Tag: because

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Headline USA Ohio

$ 20 bill is now worth more than $ 100,000 because the government printed it with a Del Monte label | The State

Why do some bills have a star at the end of the serial number? | The State
Why do some bills have a star at the end of the serial number? | The State

No one knows how Del Monte’s label was printed on the bill.

Photo:
benscripps / Pixabay

A $ 20 bill that has a misprint will now be auctioned for more than $ 100,000.

They put the name of “Del Monte Note” on the bill, and this is because the error they printed is precisely a label from this food company.

The bill is permanently tagged and also marked with the US Treasury Also, above the Del Monte tag is the serial number, which means that Del monte’s label was printed earlier on the paper, and it is not yet clear how this could have happened.

According to the auction house of Heritage Auctions, the bill was first discovered by an Ohio college student in 2004 and you got it simply by making a withdrawal at an ATM. The student posted it on eBay, where it sold for about $ 10,000. It was later sold a second time in 2006 for $ 25,300.

Collectors fell in love immediately. The location of the ‘Del Monte Ecuador’ label is ideal because it covers part of the printing details and is overlaid by part of the Treasury Seal and the serial number of the note, ”said Heritage Auctions Vice President of Foreign Currency Auctions, Dustin Johnston, according to Yahoo.

Now, It will be up for auction for the first time since 2006 and the highest bid so far is $ 105,000..

–You may also be interested: McDonald’s will give hamburgers and other products at ¢ 35 cents or less every Thursday

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Headline USA

Fight between passengers and employees of an airline in Detroit because of luggage | The State

Fight between passengers and employees of an airline in Detroit because of luggage | The State
Fight between passengers and employees of an airline in Detroit because of luggage | The State

In Internet The fight between a group of passengers and Spirit airline personnel at Detroit Airport went viral, which left 2 workers injured and one of them had to be transferred to a hospital.

The incident occurred on flight 646 that would go from Detroit to Atlanta. Before boarding the plane, airline staff instructed passengers to verify the size of their carry-on luggage Before boarding, they considered that it exceeded what was established.

This upset the travelers, who immediately they reacted aggressively against the staff, who began to yell and beat them mercilessly.

Another person who was waiting to board took out his phone and recorded the violent scene that went viral.

“The workers tried to calm the situation, but were physically attacked by these passengers when they closed a door to prevent them from getting on the aircraft. All of us at Spirit wish the officers a speedy recovery and thank them for their courage and professionalism. We also thank law enforcement for responding quickly and arresting those involved in the attack. This violent behavior is completely unacceptable and has no place in airports or any other place of business, ”the airline said in a statement.

It also emerged that the attackers were arrested.

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Categories
Headline USA New York Politics

The COVID-19 vaccination plan in New York halted because all the first available doses were exhausted | The State

The COVID-19 vaccination plan in New York halted because all the first available doses were exhausted | The State
The COVID-19 vaccination plan in New York halted because all the first available doses were exhausted | The State

The COVID-19 vaccination process in New York entered a great abyss this Friday, when Governor Andrew Cuomo recognized that “today we run out of supplies. All doses from week one to week will be used up at the end of the day. They may already be sold out ”, specified the president during a briefing at noon.

The Governor reported that “for now” there is no news about a “short-term” increase in doses for New York, it is expected to receive 250,000 doses next week, of which 109,000 will be destined for the Big Apple. At the current rate of distribution this lot it would last only about three days.

With 300,000 injections waiting in refrigerators for second injections in New York City, it has been raised in recent hours as ‘plan B’ give them as first doses, this would imply delay the second injection for a few weeks for those who have already received the initial dose. This idea is subject to authorization by the Federal Administration.

Both the Governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed that this week the inoculation plan was accelerated, but vaccines fell short for the broad demand of people over 65 years of age, teachers, police officers, rescuers and health personnel and nursing homes that apply for the stages 1A and 1B.

In the middle of next week

In New York City, more than half a million people have been vaccinated by City programs, but there is only hope that many vaccination centers will reactivate in the middle of next week when the federal government sends more doses.

“We are looking for clear answers and I want to be fair to Joe Biden’s new team. They are just walking through the door. I think i know they will need a few days to have a clear idea of ​​the vaccines available for each region ”, de Blasio said.

Journalistic sources assure that Governor Cuomo, trying to speed up the pace, did some paperwork to buy the doses directly from the pharmaceutical companiesBut that requires authorization from Washington.

Only in the Big Apple 22,000 appointments scheduled for this weekend had to be canceled and 15 immunization centers were provisionally closed, because as the Health authorities had calculated, they are finishing doses of the new drug from Pfizer and Moderna.

With the water up to the neck

The New York Health authorities report that until this Friday, the 93% of immunizations Targeted first doses had been injected.

“We have the operational capacity to do even more, but we need more supplies because the real problem is that the demand exceeds supply ”, Cuomo specified.

During the second week of the vaccine launch, after December 15, New York received 392,000 doses. Since then that number has dropped to around 250,000 every seven days. Even as the number of people eligible for inoculation has expanded.

The goal of opening campuses in the fall after teacher vaccinations becomes an illusion (Photo: NYC Mayoral Office)

The appointment that does not arrive

Only the group of adults over 65 years eligible to be injected in the entire state amounts to 1.8 million.

To that segment belongs the Dominican Asia Pichardo, 70, who lives a few blocks from the only vaccination center available in the Upper Manhattan in ‘The Armory Track and Field”. This immigrant since last week is trying to get an appointment, because as she herself warns: he wants to live many more years.

“I even came personally to see if they would help me. Dating in itself is very complicated. We have no choice but be patient and keep taking care of us, while the vaccine arrives ”, the islander commented resignedly.

The experience of Puerto Rican teacher from Queens Vicente Salazar, 45, perhaps it graphs the experience of thousands of people, since he relates that he has remained for hours since last Monday, January 11, in the virtual appointment system of the City. To the date, could not program anything.

“This is complicated. If this is the formula to open schools in September, it seems to me that we will be a long way from achieving it ”, he stressed.

Indeed, with this “slowdown” that the vaccination strategy receives, it is mathematically impossible for the Health authorities of New York City to achieve their goal of reaching the arm of 1,000,000 eligible individuals prior to January 31.

The delays in the strategy for the distribution of the “antidote” that would win the war against the pandemic and allow the economy to normalize in a few months, continues to be the center of debate in many sectors.

Spokesmen for the Single Federation of Teachers (FUT) warn that the reduced availability of new drugs could delay the opening of schools of New York City posed for the fall.

“Greater vaccine availability is the key to fully reopening everything from schools to businesses,” said Michael Mulgrew, leader of the FUT in a statement.

The other side of the crisis: vaccination points are still far from the poorest neighborhoods. (Photo: F. Martínez)

“Alarming signs”

The president of the Health Commission of the Muncipapal Council Mark Levine assured that there are “alarming signs” that vaccination against COVID-19 “is leaving people of color aside “, for which he demanded a numerical breakdown by the City Department of Health (DOHMH) of where and what racial group the doses are being administered to.

“We must act now to fix another dire situation of inequality and racial inequity, in the management of the pandemic ”, he asserted on his twitter account.

The councilor denounced that very few immunization centers have been installed in the poorest neighborhoods. In addition, he criticized that the digital system to obtain appointments is extremely complex and slow.

“We are behind in the effort to establish confidence in the vaccine among New Yorkers blacks and immigrants. We should partner with community organizations on the ground, raising the voices of local leaders. We spent more than 40 million dollars on the dissemination of the 2020 Census. We need even more to reach the majority ”, he concluded.

Will post details

Mayor De Blasio reacted to the request of the local legislator, promising that in a matter of days the DOHMH will publish more details of the immunization process.

“Everything will be transparent. I agree with Mark Levine on the most important point. We have to understand that there is mistrust, particularly in communities of color about the vaccine, after the horrible history in this country with scientific experimentation with minorities, “he said.

The municipal president assured that they have already begun to work with community groups, so that they speak the same language of their neighborhoods, and then expand the inoculation route in localities such as Washington Heights and Inwood.

The ups and downs of the vaccine

  • 1,017,350 vaccines have been shipped to NYC
  • 572,910 They had been administered until this Friday at noon by the immunization strategy of the Department of Health of the City of New York (DOHMH).
  • 77,623 second doses have been applied so far in the city.
  • 80,000 Daily doses have been applied on average over the past five days throughout NY.
  • 250,000 vaccines to receive NY next week at the current rate of distribution it would only last three days. That means the refrigerators will be empty again next weekend.
  • 2.1 million of people in group 1A (health sector workers) is the State’s vaccination goal.
  • 3.2 million are eligible for group 1B in NY (education personnel, police, rescuers, firefighters and seniors).

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Categories
Technology US

Super Bowl 2021 won’t stream in 4K or HDR this year — because of COVID

Super Bowl 2021 won’t stream in 4K or HDR this year — because of COVID
Super Bowl 2021 won’t stream in 4K or HDR this year — because of COVID

The 2021 Super Bowl won’t be available to stream in 4K or HDR this year when it airs on February 7th, CBS Sports Digital has confirmed to The Verge. The company is citing production limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason.

Last year marked the first time that the Super Bowl was available in 4K and HDR, but that stream was broadcast by Fox Sports, which had a lot more experience broadcasting 4K NFL games, having previously offered numerous games in 4K during both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

CBS, on the other hand, has never offered an NFL game in 4K / HDR before. Given the additional complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating more remote operations than usual, the company had to change plans for this year’s big game.

For what its worth, though, even Fox’s streams weren’t in true 4K, thanks to the complexity of live sports broadcasts — which, for the NFL, involves dozens of cameras in multiple locations shooting different angles of the action, along with specialty slow-motion equipment. Previous 4K streams — including last year’s Super Bowl — were actually shot in 1080p and HDR, then upscaled to 4K for the broadcast.

Despite the lack of 4K or HDR for this year’s championship, CBS Sports Digital is promising that it’ll be focusing on ensuring that streams are reliable and low-latency for this year’s broadcast, and that it remains committed to offering more live sports in 4K and HDR in the future.

Categories
Entertainment USA

Act Fast Because The Famous Amazon Jacket With Over 14k Reviews Is Currently On Sale For Under $100

Act Fast Because The Famous Amazon Jacket With Over 14k Reviews Is Currently On Sale For Under $100
Act Fast Because The Famous Amazon Jacket With Over 14k Reviews Is Currently On Sale For Under $100

Just in time for winter, the famous Amazon coat is currently on sale for under $100 & you can shop it right here!

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission. 

If you’re looking for the perfect new winter coat but don’t want to break the bank, look no further than the Orolay Women’s Thickened Down Jacket. This jacket has become famous in the past two years and was even knows as the “Upper East Side Moms Coat.” The down coat took the world by storm because it’s extremely cozy, stylish, and affordable. Luckily, the jacket is currently 65% off the retail price of $246.99, so it can be all yours for just $86.39, saving you a whopping $160.60 – how amazing is that!?

Get the Orolay Women’s Thickened Down Jacket here for just $86.39.

The jacket comes in 13 different colors and two different styles – with or without a faux fur hood. It;s made from 100% Polyester and it has an oversized fit that’s extremely cozy. The jacket is stuffed with 90% duck down and 10% duck feather, plus, the hood is lined with soft sherpa. The coat has six pockets – two secret breast pockets, two massive zippered pockets on the front, and two pockets behind the large zippered compartments to keep your hands warm and to store more essentials. The sides have zippers that go all the way up to the arms to make the coat more breathable and make it fit looser.

There’s a reason why over 14,900 people gave this coat positive reviews and it’s because people absolutely love it. One happy customer gushed, “SO WARM. So stylish! I am so in love with this coat. It seems very well put together and heavy and sturdy. I am usually a size L/XL in everything and the large fits perfectly with the zippers up on the sides. It gets a bit narrow around the hips but it’s adjustable so it’s fine! Absolutely love this coat.”

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Headlines UK

Curry worker told he couldn’t understand recipes because he is white

Curry worker told he couldn’t understand recipes because he is white
Curry worker told he couldn’t understand recipes because he is white

White man working in curry factory who was told he couldn’t understand recipes by his British Asian supervisor and should ‘go and work for an English company’ wins race discrimination claim

  • Colin Sorby complained about the comments and wasn’t given anymore shifts 
  • Supervisor Azheem Akhtar believed only British Asians could cook Indian food  
  • He claimed he apologised to Mr Sorby but the tribunal didn’t accept this  

By Isabella Nikolic For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A curry worker who was told he didn’t understand recipes because he was white and should go and work for an English firm has won his claim of race discrimination.  

When Colin Sorby complained about the ‘stereotypical’ comments at one of the UK’s leading food manufacturers, his shifts dried up and he was effectively fired.

The employment tribunal ruled the comments at Mumtaz Foods violated the production worker’s dignity.

His supervisor Azheem Akhtar thought only British Asians like himself should be allowed to work at the company that supplies meals to Indian restaurants and supermarkets, the hearing was told.

Mr Akhtar claimed he apologised, but the tribunal did not accept this as no disciplinary action was taken against him. 

When Colin Sorby complained about the ‘stereotypical’ comments at one of the UK’s leading food manufacturers (Mumtaz factory, pictured), his shifts dried up and he was effectively fired

The tribunal said Mr Akhtar was an ‘unreliable witness’ who was vague and, at times, evasive.  

Mr Akhtar said his offensive comment was a misunderstanding due to language difficulties but the employment judge said he was clearly able express himself in English on everyday matters.  

Mr Sorby, described as white British, was recruited by Bradford Management Services, a subsidiary of Mumtaz, in July last year on a zero hours contract. 

After Mr Akhtar made the comments, Mr Sorby was told he was being placed ‘on call’ – a euphemism for being dismissed. He was asked to clear his locker and hand in property.

His supervisor Azheem Akhtar thought only British Asians like himself should be allowed to work at the company that supplies meals to Indian restaurants and supermarkets, the hearing was told

His supervisor Azheem Akhtar thought only British Asians like himself should be allowed to work at the company that supplies meals to Indian restaurants and supermarkets, the hearing was told

He was also advised to look for another job because he was told he would not be offered any more work.

He was initially told by human resources manager Paulo Silva this action was being taken because of his poor attendance and performance. 

When he pressed where these allegations came from, he was told by Mr Silva that they emanated from Mr Akhtar. 

The judge said: ‘The effect of the comment was that due to the fact the claimant was not English he could not cook Asian food properly.

Mr Akhtar claimed he apologised, but the tribunal did not accept this as no disciplinary action was taken against him

Mr Akhtar claimed he apologised, but the tribunal did not accept this as no disciplinary action was taken against him

‘This was a stereotypical assumption that was not predicated on any factual basis.

‘Again, the context is everything. Mr Akhtar was seeking to justify why the claimant’s employment should, effectively, be terminated.

‘The tribunal is satisfied that the remark was made and it was used to justify what was effectively the Claimant’s termination of employment – albeit he was told he was placed ”on call”.’ 

The judge said Mr Akhtar was a long serving employee who described himself as a friend of company director Bilal Akbar.

He believed a white person should not be working for an Asian company and a decision was taken to remove Mr Sorby, the employment judge concluded. 

The tribunal upheld Mr Sorby’s claims for racial discrimination, harassment and victimisation. 

Compensation will be awarded at a remedy hearing on a date yet to be fixed.

Categories
Headline USA New York Politics

Rudy says he can’t be on Trump’s impeachment defense because speech at Capitol ‘makes him a witness’

Rudy says he can’t be on Trump’s impeachment defense because speech at Capitol ‘makes him a witness’
Rudy says he can’t be on Trump’s impeachment defense because speech at Capitol ‘makes him a witness’

Rudy Giuliani has said he will not be on Donald Trump’s legal team for the upcoming Senate impeachment trial – a day after claiming he would be spearheading the president’s defense.

Speaking to ABC News on Sunday night, the former mayor of New York said: ‘Because I gave an earlier speech [at the January 6 Trump rally], I am a witness and therefore unable to participate in court or Senate chamber.’

During the speech, Giuliani had instructed supporters to engage in ‘trial by combat’  moments before they stormed the Capitol – comments which have left him facing his own potential legal troubles. 

Giuliani’s about-turn Sunday came hours after Trump’s campaign spokesperson issued a statement to contradict an earlier claim made by Giuliani on Saturday that he’d be spearheading Trump’s impeachment defense.  

‘President Trump has not yet made a determination as to which lawyer or law firm will represent him for the disgraceful attack on our Constitution and democracy, known as the “impeachment hoax.” We will keep you informed,’ spokesman J. Hogan Gidley tweeted on Sunday.

Gidley’s Twitter feed is one of the few remaining social medial outlets Trump can use to get his message out – though Gidley must be careful not to share a message worded directly from the president, or his account would likely be shut down for aiding ‘ban evasion’. 

Giuliani, who is Trump’s personal attorney, was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after the ABC interview. His status in Trump’s eyes remains unclear after the president reportedly refused to pay Giuliani’s $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results.

It comes as confusion surrounds who will represent Trump at impeachment, with many of the lawyers who defended him in his first Senate trial declining to participate in the second. 

Giuliani was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after he had claimed to be on the president's impeachment legal team, which the Trump campaign later denied

Giuliani was spotted visiting the White House on Saturday, after he had claimed to be on the president’s impeachment legal team, which the Trump campaign later denied

Trump, seen on January 12, reportedly refused to pay Giuliani's $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results

Trump, seen on January 12, reportedly refused to pay Giuliani’s $20,000-a-day legal fees in displeasure at his failed efforts to challenge the election results

In the interview on Saturday,  Giuliani had claimed of the impeachment defense: ‘I’m involved right now… that’s what I’m working on.’

Giuliani said there are ‘different opinions’ regarding how the president should approach his second impeachment, but said he planned to show that Trump’s claims of election fraud were not incitement by proving in the Senate trial that the fraud claims themselves are true.

‘They basically claimed that anytime [Trump] says voter fraud, voter fraud – or I do, or anybody else – we’re inciting to violence; that those words are fighting words because it’s totally untrue,’ he said. 

‘Well, if you can prove that it’s true, or at least true enough so it’s a legitimate viewpoint, then they are no longer fighting words,’ he added.

Giuliani’s dozens of lawsuits alleging election fraud were all rejected in court, and Trump himself has not yet indicated whether he hopes to turn the Senate impeachment trial into a final public showdown on his unproven election fraud claims. 

The trial will take place after Trump leaves office on Wednesday, and many of the lawyers who might be likely candidates to defend Trump have indicated they are not interested.

Constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who joined Trump’s team last year and appeared in the Senate chamber, told DailyMail.com: ‘I will be defending the First Amendment in the court of public opinion, not in the Senate.’ He didn’t say whether Trump had asked him to serve in his defense.

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, seen at Trump's first impeachment, said he won't defend Trump at a second impeachment trial, but will defend the First Amendment in public

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, seen at Trump’s first impeachment, said he won’t defend Trump at a second impeachment trial, but will defend the First Amendment in public

John Eastman (left), who joined Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the January 6 rally, is being considered for a role on Trump's defense team, sources said

John Eastman (left), who joined Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the January 6 rally, is being considered for a role on Trump’s defense team, sources said

White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who helped lead the defense effort during the impeachment over Ukraine, is also not expected to participate in the latest effort, according to one person familiar with the matter. Cipollone will leave his post on January 20, when Joe Biden becomes president.

Jay Sekulow, another personal lawyer for Trump who played a role during the first impeachment, also is not expected to be involved.

Now, Trump is considering hiring a law professor who spoke at his January 6 rally, according to two people familiar with the matter.

John Eastman, who joined Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on stage at the rally, is being considered for a role on Trump’s defense team, the people said.

Eastman, 60, who made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud at the rally, would neither confirm nor deny whether he will represent Trump, citing attorney-client privilege.

Asked whether he would be willing, Eastman said: ‘If the President of the United States asked me to consider helping him, I would certainly give it consideration.’

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Eastman and has declined to comment on Giuliani. 

Last week, Trump expressed disappointment with some of Giuliani’s legal moves in challenging the election results, and ordered aids not to pay his fees of $20,000 a day in the failed push, two officials told the Washington Post.

The officials said the president is also demanding to personally approve all expenses incurred by Giuliani in his multi-state legal campaign to prove election fraud, which quickly fizzled in court. 

In his election challenge push, Giuliani held a notorious press conference in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia in November, leading to speculation that the location had been booked in the belief it was the posh Four Seasons hotel

In his election challenge push, Giuliani held a notorious press conference in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia in November, leading to speculation that the location had been booked in the belief it was the posh Four Seasons hotel

In Michigan, Giuliani's star witness Mellissa Carone (above) drew mockery from Saturday Night Live over her disjointed claims of massive election fraud

In Michigan, Giuliani’s star witness Mellissa Carone (above) drew mockery from Saturday Night Live over her disjointed claims of massive election fraud

It was a sign Trump’s relationship with Giuliani may be fracturing – although the president’s lawyer is one of the few who have vigorously defended him in public, insisting that Trump’s actions were not incitement.

Giuliani has been a key legal advisor to Trump in his election challenge, after leading a leading a personal crusade to unearth potential dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine.

The former New York City mayor’s legal charge challenging the election took bizarre turns at times, such as the notorious press conference held in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia.

It led to speculation that the location had been mistakenly booked in the belief that it was the upscale Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in Center City, although the incident was never fully explained.

At another press conference, at the Republican National Committee in Washington DC, an agitated and sweaty Giuliani appeared to be melting on live TV, with some kind of hair dye dripping down the side of his face.

Trump, who is known to fixate on the image of his aides, insisting they project a polished veneer, was likely unhappy with those debacles and the mockery they drew.

As well, Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for telling supporters to engage in ‘trial by combat’ in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.  

Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for advocating 'trial by combat' in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol

Giuliani now faces his own potential legal exposure for advocating ‘trial by combat’ in his remarks at a January 6 rally, following which Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol 

Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a 'famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.' In 'Game of Thrones' the trial resulted in Bronn (left) slitting the throat of Ser Vardis Egen (right)

Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a ‘famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.’ In ‘Game of Thrones’ the trial resulted in Bronn (left) slitting the throat of Ser Vardis Egen (right) 

Defending his rally remarks, Giuliani has said that he was quoting from the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which he inexplicably described as a ‘famous documentary about fictitious medieval England.’

‘I was referencing the kind of trial that took place for Tyrion,’ Giuliani told The Hill, referring to a character from the series. 

‘When Tyrion, who is a very small man, is accused of murder. He didn’t commit murder, he can’t defend himself, and he hires a champion to defend him,’ he added. 

Giuliani’s rally comments appear in evidence for impeachment, after a House Judiciary Committee report cited them before the House voted to impeach Trump Wednesday on a single count of ‘incitement to insurrection.’

Giuliani is also facing possible expulsion from the New York State Bar Association over the incendiary remarks. 

Removal from the bar association, a voluntary membership organization dating to 1876, is not the same as being disbarred and banned from practicing law. That can only be done by the courts.

It’s unclear whether Giuliani’s rally remarks would raise concerns for Trump about including him on his impeachment legal team. 

Categories
Tech News

Signal Is Down Now, Because of Millions of New Users Joining

Switching to Signal? 5 Tips and Tricks You Need to Know
Switching to Signal? 5 Tips and Tricks You Need to Know


Signal is facing an outage globally — thousands of users are reporting errors to site status tracker DownDetector, and Gadgets 360 confirmed this for ourselves as well. Although you can open the app and send messages, nothing is actually being delivered right now. The issues seem to have started about one hour ago at 8.30pm IST on Friday, and appears to be a global outage. 

[Update 11.50pm, January 15 – Signal has sent Gadgets 360 a message with the following statement from its COO Aruna Harder: “We have been adding new servers and extra capacity at a record pace every single day this week, but today exceeded even our most optimistic projections. Millions upon millions of new users are sending a message that privacy matters, and we are working hard to restore service for them as quickly as possible.”]

If you open Signal right now, you will see a new banner which explains that the app is facing some technical difficulties, although there are no additional details in the banner as of now. However, it does say that the team is working to restore service as quickly as possible.

The company has now confirmed that the issue has to do with the huge number of users who have been signing on to Signal, as people are moving away from WhatsApp in droves after it announced a new privacy policy, and said that if users did not accept, then their accounts would have to be removed. Signal was downloaded by 17.8 million users over the past seven days, a 62-fold rise from the prior week. Brian Acton, who co-founded WhatsApp before selling it to Facebook and then co-founding the Signal Foundation, said that the expansion in recent days had been “vertical”.

Switching to Signal? 5 Tips and Tricks You Need to Know

India is one of the markets where Signal has added a huge number of new users, so it’s not surprising that Acton said in an interview with NDTV, “what’s really awesome is India is such a strong representation of the world that if you build for India you build for the world.”

WhatsApp announced its policy changes on January 6, where it more clearly talked about data sharing with Facebook, and also gave users no choice about this. The company would later clarify that the latest change didn’t affect the privacy of messages sent to friends and family in any way, and was aimed at business accounts. However, this, along with the App Store showing privacy information for different apps made people worry about how safe it was to use WhatsApp.

signal outage screenshot downdetector signal app

Thousands of users reported problems with Signal in under an hour

Both Signal and Telegram have seen a huge influx of users as a result, with Signal becoming the number one messaging app in many markets. A tweet by Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike from earlier in the week had noted that the entire small non-profit team at Signal was working late nights and weekends to keep Signal running.

Signal’s Acton also said the company was working to improve its video and group chat functions, allowing it to compete better with WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, and other conferencing apps that have become vital to day-to-day life over the past year. Signal is looking to hire more staff as it seeks to bolster the service and supporting infrastructure, he added on Wednesday.

Does WhatsApp’s new privacy policy spell the end for your privacy? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.





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Categories
Technology US

WandaVision can be weird because Marvel has already won

WandaVision can be weird because Marvel has already won
WandaVision can be weird because Marvel has already won

WandaVision is the Marvel universe’s most comic book show yet, if not in content at least in concept. It’s a dense-looking storyline that will be released on an episodic basis, with characters and a setting that are virtually impenetrable to new viewers — so much so that Marvel Studios even went so far as to produce a clip show recapping the critical moments of the 23-odd films that precede it.

It may seem like WandaVision would be barreling toward the same issue that has hounded traditional comics for years — a high barrier to entry with complex storylines, character dynamics, and lore that span decades and serve to confuse and drive away new readers — but WandaVision arguably doesn’t have that same problem.

Pick up a random issue of Spider-Man or Iron Man, and you’ll likely be confused by the contents, unless you’ve found a particularly accessible entry ramp like a creative reboot (for example, Jonathan Hickman’s recent run of the X-Men books) or a self-contained crossover. Comic sales are doing just fine, but the industry itself is a drop in the bucket compared to the massive pop culture impact of the Marvel blockbusters. Even the bestselling books of all time can’t come close in popularity.

Image: Marvel Studios

The fact that WandaVision isn’t particularly accessible to new viewers isn’t a mark against it: it’s a spinoff of what’s arguably the single most popular film franchise ever made and a direct follow-up to Avengers: Endgame, the biggest movie in history. Comic book movies and shows are no longer tiny underdogs trying to lure in new viewers who aren’t the traditional comic audience — they are popular culture now.

WandaVision doesn’t have to cater to a new audience; it’s free to get as weird as it wants for the unprecedentedly large audience it already has, an audience that Disney is hoping will sign up for monthly Disney Plus subscriptions to watch it. (The same goes for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki and Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel and all of the other Marvel shows heading to the service.) After all, why sell customers a $15 movie ticket to a giant blockbuster only once when you can get them to subscribe to your streaming service for $8 per month forever?

In fact, Disney Plus’ very existence incentivizes Disney to make WandaVision more obtuse to new viewers. After all, all of the Marvel movies that you’d need to understand WandaVision are already on the streaming service. If someone opens up WandaVision on Friday and decides to shelve it while they work their way through the rest of the MCU on Disney Plus, then Disney wins just as much as it would have had they watched WandaVision itself. Even Marvel Legends — the recap show — requires a Disney Plus subscription to view, and it ends each episode with a list of movies (also streaming on Disney Plus) people should watch to better understand WandaVision.

The Mandalorian

Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd.

It’s a strategy that we’ve already seen Disney use to great effect with Star Wars. The Mandalorian’s second season tied in heavily to past Star Wars shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels. For fans who were up to speed on the older shows, The Mandalorian was delivering payoffs that were years in the making. For fans who weren’t, they suddenly had a great reason to keep those subscriptions going after the season finale to catch up.

WandaVision is by all accounts one of the strangest Marvel entries yet. It’s not the show the studio was hoping to use to kick off its TV efforts. (That title goes to the delayed — and more mainstream — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which will follow in March.) It doesn’t need to cater to new fans because of the sheer momentum of the Marvel machine, even though the first few episodes also demonstrate that it’s weird enough — and detached enough — from the main films that people can still come to it as its own thing.

But Marvel’s entertainment juggernaut is so big and consistent that it doesn’t really matter which show kicks off Disney Plus. The company has already won over viewers. All WandaVision needs to do is give them a reason to subscribe.

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Secret Service Paid $ 100,000 Because Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Banned Agents From Using Their Home Bathrooms | The State

Secret Service Paid $ 100,000 Because Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Banned Agents From Using Their Home Bathrooms | The State
Secret Service Paid $ 100,000 Because Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Banned Agents From Using Their Home Bathrooms | The State

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

Photo:
Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images

Secret Service agents caring for the first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared kushner They are prohibited from using any of the six bathrooms at their residence in Washington, D.C.

Officers in Washington’s elite Kalorama neighborhood who worry about death threats, secure perimeters and deal with suspects were challenged to find a bathroom.

“With instructions not to use any of the half-dozen bathrooms inside the couple’s home, the Secret Service detachment assigned to President Trump’s daughter and son-in-law spent months searching for a safe bathroom.”, indicates the report of The Washington Post.

He adds that they resorted to a portable urinal, but also to the bathrooms in the former president’s nearby house Barack Obama, even the home furthest from the vice president Mike pence.

Faced with so many problems, that agency had to rent a studio with a bathroom in a basement, which costs $ 3,000 to rent. Since 2017, $ 100,000 dollars have been disbursed from the treasury.

Although a White House spokesperson denied that Trump and Kushner prevented officers in their 5,000-square-foot home from using the bathrooms, an official said the officers were excluded at the couple’s request.

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