News Roundup 12/10/20
Olivia Jade opens up about college admission scandal
Olivia Jade Giannulli opened up about the college admissions scandal that resulted in her parents, actress Lori Loughlin and designer Mossimo Giannuli, in prison. Olivia Jade appeared on an episode of “Red Table Talk” on Tuesday Dec. 8, to publicly share her experience of the scandal in a place that felt safe. She revealed that when she was applying to colleges, she was not fully aware of what was going on and had been living in her own bubble of privilege where paying a college recruiter was normal.
Source: CNN
FBI warns of COVID-19 vaccine scams
As the United States approach closer to the approval of a Covid-19 vaccination, the FBI is warning Americans of potential vaccine fraud. Timothy Thibault, FBI Washington field office assistant special agent in charge, told ABC News there could be issues in distributing the vaccine and scammers will use this to their advantage. According to EUROPOL, the European Union’s Law Enforcement arm, in Oct. they found a fake flu vaccine in Mexico and they worry the same will happen with the Covid-19 vaccine. Thibault mentions, bad actors will reach out to people who seem most vulnerable and may take advantage of their desperation to get the vaccine early. Thibault warned no Americans should have to pay for the vaccine and anyone telling them to do so is wrong.
Source: ABC News
TikTok ‘Ratatouille’ musical
Due to the pandemic closing Broadway houses and performance venues across the country, musical theater lovers have taken it upon themselves to burn-off pent up creative energy by making TikToks. They create songs, dances and set designs for a hypothetical musical version of the 2007 Disney-Pixar movie “Ratatouille”. Now the show is coming to virtual life in a one-time-only benefit performance. On Wednesday Dec. 9 Seaview, a theatrical production company, announced it would present an online performance of the show on Jan. 1 to raise money for the Actors fund. The performance will also be available for streaming for three days.
Source: New York Times
More men reaching for sewing machines
Fashion designer Norris Dánta Ford grew up in foster homes and cleverly used clothes to impress his future parents, dressing his sister and himself up in multiple outfits to show how stylish they were. Ford realized the confidence that can come from clothes therefore he went on to build a career as a stylist, working with celebrities including Prince and Matthew McConaughey, before realizing the creative potential in making his own clothing. Sewists have long worked to shake the old-fashioned housewife imagery often associated with their hobby. Quarantine has accelerated this trend, with CNN reports saying a significant rise in sewing machine sales. In lieu of traditional crafting circles, makers are connecting on social media to build community and promote diversity and inclusiveness. Within these groups are an increasing number of men making clothes not only to break traditional gender stereotypes but also advocate for body acceptance, racial justice, and more sustainable lifestyles.
Source: New York Times
Feds crack down on service animals on planes
The Federal government is enacting a new rule restricting the types of service animals that will be allowed on commercial airline flights. It will only allow dogs that meet specific training criteria, meaning that bringing an emotional support cat, pig or even peacock on a plane may soon be coming to an end. This new rule is in response to the growing backlash over the recent years to airline passengers trying to bring all kinds of wild and outlandish pets onto planes. A flight attendant for American Airlines and spokesperson for the flight attendants union, Paul Hartshorn Jr. mentioned that for years members have been dealing with untrained, sometimes wild animals in the aircraft cabin.
Source: NPR