southern Border a ‘profit making operation.’”
In another sign that the White House sees no end to the shutdown in sight, Mick Mulvaney, the budget director who is set to take over as acting White House chief of staff in the new year, said on “Fox & Friends” on Friday that Mr. Trump would remain in Washington through New Year’s Eve.
Mr. Trump, who had been scheduled to spend a 16-day stretch over the holidays at his private club in Florida, has postponed the trip because of the shutdown. His wife, Melania Trump, left on Thursday for the Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago, a spokeswoman said.
When asked about Mr. Trump’s threat to close the border entirely, Mr. Mulvaney said that “what the president is trying to do, and rightly so, is shed some light on what’s happening here.”
Mr. Mulvaney also sought to divide Democrats, indicating that while he believed Mr. Schumer might be willing to come to a compromise on wall funding, “the more we’re hearing this week is that it’s Nancy Pelosi who is preventing that from happening.”
Article via NYTimes
T.I.’s Stepdaughter Zonnique Buys Her First House
Zonnique Pullins shows off the keys to her first house.
We’ve seen Zonnique Pullins grow up before our very eyes as a featured member of T.I. and Tiny’s reality show. As the on-again-off-again couple works through their differences, they’ve always been there for their children. T.I. may not be Zonnique’s biological father but he treats her as if she were, sending so much love her way. As she continues to grow up and expand her own business, Zonnique has purchased her first-ever house today, which Tiny made sure to document on social media.
Much of Tiny and T.I.’s life is shared with their fans on TV but Zonnique’s appearances have become more and more sparse as of late. She’s got her own responsibilities now and she’s just added one more to her plate. Pullins is a first-time homeowner after she purchased her first house today. Tiny shared a photo of her daughter with the realtor as she happily held onto the keys to the front door. Of course, it was an emotional moment for Tiny as she wrote, “Super proud of My 1st. she bought her first house today!! Congratulations my beauty Queen… Your mama loves u lady!”
Congratulations to Zonnique for buying her first house. Maybe she’ll have her own reality show someday.
Article via HotNewHipHop
Check out Lovleyti’s video:
Tiny’s Daughter Zonnique Says She Regrets Eye Color Surgery+ She May Go Blind
Instagram assures users horizontal feed change was just a test
Instagram head Adam Mosseri took to Twitter Thursday to reassure users alarmed by an unannounced change in the apps’ interface that the shift from a vertical scroll to a horizontal swipe was just a test that accidentally rolled out widely.
Why it matters: There have been reports that Instagram has been testing the new design for months, presumably to foster deeper user engagement with content and less “mindless scrolling” between posts.Show less
What they’re saying: “This was supposed to be a very small test but we went broader than we anticipated…Should already be rolled back,” Mosseri said on Twitter.
The big picture: Mindless scrolling between posts was a big problem for Instagram’s parent company Facebook, and was something executives told investors repeatedly that they wanted to fix.
- To do so, Facebook changed the type of content it would algorithmically surface in the feed to include fewer posts from brands and media companies, and more from friends and family.
- Instagram seems to be trying a different approach: Swiping requires a more deliberate thumb gesture than scrolling.
Between the lines: Some users complained about the adjustment on social media, arguing that it made the functionality difficult to understand and that the “swipe” function between posts was not preferable to scrolling.
Yes, but: Users frequently complain about app redesigns at first before they adjust to changes. There was an uproar in 2015 when Instagram updated the app so that posts were no longer chronological, but rather algorithmically surfaced in the feed.
Be smart: With most redesigns, users do eventually come around. But we’ve seen with Snapchat’s redesign earlier this year how that effort can go very wrong, and alienate users who feel that the changes go too far.
Article via Axios
Ariana Grande’s Comments Have Furious Fans Accusing Her of Blackfishing
Needless to say, determining what and who is Black will have us drawing and redrawing the line all day. With that being said, are those with Black ancestry allowed to embrace their roots and “blackfish”?
Naomi Campbell Shares Rare Photo of Her Natural Hair in Cornrows on Instagram
The supermodel is taking a break from her signature straight hair
Naomi Campbell has ditched her signature straight hair once again. The supermodel shared a photo of herself in a new light on Instagram, showing off cornrows.
“Bare it all. ?? ,” she wrote in the caption of the photo, where she was positively glowing. “Done in Kenya ?? #NAOMIAFRICA.” In the last few posts Campbell shared, including the announcement that she was fronting a beauty campaign for Nars, the model had long straight hair.
Campbell has embraced her natural hair texture before, though, as recently as this past New York Fashion Week when she wore curls to take in Raf Simons’ last show for Calvin Klein, for spring 2019 (as pictured above). According to Campbell, she has been wearing natural hair more and more, in part to reverse some of the damage that years of wigs and extensions have done on her head.
“I do take more care of my hair now, because I lost all of it with extensions,” she toldThe Evening Standard in May of 2017. “I am more careful and I do different things.” When asked if her natural hair has grown back after she experienced hair loss, Campbell replied, “Yes. Thank God”.
She also talked about wearing wigs and extensions, saying, “Everybody in the world wears wigs. It doesn’t matter any more. I do what I want, or whatever the job calls for.” As for other kinds of add-ons to her appearance, like Botox and fillers, Campbell said, “If I want to do anything to myself I go pay for it and do it. If I want to do it, I do it. It’s like if I want to get eyelashes, I get them.”
Last fall, Campbell’s hairstylist Ro Morgan talked about the importance of taking breaks from extensions and wigs to allow your natural hair to thrive. “As the name suggests, a weave break is a period of time one removes their hair extensions from their hair and wears their natural hair, whether it’s in its curly state or straightened,” he toldEssence. “People who wear weaves should give themselves a weave break to avoid the risk of traction alopecia. Also, to properly cleanse the scalp and make sure that the health of the hair and scalp is maintained… I believe one should take a weave break every six months or so, for a few weeks.” Morgan has also given his take on Campbell’s latest natural hairstyle: “Her beauty is BEYOND!!!”
Article via Allure
Teen’s mugshot goes viral for the wrong reason
The mugshot of a 19-year-old man sparked a social media frenzy as many appeared to be astonished by the man’s age.
Murad Mansurovich Kurbanov was arrested Tuesday and charged with theft of a rental vehicle, failure to stop at the command of police and reckless driving, according to FOX 13 Salt Lake City.
His alleged crime, however, isn’t what got social media riled up.
A mugshot was posted on the FOX 13 Salt Lake City Facebook page and comments poking fun at the man ensued.
“Where’s the 19 yr old?? I only see the 40 yr old,” one person commented.
“If that dude is 19 then I’m 12,” another person wrote.
Another wrote: “This dude really makes me feel good about being in my 40’s”.
As of Thursday morning, the post had generated more than 650 comments.
One user also admitted they were only there for the comments.MOn Tuesday, police saw a U-Haul van run through multiple red lights and illegally pass vehicles in Murray. Police attempted to pull Kurbanov over but he didn’t stop, FOX 13 Salt Lake City reported, citing a probable cause statement.
Later, a tip led police to Kurbanov’s location. He was found at a Murray apartment complex and told responding officers he was there visiting a friend, the station reported, citing a probable cause statement.
Police escorted him to his friend’s apartment but no one answered and he couldn’t provide another way of contacting the friend, the station reported.
The U-Haul rental he had rented was supposed to be returned Dec. 14, but wasn’t. Under Utah state law, it was considered to be stolen.
Man tried to pay for McDonald’s with bag of weed
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Police in Florida say a 23-year-old man went through a McDonald’s drive-thru and tried to pay for his order with a bag of marijuana.
News outlets report Port St. Lucie police say the fast food worker denied the trade and Anthony Andrew Gallagher drove off, only to return again a short time later. Police arrested him Sunday on charges of marijuana possession and driving under the influence.
Police were alerted to Gallagher’s offer early Sunday morning and got a description of him from the worker. They say a suspect matching his description went through the drive-thru a little while later and police approached him.
It’s unclear if Gallagher attempted to pay for his order with drugs the second time. It’s also unclear if he has a lawyer.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/12/25/police-man-tried-to-pay-for-mcdonalds-with-bag-of-weed/
