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Click here to read the full article. L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso responded on Tuesday to TV ads that compare him to Donald Trump, accusing the ads’ principal financial backer, mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg , of “lying” about him. The mayoral primary is just two weeks away, and polls show Caruso in a tight race against Karen Bass in a multi-candidate field. If no candidate secures a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff. More from Variety Hollywood Divides on L.A. Mayor: Karen Bass or Rick Caruso? Nicole Avant Shares Lessons From Her Mother, Jacqueline: 'She Never Let Me Leave the House Without the Knowledge of My History' Rick Caruso Wants to Expand L.A. Mayor's Powers on Homelessness Katzenberg, a longtime Hollywood power broker and Democratic fundraiser, has contributed $600,000 to an independent committee supporting Bass, a Democratic congresswoman. In recent days, the committee has aired TV ads that call Caruso … [Read more...] about Rick Caruso Slams Jeffrey Katzenberg for ‘Lying’ in Trump-Themed Political Ad

Members of a popular internet forum showed support for one long-time employee who was faced with the prospect of training someone for the position they believed they deserved. In a viral Reddit thread published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/watashiwaikiru (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said they shouldered a much greater workload after their manager's health declined and thought they were in line to take over the vacated role until a new hire stopped that notion in its tracks. Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for not training the person that got the job I wanted?" the post has received nearly 6,800 votes and 800 comments in the last day. Explaining that they have worked for their employer for almost three years, the original poster said that eight months ago, their work responsibilities changed dramatically. "My manager's health took a slight turn...and they officially made me assistant manager," OP wrote. "Since then I have taken on a lot of my … [Read more...] about “Overlooked”: Employee backed for not training person hired for dream job

Fifty years later, the words still burn in Henry Snow’s memory: “I believe God provided you for me until such time as I find a wife.” They were uttered, Snow recalled, by the man who he says sexually molested him when he was 17 — and who was driving him home from Sunday services at a large Baptist church in Dallas. “He was a huge, big presence, and everybody thought he was the greatest guy in the world next to Jesus,” Snow said of the man, who was at the time a prominent member of the megachurch. “When he said that to me, I just remember a stunned silence. And I don’t know if I said this but I was certainly thinking: ‘But what about me? You mean God’s only plan for me is to be your sex toy until you get married?” Snow spoke out as the Southern Baptist Convention is reeling from revelations that it failed to protect more than 700 worshippers from 220 ministers, deacons, volunteers, Sunday school teachers and others who were found guilty of sexually abusing churchgoers … [Read more...] about Five decades after alleged abuse, Texas man cheers proposed Baptists’ changes

___ Social media hammered by mounting questions over advertising SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Social media has had a rough 2022 with lingering questions about advertising spending and a $44 billion takeover of Twitter that may or may not be happening, depending on which Elon Musk tweet you read. And late Monday, Snap issued a rather dire profit warning, saying that “the macroeconomic environment has deteriorated further and faster than anticipated,” since just last month. All social media competes for advertising money, which is increasingly under threat from spiking inflation and also changes at Apple Inc. that can restrict the information social media platforms can collect on users, a big selling point for advertisers. Shares of Snap plunged 43% Tuesday and shares of Meta Platforms, Twitter and Alphabet all slumped alongside it. ___ Stock market slump unsettling Americans eying retirement NEW YORK (AP) — Americans on the cusp of retiring are facing a tough choice as they watch … [Read more...] about Business Highlights: Social media’s slump, retirement woes

Facebook (now Meta) CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently changed the company’s name to Meta in an attempt to be able to project it at the forefront of the up and coming digital frontier called the metaverse. As Zuckerberg celebrates his birthday today, let’s re-examine the metaverse and what his vision for the same is. It all started in June 2021, when Zuckerberg announced that the future of his company would go far beyond the current setup. He claimed that Facebook would strive to build a set of interconnected experiences straight out of the sci-fi world — which was dubbed as metaverse. To simplify, the metaverse is a lot more digital stuff that will just be parallel to a person’s physical life. A collection of virtual worlds, the metaverse will allow users to meet, play, talk and buy stuff. While the idea sounds tempting, in an era where most people are said to have a ‘social media problem’ this can also be a terrifying idea and Zuckerberg’s vision for the same seems to be on an abysmal … [Read more...] about So Close, Yet So Far: Mark Zuckerberg’s Vision For Metaverse and Growing Distances

Insurance company State Farm said Monday that it would dissolve its relationship with The GenderCool Project, an organization that supports transgender and non-binary youth, after facing backlash from some customers. The company said it would no longer support the organization after some customers and staff members became concerned that it was providing LGBTQ-themed books to schools and public libraries. The announcement comes amid a growing conservative movement in the U.S. to ban gender identity and LBGTQ topics from being discussed in school curriculums. "State Farm's support of a philanthropic program, GenderCool, has been the subject of news and customer inquiries," the company said in a statement to reporters late Monday. "Conversations about gender and identity should happen at home with parents. We don't support required curriculum in schools on this topic. We support organizations providing resources for parents to have these conversations." The company added that it … [Read more...] about What is GenderCool? State Farm cuts ties with LGBTQ program after backlash

China’s longest-running gay pride festival in the eastern city of Shanghai has been canceled indefinitely, the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported on Friday. ShanghaiPRIDE, which organizes the event each summer, said in a statement posted to its official WeChat social media account on Thursday that it was “canceling all upcoming activities and taking a break from scheduling any future events.” “[T]he decision was difficult to make but we have to protect the safety of all involved,” co-founder Charlene Liu said in a separate statement. “It’s been a great 12-year-ride and we are honored and proud to have traveled this journey of raising awareness and promoting diversity for the LGBTQ community.” Though the exact reason for the event’s cancellation remains unclear, HKFP says that ShanghaiPRIDE had previously postponed a series of events this year due to the ongoing Chinese coronavirus pandemic, suggesting that the pandemic may have been a factor. Shanghai recorded 16 new … [Read more...] about China’s Oldest Gay Pride Parade in Shanghai Canceled

W hat’s the deal? Interest-free credit agreements allow you to borrow an amount of money over a set period with no interest charged. They often don’t even require a deposit, which means you don’t need to part with any cash until the first direct debit payment. You can usually, however, choose to put down a deposit, which will reduce your monthly repayments. Retailers don’t just hand out deals to anyone — you will need to meet eligibility criteria which may differ from shop to shop. Your application might be online or in person, but either way there will be a lengthy form to fill out. You will need to provide details such as your employment status and a history of addresses. A credit check will be carried out where they will be looking for a good, clean history of repaying debts, including credit cards. Who is offering what? Lombok, Sofa Workshop, Marks & Spencer and Laura Ashley are among those offering interest-free credit without a deposit. Lombok … [Read more...] about Pay monthly furniture: how does interest-free credit work and which stores offer the best deals?

Actress Rebel Wilson was photographed with an arm around Prince Harry this weekend. The star had mocked the royal's interview with Oprah Winfrey at the BAFTAs earlier this year... before revealing a mystery member of the royal family had vetted her joke. Wilson, star of Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids , uploaded a photograph to Instagram on Sunday showing her up close and personal with the prince with the caption "Team Harry!" The photograph was taken at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club in California where Harry's polo team Los Padres was playing in a fixture watched by Meghan Markle . Ahead of her hosting of the 75th BAFTA Film Awards in March, Wilson told BBC 's The One Show that though she was nervous about the ceremony, she at least had peace of mind that one key aspect of her set wouldn't cause offense. Speaking to show hosts, Lauren Laverne and Jermaine Jenas, Wilson explained she ran her royal jokes by a member of the family to see if they struck … [Read more...] about Rebel Wilson seen with Prince Harry after mocking royal’s Oprah interview

The deliberately vague U.S. position on its willingness to defend Taiwan isn't gone, Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday, 24 hours after pledging a military intervention if the democratic island were to be attacked by China. The president answered "no" when asked in Tokyo whether his calmly spoken commitment to defend Taiwan had broken the policy known as "strategic ambiguity," which for more than 40 years has seen past presidents and officials purposely skate around the question of possibly deploying American forces to the Taiwan Strait. "The policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday," Biden said, according to reporters covering the final day of the first Asia tour of his presidency. The policy Biden referenced on Monday was the U.S.'s "one China" policy , which recognizes the legitimacy of the Chinese government in Beijing, but acknowledges—rather than recognizes or accepts—the position that Taiwan is part of China . Among the … [Read more...] about Joe Biden says no change in U.S. ambiguity on Taiwan defense