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The new program will give creatives the financial capital, mentorship and the space to develop a passion project that will shape the culture of tomorrow NEW YORK , Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a world where hustle culture is a necessary part of a creator's journey, time, resources and funding can be increasingly elusive luxuries for those looking to invest in their creative footprint. The makers of CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka proudly announce a chance to turn passion into production with the launch of the 'Blue Dot Creative Residency.' Centered around the verticals of entertainment, music, art and fashion, 'The Blue Dot Creative Residency' is designed to support creatives looking to expand into a new creative field and broaden their platforms by exploring uncharted ventures. The innovative program will deliver an environment of creative ease by providing them with direct funding, resources and access needed to invest back into passion projects that shape the culture of tomorrow. CÎROC has long championed greater Black representation in culture. Now, through the program, the brand will help remove the biggest barriers many diverse talents face—lack of funds and bandwidth—to expand their potential and become true multi-hyphenates. For years, CÎROC has been the vodka creatives turn to in moments of elevated celebration. Staying true to this tradition and to kick off this moment, CÎROC celebrated creatives during the biggest art week in Miami with an exclusive dinner experience held on Friday, December 6th at the iconic Rubell Museum where artists, creators and tastemakers came together to embrace the spirit of creative ease . CÎROC has enlisted entertainment industry partners to help identify and vet promising applicants for the inaugural residency class. Together, they will provide capital and unprecedented access to collaborators who will help the creative residents develop their artistic expression. This includes initiatives such as: "As a brand built for the culture, CÎROC has proudly championed luxury and creativity for over 20 years," said Victoria David , Brand Director, CÎROC. "Through the Blue Dot Creative Residency, we are excited to provide the support and resources necessary for this new generation to help shape the culture of tomorrow . " The program will culminate in the release of creative concepts across entertainment, art, music and fashion, each fueled through grants and resources provided by CÎROC and the entertainment industry partners. Through 2025, the program will support and help talent distribute and showcase their projects across different verticals, from movie theatre partnerships to commission-free art galleries. The Blue Dot Creative Residency , open to US residents 25 years old and above, will be accepting applications soon. Be the first to apply when entries open by visiting www.CÎROC.com . CÎROC encourages people of legal drinking age to celebrate responsibly. Stay up to date with the latest news, cocktails and exciting social content by following the conversation at @CÎROC . About CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka is gluten-free and distilled from fine French grapes; a process inspired by over a century of wine-making expertise and craftsmanship, providing a crisp, clean taste and citrus nose. Launched nationwide in January 2003, DIAGEO's ever-expanding flavor portfolio includes CÎROC RED BERRY, CÎROC COCONUT, CÎROC PEACH, CÎROC PINEAPPLE, CÎROC APPLE, CÎROC MANGO, CÎROC SUMMER WATERMELON, CÎROC SUMMER CITRUS, CÎROC PASSION and CÎROC LIMONATA. In June 2018, the makers of CÎROC entered the brown spirits category with the introduction of CÎROC VS, Fine French Brandy. In April 2022, the brand entered the ready-to-drink market, bringing the spirit of luxury and culture to the category with CÎROC Vodka Spritz. About DIAGEO North America DIAGEO is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, CÎROC and Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos, DELEÓN and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO ) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance, visit www.diageo.com . Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com , for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow on Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ciroc-champions-creative-ease-with-the-blue-dot-creative-residency-an-innovative-program-empowering-emerging-storytellers-302326664.html SOURCE CÎROC Ultra-Premium VodkaNone
Partnering with hummel and Northwell Health, the new kit honors the club's iconic local roots. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Westchester Soccer Club (WSC) – the first homegrown professional sports club to call New York's most populous suburb home – debuted the team's inaugural home kit last week at an event with Northwell Health, its front of kit sponsor and official health partner. See images of the new kit here and the video reveal. Through an exciting partnership with hummel, a leading global sportswear brand, and with sponsorship from Northwell Health, the home kit builds on the excitement of WSC's iconic homegrown brand unveiled earlier this summer. The White, Gold, and Blue "Zee" Kit represents the next step in WSC's campaign to deepen community engagement as it prepares for the 2025 season in the United Soccer League One (USL). Earlier this year, USL announced that Westchester County, N.Y. has been granted the rights to a USL League One franchise, with WSC to kick off in 2025 as the host of home matches at the newly renovated Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, N.Y. "Our new kits proudly showcase the defining spirit of our community. At its core, the jersey is a celebration of our heritage, with the "Infinity W" mark (found in our badge and side-striping) and the Tappan Zee Bridge representing the connection between our players, fans, and our hometown communities," said Mitch Baruchowitz, majority owner of WSC. "Northwell Health is very proud to be the front-of-kit sponsor and official health partner of Westchester Soccer Club. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to fostering a healthier, more connected community," said Dr. Debbie Salas-Lopez of Northwell Health. "The new jerseys symbolize the strength of this collaboration, and we are excited to stand alongside WSC in uniting and inspiring Westchester through the power of soccer." Designed with the vibrant spirit of the NY suburban landscape in mind, the jerseys embody the pride and identity of WSC as a uniter of families and communities in the greater Westchester Region. The distinctive home kits resonate with the club's unique identity and aim to bring fans together and feature one of the region's iconic landmarks. In addition to the introduction of the new kits, WSC is also excited to announce the availability of season ticket deposits for the upcoming League One season. A deposit includes exclusive access to club information, announcements, invitations to events and more, providing fans the opportunity to secure their seats for an exciting season ahead, further solidifying their connection to the club. The new jerseys, and other items in a brand-new line of merchandise, are now available online at WSC's website for ensuring that fans can proudly display their support for the club ahead of the season. For more information about the new jerseys, season ticket options, and upcoming events, please visit: https://www.westchestersc.com/ . About Westchester Soccer Club Westchester Soccer Club, Westchester's first homegrown professional sports team, will join USL One in the 2025 season. The club is dedicated to celebrating the region's profound love for soccer through exciting game experiences and community-focused events. With a strong commitment to nurturing local talent, WSC aims to build a world-class developmental pipeline for both boys and girls in Westchester. For more information and updates, follow WSC on social media: Twitter/X: @westchestersc • Instagram: @westchestersc • Facebook: @westchestersc Sign up for email updates at www.westchestersc.com Media Contact: Josh Vlasto josh@joshvlasto.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/westchester-soccer-club-debuts-new-home-kit-to-kick-off-upcoming-season-302317028.html SOURCE Westchester Soccer Club © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Congress, held last month in Fanafo, elected John Lum, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Santo Rural, as the president of the movement. This event marked one of the first national congresses in seven years, and it was noted for its impressive participation. The election of Lum to the presidency represents a noteworthy moment for the movement, which has been working to address issues important to the region. His leadership is expected to bring renewed energy to the movement as it continues its efforts for the people of Santo and broader Vanuatu. The congress also elected another former MP of Santo Rural, Joshua Pikioune as Secretary General (SG) of the political movement. Jeff Patunvanu, the Vice Secretary General of the Nagriamel Movement, informed the Daily Post that the congress has endorsed two candidates to contest in the upcoming snap election, depending on the outcome of the opposition’s legal battle regarding the President’s decision to dissolve Parliament. This development indicates that the Nagriamel Movement is preparing for the elections and has already selected candidates, though the timing of the election will hinge on the resolution of the ongoing legal challenges related to the dissolution of Parliament. Mr. Lum, an MP during the 8th Legislature, and Leonard Joshua Pikioune, who was elected in both the 12th and 13th Legislatures, have been endorsed as the Nagriamel Movement’s candidates for the upcoming national election. Their endorsement highlights the movement’s confidence in their leadership and experience as they prepare for the electoral contest. The Nagriamel Movement was established in January 1966 at a meeting of chiefs in Espiritu Santo, convened by Chief Buluk of Big Bay. It was the first territory-wide political movement in the New Hebrides. By 1969, it was estimated to have around 10,000 members, which represented about one in eight of the population, mostly concentrated in the northern part of the territory. The name “Nagriamel” was derived by combining the names of two plants: nagria (a type of croton) and mel (a type of cycas). The movement quickly gained prominence, and soon after its founding, Jimmy Stevens became involved with the party.
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O n July 16, a restaurant in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia, posted a video on their Instagram account that was viewed over 38 million times before it was taken down. In the clip’s opening seconds, a young-looking customer in a black ski mask and blue hoodie twists the nozzle and inhales from a long, colorful canister of nitrous oxide. His voice sounds cartoonishly pitched down from the gas when he tells the person behind the camera, “My name Lil Tae, man.” In the weeks after the video was posted, Lil Tae became a meme; people on TikTok imitated his voice in parodies, edited in Goku from Dragon Ball Z , and made a Roblox reenactment of the original video. In a post that racked up over five million views on TikTok, one user shared a fake announcement claiming Lil Tae had died from inhaling “to [sic] much Galaxy Gas .” Over the phone from Atlanta, Lil Tae tells me he went to jail over an unrelated incident a week after the restaurant posted the video. When the 18-year-old got out around a month later, his phone was full of memes and messages asking if he was still alive. He first heard about Galaxy Gas, the brand name clearly visible on the side of the nitrous oxide canister he’s holding in the video, earlier that summer when his friend started doing it. Though the video seems like a stunt, Lil Tae says it happened spontaneously. “I forgot I had it right here with me,” he says. “I ain’t plan to do that or nothing.” He doesn’t mind the memes (“Shit’s funny”), or that he seems to have become the face of Galaxy Gas (“I ain’t tripping”) though he says he no longer uses it. In the wake of the Lil Tae video, Galaxy Gas took on a viral life of its own. Videos of kids passing out after taking long hits from the nozzles quickly went viral (in some cases, demonstrating just how viral Galaxy Gas had become, videos of users inhaling other brands of nitrous were erroneously labeled as Galaxy Gas in social media captions). So, too, did a wave of videos denouncing Galaxy Gas, calling out the fact that their nitrous canisters were for sale on Amazon, and questioning why the trend seemed to be so specifically impacting young Black kids in Atlanta. A narrative began to develop; “The CIA put Galaxy Gas in Atlanta the same way they put crack in LA,” rapper Retch wrote on Twitter. SZA tweeted out a question: “Is no one gonna talk about how galaxy gas came out of no where and is being MASS marketed to black children?” Outrage over the trend only added fuel to its memeified trajectory. In an era of rage-bait , where engagement is more explicitly tied to dollars earned on social media platforms than ever, the incentive to go viral has never been more alluring. For teenagers with access to social platforms, a whole new lexicon has developed around “brain rot,” which refers to the deterioration of one’s mind after being chronically online. The term “brain rot” was even named this year’s Word of the Year by the Oxford English Dictionary. Galaxy Gas quickly emerged as one of the year’s biggest brain rot trends, as filming oneself taking hits of the brand’s brightly colored canisters briefly offered a surefire way to boost engagement. As far as drugs go, nitrous — also known as “whippets,” “hippie crack,” and quite a few other names — isn’t a new phenomenon. From Grateful Dead shows to the dawn of the rave scene, people have been inhaling the gas to get high for decades. It might bring to mind dorm room floors littered with balloons or the infamous footage of Steve-O going through canister after canister from a 2009 MTV documentary about the Jackass star’s struggles with substance abuse. But, over the last few years, whippets have steadily become a drug of choice in rap. In 2020, Atlanta stars Young Thug and Gunna shared pictures and videos of themselves in the studio holding whipped cream dispensers. Just last August, Kanye West’s former chief of staff and right-wing provocateur, Milo Yiannopoulos, alleged that West’s nitrous oxide addiction was costing the rapper more than $50,000 a month. Related Content André 3000: ‘I’d Rather Go Amateur Interesting Than Master Boring’ Rich Homie Quan Died From an Accidental Drug Overdose Atlanta City Council Declares the Inaugural 'Rich Homie Quan Memorial Day' Rich Homie Quan Is Gone. After So Much Loss, What's Next For Atlanta? Inhaling nitrous oxide provides a brief, euphoric high that can include dizziness, giggling, and hallucinations and usually lasts for a few minutes. Long-term recreational use can lead to neurological, blood-related, and psychological complications; inhaling the gas straight from a canister can also lead to frostbite and tissue damage, which is why recreational users often inhale whippets from balloons to regulate the temperature of the gas. Over the last few years, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have banned the possession and sale of nitrous outside of medical contexts. In the United States, possession of nitrous oxide is legal under federal law and only subject to federal regulation from the Food and Drug Administration. But many states have laws regulating the possession and sale to minors, and in May , after a number of nitrous-related deaths in the state in recent years, Louisiana passed a law banning the sale of nitrous oxide altogether. Galaxy Gas claims their products are for “culinary food use only” on their website, but the differences between their product and whippets of generations past are the size of the canisters (as large as 3.3 liters), the alluring flavors like “Vanilla Cupcake” and “Blue Raspberry,” and the bright, eye-catching labels. According to the company’s website, which is still live, Galaxy Gas was founded in the metro Atlanta area in 2021. Georgia state business records show that Galaxy Gas shares a business address with SBK International, a wholesale distributor of smoke shop products, and a number of Cloud 9 Smoke & Vape stores, a Georgia-based smoke shop franchise. On September 3rd, lawyers representing the estate of a 78-year-old man who was hit by a car while riding his bike in a northern suburb of Atlanta and died from his injuries a week later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Galaxy Gas, SBK International, and the Cloud 9 Smoke Co. shop where they say the driver purchased a canister of Galaxy Gas, before inhaling the nitrous, losing consciousness behind the wheel, and hitting their client. Three days after the lawsuit was filed, the owners of Galaxy Gas shut down the company. Lawyers for both SBK, Cloud 9 and Galaxy Gas have denied any wrongdoing. “The unlawful misuse of nitrous oxide products poses a serious health hazard,” the company said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned about the recent news reports and social media posts of individuals illegally misusing nitrous oxide products.” “That’s how people looked at it: We’re just doing a job.” In prior interviews, Ben and Sammy Amor have said their father, Khalil Amor, who worked at an Atlanta area GM dealership when they were kids, guided their path into entrepreneurship. “He never really told us, “You need to go make a resume or go get a job,” Ben Amor said in a 2019 interview. “It was, “Go create a job.” In 2011, when Ben Amor was a freshman at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, his parents opened a hookah lounge just a five-minute drive from his college. They began selling shisha and tobacco in the lounge, and soon after, Ben and Sammy Amor opened up their first Cloud 9 smoke shop across the street. The company has continued to expand ever since. The Cloud 9 website touts over 52 locations in Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. “I’ve always wanted to be like McDonald’s,” Ben Amor said in another 2019 interview with a business-focused podcast called HSTL UP. “You know what you’re going to expect.” In 2015, the family started their next venture: a wholesale distribution business called SBK International — named for the three brothers, Sammy, Ben, and Karim — which would supply smoke shop products for all their Cloud 9 stores and their competitors. The Amors filed trademarks around several other smoke shop products that were manufactured by third parties, branded by the Amors, and then sold in their Cloud 9 stores, including MOB Glass (pipes and bongs) and Long Beach Hemp Co (CBD tinctures and other CBD products), according to the wrongful death lawsuit. In the complaint, lawyers for the plaintiff list a number of other intermediary companies allegedly owned by the Amors, which share business addresses with some of their other companies. In the Georgia state filing for the Galaxy Gas LLC in October 2021, Khalil Amor, who is also listed as CEO and CFO of multiple Cloud 9 stores, is listed as the registered agent for the company. Because “the Amor family have not maintained the legal and financial separateness of the corporate form between the various interrelated entities they have created,” the plaintiffs argue in the complaint, “this Court should disregard the separate identity of these related and commingled entities, pierce the corporate veil, and treat Galaxy Gas, SBK International, and Cloud 9 Smoke & Vape as alter egos of one another.” (In an email to Rolling Stone , Khalil Amor denies ever owning any “ownership stake or operational control” in Galaxy Gas and says that none of his sons have ever been the owners of Galaxy Gas. “Registered agency does not equate at all to legal ownership,” he writes). In response to a list of questions, a legal representative for Ben Amor, SBK International, and Cloud 9 issued a cease and desist letter to Rolling Stone and denied that Ben Amor, Cloud 9, or SBK have ever owned Galaxy Gas. “It is clear that Cloud 9 and SBK are being conflated, perhaps intentionally, with Galaxy Gas to capitalize on some recent negative media attention that Galaxy Gas has received,” they write. “These are and have always been separate legal entities. Cloud 9, SBK, and Ben Amor have never owned an interest, controlling or otherwise, in Galaxy Gas. The sum total of the relationship is that SBK was once a distributor, and Cloud 9 was once a retail seller of certain Galaxy Gas products.” When Maynard Krakue was hired as a picker in the SBK International warehouse in August 2022, he didn’t know much about nitrous oxide and wasn’t familiar with the recreational culture around it, but his co-workers educated him on the product the company was selling; someone even showed him the Steve-O video. Generally, Krakue says, like many workplaces, there was a clock-in and clock-out mentality. “You work for Amazon — people don’t like Amazon — but it’s a job,” Krakue says. “That’s how people looked at it: We’re just doing a job.” Another former SBK International employee, who was laid off and spoke anonymously for fear of retribution, remembers overhearing calls that were coming into the Galaxy Gas customer support line from people who “couldn’t form complete sentences” and were evidently using the nitrous oxide canisters recreationally. The former employee believes that the majority of the employees in the office knew how Galaxy Gas was primarily being used “to the point that some of these calls were on speakerphone and people were laughing at it.” In 2022, the Amor brothers opened another warehouse to store Galaxy Gas and prepare orders, and Krakue eventually began working in the new space. When a new shipment of Galaxy Gas came in, which usually meant more than 10,000 canisters of nitrous oxide at a time, the team in the warehouse would sometimes prepare up to 20 orders in a day. “Sometimes there’d be so many pallets of gas we couldn’t even walk around,” Krakue says. Krakue and one other former employee say that the nitrous oxide tanks were being manufactured in China. The representative for Ben Amor, SBK, and Cloud 9 declined to comment on where Galaxy Gas was manufactured. A former employee with knowledge of the company’s shipping operations says it was common for Galaxy Gas to do “millions of dollars a month” in sales. In their multiple years working at the company, this former employee doesn’t remember seeing an order come in from a culinary institution. Krakue says he delivered orders to restaurants “a couple of times.” Jesse Sands, another former employee — who worked in the warehouse and delivered orders for Galaxy Gas before losing his job — says he remembers delivering to “two or three” restaurants. Most of the other orders came from smoke shops, gas stations, and other wholesale distributors – not just in Georgia but all around the country. Krakue, Sands, and another former SBK employee I spoke with say it was common to see Ben Amor carrying a canister of Galaxy Gas while at work. “He’s in his office, you walk by, and he’s got the tank in his hand talking to somebody,” Krakue says. “You could tell he liked it.” Sands says he saw Ben Amor inhaling from a canister of Galaxy Gas during a meeting with Cloud 9 franchise owners, while another former employee says they witnessed him doing whippets and offering whippets to other employees in a staff meeting. In response to these allegations made by former employees, the legal representative for Ben Amor, SBK, and Cloud 9 writes: “Mr. Amor has never used nitrous oxide at SBK or in any other place of employment, before or during a business meeting, or in the presence of any employee of SBK. Any SBK employees who claim to have witnessed this behavior are lying, plain and simple.” In March 2023, the company began posting video recipes for “strawberry mousse” and “vanilla cupcake nitro cold brew,” made with their nitrous oxide tanks, on the Galaxy Gas YouTube channel. This content push closely coincided with the company starting to sell its nitrous oxide tanks on Amazon, which didn’t require ID to purchase the gas (a representative for Amazon did not respond to a request for comment). Culinary recipes were posted regularly on the Galaxy Gas website, beginning in August 2021 when the company launched. A former SBK employee says they remember Sammy Amor telling them that the recipes and YouTube videos were being made specifically to cover legalities. Meanwhile, the company had begun promoting Galaxy Gas through social media ads; one user on X shared a screenshot of a Galaxy Gas ad from the beginning of 2024 with the caption, “Anytime is Party time!” Over a year later, Krakue says he saw ads for Galaxy Gas on his own Facebook, and friends who had worked with him at the company began sending him Galaxy Gas memes. “You couldn’t keep the genie in the bottle,” Krakue says. As Galaxy Gas was going viral in August 2024, Krakue and his co-workers would often discuss the ongoing conversation around Galaxy Gas online and wait for the other shoe to drop. “Even though it was getting all this attention, I still expected them to keep selling it,” he says. Then, Krakue says, in the first week of September, staff members started hearing rumors about a lawsuit against the company; they were instructed to keep the doors to the warehouse closed, not to speak to any reporters that came by, and to keep working. About two weeks later, with just one day of notice, Krakue says that word came through to his boss that the warehouse would be shutting down. The Amor brothers pulled every tank of Galaxy Gas from their Cloud 9 stores and brought it back to the warehouse where, Krakue says, the directions from their supervisor were to sort through the rest of the stock so it could be sold. The next day, they were told not to worry about the rest of the tanks — the Galaxy Gas warehouse was closed. In a statement to CBS, Megan Paquin, a representative for Galaxy Gas, said the company stopped selling on September 19 “out of an abundance of caution due to the social media trend.” Their store on Amazon has also been shut down and other online retailers list the tanks as either “out of stock,” or they’ve been deleted. Galaxy Gas, once a lucrative part of the Amor’s business, is now owned by the Chinese company that is also Galaxy Gas’ manufacturer, according to a source with knowledge of the company’s recent legal proceedings. However, Paquin told CBS in October that Galaxy Gas was owned by a Delaware-based company called Pluto Brands, LLC. But she now says Galaxy Gas is not owned by Pluto Brands and declined to share information about the current owners. In a statement provided to Rolling Stone , Paquin writes: “While Galaxy Gas has been the focus of many news reports and social media videos, many of the videos show individuals misusing other, unrelated nitrous oxide products. Galaxy Gas is neither the only nor the largest nitrous oxide brand.” “In addition to traditional culinary use, Galaxy Gas is sold in smoke shops and sex shops as an erotic novelty,” according to Paquin’s statement. “Customers use Galaxy Gas to make flavorful whipped cream lubricants for their pleasure.” Galaxy Gas may already be moving past its moment as a viral fad online, but the company’s legal battle is ongoing. In the complaint from the September 3 wrongful death lawsuit, lawyers representing the family of the man who passed away allege that the Amor family created Galaxy Gas “for the specific purpose of exploiting a substantial and burgeoning illicit market for the recreational use of nitrous oxide.” The complaint lists numerous cases dating back to 2009 of drivers around the country causing injury and harm after inhaling nitrous oxide. Over the phone, and in their lawsuit, one of the lawyers for the plaintiff says that he believes the network of businesses the Amors owned and used to distribute Galaxy Gas may make it hard for them to argue they were completely unaware how Galaxy Gas was being used: “I would submit that it’s common sense that when you’re making a giant canister of nitrous that’s flavored, with smiley faces on the can, especially with all the viral stuff out there on it, that you know damn well it’s being sold for illicit use as the manufacturer.” The legal representative for Ben Amor, SBK International, and Cloud 9 declined to comment on the pending lawsuit. A lawyer for Galaxy Gas, SBK International, and Cloud 9 has responded to the lawsuit in court with filings that deny all claims of liability and deny all wrongdoing. “ Neither Cloud 9 Smoke Co. nor SBK International, LLC have ever marketed or sold nitrous oxide products for unlawful use or misuse, which was strictly prohibited under their terms of use and conditions of sale at the time Galaxy Gas products were sold,” Paquin said in a statement. “Even though it was getting all this attention, I still expected them to keep selling it,” On September 5, a day before the Amors terminated the Galaxy Gas business license, a 17-year-old Atlanta rapper named Rudekays released a music video for a song called “Whippets.” In the video, which has just over 175,000 views, Rudekays and his friends walk around a shopping center, each carrying large tanks of Galaxy Gas and intermittently inhaling from the nozzles. Rudekays plays up the theme for the camera, at one point inhaling from two Galaxy Gas tanks at the same time and, later, inhaling from two tanks while he has another tank stuffed in his jeans. While he doesn’t explicitly mention Galaxy Gas in the song, which is set to the same beat as Atlanta rapper Sahbabii’s 2017 track “Marsupial Superstars,” Rudekays does rap lines like “Fuck the hoe from the back off the whippet” and “Eat the pussy off the whippet, bet I lick it.” Before the “Whippet” music video, Rudekays had been posting videos of himself with Galaxy Gas tanks on his TikTok throughout August. But his preview of the music video on X, which has 13.8 million views and counting, far surpassed the numbers of any of his previous clips. In the days after the music video’s release, he posted more videos on X with similar viral results. In one video, he appears to pass out after inhaling from a Galaxy Gas tank; in another video, he films a woman doing a whippet and then asks, “You ready to suck dick now?” In multiple video captions and in response to his viral tweets, he began writing “$GG.” Over FaceTime, Rudekays explains that $GG is a cryptocurrency — a meme coin — and the “GG” stands for Galaxy Gas. These coins are tied to online trends, where people buying the cryptocurrency are essentially betting on a meme’s viral trajectory. They’ve gained popularity in recent years thanks to the visibility of irony-fueled cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin, which Elon Musk has shilled to his social media followers and has a market cap — the total value of all the existing coins — of over $57 billion. While other meme coins like Shiba Inu and Pepe have also had longevity and risen to market caps in the billions, many of these coins — like the memes they’re named after — are fleeting. Over the last year, celebrities like Lil Pump, Iggy Azalea, and Andrew Tate have all launched their own meme coins. Some celebrities have been accused of operating pump-and-dump schemes with their coins, using their social media following to artificially inflate the value of these coins before cashing in their large holdings and rendering the coins worthless. Over the last three years, the SEC has charged Kim Kardashian, Jake Paul, Lindsay Lohan, and others for promoting cryptocurrencies without disclosing they were being paid for their endorsements (Kardashian, Paul, and Lohan have all settled); in November, investors filed a class-action lawsuit against Caitlyn Jenner for allegedly misleading them about the value of her $JENNER coin. Rudekays says he first heard about the Galaxy Gas cryptocurrency when someone — he declined to share their social media handle — messaged him on X, offering to pay him to promote the cryptocurrency and fund $500 worth of Galaxy Gas tanks for a new music video. “They’re telling me OK, go get the Galaxy Gas, go do this, go do that, rap about this, on this instrumental,” Rudekays says. “They’re giving me the whole plan.” “Whippet Plan” uses the same beat as Drake’s “God’s Plan,” and the music video follows the same formula — but instead of giving out stacks of cash like the Canadian rapper, Rudekays and his friends hand out tanks of Galaxy Gas to people they encounter on the street. In the beginning of the video, a title card reads, “The budget for this video was $GG.” After the video, Rudekays says he bought into $GG: He joined a Telegram channel with the anonymous crypto traders who had funded his music video and began posting screenshots of his earnings from his own investment in the Galaxy Gas coin. “When someone starts telling you about crypto, that’s a life-changing experience,” he says. “Galaxy Gas changed my life.” Even though he was using Galaxy Gas before he was getting paid to promote the coin, Rudekays now says that whippets have solely been a means to an end for him. “I don’t even like to hit that shit,” he says. “It’s just marketing, promotion.” A member of the Telegram channel, who goes by dopevelli on X, says he stumbled on the Galaxy Gas cryptocurrency at the beginning of September and introduced it to the rest of his crypto-trading community online. He claims that someone from the group, though he says he wasn’t involved, connected with Rudekays and Lil Tae to promote the coin (Lil Tae tells me he was paid around $1,500 to promote the coin in a since-deleted video). According to DexScreener, a site that tracks the performance of cryptocurrencies, the market cap for $GG rose to around $1.4 million on September 10, the week after Rudekays’ “Whippets” video was released. The coin peaked at over $3 million on November 20. Its current market cap is $57,000. Despite the fact that Galaxy Gas has stopped online sales through major retailers and transferred ownership, both Rudekays and Lil Tae tell me it’s easier than ever to get tanks of the brand’s nitrous oxide at smoke shops and gas stations around Atlanta. Lil Tim, another up-and-coming Atlanta rapper who put out a song called “Whippet In My Body” in September, tells me that he’s spent so much on Galaxy Gas at his local smoke shop that they now give him tanks for free. When I ask Tim if he worries that his song promotes whippets to his peers, he says he’s merely talking about his own day-to-day life. “I don’t tell any of y’all boys . Go smoke a whippet with me right now ,” Tim says. “I’m just saying it’s in my body.” For Rudekays, Galaxy Gas is just the most recent flavor of the month in Atlanta. “Say some new weed come out,” he says. “You’re gonna see everybody smoking shit like that. New Jordans come out, you’re gonna see everyone in the hood with them on. That’s all it is.” The trend has already died down with young people in the city, according to Rudekays, but both Lil Tae and Lil Tim say that they believe the whippet trend is here to stay. “Keep buying the whippets, keep getting high,” Tim says. “This shit is only gonna get better and better. The new flavors coming in.” Rudekays says that he and the rest of the Telegram chat sold off their $GG in early October. In his recent songs and music videos, Galaxy Gas tanks and any mention of whippets have been noticeably absent. On October 2, in seemingly his final post about Galaxy Gas, Rudekays twists the nozzle and sprays the contents of an entire tank of nitrous oxide out in the middle of the street. His caption for the post reads, “#StopWhippetsMovement.” Compared to his other Galaxy Gas-related content, the response to the post has been muted: the video has just under 5,000 views.
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WASHINGTON — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request. The airline said in an email that the problem was caused by trouble with vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. An American Airlines employee wearing looks toward quiet check-in counters Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7 a.m. Eastern that there was an outage affecting the system known as FOS. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as an airplane's weight and balance data, he said. Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said. Flights were delayed across American's major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Out of the 3,901 domestic and international American Airlines flights scheduled for Tuesday, 19 were canceled. Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights departed within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 36% — arrived at their destinations as scheduled. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 3,712 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed Tuesday, with 55 flights canceled. It did not show any flights from American Airlines. Cirium said Dallas-Fort Worth, New York's Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays. Travelers wait in line for security checks Tuesday at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms developed in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York. Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. Any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have "interline agreements" that let them put stranded customers on another carrier's flights. An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat walks through the American terminal Tuesday at Miami International Airport in Miami. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. Finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive. An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2,000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays. The groundings happened as millions of travelers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. American Airlines employees check in travelers Tuesday in the American terminal at Miami International Airport in Miami. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. "Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday," AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation's highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. "It's not the destination, it's the journey," said American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph clearly was not among the travellers on one of more than 350 cancelled or 1,400 delayed flights after a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to Crowdstrike's "Falcon Sensor" software in July of 2023. U.S. airlines carried nearly 863 million travellers in 2023, with Canadian carriers accounting for another 150 million, many of whom experienced lost luggage, flight delays, cancellations, or were bumped off their flights. It's unclear how many of them were compensated for these inconveniences. Suffice it to say, posting a crabby rant on social media might temporarily soothe anger, but it won't put wasted money back in pockets. Money.ca shares what to know in order to be compensated for the three most common air travel headaches. Bags elected to go on a vacay without you? Check off the following: If you expect a large payout, think again. Tariffs (air carrier contracts) limit the compensation amounts for "loss of, damage to, or the delay in delivery of baggage or other personal property." In the case of Air Canada, the maximum payout is $1,500 per passenger in the currency of the country where the baggage was processed. To raise that limit, purchase a Declaration of Higher Value for each leg of the trip. The charge is $0.50 for each $100, in which case the payout limit is $2,500. For Delta Air Lines, passengers are entitled to up to $3,800 in baggage compensation, though how much you'll receive depends on your flight. Delta will pay up to $2,080 for delayed, lost, and damaged baggage for international travellers, almost half of what U.S. domestic passengers can claim. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. Different air carriers and jurisdictions have their own compensation policies when flights are delayed or cancelled. For example, under European Union rules, passengers may receive up to 600 Euros, even when travelling on a non-EU carrier. Similarly, the DOT states that travellers are entitled to a refund "if the airline cancelled a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel." However, US rules regarding delays are complicated. Some air carriers, such as Air Canada, do not guarantee their flight schedules. They're also not liable for cancellations or changes due to "force majeure" such as weather conditions or labour disruptions. If the delay is overnight, only out-of-town passengers will be offered hotel accommodation. Nevertheless, many airlines do offer some compensation for the inconvenience. If your flight is marked delayed for more than 30 minutes, approach the gate agent and politely request food and hotel vouchers to be used within the airport or nearby. In terms of cash compensation, what you'll get can differ significantly based on things like departure location, time, carrier, and ticket class. The DOT offers a helpful delay and cancellations dashboard designed to keep travellers informed about their compensation rights. The dashboard is particularly helpful because, as the DOT states on its website, "whether you are entitled to a refund depends on a lot of factors—such as the length of the delay, the length of the flight, and your particular circumstances." The Canadian Transportation Agency is proposing air passenger protection regulations that guarantee financial compensation to travellers experiencing flight delays and cancellations, with the level of compensation varying depending on the situation and how much control the air carrier had. The proposed regulations include the following: The airline is obligated to complete the passenger's itinerary. If the new ticket is for a lower class of service, the air carrier would have to refund the cost difference; if the booking is in a higher class of service, passengers cannot be charged extra. If the passenger declines the ticket, the airline must give a full refund, in addition to the prescribed compensation. For overnight delays, the air carrier needs to provide hotel accommodation and transportation free-of-charge. Again, if you are unsatisfied, the Canadian Transportation Agency or Department of Transportation may advocate on your behalf. Passengers get bumped because airlines overbook. When this happens, the air carrier must compensate you. For international flights in the US, the rate is 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $675 maximum. If the airline does not make travel arrangements for you, the payout is 400% of your one-way fare to a maximum of $1,350. To qualify, you must check-in by the stated deadline, which on international flights can be up to 3 hours ahead. Keep in mind that if you accept the cash, you are no longer entitled to any further compensation, nor are you guaranteed to be rebooked on a direct flight or similar type of seat. Don't be too quick to give up your boarding pass. Negotiate for the best compensation deal that would include cash, food and hotel vouchers, flight upgrade, lounge passes, as well as mileage points. But avoid being too greedy—if the gate attendant is requesting volunteers and you wait too long, you'll miss the offer. According to Air Canada's tariff, if a passenger is involuntarily bumped, they'll receive $200, in cash or bank draft, for up to a two-hour delay; $400 for a 2-6 hours delay; and $800 if the delay is over six hours. (Air Canada was forced to raise its payouts in 2013 due to passenger complaints.) The new rules would raise the payout significantly: $900 for up to six hours; $1,800 for 6-9; and $2,400 for more than nine hours, all to be paid within 48 hours. Statistically speaking, Delta Airlines is the carrier most likely to bump. A few years ago, Delta raised its payout maximum to $9,950, while United Airlines tops out at $10,000. This story was produced by Money.ca and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants organization got exactly what it deserved in getting blown out by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants were embarrassed in Sunday's 30-7 loss , taunted by Mayfield after a touchdown run just before halftime. And then they saw their fans walk out on them again when the Bucs extended their lead to 30-0 and sent New York (2-9) to its sixth straight loss. The losing streak is the longest for the Giants since 2019, when they dropped a franchise-record nine straight games to finish 4-12. That led to the firing of coach Pat Shurmur after two seasons. Third-year coach Brian Daboll is clearly in trouble, with the Giants guaranteed a second straight losing season. They were 6-11 in a 2023 season that featured a lot of injuries. Daboll, who denies he has lost the team, isn't the only one whose job is in jeopardy. General manager Joe Schoen is on the hot seat and so is this entire franchise, which is celebrating its 100th year. It's one thing to lose. It's quite another to give up, and that's what the organization did when it decided to bench Daniel Jones a week ago and then release him on Friday after the 27-year-old asked co-owner John Mara to let him walk away. While he wasn't playing well, Jones was the Giants' best quarterback. He gave them more a of chance to win than either Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock. Removing him from the picture was all but certain to make the Giants worse, even if it was a good business decision. If Jones was hurt and unable the pass his physical before the 2025 season, the team would have been on the hook for a $23 million cap hit. The problem is the players care about now. By getting rid of Jones and elevating DeVito to the starting role, the front office was telling the team it didn't care about winning with seven games left in the season. So the players gave a lackluster effort. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence called the team soft. Rookie receiver Malik Nabers said he was sick of losing. Left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said he saw a lack of effort by some players. What they all were saying was they were angry at being betrayed. Money is never more important than winning, and the Giants made that mistake. At this point in the season? Nothing. The offense once again. The Giants have scored a league-low 163 points, including only 60 in six games at MetLife Stadium, where they are winless this season. They have scored in double figures at home twice. Daboll's team has been held scoreless in the first half in three of 11 games and it has been held without a first-half touchdown seven times. Daboll said he will continue to call the offensive plays. S Tyler Nubin. The rookie has had a team-high 12 tackles in each of the last two games. His 81 tackles for the season are just two behind team leader Bobby Okereke. RB Tyrone Tracy. The rookie leads Giants running backs with 587 yards on 116 carries — a 5.1-yard average for the fifth-round pick. But holding onto the ball has been a big issue. Tracy's fumble in overtime cost New York a chance to win in Germany against Carolina. He also lost the ball in the third quarter at the Bucs 5-yard line with New York down 23-0. It earned him a seat on the bench. LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) and OLB Azeez Ojulari (toe) left Sunday's game in the first quarter. Chris Hubbard filled in at tackle and the Giants luckily got back DL Kayvon Thibodeaux this past week after he missed five games with a broken wrist. DeVito was banged up but Daboll expects him to start against the Cowboys. 10 — The Giants have gone 10 consecutive games without an interception, tying the NFL record held by the 1976-77 San Francisco 49ers and the 2017 Oakland — now Las Vegas — Raiders. The Giants and Raiders now share the single-season mark. A national showcase on Thanksgiving Day for the NFC-worst Giants at Dallas. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL