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A new app makes hiring security as simple as ordering an Uber. A viral TikTok with 11.2 million views reads, POV we just ordered bodyguards to pick us up from the airport. In the video, two influencers summon a pair of Protectorsprivate security in black SUVsto Newark Airport after flying in from Los Angeles for New York Fashion Week. Another clip follows: Everything we did with our bodyguards today. They get picked up from their hotel, stop for matcha, attend a runway show, and shopall accompanied by four bodyguards. @fuzzandfuzz uber could neverrrr #nyc #bodyguard #nycgirl #airportlife #uber Just A Girl – No Doubt The videos are savvy marketing for Protector, a soon-to-launch app promising on-demand personal security for the general public. These ads are working bc I have never in my life pre-downloaded an app, one commenter wrote. Another added, As soon as this app is available, Im booking. Launching Tuesday in New York City and Los Angeles, Protector charges $200 per hour for a bodyguard and a driver, with prices climbing based on the clients needswhether extra guards, a full motorcade, or high-level security measures, according to the apps 25-year-old founder and CEO, Nick Sarath. Ultra high-profile individuals like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have dedicated full-time protection teams, but for most people, navigating security options is more challenging than it should be, Sarath told The New York Post this week. Clients can customize nearly every detail, from their Protectors attire (business formal, business casual, or tactical casual) to their ridechoosing between Cadillac Escalades and Chevy Suburbans. The Protectors themselves are elite professionals with backgrounds in Air Force Pararescue, SWAT, Navy SEAL teams, and Special Operations Forces. The bodyguards are selected based on their years of experience and specialized units in which theyve served, Sarath added. All are licensed to carry concealed weapons and remain armed on duty. Beats waiting around for a taxi.
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E-Commerce
A lone anglerfish has captured the internets heart. Usually found 6,500 feet under the sea, this black seadevil was filmed by marine researchers in Tenerife swimming towards the waters surface on January 26. The shark conservation NGO Condrik Tenerife called the black, razor-toothed creature “a legendary fish that few will ever have the privilege of observing alive,” when sharing their footage on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by David Jara Boguá (@jara.natura) Tragically, the fish died just hours after being spotted, making its final swim all the more poetic. This scientific discovery has since spread across social media and sparked an emotional outpouring for this six-inch fish. I just found out about the angler fish and Im sobbing, one TikTok creator posted. Close your eyes and just imagine for one minute just ONE minute and be her. The feeling he had seeing a light other than her own and then leaving this world, another TikTok post reads, before speculating as to why the fish was so far from home. Was she sick? Scared? A bet? Or was she just lonely like most of us and had nothing to lose. Grief? the post continues. The bravest thing Ive ever seen! @robynkay46 Oh I cant quit crying! #brave #angler #fish #ocean #spain #amazing #sad #ocean #trending #fypage #fyp #fy #f #2025 #record #history #wildlife #news Outro – M83 There are a number of more realistic but less romantic theories for why the black seadevil was so close to the surface. Researchers speculate that a predator may have swallowed the fish and later regurgitated it at a shallower depth, or that it was caught in an upward-moving column of warm water Either way, the internet has taken the fishs story and ran with it. One TikTok user even used AI to create a Finding Nemo-style animation about the fishs final swim that has since gained 44.1 million views. That was someones baby, one commenter wrote beneath the video. One little fish that touched the hearts of thousands, commented another. A third added: I wonder if she knows how much she is loved up here. Someone get Pixar on the phone.
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E-Commerce
Elon Musks aggressive push to cut government spending reached new heights on Valentines Day, as employees across more than two dozen federal government departments were abruptly fired on Valentines Daywith those let go warning it could impact on how the government operates. Jack, who spoke on condition of a pseudonym (as did every ex-federal worker in this story), started working with the National Parks Service in April 2023. It was a dream job for him. I took to it quickly, and the combination of the dynamic work and beautiful environment had me hooked, Jack tells Fast Company. Jack took to the role like a duck to water: After his six-month first season working for the government, Jack scored above-average ratings in his first performance evaluation, which led to a transition into a new role, tackling major fires in the area he lives in near the national park at which he worked. Jacks response to the fires impressed his boss, who told him a 10-year full-time position would soon be coming up for candidates. Jack applied and was chosen for the position in late September 2024. I accepted graciously, and at 27, was absolutely thrilled to be in a position to make a full career with the parks and in federal service, he says. I pride myself in my work ethic, and my commitment to the taxpayers and citizens to be as efficient and effective as I possibly can, and that work ethic was also recognized by non-parks community members. Jack continued progressing in his job, but began to realize that things were amiss after Donald Trump took office, and tasked Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash federal spending. Uncertainty started to creep in, and around February 5 or 6, rumors of probationary firings started to circulate, says Jack. In the last week, the tension has gradually risen around Jack as gossip spread throughout the government. On Valentines Day, Jack began receiving messages from friends in other park units that probation workers like him were getting fired. At 4:45pm, my boss swung by my house, and broke the news that I had been terminated, showing me the email that claimed my performance was substandard and I was not necessary to the operations of the park, he says. This is not true, Jack claims, because he had just gone through a mid-term evaluation that had rated him as astounding. The federal Office for Personnel Management (OPM) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jack and his wife were cooking Valentines Day dinner at the time. When I received the news, I was completely heartbroken, he says. I dont cry often, but I absolutely lost it. I worked very, very hard, in a dangerous profession, to earn the position I was in, and to have it taken away from me truly hurt. Jack is far from alone. I received the termination email at 6:09pm Central on Thursday night, says Casey, another ex-government employee. (Again, Casey spoke on condition of a pseudonym.) My working day typically ends at 4:30pm, so this was after hours, like all emails we have received from Musk’s OPM team. Like others, Casey was told she was being terminated immediately for poor performance. I texted my supervisor that same night I received the email. He wasn’t aware this was happening. He called his supervisor, who also wasn’t aware, she says. That supervisor called the state office, who also knew nothing of these terminations. Casey expected this to happenrumors had been flying around the government after Musk mad begun cutting teams to the bone elsewherebut it still hit hard. I have a one-year old child at home, she says. We don’t have savings due to the cost of living these days. Caseys husband was recently laid off from a non-federal job. I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do, she says. The experienceand the feeling of helplessness that ensued after receiving the emailis one that many government employees are sharing right now. To me personally it has been devastating not only because I no longer have my dream job, says Derek. Derek, who works at Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, was ranked as ”Exceeded Expectations & Above Excellence” in his 2024 performance review. Now I am in a position where I have to actively be looking and researching what my next steps are going to be because I financially cannot wait to see if they take me back and I also can’t stop fighting to get clarity on what my rights are, Derek says. The only thing keeping me sane is that at least I know I am not alone, there are thousands of people in my same boat. Derek learned he was fired at 7:43pm on Valentines Day, around 10 minutes after he had read a Reddit thread where federal employees like him have been commiserating with one another. I was terrified reading what they were posting and keeping track of the agencies being affected, he says. A lot of people seem to be afraid of disclosing where they work, which I totally understand. Reddit has proven useful to Jack and his boss, too. My boss and I both were using Reddit and news articles to get information on what is going on, as we were completely left in the dark from higher-ups, he says. Reddit has been similarly vital for Casey. I hoped it wasn’t true, or would be limited, she says. But it wasn’t. Reddit has almost been our breaking news source the last few weeks. Jack adds: It eases the pain of losing my job knowing Im not alone, and that people are taking the mantle up to fight this, but it honestly made me irate that so many hardworking people, people who just started their careers in government, were being wronged in such a callous way. It’s unclear what the future holds for those probationary staff. Some who have posted in the Reddit threads are considering legal action, while others seem to prefer to simply move on from the whole ordeal. But many agree that the broader impact will soon be felt by millions of Americans. We are in bad shape for the future, says Jack, and I hope more exposure of this fact will start to scare people that havent directly been affected by the impacts of these decisions.
Category:
E-Commerce
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