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Review: ‘Natural Beauty’ is a cautionary tale about wellness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

“Natural Beauty,” by Ling Ling Huang (Dutton)From bee sting facials to fish pedicures, to Instagram filters and apps that allow us to completely edit our appearance in photos, it seems people will try almost anything to look better. It also makes the posh wellness and beauty store setting of Ling Ling Huang’s novel “Natural Beauty” within the realm of possibility and intriguing from page one.“Natural Beauty” (a tongue-in-cheek title if there ever was one) is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator, a tactic used many times over years from Daphne de Maurier’s “Rebecca” published in 1938 and even 2003’s “The Nanny Diaries” by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. This narrator is a talented pianist who puts her music aspirations aside to support her parents, who are Chinese immigrants, after an accident. She takes a job at Holistik, a “clean” beauty retailer that capitalizes on people’s desire to look as beautiful as one possibly can.Holistik may app...

Oklahoma court upholds Richard Glossip’s murder conviction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma appeals court on Thursday upheld the murder conviction of death row inmate Richard Glossip, paving the way for Glossip to be executed on May 18, despite the state attorney general’s concerns about some testimony and evidence.Glossip can still plead his case for clemency to the five-member Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which could recommend that the governor spare Glossip’s life by commuting his sentence to life in prison without parole.Glossip, now 60, has long maintained his innocence in the 1997 murder-for-hire killing of his former boss, Barry Van Treese, who owned the Best Budget Inn where Glossip worked as the manager. The motel’s handyman, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing Van Treese and beating him to death with a baseball bat, but claims he did so only after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000 to do it.Sneed, who ended up getting life in prison, was the key witness in two separate murder trials for Glossip, both of which ended in a convictio...

Family of N.S. student murdered in drug deal deliver impact statements in court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia judge heard victim impact statements Thursday during a sentencing hearing for a former Halifax medical student who murdered a 22-year-old man during a drug deal.William Sandeson had testified during his trial before a Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury that he killed physics student Taylor Samson in self-defence on Aug. 15, 2015, and dumped his body into a river. He was found guilty of second-degree murder on Feb. 18 after jurors deliberated for 23 hours.Those convicted of second-degree murder face an automatic life sentence, but a judge can set parole eligibility between 10 and 25 years.The six-week trial marked the second time Sandeson was tried for the crime. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017, but the verdict was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered in 2020.Samson’s mother, Linda Boutilier, said in a written statement submitted to the court that after her son was killed she repeatedly walked back roads between Halifax and Truro,...

Israel aims to sell missile defense system to Germany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Defense Ministry on Thursday said it has begun talks to sell an advanced missile defense system to Germany. The announcement came two weeks after Israel said it was selling another missile defense system to NATO’s newest member, Finland.Although Israel has long had close economic and military ties with western European countries, the latest deals could draw the attention of Russia. Israel has repeatedly rebuffed requests to sell arms to Ukraine for fear of antagonizing Russia. It appears to be counting on the fact that the latest deals involve only defensive weapons. Israel’s Defense Ministry also noted that both deals would also need U.S. approval, because the systems have been jointly developed with the United States.In Thursday’s announcement, the ministry said it launched “advanced negotiations” this week with its German counterparts over the purchase of the “Arrow 3,” a system designed to intercept long-range missiles outside the atmosphere. Germany ha...

BuzzFeed to close news division, cut 15% of all staff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

Pulitzer prize winning digital media company BuzzFeed will shut down its news division as it cuts about 15% of its entire staff.In a memo sent to staff, co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said that cuts would also occur across its business, content, tech and administrative teams, according to multiple media reports. BuzzFeed is also considering making job cuts in some international markets.Peretti said in a memo to staff that he “made the decision to overinvest” in the news division, but failed to recognize early enough that the the financial support needed so sustain operations was not there.“I’ve learned from these mistakes, and the team moving forward has learned from them as well,” Peretti wrote. “We know that the changes and improvements we are making today are necessary steps to building a better future.”He added that the company will now have one remaining news brand, HuffPost. The announcement comes just a few months after BuzzFeed said that it would be cutting 12% of its work...

Montreal police ask for public help as they investigate assaults on two Hasidic Jews

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

MONTREAL — The Montreal police hate crimes unit is asking for the public’s help as it attempts to identify a young man who assaulted two Hasidic Jews on the night of Jan. 20.In a security video of the first attack, the suspect can be seen walking down a sidewalk in the city’s Outremont borough while a man dressed in clothing typical of the Hasidic community walks in the other direction on the road.The suspect pauses before running between two parked cars and violently pushing the Hasidic man from behind.The victim falls forward onto the road as the suspect runs away, joining a group of people further up the sidewalk, who also begin running.Police say that around half an hour later, a few blocks away, the same suspect kicked another member of the Hasidic community in the back, knocking him to the ground.Police describe the suspect as a white male around 18 years old and say they released images of him, even though he may be a minor, because they hope members of the public...

Cause of death released for missing Navy sailor found in Lake Michigan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — The body of a missing U.S. Navy sailor was recovered Wednesday evening from Lake Michigan in Waukegan, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office and police.Waukegan police said the body and clothing description matches that of U.S. Navy Sailor Seamus Gray, who went missing on March 18. The coroner's office later confirmed Wednesday evening was identified as Seamus Gray. NCIS, rescue canines join search in Waukegan for missing Navy sailor On Thursday, an autopsy concluded that Gray died from drowning and there was no significant injury which "would have contributed to his death."Waukegan Police Department Chief Edgardo Navarro said ComEd workers were doing routine work around 7 p.m. near the harbor when they found the body and flagged down officers. Officer Roscoe went into the water and brought the body back to shore, Chastain said.Gray was reported missing from Ibiza bar on North Genessee Street in downtown Waukegan following St. Patricks Day. Police said he ...

Bears make history with their latest staff hire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

LAKE FOREST — During the 2023 offseason, the Bears have made some history when it comes to their football operations staff.The Bears have announced the hiring of Darby Dunnagan as Dir. of Video Operations..She was @NUFBFamily Dir of Player Development & replaces Dave Hendrickson, who’s retiring in June after 28 years..Dunnagan is the highest ranking woman in football video in the NFL..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/Z1UtHeqTOd— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) April 19, 2023This week, the team announced that Darby Dunnagan has been hired as the director of video operations, becoming the first woman to hold that role in team history. She comes to Lake Forest from Evanston, where she was the director of player operations for Northwestern University's football program. As Dunnagan takes the position, she will become the highest-ranking woman in football video in the National Football League. Dunnagan will replace Dave Hendrickson, who will be retiring from the position after 28 years wi...

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell ordered to pay $5M over debunked 2020 election data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

(The Hill) – My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, an ally of former President Trump who has aggressively pushed baseless 2020 election denial theories, has been ordered to pay $5 million to a software developer who debunked Lindell’s data around the election.Lindell, who promised to pay the $5 million award to anyone who could debunk his data that purportedly proved election fraud, was ordered to pay the sum by a private arbitrator, who ruled that Robert Zeidman, a software expert, successfully disproved Lindell's claims, in a decision first reported by CNN.The ruling from the arbitrator said that Lindell repeatedly claimed to have data that he said was captured during the 2020 election and proved that China interfered in the contest. He repeatedly made the claim in public appearances and TV guest-spots. Lindell then launched the “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge,” offering $5 million to anyone who could prove that the data was not valid. Zeidman entered the contest, submitting a report that ...

How Sarah Jindra’s Choregraphed Wedding Video Was Received by Co-workers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:13 GMT

WGN Morning News’ Sarah Jindra had gotten married with one of those choreographed wedding videos. Guess who doesn’t dig those?  Not to worry we all love each other. WGN celebrates 75 years with special report For more great WGN at 75 stories, check out WGNtv.com/stories