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Dating apps are working with police after a surge in the number of ‘Passport Brothers’ in Colombia who have been drugged, killed or robbed after meeting local women

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Photo by LexScope via Unsplash.com

Following a warning issued by the U.S. Embassy in Colombia about a rise in drug use amongst men searching for a good time on dating apps, several apps have pledged to work with law enforcement to assist prevent romance scams against travelers.

Tinder was one of the first to step in and comply with cooperate with the embassy.

The Colombian city of Medellín has turn into a prime goal in cases where travelers in search of romance are drugged, then robbed and sometimes killed after making contact on dating apps like Tinder and Grindr.

Photo: LexScope via Unsplash.com
Dating app firms are working with Colombian authorities and app users to make dating safer for men traveling to Colombia in search of romance. (Stock photo: LexScope via Unsplash.com)

Men, also known as “passport brothers”, are tempted to the metropolis by guarantees of meeting beautiful local women. But after they least expect it, they are administered a dangerous cocktail of sedatives, including the potentially deadly scopolamine, which may render the victim unconscious.

Although the drug often causes loss of consciousness, in some cases it will possibly be fatal.

On February 29, Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, sent representatives to Colombia to satisfy with authorities to find out a path to maintain its subscribers protected.

To discover those using the app for illegal purposes, U.S. Embassy officials, the FBI, Medellín hotel officials and local authorities gathered for a meeting. Their goal was to brainstorm ways to trace criminal activity on the app.

Tinder has pledged to supply Colombian police with training on its crime reporting platform. It may even allow law enforcement to request information in the app that would help investigate attacks.

Following the meeting, U.S. officials in Medellín held a town hall meeting for American residents to find out next steps, pledging to make a “concerted effort” to reply to attacks on Americans and to work with local influencers to create content for them to maintain them protected during their stay in the country.

Apps have already began making changes, and so has the rest of the world reported.

In January, Tinder users who set their location to Colombia began receiving warnings on the app about “elevated threats” they may be exposed to. They also received suggestions on learn how to prioritize their safety.

According to Kayla Whaling, spokeswoman for Match Group, Tinder uses each automatic moderation and humans to detect potential red flags that will arise for Americans.

Another feature is that users also can get “verified” by taking a selfie that matches the photos on their profile.

In February, gay dating app Grindr introduced in-app warnings in response to “increasing violence,” a spokesman for the platform said.

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Elaine Welteroth and Jonathan Singletary welcomed their second child

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Elaine Welteroth, Jonathan Singletary, Elaine Welteroth has baby, Black famous mothers, Black mothers, Black maternal health, birthFUND, theGrio.com

Elaine Welteroth has a brand recent bundle of joy!

The 37-year-old media personality and founding father of birthFUND welcomed her second child, a son named SantiGold, together with her husband, musician Jonathan Singletary, in early November.

While Welteroth said People Magazine that she and her growing family are “healthy and happy” – she admitted that she has been affected by sleep problems since welcoming the most recent member of the family.

“I’m not sure my brain is working at full speed,” she told the web site. “I’m sleep-deprived, but I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Recalling the precise day she went into labor, she stated that she just knew it was the day.

“His birth was largely orchestrated by God,” she explained. “I just instinctively said, ‘I’m going to send my kid to school, and when he comes home, he’ll have a little brother.'”

In addition to her general spidey senses, Welteroth had an impulse to be outdoors, so she went to the park.

“The moment I sat down on the grass, I felt the first contraction,” she said. “I assumed, ‘Let’s go, honey.’ “It’s happening.”

Still, there was no immediate sense of urgency for the young mother of two, even stopping to do some Reiki within the park together with her midwife. Shortly thereafter, she returned home for what she described because the “most beautiful” and “peaceful” home birth. SantiGold’s peaceful delivery could also be a part of the inspiration behind his name, which she said means “peace” in Thai.

“I think you’re more confident in the process the second time around,” she noted, adding, “You can trust the method more. The baby was born inside three hours, I could not consider it.

Welteroth, who welcomed her first child, a boy, together with her husband in April 2022, has long touted her second pregnancy as a “redemptive pregnancy.” Its first stage was marked by complications and anxiety. Halfway through, after learning concerning the full scope of the Black mother’s health crisis, she began working with a midwife and decided to have a house birth. She also learned what number of families couldn’t afford the life-saving care of midwives and doulas, which led her to launch the FUND birth fund earlier this yr.

Elaine Welteroth shares her pain story in Advil's 'Believe My Pain' campaign

It was through the organization’s official opening that she learned she was pregnant together with her second child, announcing the primary group of beneficiaries. Now her organization is preparing to reward 41 more families.

“I started with the mantra: ‘We are the ones who have to save ourselves,’” she said. “I’m just very, very proud of our team and that we can help women and families, especially in this moment when we see how the system is failing families. I am truly encouraged and hopeful.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Lifestyle

The ultimate Black-owned gift guide for Divine 9 members

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When it involves honoring the wealthy legacy of the Divine Nine, selecting the proper gift is about greater than just aesthetics – it’s about celebrating the history, culture and unwavering bonds of Black Greek letter organizations. Whether it’s Founders’ Day, inheritance ceremonyor just to point out like to a valued senior or fraternity brother, a meaningful gift reflects the pride, strength and purpose these organizations embody.

From stylish accessories to memorabilia that captures the essence of those organizations, these Black-owned brands can assist you to honor the spirit of service and sisterhood – or brotherhood – that outline the Divine Nine experience.

Truth 2 Code

(Photo: True 2 The Code)

Truth 2 Code offers a variety of fashionable accessories for members of the Divine Nine. Adding street style to classic Greek pieces, the True 2 Greek collection allows members to point out off their letters and private style.

Estelle coloured glass

(Photo: Estelle Colored Glass)

Although they might not be sold as a Greek seller, Estelle coloured glass prepares amazing gifts for members of Greek literary organizations. With a wide selection of coloured glassware designs, consider giving your favorite soror or fraternity brother a set of glasses of their organization’s colours.

(*9*)

DVN

(Photo: DVN)

DVN is a Greek clothing brand that hopes to redefine traditional Greek accessories by offering designs that completely fit people’s on a regular basis style. Founded by Danielle Render, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., DVN combines progressive design and meticulous craftsmanship to create jackets, necklaces and custom pieces that allow all D9 members to “represent their affiliations with confidence and authenticity.”

Vontélle Divine glasses collection

(Photo: Vontélle)

Designed for us, Vontélle is a Black woman-owned eyewear brand offering optical frames and sunglasses that complement Black facial expression. Vontélle “Divine” Collection combines the brand’s mission to create better-fitting, vibrant, fashion-forward styles with colours and patterns inspired by historically black sororities and sororities.

Betty Plus promotion

For over 30 years Betty Plus promotion, Black, a family business, is a one-stop shop for Greek accessories, clothing and custom embroidery. Offering deals for every Divine 9 organization, Betty’s Promo Plus offers collections of transition gifts, holiday gifts and more.

Fashionably Greek

(Photo: Fashionably Greek)

Fashionably Greek provides a various range of trendy and customizable clothing options, offering clothes and niknaks for all D9 sororities and choose fraternities (Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi). Its products are perfect for any occasion, from homecoming to social events and even to the office.

University nativity scene

University nativity scene is certainly one of the biggest Greek accessories stores. This Black family-owned business offers a big selection of merchandise for each D9 and non-D9 Black Greek organizations. Customers can shop online or visit a store near Tennessee State University in person.

Macy’s Divine Nine Fraternity and Sorority Collections

(Photo courtesy of Macy’s)

Macy’s Divine Nine Brotherhood collection AND Kasper Sorority Collection pay tribute to the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations by offering men’s and girls’s clothing that highlights the distinct colours of every organization. These business-style garments are perfect for members to subtly have fun their affiliation at work events and/or branch meetings.

Black-owned brands will be able to shop from Oprah's 2024 favorites list

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Lifestyle

Why Denzel Washington quit drinking at 60

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Denzel Washington, alcohol use, sobriety, drug abuse, Gladiator II, Denzel Washington retiring, theGrio.com

Denzel Washington has been sober for nearly a decade, but he had one particular vice: wine.(*60*)

In a brand new profile, the 69-year-old actor talks about his history with wine, drugs like LSD and growing up in New York within the Seventies. Esquire magazine..(*60*)

“Wine is very difficult,” he warned. “It’s very slow… It’s not like boom.”(*60*)

He explained that, unlike harder substances, he had “the perfect idea for wine tasting and so on – and that’s how it was in the beginning.”(*60*)

“And this is a very subtle thing,” he added.(*60*)

Washington said his habit really took off in 1999, when he built a house with a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar and “learned to drink the best of it.”(*60*)

He added: “My passion was wine, and now I was pouring $4,000 bottles just because it was left.”(*60*)

The “Gladiator II” star eventually developed an intake management system; he frequently ordered the 2 best bottles of wine available at his favorite liquor store.(*60*)

“And my wife says, ‘Why do you only order two?’ I said, “Because if I order more, I’ll drink more.” So I limited it to 2 bottles and drank each in the course of the day,” he told the publication.(*60*)

Even though she drinks wine day by day, the “Equalizer 3” star said she never drank alcohol while working or preparing for a task, even while filming “Flight,” which tells the story of an alcoholic pilot.(*60*)

“I would clean up and go back to work – I could do both,” he said. “Regardless of the months of shooting, bang, it is time to wrap up. And then boom. Three months of wine and time to get back to work.(*60*)

The actor admitted that when he was younger, it was easier to take care of this pattern.(*60*)

“Two months off and we’re going. But the drinking was a fifteen-year pattern. And truth be told, it didn’t start in 1999. It began earlier,” he explained.(*60*)

Washington, who was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, described what it was like growing up there within the late Seventies. Spending time on projects with individuals who exposed him to heroin, cocaine, hard alcohol and more, he admits that he experimented but personally “never got hooked on it.” (*60*)

In fact, much of those formative years experiences were passed on to a few of Washington’s best and most complex figures. Still, he said, “I am unable to consider a single role where I said, ‘Man, that is me.’ Completely me? No, no.(*60*)

Since he quit drinking, he appears like “everything is opening up to him.”(*60*)

Will one of Denzel Washington's last films be

“It’s like you’re seventy,” he said. “This is real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter – if I get one other thirty, what do I would like to do? My mother lived to be ninety-seven.(*60*)

The husband and father of 4 also pays more attention to fitness today, due to Lenny Kravitz, who introduced him to his trainer.(*60*)

“I’m doing everything I can,” he said.(*60*)

As he noted in the course of the “Gladiator II” press session, he’s also enthusiastic about upcoming projects which will become his last – and yes, they include two more “Equalizer” movies.(*60*)

“People love these daggone ‘Equalizers,'” he said. (*60*)

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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