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Larry Magid: Beware of ‘smishing’ scams

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

The first few times I got a text message from a stranger that appeared to be directed at someone else, I politely informed them that they’d reached the wrong number.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: Smartphone essentials for traveling abroad Business | Magid: UN Internet Governance Forum focuses on AI Business | Magid: Pixel Watch 2 adds health features, improves performance Business | Magid: Polly Klaas tragedy changed how we look for missing children But now I ignore such seemingly misdirected text messages, because they could very well be scams, designed to get you into a conversation and lure you into a potential scam. If you respond, often they’ll respond back in a gracious manner, perhaps with a question, offer or even photograph, designed to lure you into a conversation. It’s all about establishing rapport with friendly back and forth messages that might lead to “oh by the way, check out this really cool website”...

California No. 1 for worker dissatisfaction, by this measure

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

Let me introduce to you a noteworthy slice of California’s job market – the dissatisfied worker.It’s this good-sized group of unhappy Californians that helps explain consumer jitters, despite a largely healthy economy. You’ll find them, statistically speaking, in a gap between two job-market benchmarks.Here’s the math: California’s official unemployment rate averaged 4.2% in the 12 months ended in June. In the same period, a very broad measure of statewide joblessness was 8.7%.Remember, joblessness is measured by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which polls workers. The key difference between these two workplace yardsticks is two groups: “discouraged” workers – the people who are not in the official workforce but who would work if offered a job – and the “underemployed” workers – those folks with part-time gigs who want full-time work.My trusty spreadsheet found California’s 4.5-percentage point gap between these two rates to be the largest among the states.Next in the dissatisfac...

California says electric cars now make up a fifth of auto sales

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

By Dana Hull | BloombergOne out of every five cars sold in California is now powered by a battery, registration data released Wednesday by the California New Car Dealers Association shows.In the first nine months of 2023, electric vehicles accounted for 21.5% of cars sold in California, a figure that’s more than doubled in the past two years. When combined with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles, the year-to-date figure is 35.4%.California has long been a champion of electric cars, and Governor Gavin Newsom said he’ll phase out sales of new, gasoline-powered cars by 2035 as part of the state’s fight against climate change. Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. was founded in the state, and the EV adoption curve has accelerated faster in California than in other parts of the country.Battery-powered cars make up only 7.4% of the overall US auto market, the California report said.That’s helped the state defy some of the gloom now facing the broader EV market. Both Tesla and conventional au...

15-year-old Palo Alto girl reported missing has been located

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A 15-year-old girl who was reported missing has been found safely, the Palo Alto Police Department announced Thursday morning. The girl left her home Tuesday night at about 8 p.m. before being located overnight Thursday.The girl did not have a phone on her when she went missing, police said.

No. 21 Tulane visits East Carolina looking to stay unbeaten in AAC race

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

No. 21 Tulane (7-1, 4-0 American Athletic Conference, No. 24 in CFP) at East Carolina (1-7, 0-4), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)Line: Tulane by 17 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: ECU leads 12-7.WHAT’S AT STAKE?The Green Wave’s current ranking is the highest of the season and the third straight week of being in the AP Top 25 since returning Oct. 15. Tulane is the league’s only ranked team, yet it finds itself in a three-way tie atop the league (with Atlantic Coast Conference-bound SMU and UTSA) and can’t afford a stumble. As for the Pirates, the goal is just to find any type of positive momentum. KEY MATCHUPTulane’s offense against ECU’s defense. Tulane ranks ranks fifth in the AAC in scoring (30.6) and seventh in total offense (405.9). The Green Wave’s offense has put up five straight outings of 30-plus points since two games in the 20s in September. The Pirates’ defense has been the strength for ECU, holding opponents to ...

Kings Dominion owner merging with Six Flags in amusement park deal valued at $2 billion

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

Amusement Park operator Cedar Fair, whose parks include Kings Dominion in Virginia, will merge with Six Flags Entertainment, whose parks include Six Flags America in Maryland, in an all-stock deal valued at $2 billion.The companies call the deal a merger of equals. Cedar Fair shareholders will own 51.2% of the combined company, while Six Flags shareholders will own 48.8%. Both companies’ boards have approved the deal. It still needs shareholder approval.The newly-formed company will operate under the Six Flags name, but adopt Cedar Fair’s New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol “FUN.”Combined, the company will operate 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks and nine resort properties in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.Amusement parks had a good summer this year. Six Flags parks drew 9.3 million visitors in the third quarter, up 16% from a year ago. Cedar Fair’s parks had 12.4 million visitors in the third quarter, a 1% increase.“Six Flags and Cedar Fair shar...

UAW members at the first Ford plant to go on strike vote overwhelmingly to approve new contract

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Autoworkers at the first Ford factory to go on strike have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a tentative contract agreement reached with the company. Members of Local 900 at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, west of Detroit voted 81% in favor of the four year-and-eight month deal, according to Facebook postings by local members on Thursday.Two union officials confirmed the accuracy of the percentage Thursday. Neither wanted to be identified because the vote totals had not been made public.About 3,300 United Auto Workers union members went on strike at the plant Sept. 15 after the union’s contract with Ford expired. They remained on the picket lines until Oct. 25, when the union announced the tentative deal with Ford.Production workers voted 81% to ratify the deal, while skilled trades workers voted 90% in favor. Voting at Ford will continue through Nov. 17. Local union leaders from across the country at Jeep maker Stellantis are meeting in Detroit T...

The NBA’s In-Season Tournament is finally set to begin, giving teams another trophy shot

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

Someone asked San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich this week about the chances the Spurs and rookie Victor Wembanyama have of winning the NBA Finals this year.Popovich politely laughed. “Talking about the Spurs and the finals is premature,” he said.But there is another trophy the Spurs — and every other team in the league — have a chance at winning. The NBA’s In-Season Tournament starts Friday, after years of planning by Commissioner Adam Silver to have a second trophy for teams to compete for during the season. He’s likened it to what happens in global soccer and thinks having something besides the end-of-season title will heighten interest.“It’s exciting for everybody,” Popovich said. “You have to understand: all these guys are very competitive. It doesn’t matter what team. They’ve been competitive all their lives to reach this level of basketball. If you put something out there like this, it just adds to that competitiveness and really signals what might...

Spurs managers old and new face off as Postecoglou awaits Pochettino’s Chelsea

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — A lot has changed at Tottenham since Mauricio Pochettino was shown the door four years ago this month. The club is on its fourth different manager since then, for a start. But by design or sheer luck, Spurs have stumbled across a coach in Ange Postecoglou who has re-energized the club in double quick time and brought the kind of feel-good factor that hasn’t been present since Pochettino’s departure. The Australian’s impact since being hired at the end of last season has defied expectations and Pochettino returns to Tottenham on Monday with his former club undefeated and at the top of the Premier League after 10 games. Postecoglou is the first coach to win the Premier League manager of the month award in his first two months in England’s top flight — a feat even Pep Guardiola did not manage. And he could make it a hat trick after being nominated again for October. Even the most optimistic of Spurs fans could not have hoped for such a...

Flight attendants who blamed uniforms for their health issues win a lawsuit against clothing company

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

A jury in California ruled that a clothing company should pay more than $1 million to four American Airlines flight attendants who blamed chemicals used in the production of their uniforms for causing a variety of ailments including rashes, headaches and breathing problems.The verdict last week could be just the tip of the iceberg: Lawyers say they represent more than 400 other flight attendants who are making the same claims against the uniform maker.The judge has not affirmed the jury’s decision. A lawyer for the flight attendants called that step a technicality. The uniform maker’s lawyers declined to say whether they will appeal.American gave new uniforms to flight attendants in 2016, and many were happy to get them after a decade wearing the same outfit. Complaints soon followed, however. “I would wake up and my eyes would be completely swollen. I looked like I had been in a boxing match,” says Tracey Silver-Charan. “I was unable to breathe. I often felt like I was ...