Cathay Flight Giveaway Sparks US, Canada Frenzy for Tickets
Hundreds of thousands of people queued online for flights to Hong Kong being given away by Cathay Pacific
1970-01-01 08:00
Chef Jose Andres Wins Exemption for Gas Stoves in New Restaurant
Celebrity chef Jose Andres was given an exception to use gas appliances in his new Palo Alto restaurant,
1970-01-01 08:00
Tourism to Limit Thai Economic Pain as New Government Awaited
Thailand hasn’t been spared the political uncertainty that usually comes with elections, yet foreign tourists returning by the
1970-01-01 08:00
Montana governor bans TikTok. But can the state enforce the law?
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed into law a first-of-its kind bill that makes it illegal for TikTok to operate in the state
1970-01-01 08:00
Deadly suspected fungal infections in Texas residents linked to surgeries in Matamoros, Mexico
Five Texas residents became ill with suspected cases of fungal meningitis after traveling to Matamoros, Mexico, for surgery, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. One person died, and four others are hospitalized.
1970-01-01 08:00
'Largest underwater scanning project in history' gives never-before-seen view of Titanic
The mysterious 1912 sinking of the luxury passenger liner, the Titanic, has long served as a source of fascination for many.
1970-01-01 08:00
The Lasting Legacy of Elizabeth Stuart, the ‘Winter Queen’ of Bohemia
The daughter of King James VI and I was Electress Palatine of the Rhine and Queen of Bohemia, and through her grandson, the founder of a new British ruling dynasty.
1970-01-01 08:00
Air China Swamps Australian Flight School in Urgent Pilot Hunt
Air China Ltd. has swamped an Australian flight school with a request for commercial pilots, a sudden demand
1970-01-01 08:00
Grandmother praised for refusing to babysit daughter’s newborn unless she’s paid $20 an hour
A 29-year-old woman was in for a rude awakening when she asked the internet if her mother was in the wrong for refusing to babysit her newborn for free. “Am I the a**hole if my mom refused to help me take care of my baby while I go back to work?” u/erika_urrrika asked the popular Reddit forum. In her post, the new mother wrote that both she and her partner work full-time and cannot afford to have one parent stay home with their baby. The Redditor explained that their jobs don’t allow them to work from home, and they wanted to avoid spending money on childcare. In addition to being the breadwinner of the household, she is also saving money to pay off credit card debt and move to a bigger apartment. However, the grandmother refused to look after her grandchild for free, noting that she was “too old” and had “already raised her kids”. “Mind you, my mom is 64, has been a homemaker/stay-at-home-mom since 1992, and hasn’t been part of the workforce since then,” the daughter wrote. “She also added that if I really wanted this baby, then maybe I should have thought about staying home like she did to take care of it while my partner goes to work and provides for us like a ‘traditional’ family, and that if she any my dad were able to work it out, so can we.” When the Reddit user detailed her financial situation to her mother, she asked to be compensated $20 an hour for each hour she looks after her grandchild, including late fees for pickup. “So, am I the a**hole for wanting my mom, who again is at home all day long (trust me, she does not do anything besides watch TV and cook meals), to take care of my baby for free while me and my partner try to fix our finances?” she asked. In the comments, many Reddit users called the daughter “entitled” for expecting her mother to take care of her child for free. “Sorry to be blunt and rude but maybe don’t have a child if you can’t afford to take care of them,” replied one person. “And if your plan was always to go back to work you should have discussed that during the pregnancy with your mom.” “Your mother is under no obligation to babysit for you,” another user said. “Why are you having a child you don’t seem to know what to do with? And why have you not worked all this out before now?” A third person wrote: “Your mom is in no way obligated to care for YOUR BABY. It’s generous of her to be willing to do it for pay, and you have the gall to be mad she won’t do it for free? She is entitled to spend her life and free time however the hell she wants. It’s not her fault you’re in debt and decided to have a baby you can’t afford. The only thing she may have done wrong at some point along the line is raise you to be this horribly entitled.” “You chose to have a child, not your mother. Your mother isn’t a free babysitter,” another said. “She is right, she raised her children. Her babysitting on occasion would be kind and appreciated but you sound entitled thinking you are owed childcare.” One person simply commented, “You’re not the a**hole for wanting her too. But you’re the a**hole for expecting her to.” According to Sittercity, the average hourly rate of babysitters in the US in 2023 is $18.50 per hour, while the average hourly rate of nannies who “typically work on a full-time or set schedule basis” is $20 an hour. This isn’t the first time a babysitter has caused a stir on Reddit. Recently, a woman sparked a debate after revealing that she asked a family who cancelled on her babysitting services last minute to pay her half of the $840 she planned to charge them. The babysitter told Reddit’s AITA forum that she usually charges a “flat rate of $100 a night” while babysitting overnight. “Overall, the price for those three days was going to be $840,” she said. But when she received a text from the parents cancelling her babysitting services, she explained that she was “out three days pay”. In response to the last-minute cancellation, she asked the customer for $480, the “minimum [she’d] make at work in those three days”. She said the mother declined the request and said she was being “ridiculous”. While the babysitter noted that she and the family didn’t have a contract, “which in hindsight was stupid” and that “legally they don’t have to pay” her, she still felt that the right thing for the family to do was pay her. Read More Woman questions whether it was ‘selfish’ to refuse boyfriend’s request for $5,000 loan Babysitter asks family to pay half of $840 bill after they cancelled last minute People divided over whether you should switch tables in a restaurant if seated next to a crying baby Woman questions whether it was wrong to refuse boyfriend’s request for $5,000 loan Women urged to check blood pressure – here’s what you need to know Denise Welch remembers ‘losing sense of reality’ while facing post-natal depression
1970-01-01 08:00
AI's 'ideal body type' sparks debate across social media
As we now know, artificial intelligence has a mind of its own – and now it's dictating what the 'ideal body type' is. A recent study by The Bulimia Project asked AI software Dall-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney to design what social media would consider the perfect man and woman. Inevitably, the results were largely "unrealistic" and couldn't be more distorted if they tried. And it goes without saying, the so-called "perfect" person does not exist. When it came to women, the AI images swayed towards blonde hair, brown eyes and olive skin. AI-generated men, however, had a bias towards brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The string of images soon went viral across social media, and it didn't take long for users to chime in on AI's "problematic" take, with one writing: "The male look is actually very unhealthy." Another joked: "So, AI is basically a 14-year-old boy with no friends?" A third added: "So I need to look like I'm made of wax?" Many more slammed the software's racial bias, with the vast majority being Caucasian. "How is AI already racist?" One person asked while another said: "So the AI is also racist. I am shocked." The Bulimia Project said: "Considering that social media uses algorithms based on which content gets the most lingering eyes, it's easy to guess why AI's renderings would come out more sexualised. "But we can only assume that the reason AI came up with so many oddly shaped versions of the physiques it found on social media is that these platforms promote unrealistic body types, to begin with." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Helen Mirren stuns fans as she debuts blue hair look on opening day of Cannes
Fans of Dame Helen Mirren were left stunned after the actor debuted her bright blue hair at the Cannes Film Festival. The Oscar-winning actress, 77, arrived on the red carpet on the opening day of the 76th annual event on Tuesday (16 May). Mirren wore her hair in a messy updo highlighted with varying shades of blue and turquoise. She paired the look with a floor-length periwinkle gown, which featured folds around the waistline and an elaborate bustle in the back. The actor also carried a black fan with #WorthIt written on it in a nod to her partnership with L’Oreal Paris. Fans have been praising Mirren for experimenting with her hairstyle. “When I go grey I too shall match my hair to my outfit,” wrote one person on Twitter. Canadian fashion expert Lisa Tant wrote: “Helen Mirren turns the blue haired old lady stereotype on its head.” Mirren’s vibrant hair colour was not her first at the international film festival. In 2019 she attended with a shorter cut that was swooped back and dyed pink. She previously told US outlet People magazine that she had been inspired to make the changes after watching reality TV. “I was watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model and there was this little English girl on it,” she said. “She had bright pink hair and she looked so great.” With additional reporting from PA. Read More Vanessa Feltz blasts Ann Widdecombe over 40p cheese sandwich remark Denise Welch recalls losing ‘sense of reality’ from post-natal depression: ‘The most terrifying thing’ Fans aghast after Kanye West’s ‘wife’ Bianca Censori wears cross-shaped body tape Helen Mirren debuts blue hair look on opening day of Cannes Fans aghast after Kanye West’s ‘wife’ Bianca Censori wears cross-shaped body tape Italian designer launches scathing attack on Shein over ‘stolen ideas’
1970-01-01 08:00
5 tips to tackle a home remodel in an uncertain economy
Homeowners may be reconsidering their remodeling plans this year because of the economy’s recent turbulence, but planning and prioritizing can help you accomplish projects with confidence
1970-01-01 08:00