‘LGBT’ sandwich causes controversy: ‘Using an entire community for publicity and profit’
Article via FOXNews
A U.K. retail chain is getting toasted roasted on social media over a controversial sandwich.
In celebration of Pride festivities in the U.K., Marks and Spencer recently began offering its “LGBT” sandwich — a guacamole-inclusive twist on a BLT — complete with packaging decorated with the colors of the rainbow flag.
But despite praise from some within the LGBTQI+ communities, the item raised more than a few eyebrows on Twitter, with some accusing the retailer of marginalizing the community and culture.
“Shame on the good folks over at @marksandspencer for turning our culture and identity into a sandwich,” one woman wrote. ”Making an absolute mockery of lgbtq people,” she added.
“I identify as #lesbian @marksandspencer[,] not a f—ing lettuce,” wrote another critic. “Why don’t you make an ethnic minority or disability sandwich while you’re at it!!”
Others, meanwhile, likened Marks and Spencer’s marketing move as “propaganda” or an attempt to profit off the LGBTQ community.
“Good Morning Britain” host Piers Morgan also called the idea “truly pathetic on Twitter,” writing, “Is there no cynical virtue-signalling depth struggling companies won’t now plunge to make a profit?”
A representative for Marks and Spencer did not comment on the response to its sandwiches, but the retailer has released a statement detailing the charitable contributions Marks and Spencer is making in honor of Pride.
“M&S has an amazing LGBTQ+ colleague network and with them we’ll be celebrating Pride 2019. For the second year running, we have created a sandwich as part of the celebrations and have received great feedback from both colleagues and customers,” a spokesperson confirmed in a statement obtained by Fox News.
“Alongside this, we’re also donating £10,000 to [The Albert Kennedy Trust,] the national LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness charity.”
A statement obtained by The Sun also confirmed the chain would be donating 1,000 Euro to BeLonG To Youth Services, a charity supporting LGBTQ youth in Ireland.
Despite the controversy, the sandwich has its supporters within the LGBTQ community.
“It’s a shame I can’t eat the M&S #LGBTSandwich but I’m really glad such a famous corporate company is on our side,” one wrote.
“Yes it’s just a sandwich, but it goes a long way to [normalizing] being LGBT doesn’t it? Seeing something that supports you on every shelf in a massive shop. no?” added another.
“They do loads for LGBT communities internally within their business and through external support including the funds this raises… easy to [criticize] brands for ‘rainbow washing’ but by god I’d have f—ing killed for my mum to have to see an LGBT sandwich when I was growing up,” another user added.
FBI honors country singer Dolly Parton
Article via WLOS
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Country singer Dolly Parton is adding another major honor to her already ‘bedazzled’ list of lifetime achievements. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recognized Parton as a distinguished community leader.
The award honors Parton’s ‘Dollywood Foundation’, which donated a total of $9 Million dollars to victims of the Gatlinburg, Tennessee wildfires in 2016 through the “My People Fund.”
Parton couldn’t attend the award ceremony at the FBI headquarters in person. But the singer sent a video message thanking and praising the bureau.
“So many thanks again, and remember that [sings] I will always love you!”
Where teachers can get free food and discounts for Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10
Article via USAToday
Businesses want to show teachers a little love.
For Teacher Appreciation Week, which kicks off Monday, some restaurants are offering free meals, buy-one-get-one free deals and discounts.
The biggest freebie day for educators is Tuesday, Teacher Appreciation Day, also called National Teachers Day.
And teachers won’t be the only ones being recognized. National Nurses Week also starts Monday and goes through May 12.
Dates of the offers and participation can vary by location. To be on the safe side, always check with your closest location before heading out. Also, some will require you to have a restaurant’s app or be signed up for emails.
These offers also require teachers to show a school ID.
May deals: Where to get free food and other discounts this month
Not impossible: More plant-based items are now available at restaurants
Some offers vary by location. Remember, to call ahead to confirm.
Arby’s: Some locations are giving teachers and school administrators with ID a free sandwich Tuesday.
Bruegger’s Bagels: The bagel restaurant is giving all teachers a free medium drip or iced coffee with any purchase and valid ID Monday through Friday.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen: From Monday through Friday, teachers dining in can get a free appetizer with the purchase of an adult entree. No coupon is needed.
Chick-fil-A: There’s not a nationwide promotion but select locations are offering teachers a deal Tuesday and some locations are celebrating for a week. Either call your closest location or search individual restaurant’s Facebook page.
Chipotle: Teachers, faculty and other school staff with a valid school ID can take advantage of a buy-one-get-one free offer from 3 p.m. to close Tuesday. The deal is on burritos, bowls, salads and orders of tacos and for in-restaurant orders only and available for educators at all levels. Learn more at www.chipotle.com/teachers.
Cicis: Teachers and school staff get a free adult buffet Tuesday for National Teacher Appreciation Day with a valid school ID and a coupon.
Cotton Patch Café: Teachers who show their teacher ID “or spirit” get 20% off Monday through Friday.
Duffy’s Sports Grill: Teachers get a $10 MVP Bonus loaded directly onto their MVP accounts during Teachers Appreciation Week Monday through Friday when they show their faculty ID badge. Sign up for the MVP program at www.duffysmvp.com/mvp.
Giordano’s: From Monday through Thursday, Giordano’s is offering 20% off any order with the code 656-263-214. The offer is dine-in and online and for both nurses and teachers.
The Greene Turtle: Teachers get a free $14 meal Tuesday with a valid school ID. Dine-in only.
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria: Teachers get a 15% discount Monday through Friday with their ID on dine-in and takeout orders. Not valid in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Also, through May 10, nominate a teacher to win a pizza party at www.grimaldispizzeria.com/teachers. Winning teachers will be announced May 31.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar: Teachers get a free small shake Tuesday when they show their school ID.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice: Teachers and educational staff get a free small menu item Tuesday with a valid school ID.
Luna Grill: All teachers get 20% off any order with school ID Monday through Saturday.
McAlister’s Deli: Teachers get a free McAlister’s Deli Sweet Tea during Teacher Appreciation Week, Monday through Friday with a valid school ID.
McDonald’s: Not a nationwide deal, but RetailMeNot reports some McDonald’s are offering a free chicken McNuggets meal to teachers with a valid ID.
Metro Diner: From Monday through Friday, teachers and school faculty members get 20% off their check.
MOD Pizza: On Tuesday, teachers get a buy-one-get-one free deal on MOD-size pizza or salads with their school IDs on in-store orders.
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes: Teachers text TEACH to 97455 and get a coupon for a free burger with purchase of fries and a drink or shake to redeem on Wednesday. School ID must be presented at ordering for this dine-in offer.
Nando’s PERi-PERi: Teachers get a free flame-grilled chicken meal Tuesday at all 42 U.S. restaurants.
PDQ: Teachers get 50% off your entire order with a valid ID Tuesday.
Pei Wei: From Monday through Friday, teachers get 33% off regular entrees when they present their teacher ID. This offer is only for in-restaurant purchases.
Pluckers Wing Bar: Teachers get a free appetizer and half-price glasses of wine Friday.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop: All teachers get a buy-one-get-one offer Monday through Sunday, May 12.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers: From 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, teachers and faculty get one free Box Combo when they present current school IDs.
Roy Rogers Restaurants: Teachers with a valid teacher ID get a free milkshake or dessert with any purchase Monday through Friday.
Salata Salad Kitchen: Teachers get a buy-one-get-one free offer Friday, May 10, on salads and wraps when they show their valid school ID. Teacher must be present and the free salad or wrap must be of equal or lesser value.
Scooter’s Coffee: Teachers get half off any drink Monday when they show proof.
Slim Chickens: With valid school IDs Tuesday, students and teachers get a 20% discount and a free cookie with dine-in and drive-thru orders.
Sonic Drive-In: This Teacher Appreciation Month deal is for teachers and “those who appreciate them as much as Sonic does,” the fast-food chain says. From Tuesday through May 31, get a free Route 44 drink or slush with purchase when ordering on the restaurant’s app with promo code TEACHERS. Download the app at www.sonicdrivein.com/app.
More deals: Some smaller chains and locally-owned businesses also will have deals for teachers. One of the easiest ways to find specials is by checking social media accounts.
YouTube Star Austin Jones Sentenced For Soliciting Minors For Explicit Videos
Article via Deadline
A popular YouTube singer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for soliciting sexually explicit videos from his teenaged female fans.
Austin Jones, age 26, built a strong following by singing a cappella covers of pop hits and had done well in concert tours. But in 2017, he was arrested and charged with two counts of production of child pornography.
The youthful-looking Jones confessed to asking six underage girls to make pornographic videos of themselves and send them to him as a way to prove they were true fans, according to a plea agreement. The girls were as young as 14.
He pleaded guilty in February. US. District Judge John Z. Lee sentenced him to 10 years in federal prison.
“Production and receipt of child pornography are extraordinarily serious offenses that threaten the safety of our children and communities,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Neff Welsh said in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Jones’ actions took something from his victims and their families that they will never be able to get back.”
Jones said in his plea that he used Facebook to persuade the minors to send him videos and pictures about 30 times. He lured them by telling them they were part of a modeling opportunity and that he could assist them in obtaining followers on Instagram.
To mitigate his sentence, Jones claimed he himself was sexually abused as a child.
Study: Teen suicide rate spiked in month after ’13 Reasons Why’s’ release
Article via Aol
A new study found that an increase in suicide rates among U.S. boys age 10-17 in April 2017 correlates with the release of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” in 2017. The show depicts a teenage girl’s suicide following the recovery of a box of cassette tapes she left behind detailing the 13 reasons why she decided to kill herself.
The study was published Monday in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and funded by the National Institute of Health. It found that 195 more suicides than expected occurred in the nine months after the March 31, 2017, release. And in the month of April, 2017, more suicides occurred than in any April of the previous nine years. Although the show focuses on the suicide of a teenage girl, teenage boys represent the only demographic with a significant spike in suicide rates. Suicides among teenage boys jumped 28.9% in the month following the release.
The show’s depiction of teen suicide has caused controversy since its release.
The Nation Association of School Psychologists issued a warning statement: “We do not recommend that vulnerable youth, especially those who have any degree of suicidal ideation, watch this series. Its powerful storytelling may lead impressionable viewers to romanticize the choices made by the characters and/or develop revenge fantasies. They may easily identify with the experiences portrayed and recognize both the intentional and unintentional effects on the central character.”
The study does not claim a causal relationship between watching the show and committing suicide. It does, however, control for seasonal and other factors that could influence suicide rates. The study concludes that the show is associated with a surge in teen suicide and cautions children and adolescents from viewing the series.
Netflix said in a statement Tuesday, “This is a critically important topic and we have worked hard to ensure that we handle this sensitive issue responsibly.”
“The results of this study should raise awareness that young people are particularly vulnerable to the media,” study co-author Lisa Horowitz, a staff scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health, said in a statement. “All disciplines, including the media, need to take good care to be constructive and thoughtful about topics that intersect with public health crises.”
Two seasons of “13 Reasons Why” are currently available for streaming. Season 3 is slated to come to Netflix later this year.
Check out some Lovelyti videos:
Mari & Mercedes C0mm!tt Su!c!de Days Apart~ social media is calling them 2017 Romeo & Juliet
Glee actor Mark Salling found dead while facing prison time for child pornography
Multiple people broadcasting their su*c*de on facebook live! ~PLEASE SEEK HELP!
Should a minor offense ruin a life? No, says ex-superintendent who defecated near H.S. track
A former superintendent is suing police for releasing his mug shot, saying it fueled “sophomoric, inaccurate and damaging” news coverage.
Article via NBCNews
A former New Jersey schools superintendent who pleaded guilty to defecating at a high school track and field complex near his home is suing police for releasing his mug shot to news outlets, alleging it fueled inaccurate coverage that has permanently and irreparably altered his life.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in New Jersey, Thomas Tramaglini says the Holmdel Township Police Department violated his constitutional rights by its “unlawful taking and subsequent leaking” of the picture after he was issued summonses last year. The lawsuit names the police department, township, police chief and some police staff.
“The booking photograph should have never been taken, to say nothing of the fact that it was immediately thereafter unlawfully released into the public domain, fueling sophomoric, inaccurate, and damaging ‘new stories’ about Plaintiff,” the lawsuit states.
The release of mug shots is “expressly prohibited under” state law for low-level, noncriminal offenses, such as those Tramaglini faced, his attorney, Matthew Adams, told NBC News.
Tramaglini’s life has been ruined as a result of the dissemination of the photo, his lawyer said.
He resigned as superintendent of the Kenilworth school district in the northern part of the state after a 20-year career in public education. The mug shot, in particular, was cited by the Kenilworth Board of Education as a reason for parting ways with him, according to the lawsuit.
“Tramaglini will never achieve the level of compensation, benefits and retirement pension income that he would have otherwise if the unlawfully taken photographs of him had not been released into the media to satisfy the prurient interests” of some police and others, the lawsuit says.
Tramaglini told NBC News he has obtained some limited work outside the education field, but is underemployed and struggling to get back to where his career was before the release of his mug shot.
He was charged with lewdness, littering and defecating in public in May after police said he repeatedly defecated on the Holmdel High School track. He pleaded guilty in October to relieving himself in public in a single instance due to a medical emergency, and he paid a $500 fine.
He also submitted to the court and prosecutor’s office proof of a medical condition known as runner’s diarrhea that often affects distance runners and that is brought on from acute blood flow during exercise.
Tramaglini is seeking unspecified monetary damages, as well as attorney’s fees.
In February, Tramaglini asked New Jersey’s attorney general to investigate whether police acted unlawfully when they took his mug shot and released it to the media.
David Schwartz, an attorney representing the Holmdel Township Police Department, did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday but told NBC News in February that the township “does not comment on matters of pending or threatened litigation, or to such letters as the Tramaglini letter of February 25, 2019.”
Two HIV Cases Linked to Spa That Gave Trendy ‘Vampire Facials’
Article via Gizmodo
The so-called vampire facials that have been touted by celebrities
for ostensible rejuvenation benefits have been linked to two cases of
HIV in New Mexico, according to health officials.
The New Mexico Department of Health first warned that clients of the since-closed VIP Spa in Albuquerque should be tested for possible blood-borne infections—including HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C—last fall after an inspection found the spa’s practices could have put some clients at risk.
On Monday, the NMDOH said that “laboratory testing on specimens from the two clients indicates recent infection with the same HIV virus, increasing the likelihood that the two HIV infections may have resulted from a procedure at the VIP Spa.”
Officials urged anyone who had a procedure involving a needle injection at VIP Spa between May and September of last year to undergo free testing for the viruses. Free testing sites include the South Valley Health Commons and Casa de Salud Family Medical Office, both located in Albuquerque.
“While over 100 VIP Spa clients have already been tested, NMDOH is reaching out to ensure that testing and counseling services are available for individuals who received injection related services at the VIP Spa,” NMDOH Cabinet Secretary Kathy Kunkel said in a statement.
Dr. Barbara Sturm of Molecular Cosmetics has been credited as a member of the team that developed the trend. (Her brand sells a $1,400 blood cream.) The procedure has been championed by Gwyneth Paltrow’s controversial lifestyle brand Goop,
which describes a blood facial as a process in which “healing factors
from a patient’s own blood are re-injected into skin, rejuvenating it in
much the way PRP treatments help heal joints and injuries in
orthopedics and sports medicine.”
The vampire or blood facial, as it’s sometimes called, has won clients in celebrities from Kim Kardashian (who later claimed she regretted it) to Victoria Beckham. Kardashian, who wrote in a blog post last year that she was not able to take painkillers before her own procedure because she learned she was pregnant, described it as “the most painful thing ever.”
NMDOH this week urged anyone seeking cosmetic procedures involving needles to make sure that they’re being done by a licensed medical professional.
NASA was sold faulty aluminum in 19-year scam
The space agency linked it to two mission failures.
Article via CNET
NASA found that the 2011 Glory mission failed due to faulty aluminum. NASA
NASA on Tuesday revealed that a pair of failed missions were caused by a 19-year aluminum scam.
The space agency previously said the 2009 Orbiting Carbon Observatory and 2011 Glory missions malfunctioned when the protective nose cones on the Taurus XL rockets failed to separate on command.
However, a joint investigation involving NASA and the Justice Department revealed that the problem was caused by aluminum extrusion maker Sapa Profiles, which falsified critical tests over 19 years.
Employees at the company’s Portland, Oregon, facilities tweaked failing tests so materials appeared to pass from 1996 to 2015, according to the Justice Department.
“They then provided the false test results to hundreds of customers across the country, all to increase corporate profits and obtain production-based bonuses,” wrote G. Zachary Terwilliger, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Sapa, which has since changed its name to Hydro Extrusion Portland, agreed to pay $46 million to the US government and other commercial customers — which doesn’t even come close to the $700 million NASA lost as a result of Taurus XL failures. The company is also excluded from contracting with the federal government.
“It is critical that we are able to trust our industry to produce, test and certify materials in accordance with the standards we require. In this case, our trust was severely violated,” said Jim Norman, NASA’s director for launch services, in a release.
PlayStation Plus offers Overcooked, Edith Finch in May
Article via Polygon
PlayStation Plus subscribers will get access to two PlayStation 4 games as part of the service in May: Overcooked and What Remains of Edith Finch.
Ghost Town Games’ Overcooked is a frantic, multiplayer kitchen sim in which teams of cooks grab ingredients, cook ’em up, and serve them to impatient diners. It’s a great way to test friendships, as well as a rollicking good time. Ghost Town released a sequel in 2018, which made it to Polygon’s best local multiplayer games list.
Giant Sparrow’s What Remains of Edith Finch is an anthology narrative adventure game in which players explore the family home of the eponymous Edith Finch and uncover the stories behind the people who died there. It was one of our favorite games of 2017 and can be enjoyed in a single weekend.
April’s PlayStation Plus games — Conan Exiles and The Surge — are available to download through Tuesday, May 7, when next month’s games go live.