Grooms-To-Be Hope To Convince Mattel To Create A Barbie Same-Sex Wedding Set
Two Arizona men say they’re planning to meet with Mattel in hopes of convincing the toy manufacturer behind Barbie to include same-sex couples in their offerings.
Matt Jacobi and Nick Caprio of Scottsdale, Arizona, told “Good Morning America” they wanted to surprise their niece, Natalie, on her 8th birthday with a gift that would get her excited about being a flower girl at their 2019 wedding. So they decided to buy her a Barbie Wedding Set ― normally featuring Barbie as a bride and Ken as a groom, along with two flower girls and a cake ― and swap out Barbie for a second Ken so the toy would resemble their forthcoming nuptials.
“We have a wonderful, loving and caring Italian family,” Jacobi said. “Everyone is so excited for our big day, especially my two nieces. They have been talking about our wedding all year long and have been raised to understand and only know that love is love!”
The uncles presented Natalie with the doll set Dec. 8. Later that day, Jacobi snapped a photo of the gift and posted it to his Instagram as an open letter to Mattel.
The image caught the eye of someone at Mattel, and Jacobi says the company has reached out to him and Caprio about setting up a meeting in Los Angeles, to be held later this month or in early January.
When contacted by HuffPost, a Mattel spokesperson confirmed that the company had been in touch with the couple.
Both men say they’re overjoyed with the response.
“My nieces only knows that only Uncle Matt loves Uncle Nick and Uncle Nick loves Uncle Matt,” Jacobi told Out magazine. “Kids are taught to hate, they’re taught to have negative feeling about those who don’t fit the social norm. It’s time that we bring positive examples into the commercial market. … Toys are tools for teaching.”
Mattel has made a number of inclusive gestures with Barbie in recent years, introducing curvy, tall and petite dolls into the brand in 2016.
And Barbie ― who will turn 60 in March 2019 ― has even taken a stance on marriage equality in the past. In 2017, two photos posted to the doll’s official Instagram page showed her wearing a “Love Wins” T-shirt and posing alongside a doll created in Los Angeles-based fashion designer Aimee Song’s likeness.
If a same-sex Barbie Wedding Set is created in the future, Caprio is hopeful that parents will view it as another example of the brand shifting to represent modern life as opposed to a political message.
“It’s going to come up in your family no matter what,” he said. “As more same-sex couples are having kids, your kids are going to have kids in the class that have gay parents and things like that, too, so it’s not this huge shock anymore.”
via: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/barbie-same-sex-wedding-doll-set_us_5c17a0a9e4b05d7e5d8418e3
I was beat up in McDonald’s — and the employees just watched
She went in for a cheeseburger and fries and ended up McPummeled at a Manhattan fast-food joint owned by polo-playing scion Bruce Colley.
Elizabeth Storelli says in a new lawsuit that workers at Colley’s McDonald’s at West 71st Street and Broadway failed to help her when she accidentally bumped into a woman in the crowded eatery and was severely beaten.
“I thought I was going to die,’’ Storelli, a 49-year-old nurse, told The Post.
Storelli said she was headed home from a bar, where she’d had a couple of glasses of wine with girlfriends, around 10:30 p.m. July 24, 2015, when she stopped at the Mickey D’s.
The Upper West Side joint is owned by the man who famously broke up Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s marriage to Kerry Kennedy and whose elderly mother was found murdered at his family’s Westchester County estate in November 2015.
“I hadn’t eaten a lot, so I went in there and ordered some fries and a cheeseburger,” Storelli recalled.
“There were a lot of people in there, and a girl bumped into me and things just escalated from there. She called me a ‘white b—h,’ and that’s when a guy came over and poured the soda over my head,” Storelli said.
“I was in shock. I did swear. I was like, ‘What the f–k?’
“The next thing I know, I saw a group of people coming toward me.”
Storelli said she fled the restaurant, but an unruly group of customers followed her outside, and the next thing she knew, “Once I got out of the McDonald’s, they had me down on the sidewalk, and guys and girls were just surrounding me and punching me on the head and kicking me.”
Not a single McDonald’s employee came to her aid, the woman said.
“There were probably three [McDonald’s workers] at the registers. I remember seeing a manager on the floor walking around,’’ Storelli said. “Nobody got involved at all. They were just watching.’’
Even a Manhattan Supreme Court justice who recently green lighted the woman’s 2016 suit said, “Once soda was poured on her head, defendants had a duty to take protective action.’’
A good Samaritan finally came to Storelli’s rescue and cradled her head until cops arrived.
Storelli suffered a concussion and broken rib in the attack.
Two women, Joselin Santos, 16, and Annie Figueros, 33, were charged with assault and harassment in the case. But they ended up with no criminal records, and their cases are sealed.
Storelli is suing franchise owner Colley for unspecified damages.
Her lawyer, Joseph Napoli, said the eatery had security protocols in place instructing employees on how to deal with violent incidents, but they weren’t followed.
Napoli said there is surveillance video from inside the eatery but that McDonald’s told him the cops took it, and he can’t get it from them.
Colley told The Post in an email, “Our biggest priority is always the safety and well-being of our customers and employees. Due to pending litigation it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.’’
via: https://nypost.com/2018/12/17/i-was-beat-up-in-mcdonalds-and-the-employees-just-watched-suit/
Violent Altercation Between Brothers Ends With Florida Father Fatally Shooting Son
A sheriff says a Florida father is “absolutely shattered” after fatally shooting his 30-year-old son who’d gotten into a confrontation with his younger brother over a game of pool.
Martin County Sheriff William Synder told a news conference that Joseph Maloney got into a violent struggle early Sunday with his brother, 26-year-old James Maloney.
Synder says Maloney had his sibling in a choke hold with one arm while holding knife with the other. The incident followed a long night of violence at the home in Stuart.
Snyder says the father, John Maloney, hasn’t been charged because the shooting is considered an act of protecting his other son from great bodily harm or death.
The family told investigators Joseph Maloney had been under a great deal of stress from a 2015 DUI manslaughter case.
‘Adulting Day’ at Kentucky School Teaches Teens How to Pay Bills, Cook and Change a Tire
What life skills will teens need to know when they get out into the real world?
A high school in Kentucky was hoping to help answer that question when they held an “Adulting Day” last week.
According to Louisville, Kentucky, television station WAVE, seniors at Bullitt Central High School in Shepherdsville were taught how to cook when they get to college, how to change a tire, and how to pay bills.
“I think that the idea occurred to me, originally, I saw a Facebook post that parents passed around saying they needed a class in high school on taxes, and cooking,” Christy Hardin, director of the BCHS Family Resource & Youth Services Center, told WAVE.
The day also consisted of students getting one-on-one time with members of the community such as police officers who told them how to act during traffic stops. Other guest speakers included members of the Army.
South Carolina Pastor Denies Using Church Funds to Buy Lamborghini for Wife
“You light my fire, let this Lamborghini light your fire, baby.” So said Pastor John Gray when he gave his wife a Lamborghini Urus last Sunday—a gesture that sparked some criticism of his spending habits, the Houston Chronicle reported.
But Gray, an associate pastor at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Greenville, South Carolina, is defending the $200,000 buy.
“God helped me to make my wife’s dream come true,” he wrote on Instagram, per the Chronicle. “Why not? She’s made mine come true!”
In a Facebook Live video, he also denied using any church funds, saying a reality TV show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, savings and investments, and book deals paid for the flashy vehicle.
“The stories that I hear, and I’ve tried to not listen to it, but one of them is, ‘pastor buys his wife, you know, this expensive car,’” says Gray. “First of all, it wasn’t a pastor that bought the car. It was a husband that bought the car.”
Not to mention that he preaches about God’s desire for human beings to get wealthy and give to the church—and that his wife has his back: “MY HUBBY IS A HARD-WORKER, HE WORKED HIS WHOLE LIFE AND HE SAVED TO BLESS HIS WIFE!!!” writes Aventer Gray on Instagram.
So-called “prosperity preachers” like Osteen (who lives in a $10.5 million mansion) have taken heat for their lavish lifestyles, but Gray tells the Greenville News that “if you work hard and pay your taxes, then you should be able to live where you are able to afford.” (One televangelist told followers to help him buy a $45 million jet.)
via: https://ktla.com/2018/12/17/pastors-lamborghini-purchase-has-jaws-dropping/
Deer Poacher Ordered to Watch ‘Bambi’ Repeatedly as Part of Sentence
A judge ordered a Missouri poacher to watch the Disney classic ‘Bambi’ repeatedly as punishment for his role in one of the largest poaching busts in state history, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
David Berry Jr. “is to view the Walt Disney movie ‘Bambi'” at least once each month during his confinement at the Lawrence County Jail, starting Dec. 23, according to court records. Berry Jr. was sentenced to one year behind bars, as well as a concurrent 120 days for a felony firearms probation violation.
Prosecutors said Berry Jr., along with his brother and father, illegally slaughtered bucks for their heads. Berry Jr. was the only one the judge ordered to watch the classic Walt Disney movie.
“The deer were trophy bucks taken illegally, mostly at night, for their heads, leaving the bodies of the deer to waste,” Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter said in a Missouri Conservation Department news release.
The busts followed a multiyear investigation called Operation Game Thief, which involved roughly 100 state, federal and Canadian wildlife officers working in multiple states.
“It is unknown how many deer the main group of suspects has taken illegally over the past several years,” Lawrence County Conservation Agent Andy Barnes said. “It would be safe to say that several hundred deer were taken illegally.”
Investigators say they caught another one of David Berry Sr.’s sons, Eric Berry, using a spotlight in 2017. Deer often freeze when the light is shined into their eyes, making them easier to kill.
David Berry Jr. and David Berry Sr. lost their Missouri hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for life, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Eric Berry and Kyle Berry lost their licenses for 18 years and 8 years, respectively. A fifth man Jerimiah Cline, who helped the Berrys, won’t be allowed to hunt for five years.
The Berrys collectively have paid $51,000 in fines and court costs.
via: https://ktla.com/2018/12/17/deer-poacher-ordered-to-watch-bambi-repeatedly-as-part-of-sentence/
Dog owner slashes woman in the face who tries to pet dog on MTA bus
MELROSE, the Bronx — A woman slashed a bus rider in the face after the rider attempted to pet her dog on an MTA bus, police said Monday.
Police responded to a call of a person assaulted near East 149th street and Morris Avenue around 2:30 p.m.
They arrived to find two women on an MTA bus with one of the women carrying a dog.
Police said the incident happened when the woman tried to pet the dog, the dog owner became upset and slashed the woman in the face.
The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for four slash wounds.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/12/17/dog-owner-slashes-woman-who-tries-to-pet-dog-on-mta-bus-police/
Santa ripped off beard, told children ‘get the f*** out’ during Christmas festival meltdown – due to a fire alarm
ST. IVES, England – Organizers of a Christmas event have apologized to outraged parents after a fire alarm reportedly prompted Santa Claus to burst out of his grotto, rip off his beard and scream at children to “get the f**k out.”
The incident occurred at an event in the English town of St. Ives, Cambridgeshire on Sunday, when an alarm at a nearby but unconnected event caused an evacuation of the building, organizers said.
While parents and children were already evacuating, Santa Claus tore into the room and started causing havoc, a customer said on Facebook.
“He came changing (sic) in, ripped his hat and beard off in front of 50 odd kids and started shouting and swearing at people to leave,” the post said.
“You should be ashamed of yourself acting like that in front of children. There is no way he should be allowed near a child,” it added.
This nightmare before Christmas prompted an apology from the event’s organizers, who explained that the fire alarm had gone off in an unrelated family-friendly “rave” taking place in the same building, and that Santa had merely been trying to help.
“Santa was upstairs in his grotto… and immediately assisted in the evacuation of the building” upon hearing the fire alarm, Festival Events St. Ives (FESt) said.
“FESt wish to apologize for any offense or distress caused to parents and children by the attempts to ensure all visitors and staff had exited the building and were safe,” they added.
But the incident, which some on social media likened to the 2003 movie “Bad Santa,” left parents furious.
A mother told local news outlet Cambridgeshire Live: “My friend’s little boy was upset as his dad was carrying him when Santa told them ‘to get the f*** out,’” adding that she had to tell her children that the man wasn’t the real Santa but an imposter who would be going on the ‘naughty list.’”
The event is set to go ahead again this weekend. Organizers did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment, and have not confirmed whether the same Santa Claus will return.
7-year-old immigrant girl dies of dehydration, shock after Border Patrol arrest
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Federal immigration authorities have confirmed that a 7-year-old girl who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her father last week died after being taken into the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.
The Washington Post reports the girl died of dehydration and shock more than eight hours after she was arrested by agents near Lordsburg, New Mexico. The girl was from Guatemala and was traveling with a group of 163 people who approached agents to turn themselves in.
It’s unknown what happened to the girl during those eight hours before she started having seizures and was flown to an El Paso hospital.
In a statement, Customs and Border Protection said the girl had not eaten or consumed water in several days.
The agency did not provide the Associated Press with the statement it gave to the Post, despite repeated requests.
Woman accused of holding housekeeper captive, forcing her into marriage
A New Jersey woman held her Sri Lankan housekeeper against her will for nearly a decade, forcing the victim to marry her and work without pay as a domestic servant, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Alia Imad Faleh Al Hunaity, who also goes by Alia Al Qaterneh, of Secaucus, was indicted last week in the case on charges of forced labor, alien harboring and marriage fraud.
Hunaity, 43, pleaded not guilty to the charges in Camden federal court on Wednesday and she was released on $150,000 bond, according to the office of New Jersey’s US Attorney Craig Carpenito.
Prosecutors charge that Hunaity brought the victim to the US on a temporary visa in 2009 to perform domestic services.
Hunaity caused the Sri Lankan national to overstay her visa and the victim remained in the US illegally, living with Hunaity for more than nine years, federal authorities say.
During that period, Hunaity forced the victim to work without pay “by means of threats of serious harm” and “threatened abuse of law and legal process,” according to an indictment.
Hunaity, according to prosecutors, also limited the victim’s interaction with the outside world.
On April 11 of this year, Hunaity made the victim marry her for the purpose of obtaining legal residence for the victim so that she could continue to work for Hunaity without being paid, the court papers say.
Authorities busted Hunaity on Sept. 19.
Hunaity faces up to 30 years behind bars. The forced labor charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Hunaity also faces a fine of $250,000.