News and notes from around the interweb:
- Latvians arrested in Texas in $14 million gift card fraud. If you ever wondered why the cards you buy and load somehow have no value when you go to use them…?
The thieves would then take the items to another location and carefully remove the packaging almost surgically.
“The card is removed, and then the material on the back that covers up the numbers to transfer anything or activate the card is then removed so that they can see it,” said Colby. “The numbers that are on the card are then programmed into another program that the criminals are using, which will now monitor that card.”
From there, the cards are reassembled to appear new, without scratches, and placed back onto store shelves for someone to buy.
”As soon as it is activated and money placed onto that card, the criminals are now aware of it, but they now have the ability to transfer the money off of that card and onto another card where it is then cashed out or used to buy high-end merchandise,” said Colby.
- More proof that TSA has never stopped a terrorist:
This is actually my worst nightmare pic.twitter.com/X7B6pvPGz5
— Hoops (@Hoopss) December 29, 2025
- Plenty of hotels in Asia have signs out that read ‘No Durian.’ It’s known as ‘stinky fruit’. It’s also delicious. If you’re new to the flavor, or don’t think it’s quite for you, I recommend a much more mild introduction with Durian ice cream.
First room I’ve had with a durian cleaning fee pic.twitter.com/1Nda91FmGV
— tyson brody (@tysonbrody) December 30, 2025
- American Airlines set up a DEI pilot academy, and some of the pilots who attended are suing claiming it was racist
- Rideshare pickup has returned to New York JFK terminal 4, no more need to take the AirTrain first. Delta JFK arrivals no longer on my avoid list.
GOOD NEWS: Terminal 4 curbside pick-up is back!
Terminal 4 customers can once again access for-hire vehicles like Uber, Lyft, etc. at the terminal frontage.
Learn more: https://t.co/xEPNynGkwS pic.twitter.com/O4sRv9oKOA
— John F. Kennedy Airport (@JFKairport) December 30, 2025
- Spain exempts Airbus from its Israeli tech ban. Spanish hostility towards the Jews dates to antiquity, but became state-structured in the Visigothic era (6th–7th centuries). But they don’t want to lose those sweet, sweet manufacturing exports… The ban is somehow supposed to leverage Israel to grant a state to the Palestinians, which would be led by Hamas. The Catalan independence movement would like a word…
- Sprinkles Cupcakes is going out of business and closing its locations and vending machines.
Taylor Gourmet had the best quick service sandwiches in the D.C. area, but shut down all 18 D.C. locations in 2018… except for the one at National airport, which they didn’t own or operate, but licensed as part of a concessions agreement. (A new owner revived the chain in 2019 and there are a couple of locations now.)
So I thought perhaps the airport locations of Sprinkles might similarly survive, but reporting suggests that airport vending machines will be removed as well.
Please do prosecute and attempt to recover from scammers, both in the US and abroad. $14 million is small-scale. Let’s also hold all thieves accountable, large and small, politicians, corporations, and billionaires included. Feels like the petty thieves get all the hate, while the rich ones get a pass…
Stealing money from innocent victims, or as the Trump Crime Family calls it: Tuesday.
First round up 2026, woohoo – happy new year everyone
@1990 or anyone ever try the Uber shuttles from LGA or JFK?
I tried durian ice cream in Kuala Lumpur, but it was just vanilla with a durian sauce. I’m not sure if they make ice cream with the flavor built in.
A well-known brewer here in Atlanta made a durian-based beer more than once. Extremely popular with the Indonesian students at Emory Uni. across the street. His staff made him cut them up out in the parking lot. It was just okay, not great, for my taste.
As a normally enthusiastic reader, I’m disappointed by the paragraph that assumes that opposition to current Israeli government policies must be “hostility towards the Jews” (antisemitism), and that declining to engage in specific forms of trade related to military technology and to settlements on disputed land is antisemitism. Also, the fact that they are exempting a cross-European aircraft manufacturer suggests a certain pragmatism by politicians that may or may not be principled, but isn’t antisemitism. It’s your website, but as one of your customers my feedback is that this travel blog isn’t a great place to try to have dialogue about the Middle East.
@L737 — Not yet! Seeing $24 for JFK at 5:30AM the next day… (the times aren’t always ideal, and seems like you have to plan ahead). Price isn’t bad for JFK; about a third the yellow cab rate. P2 prefers private rides, so I’d only book this if it was me alone. Otherwise, for LGA, I’d just take the E to Roosevelt then the free bus; and, for JFK, I’d just take the A train (Far Rockaway) to Howard Beach, or to Lefferts then the bus. If it’s multiple people or large bags, yellow cab is cheapest for flat rate from Manhattan to JFK, usually.
@L737 — Woah, almost forgot, it’s January 1, 2026, and there’s a young, new, progressive mayor in town, so, alternatively, there could soon be free buses all the way to either airport, which… might be even better than Uber Shuttle or the subway!
@1990 — Thanks for the info as always, adding to my notes. And true! Free rides to and from the city would be hard to pass up 🙂
I have never had durian sauce but have had durian ice cream in Cambodia and I think in Thailand.
Durian is unspeakably vile. I recognize that there are genetic factors in play but for me vomit smells better.
Gift cards at a grocery store are great. I get 6% back from Amex and grocery store points. But anymore, Ill just buy if I can get a card that has never been out in public. The sad thing is these fraud rings are, at times, run by immigrants who came here with bad intentions, making honest immigrants look bad.
@Chris: As Mr. Joe Biden was fond of saying. “Come on, man!”. We all know what is really behind it. There is no logical reason for the double standards when it comes to how the European elites treat the Jewish State. The more you look into the farce of the European elites the more nauseating it makes one.