Among the most important events in the recent history of the Western Reserve Port Authority was the Mahoning Valley’s collective decision in 2008 to create its economic-development division.
The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, the reason the port authority was created 22 years ago, has long been a topic of debate. Some people have called the airport a financial “black hole” because of the government subsidies that have been provided to keep it in business.
But the addition of economic development gave critics another target, and it may have set in motion forces that have led to the port authority’s current turmoil — including discussion of throwing out the current board of directors and starting over.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, first proposed adding an economic development office in early 2008, then persuaded officials in Trumbull and Mahoning counties to contribute money to start it.
Rose Ann DeLeon, formerly of the Cuyahoga County Port Authority, was hired in 2009 as executive director for economic development at a salary of $155,000 per year after a national search.
Soon afterward, one of the four members of the port authority’s board appointed by Mahoning County commissioners, retired businessman Andres Visnapuu, complained that everything about DeLeon’s first budget was “excessive” and needed to have “performance-based targets” so the board didn’t “blindly” spend nearly $300,000 for her office in 2010.
Other controversy brewed in 2010, this time regarding board-member ethics after another Mahoning County appointee, Don Hanni III, raised questions about Trumbull County appointees Scott Lewis and John Masternick and two real-estate deals tied to port-authority matters, some of them involving DeLeon’s office.
After Masternick resigned, he called out Mahoning commissioners for appointing Hanni and Visnapuu, saying both men did little but criticize.
Mahoning Commissioner Anthony Traficanti defended Hanni and Visnapuu, saying he asked them to be “watchdogs” because of the amount of county hotel/motel bed-tax money going to the authority.
The Mahoning commissioners voted 2-1 in August 2012 to raise that county’s hotel and motel bed tax from 3 percent to 5 percent, effective Oct. 1 of that year, despite a chorus of protest from the local lodging industry, which said the move would cause the industry to lose business to areas with lower tax rates.
Voting in favor of the increase were Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti and then-Commissioner John A. McNally. Traficanti dissented.
Rimedio-Righetti said she supported the tax increase because she believed the WRPA needed the money.
Mahoning commissioners also changed their distribution formula from one third to the county convention and visitors bureau and two thirds to the port authority to 30 percent to CVB and 70 percent to the authority.
DeLeon’s tenure has been marked by a lack of concrete results and personal hardship because of the death of her husband and a battle with cancer.
Her base salary was reduced at the end of her three-year contract, and bonus potentials were added to her next contract tied to performance. She was removed as executive director in March 2014 after going on medical leave a second time.
Then-chairman Atty. James Floyd said the lead economic-development position (DeLeon was then assisted by Sarah Lown) would remain vacant for at least several months.
Hanni has made no secret of his dislike for several of his fellow board members, especially Floyd, who became chairman at the beginning of 2014 after longtime board member Scott Lynn vacated the chairmanship at the end of 2013.
The conflict between Hanni and Floyd boiled over at two meetings in April — both of which were attended by some of the Mahoning commissioners.
Traficanti attended an April committee meeting at the airport during which Hanni first voiced his concern that Floyd had possibly violated state law and authority bylaws by obtaining a blank port authority check, having two other authority members sign it, then filling it out for $25,000 as earnest money for purchase of a building for the Mahoning commissioners to use for a new dog shelter.
Hanni, Floyd and another board member, accounting executive Rick Schiraldi, debated the matter at length. At the end of the meeting, Traficanti thanked both sides for their efforts.
But the next week, Commissioner David Ditzler attended the regular board meeting. Debate about the dog shelter resumed, but this time, others entered the verbal fray, with Hanni mixing it up with Lown and Dan Mamula of the Mahoning Valley River Corridor Initiative, which is the authority’s brownfield-remediation partner.
Ditzler spoke at the end of the meeting, saying the “personal attacks” taking place on the board were standing in the way of the authority doing its work effectively.
Schiraldi resigned after the meeting, Lynn soon thereafter, Floyd after that. That led Ditzler to contact Trumbull County commissioners to have a meeting about dissolving the board. Traficanti had little to say about the matter.
At last week’s port authority meeting, with only five of eight members present and new board member Ron Klingle serving as acting chairman, the body plowed through a long list of items. Hanni commented he hoped the meeting would show officials that board members could work together.
Pirko, a Warren-area commercial real-estate agent, has attended most of the board meetings over the past couple of years and was president in 2013 of YNG Air Partners, a group that has tried to help airport officials attract daily air service. He said he thinks Mahoning and Trumbull county commissioners should fill the vacant positions on the board.
Pirko encouraged officials in 2007 to expand the port authority’s economic-development potential and earlier worked for the marketing company Rubenstein Associates, doing research that he says contributed to the successful launch of Allegiant Airlines as a leisure airline serving the airport.
He says the important thing now is for the board vacancies to be filled with people with a business background and to get assistance from the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to identify Valley residents who would make good board members.
The area can’t wait the amount of time necessary to dissolve the board and replace the five current members, Pirko said. “It could take months to years,” and during that time, economic opportunities will be missed, Pirko said.
Calls to Lynn and another former port authority member, Richard Musick, for this story were not returned.
The start of the economic-development office at the port authority has been rocky, Pirko said, but that’s to be expected. “It was a major change,” he said.
Christopher Burnham, executive director of the Summit County Port Authority, who partnered with the WRPA on economic-development initiatives before DeLeon came on board, was asked recently whether there is a way for a port authority to eliminate the kind of ethics questions that have dogged the WRPA in recent years.
He said the keys are how the appointments are made and how potential conflicts are handled.
“We’re very careful,” he said in an email. “If it’s a real clear conflict [rarely], the member must not be present during discussion and vote. If there could be a conflict [firm or company maybe part of a deal in some way], the member can’t participate in discussion and must abstain from voting,” he said.
Contributor: Peter H. Milliken, staff writer.


The Vietnam war memorial is 492 feet long. If a similar memorial had been made for the Vietnamese who died, it would be nine miles long.
Len Aldis has long been engaged in the fight against Monsanto and Dow Chemicals for their role in Agent Orange use in Vietnam.
(LONDON) - Len Aldis, the internationally respected Agent Orange Activist and Chair of the Tower Hamlets CND has released the attached letter from the Mayor of Tower Hamlets regarding the London Olympics.
Len has been instrumental in organising worldwide condemnation of Dow Chemical involvement with the London games, in particular the wrapping the Olympic stadium in the Dow brand.
The Dow public relations machine is working 24/7 to portray Dow as the friendly face of the Olympics when in fact the name Dow is synonymous with Vietnamese being burned to death by Dow's NAPALM and the millions Vietnamese suffering from Agent Orange into the fourth generation.
Thank you DOW! The world will never forget your participation in the American War in Vietnam. Mass Murder if your legacy!
*Is named the second worst polluter by the American Environmental Protection Agency for emissions of toxic substances for 2010.
*operates the former nuclear weapons manufacturing plant (made triggers for nuclear bombs) between 1951-1975. During Dow Chemical’s management of the plant more than 200 fires occurred, contaminating up to 300 workers. Dow Chemical officials later acknowledged that they routinely released plutonium illegally.
*invents TCE, a solvent, later linked to cancer and ozone depletion.
*produces DBCP, a pesticide. Reports only circulated within the company reveal DBCP to be absorbed through the skin and highly toxic when inhaled.
*produces napalm, a chemical explosive and Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant used by the American government during the Vietnam War.
*tests Dursban at a lab in Nebraska that targeted University of Nebraska students to participate in the study. DowElanco was later fined $890,000 (a record fine at the time) for withholding information and documents pertaining to Dursban’s safety. Dursban was forced off the market in 2004.
*launches insecticide Lorsban which is revealed to have safety issues.
*releases chlorine at its Stade, Germany facility and fails to inform the public about the hazards.
*the American Chemical Society finds that chemical companies had purposely withheld information linking vinyl chloride (of which Dow Chemical is a major producer) with angiosarcoma (liver cancer).
*stalls the clean up of dioxins in Midland, Michigan where dioxin contamination is amongst the highest in American for more than 35 years.
*found to have secret life insurance on 20,000 of their own employees, whereby Dow Chemical would collect death benefits if their workers died. The practice is illegal in most states.
*paid a Univeristy of Pennsylvania dermatologist to test dioxin on prisoners at Holmerburg prison.
*spills about 8,000 gallons of “perc” (used by professional dry cleaners) into the St. Clair River.
*burned 28 tons of toxic chemicals a day at its Sarnia, ON facility.
*found negligent of testing, making, selling and distribution of Benedectin (morning sickness drug) by a jury.
*fined $1.1 million for violating the Toxic Substances Control Act.
*regularly sued or fined by federal and state agencies for non compliance in the 1990s.
*sued for unlawfully discharging chlorinated solvents into the groundwater and the San Francisco Bay.
*Louisiana court finds Dow Chemical negligent in testing silicone breast implants, for lying about the possible risks and conspiring with their subsidiary Dow Corning.
*Dupont-Dow Elastomers plant in Louisiana ranked one of the worst and dirtiest facilities in the US, emitting about 540,000 pounds of recognized carcinogens (substances that cause cancer) in 1999.
*Dow Chemical’s American and Canadian facilities record 1,337 toxic leaks, spills and breaks in 2001.
*lobbies against provisions in the Chemical Security Act, which would have required safer methods to minimize and eliminate hazardous risks at chemical plants.
*hires Otto Ambros, a chemist and convicted war criminal (for slavery and mass murder). During World War II Ambros was the director of I.G. Farben, that owned a company that produced Zyklon B, the gas used to kill millions of Jews. Ambros was one of the decision makers who agreed that Zyklon B should be used in the concentration camps.
*DowAgroscience fined 2 million dollars for false advertising in 2003. They claimed Dursban did not endanger human health or cause long term health effects.
*challenges the Quebec government’s ban on its herbicide 2,4-D in 2008. The Quebec government wanted to impose a ban after studies linked it to cancer. Dow Chemical uses NAFTA to stop the ban.
This is only an abbreviated list of Dow Chemical’s health violations.
Through the IOC’s decision of accepting, defending and even celebrating Dow Chemical’s inclusion into the Olympic movement, athletes are now directly linked to a company that clearly does not display, nor respects the aims of Olympism.


The founder of a zoo where nearly 500 animals died in less than three years from causes including emaciation and hypothermia is opening a horse-riding ranch in the Lake District.
Two years ago inspectors concluded that scores of animals had died in often cruel conditions at South Lakes Safari zoo in Cumbria between December 2013 and September 2016, when it was owned by David Gill.
The catalogue of deaths included two snow leopard cubs discovered partially eaten in their enclosure, and a squirrel monkey whose decomposing body was found behind a radiator. A diagnosis of chlamydia was reported in the zoo’s peacock population.
The inspectors recommended Gill should face prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act for allowing animals to suffer, and said the entire blame for the attraction’s problems could be laid at his door.
A month later Gill was refused a licence to continue running the zoo, and the attraction is now in the hands of new owners, Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd. Gill has never been prosecuted and denies any wrongdoing.
The Guardian has learned that Gill is now planning to launch an American-themed horse-riding ranch in the hills of the Lake District.
A planning application under the name David Rivera was submitted this month and looks likely to be approved by the Lake District National Park Authority, to the anger of animal rights campaigners.
In the first six months of 2016 alone at the zoo, five inca terns died from exposure, an alpaca died from hypothermia, a lemur drowned, a bird was euthanised after its beak was broken by a macaw, 13 other animals died from trauma and three died from starvation. A jaguar chewed off its own paw after damaging it on broken glass and exposed nails.
In June 2016, the zoo was fined £255,000 for health and safety breaches after the death of a keeper Sarah McClay, 24, who was mauled by a Sumatran tiger three years earlier.
Nicola O’Brien, of the charity Freedom for Animals, said of the ranch plans: “It is outrageous that any local authority would give David Gill the opportunity to run another business with animals.
Gill’s website promises a “western-style world heritage horse experience”, bringing “western comfort and style to the Lake District for you to enjoy”. He plans to offer horse-and-carriage rides for up to £400 a trip, and three-hour trail rides for £120.
The site refers to Gill’s previous ownership of a ranch in the US state of Wyoming but does not mention South Lakes Safari zoo, which he founded and ran for 24 years.
Contacted by the Guardian, Gill dismissed the 2017 inspection report, which found “significant problems” at South Lakes Safari zoo including overcrowding, poor hygiene and lack of animal husbandry.
Gill said the death rate at South Lakes Safari was “normal within any zoo” – a claim contested by campaigners who argue that his facility was much smaller than many others yet had a higher rate of deaths. The inspectors found that a total of 486 animals died in less than three years, many in cruel circumstances.
“There’s nothing for people to worry about,” Gill said. “The stories were not true in the first instance. If they had have been, why was I never, ever charged with anything or prosecuted for anything?
Gill said he had started a new life since “all of that rubbish” in 2017 and had taken the surname of his wife, a Peruvian former beauty queen. “I’ve got through all that and got over it. I’ve lived a new life ever since and I’m actually very happy,” he said.
An informal inspection of Gill’s new venture by Copeland borough council found the ranch in “very good condition” and recommended the application be approved.
Gill has also provisionally applied for an animal activity licence, which would allow him to hire out horses. This has not yet been approved.


Snipiskes has caused an international furor.
VILNIUS - Human bones have been discovered centimeters below the surface of the Snipiskes grounds in central Vilnius.
The discovery would appear to back up claims that the site is within the boundaries of an old Jewish cemetery. The government had approved plans to build more luxury apartments on a site that has already been built on, a plan which has outraged the Jewish community.
However Zenonas Baubonis, the head of the Lithuanian Archeological Society, which carried out the dig, said the bones cannot be treated as burials.
Baubonis said that the archeological survey was intended to supplement material gathered by Israeli geophysicists and to determine the precise location and boundaries of the Jewish cemetery.
The original Geotec survey failed to verify the geophysical data and did not specify the boundaries of the old cemetery. The tests were suspended following demands of Jewish representatives who observed the dig.
Archeologists who carried out the research said that the findings, including human bones, had been discovered at depths of 20 to 30 centimeters, while data provided by the coordinator of the geophysical tests, Arieh Klein, suggests that Israeli specialists had registered the depth at 1.5 meters.
The Lithuanian Archeological Society said in a letter that "the discovered fragments of human bones makes it impossible to determine religious, cultural or ethnic dependence of the dead people," and that "the unearthed layer with the findings may have formed from surrounding soil or may have been brought from other locations as construction ruins."
The senior state inspector of the Cultural Heritage Department, Renaldas Augustinavicius, reported that the archeological tests would be resumed in September. He said Jewish experts had not yet decided on further actions regarding the human bones discovered on the first day of digging.
Testing was halted after the first bone fragments were found. Having found fragments of human and animal bones, the Lithuanian archeologists could no longer continue their activities due to objections by the monitors.
Chaim Birshtein, a Jewish Community leader in Lithuania agrees with the stopping of surveying. "Jewish or not, all people's bones should be preserved," he told The Baltic Times.
"By finding the bones, it is proven that this is a cemetery. Whatever has been damaged has been damaged and we just want the bones to lie there in peace now," Birshtein added.
He is, however, outspoken about possible conspiracies against the community, saying, "They don't want to show the truth to everybody."
News of the halted tests was announced by the Cultural Heritage Department, which said that "fragments of household ceramics and shattered glass, parts of metal items, single human and animal bones not in anatomical positions," were found some 20 to 30 centimeters under the surface.
Specialists have so far refused to specify whether the discovered remains were Jewish, saying certain tests would still be carried out because the remains were "not in anatomical positions," and not at the depth of usual burials. The bank of the River Neris has been a place for both Jewish and Christian cemeteries.
The Snipiskes cemetery saga has had worldwide media coverage, and people from all corners have said that it is an issue best resolved quickly. "This whole story has done bad things for Lithuania and for the Jewish community too. We do not find it pleasant," Birshtein said.
The cemetery research is expected to reveal whether a luxury apartment complex was constructed on the location of a former Jewish cemetery. The Jewish community is certain that it was, and it has been expressing its dismay at the alleged desecration of the cemetery on an international level.
The cemetery had been open in the center of Vilnius since the 16th century, then closed in the 19th century and dismantled in the mid-20th century. Once it was closed, the Jewish community received monetary compensation from the administration of the Russian czar.


A Louisville private school has placed a faculty member on leave while it reopens an investigation into whether the employee had inappropriate sexual conduct with two female students roughly three decades ago.
St. Francis School first looked into complaints about the faculty member in 2015, but after handling the matter internally, chose to keep that person on the job, according to a letter posted on the school's website this week.
The school is now re-opening the investigation and apologizing for how it previously handled the matter.
"We acknowledge that the prior investigation did not accomplish all it could and should have, and for that we deeply apologize. We recognize the importance of addressing these issues with compassion, transparency, and fairness, and we are committed to doing so," the school said in a statement provided to Courier Journal.
St. Francis has campuses in Goshen and downtown Louisville. The school serves nearly 500 students in preschool through 12th grade and is known for its small class sizes.
The school, which said it has been "formulating a plan to re-evaluate" the allegations since mid-November, has hired a Boston-based attorney to lead the new investigation.


Brunch is a reason to celebrate unto itself, and these restaurants are America's best spots for this luxurious meal.
A Charleston must-visit, this comfortable and inviting 22-year-old landmark showcases the classic Lowcountry cooking of chef Robert Stehling as well as his dedication to using only the finest ingredients available. Stehling is taking the best aspects of Lowcountry cuisine — grits, biscuits, she-crab soup — and bringing them to new heights: Shrimp and cheese grits are kicked up with scallions, mushrooms, and bacon; biscuits are stuffed with fried chicken and Cheddar and topped with sausage gravy; and grits come topped with your choice of roasted mushrooms and leek cream, slow-smoked pork belly, or sesame-fried catfish with Geechee peanut sauce. Other brunchtime standouts include heirloom buckwheat pancakes with peach syrup and sorghum butter, an heirloom cornmeal waffle with hot chicken thighs and strawberry syrup, and some of the finest fried green tomatoes on Earth.


MIAMI • Thirty-two kilometres may have made a US$150 billion (S$202 billion) difference.
Estimates for the damage Hurricane Irma would inflict on Florida kept mounting as it made its devastating sweep across the Caribbean. It was poised to be the costliest US storm on record. Then something called the Bermuda High intervened and tripped it up.
"We got very lucky," said Mr Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
If Irma had passed 32km west of Marco Island instead of striking it on Sunday, "the damage would have been astronomical".
A track like that would have placed the powerful, eastern eye wall of Irma on Florida's Gulf Coast. By one estimate, the total cost of the damage fell to about US$50 billion on Monday from US$200 billion over the weekend.
The state escaped the worst because Irma's powerful eye shifted west, away from the biggest population centre of sprawling Miami- Dade County.
The credit goes to the Bermuda High, which acts like a sort of traffic cop for the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. The circular system hovering over Bermuda jostled Irma onto northern Cuba last Saturday, where being over land sapped it of some power, and then around the tip of the Florida peninsula, cutting down on storm surge damage on both coasts of the state.
"The Bermuda High is finite and it has an edge, which was right over Key West," Mr Masters said.
Irma caught the edge and turned north. For 10 days, computer-forecast models had struggled with how the high was going to push Irma around and when it was going to stop, said Mr Peter Sousounis, director of meteorology at AIR Worldwide. "I was very surprised not by how one model was going back and forth - but by how all the models were going back and forth."
In the end, Irma hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane with 209kph winds, then as a Category 3 on Marco Island. It reached the Tampa Bay area as a Category 2.
By contrast, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 ploughed into the east side of Florida as a Category 5.
"With Irma, little wobbles made a huge difference," said disaster modeller Chuck Watson.


Freshman guard Micaela Kelly, right, defends against the opponent at the women's basketball game against Kent State on Jan. 13 at McGuirk Arena.
Central Michigan women's basketball heightened its lead at the top of the Mid-American Conference West Division Feb. 10 against Ohio.
The Chippewas nearly scored double what Ohio scored, and won 85-47. This is their 12th straight win. CMU has three more conference wins than Ball State, who is second in the MAC West Division.
The Chippewas' struggles continued as they lost, 69-63, at Akron Feb. 10. CMU dropped to 4-8 in conference play and 15-10 overall.
CMU kept the game close until the end, but after senior forward Cecil Williams stole the ball with about 30 seconds left, he missed an open layup and allowed the Zips to extend their lead. Williams finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and one assist.
The Chippewas' next home game is at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 17 against Eastern Michigan. CMU is tied for last in the MAC West Division with Northern Illinois, who it faces Feb. 13.
The Chippewas earned their fifth win of the season at Illinois State Feb. 9. This was the second time CMU has beaten Illinois State this season. The first win came in the home-opening meet.
Seniors Bryttany Kaplin and Katy Clements both won two events against Illinois State. The Chippewas will return to McGuirk Arena at 1 p.m. Feb. 18 to take on Kent State.
Chippewa seniors shined on Senior Night in McGuirk Arena Feb. 9. The meet was delayed by two hours due to weather conditions, but that didn't stop CMU from earning a 29-7 win against Eastern Michigan.
Redshirt freshman heavyweight Matt Stencel earned CMU's only pin against EMU. Senior CJ Brucki earned a technical fall, and sophomore Mason Smith earned a decision even though he was ill.
"(Smith) was really sick today," head coach Tom Borrelli said. "He was three pounds under at weigh in. He might have the flu, but he gutted out a win."
This was the last home event until the MAC Championships on March 3-4.


The power of embroidery on show for all to see.
Floral embroidery and sportswear might not immediately appear a compatible pairing, but one man in Leeds is changing all that with his stunning Adidas embroidery.
Shibby Hussain, 20, is a student who took to embroidery when his first year of study didn’t exactly go to plan, and the results have attracted retweets and likes from tens of thousands on Twitter.
“I was basically going through some real hardships in my personal life and, long story short, had to retake my first year at medical school,” Shibby told the Press Association.
“It’s been the toughest year of my life so far. It was the lowest I’ve been and I basically needed something to help me feel like I was good at something,” he continued.
It was then that Shibby discovered a stitch society at university and found it to be a welcoming environment, and after receiving positive feedback on his initial work he decided to continue with his new hobby – the pineapple below was his first effort.
“Embroidery art has been my healthiest and most effective coping mechanism for my mental health issues and reminded me that I am good at things!” Shibby continued.
But how did the floral sportswear combination come about? Shibby stumbled upon the work of James Merry, a hand embroidery artist who creates sports logo mash-ups with flora and fauna, and was inspired.
“I gave his Instagram a look and was just shocked at his work!” said Shibby. “It’s so detail-orientated and focuses on floral embroidery on vintage sports sweatshirts.
So the idea was in place, but how was it completed?
“I tried to keep it simple-ish so it wouldn’t go too wrong,” said Shibby of his own effort. “I think from designing it to the last stitch it took around 25 hours.
The finished work has now received more than 50,000 likes on Twitter, while some have even asked Shibby if his work might be available to purchase or commission, something he finds a little surreal.
“Loads of people have asked if I do commissions etc and I’ve just been laughing, so flattered that people are willing to pay me!” he said.
It’s clear embroidery and design are massive talents of Shibby’s, so what does he plan to create next?
“Well it’s Pride season – I’ve always wanted to make a statement denim jacket, so I might embroider ‘Miss Vanjieeee’ on the back of one.
Adidas haven’t been in touch with Shibby about his work, but the reaction online suggests floral sportswear is something the people are very much ready for.


There will be plenty of blonde ambition at this year's CMT Music Awards.
Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift top the nominations which were announced this morning on the Today show.
Underwood earned five nominations, Lambert had four as a solo artist and as part of her trio Pistol Annies, and Swift led a group of stars earning three nominations apiece for the 11th annual video awards show.
Underwood's Good Girl and her Remind Me collaboration with Brad Paisley, Lambert's Over You and Swift's collaboration with The Civil Wars on The Hunger Games soundtrack entry Safe & Sound are among the 10 nominees for top honour video of the year.
Underwood also is up for female video, CMT performance and collaborative video of the year.
Lambert is up for female video as a solo artist and for group video and breakthrough video for Hell on Heels with her friends Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe in Pistol Annies.
Other video of the year nominees include Aldean's Dirt Road Anthem, Kenny Chesney's You and Tequila with Grace Potter, Toby Keith's Red Solo Cup, Lady Antebellum's We Owned the Night, Rascal Flatts' Easy with Natasha Bedingfield and Shelton's God Gave Me You.


(Newser) – More than 100 prisoners have fled a high-security facility after it was hit by shelling in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, local authorities say. A jail riot was precipitated by a direct rocket hit that claimed the life of at least one inmate, says a city council spokesman, who adds that at least 10 homes, shops, and garages were hit by overnight rocketing and 20,000 people are living without electricity. Ukrainian government forces have intensified their push on Donetsk over the last week and have succeeded in surrounding it. Exchanges of rocket fire have become a daily feature of the fighting.
Ukraine asked the rebels to participate in open elections, not only did they refuse but they prevented other citizens who wished to vote from doing so. President Poroshenko asked the rebels to negotiate and they refused. He offered increased autonomy if they would stop fighting and negotiate, they refused. They confiscated citizens food, autos etc for their own use and they had no humanitarian concerns then. Now they want a cease fire so they can regroup, strengthen and hope Putin sends in troops then they will start the killing again.
Thats one way to recruit new fighters.


Avolon celebrates delivery of the world's first Boeing 737 MAX to Malindo Air in May.
Cork could become a major centre for the development of pilots as a global dearth in filling the roles grows over the next decade.
The worldwide commercial aviation industry will need an extra 255,000 pilots by 2027 to sustain its rapid growth and is not moving fast enough to fill the positions, according to a 10-year forecast published by training company Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE).
Cork has the largest pilot training facility in Ireland at the Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA) near Cork Airport. Training pilots since 1995, its graduates fly for the likes of Turkish Airlines, Air Astana, Kazakhstan and the Libyan Ministry of Transport.
It has also struck up a partnership with Norwegian Airlines, which will make history by offering the first ever direct transatlantic flights to Providence in Rhode Island from Cork next month. AFTA has supplied dozens of graduates to Norwegian. More than 1,800 of AFTA’s graduates fly for airlines around the world.
Meanwhile, the Paris Air Show proved a lucrative one for Boeing with Irish aircraft leasing company Avolon signing a memorandum of understanding for 75 of its 737Max 8 aircraft. It also includes an option for a further 50 of the same aircraft.
Also at the air show, Ryanair said it would buy 10 more Boeing 737Max 200 aircraft in a deal worth more than $1.1bn. Ryanair operates an all-Boeing fleet and took delivery of its 450th Boeing aircraft in March.


Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh today suggested Boston could provide a safe harbor for legal abortion clinics if President-elect Trump follows through on his vow to appoint Supreme Court justices who will reverse Roe v. Wade.
Trump has said he will appoint Supreme Court justices who would seek to overturn the landmark 1973 decision that made abortion legal across the United States. Over the weekend, Trump told a "60 Minutes" interviewer the issue of legal abortion then would be decided on a state level, and some women would have to "go to another state" to obtain an abortion.
Walsh noted others within the GOP may want to cut off money to states who support reproductive rights if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Asked what he could do currently as mayor to protect women’s reproductive rights, Walsh said, "Working with the legislature to make sure the laws don’t get weakened. Working with health centers to make sure that, if there’s there’s threats of cutting back federal funding to those health centers for any type of reproductive rights, working with all the health centers in the city of Boston to make sure there is an open-door policy.
The mayor warned of the lasting negative impacts a Trump presidency could have.
“I have never had a feeling on the streets like I do today,” Walsh said. “The pro-Trump people are all excited about him being elected, but imagine what could happen, the damage that could be happen, if he follows through on even half of his campaign promises, the damage could take decades to overturn and generations to overturn.
The mayor has repeatedly said he will not tolerate any bullying of immigrants, women, or members of the LGBT community, as reports of such incidents have soared in the wake of Trump’s election to the presidency.
Walsh added his Office of Immigrant Advancement has been fielding calls since the election and said there has been some “unrest” in schools with children whose parents are immigrants or who are immigrants themselves.
One supporter, he said, called City Hall and harangued a staff member until he intervened himself.
“I walked by somebody’s desk and she held the phone out and said this guy is just going off. … He was going on and on and on and on,” Walsh said with a chuckle. “He was talking about Trump and talking about this and getting rid of this person and that person.


Controversial anti-Islam film-maker jailed for a series of criminal offences relating to false aliases.
Mark Basseley Youssef, the conman behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle East, has been given a one-year prison sentence for probation violations unrelated to the film.
The sentence was handed down on Wednesday after a plea bargain was reached between solicitors for Youssef and federal prosecutors.
Youssef admitted to using several false names and violating his probation order by obtaining a fraudulent California driver's license under a false name to commit bank fraud.
US District Court Judge Christina Snyder accepted the plea agreement and immediately sentenced Youssef after he admitted to four of the eight alleged violations.
Shortly after Youssef left the courtroom, he issued a provocative statement through his solicitor, Steven Seiden.
"The one thing he wanted me to tell all of you is President Obama may have gotten Osama bin Laden, but he didn't kill the ideology," Seiden said.
Prosecutors agreed to drop the other four allegations under the plea deal, which also included more probation time.
Both sides agreed that none of the violations were a consequence of the content of "Innocence of Muslims," a film seen as offensive by Muslims.
Deadly violence related to the film broke out on September 11 and spread to many parts of the Middle East.
But Assistant US Attorney Robert Dugdale argued Youssef's lies about his identity had caused harm to others, including the film's cast and crew.
"They had no idea he was a recently released felon," Dugdale said on Wednesday. "Had they known that, they might have had second thoughts" about partaking in the film.
He said they had received death threats and felt that their careers had been ruined.


With the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expiring in less than 1,000 days, new goals are needed that prioritise support for smallholder farmers to better access markets and increase productivity, nutrition and incomes.
Michael Hoevel, deputy director of a UK-based think tank called Agriculture for Impact, says that the MDGs have helped galvanise efforts to address the world’s most fundamental development challenges, including the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.
Andrew Emmott of Twin, a UK-based fair trade group that works with more than 50 farmer organisations, notes that food safety is not a feature of the MDGs, despite presenting significant barriers to achieving Goal Four on reducing child mortality and Goal Six on combating diseases.
According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation, malnutrition costs the global economy as much as five percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to 3.5 trillion dollars annually or 500 dollars a person. Impact for Agriculture noted that over 200 million people go hungry and 40 percent of children under age five are stunted due to malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa today.
“Twin believes that incorporating food safety into the food security and nutrition goals will create the impetus to develop novel finance mechanisms in post-harvest drying and storage for households and communities as well as formal value chains,” Emmott says, explaining that this approach should seek to improve food safety, reduce food waste, support local food systems and make food more readily available for longer periods over the year.
Hoevel and Emmott agree that in structuring the new goals, the development of markets for smallholder farmers is essential.
Two recent reports by Agriculture for Impact highlight how smallholder farmers can be supported to access input and output markets more effectively. When scaling up investments or development programmes, it is essential to adapt them to the local context, both in terms of agroecological conditions and socioeconomic realities.
According to Hoevel, the lion’s share of future market-based opportunities for smallholders lies in domestic and regional markets. Smallholders can also access global export markets if they are supported with good agronomic and business advice, quality inputs and the ability to organise themselves to benefit from economies of scale.
Twin’s experience, Emmott told IPS, has shown that organisation is the key to accessing value-added markets for smallholder farmers.
“By forming cooperatives and working collectively, marginalised smallholders can gain support to develop their skills and increase their productivity at the farm level, as well as having strength through numbers,” said Emmott.


The Raptors have won their last seven meetings with Chicago.
Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 33 points, while Fred VanVleet added 23. Kawhi Leonard’s 25-plus-points game streak comes to an end.
Ibaka, Westbrook return from suspension; Valerie Adams’ little brother will also play.
Emmanuel Mudiay and the woeful Knicks had lost eight straight before Sunday’s one-point win over the Lakers.
Raptors fans by the thousands in Motor City, where basketball fans’ attention was divided, saw coach Dwane Casey’s Pistons complete a shutout of their season series.
Kawhi Leonard’s 33 points not enough in Fred VanVleet’s return to the Raptors’ lineup.
Serge Ibaka and Marquese Chriss exchanged blows at the end of the third quarter. Score it a draw. Kyle Lowry limped off after mid-air collision in fourth. Yes, it was a rough night against the Cavaliers.
Raptors journeyman Patrick McCaw and Cavaliers lottery pick Collin Sexton have one thing in common: the relentless pursuit of a better three-point shot — no matter how many practice jumpers it takes.
With Kawhi Leonard resting in Miami, the Raptors drain 21 three-pointers — eight in the first quarter alone — to match the franchise record.
Raptors can formally clinch a playoff spot in Miami, where the Dwyane Wade retirement tour could roll into the post-season.
Players such as Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Danny Green choose game-day footwear for performance first, but increasingly select shoes with marketing in mind.
Kawhi Leonard sets the tone in New Orleans with 24 points in first half. Kyle Lowry rebounds with triple-double after quiet night against Rockets. Pelicans sit out Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.
Raptors begin a three-game road trip in New Orleans.
Portland won the first meeting when Lowry was hurt and Gasol and Lin had not yet arrived.


Camping out in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall is far from glamorous but more than one hundred people were willing to sacrifice comfort for cosmetics overnight to be first in line outside Sephora’s flagship Australian store.
The French cosmetic giant, opening at midday today, promises to offer brands such as Marc Jacobs Beauty, Tarte, Skin Inc, Formula X and Sephora private label at American prices.
Sephora’s regional director of business, Libby Anderson said "we just want to be able to bring our cosmetics in, especially our exclusive brands, in at a price that the customer is used to paying overseas."
Other brands already available in Australia will also be stocked including L'Oreal, Lancome, Clinique, Estée Lauder, M.A.C and Clarins.
According to finance experts, people still spend money on cosmetics during tough financial times and Sephora plans to establish 20 stores across Australia by the end of next year.


The Breakers have released import player Jerrelle Benimon from his contract, three weeks after confirming the American as a squad member for the upcoming season.
Benimon, signed as starting centre, was due to start with the club last week.
However personal issues have kept him in the USA.
General Manager Dillon Boucher has been working with Benimon's agent around the delay.
"Family plays a huge part in the culture here at the Breakers and when we heard from Jerrelle that he was dealing with some family issues we had no hesitation in supporting his request to postpone coming to New Zealand," said Boucher.
"After further talks we have mutually agreed to release Jerrelle and move forward with a replacement to complete our 2018/19 roster."
Boucher is already in talks with contacts in the USA and is confident the team will have a full roster in time for the Breakers pre-season NBA game on October 3 in Phoenix.


Middle Eastern Christians are experiencing one of the most significant periods in their history, according to religious and political leaders meeting in London last week.
Regime changes in Egypt and Iran, and sectarian violence in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, have presented an opportunity for the Christian minority to speak out, or for international bodies to advocate on their behalf.
Rev. Andrew White, the pastor of an Anglican church in Baghdad, spoke of the "terrible suffering" of Iraq's Christian community. He said that in the last 10 years since Saddam Hussein was toppled, 1026 members of his congregation had been killed – 58 within one day.
White said that in the last decade, Iraq's Christian population had shrunk from 1.5 million to around 200,000.
As Egypt adapts to its second regime change in two years, Bishop Angaelos, leader of the Coptic Church in the UK, said Egyptians are beginning to embrace their identity as Egyptians, rather than only as part of a group of distinct communities.
"It was unheard of before two years ago that Egyptian flags would be flying on the streets because people felt that they were not really part of a single nation state, so they reverted to their own religion, whether Christian or Muslim," he said.
The Bishop said that one Muslim Brotherhood leader said he felt closer to an Indonesian Muslim than a Coptic Christian because of the concept of the nation of Islam, the Ummah.
In this way, he said former President Mohamed Morsi's religious-led government had highlighted the distinctions between the different faith communities, rather than brought people together.
"We looked at what happened two years ago as the turning point, but... there was a mentality of divide and conquer, which means that you keep communities apart; you make them think that they can't trust each other.
"You don't bring people together at all, because if you bring people together, you get what's happening on the streets of Cairo today, which was impossible back then. It's a great opportunity to be able to break down some of the barriers and bring people together for a common cause."
In the wake of the overthrow of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and with reference also to the situation for Christians in Iran, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali said he had yet to be persuaded that a truly Islamic state could grant its citizens religious freedom.
"Very prominent church leaders have said in my presence that a truly Islamic state will guarantee the freedoms of non-Muslims. Well I beg to differ! I don't think there is a single historical instance of this happening anywhere," he said.
The Bishop said countries in the Middle East must learn from the case of Egypt and look beyond the ideal of democracy.
"Democracy is not enough," he said. "It can simply mean the feeling of the majority. In the Egyptian context, the question is not achieving power through the ballot box, but whether there is a willingness to give up power through the ballot box. That's the other test of democracy."
Religious freedom must be considered more than just a Western ideal, according to Canada's Andrew Bennett, the country's first ambassador to the Office of Religious Freedom.
"We must speak up and defend freedom of religion for all, especially for Middle Eastern Christians, who are experiencing such grave persecution," he said. "This core principle is not culturally specific; it is not the sole preserve of Western democracies. It is a universal principle that speaks to human dignity."
Ziya Meral, a Turkish researcher and writer living in London, said the concept of religious freedom is "flawed" and in need of redefining.
Meral said he was encouraged that freedom of religion has risen exponentially in prominence in the media over the past five years.
However, he said the word "freedom" is often viewed as freedom from social responsibility.
Instead, Meral said we need a "new language" and should redefine religious freedom to mean: "responsibility to all enjoy our different faiths together".


Some of the most amazing coffees I've ever tasted have been winners from the Cup of Excellence competition. The program has been referred to as the Oscars of coffee and seeks to identify the best beans from many of the top coffee farms in the world. An international jury of professional coffee tasters is invited to the host country to cup the selected entries. Cup of Excellence competitions have been held in Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Rwanda, Costa Rica and Colombia.
On the first day of the competition there is an extensive calibration. During the next two days, the international jury cups the coffees that have been approved and passed by the national jury. On the fourth day, the jury cups about 45 coffees which have passed the first round. Coffees scoring an 84 or above during this round are awarded the prestigious Cup of Excellence.
The top ten scoring coffees are ranked again to discover the first place winner of the competition. Winning Cup of Excellence coffees are then sold through an internet auction. The most recent auction was held on January 18th, for the winning farms of the 2010 Brazilian competition. I was thrilled to see two of my friends receive the top two awards. Cláudio Carneiro Pinto's Grota São Pedro farm was awarded first place. His coffee sold for $25.05 per pound. Carlos Segio Sanglard's Serra do Bone took second place. His coffee fetched $12.10 per pound. Of the thirty-one winners, these were the only organic lots.
In November, I had the extremely desirable assignment of traveling to Machado, Brazil and serving as a member of the international jury. Over the course of a week, we slurped, scrutinized, evaluated, and ranked the top forty-seven selections from the 2010 Brazil coffee harvest. This was my 9th Cup of Excellence jury invitation and 6th appearance as a member of the Brazil panel. The coffees were phenomenally clean, sweet, aromatic and delicious!
"While I was a consultant outside of the roasting/retail business, I became involved with a United Nations project that was trying to develop higher quality coffees in order to sell at higher premiums. So when specialty coffee was really growing (1990's), and there were many success stories, farmers were not feeling the benefit of that at all. That's when I co-founded the Cup of Excellence, which was an international competition where we brought in roasters from Japan, Europe, The Americas and around the world to taste coffees. That suddenly really raised the price and also brought attention and identity to single farmers for the first time, so within two to three years, entire regions -- not only farmers, but regions -- were being discovered. Brazil had always been discounted as being poor producers of quality. Suddenly they became desirable, their prices went up. Individual farms were able to make connections to roasters and roasters to farmers. So now you had Europeans, Japanese and Americans coming to Brazil to visit those farms and buy at higher premiums."
I recently interviewed Cup of Excellence's other co-founder, Susie Spindler and asked her how she sees CoE as improving coffee quality. Here was her response.
["The] Cup of Excellence program has improved quality by giving farmers a financial incentive to do the best job they can. The hope of winning a Cup of Excellence supports the focus on quality above all else at the individual farm. This means that hundreds of farmers every year try to improve their quality and even if they do not win, this effort alone puts a lot more high quality coffees in the marketplace. The competition process also encourages farmers to educate themselves about the kinds of coffees the marketplace wants and with all of the cuppers and visitors now to the individual farms, higher overall quality is the end result. The program has completely busted the practice of blending everything so more coffees that are of higher quality have the opportunity to stand on their own and not enhance an otherwise poor quality blend."
If you're interested in learning more about Cup of Excellence, I recommend checking out their website. If you've never tasted a Cup of Excellence coffee, I'd enthusiastically encourage you to do so. A number of the Bay Area roasters are supporters of the program. Web searches will direct you to CoE roasters throughout the country. One word of caution, please make sure to check when the coffee was harvested and its roast date. The freshest in-season option will always be your best bet.


MARK Woodrow and Matt Long continued to prove their worth with two dominant displays in England RU Counties XV’s Far East tour.
The Birmingham & Solihull Bees duo helped the national side to their highest-ever win with a 108-10 victory over Korea President’s XV in Seoul last Friday.
And although team manager Danny Hodgson jiggled with his team selection for the game against East Japan three days later, the Gloucestershire-based pair came off the bench to help record a 67-31 victory.
Last Friday the tourists scored 16 tries in a free-flowing romp in which all their training ground work came to fruition in spectacular style to eclipse their previous record - a 76-10 win over Russia.
During the win, fly-half Woodrow got his name on the try-sheet and also added 12 conversions.


Russian President Vladimir Putin in Versailles, France, on May, 29, 2017.
Plenty of ink is being spilled over Russia’s contentious relations with the West these days, and with good reason. But while Russian President Vladimir Putin plays games with the U.S. and Europe — and continues a murky alliance with Syria and Iran — the other countries that will determine Russia’s future shouldn’t be overlooked. Here are five you should be keeping tabs on.
Let’s start with the most obvious. Russia had hoped its eastern pivot towards China would make up for lost Western investment and trade ties in the wake of the Ukraine crisis of 2014. U.S./E.U. sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions are estimated to have cost Russia between 1 and 1.5 percent of its GDP in the first year alone; the IMF forecasts the hit could be as much as 9 percent over the medium term. And while China did indeed step up financing for Russian projects (Chinese investment in Russia grew by 172 percent in the first half of 2016), it wasn’t enough to overcome the losses in growth and financing that Western sanctions knocked off in 2016. Making matters worse, Beijing never endorsed Russia’s annexation of Crimea, as Moscow once hoped it would.
But that’s the thing—while China will sign more deals with Russia, it needs no part in Russia’s geopolitical games. China’s happy to do more business with Russia now that the Russians, with fewer options, have to give China favorable terms and prices. But the global status quo has been good to China, and Beijing wants to see it continue, albeit with some modifications; Russia wants to upend it entirely. In addition, China will continue to compete for influence with Russia, particularly in Central Asia. Don’t expect China to become best friends with Russia anytime soon. Or ever.
Japan has been part of Russia’s Asia outreach for years now—partly to hedge against China, and partly out of hope that Japanese investment in Russia would lead to absorption of Japanese technology, experience and efficiency in Russian industry. While some of that did happen (especially in the energy and automotive sectors), it never hit the levels the Kremlin had hoped.
But when discussing the future of Russia/Japan relations, it’s history and geopolitics that weigh most heavily. Tokyo and Moscow continue to dispute the status of Kuril Islands, a chain of four islands in the Pacific that both countries claim as their own. And to this day, Russia and Japan have failed to sign a peace treaty that would officially end World War II. Then there’s the fact that Japan finds itself in an increasingly challenging geopolitical situation in Asia; China is throwing elbows next door, and North Korea’s kicking up dirt. Russia is not equipped to handle either of those situations; and for all the chaos in U.S. politics at the moment, America’s military prowess still holds sway in the region (as do the 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan). The U.S. remains the must-have ally in the region if you’re Tokyo. That’s also why Russia would like to edge closer to Japan.
In Syria, Russia has shown it’s ready to rush in where the U.S. still fears to tread. That makes Russia a significant player in the region, more than its economic and military strength would otherwise suggest (Russia is the 12th largest economy, and while it’s 3rd largest in military expenditure, it shells out only about one tenth of what the U.S. does).
While Saudi Arabia and Russia are on opposite sides of the Syrian war, they’ve managed to work together to backstop the fall in oil prices that devastated both countries. There’s also potential here—Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a critical role in creating a $10 billion partnership between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, and an improved relationship with Saudi Arabia supports Russian efforts to engage the broader Gulf region. And while the Saudis might be glad to have Donald Trump in the White House at the moment, there are no guarantees for what comes next. Given that, it’s good to have options.
Russia and Turkey are helmed by two of the world’s most colorful strongmen, and both are prime players in the unfolding Syria drama. In November 2015, Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet that was skirting its airspace; Russia retaliated with trade sanctions, but quickly reached a rapprochement when Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized. This was followed by the shooting of the Russian ambassador by an off-duty police officer in Ankara about a year later.
In normal times, these things might be cause for war. But as Erdogan chafes under criticism of his government from the West, Russia and Turkey have a greater incentive to work together. Now the countries are pushing to bring the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline online to shuttle Russian gas to Europe, Turkey is serving as the NATO proxy in the Astana format peace talks on Syria, and Ankara is happy to deflect Western criticism of growing authoritarianism at home by holding up its friendship with Moscow.
Still, Erdogan and Putin don’t quite see eye-to-eye on the role that President Bashar al-Assad should play in Syria’s future — and the question of a Syrian Kurdish territory, anathema to Turkey, will be another source of suspicion.
The last country on this list may also get the least attention. Venezuela is convulsing, and its citizens are taking to the streets daily to protest Nicolas Maduro and the lack of basic food and medicines. Given that Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, it’s a spectacular fall for one of Latin America’s former powerhouses.
Here is where it gets interesting. Venezuela’s cash-strapped state oil company, PDVSA, owns the America energy company Citgo. In December, PDVSA received a loan from Russian state-oil company Rosneft, in exchange for which it put up 49.9% of Citgo for collateral.
Should PDVSA be unable to repay its debt — a distinct possibility by the end of 2017 — Rosneft will collect its collateral, and a controlling stake in the company would be easily within its reach. Aside from the strategic play to accumulate quality oil assets on the cheap, Putin just loves the idea of owning one of the largest refiners in the U.S.—and he might just get his wish.


Photo: Gotham/Getty Images. Design: Allison Kahler/STYLECASTER.
The countdown is on for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (November 8) and preparation is in full swing. This week, the modeling elite made their way to a series of fittings for those iconic wings and among them was Elsa Hosk, a seasoned catwalker with the lingerie brand.
It would be easy to assume that 29-year-old Swedish stunner is living a life free of the stresses that we face from day-to-day, especially in today’s political and social climate. But au contraire: even angels need a time-out, especially before and after one of the fashion industry’s most high-profile events.
Taking time for yourself and having space and time to be on your own and take care of your happiness. It de-stresses me, it makes me happier and it makes me a better person in my relationships. It’s very important.
I need some time every day to myself whether it’s my makeup routine, cleansing my face at night, taking a bath, gym time or walking the streets and being in my own head. It’s a nice feeling and I make time for it a couple of times a day.
When you’re pressed for time and have a lot of commitments and work, it’s fine to just take a little time.
If I have a day off, sometimes I’ll take a whole day for self-care. I’ll get a massage or work out. I know that’s a luxury because I don’t have kids or on that day I don’t have things that I have to take care of. When you’re pressed for time and have a lot of commitments and work, it’s fine to just take a little time. You can get a neck massage—even if it’s from a friend! Just close your eyes and be in the moment.
I meditate, even if it’s just for ten minutes in the morning or at night to wind down. I love taking the time to watch a movie, take a bath and light some candles or do my skincare routine because it’s very therapeutic and I’m taking care of it at the same time.
I love taking the time to watch a movie, take a bath and light some candles.
The essentials are: a good cleanser, specifically Barbara Sturm skin care because it nurtures your skin from the inside, Victoria’s Secret Just Say Glow Highlighter Stick for extra glow. I love this one because it’s very bright and glow-y. Also, eyeliner for a cat eye and I always finish off my look with Victoria’s Secret Major Lashes Full Volume Mascara for big, full lashes.
I’m going on a trip with all my girlfriends. My birthday is the day before the show so I wanted to do something really special. I’m flying some of my friends from Sweden and some of my girls from New York and we’re going to go a beach somewhere and stay in a house together.


Davenport police have made an arrest in a bank robbery that occurred Monday morning at the Northwest Bank branch at Locust and Washington streets.
Police arrested Tosha M. Aurthur, 38, was arrested Monday afternoon, a few hours after allegedly entering the bank branch shortly after 9 a.m. and demanding money. According to police, Aurthur did not show a weapon during the robbery, but one was implied. She then fled in a vehicle eastbound on Locust Street.
Aurthur is charged with 2nd degree robbery.


Tonight, at Hillary Clinton’s rally in Philadelphia, Michelle Obama brought down the house as she called for Americans to head to the polls and cast their votes for the nation’s first female president.
“Speaking here tonight is perhaps the last and most important thing that I can do for my country as First Lady,” Obama told the crowd.
But ultimately, she reminded the crowd that it was the responsibility of United States citizens to ensure Hillary Clinton’s victory.


STOKE and Watford have both been charged by the FA for failing to control their players.
A number stars became embroiled in an angry clash during Stoke's 1-0 win at the weekend after Troy Deeney grabbed Joe Allen by the face before appearing to gouge his cheek.
It even forced members of staff to leap from the bench to break things up.
And the two clubs could now be set for heavy fines following the news that Deeney had been charged with violent conduct.
He has until 6pm today to answer and faces the risk of being hit with a three-match ban.
It means Deeney could miss vital clashes against Everton, West Ham and Newcastle.
But Allen has since laughed off the incident, saying: "It was handbags really and there was nothing to it. I like Troy, he's one of the good guys, he's a really good player and it was nothing personal.
"He's a big guy and we were both laughing - I knew I was beaten in that situation, but I have a bit of a bad habit of picking the wrong fights!"
However, boss Mark Hughes saw it differently, adding: "Clearly we kicked the ball out and the right thing to do is throw it back. Deeney the captain should know better and Allen reacted.
"More often than not, these situations get revisited by people in authority and decisions are made as a consequence."


: A coconut tree climbing robot is among five awards won by Amiritha University students at a Asia competition in Singapore.
While the coconut tree climbing robot won the Best Mechanical Design award, a staircase-cleaning robot, room-cleaning robot, a gesture-based navigational robot and a hand-orthosis robot for stroke patients, were among the award winners at the recent OMRG Asia competition,where 20 teams from various countries participated,a university release said.
The robotic coconut-tree climber, the hand-orthosis robot for stroke patients, the gesture-based navigational robot and staircase-cleaning robot bagged prizes in the Open Category, while the autonomous room-cleaning robot won the second prize in the Under 18 category.
The coconut-tree climber named Amaran was judged 'Best Mechanical Design and ClePa, the staircase cleaning robot, was declared the "Best Marketable Design, it said.
The robots were designed by students as part of Humanitarian Technology (HuT) Labs of University's Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering.
The University intends to develop the robots further and introduce them in the market, Hut Director, Dr Rajesh Kannan Megalingam, said in a release here.
+This is a huge achievement for Amrita University as well as the country as instances of Indians winning robotic contests outside India are rare.
Of the several universities from Asia which participated in the OMRG contest, Amrita was the only one to win more than two prizes, he said.
OMRG Asia 2016 (One Moment of Robot Glory Asia) was organized by EDU Studio Solutions of Singapore.


A STORY of Ebola victims rising from the dead has been discredited as a cruel hoax after someone recognised this so-called zombie.
THE story of dead Ebola victims supposedly rising from the dead has been discredited as a cruel hoax.
A story titled “Africa confirms 3rd Ebola victim rises from the dead, shows a picture of the first ‘Ebola zombie’ captured,” has been shared online thousands of times.
“For the first time in human history, confirmed footage of a man who scientists watched die from Ebola then only several hours later, regain life and rise from the dead,” the photo was captioned.
But it appears the fake image has been stolen and altered from Brad Pitt’s zombie movie World War Z.
The 2013 flick stars Pitt as a former UN investigator who is trying to save the world from a zombie rampage.
It’s just the latest in a series of rumours of Ebola victims being “resurrected” after apparently being killed by the virus.
The horrid image appeared on notorious website Big American News and quickly sparked an internet frenzy.
I don't think ebola actually makes you a zombie for the simple fact there's a couple ebola survivors that are perfectly fine.
Have a strong feeling when I go to sleep for surgery tomorrow I will wake weeks later, alone, to find Ebola led to the zombie apocalypse.
I'm aware that most of this Ebola talk is garden variety hysteria, but I can't stop thinking that this is how a zombie Apocalypse starts.
The hoax is believed to have been started after a news outlet posted a clip of a man thought to be dead who started to move.


A face of the Buffalo Bills is breaking his silence about concussions.
After a 13 year career, Hall of Fame Running Back Thurman Thomas is opening up about the effects of head trauma.
Thomas spoke out over the weekend at a concussion summit. He revealed mood swings and a worsening condition.
The revelation has refueled the debate over contact sports.
One lawmaker has introduced legislation in hopes of preventing some concussions.
"I have three kids, they're playing contact sports now," explained Erie County Legislator Patrick Burke (D-South Buffalo). "I've seen things. Head to head collisions, head to knee collisions."
It was those collisions on the field, and the attention that sports-related concussions have received recently, that prompted Burke to take action.
His legislation would require that the supervisor or organization overseeing any minor playing a contact sport in Erie County would take a course on concussions every few years.
"Ensuring the long term brain health of our children, and I hope this will be one small part of it, making people more aware," Burke told 7 Eyewitness News Reporter Rachel Elzufon.
The legislation has even been backed by Thomas, who wrote, "All of our children deserve to have an adult intervene when enough is enough."
On Sports Radio 550, Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly also spoke of the head trauma he experienced on the field and concern for some of his former teammates.
"had no clue where I was and even that, I remember walking around the wrong way," Kelly said about one incident.
Kelly and Thurman's teammate, Mark Kelso, was also on the receiving end of many hits during the team's Super Bowl years. Bills fans remember him fondly for his skills on the field, and for the outer padded helmet he wore to protect his head.
"It's a long laundry list of things that need to be," Kelso said. "I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say there's been some really good progress made, but I just think the pace of the progress has not been kept up with the pace of the problems."
Coaches say they are changing the ways that children, up through college players, approach the game.
"We start with six year olds and make them aware of how to tackle properly and how to block properly and preventing injuries that would happen years from now," said Matthew Coburn, who is both a football coach and a chiropractor.
Burke added that he believes that football, hockey and other sports are an important part of our culture.
"It's vital to build social relationships, to understand work ethic," Burke said. "But there has to be a safe way, or at least a reasonably safe way, to do it."
The legislation still has a number of steps to go through. However, Burke believes it could be up for a vote in the next month.


Ant-Man hits theaters July 17, but Paul Rudd has already had some bonding time with The Avengers on the set of the next Marvel film, Captain America: Civil War, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
ET sat down with Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, who told us why he felt a little jealous when his lead character went to the Captain America set.
Reed told us he met with the Russo brothers prior to filming, showing them plenty of footage from Ant-Man so they could familiarize themselves with the character.
But as they say, you want them to be happy, right?
And that’s not an exaggeration! Rudd shared that being on the set of Civil War was the moment when it really hit him.


WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Friday adopted a new system of special fees paid by U.S. financial institutions that will shift more of the burden to bigger banks to help replenish the deposit insurance fund.
The move by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. cut by about two-thirds the amount of special fees to be levied on banks and thrifts. It followed protests by small and community banks — with powerful allies in Congress — against a plan adopted in February that charged premiums based on the amount of deposits. The smaller institutions insisted they would be unfairly hit even though they didn’t contribute to the financial crisis with reckless lending.
The FDIC board voted 4-1 to approve the new fee system. It is intended to raise $5.6 billion in the face of a cascade of bank failures that have depleted the insurance fund. The lone dissent came from U.S. Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan, whose agency regulates national banks.
The FDIC received more than 14,000 comment letters on the earlier fee plan. Typical of the anger was the letter from Dean Anderson, vice president of Lake Elmo Bank.
The American Bankers Association, the industry’s biggest lobbying group, was happy to claim credit Friday for the FDIC’s course change.
Because larger financial institutions tend to rely more on funding from sources other than deposits, bigger banks would end up paying a heftier portion of the new assessment. FDIC officials estimated that of the $5.6 billion the agency is seeking to raise, as much as $500 million that would have been paid by smaller banks under the previous plan now could be absorbed by larger ones.
Also, “there’s a good probability” that another emergency assessment would be needed by the fourth quarter, Bair said, though it wouldn’t take effect without a public comment period.
The new FDIC emergency premium, to be collected from all federally insured institutions, will be 5 cents for every $100 of a bank’s assets minus its so-called Tier 1, or regulatory capital, as of June 30. The FDIC’s previous planned fee, intended to raise about $15 billion, was 20 cents per $100 of a bank’s insured deposits. A measure of a bank’s health, Tier 1 capital includes common and preferred stock as well as intangible assets such as tax losses that can be used to reduce future earnings.
The FDIC now expects bank failures will cost the bank insurance fund around $70 billion through 2013, up from a previous assessment of around $65 billion. The fund stands at its lowest level in nearly a quarter-century, $18.9 billion as of Dec. 31, compared with $52.4 billion at the end of 2007.
Also this week, Congress more than tripled the amount the FDIC could borrow from the Treasury Department if needed to restore the insurance fund. Bair earlier had promised a reduction in fees charged to banks if that credit line could be expanded.
The law requires the insurance fund to be maintained at a minimum level of 1.15 percent of total insured deposits.
The FDIC also recently levied a surcharge on banks issuing debt under the agency’s temporary rescue program.
Under it, the FDIC guarantees hundreds of billions of dollars in debt in the event of payment defaults by the issuing banks. Those surcharges, nearly $8 billion collected already, will help compensate for the reduction in insurance premiums, the agency said.


FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. - An inmate in the Franklin County Jail could face drug distribution charges after three other inmates overdosed on opioids she allegedly smuggled into the facility. There’s technology that could help prevent jail smuggling, but it’s not cheap.
The incident happened early Wednesday morning as three female inmates were rushed to Mercy Hospital in Washington. They all survived the overdose and were returned to the jail.
“Actually, our detention deputies do a great job,” said Franklin County Sheriff Steve Pelton.
So how did the drug end up behind bars? The sheriff said the suspect was searched but she hid the opioids in a body cavity.
Jails are not prisons. To do such a search, authorities have to have probable cause and get a judge to sign off on a search warrant, then medical officials conduct the search.
“Normally, in the course of action, we transfer to a hospital,” Pelton said.
Some jails are purchasing security devices that checks a suspect’s entire body. No court order is needed and it’s not physically invasive. Jefferson County is spending $140,000 on one of the security machines.
EMT Tracy Ingle has handled many overdose cases. She thinks the security device would be good for the jail.
“The epidemic in this county is terrible, so whatever we can do to try to protect … the other inmates would be a good thing,” she said.
Franklin County citizens recently passed a tax increase. Part of the money is going for a jail expansion and the sheriff is considering adding one of the security machines to the facility.
“We’re hoping it’s on the horizon in the future,” Pelton said.


Hambleton District Council, which has paid Â£757,000 in exit payments to three officers this year.
While the Conservatives have candidates for each of the 28 Hambleton District Council seats on May 2, they are facing fewer challengers overall than the 41 non-Tory candidates at the 2015 election.
The Labour Party is fielding 15 candidates, the Green Party seven candidates, Liberal Democrats six, three are running as independents and three as Labour and Cooperative Party candidates. One candidate’s affiliation, if any, has not been announced.
The sole opposition member of the council, UK Independence Party councillor Claire Palmer, who secured her seat by just four votes at the 2015 election, is not standing for re-election for the Northallerton South ward.
Another closely fought ward in 2015 was Stokesley, which saw Liberal Democrat Byrn Griffiths, a North Yorkshire County councillor, lose to Conservative Stephen Dickins by 132 votes.
The two Stokesley wards seats will be contested by five rather than the seven candidates who challenged for votes in 2015..
However, several of the seats, including Romanby, Morton on Swale and Great Ayton, saw Tory candidates elected with more than a 1,000-vote margin.
The number of uncontested seats has dropped from three to just one, at Huby, where Di Watkins is the Conservative Party candidate.
At the previous election, the highest voter turnout, 73 per cent, was in the Osmotherley and Swainby ward, while the lowest proportion of voters, 53 per cent, turned out in Northallerton South.
The 2015 election was the first for the local authority since it agreed a drastic boundary reorganisation to cut the number of members and thereby reduce costs.
The council shed 16 of its elected representatives and the seats that were up for grabs were overwhelmingly won by the Tories.
The Conservative Party has held most seats on the council since 1987, however the Tories were only able to gain overall control of the authority in 1999, a position which the party has since maintained.
Prior to 1987, the council, which now serves a population of more than 90,000 across a 1,311sq km area, had remained run by independent members.
Residents who are not registered to vote can apply by visiting gov.uk/registertovoteor by contacting 01609-779977 before midnight on Friday, April 12. The deadline to apply to the council for a postal vote for electors who are registered to vote is Monday, April 15 at 5pm.


The West German government expressed “relief and satisfaction” yesterday over the success of Israel’s rescue operation in Uganda, observed that “the behavior of the authorities in Uganda needs clarification” and confirmed that it never had any intention of submitting to the hijackers’ demands for the release of pro-Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in West Germany.
An official statement released here referred to a joint statement issued by the Cabinet and leaders of the opposition parties late Saturday before there was any knowledge that Israel had mounted a rescue operation to free the Air France hijack victims held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
West German radio and television stations praised the operation as an important international event that could spell the end of surrender to terrorist blackmail. Most radio commentators said that the rescue, carried out over a distance of 2500 miles from Israel’s borders, showed that Israel’s military prowess was back to its 1967 level.


Theo Walcott is out to make the FA Cup his first winners' medal at Arsenal - declaring the Gunners should fear no-one after their thrilling comeback against Aston Villa.
Arsene Wenger's side were 2-0 down at Emirates Stadium on Sunday heading into half-time. However, a rousing second-half performance turned the tie around as Arsenal secured a place in the last 16 next month against either Sunderland or Middlesbrough.
Walcott - signed from Southampton in 2006 - is one of a string of senior players yet to lift silverware with the Gunners. However, the 22-year-old is out to put that record straight this season, and said: "I would like to look back on my career at the trophies I have won. There are none yet. This is a competition that we can win."
He added: "A couple of big teams have gone out and, if we can come from 2-0 down, hopefully we can beat anybody now."
Walcott revealed a rousing address from Van Persie during the interval helped lift Arsenal for the second half.
He said: "Robin is the captain and showed again how much he believes in this team and how much he wants to win this competition."
After a disappointing opening half, Walcott came to life in the second, his penetrating runs eventually rewarded on 56 minutes when Alan Hutton's clearance from his goalline cross bounced back off the England man and into the Villa net.
Walcott maintains he does not pay any attention to his critics.
"I just want to play my game and show people what I can do,"he said> I am the best judge of my performance, not anyone else.
"I was not happy with my last few games but, hopefully, now I can try to get back to a level I should be at. Everyone should realise I am a good judge of my character."


Stocks opened higher Monday, rebounding off of last week's market selloff—then pulled back. Will a rally form and hold? Robert Doll, vice chairman and chief equity strategist at BlackRock, discussed his market outlook.
“After initial thrust off a recession low, you typically get a growth slowdown,” Doll told CNBC.
Doll said although most of economic data are coming out on the softer side, he doesn’t see a double-dip in the near future.
Meanwhile, Doll told investors to focus on the earnings results in the near-term.
"It’s going to be tough to have a beat we had in the first quarter, but if we can beat in the bottom and topline, I think we’ve got a shot at a trading rally for the summer," he said.


Donald Trump attacked the Clintons on Thursday over the latest blockbuster hacked email released by WikiLeaks, which details how a close Bill Clinton aide helped rake in tens of millions for the former president while his wife was serving as secretary of state.
Doug Band sent the 12-page memo in 2011 to Bill Clinton, his daughter Chelsea, several Clinton Foundation board members and lawyers, and 'special adviser' John Podesta – whose email was hacked and who is now Hillary Clinton's campaign manager.
'Just today we read about Clinton confidant Doug Band bragging that he had funnelled tens of millions of dollars to "Bill Clinton, Inc." through the Foundation donations, paid speeches and consulting contracts,' Trump said in a farm animal expo center in rural Springfield, Ohio.
Trump, cheered on by a crowd estimated at 7,000 people, blasted Hillary Clinton as the new figurehead leading what amounts to an organized crime family.
'The more emails WikiLeaks releases, the more lines between the Clinton Foundation, the secretary of state's office and the Clintons' personal finances – they all get blurred,’ the Republican presidential nominee said.
Wikileaks published the Doug Band memo on Wednesday, opening up a new window into the financial links between the Clinton Foundation, the former president's personal fortune and his wife's tenure as America's highest ranking diplomat.
Band and another aide, the memo states, helped secure $66 million from ventures including speaking fees.
Using his role as the president of his own consulting firm Teneo Holdings, Band wrote, he worked to raise funds for the foundation and Clinton personally.
'Throughout the past almost 11 years since President Clinton left office, I have sought to leverage my activities, including my partner role at Teneo to support and raise funds for the Foundation,' the close friend-of-Bill wrote.
Under a section titled 'For-Profit Activity of President Clinton (i.e. Bill Clinton, Inc),' Band said he and deputy Justin Cooper brought Clinton all four of his advisory arrangements at the time.
These yielded more than $30 million in personal income, added to another $66 million to be paid out over the following nine years as part of Teneo's consulting arrangement.
One of these roles was serving as honorary chairman of Laureate International Universities, a chain of for-profit colleges that paid Bill Clinton $3.5 million per year from 2010 until 2015, when the contract ended and his wife started her run for president.
Band said neither he nor Cooper were compensated directly for their work. It's common for Washington power-brokers to make money 'on the back end' of such arrangements, using them to build their client lists for other contracts.
Both men did receive salaries from the Clinton Foundation.
Band also said Teneo was responsible for negotiating a number of speaking fees for Clinton, including $1.15 million from the Swedish telecom giant Ericson and $900,000 from banking behemoth UBS.
Band at the same time solicited clients to donate to the Clinton Foundation.
This included $4.33 million over six years from the Coca-Cola Company and more than $1 million from Barclays Capital.
Band's partner at Teneo, Declan Kelly, helped introduce Clinton to several top executives of clients including UBS Global Wealth Management and Dow Chemical. After these meetings, these companies often upped their contributions to the Clinton Foundation.
Band’s memo was also sent to lawyers who were conducting a review of the foundation as Chelsea Clinton was taking on a larger role with the philanthropy, and after she raised red flags about Band's dual roles at Teneo and the foundation.
Chelsea became concerned when she learned that a member of his staff - who reported to Band - was making calls to British lawmakers 'on behalf of President Clinton,' for Teneo clients including Dow Chemical.
She said her dad did not know about the calls and that they would 'horrify' him, and that she feared Teneo was 'hustling business at CGI' – the foundation-operated Clinton Global Initiative.
Clinton ultimately broke with Teneo, returning all but $100,000 of the money he had been paid.


Five time Emmy Award winning producer, Norvell Rose shot footage of the day's activities for a "Making of " documentary and a music video.
Our conversation inspired a eureka moment. I thought, "That's it"! All proceeds will benefit Debbie Lee's organization, AmericasMightyWarriors.org.
Frank has also given tremendously to the project. Before recording the vocals, Frank has contributed 30 hours of music production free of charge. He is faced with the huge task of editing the vocals and mastering the over 30 songs which will be on the compilation CD. I would love to find an honorarium for Frank (http://deltonaarts.com/studio.html).


“As someone who funds a lot of projects, the commitments made by the Gambrell Family Foundation and Myers Park Baptist Church made me curious about what the organization was doing, and the people who are in leadership roles,” Howard Levine said in announcing the gift.
As with gifts to other organizations, Levine hopes news of the investment might encourage others to make a gift to the center. The gift is a dollar-for-dollar matching challenge.
The center is using June’s LGBT Pride Month designation to launch the matching challenge campaign.
Donations can be made at www.timeoutyouth.org.
The new center is scheduled to open this summer.


Pretoria - Residents of Atteridgeville say if the incumbent mayor Kgosientso "Sputla" Ramokgopa is replaced, they will vote for the DA.
- Are you there? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos.
"No Sputla, no vote," residents chanted. "If they remove Sputla then we will take our votes to the DA.
"The ANC knows the DA is a threat and we will give our votes to them. We want Sputla."
Residents of Atteridgeville have been on the rampage since Monday night following the announcement of Thoko Didiza as the mayoral candidate for the city.
Residents referenced the Freedom Charter and said they felt like the party was taking them for granted.
"They said the people will govern [in the Charter] but now they are governing us and that is very wrong. They are where they are because of us," said another protester.
She said they had come a long way with the party and wanted to be listened to.
"Today they are sitting there in their comfortable chairs and empires while we are sitting in RDP houses. Sputla is helping us with everything and now they want to take him away from us. We say down with Didiza and forward with Sputla," she said.
Another protester said they did not want another Nkandla, referring to Didiza's KwaZulu-Natal roots, and that she must be taken back.
"They must take that Nkandla to Natal. This is not Natal, this is Atteridgeville. This is Pedi, we are not going to allow anyone from outside to come to our city. Didiza doesn't know us, she doesn't even know our street names," he said.
Another Atteridgeville resident said if the ANC did not remove Didiza as a mayoral candidate, the DA will win the city hands down.
"If the ANC thinks we are going to vote for them then they must forget it. The people said Sputla or no vote. The DA will win with a walkover," resident Kyle Mogale.
"That is the revenge the people of Atteridgeville want to bring to them. That is the anger that is boiling."
Mogale said if the ANC wanted to appoint someone else, they should rather go for a Tshwane native who understands the language and history of the place.
"We don't want any person who is not from Tshwane. We don't want Thoko Didiza," he said.


Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon has asked fans to design him a new tattoo based on his favourite TV show.
The folk singer-songwriter, whose band was recently voted the ‘worst hipster act’ ever, is offering a cash prize to the winner of his 99designs competition and will have their illustration inked on his arm.
Vernon has published a long description detailing the requirements he wants from his new body art, with the singer choosing five finalists to propose designs influenced by the TV series Northern Exposure – the same show which was the inspiration behind his band’s name, and the name of his new record label.
The comedy drama ran for six series between 1990 and 1995, and detailed the lives of the inhabitants of the fictional town of Cicely in Alaska.
He wrote: “I named my band after an episode of Northern Exposure. In the episode a women transforms a gold rush village into a cultural place with one single dance in a tavern. They name the town after her, Cicely, Alaska.
He later added: “This is a really important thing to me. I don’t know how to express that exactly… Its a TV show but it weirdly explained my life to me. Cicely is the metaphor for that.” To see the designs submitted by the five finalists, click here.
Bon Iver are set to embark on an arena tour of the UK and Ireland in November this year. The gigs kick off on November 8 at London’s Wembley Arena and run until November 10 when the band headline Dublin’s O2 Arena. They will also play dates in Manchester and Glasgow.
To check the availability of Bon Iver tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.


(Reuters) - The airline worker who stole an empty airplane from a Seattle airport on a flight that ended in his death once ran a bakery with his wife and enjoyed the benefits that came with his job to travel the world, social media posts showed.
Richard Russell, who liked to be called Beebo, is seen in an undated photograph from a video he produced for his Youtube channel, obtained August 11, 2018. Youtube/Handout via REUTERS.
Richard Russell, who liked to be called Beebo, was a 29-year-old man living in Sumner, Washington, who was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska, when he was 7 years old, according to a Web page he set up for a college communications class.
He has not been officially named by authorities, but his family and multiple news media outlets have reported his identity.
Russell worked for Horizon Airlines, a sister carrier of Alaska Airlines, as a ground service agent who helped baggage handlers and was part of Horizon’s tow team, which moved planes around on the tarmac. It was a job that gave him the perk of “being able to fly to Alaska at my leisure,” he wrote on the page.
In a video posted on YouTube last December, Russell shows luggage coming off and being loaded onto aircraft, and describes what the life of a ground service agent can entail.
There are then shots of trips he took, including flying over Alaskan fjords, visiting lavender fields in France, touring in Yucatan, Mexico, and attending a hurling match in Dublin, Ireland.
“It evens out in the end,” he says to end the video.
There was no mention in the social media posts of studying to become a pilot but in some posts he spoke of his Christian religious faith and the possibility of joining the military.
Authorities say he commandeered an empty Bombardier Q400, 107-foot (32.61 m) long turboprop aircraft on Friday night from a maintenance area at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He flew for about an hour, often erratically with attempts at aerial stunts, before crashing on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, about 25 miles (40 km) to the southwest.
He appeared to have acted alone and was suicidal, according to the local sheriff’s department.
His family members said in a statement they were stunned and heartbroken.
“It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man,” the statement said.
Russell’s social media posts often showed him on adventures with his wife, who he said he met in Oregon in 2010.
The couple later moved to Washington state, where he got a job with Horizon. His wife could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Seattle Times quoted Rick Christenson, an operational supervisor with the airline who retired in May, as saying Russell was a well-liked, quiet person.
In his final moments captured by partial recordings of his conversations with air traffic controllers that were published online by Broadcastify.com, Russell spoke calmly and said he was sorry to disappoint people who cared about him and described himself as a “broken guy”.


Amnesty International today called on the Kenyan government to take all appropriate steps to protect people in Kenya from ongoing human rights abuses caused by politically-motivated and ethnic attacks in the aftermath of December’s disputed presidential elections.
International standards on law enforcement stipulate that firearms should not be used except to defend people against an imminent threat of death or serious injury and only where less extreme means are insufficient.
Politically-motivated and ethnic killings by armed gangs continue in several parts of Kenya. Most of the violence has targeted members of communities from which President Kibaki was perceived to have drawn his support, particularly members of the Kikuyu community.
Recent cases of violence have been both spontaneous and organised, particularly in parts of the Rift Valley.
On 22 January, seven people from the Kikuyu and Kisii communities were killed in Kipkelion and 70 houses were burned in the Aldai area of Rift Valley province by armed gangs.
Organised attacks have also taken place targeting internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were seeking refuge in places close to the homes they had fled as a result of the violence. On 19 January, at least five IDPs who had sought shelter in an IDP camp near a monastery were killed in an attack by a group of youth armed with bows, arrows and spears in Kipkelion district in the Rift Valley.
There have also been organised attacks against members of communities perceived to have supported opposition candidate Raila Odinga in the disputed December elections. Such attacks have been reported in parts of Nairobi, particularly in informal settlements of Mathare and Kibera and in Molo in the Rift Valley province.
Amnesty International calls on the Kenyan government to establish an independent and impartial public inquiry into the violence. Those responsible for killings or other human rights abuses should be brought to justice in proceedings that comply with international fair trial standards. Victims and their families must benefit from the right to redress and reparation, including compensation.
According to official government statistics, about 680 people have been killed since 30 December - although other sources indicate that the figure could be much higher. Those killed include dozens who were shot dead by the police, who were deployed to quell the violence or break up mass protests called by the opposition against the election results.
The UN estimates that over 255,000 people have become internally displaced as a result of the violence and that more than 6,000 others have fled to Uganda as refugees.


A cat has died after being shot several times with an air rifle.
Oscar the cat made his way back to his home in Scagglethorpe, near Malton, after being repeatedly fired at.
His owner, who is too upset to be identified, noticed the wounds and took him to the vet who tried to save Oscar by amputating his leg and removing pellets from his body. But he died from his injuries a day later.
This was a particularly cruel attack against an affectionate animal, and it has understandably left his owner heartbroken.
I'd appeal for the public's help in finding whoever who did this, and we will do everything in our power to bring them to justice for this cowardly attack."
The offence was reported to police on Tuesday 29 March 2016 but it is thought to have taken place a week earlier. However, the owner was too distraught to report it immediately.
Anyone with information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.


Submitted by John Roberts on 03/15/2017 - 02:10 pm.
So if Mayo is becoming more selective about its patients, perhaps the state of Minnesota, and any governmental/public body needs to be more selective about funding Destination Medical with public dollars. It cuts both ways.
Submitted by James Hamilton on 03/15/2017 - 02:28 pm.
Submitted by beryl john-knudson on 03/16/2017 - 06:05 am.
which, one can assume it’s merely a practice that suggests, has been in place but never been publically admitted as standard policy…so what else is new?
Watch closely in the near future as other MN hospitals follow suit and the quality of care goes down…as Trump care establishes itself as standard policy?
The only certainty here is the salaries of physicians and administration take care of their own I suppose?
Submitted by Joel Stegner on 03/16/2017 - 10:59 pm.
Mayo growth money comes from government and grateful patients.
The state and federal government have been very good to Mayo Clinic. Quite a way to show appreciate – provide less timely care to Medicare and Medicaid patients, who tend to be sicker, being older and poorer. As for grateful patients, how many of them are Medicare patients who leave money in the their will. Of course, talk to Trump as Noseworthy did, you believe that the winner deserve first class, and everyone can settle for less, you make this kind of boneheaded decision, do the right thing – drop the policy and resign – before Mayo’s reptutation is ruined.