Earlier in February, Brittney Griner, the brightest WNBA star, was detained in Russia the moment she stepped foot on Russian soil as custom officials discovered she was carrying vape cartridges in her luggage containing hashish oil. She’s now facing a prison sentence of up to 10 years for breaking the law.
Griner’s court case had been delayed multiple times because of various reasons, and she eventually pleaded guilty but claimed she was unaware the vapes were in her bag, she simply left them there by mistake. “I’d like to plead guilty, Your Honor,” she was reported to have said. “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.”
The case has attracted huge media attention especially because of the ongoing war conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which also compromised the relations between Russia and The States.
US officials have spoken of Griner’s case and said they’ll do all in their power her return to America to take place as soon as possible.
It has been reported that Griner wrote to President Biden pleading him not to forget her and the other detainees. “I’m terrified I might be here forever,” she wrote.
As support and prayers for Griner’s release come from all parts of the country, her teammate A’ja Wilson broke down in tears following a game against LA Sparks over photos of Griner which obviously show she’s in a vulnerable position.
“I hated it,” said Wilson in the post-game interview. “It just made my stomach turn,” she added.
“Many U.S. officials have been in contact with her, and express that she is in a good shape, but her trial extension tells otherwise.
“She is our sister, we can’t imagine what she is going through. I pray every day for her to get back home,” Wilson stated.
WNBA star, Brittney Griner, appeared in Russian court today — faces 10 years in prison for being caught with THC pen pic.twitter.com/BMiKi8H7O1
As prisoner exchange isn’t something new for America and Russia, the Russian news agency TASS predicted that the two countries could reach a similar deal and exchange Griner for Russian Arms dealer Victor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S. for agreeing to sell arms to a Colombian terrorist group. But we are yet to see whether this would happen.
We hope Brittney Griner would return home as soon as possible.
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Going through a divorce can be a truly painful experience, especially when children are involved. In such cases, most ex-couples try to get on well with one another for the sake of their kids, but that’s not always the case.
Just recently, a Reddit user asked if he was right that he wanted to share part of his lottery winnings with his ex-wife who is also a mother of their two children. His girlfriend, however, is furious at the idea of sharing the money. He wants to see what others think. Take a look at the entire post below.
“I recently won a huge amount of money. I won’t say exactly how much but it’s in the millions. It makes me feel funny even typing it enough to change the life of myself and my family.
“My ex wife is the mother of my 2 kids. She is an amazing woman and good to the bone. We divorced 6 years ago because I had an affair with my current partner. I was in a low place in my life and I screwed up. She was in incredible pain but – like a saint she allowed me to still see our kids who mean the world to me, allowed our divorce to be as pain free as possible despite the fact that I know she was hurting. She still is close with my parents. She is respectful to me although she refuses to talk to my gf.
“She was actually the first person I phoned after my mom and pops after I found out I won the lottery. She was pleased with me, joked that I could take the kids on a world round trip, and that was that. Nothing else. As soon as I won, I knew I wanted to give her a significant amount. I still love her. She’s the mother of my babies and I feel like this is some small tiny way I can show her that I’m not a complete idiot. She deserves to know that I care despite my mistakes. She also works a sh***y job in the public library which pays her peanuts- she would actually be able to pursue her hobbies this way. Give our kids a better life between us. I haven’t discussed this with my ex yet, but I have with my parents who strongly agree and my lawyer who was very surprised but on board.
“Long story short, when I told my gf, she was my livid. Screaming that I’m disrespecting her, accusing me of still being in love with my ex wife- I’m not in love with her. We’ve both grown apart, but of course I still love her for being an excellent co parenting partner and mother to my kids. My gf is threatening to break up with me, and to be honest I’m feeling incredibly relieved over the threats. I don’t plan on changing my plans. Am I making the right decision?“
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Reality shows have become extremely popular in recent years. They attract so many viewers that those featured in them turn into celebrities almost over night.
Those passionate about motorcycles have likely seen Discovery’s reality television show American Chopper which first aired back in 2003 and was on air for around a decade. The stars of the show, Paul Teutul Sr. and his sons Paul “Paulie” Teutul Jr. and Michael Teutul, have made names for themselves, but it wasn’t all thanks to the reality show. In fact, they had been very famous even before that with their custom motorcycle fabrication company Orange County Choppers located in Montgomery, New York.
Paul Teutul Sr. was born on May 1, 1949, in Yonkers, New York. His mother was a heavy drinker, and his father a “workaholic.” In his book Orange County Choppers: The Tale of the Teutuls, Paul revealed that his childhood hadn’t been an easy one. His parents often beat him and that strict upbringing forced him into drinking, just like his mother.
Instagram/paulteutulsr
One thing that Paul has always been fascinated with were motorcycles. What he didn’t know, however, was that his passion would turn him into a celebrity loved worldwide.
When he turned 18, Paul Teutul Sr. joined the Merchant Marines. Speaking of that experience, he told CNBC, “[The boot camp] was like three months of it, not, six weeks. So it was pretty difficult, you know, being 18 years old and being away from home. It was hard for me, you know, to be able to be away and to be able to stick with that and stay there.
“I think what I did was I challenged myself… I really wasn’t much of a runner and I really didn’t like running. And where I was there was a dock way down the other end of where I was, and I said to myself if I could run all the way down, and all the way back, then I could make this. And I think.. that’s what inspired me to follow through with it.”
Instagram/paulteutulsr
After a stint with the Merchant Marines, Paul returned to his normal life and in 1969, he married wife Paula, with whom he stayed married for 26 years. It was just a year later after tying the knot, that this man started building his empire. It all started by constructing bikes from the ground and up.
“Most of the time I would take a bike and I would customize it,” he said. “I built a bike, and I took it out, and people were just all over the bike. I knew I had something at that point.”
During the mid 80’s, Paul’s wife took her children and left him because of his problems with alcohol abuse. His eldest son, Paulie, then turned to his father and the two started building and customizing choppers together.
Instagram/paulteutulsr
All of a sudden, many got interested in his work, especially his impressive chopper modifications. As the word of Paul’s work spread around, Motorcycle magazines was interested to feature him and his choppers. This was a turning point for Paul because soon after, Discovery Channel gave him a call and offered him a show. However, as with most of the shows of this type, American Chopper wanted to focus on the relationship between Paul and his son Pauley as much as they were interested to show the world how skillful this man is.
“I called [producer Craig Piligian] early the next morning, before the overnight ratings came out,” Paul Teutul Sr. recalled of his disappointment of the concept of the show program. “I cleaned his clock on the phone. ‘You’ve ruined my life,’ I screamed, ‘and my career. I didn’t expect this.’”
The producers, however, believed in the concept they created and asked from Paul to at least wait for the ratings, which were quite impressive.
A flood of congratulations and messages reached Paul’s email in the morning, and the 1.2 percent viewer market share was terrific for a 10 P.M. Monday time at which American Chopper aired. The viewers obviously loved the drama between the father and his son.
Shutterstock/Debby Wong
The show turned out to be huge success. The intense relationship between the father and the son, however, was never faked for the sake of attracting more audience. The two really didn’t get along at times and that resulted with Pauley leaving his dad and starting a competing shop named Paul Jr. Designs.
Not long after American Chopper was canceled, its spin-off, Senior vs. Junior, aired.
“This road that we’re on is only going to lead to one place. All this passion and pride brought us together. And drove us apart,” they said in the show’s intro. “It only makes sense that this ends where it started. With the build.”
In 2018, American Chopper got a reboot, but it never reached the same success as the original show.
Jason Kempin/FilmMagic
That same year, Page Six reported that Paul filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy as he owed $1 million and only had $1.8 million. Paul himself claimed that he was making around $15,000 a month but was spending $12,600 to keep up with his lifestyle. Later, he reported that his expenses exceeded his income at around $20,000 a month and owed $150,000 to the town of Crawford, New York, for taxes.
A year before, he was sued by former business partner for fraud. According to Page Six, he “failed to provide [her] with a copy of a federal income tax return or transcript for the most recent years, to 1it, 2017 and 2018.”
Today, he has a net worth of around $500,000 and it looks like he managed to get on his feet thanks to his motorcycle-themed restaurant and a museum in Clearwater, Florida.
In recent years, Paul has been heavily involved with the Make a Wish Foundation through his OCC Foundation.
“We support the Make a Wish Foundation – it’s terminally ill kids, and basically, they get a last wish, and we were number one as far as their wish which is. Which I think is pretty impressive,” Paul Teutul Sr. told CNBC. “You know, to come here and see … bike guys. When I talk about making a difference in people’s lives, pretty much that’s what I refer to. Because I think when these kids come here, it breaks your heart.
“But the thing of it is they’re here because they want to be with you, they want a part of you,” he added. “It’s their dream. So, to me it’s an honor, to be able to do that, and I think I get more out of it than they do.”
Paul Teutul Sr. is active on the social media and shares plenty of photos of himself and his girlfriend, Joan Bulger Kay.
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Everyone likes nice and pleasant changes. There are periods in our lives when we want a new haircut and improved physical appearance, along with a new outfit and beautiful accessories.
This was also the case with Kim. This lady wanted something new and fresh for her 60th birthday. She wanted to celebrate the birthday in a style. She told her daughter that she would like to visit Christopher Hopkin’s team one day. And that was everything she did.
However, her daughter did not forget her mother’s wish. She was working hard to give her mother the wonderful surprise.
All the family members worked on the surprise, but, Kim was not aware of that. And that was the plan. When the moment came, she was amazed.
“On my 60th birthday they gave me a clue on a card every half an hour and at the very end it revealed that I was coming to the Makeover Guy!” she said.
The happy face says it all. She couldn’t hide the happiness and excitement when she found herself in the salon of the Makeover Guy. Before the big moment, she says:
“I’m excited, I just can’t wait.”
She also adds that she does not fear of the new style and look. She just wants to freshen up.
Christopher’s team accepted the challenge. They started working on the long wavy hair. The hair with little volume and dirty-blonde colour was about to be turned into something completely different and fabulous. In addition to that, the make-up was simply amazing. Upon seeing herself, she could barely stop the tears in her eyes. She says:
“It’s amazing! It’s amazing!”
Her family was equally surprised. They could not believe the changes. They were looking at a completely different person.
Take a look at the video and see the changes. It’s amazing!
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Kevin Rojas, a 19-year-old man from Florida, turned extremely violent when an off-duty officer, who was driving his son to school, saw Rojas driving erratically and decided to make traffic stop. At that moment, the teenager pulled out his gun and without giving it a second thought, he fired four shots at the unnamed officer, shooting him in the face, the stomach, and his hand. The officer’s son was unharmed.
Although he was seriously wounded, the officer still managed to fire a shot at Rojas, who at that moment, stole a truck, drove home, and barricaded himself inside the house. When officers arrived at the scene, they asked from Rojas to surrender the firearms. As he refused to do so, officers shot him through a glass door and hit him in the torso, the leg, and the hand, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Once at the court, Rojas was found guilty of all charges, attempted first-degree murder, attempted manslaughter, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, grand theft auto, and fleeing. He was given a life in prison.
The judge said he had a hard time understanding how Rojas could shot the officers with such ease. “I’m pretty sure Mr. Rojas doesn’t understand what the rest of his life means,” the judge said as he delivered the verdict.
There, at the courtroom, was the officer whom Rojas tried to kill and he was there with a little gift for the culprit. “I will take those bullets instead of a fellow officer or innocent bystander,” the officer said. “If there was a coward on that day, it was Kevin Rojas,” he told the court before addressing Rojas directly. “When I brought the fight back, you ran like a coward.”
The officer then handed Royas the gift he had for him. “So, I got a little gift for you,” he said while placing a bottle of KY Jelly lubricant on the witness stand. “You’re going to need a lot of this where you’re going little man.”
What the officer did had people’s opinions divided. There were those who praised the officers “gift,” and those who didn’t approve of his behavior at the courtroom.
“Too bad the cop [didn’t] take out his weapon in the courtroom and kill that piece of s**t right there save taxpayers a lot of money,” someone wrote on Facebook, while another person added, “I shouldn’t laugh, but that is priceless. It’s good the creep didn’t kill anyone and that the teenage son wasn’t injured.”
“Good for that cop, a very appropriate going away present for the thug. Awesome,” someone wrote. “I don’t blame the cop. This clown wrecked his life for nothing. The judge did the right thing. This nut cannot be loose. When he is 60, if he lives that long, he may be better. If they can let him out then, maybe. I would not lose much sleep over it for now,” someone else added.
Some of the users who saw the video on YouTube commented that the officer shouldn’t have done what he did and brought his professionalism into question.
“A real professional that officer. You may be frustrated however you have no integrity nor honor in your use of a gimmick, stupid one at best, during your speech at the sentencing of this thug. Hope the department sees what you really are,” someone wrote.
What do you think of this? Did the officer go too far with his action or he just taught the thug a lesson.
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Every living person deserves a decent life, but sadly, that’s not always the case. The number of people who don’t have roof over their had is huge. Many struggle to make ends meet and to provide food for their families, and the ongoing pandemic only made things worse.
Deputies Tim Yee and Johnny Le were asked to check out a homeless camp behind a Walmart store in Sacramento, California. The sight left them speechless and heartbroken. A family of five were camping in the woods behind the store. The children were dirty and hungry and their mother, Shannon Loveless, was having a hard time putting food on the table.
Source: YouTube/ CBS13
When she noticed the officers approaching, she was convinced she would find herself in trouble. Shannon was certain they would ask her to leave the premises and maybe even fine her.
“It was a shock because we didn’t know if we were going to get into trouble,” Shannon told CBS 13.
To her surprise, that’s not what happened.
On the contrary, the deputies were extremely polite. Not only did they not ask Shannon to leave, but they offered to help her and her family.
Without wasting any time, Yee and Le contacted social services and explained the severity of the situation, and luckily, the family was placed into a motel until they are given permanent accommodation.
Source: YouTube/ CBS13
The deputies’ kindness didn’t stop with finding Shannon’s family a place to stay. The next day, they stopped by and brought plenty of toys and food for the kids.
“Just for them to have a warm place to sleep, watch cartoons, you know things the kids do, you take it for granted, it’s been awesome,” Shannon said with tears in her eyes. “It’s a total game changer, the motivation is there and the morale kicked in and I’m ready.”
These deputies went an extra mile for these vulnerable members of their community and proved once again that they truly care for the people they protect. Thank you for your kindness. May God bless you.
For more on the story go to the video below.
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With the joy of welcoming a bundle of joy in their lives, many parents feel the urge to take and share plenty of photos of their newborn baby on the social media.
One dad was playing with his baby girl when she made this funny face expression that he found really cute. Wanting his friends and family to see it, too, he posted it online.
A lot of people found it cute beyond words and took their time to comment on it. One person wrote, “She’s going to be a rebel and marry a penniless guy without tattoos.” The dad loved his friends’ funny remarks until he came across a comment that made his blood run cold.
“Are her eyes a little yellow? It looks like it to me, but it’s hard to tell, because the entire photo is a little yellow. It’s probably nothing, but it could be a symptom for neonatal jaundice. If her skin and eyes actually look a little yellow, then maybe you should get it checked out. I’m a paranoid children’s doctor, hence my concern,” the comment read.
This was so concerning that the dad took his daughter to the hospital right away. The doctor who wrote the comment was right. The sweet baby did have jaundice and the doctor likely saved her life.
Jaundice, a condition in which the skin, whites of the eyes, and mucous membranes turn yellow because of a high level of bilirubin, a yellow-orange bile pigment, is common in small children. However, if left untreated it can cause hepatitis, gallstones and tumors.
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Expecting a child is one of the most anticipated things in the lives of many couples. From the moment they learn they are going to be parents, many moms and dads-to-be pray that their bundle of joy be born healthy.
Olesia, a young woman from Russia, and her husband Eugen were overjoyed when they learned their family would become bigger.
Everything seemed fine with the pregnancy until one day doctors shared with Olesia some devastating news. The ultrasound showed that the baby girl would have malformations. According to the doctors, the little one’s hands wouldn’t develop and all of her internal organs were enlarged.
The family was advised to terminate the pregnancy. Olesia recalled that the doctor’s words were: “Do you understand that this is a cross that you will have to carry all your life? An invalid child! You will be pointed the finger! You will only work for medicine and you will pray that she will die sooner!”
After thinking about it carefully, the expecting parents made a decision to keep their daughter. When they informed the doctors about it, they said: “That’s your job. Write a statement stating that you know the results of the ultrasound so that there are no complaints in the future.”
In the period that followed, the family’s worries over their unborn child grew bigger and bigger. They, however, never regretted the decision to proceed with the pregnancy.
It was during a cold December night that Olesia’s water broke. Eugen rushed her to the hospital and waited outside while she was giving birth to their daughter.
Some three hours later, baby Nadejda was born. Doctors placed her on Olesia’s chest and told her that she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. This mother couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Then, some of the hospital staff went outside to tell Eugen the good news. “Sir, sir, you have a little girl! Congratulations! And she is absolutely healthy!” The word ‘healthy’ echoed in this father’s ears. “Could this be true,” he kept asking himself.
When they realized their baby girl was indeed healthy and didn’t lack any parts of her body, the parents were both happy and confused.
It was then that doctors informed them how they misread the ultrasounds because Olesia had a large uterine fibroid, noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during childbearing years, also known as myomas. What they saw as malformations were in fact those growths.
Olesia was operated. Unfortunately, her female organs needed to be removed, but at least she gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. You can take a look at a photo of her below.
These parents made the right decision when they decided to keep their baby.
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