#ad agencies in nyc

[worldlibertytv]

See Advertising Week 2024 Oct 2024 Penn District NYC ,in our World Liberty TV, Business Channels @ https://www.worldlibertytv.org/advertising-week-new-york-2024/

[mostlysignssomeportents]

How I got scammed

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/05/cyber-dunning-kruger/#swiss-cheese-security

I wuz robbed.

More specifically, I was tricked by a phone-phisher pretending to be from my bank, and he convinced me to hand over my credit-card number, then did $8,000+ worth of fraud with it before I figured out what happened. And then he tried to do it again, a week later!

Here's what happened. Over the Christmas holiday, I traveled to New Orleans. The day we landed, I hit a Chase ATM in the French Quarter for some cash, but the machine declined the transaction. Later in the day, we passed a little credit-union's ATM and I used that one instead (I bank with a one-branch credit union and generally there's no fee to use another CU's ATM).

A couple days later, I got a call from my credit union. It was a weekend, during the holiday, and the guy who called was obviously working for my little CU's after-hours fraud contractor. I'd dealt with these folks before – they service a ton of little credit unions, and generally the call quality isn't great and the staff will often make mistakes like mispronouncing my credit union's name.

That's what happened here – the guy was on a terrible VOIP line and I had to ask him to readjust his mic before I could even understand him. He mispronounced my bank's name and then asked if I'd attempted to spend $1,000 at an Apple Store in NYC that day. No, I said, and groaned inwardly. What a pain in the ass. Obviously, I'd had my ATM card skimmed – either at the Chase ATM (maybe that was why the transaction failed), or at the other credit union's ATM (it had been a very cheap looking system).

I told the guy to block my card and we started going through the tedious business of running through recent transactions, verifying my identity, and so on. It dragged on and on. These were my last hours in New Orleans, and I'd left my family at home and gone out to see some of the pre-Mardi Gras krewe celebrations and get a muffalata, and I could tell that I was going to run out of time before I finished talking to this guy.

"Look," I said, "you've got all my details, you've frozen the card. I gotta go home and meet my family and head to the airport. I'll call you back on the after-hours number once I'm through security, all right?"

He was frustrated, but that was his problem. I hung up, got my sandwich, went to the airport, and we checked in. It was total chaos: an Alaska Air 737 Max had just lost its door-plug in mid-air and every Max in every airline's fleet had been grounded, so the check in was crammed with people trying to rebook. We got through to the gate and I sat down to call the CU's after-hours line. The person on the other end told me that she could only handle lost and stolen cards, not fraud, and given that I'd already frozen the card, I should just drop by the branch on Monday to get a new card.

We flew home, and later the next day, I logged into my account and made a list of all the fraudulent transactions and printed them out, and on Monday morning, I drove to the bank to deal with all the paperwork. The folks at the CU were even more pissed than I was. The fraud that run up to more than $8,000, and if Visa refused to take it out of the merchants where the card had been used, my little credit union would have to eat the loss.

I agreed and commiserated. I also pointed out that their outsource, after-hours fraud center bore some blame here: I'd canceled the card on Saturday but most of the fraud had taken place on Sunday. Something had gone wrong.

One cool thing about banking at a tiny credit-union is that you end up talking to people who have actual authority, responsibility and agency. It turned out the the woman who was processing my fraud paperwork was a VP, and she decided to look into it. A few minutes later she came back and told me that the fraud center had no record of having called me on Saturday.

"That was the fraudster," she said.

Oh, shit. I frantically rewound my conversation, trying to figure out if this could possibly be true. I hadn't given him anything apart from some very anodyne info, like what city I live in (which is in my Wikipedia entry), my date of birth (ditto), and the last four digits of my card.

Wait a sec.

He hadn't asked for the last four digits. He'd asked for the last seven digits. At the time, I'd found that very frustrating, but now – "The first nine digits are the same for every card you issue, right?" I asked the VP.

I'd given him my entire card number.

Goddammit.

The thing is, I know a lot about fraud. I'm writing an entire series of novels about this kind of scam:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle

And most summers, I go to Defcon, and I always go to the "social engineering" competitions where an audience listens as a hacker in a soundproof booth cold-calls merchants (with the owner's permission) and tries to con whoever answers the phone into giving up important information.

But I'd been conned.

Now look, I knew I could be conned. I'd been conned before, 13 years ago, by a Twitter worm that successfully phished out of my password via DM:

https://locusmag.com/2010/05/cory-doctorow-persistence-pays-parasites/

That scam had required a miracle of timing. It started the day before, when I'd reset my phone to factory defaults and reinstalled all my apps. That same day, I'd published two big online features that a lot of people were talking about. The next morning, we were late getting out of the house, so by the time my wife and I dropped the kid at daycare and went to the coffee shop, it had a long line. Rather than wait in line with me, my wife sat down to read a newspaper, and so I pulled out my phone and found a Twitter DM from a friend asking "is this you?" with a URL.

Assuming this was something to do with those articles I'd published the day before, I clicked the link and got prompted for my Twitter login again. This had been happening all day because I'd done that mobile reinstall the day before and all my stored passwords had been wiped. I entered it but the page timed out. By that time, the coffees were ready. We sat and chatted for a bit, then went our own ways.

I was on my way to the office when I checked my phone again. I had a whole string of DMs from other friends. Each one read "is this you?" and had a URL.

Oh, shit, I'd been phished.

If I hadn't reinstalled my mobile OS the day before. If I hadn't published a pair of big articles the day before. If we hadn't been late getting out the door. If we had been a little more late getting out the door (so that I'd have seen the multiple DMs, which would have tipped me off).

There's a name for this in security circles: "Swiss-cheese security." Imagine multiple slices of Swiss cheese all stacked up, the holes in one slice blocked by the slice below it. All the slices move around and every now and again, a hole opens up that goes all the way through the stack. Zap!

The fraudster who tricked me out of my credit card number had Swiss cheese security on his side. Yes, he spoofed my bank's caller ID, but that wouldn't have been enough to fool me if I hadn't been on vacation, having just used a pair of dodgy ATMs, in a hurry and distracted. If the 737 Max disaster hadn't happened that day and I'd had more time at the gate, I'd have called my bank back. If my bank didn't use a slightly crappy outsource/out-of-hours fraud center that I'd already had sub-par experiences with. If, if, if.

The next Friday night, at 5:30PM, the fraudster called me back, pretending to be the bank's after-hours center. He told me my card had been compromised again. But: I hadn't removed my card from my wallet since I'd had it replaced. Also, it was half an hour after the bank closed for the long weekend, a very fraud-friendly time. And when I told him I'd call him back and asked for the after-hours fraud number, he got very threatening and warned me that because I'd now been notified about the fraud that any losses the bank suffered after I hung up the phone without completing the fraud protocol would be billed to me. I hung up on him. He called me back immediately. I hung up on him again and put my phone into do-not-disturb.

The following Tuesday, I called my bank and spoke to their head of risk-management. I went through everything I'd figured out about the fraudsters, and she told me that credit unions across America were being hit by this scam, by fraudsters who somehow knew CU customers' phone numbers and names, and which CU they banked at. This was key: my phone number is a reasonably well-kept secret. You can get it by spending money with Equifax or another nonconsensual doxing giant, but you can't just google it or get it at any of the free services. The fact that the fraudsters knew where I banked, knew my name, and had my phone number had really caused me to let down my guard.

The risk management person and I talked about how the credit union could mitigate this attack: for example, by better-training the after-hours card-loss staff to be on the alert for calls from people who had been contacted about supposed card fraud. We also went through the confusing phone-menu that had funneled me to the wrong department when I called in, and worked through alternate wording for the menu system that would be clearer (this is the best part about banking with a small CU – you can talk directly to the responsible person and have a productive discussion!). I even convinced her to buy a ticket to next summer's Defcon to attend the social engineering competitions.

There's a leak somewhere in the CU systems' supply chain. Maybe it's Zelle, or the small number of corresponding banks that CUs rely on for SWIFT transaction forwarding. Maybe it's even those after-hours fraud/card-loss centers. But all across the USA, CU customers are getting calls with spoofed caller IDs from fraudsters who know their registered phone numbers and where they bank.

I've been mulling this over for most of a month now, and one thing has really been eating at me: the way that AI is going to make this kind of problem much worse.

Not because AI is going to commit fraud, though.

One of the truest things I know about AI is: "we're nowhere near a place where bots can steal your job, we're certainly at the point where your boss can be suckered into firing you and replacing you with a bot that fails at doing your job":

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/15/passive-income-brainworms/#four-hour-work-week

I trusted this fraudster specifically because I knew that the outsource, out-of-hours contractors my bank uses have crummy headsets, don't know how to pronounce my bank's name, and have long-ass, tedious, and pointless standardized questionnaires they run through when taking fraud reports. All of this created cover for the fraudster, whose plausibility was enhanced by the rough edges in his pitch - they didn't raise red flags.

As this kind of fraud reporting and fraud contacting is increasingly outsourced to AI, bank customers will be conditioned to dealing with semi-automated systems that make stupid mistakes, force you to repeat yourself, ask you questions they should already know the answers to, and so on. In other words, AI will groom bank customers to be phishing victims.

This is a mistake the finance sector keeps making. 15 years ago, Ben Laurie excoriated the UK banks for their "Verified By Visa" system, which validated credit card transactions by taking users to a third party site and requiring them to re-enter parts of their password there:

https://web.archive.org/web/20090331094020/http://www.links.org/?p=591

This is exactly how a phishing attack works. As Laurie pointed out, this was the banks training their customers to be phished.

I came close to getting phished again today, as it happens. I got back from Berlin on Friday and my suitcase was damaged in transit. I've been dealing with the airline, which means I've really been dealing with their third-party, outsource luggage-damage service. They have a terrible website, their emails are incoherent, and they officiously demand the same information over and over again.

This morning, I got a scam email asking me for more information to complete my damaged luggage claim. It was a terrible email, from a noreply@ email address, and it was vague, officious, and dishearteningly bureaucratic. For just a moment, my finger hovered over the phishing link, and then I looked a little closer.

On any other day, it wouldn't have had a chance. Today – right after I had my luggage wrecked, while I'm still jetlagged, and after days of dealing with my airline's terrible outsource partner – it almost worked.

So much fraud is a Swiss-cheese attack, and while companies can't close all the holes, they can stop creating new ones.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to post about it whenever I get scammed. I find the inner workings of scams to be fascinating, and it's also important to remind people that everyone is vulnerable sometimes, and scammers are willing to try endless variations until an attack lands at just the right place, at just the right time, in just the right way. If you think you can't get scammed, that makes you especially vulnerable:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[dds4uu]

DDS4U - Best Artificial Intelligence Platform

DDS4U is one of the best artificial intelligence platform software. Our DDS4U application can elevate your daily tasks to simplicity – cutting costs and valuable time. For more information, visit the website. 

[touchdownmedia]

Why Touchdown media is important for your business?

Advertising considerably broadens the audience to which your brand is exposed. Online advertising campaigns provide sophisticated targeting options that can increase ROI. For many small firms, advertising directly affects sales and revenues.

No of the size of the firm, advertising is a critical expenditure. Over $600 billion is spent annually on advertising by businesses worldwide, with digital advertising specifically expected to reach $876 billion by 2024. But why is marketing so crucial? Discover seven advantages of advertising and why small businesses should invest in it.

Touchdown media is a South Asian ad firm in us, and it will help you in your Ad campaigns so you can reach more people, whether introducing a new good or service or just wanting to spread the word about your brand.

[phoenixyfriend]

That one post about great domestic policy and HORRIFIC foreign policy just does not stop being true

Domestic Policy Win: The American Museum of Natural History in NYC is closing down two entire exhibits of Native American belongings in order to comply with a federal order that requires museums to obtain the consent of indigenous nations in order to display artifacts of native origin. The linked ProPublica article specifies that the exhibits in question are the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains Halls. To quote:

The new federal regulations, which went into effect this month, prohibit the display of items subject to NAGPRA without tribal consent and ban all research done without tribal consent. In addition, the regulations closed a loophole that had allowed museums such as the American Museum of Natural History to keep ancestral remains and burial items by claiming that they are “culturally unidentifiable” — meaning in their view they could not be connected to present-day Indigenous communities based on available evidence — and therefore could not readily be returned to tribes.

Foreign Policy Fail: The United States, the UK, and several other nations, in response to claims that several members of UNRWA were involved in the Oct. 7th attacks, have cut funding to the relief agency in question. The Al Jazeera article profiles the Palestinian response, and also specifies that this funding was pulled after the UNRWA launched an investigation in response to Israel's allegations that 12 members of the relief agency were involved.

Australia, Canada, Italy and the United States said they would halt funding to the agency, while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the 27-member bloc would “assess further steps and draw lessons based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation”. Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom then also joined the list of countries pausing financial aid to the UN agency, whose facilities where displaced Palestinians sought shelter have been repeatedly attacked in Israeli air raids. Ireland and Norway, however, expressed continued support for UNRWA, saying the agency does crucial work to help Palestinians displaced and in desperate need of assistance in Gaza. - Al Jazeera

"One million displaced people are currently taking refuge in and around UNRWA buildings. They are the ones who will suffer as a result of this decision," said Mr Gunness, adding: "The curtailing of UNRWA services will also destabilise the region at a time when Western governments are trying to contain a regional conflagration." [...] The US, Germany and the EU are among some of UNRWA's biggest donors. - BBC

Unfortunately, the WSJ article is paywalled, so I can't access the full thing for a quote.

Anyway. Call your reps. I'm not even talking to just the Americans this time, call your fucking reps. If they aren't donating to UNRWA, then make them do something. Is the organization possibly a security risk, and the concerns legitimate? Maybe! But you cannot cut the funding that is keeping 2.3mill people alive on an already shoestring budget and not immediately put a backup security net in place.

Until then, pick a charity with a good rating, donate and signal boost it, and politely harass your politicians.

Politely as in "don't shout at or cuss out the staffers that man the phone lines," because they are not your reps, but also because your number is going to get blocked and then you won't be able to pressure them in the future. Do be firm, though.

I'm personally picking the PCRF this time, since one of the three remaining hospitals in south Gaza has been evacuated and shut down, and the evacuees reportedly include women who just got C-sections, which means the evacuees also include newborns, and medical care is in high demand. They're also currently focused on providing clean drinking water to the people of Palestine. That said, so is food, and shelter, and winter clothing. Pick a need, find a charity, and toss them some money.

[mariacallous]

A theatrical production based on the memoir of an ex-Hasidic transgender rabbi and activist, set to premiere in New York early next year, is scrambling to find a new home after its landlord rejected the script last week.

The landlord? The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

The production has become a casualty of a dispute between the East Village’s Connelly Theater, which had long staged provocative works, and the archdiocese, which owns the venue. The archdiocese has recently placed the theater under increased scrutiny, exercising a clause that gives it approval of plays shown at its property. The Catholic school that serves as the go-between between the church and the theater said it is “suspending all operations of its theater,” The New York Times reported.

Abby Stein, author of the 2019 memoir “Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman,” was alerted last Wednesday that the adaptation of her book would no longer be permitted at the Connelly Theater.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Stein said in an interview. “I’m not going to come up and pretend, ‘Oh my God, the Catholic Church doesn’t like trans people, I’m shocked.’ I wouldn’t say that. I think we all know that. It’s just extremely frustrating that even in a place like New York, it’s still something you need to think about.”

She added, “It feels like we’re taking one step forward, two steps back. This shouldn’t be something we’re still worried about.”

Josh Luxenberg, the Off Broadway theater’s general manager for the past 10 years, resigned last Friday, telling The New York Times that he was reluctant to serve as a “censor rather than an advocate of artistic freedom.” The theater was built in the 1860s, according to its “About Us” page, which still lists Luxenburg as general manager and calls itself “a home for adventurous independent theater productions.” Its main stage theater seats 200.

The Archdiocese of New York did not respond to a request for comment. Its director of communications told the Times that the decision reflected longstanding norms about its oversight of content shared in its buildings. The archdiocese has previously required public schools renting space it owns to hold sex education instruction off-campus.

“It is the standard practice of the archdiocese that nothing should take place on church-owned property that is contrary to the teaching of the church,” Joseph Zwilling told the newspaper. “That applies as well to plays, television shows or movies being shot, music videos being recorded, or other performances.”

“Becoming Eve” tells the story of Stein’s journey as a rabbi and heir to a prominent Hasidic dynasty who left her insular community in 2012 and publicly came out as transgender in 2015. The book became a bestseller, and she became an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and for Hasidic Jews who leave their communities. Stein is currently a part-time rabbi at the independent congregation Kolot Chayeinu in Brooklyn as well as an activist on causes including opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.

“I did not expect myself to be at the crosshairs of the Archdiocese of New York,” Stein said.

As an adaptation of Stein’s memoir, the play “centers on a conversation between Abby, her devout father and a young liberal rabbi, as they reckon with questions of gender and faith,” according to Playbill.

“Becoming Eve” is one of at least three shows booted out of the Connelly Theater by the Archdiocese. SheNYC, a summer theater festival for plays by female, nonbinary and transgender artists, said in a statement that it has also been told by the Archdiocese that it cannot use the theater next summer.

“It’s a total shock that somehow, strict conservative ideals are dictating what can happen in a NYC theater,” SheNYC posted on Instagram. “We’re heartbroken by this loss. And we’re not going to lie – this puts us in a tough spot for our 2025 season, which is also our 10-year anniversary.”

The comedy show “Jack Tucker: Comedy Standup Hour,” a solo show by comedian Zach Zucker, who is Jewish, featuring his alter-ego Jack Tucker, was in the works to transfer to the Connelly Theater in early September for a limited run following a successful turn at the SoHo Playhouse. But the archdiocese rejected the show days before it was set to begin. Zucker had to relocate and postpone the show.

In an Instagram post announcing the new dates and location, Zucker said of the Ccurch, “Why’d they do this? We’ll never know. But what I do know is that God will never stop me.”

“Becoming Eve” is written by Em Weinstein, produced by Dayna Bloom and Brian Lee, and directed by Tyne Rafaeli. It will be in previews in March and is set to premiere in April of 2025.

New York Theatre Workshop, which is producing the play, is in the process of finding an alternate venue.

“We remain fiercely committed to presenting Emil Weinstein’s compelling and singular play, Becoming Eve, in our season,” New York Theatre Workshop said in a statement. “We are profoundly disappointed by the Archdiocese’s decision and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to produce this powerful story. We are in talks with a new venue and look forward to sharing the details very soon. We are proud to produce this compelling story and to champion its artists and ethos.”

[beardedmrbean]

The Uber passenger charged with a hate crime for pepper spraying a Muslim driver in Manhattan is a former sorority girl who was fired from her PR job over the shocking incident.

Manhattan College graduate Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, had just started a promising career at a New York public relations firm when she was caught on dashcam springing forward to spray her rideshare driver in July, horrifying the pal who was with her.

However, her employer, D Pagan Communications in Melville, fired her over the shocking incident. Agency president Debra Pagan confirmed to PR Weekly that Guilbeault had left the firm, without saying when she left.

“We are aware of the actions of this former employee and we don’t condone this behavior,” the company, which specializes in PR for tech companies, said on X in August.

Guilbeault’s attorneys argued that the case should not be handled as a hate crime — and that a full review of the evidence would prove that.

“Ms. Guilbeault was not motivated by race, religion, national origin, or any other discriminatory factor,” Michael J. Alber said in a statement.

“This case needs to be looked at with all surrounding circumstances which include assessing all of the evidence and lack of evidence,” he added. 

“We look forward to working with the District Attorney’s office to fully vet all of the facts in the proper forum, which does not embellish or exaggerate the claims, especially where the integrity and credibility of claims can properly be tested.”

Guilbeault, a native of Northbridge, Mass. earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations, advertising and applied communication at the Bronx university, where she also served as the VP social chair for her sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, according to an online profile.

Glitzy photos posted to the Manhattan College chapter’s social media page show her and her sisters dressing up for formals and celebrating scholarships.

Guilbeault was indicted in New York State Supreme Court on two counts of assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment for the Upper East Side attack, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Guilbeault was riding in the backseat with the other woman at around 12:15 a.m. when she suddenly sprayed the noxious substance in the 45-year-old driver’s eyes, according to a viral clip circulating online.

The driver, Shohel Mahmud, later claimed that Guilbeault launched her assault simply because of his skin color. He said he hadn’t spoken to the at all women when he picked them up near Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street in Midtown.

“Her friend, she is yelling, ‘Jen, Jen, what the f–k, what are you doing? What’s going on?’” Mahmud told The Post days after the attack. “Her friend is asking ‘Why did you do that?’ And she say, ‘He’s brown.’”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Guilbeault attacked the driver when he began praying in Arabic just as he approached a red light.

The father of three jumped out of the car, thinking the women were trying to rob him and his vehicle. When he hopped back inside as the car started to roll, she maced him again.

Cops arrested Guilbeault at the scene, but initially only gave her a desk ticket.

[fagrackham]

things that trigger my seinfeld dysphoria

- seinfeld (obviously)

- sex and the city

- pictures of my parents in the 90s

- the gap swing dance commercial

- my aunt reminiscing about working at a chic ad agency in nyc

- men in mock neck shirts

- soul coughing

- leather gloves

- janeane garofalo

- hot coffee drank standing up

[starsstillshine]

now that i’m finally on season 7 and am watching the cruise ship episodes. a friend was visiting around the time of the season premier earlier this year who worked at an ad agency in nyc. her team went out to take a video of a new placement in times square (i believe their client was a cruise ship company) and got a video of the cruise ad back to back with the 9-1-1 season premier ad of the cruise ship on fire and sinking

[riphuntertimemasterlegend]

Dream Show Challenge 2023

New Beginnings

Starring:

Karen Gillan - Melody, married to Ripley. An astute and brilliant promoter, she flits about in the episodes, helping to promote her husband's production.

Keith Szarabajka - Peter Turner, recently retired from the top ad agency in New York City, a bit of a mentor to Melody. His passion is his writing and he's had a few modest successes on off, off, off, off, off Broadway. Now he's written what he hopes is a winner and his play is being mounted on Broadway. Will he make it to the big time?

Adrian Pasdar - Nate Turner, younger brother of Peter. He's always been a believer in his older brother and he and his wife Cherie have lined up a group of backers so Peter's dream can come true.

John Kapelos - George Fitzgerald, began working at the ad agency at the same time as Peter and they became fast friends. He worked his way up and now runs said agency.

Aldis Hodge - Thaddeus Norman Turner, known as T.N.T. Son of Peter and Catherine ("C.T.") Turner, he's returned to NYC, lured in by Ripley and Roranicus to be the main face of their videos, interviewing people and showing off everything interesting in the city. He's just moved into a condo in the same building as his parents.

Kari Matchett - Cherie Turner, married to Nate Turner. she was born into wealth and met Nate at university. She likes discovering new and exciting things and bringing them to the attention of the masses, trying to bring some joy to their lives.

Michelle Hurd - Catherine Turner, known as "C.T.", she met Peter at university and they became inseparable soon after. She's highly in demand as a director of on and off Broadway shows and talked her husband into hiring her to direct his play.

Also starring

Arthur Darvill - Ripley and Roranicus, creators of Centurion Productions, they have a vision and know T.N.T. is the man to bring it to the people.

Amy-Louise Pemberton - Gia, wife of Roranicus, she's an entertainment lawyer and is quite helpful when any entertainment situation arises, helps the twins whenever she can.

Episode 1:

You Can’t Go Home Again

T.N.T. has just moved into his new place and has a stream of visitors, demanding his attention. As T.N.T. unpacks and settles in, Ripley and Roranicus Miller go over his itinerary for the week, what their entertainment highlights for each day will be, subject to change. A gala at a museum one night, a concert in Central Park the next, Richard III performed off Broadway the third night, really selling diverse activities for tourists.

Melody drops by talk about the publicity blitz currently streaming and talking up their project, about to debut. After a while, she lures Ripley away. Gia arrives to go over the final version of their contracts, having caught Ripley on his way out. She leaves with her husband, Roranicus.

Just as he’s about to relax, T.N.T.’s parents arrive, carrying his favourite food to welcome to their building

Episode 2

Sunday at the Museum with T.N.T.

As T.N.T. covers the gala at the museum, designed to raise money to help pay for renovations and interviews the movers and shakers of New York City who are attending, Ripley and Roranicus alert him of changes, an interviewee running late, last minute changes of what needs to be emphasized, his father attends his retirement party at the ad agency where he’s been working since shortly after graduating university. Flashback to last year student Peter meeting first year student Catherine, quickly becoming inseparable. Brother Nate and best friend and now former boss George Fitzgerald.

High jinks ensue as T.N.T. has to roll with small mishaps and keep everything rolling along and entertaining. Gia and Melody hang out behind the scenes with their husbands, helping to keep the show going.

As Peter gets ready for bed, he pulls out his script to read again.

Episode 3

Transitions

Peter’s play is rehearsed as we flashback to a younger Peter working at the ad agency and hustling at night to finish his first play and sell it, to be performed off, off, off, off, off-Broadway. His brother, Nate, has a little influence and brings the play to the attention to the men who can say yes. C.T. brings the play to life with her direction.

In the present, Cherie is looking after one of their backers, who’s having doubts that the play will be successful. T.N.T. and the twins filmed in Central Park and learn to deal with streaming live in an uncontrollable space.

Backer doubtful about the success of the play portrayed by Timothy Hutton:

Episode 4

My Kingdom For A Horse

T.N.T. conducts short interviews with Roranicus and Ripley, who’d staged a shortened performance of Richard III at Glastonbury and short Q&A with the cast as available.

Flashbacks of C.T. directing the cast of her husband’s play and Peter worrying over the production, making a few changes on the fly.

Episode 5

Beginnings

Flashbacks to the Roranicus and Ripley meeting T.N.T. and how they convinced him to become their front man, and how Peter and C.T. met and fell in love, with Peter putting his dream of becoming a successful playwright on hold as he meets George and they join the ad agency as a team.

Episode 6

Opening Night

The big night has arrived, and Peter Turner’s play is opening on Broadway. C.T. has prepared the cast as well as she can and the two wait in nervous anticipation for the play to begin.

T.N.T. is covering the opening the opening for Centurion Productions. Melody arrives with Patrick Miller, who has flown over from London specifically to see this play and the coverage provided by Centurion Productions. He strides over to the twins and greets them warmly, calling them Bartholomew and Matthew. Roranicus and Ripley want the floor to open up and the earth to bury them as everyone looks at them, shocked. Patrick continues, surprised they’re still using those ridiculous names from their favourite comic book as kids, “The Traveller and the Centurion” and for goodness’ sake, if anyone had had a modicum of sense, the Centurion would have been named Roranicus, not Ripley and how could they still like that dreadful tripe after all this time.

The digital camera starts rolling and T.N.T. is ON, interviewing his parents as if they were strangers, as the biggest backer (Timothy Hutton) of the play settles in with Cherie, Nate and George.

(The play is an instant hit, and Peter and C.T. become the toast of Broadway as T.N.T.’s viewing numbers continue to soar.)

Special guest star Michael Maloney as Patrick Miller, father of the twins.

[bookishjules]

6 & 10!!! <3

6. do you enjoy driving in general?

yes. absolutely yes. one of my most favorite activities. in the city in the country in the middle of i-80?? i will eat that shit up. driving makes me feel safe idk. and it's something like therapy to me. my appreciation for driving has only increased since ditching my car to move to nyc, but honestly i've always loved it. i used to have dreams when i was a kid.. so many dreams where something would happen to my parents and i had to drive my siblings to safety. and i think there's probably some of that freedom and agency etc. mixed up in that idk. anyway. i miss driving and will always take any opportunity to do so.

10. do you play video games? if so, what games?

currently no, bc i don't have a console :/ but i loved playing on our wii back when i loved at home. waiting for the day i can afford a switch and can return to playing loz and lego star wars ad nauseum

ask me things??

[dds4uu]

AI Tools and Platforms and Best Ads Platform for Website - DDS4U

DDS4U is one of the best AI tools and platforms and best ads platform for websites. Our DDS4U application can elevate your daily tasks to simplicity, cutting costs and valuable time, increase customer satisfaction, and save time. For more details, visit the website. 

[snifflesthemouse]

Hmm flying pasta huh? You've given us much food for thought, Mouse. It's all a bit confusing, so I have to use little but of my brain here. But let's see... HnM, and essentially the BRF, is throwing a lot of random, some true some false, stories out there to see what gets the audience engaged. Right?

Trying to list all the random pasta being thrown out lately. As in, all the random disconnected PR tangents out there. Let me know if I'm missing something ..

1. HnM are separating and their marriage is really bad (too.much chatter about this, makes me think this is not true and very much orchestrated by HnM themselves to further their joint victim narrative)

2. The car chase

3. Random awards for Meghan and her humanitarian work

4. Meghan got new agent, WME. She is going solo. My guess is WME was already engaged by Harry for zoom/lecture circuit but it was not official. This is because he has been working with Jill, Serena william's agent for sometime now. Meghan then hired WME the agency via Jill's recommendation.

5. They will not do any more interviews, podcasts, shows about the BRF.

6. Harry and his Visa issue and that court caseim the US (my guess is nothing will happen with that and that Harry already got his O1 Visa renewal this year. It's a 3 years visa that he first got in/around June 2020)

7. Harry and his very many media lawsuits in the UK.

8. Harry maybe is, maybe isn't still a counselor or state. He keeps going back to UK just when his dad is overseas. Once can be a coincidence, but twice??

9. HnM looking for houses in LA

10. HnM selling their montecito mansion. Or renting it out?

11. Harry has a spare room always on hold at a hotel in LA/SF. (Previously this same rumours came out about Meghan but turned out she was shooting for her podcast at the hotel)

12. HnM and their mystery friend whose house address they did not want to disclose in NYC. My guess is that it was Fitzpatrick the hotel guy.

13. Travlyst put a new ad out a few weeks ago. Interesting timing, and my guess is that Travelyst and the CHIMPO gig are somehow related to Harry's visa and tax status. That's why the only time we hear about Travelyst is 2020 and 2023 when his Visa was due.

14. HnM will make a royal feature film for Netflix. My guess, HnM and neyfy will work that into the promotion for The Crown S6, that's the only way HnM will make any money.

15. Charles and Camilla don't like Catherine. That's the weirdest news I have heard lately, and think it's not true at all. Mainly because Catherine is too classy to let a fued with the King and Queen be known publicly within months of their reign.

16. Harry has hired lawyers months back.

This is a very long list and I'm sure I missed some points. I'm just wondering what the purpose for PR salad is... how does it serve HnM other than just keeping them in the news cycle? Where's the money for them in this?

And how does it serve the BRF other than just putting the main players under immense (and unnecessary) scrutiny?

Hello! Thank you for this lovely, thought out and detailed message!! You definitely named a lot of the main PR Pasta stories I was discussing. From what I've read here, you have three main questions:

1. How does this serve H&M?

2. Where is the money in all of this?

3. How does the Flying Pasta Game serve the BRF aside from putting the main players under immense and unneccesary scrutiny?

Let's look at question 1:

If you strip back the sensationalism that is in the press, and you strip back the titles, money, and fame... what do Harry and Meghan really have to offer? Not much. Keeping them in the press, like you mentioned in your question, does keep them relevant. And, we'll discuss why this equates to dollars in a moment. But, think of this. If Meghan and Harry weren't in the press... all their critics would move on. They don't need fans, as they don't have a whole lot of them in truth. They need people to criticize them so they can cash in on those victim interviews. But those have run out.

If you remember, this mouse said way back in the day that eventually MM and H would run out of steam regarding the victim narrative and the BRF. You can't be a victim of someone you aren't even allowed to see. UNLESS... they can use the press to weaponize it and keep this going until something better comes along.

A lot of the time, people give narcs and cons too much credit. They think that these people go out and have detailed master plans, and most times, it is just on the fly, go with the flow kind of things. While there IS ALWAYS a general plan and direction, there isn't a step-by-step, day-by-day list of boxes to check. Most Narcs make it up as they go. And it's that way because information is always changing. One insignificant little point someone says could be something used against them later.

So, to summarize my answer for the first question... ultimately, the press not only keeps them relevant in a fast forgetting world, it also gives them a way to perpetuate the victim narrative. Most importantly, these stories give the powers that be feedback on the general public. You can't read the comments section and see if it's the right time to drop something or do something if you don't have anything written about you.

Question 2: How does that equate to money?

Well, at face value it does not. But, EVERY pap shot and leaked source story probably follows with a favor or payout. The laws in CA are strict. You cannot take the picture of a child and publish it without consent of the parents first. So if you see a picture of their children, and they aren't suing... it is because they can't sue after consent. Like Harry suing PageSix rumors.

Even when they are not getting paid with direct cash for scoops, stories, or pictures from Paps... they are using these stories to garner sympathy and empathy from people with money, planes, houses, beaches, etc. We saw proof of this recently from TB. Tom Bower said that is exactly why everyone marked them as grifters. They keep pushing woe-is-me to get handouts. They also use these stories to create relationships with people to manipulate them. An example of this is how MM used Jessica Mulroney to get into SoHo. If you can relate to someone, you can get them to trust you. If they trust you, you can get them to help you. If they will help you, you can manipulate them later on. It's how cons use emotions to manipulate.

Now to Question 3: How does this serve the BRF aside from creating unneccessary pressures (paraphrasing of course):

I am a firm believer that Daddy never cut Harry completely off. For several reasons aside from the source I have in London. I've posted their actual mortgage docs way back. The mortage, escrow, upkeep, etc... well let's just say the bank put a clause in there where they could rent the property out at any time, and they could do whatever they legally can to recoup that money for the mortgage. It even says if they fail to upkeep maintenance, they will come in and keep it up and then bill them.

While most rich and famous trusts are like that, the payments for the property alone are astronomical. Then security. Clothes. Cars. Trips. Appearances. Hair. Makeup, ETC.

It is expensive. And they haven't brought much in to set that off. So who is injecting the gap funds? IMO Daddy is paying for it all.

These stories are serving the BRF at least two-fold. Charles looks like the dad who tried everything. Wills the brother burdened with the crown he didn't ask for, and now little brother is estranged. Insert poor family member of the narcs and cons story here. The second way it serves them is because it keeps everyone focused on this drama instead of the other dramas they could be focusing on. It doesn't matter if the rumors are true... if it takes our attention away from LITERALLY ANY OTHER scandalous senationalist story regarding Andrew, or the suitcases of Cash, or the Rose rumors. Even the lizard rumors (LOL THAT IS A JOKE). Confusion is the goal here.

Another way this serves the BRF is it allows Charles to gauge the public opinion. YouGov polls aren't what they seem. Polling is very skewed. As with the Harkles, this allows for an echo chamber. This allows for Charles to see what his real options are with containment.

Charles is an expert with the Press. He has managed to turn the other woman (IMO the only woman, as he loved her but married for duty) into the Queen. When they wed in 2005, did you expect Queen Camilla? I didn't.

Charles is self-absorbed, and you can see that by how he acts in the shadows. He told his mother he cut Harry off because he wasn't a bank. But yet, there is really no proof he cut anything or anyone off. Just them hoping we all buy it. And I do not.

You do not release something as explosive as Meghan and Harry from the fishbowl unless you have a goal or you have no choice. I've said it before, and I will remind some readers...

I believe the Queen kicked Harry and Meghan out. I believe she made them leave. And I believe that Charles always had it in his mind, that if he had to do it to protect his own hide and reign. I believe he would pay for every kind of story to see how gullible we are all and how we all feel about things.

If you know the masses will forgive surrogacy but not smack-talking a dying lady in her late nineties, you can proceed differently.

Summary:

Q1: H&M use the press to get paid for leaks, pap shots, and mainly to keep themselves relevant. They curate and change themselves to fit the response

Q2: H&M benefit from always being in the news because they can use the victim narrative to manipulate and grift their targeted people. They probably already have an audience and purpose in mind with every story. Stories are the way cons use and abuse their targets

Q3: The BRF benefits from the Flying Pasta Stories because it keeps the masses focused on that trainwreck instead of other issues. They benefit from using the narrative to garner their own empathy. They benefit by seeing how the public will respond to potential decisions, too.

At the end of the day, I cannot believe that Harry and Meghan can afford everything they claim they are doing. And when I got contacted from a London source, I started to see things from a different perspective. When some of the things I was told came true, well... I started to change my whole outlook. It all boils down to data analysis. All of this provides data, and it allows them to manipulate people with the stories on both sides.

When I was in active conman mode, I would often just post stories on my social media so that my friends and family would see them. Say I knew one friend just got paid and they lost their mom to cancer... I would make up some nonsense to use that connection to pull on their heartstrings to get their money. I did it in all kinds of ways. I am ashamed of the things I used to do, and it is why I try to expose it when I see it now. This holds me to account in my own way. That's why I see things the way I do. I see what I used to do right there in the news all the time. And it's sad that it's allowed to happen. Because journalism isn't what is was before.

Thanks so much for the question, and I am deeply impressed with your list so far!!

[southernwyatt]

BASICS

FULL NAME: LEE STRATTON WYATT

» MEANING: Lee [ Lee is a given name derived from a surname of English origin that means “clearing” or “meadow.” ]; Stratton [ English and Scottish: habitational name from any of several places called Stratton or Stretton almost all named with Old English strǣt 'paved road Roman road' + tūn 'enclosure settlement'.]; Wyatt [ The name Wyatt is an old English name meaning "brave at war." It is derived from the Medieval name Wyot which, itself, is a form of the given name Wigheard, with wig meaning "war" and heard meaning "brave." Alternative spellings, used by the Normans in the Middle Ages, are Wiot and Gyot.]

VERSES: The Agency; The Game; Excess Baggage.

NICKNAME(S): Only his parents call him by his given name; everyone else calls him by his last name, even his younger sister. 

AGE: 42-years old.

DATE OF BIRTH: 1981 May 31st, Sunday.

PLACE OF BIRTH: Wachapreague, Virginia.

OCCUPATION: Wyatt & Parker, Co. founder and CEO; Senior Talent Agent.

RELIGION: Born Christian, non-practicing.

ORIENTATION: Bisexual; Biromantic.

GENDER: Cisgender male.

PERSONALITY

Years of meeting people broke the shell that once hid Wyatt. He no longer was the loner he once was and enjoyed people’s company. Wyatt is a charmer. He is a very good listener and even a better speaker. He can talk people into agreeing with him without them knowing it. Wyatt has the talent to adapt to each person he meets making him the perfect agent. He can connect people and meet them in their level and once he got their attention, it is easy for him to make them do what is needed to be done that often lead to their success. Some might say that Wyatt can be cocky because there are times that he is. But a lot of it is for a show, a performance in front of clients that could potentially give his talent a job. Wyatt is very persistent. He goes after what he wants and doesn’t stop until he gets it. But Wyatt is not all work. On a personal level, he is very out-going. He is open-minded and easy to talk to. He believes in giving people a chance and has a soft spot for underdogs. Wyatt is not easy to anger but when he does gets upset, everyone in the office knows about it and they stay away from him. He treats his people right and is considerate of them. He can be vengeful if was wronged. Wyatt is loyal to his friends and loves his family.

STRENGTHS: Loyal, Adaptable, Affectionate, Curious, Adventurous.

WEAKNESSES: Stubborn, Indecisive, Inconsistent, Nervous, Obsessive.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Chris Pine.

HEIGHT: 6’0” [ 182 cm. ]

WEIGHT: 171 lbs. [ 78 kg. ]

BUILD: Athletic.

GAIT: TBA.

HAIR COLOR: Dirty blonde, with some grey.

EYE COLOR: Blue.

BIRTHMARK: TBA.

OVERVIEW:

» SCARS: A few. Details to be added.

» TATTOOS: YES. TBA.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Wachapreague, Virginia.

RESIDENCES: Wachapreague, Virginia; NYC.

NATIONALITY: American.

ETHNICITY: Caucasian.

FINANCIAL: Upper-class.

EDUCATION LEVEL: University graduate.

DEGREES: Bachelor of Science in Media, Culture, and Communication with minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English is his first language. He can converse in French and Spanish. He knows some German. He’s also been learning some Asian languages. 

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Names to be added; both alive.

SIBLINGS: Younger sister.

CHILDREN: Wyatt has no biological children but he has adopted his cousin Cassie who is 13-years old and nephew Lee, 5-years old, named after him by his younger sister.

PETS: None. But the kids want a dog. NO DOGS, he said.

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: Very close with his best friend Mack.

» TBA.

HISTORY: Growing up in Wachapreague, a small fishing city in Virginia, life for Wyatt had always been uneventful. He saw very little happening in his hometown making him crave for whatever the outside world had to offer. Living in the city where generations of his family had settled for years and years, Wyatt just felt like breaking free. Not that he didn’t like or loved his home town, he just thought there was more than what he’d known most of his young life. 

Being young and having such a different view about life from the crowd he lived with, it was often tough for Wyatt. At one point, Wyatt’s constant longing for whatever was out there made him appear arrogant and insensitive, not understanding why the people he knew all his life - including his parents - chose to live a simple life. He found himself questioning and wondering why his parents had to settle with the life in Wachapreague where almost nothing exciting happens. It took a while before Wyatt finally understood his old folks. It didn’t matter to them where they live. His father said that as long as they are all together, they would be happy. It just also happened that his his mother a home maker and his father a mechanic, loved Wachapreague where they were born and grew up and knew nothing else but their family and the place. Wyatt just wanted something more. Maybe because he was young and didn’t have the same sentiments his parents had, he would rather be somewhere else and this, surprisingly, his parents encouraged.

Wyatt grew up to be an intelligent man. He had always been smart and excelled in school when he was younger. Not really a popular student, Wyatt accepted that he was different from the general population of his class. He often distanced himself from kids of his own age and spent his time working as a tour guide at their city’s historic port. He also worked in the ticket booth at the local and only theater in the town. 

Wyatt was very tall and very thin and wore glasses. Nobody paid him mind and no one really wanted to date him which was frustrating to him in so many different levels especially when he realized and he realized very early on that he wasn’t like his peers in a sense he felt attraction towards both men and women... But through all this he had his best friend Mack, a young girl who lived next door and was a few years younger than him. They shared something in common and that is their dream of leaving Wachapreague one day. Mack understood Wyatt more than any other person he knew and he was grateful for that. 

Wyatt at first didn’t really get why the girl hung out with him but eventually he got over it and just enjoyed the girl’s company. During his younger years, Wyatt submerged himself in everything that he believed showed him the outside world; his portals through different places he wanted to visit and people he wanted to meet. He listened to different types of music, watched various TV shows, and knew every Hollywood film in existence (or so he claimed.) This passion he shared with his best friend Mack, the person he deemed to be the smartest of all the people he knew. 

Later on during his junior year, Wyatt decided that he would no longer just dream about the places he wanted to see and the people he wanted to meet. He would work hard to make it happen. He would be something - someone - big and his name will be part of the world he had became very passionate about.

Wyatt who was naturally a loner, got involved in the high school’s drama group. He even volunteered at one of the town’s theater groups, doing backstage work; set design, lightning, and eventually advertising but he always wanted to be in the spot light. But sadly, Wyatt lack the talent, the grace, and the look of a potential Wachapreague local theater star but he had all the charm and personality the tourists (people he didn’t really know) enjoyed and liked and so he got stuck with the marketing piece of the productions which he tremendously enjoyed. 

All through this, Wyatt also worked hard in school, realizing that education and scholarship were his only ticket out of Wachapreague. His parents might have decent amount of money saved but it wasn’t enough to send Wyatt to college. Wyatt had two other younger siblings that his parents still have to look after and take care of. He was to look after for himself now and so he did. Wyatt’s hard work eventually paid off as he was granted full-scholarship sending him to New York to attend NYU Steinhardt taking up Bachelor of Science in Media, Culture, and Communication with minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. 

Wyatt had to take on a job while he studied to support himself. Later on, he did internship at various agencies representing artists including actors, musicians, and models. Getting a small taste of the life he wanted to live, Wyatt transformed himself and absorbed everything and anything that he could learn from people that he met everyday. Through his internships he met people that later on will play a big part in shaping Wyatt-Parker & Co. 

Wyatt-Parker & Co. came about a few years after Wyatt graduated from NYU. He remained in New York and worked for one of the most prestigious talent agencies in the country. Most days he worked 16 hours straight doing errands that nobody else in the office would do. Wyatt dealt with the ‘training’ for almost two years before his potential was given a chance, even then he was still considered an assistant. Wyatt learned to suck it up, once again learning everything he could learn from his boss, working to climb up the ladder until he became a junior agent. Wyatt stayed with the company for 3 to 4 more years before deciding to work solo. Although he knew that the growth of his career had a bigger chance if he stayed with the agency, but he wanted to make it on his own. There were things, ideas in his head that he would like to put into action and he could only do that if he didn’t have to answer to anyone but himself.

In 2007, armed with a few names of connections he’d made in the past and his dream of making it to the top, Wyatt started his own talent agency. The first steps were easy enough, licensing and filing necessary documents to represent people in the entertainment industry but he realized that he couldn’t do the rest by himself. He then sought his best friend, Mack’s help, convincing the young woman to gamble in the showbusiness with him.  

Two years in the business, the agency then became partners with Elena Borichevsky, Mack’s friend from college, expanding the business. But the agency’s real break didn’t come until early in 2011 when well-known young British actress Kathryn Henley signed up with them. Henley’s success in the industry and her Oscar nomination put Wyatt-Parker & Co.’s on the map. Artists both newcomers and old timers wanted to be represented by them. But there are rules and standards that Wyatt believed and his agents not only look for the most talented in the industry but also the newest discoveries that had potential. 

With the business’ success, Wyatt doesn’t forget where he came from and often thought about home but this is his world now and he loved every minute of it. The attention, the money, the success. He knew that all of it rooted from all their hard work and he strived to work harder. But what would happen if success suddenly started to run his life and his agency plagued with gossips and scandal? Would he think that it wasn’t as great as he thought or would he go with the flow?

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Wyatt is currently unattached. He works too much to be in a relationship although enjoys occasional encounters with people that interest him.

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Wyatt is very fond of his best friend Mack and very close with Elena as well. He is very good friends with Eirian and Damon. He is very protective of his cousin Cassie and nephew Lee whom he adopted.

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: "No time.”

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): N/A.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISORDER: None; undiagnosed.

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): Depression, alcoholism.

[beardedmrbean]

The House approved a measure late Tuesday that would slash Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's taxpayer-funded government salary to just $1.

The bill — which was introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. — was passed via voice vote Tuesday as an amendment to the 2024 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, the standalone funding bill for the General Services Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission and other related agencies.

"I’m proud to announce my amendment to FIRE Pete Buttigieg just PASSED the House. Pothole Pete staged fake bike rides to the White House and used private planes funded by taxpayers to receive awards for the way certain people have sex," Greene said in a social media post Tuesday. "American taxpayers should not be on the hook for paying for his lavish trips or his salary."

"Pete Buttigieg doesn’t do his job. It’s all about fake photo ops and taxpayer-funded private jet trip to accept LGBTQ awards for him," Greene added. "I’m happy my amendment passed, but he doesn’t deserve a single penny."

Since taking office in 2021, Buttigieg has faced criticism for Republican lawmakers in response to several crises that have faced the Department of Transportation.

For example, in February, after a train carrying vinyl chloride, a dangerous colorless gas, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, Buttigieg was criticized for his apparent inaction and for waiting several weeks before traveling to the site of the derailment. 

In addition, there have been multiple instances of mass commercial airline cancellations during his tenure for various reasons, including a pilot shortage. Republicans and Democrats alike had called for Buttigieg to take decisive action to ensure air travelers are protected from such cancellations.

And while Buttigieg has spent much of his tenure addressing commercial delays, he has used government-managed private jets on at least 18 occasions since taking office. Those flights sparked an ongoing inspector general probe and, according to information obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT), have cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

PETE BUTTIGIEG TOOK GOVERNMENT JET TO NYC FOR RADIO INTERVIEW, ACLU MEETING BEFORE FLYING BACK HOURS LATER

In one instance in September 2022, Buttigieg used a government jet for a roundtrip journey to Montreal. During the visit, he attended a ceremony hosted by a large Canadian gay rights organization and received an award for his "contributions to the advancement of LGBTQ rights."

Buttigieg's office has further stonewalled additional information about his use of the executive fleet.

Secretary Buttigieg continues to blow off the American people who simply want to know the true cost of his taxpayer-funded private jet trips," APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "After multiple FOIA requests, a lawsuit, and an ongoing inspector general investigation, Buttigieg's office still refuses to provide vital details about using a private government jet for a swing state tour, which appears more akin to campaigning than official DOT business."

"Buttigieg looks to be politicizing his role and making it clear that he believes he’s above accountability and transparency, a dismissive attitude that seems to be endemic throughout the Biden administration," Sutherland said.

And the transportation secretary came under fire last year after it was revealed he vacationed in Porto, Portugal, while his agency and the White House were locked in tense negotiations with rail worker unions to avert a strike that could have had a dire impact on the U.S. economy. The Department of Transportation said at the time that the vacation was a "long-planned personal trip."