samhexum

I didn't change the title of this thread. Was it offensive the way it was? Libelous?

Trump offers $1 million to Elizabeth Warren's charity of choice to prove Native American heritage with DNA test Trump dangled a $1 million donation to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s charity of choice if she takes a DNA test and it proves her purported Native American heritage. He also managed to throw in a cringeworthy #MeToo joke in the process. Trump mused that he would buy a DNA test and throw it at her should he face off with the Massachusetts lawmaker during a 2020 presidential debate — and she brings up the claim. “We have to do it gently. Because we’re in the #MeToo generation, so I have to be very gentle,” Trump said, mocking the wave of ousting male harassers in the entertainment industry. “We will slowly toss (the kit) hoping it doesn’t injure her arm.” Trump’s revitalized attack of Warren was met with mixed applause, groans and cheers during an energetic campaign-style rally in Great Falls, Mont., Thursday. “I will say, ‘We will give $1 million to your favorite charity — paid for by Trump — if you take the test and it shows you’re an Indian,’ ” Trump said, imagining himself in a debate with the rumored Democratic presidential contender. “Let’s see what she does. I have feeling she will say no, but I will hold that for the debates,” he said. Warren and her claim of Cherokee and Delaware Indian heritage during a 2012 Senate run has been a repeat target of Trump’s volatile attacks at rallies and on social media. She cited family stories, rather than DNA testing or documentation to prove her ancestry. Trump has often ridiculed Warren with the nickname “Pocahontas” since May 2016. He said he would apologize to the 17th century Native American woman for giving Warren the nickname, but not Warren herself. Warren fired back after Thursday’s rally. “While you obsess over my genes, your Admin is conducting DNA tests on little kids because you ripped them from their mamas & you are too incompetent to reunite them in time to meet a court order,” Warren tweeted. “Maybe you should focus on fixing the lives you’re destroying.”

Off-Broadway’s long been the place to discover fresh faces. Now and then, along comes something cheekier: a dashing derrière. That last belongs to Trey, the young hottie of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s “Skintight.” Idina Menzel, in a rare, non-singing role, plays Jodi, the divorced daughter of a gay, fashion-designer father — but even that “Frozen” star is eclipsed by the twin moons of Jodi’s dad’s 20-year-old boyfriend. Especially when Trey sits down beside her, and the only thing coming between the sofa and his greatest asset is a jockstrap. It’s a showstopper, for sure. As playwright Joshua Harmon has Trey say, “It’s so weird, cause like, I never do nothing for my ass, you know, in the gym or whatever … It’s just naturally this way.” Trey may not have to work at it, but Will Brittain, the 27-year-old actor who plays him, sure does. “I wanted him to look like a cornfed country boy,” says Brittain, “so you want to look your best.” He says the past six years he spent as a personal trainer between acting jobs helped him prepare for just that. Between shows at the Laura Pels Theatre — in pants, a T-shirt and a khaki baseball cap — Brittain sounds a lot like Trey does, his speech a soft, Southern drawl punctuated by some “yes, ma’ams.” He comes by it naturally, having grown up in a small town in Texas. And while he’s played the boy toy before, in the 2013 film “A Teacher,” Brittain says Trey is a lot smarter than he looks. His director agrees. “The role is more complex than that,” director Daniel Aukin tells The Post. “I don’t want to give too much away, but over the course of an evening, Will brings a depth and intelligence to the part that is remarkable.” So are the weekly workouts that go with it. Although no one asked Brittain to buff up for his off-Broadway debut, he says he was determined to make Trey the chiseled object of desire “Skintight” tells us he is. Luckily, says the actor — who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Bianca, a former ballerina he met at college — the NYC apartment building he’s staying in has a gym. “I do upper-body work Monday,” he says. “On Tuesday, I run sprints, and on Wednesday, I do abs for an hour — that’s the worst day ever!” He says he does some heavy lifting on Thursday, a bit more upper-body work on Friday and goes for a run on Saturday. And Sunday? “Sunday, I lay on the couch and do nothing,” he says, smiling. “Maybe get a massage!”

Off-Broadway’s long been the place to discover fresh faces. Now and then, along comes something cheekier: a dashing derrière. That last belongs to Trey, the young hottie of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s “Skintight.” Idina Menzel, in a rare, non-singing role, plays Jodi, the divorced daughter of a gay, fashion-designer father — but even that “Frozen” star is eclipsed by the twin moons of Jodi’s dad’s 20-year-old boyfriend. Especially when Trey sits down beside her, and the only thing coming between the sofa and his greatest asset is a jockstrap. It’s a showstopper, for sure. As playwright Joshua Harmon has Trey say, “It’s so weird, cause like, I never do nothing for my ass, you know, in the gym or whatever … It’s just naturally this way.” Trey may not have to work at it, but Will Brittain, the 27-year-old actor who plays him, sure does. “I wanted him to look like a cornfed country boy,” says Brittain, “so you want to look your best.” He says the past six years he spent as a personal trainer between acting jobs helped him prepare for just that. Between shows at the Laura Pels Theatre — in pants, a T-shirt and a khaki baseball cap — Brittain sounds a lot like Trey does, his speech a soft, Southern drawl punctuated by some “yes, ma’ams.” He comes by it naturally, having grown up in a small town in Texas. And while he’s played the boy toy before, in the 2013 film “A Teacher,” Brittain says Trey is a lot smarter than he looks. His director agrees. “The role is more complex than that,” director Daniel Aukin tells The Post. “I don’t want to give too much away, but over the course of an evening, Will brings a depth and intelligence to the part that is remarkable.” So are the weekly workouts that go with it. Although no one asked Brittain to buff up for his off-Broadway debut, he says he was determined to make Trey the chiseled object of desire “Skintight” tells us he is. Luckily, says the actor — who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Bianca, a former ballerina he met at college — the NYC apartment building he’s staying in has a gym. “I do upper-body work Monday,” he says. “On Tuesday, I run sprints, and on Wednesday, I do abs for an hour — that’s the worst day ever!” He says he does some heavy lifting on Thursday, a bit more upper-body work on Friday and goes for a run on Saturday. And Sunday? “Sunday, I lay on the couch and do nothing,” he says, smiling. “Maybe get a massage!”

k... a... r... s... kars 4 Kris...

That'll do. I've reached the age where that is more important than the other way around.

A hero dad was mauled to death by a polar bear in Canada as he tried to protect his children from the charging carnivore. Aaron Gibbons, 31, was on a family outing Tuesday evening to Sentry Island, a popular hunting and fishing spot in Nunavut, when a polar bear started running towards one of his kids, family members told local outlets. “He was enjoying his day with his children,” Gordy Kidlapik, Gibbons’s uncle, told The Globe and Mail.“They were surprised by a bear that started to stalk or charge toward one of his children.” So the brave dad put himself between his kids and the Arctic ursine. “He told his children to run away to the boat while he was putting himself between the bear and his children to protect them,” Kidlapik said. The elementary school-age kids sprinted to the family’s boat, where one of the girls called for help on their radio. “We actually heard the call for help,” said Kidlapik. “It was terrible to listen to.” The grieving uncle said Gibbons probably had a rifle with him as a precaution — because the island is known to have bears — but Royal Canadian Mountain Police said he didn’t have the weapon on hand. The beast was shot and killed by another adult on the island, police said. Community members in the 2,500-person hamlet of Arviat, about 6 miles from the island, mourned the loss of Gibbons. “We are still in shock but we are resilient and we will go on and continue as a community,” Eric Anoee, Gibbons’s cousin, told the CBC. “Definitely Aaron died a hero, he protected his children,” Anoee said. Investigators are looking into what prompted the attack, in order to prevent another tragic incident from happening. The last death by a polar bear in Nunavut was 18 years ago in Rankin Inlet. Polar bears roam freely near the community, typically in October and November — but can also be seen in the summer and springtime, said John Main, a representative for Arviat North-Whale Cove. “It’s a fact of life for us living here now,” said Main. “It’s always something that people are mindful of and it’s always something that I think people are concerned about in terms of the risks.” Trick-or-treating has even moved indoors at community centers because of the threat. In 2010, a polar bear patrol program was launched to monitor the community’s perimeter by WWF-Canada, and the organization said it has also decreased the number of bears that have to be killed. The Department of Environment and Climate Change said that in 2016, 205 bears were deterred by the program, 29 relocated by conservation officers and four killed in defense of life and property. “We’re in bear country and Inuit long ago up to today have co-existed with polar bears,” said Anoee. “We have the utmost respect to these animals and it’s hard sometimes, but we manage.”

At least three poachers who broke into a rhinoceros reserve met a gruesome fate when they were mauled to death by a pride of lions, according to a report. The hunters were torn to shreds by the big cats at the Sibuya Game Reserve in Kenton-on-Sea, South Africa, where staffers on Tuesday discovered bloody body parts, including a head and limbs, the Daily Express reported. “The lions are our watchers and guardians and they picked the wrong pride and became a meal,” said Nick Fox, 60, who owns the reserve. “Whilst we are saddened at any loss of life, the poachers came here to kill our animals and this sends out a very clear message to any other poachers that you will not always be the winner.” A helicopter was called in to search for more poachers but none were found. “We found enough body parts and three pairs of empty shoes which suggest to us that the lions ate at least three of them but it is thick bush and there could be more,” Fox said. Also recovered were hunting rifles and axes — proof that they were after the threatened species. “They were armed with high-powered rifles with silencers and an ax for the horns and wire cutters and sidearms and they had enough food with them to last for many days,” noted Fox. “They were clearly intent on killing rhinos and cutting off their horns.” Police were working on determining exactly how many were killed and whether they’ve struck before. “We do not know identities but firearms have been taken by the police and will be sent to the ballistics laboratory to see if they have been used in poaching before,” said police spokeswoman Capt. Mali Govender. Poachers have broken into the popular 30-square-mile reserve in the Eastern Cape before. In 2016, three rhinos were killed when poachers sneaked into the park, shooting them and cutting off their horns. Nine rhinos have been killed with high-caliber hunting rifles at Eastern Cape reserves so far this year.

A former fire captain in Illinois convicted of drugging and raping a probationary employee in a videotaped attack has been sentenced to 36 years in prison. David “D.J.” Dunn, a former captain for the Savoy Fire Department, apologized to the 22-year-old male victim during his sentencing hearing in Urbana on Tuesday, saying he would “give anything” to take back the events that took place during a going-away party at his home in April 2017, the News-Gazette reported. Dunn, 44, was preparing to leave the state to take a job as a fire chief in Alaska prior to the assault, in which prosecutors said he incapacitated the already intoxicated probationary employee with a dose of ketamine, an anesthetic sometimes used to induce loss of consciousness. Assistant State’s Attorney Troy Lozar said Dunn administered the dose in one of two empty IV bags containing saline solution given to the probationary employee under the guise of preventing a hangover. Dunn also slipped an erectile dysfunction pill into the victim’s drink earlier that evening, Lozar said. “This was a plunge into one of the darkest crimes a person could commit on another human being,” Lozar said, adding that Dunn even videotaped the sexual assault. A judge echoed Lozar’s take, calling the attack “reprehensible and horrible” before sentencing Dunn to 36 years in prison: two 15-year terms and a six-year stretch to be served consecutively. Dunn, who was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, had faced up to 67 years behind bars, according to the newspaper. Dunn’s attorney, Tom Bruno, said he intends to file a motion asking for the lengthy sentence to be reconsidered. The victim recalled during his victim impact statement how satisfying he surmised it would’ve been to kill Dunn after being raped by him, but “death is too easy a punishment,” he said. Instead, the victim said he wouldn’t let shame stop him from seeking justice and sending Dunn to prison for several decades. “If I wasn’t your first victim, I will be your last,” he told Dunn. Dunn’s sisters, meanwhile, testified on his behalf, saying the former Boy Scout and altar boy was not known to be a heavy partier. One of the women said she believed Dunn was asexual and was prescribed testosterone two years ago to boost his low levels, leading to physical changes. “I know that he would never intentionally hurt anyone,” Mindy McNeal testified.

A northeast Queens lawmaker’s initiative giving seniors free access to transportation has expanded. Councilman Paul Vallone and Selfhelp Community Services announced that their transportation program — which was previously only offered to seniors in northeast Queens — will open up to seniors across the borough. The program officially launched on Jan. 2. Seniors throughout Queens can call the Clearview Senior Center at 718-224-7888 from 9 a.m. to noon to schedule their rides to and from medical appointments. Rides are limited to two long distance or four local trips a month per person. The expansion was made possible by a $10,000 grant awarded to Selfhelp Community Services by the City Council’s Queens Delegation. The program will conclude at the end of the grant funding. The transportation program first launched in northeast Queens with a pilot in April, followed by a full launch in November. Funded by Vallone, it allowed seniors living in the 19th City Council District, which covers sections of Flushing, Whitestone, College Point, Douglaston and Bayside, to schedule rides to and from medical appointments through the Bayside Selfhelp Clearview Senior Center. Queens seniors face a lack of affordable and reliable transportation options, the councilman noted. “When I launched this program I hoped that it would grow and expand beyond just northeast Queens, and now that is starting to become a reality,” Vallone said. “Seniors in our city, many of who live on fixed incomes, are already faced with enough hardships such as rising property taxes, costs of living and stagnant funding for critical services. The last thing they should have to worry about is how they’re going to get to the doctor.” Selfhelp, in partnership with Vallone, also recently secured a $15,000 grant to expand the Virtual Senior Center (VSC) to the entire borough. The program allows home-bound older adults to connect with the larger community using technology. Seniors can take interactive, real-time classes in topics ranging from art history to weight training. Over 40 classes are typically offered per week in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Russian. Find out if you or someone you know is eligible for VCS by calling 718-559-4460. “Continued support from government is key to enabling older New Yorkers to stay connected to the communities they call home,” said Sandy Myers, vice president of external relations and communications for Selfhelp Community Services. “Our transportation program, in partnership with Four Two’s, will help address one of the most significant challenges faced by older residents of Queens: the lack of accessible and reliable transportation in parts of our city.”

Nia Vardalos‘ big fat marriage is over. The star and her husband of 25 years, Ian Gomez, have called it quits. Nia, 55, who rose to fame as the creator and star of the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and its sequel, filed for divorce on Tuesday in Los Angeles,reports E! News. She listed their separation date as June 29, 2017, and cited irreconcilable differences as the cause for divorce. “We’ve been respectfully separated for a lengthy period of time. Our relationship became a friendship so the decision to end the marriage is completely mutual and amicable,” the soon-to-be-divorced couple shared with the site. “It is our hope that decency will prevail on the reporting of this story which will soon be yesterday’s news. Thank you for respecting our privacy.” While there aren’t too many available details, Vardalos requested joint legal and physical custody of their daughter, Ilaria Gomez, whom they adopted at age 3. Gomez, 52, is also an actor with a lengthy resume. He’s starred in “Cougar Town” and “The Drew Carey Show.” He most recently completed a run on “Living Biblically” and two episodes of “Fresh Off the Boat.” It’s unclear if either will be requesting spousal support. Requests for comment from both Vardalos and Gomez’s teams weren’t immediately returned.

A suburban Chicago man has pleaded guilty to stabbing the parents of a girl who called him “ugly.” The Daily Herald reports that 21-year-old Zachary Machnikowski faces up to 60 years in prison on charges of attempted first-degree murder. Police say the Naperville man believed a girl called him “ugly” while the two were at the same party in 2015. Machnikowski became angry and left the party to sneak into the girl’s home. Once inside, he grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the girl’s parents in the head, neck and body while they were lying in bed. The couple survived after the father was able to knock the knife away. Machnikowski has been held without bail since the night of the stabbing. He faces sentencing later this summer.

A 19-year-old man is accused of beating and holding another man hostage in a basement bathroom, without food or water, for four days for being gay, Massachusetts police say. Jackson Sugrue, of Framingham, is facing a hate crime charge after police on Saturday responded to a report of a man beating a person with a bat. Police said they found 50-year-old Otoni Eliseu wearing only a pair of pants and lying on the ground covered in blood, bruises and scratches, Boston 25 reported. Eliseu reportedly told police that he and Sugrue were “hanging out” and doing drugs before Sugrue suddenly became violent. Prosecutors said Sugrue allegedly impeded Eliseu from leaving the apartment by taking his phone away and “threatening him.” Prosecutors said that Sugrue pulled Eliseu from his bed onto the floor and repeatedly attacked him by stepping on his throat and choking him. “He attacked me on my back, on my butt, [saying] ‘You’re gay, you like me,’” Eliseu reportedly said, according to Boston 25. He added that Sugrue allegedly beat him with a coffee table while yelling homosexual slurs. Sugrue allegedly kept Eliseu captive inside a basement apartment underneath the Philadelphia Baptist Church, where Eliseu had been staying after the church’s pastor allowed him to live there. The pastor told authorities Eliseu was a recovering drug addict. On Saturday, Eliseu broke out of the apartment and made a run for it, police said. “Jesus was helping me, thank God I’m alive,” he said, Boston 25 reported. Eliseu was transported to MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham for treatment. Sugrue was arrested Saturday and charged with a hate crime, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery and intimidation of a witness. Sugrue denied the charges and claimed he is actually the victim and that Eliseu was trying to take advantage of him, his attorney said. “He was trying to entice my client to do things that were against his nature,” Kenneth Gross said, according to MetroWest Daily News. Sugrue’s parents told the Daily News that Eliseau was “obsessed with their son.” “It’s absolutely ridiculous to suggest my son would have anything to do with a hate crime,” Frank Sugrue told the newspaper.

Do they still do singing telegrams? How about strip-o-grams? Por Favor, Padrino?

When you get caught in a storm here on Earth, you just find shelter for a little while and let it pass, but things are a whole lot different on Mars. It’s now been three weeks since the massive dust storm on Mars has swallowed up NASA’s aging Opportunity rover and scientists have absolutely no idea when the bot will wake back up or what condition it will be in when it finally does. The rover has gotten the worst of this planet-wide storm and since it’s located in an area that was one of the first to be shrouded in the dense dust clouds, its solar panels have been unable to capture energy-giving light for a while now. Thus the rover sits in silence, unable to speak to its handlers back home and without enough power to do any actual work. So what’s next? Dr. James Rice, co-investigator and geology team leader on the NASA project that includes Opportunity, recently gave a brief update on Opportunity’s status, as well as an interesting glimpse into what things were like for the rover just before it shut down: We went from generating a healthy 645 watt-hours on June 1 to an unheard of, life-threatening, low just about one week later. Our last power reading on June 10 was only 22 watt hours the lowest we have ever seen. The primary concern is that we will not have enough power to keep us warm enough to prevent any damage to the vehicle’s electronics. However, our thermal experts think that we will stay above those low critical temperatures because we have a Warm Electronics Box (WEB) that is well insulated. So we are not expecting any thermal damage to the batteries or computer systems. Fortunately for us it is also the Martian Spring and the dust, while hindering our solar power in the day, helps keep us warmer at night. Rice also brushes off concerns that the storm will ultimately claim Opportunity’s life, saying that it is “far from dead” and that the rover’s longevity should be all the proof anyone needs to believe that it will emerge from the dire situation intact. He’s certainly right about that last point. Opportunity’s original mission was planned to last just 90 days from its landing date back in 2004, but it has somehow stretched that to over 14 years, continuing to add scientific objectives to its already impressive list of achievements. Let’s all just keep our fingers crossed that its incredible run doesn’t end here.

A Nassau County cop’s act of kindness helped a Bayside woman and her two dogs stay safe from the heat after her car broke down on Sunday morning. According to police, at 11:45 a.m. on July 1, Police Officer Nicholas Accardi responded to a radio call to assist a motorist with a disabled vehicle on the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Upon his arrival, Accardi found Joan Silke of Bayside standing outside of her BMW 530, which was parked on the side of the road, with her two 12-year-old dogs on leashes. Accardi parked behind her vehicle and turned on his emergency lights for her safety. As he approached Silke, he noticed that her dogs, a cream-colored mini goldendoodle named Molly and an apricot-colored mini goldendoodle named Maggie, were showing signs of distress from the extreme heat. Springing into action, Accardi offered to let Silke and the dogs sit in his patrol car with the air conditioning on. Once inside, the dogs began to respond to the cooler temperature. Within the hour, Silke’s car was fixed and she and the dogs went on their way.

Linda Hunt was hospitalized on Monday following a car accident in Hollywood. According to eyewitness reports via TMZ, Hunt was involved in a collision with a sedan and a Honda SUV after trying to make a left turn in her black BMW SUV. The 73-year-old was said to be visibly shaken following the accident and witnesses helped her to a lawn chair on the sidewalk. Paramedics arrived to take a look at Hunt and decided she needed to be taken to hospital for further evaluation. A witness told TMZ that the drivers of the other vehicles involved in the wreck only suffered minor injuries. Hunt is a former Oscar winner, having earned a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role as Billy Kwan in Peter Weir’s “The Year of Living Dangerously,” which made her the first person to win an Oscar portraying a character of the opposite sex. She has appeared in over 200 episodes of “NCIS” where she plays the popular character Henrietta “Hetty” Lange. She is also the narrator in the “God of War” video game franchise. At this time, the cause of the accident is unknown and under investigation. According to TMZ, law enforcement sources confirmed that only one person was hospitalized.