Unless it’s President Donald Trump or a conservative on the chopping block, the media is likely to be silent about it, which is being demonstrated now with one of the latest Epstein files revelations — and it involves Bill Gates.“I regret to inform you, I’m going to give you a headline that is rather disgusting, but I’m going to have to give it to you anyway,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says, before reading the Daily Mail headline, “Jeffrey Epstein says Bill Gates caught sexually transmitted disease from ‘Russian girls’ ... then suggested secretly slipping Melinda antibiotics, new emails in DOJ release claim.”“It is so crazy to me that the man who wanted to force everyone, wanted to make sure you got your injection, wanted to make sure that, you know, everyone was masked. I can’t remember how many times Bill Gates went out on CNN and MSNBC, and he was like, ‘You better mask up,’” Gonzales says.“Bill, you could have covered yourself up just the same way you’re asking people to cover their mouths. You could have gave your ding-a-ling a mask, maybe prevented yourself from giving your wife an STD,” she laughs.In draft emails that Epstein sent to himself, he accused Gates of contracting the sexually transmitted disease and then asking for Epstein’s help.“I cannot believe that you have chosen to both disregard and discard our friendship developed of over the last 6 years,” one email begins.“TO add insult to the injury you then subsequently with tears in your eyes, implore me to plase delete the emails regarding your std, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda, and the description of your penis. You also made it clear to me that I am not to refer to [REDACTED] as that is another topic that must remain between the two of us,” the email goes on.Epstein went on to explain in another email that he was resigning from his position with BG3 and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.“During the past few weeks I have been caught up in a severe marital dispute between Melinda and Bill,” Epstein wrote.“From helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts, with married women, to being asked to provide adderall for bridge tournaments ... I feel I owe it to my friends and future colleagues to admit a moral failure, to ask forgiveness and to move on with my life,” he continued.While the document dump made it clear that Gates is at the very least an adulterer, it also gave Gonzales a better idea of who Epstein was — especially considering how much “pizza” was mentioned in the emails.“I might do a deep dive at some point, but for now I will just say, there are a lot of mentions of pizza and going to go get pizza and leaving the island to get pizza and come back. And there are a lot of weird code words in there that I’m still putting together,” Gonzales says.“I don’t think it was that Jeffrey Epstein really loved pizza as much as those emails claim. I think we all know what the code is. And obviously with the document dump, it’s going to take a while to put all of these pieces together,” she continues.“One thing is clear: He was a really bad guy,” she adds.Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

WBURBob Ross on the set of The Joy of Painting. He filmed more than 400 episodes. When Robert Norman Ross died in 1995, the headline of his New York Times obituary read simply, “Bob Ross, 52, Dies; Was A Painter On TV.” It was tucked at the very bottom of the page, and it was the only one in the section without a photo. Since then, the happy painter’s legacy has only grown. Bob Ross-method painting instructors now teach throughout the country. And he has a massive base of fans who love his unwavering cheerfulness, laid-back attitude, and hypnotic voice in reruns of his long-running public television show The Joy of Painting. His fame, however, was not so much a product of his artistic talent, which was pioneering in its own right, as it was the result of his golden character. He became a force of goodness that encouraged viewers to believe in themselves. And yet Bob Ross’s death was anything but joyful. Bob Ross died on July 4, 1995, following a brief and unsuccessful battle with cancer. But in the months before his death, he was plagued with legal and personal battles over his will and ownership of his estate. At some points, he was even heard shouting into the telephone from his deathbed. Bob Ross’s Death Was Preceded By A Happy Life Bob Ross’s life did not get the happy ending he deserved. Bob Ross was born on October 29th, 1942, in Daytona Beach, Florida. His father was a carpenter, and Bob was more at home in the workshop than school. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade to work as his father’s apprentice before joining the Air Force at the age of 18. He spent 20 years with the military, primarily in Fairbanks, Alaska, working as a drill sergeant. But he hated yelling at young recruits, and took up painting as a way to calm himself after long days. He allegedly swore that if he ever left the Air Force, he would never shout again. An incorrigible optimist, Ross studied under a painter named William Alexander, whose technique of rapidly applying layers of oil paint over each other without waiting for the previous layers to dry was known as “wet-on-wet.” And Ross perfected it so masterfully that he was soon able to finish a canvas in under 30 minutes. It turned out that 30 minute paintings was the perfect amount of time for a TV slot. And The Joy of Painting premièred on January 11, 1983. But despite his new-found celebrity status, he always remained a humble and rather private person and devoted much of his time to fostering animals like deer, squirrels, foxes, and owls. That’s not to say he was without his vanities. In between tapings, the soft-spoken painter was known to take joy rides around the neighborhood in a fully-restored 1969 Chevy Corvette he bought with his new-found wealth. By and large, Ross’ life was like the show he put on when he painted in front of the camera: an inspiring story about a good-natured man who followed his dreams and was rewarded for it. Unfortunately, Bob Ross’s death turned into an unhappy coda on the life of one of art’s most joyful painters. How Did Bob Ross Die? YouTubeBob Ross was suffering from lymphoma during his final televised appearance. According to those who knew him, Bob Ross always had a feeling he would die young. He had smoked cigarettes for most of his adult life, and by the time he was in his 40s, he had suffered two heart attacks and survived his first battle with cancer. The second, against a rare and aggressive type called lymphoma, would prove too much for him. Ross was diagnosed in 1994, around the time he was getting ready to put the last episode of the thirty-first season of The Joy of Painting on tape. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice the once towering and energetic painter looking rather frail in his final televised appearance, though the worst was yet to come. Shortly after leaving television, Ross lost two famous trademarks. His perm fell out and his soothing voice became coarse. His failing health took him out of The Joy of Painting studio in Muncie, Indiana, and back to his estate in Orlando, Florida. During his final months, he didn’t even have the energy to paint. Bob Ross died on July 4, 1995, in Orlando, not far from where he was born 52 years earlier. His gravestone, located in Woodlawn Memorial Park, is marked with the words “television artist.” On most days, his resting place is decorated with paintings left there by visiting students. In life and in death, Ross was a simple man of simple taste. Per request, his funeral was attended by only of a few close friends and family members. All who had received an invite were there to show their love to the “happy painter.” All except two: Bob Ross’ former business partners. The Battle Over Bob Ross’s Estate YouTubeEven in death, Bob Ross lives on as one of the most iconic artists of all time. By the time Bob Ross died, he was the owner of a massive painting empire. He produced a line of art supplies with his face on the packaging, including palates, brushes, and easels, as well as instructional booklets. He even taught personal lessons for $375 per hour. By 1995, his business was worth over $15 million. And the battle over the Bob Ross, Inc. empire began before he had even died. Days before The Joy of Painting came to an end, his business partner, Walt Kowalski, left him a bone-chilling message. Reporting for The Daily Beast, writer Alston Ramsay referred to this message as a “declaration of war, full of legalese and posturing.” It had “a single purpose: complete ownership over Bob Ross, his name, his likeness and everything he had ever touched or created.” Walt, along with his wife, Annette Kowalski, met Ross when he was still an apprentice, and together they helped the magnetic painter launch his own television series in the 1980s. They had once been so close that Bob Ross wrote in his will that Annette was to be in direct line to administer his estate. But tension began in 1992, when Ross’ second wife Jane, one of four owners of Bob Ross, Inc., died of cancer. After Jane’s death, her share was divided between Ross and his partners. The Kowalskis, who had owned a majority stake in Ross’ company ever since, were now waiting for the painter to give up his part of the cut. Steve told The Daily Beast how his father spent his final hours locked in a “steaming-hot” shouting match with them. But just as Ross could change a painting half a minute before the end of an episode, so too did he make some lightning-quick adjustments to his will. In it, he handed the right of his name and likeness over from Annette to his son Steve. And his estate became the property of his third wife Lynda, whom the painter married on his deathbed. The Lasting Legacy Of The Happy Painter Wikimedia CommonsThe stunning landscapes of Alaska will forever be tied to Bob Ross. Though stations continued to air reruns of The Joy of Painting for a few more years following Bob Ross’s death, the painter and his work slowly began to fade from memory. Before long, he had been reduced to a cherished childhood memory of people who grew up in the 1980s. Then the age of the internet brought back Ross from the dead. In 2015, Bob Ross, Inc. made a deal with the live-streaming service company Twitch. The television network wanted to launch their brand with a stream-able marathon of The Joy of Painting. The company agreed, and just like that the “happy painter” became front-page news again. A new generation of people – some of whom were interested in painting and some of whom just wanted to relax after a long day – discovered Ross for the first time. Today, Ross is more beloved than he ever was. His lasting success is due, in part, to the timelessness of his message. In truth, The Joy of Painting isn’t so much about learning how to paint as it is about learning to believe in yourself, to trust in others, and to appreciate the beauty of the natural world. And so, Bob Ross lives on even after his untimely death. After reading about the death of Bob Ross, learn about the tragic life of “Family Feud” host Ray Combs. Or, read about Rod Ansell, the real life Crocodile Dundee. The post Bob Ross’ Death: How The Final Days Of The Happy Painter Led To A Bitter Feud Over His Estate appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Aspen, Colorado in 1976 was a fun, wealthy, and picturesque town. But all of that changed when singer Claudine Longet was arrested for shooting her boyfriend, beloved Olympian Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, to death. Sabich was an adored athlete at the peak of his skiing career while Longet was a divorcé with a dwindling résumé. Rumors swirled that Sabich was planning to leave her. Claudine Longet remains out of the spotlight today, but in the late 1970s, she was a notorious femme fatale. On the night of the shooting, Claudine Longet appeared to be in shambles. She explained to the police that the single bullet that killed Sabich was fired by accident. The tragedy instantly dominated pop culture, particularly because many disbelieved the shooting to have been an accident at all. Unfortunately, her subsequent trial raised more questions than it did answers, and Claudine Longet today lives in obscurity because of it. The Luxurious Life Of Claudine Longet YouTubeClaudine Longet’s 1967 debut album peaked at #11 on Billboard. Born on January 29, 1942, in Paris, France, Claudine Georgette Longet dreamt of becoming an entertainer from an early age. She began dancing on stage for tourists at 17 before club owner Lou Walters spotted her on French television and decided to give her a shot. Longet found herself dancing at the Tropicana Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas in 1961. As part of the Folies Bergère revue, the 18-year-old met 32-year-old crooner Andy Williams when he helped her after her car broke down. The pair married on Dec. 15, 1961, in Los Angeles. Williams was a wildly popular singer whose celebrity earned him his own television and talk show, the Emmy award-winning The Andy Williams Show. The couple had three children together and Longet became a recording artist of her own, appeared on her husband’s show, and befriended the likes of Robert Kennedy and his wife Ethel. Longet was even present at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 by Sirhan Sirhan. They had planned to have dinner after his ill-fated speech. Claudine Longet singing in the Peter Sellers film The Party. In 1969, she named her third and final child after her slain friend. Just one year later, she legally separated from Williams. In 1972, she met Croatian-American Vladimir “Spider” Sabich of the U.S. ski team at a celebrity race in California’s Bear Valley. A friend of the impending couple likened the chemistry of Claudine Longet and Spider Sabich to “nuclear fusion.” “He was so charming and so sexy,” said friend Dede Brinkman. “It was the same type of charisma you see in movie stars.” And Longet was smitten. The two lovers grew close quickly. Claudine Longet spent more time in Spider Sabich’s chalet in Aspen, eventually relocating there after winning a $2.1 million settlement from her divorce in 1975. Soon enough, however, drugs, parties, and jealousy came into play. The Murder Of Vladimir Sabich Claudine Longet And Spider Sabich had a notoriously explosive relationship. Aspen was flooded with cocaine at the time, and Spider Sabich’s good looks and fame attracted invites to countless parties. But sources close to Claudine Longet claimed that she prohibited Sabich from attending a “Best Breast” party and that she even threw a wine glass at his head in a fit of jealousy. Longet’s jealousy apparently got the best of both of them on March 21, 1976. On that day, Sabich came home after skiing the slopes of Aspen, then stripped down to his underwear with the intent of taking a shower. Claudine Longet came in with an imitation World War II model Luger pistol and shot him in the stomach. An ambulance was called and patrol officer William Baldrige arrived to find Sabich slumped over and near death. He was pronounced dead en route to the hospital. Claudine Longet and Spider Sabich dated for four years before she fatally shot him. Longet claimed that the pistol had accidentally misfired as Sabich was teaching her how to use it, but that alibi appeared dubious to authorities. Longet’s ex-husband rushed to her side for support, while the town began to turn on her. Many balked at her presence at Spider Sabich’s funeral in Placerville, California. She was consequently charged with a felony of reckless manslaughter on April 8, 1976, upon returning to Aspen. The Controversial Trial Throughout her 1977 trial, Claudine Longet maintained the gun had fired by accident. She claimed she had found the Luger knock-off on the day of Sabich’s death and allegedly pointed it at him while making “bang-bang” noises when it suddenly misfired, killing him. But friends of Spider Sabich said that he was intent on breaking up with her and she knew it. He was apparently accustomed to a bachelor lifestyle, with which Longet and her children interfered. If that was the case then Longet certainly had a motive. Indeed, an alleged diary entry of hers, but that remains unconfirmed, revealed that not all was well between the two. Longet had apparently written that there was a party on the night of Sabich’s death which he planned on attending alone and which drew suspicion from her. “I picked up the gun and walked toward the bathroom, saying to Spider, ‘I would like you to tell me about this gun.'” Longet said on the stand. “I kept walking and I had the gun in my hand.” She said Sabich ensured her it wouldn’t fire, moments before it did. Longet then broke into hysterics. “I told him to try to make it, to talk to me,” she said. “He was fainting. I tried to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but I didn’t know how.” A defense witness testified that the safety mechanism on the gun was faulty and that the firing mechanism was greasier than it should be. These factors made it highly plausible that the gun went off by accident. Bettmann/Getty ImagesThe family of Spider Sabich and Claudine Longet went to blows for just four days in court. The family finally sued her following the trial. The prosecution, meanwhile, couldn’t make a strong case against her thanks to a series of procedural errors. For one thing, Longet’s diary and the gun in question weren’t brought to trial, which only helped her case. The police had also drawn blood from Longet without a court order, which the Colorado Supreme Court ruled had violated her rights before the trial even commenced. Though there was cocaine in her system on the day of the murder, yet another piece of evidence that wasn’t allowed at trial. With all this inadmissible evidence, all the prosecution could offer was the autopsy report, which suggested that Sabich was bent over and facing away from Claudine Longet when the gun went off — thus contradicting her claims. But the jury wasn’t convinced. “I wouldn’t want her to go to prison, heavens no,” said 27-year-old juror Daniel DeWolfe. “By no means is she the type of person who should be in jail. I don’t think she’s a threat to society.” After the four-day trial, jurors deliberated for a few hours before finding her guilty of criminally negligent homicide. She was sentenced to 30 days of her choosing in prison and a $250 fine. Claudine Longet Today Bettmann/Getty ImagesClaudine Longet today is rumored to still live in Aspen. After the trial, Claudine Longet and her newfound boyfriend — her defense attorney, Ron Austin — vacationed in Mexico. Longet served most of her 30-day sentence in prison on weekends, while the family of Spider Sabich filed a $780,000 civil suit against her. This was settled out of court and contained a confidentiality clause that prevented her from writing or speaking about the incident forever. She had allegedly already been drafting a book on the incident. “It’s a shame,” said Steve Sabich, Spider’s brother, “because Spider accomplished so much in his life. Claudine accomplished only two things: marrying Andy Williams and getting away with murder.” Others came forward in later years to state their disbelief in Claudine Longet’s innocence. Sabich’s ex-girlfriend said that he took her to dinner shortly before the accident and “told me he could not get rid of Claudine and that she was throwing tantrums.” For prosecutor and former district attorney Frank Tucker, the case was a glaring homicide that was only crippled by sloppy police work. “I’ve always known she shot Spider Sabich and meant to do it,” he said. “She was an over-the-hill glamour-puss, and she was not going to lose another man. Andy Williams had already dumped her, and she was not going to be dumped again, thank you.” In the end, Claudine Longet was relegated to satirical sketches on Saturday Night Live and immortalized in the Rolling Stones song “Claudine.” After her boyfriend Ron Austin divorced his wife, they wed in 1985. The pair supposedly still live on Aspen’s Red Mountain together, not far from where Vladimir Sabich was killed. After learning about the murder of Spider Sabich and where Claudine Longet is today, read about the chilling mystery of Natalie Wood’s death. Then, learn about Katherine Knight slaughtering her boyfriend and turning him into a stew. The post Claudine Longet Killed A Beloved Olympian ‘By Accident’ — And Spent Only 30 Days In Jail For It appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Cornell University LibraryThe Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx, pictured here in the late 19th century. New research purports to upend established theories about when the Great Pyramid of Giza was built. The Great Pyramid of Giza, generally believed to have been built as the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu around 2575 B.C.E., is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. But what if it’s even older than that? Alberto Donini, an engineer from the University of Bologna, recently applied a new dating system that he calls the “Relative Erosion Method” (REM) to the pyramid. Now, he’s claiming that his research suggests the famous landmark may have actually been built nearly 25,000 years ago. When Was The Great Pyramid Of Giza Built? The Origins Of Egypt’s Ancient Wonder Scientific studies of the pyramids at Giza have been ongoing for centuries, so the current timeline of their construction is widely accepted. As it stands, the Great Pyramid was seemingly built during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled over Egypt from roughly 2589 B.C.E. to 2566 B.C.E. The Pyramid of Khafre came shortly thereafter, followed by the Pyramid of Menkaure. This timeline was determined using both historical records and scientific study. Ancient authors like Herodotus wrote that Khufu had the Great Pyramid constructed as his tomb, noting that he “brought the people to utter misery” by making them transport impossibly heavy limestone blocks from quarries — possibly located hundreds of miles away — in order to erect the 481-foot structure. Exactly how they managed this remains a mystery to this day, though several promising theories have been put forth, such as the use of a ramp system. Public DomainA statue of Khufu at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. Then, in the 1800s, archaeologists discovered graffiti inside the Great Pyramid that mentioned Khufu by name. It was seemingly scrawled by the workers who built the monument, adding another layer of evidence that the structure was built during that pharaoh’s reign. Archaeologists later used scientific methods to date the pyramid. They radiocarbon dated the mortar used to secure the stone blocks, which was made using ashes and thus contained organic matter. These results suggested that the mortar was likely mixed between 2620 and 2484 B.C.E., once again aligning with the reign of Khufu. With so much proof pointing to a construction date of roughly 2575 B.C.E., it seems unlikely that there’s any additional information out there that could significantly change the timeline. However, Alberto Donini claims that his research could completely rewrite this story. Why The Relative Erosion Method Could Complicate The Story Of How Old The Great Pyramid Of Giza Is In a preliminary report on his research, Alberto Donini describes his new “Relative Erosion” dating method: “The REM is based on the ratio between two types of erosion affecting the same type of rock in the same location: one with a known date and the other with a date to be determined. The ratio is then used to calculate the age of the stone block under examination.” When the pyramids of Giza were built, they were covered in a gleaming casing of smooth, polished, white limestone. Then, in 1303, a massive earthquake struck the region, knocking some of these stones to the ground. The fallen material was recycled to build palaces and mosques in Cairo, and in the years that followed, even more of the limestone was removed intentionally to use for decorative purposes. By 1400, much of it was gone. Alberto DominiA small section of the Great Pyramid where the smooth, white limestone cladding still remains. Donini began his research by comparing the areas of the Great Pyramid that were once covered by limestone with stones at the structure’s base that have always been exposed to the elements. By comparing the amount of erosion that’s taken place in the past seven centuries to the amount of erosion on the blocks that were never covered by limestone, Donini believed he could calculate when those original stones were placed. Donini noted that erosion occurs by several means. Water is a major source, from runoff dripping onto surfaces to trickles of liquid seeping into small cracks, freezing, and expanding. Wind blowing rough sand from Egypt’s desert also wore down the limestone over time, as did temperature fluctuations, acid rain, and surface wear from humans touching and walking on the surfaces. There were several factors that Domini took into account while making his calculations. First, he acknowledged that there’s been an increase in foot traffic in the modern era, leading to more surface erosion in recent years than in ancient times. There’s also likely been more acid rain since the Industrial Revolution. These elements could lead to an underestimation of the Great Pyramid’s age. Alternatively, the climate was wetter in ancient times, so more rain then could have led to faster erosion rates than those seen in the past few centuries. This, in turn, could lead to an overestimation of the monument’s age. With all this in mind, Domini developed a mathematical formula for REM. He then selected 12 points around the Great Pyramid’s base to analyze, aiming to compare two areas of erosion from the same stone block. “The arithmetic means of these 12 values represents the earliest probable estimate for the age of the Pyramid of Khufu,” Domini wrote. Alberto DominiOne of the eroded limestone blocks that Alberto Domini analyzed in his study. The results? The Great Pyramid of Giza could be 25,000 years old. If Domini’s method is accurate, the pyramid potentially could have been built around 23000 B.C.E. — a staggering 20,000 years before its currently accepted age. “On the basis of this preliminary report on relative erosion measurements,” Domini wrote, “it can be concluded that around 20,000 years before Christ there existed a civilization in Egypt capable of constructing at least the Khufu Pyramid.” Of course, his findings are controversial. Other archaeologists have pointed out that erosion rates are extremely variable and unreliable for linear models. The study has also not yet undergone peer review, so it remains to be seen if his Relative Erosion Method is scientifically sound. However, if it is, Domini may have just rewritten the entire history of ancient Egypt. After reading about the new study that suggests the Great Pyramid of Giza is perhaps 25,000 years old, go inside El Castillo, the ancient Maya temple that towers over Chichén Itzá. Then, explore the Nubian pyramids of Sudan. The post New Analysis Suggests That The Great Pyramid Of Giza Is Potentially 20,000 Years Older Than Experts Thought appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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