Ellen DeGeneres Buys Coastal California Mansion for Nearly $21 Million

Based on a 14th-century Spanish palace, the home has Moorish influences throughout

Ellen DeGeneres plunked down $20.95 million last week for an expansive estate on the Southern California coast outside of Santa Barbara. 

The daytime TV talk show host and comedian, 64, bought the 2.45-acre property through a trust linked to one of her long-time business managers, PropertyShark records show. 

Located in the celebrity-favored hot spot Montecito, the nearly 12,000-square-foot mansion first appeared on the market in late 2019 for $35 million, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time. It reappeared in April 2021 for the markedly lower price of $24.85 million, which was cut again in January to $21.5 million.With a design based on the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, the home has a distinctly Moorish vibes, including slender columns, horseshoe arches and tilework throughout, listing photos show. 

There’s also a rotunda entryway with a hand-carved marble fountain, a wood-coffered library, steel Corinthian columns, hammam-inspired bathrooms and antique tiled-floors with radiant heat, according to The Journal. 

“It’s an incredible design,” listing agent Nancy Kogevinas of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties said. She declined to comment on the buyer.The home was built in 2014 for Kinka Usher, 62, a director of television commercials, the article said. Mr. Usher was inspired by the Alhambra, which was built primarily between 1238 and 1358, on a childhood trip to Spain. 

Mr. Usher bought the underlying property in 2010 for $5.8 million, records from PropertyShark show. He spent two years and many millions building the house, sketching the designs himself, he told The Journal. Almost all the floors were imported from Europe, and he had a swimming pond created on the grounds to the tune of about $400,000. Mr. Usher did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article. 

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Hits and misses: Burnley have manager decision to make, Eddie Nketiah delivers for Arsenal, Kevin de Bruyne is getting better

Plus: Mohamed Salah back to his best; Newcastle's nod to the good old days; Everton keep distance to relegation tussle; Leicester lack cutting edge; the gulf between rivals Liverpool and Man Utd plain to see at Anfield; title and top-four races unpredictable...

Those game have been led by Burnley's U23 manager Mike Jackson and assisted by academy director Paul Jenkins, U23 goalkeeping coach Connor King and injured captain Ben Mee. Burnley could well have been out of the relegation zone already had Maxwell Cornet's penalty found the net when Burnley led 1-0 against West Ham, but they are now only a point adrift of safety.

Their performance against Southampton, barring a nervy opening 10 minutes, didn't look like one from a team that had only won four games this season under Dyche. Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster, beaten by first-half goals from Connor Roberts and Nathan Collins, made the scoreline look much closer than it was with a string of fine saves.

So all eyes are back on Pace - chairman since December 2020 - over what he'll do next. The American businessman wrote in his Southampton programme notes a "change was necessary to offer us the best chance to try and secure our Premier League survival".

He explained how the club was looking to identify a new manager and coaching team that can come in capable of building on Dyche's legacy, but do they already have one in the building?

"I will probably speak to the chairman and he will let me know if I am needed for next game," said Jackson after the Southampton match on the possibility of staying in the role with Burnley set to host Wolves on Sunday. "I am here to prepare the group, I don't want to think or talk about all that, I don't think it is right."

Burnley then have six days before a huge clash at relegation rivals Watford with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp believing a change isn't necessary right now given the job Jackson has done.

"I think they will stick with him. If they'd have lost these games they would have changed it," he said.

"Burnley have good honest characters and have given themselves a lifeline today, so I'm not sure why you would change the manager right now."
David Richardson

Leading the line for the Gunners at Stamford Bridge, there would have been doubts about Nketiah's inclusion after his performance at Southampton. There were calls for Gabriel Martinelli through the middle and even shouts for Nicolas Pepe to play as a striker.

However, Arteta stuck with the former England U21 striker, and it was a decision that paid dividends as Nketiah produced an excellent performance, grabbing two opportunist goals to lead his side to a crucial victory in the race for the top-four.

The question now is, can he do it again?

"He could be a 4/10 next week, if he wasn't he'd be in the team every week, that's his second start all season," Paul Merson told Sky Sports. "The consistency levels are not there but if he gets it for three or four games then Arsenal can come fourth.

"He's a natural goalscorer plus he's willing to run beyond. Lacazette wouldn't have chased that first [goal]. He wouldn't have scored those two goals. Even though he's a better footballer, he's not a better finisher."

After a performance like that it's hard to not see him getting an opportunity to back up that performance against Manchester United. "Nketiah is going to be playing against Man Utd at the weekend," former Gunners striker Alan Smith said just after the striker was substituted. "No question of that. That was just what he needed and just what his team and club needed."

What Arsenal need is for him to do it again, and again, and who knows his future, which has been in doubt for a long time, might just still be at Arsenal.
Oliver Yew

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WHAT THE MASKED GUN MAN SAID BEFORE HE LET ME GO

 THE MASKED GUNMEN ALLOWED ME TO GO

from the story a young man with name withheld was traveling interstate while they were ambushed and all the passengers were adopted by some heavily armed masked gunmen, one of the travelers narrates how he got out free below is his story;

when we were arrested by the those men they took us into the bush as we were all sitting on the ground with fear while they were deciding our fate at a time we were separated, ladies were sorted out while we men were sorted too after few hours some of them into where we were kept and one of those guys took me along with them i was afraid they were going to kill me me so when got to a point one of the gunmen called me by my name and said God has spotted you he told his gangs that he know me from school, he told them how is used to fight for him back then in school when other mates bully him, and some other helps i rendered to him though it was easy for him when i was expelled from school cos of him, that he has been looking for me but no one knows my place, he never disclosed his real identity so security reasons, he said to me ''truly i don't enjoy what i do in fact we all don't cos we are supposed to enjoy free life like others out there but circumstances brought them into this shit show, cos of how and what they have been through after graduation but is fate that chose this livelihood for them and they have to embrace it for the safety and well being of their family that they are not going to kill anyone but few might be chosen to join the crew am risking it ti let you go cos you are a good man i really appreciate your love and protection back then i think is time i will pay you back by letting you go cos i was so weak when i saw you in the transit bus he said i don't much time to chat cos of the situation. so he told some guys to drop me off in a place i will get another transit bus to my destination but i was transported out of the hide out in blindfold and the guys told me not to make  any sudden move that they don't care about my friend that they will shoot me if i try to draw attention. i remained quiet i only nod my head to agree with their orders until i was dropped off .. i really pray for more to be released  

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Bitcoin Trading Guide for Beginners

 THIS IS BREAK THROUGH IN                                          CRYPTOCURRENCY TRADING                                                             OPPORTUNITIES  

 Bitcoin trading is the act of buying low and selling high. Unlike investing, which means holding Bitcoin for the long run, trading deals with trying to predict price movements by studying the industry as a whole and price graphs in particular. There are two main methods people use to analyze Bitcoin’s price – fundamental analysis and technical analysis. Successful trading requires a lot of time, money and effort before you can actually get good at it. In order to trade Bitcoins you’ll need to do the following: Open an account on a Bitcoin exchange (e.g. www.enovermarket.com, fast-linkinvestment.com ) Verify your identity Deposit money to your account Open your first position on the exchange (i.e. buy or short sell) That’s Bitcoin trading in a nutshell. If you want a really detailed explanation, keep on reading. see more:

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My life miserable while living with my mom

 My life miserable while living with my mom – James Brown

Popular crossdresser James Brown has said the most miserable time of his life was when he lived with his mother for one year.

Brown said this during an interview on ‘Tea with Tay’ live podcast.

The controversial crossdresser said that he never really lived with his mom while growing up but he would never forget his one-year experience living with her.

James said that he has not seen his mom for ten years now and when asked why he hasn’t spoken to his mother, he simply said “because we don’t talk.”

“She wasn’t serious with children but now she changed, I don’t know what she’s doing now, it’s been ten years I saw her last.”

“I only stayed with my mom for a year, I was 6 or 7 years old. That was the most miserable time of my life because she messed with my mentality. I was the most quite person then,” James Brown said.

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DeepDotWeb Administrator Sentenced for Money Laundering Scheme

 Defendants Received Over $8 Million in Kickbacks from Purchases of Contraband on Darknet Marketplaces

An Israeli national was sentenced yesterday to 97 months in prison for operating DeepDotWeb (DDW), a website that connected internet users with Darknet marketplaces, where they purchased illegal firearms, malware and hacking tools, stolen financial data, heroin, fentanyl and other illicit materials.

According to court documents, Tal Prihar, 37, an Israeli citizen residing in Brazil, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in March 2021. Beginning in October 2013, Prihar owned and operated DDW, along with co-defendant Michael Phan, 34, of Israel. In addition to providing general information about the Darknet, DDW provided users with direct links to illegal Darknet marketplaces, which are not accessible through traditional search engines.

For providing these links, Prihar and Phan received kickback payments from the marketplaces in the form of virtual currency, including approximately 8,155 bitcoins (worth approximately $8.4 million at the time of the transactions). To conceal the nature and source of these illegal kickback payments, Prihar transferred the payments from his DDW bitcoin wallet to other bitcoin accounts and to bank accounts he controlled in the names of shell companies. DDW was seized by federal authorities in April 2019, and Prihar has agreed to forfeit $8,414,173. Phan remains abroad and is currently undergoing extradition proceedings in Israel.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung for the Western District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.

The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar for the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorneys C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Alexander Gottfried of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecuted the case.

The department thanks French authorities as well as its law enforcement colleagues at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Brazilian Federal Police Cyber Division, Israeli National Police, Dutch National Police, Europol Darkweb Team, Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany, and National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom. Significant assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

This case was brought in conjunction with the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) Team. Established within the FBI’s Hi-Tech Organized Crime Unit, J-CODE is a U.S. Government initiative aimed at targeting drug trafficking, especially fentanyl and other opioids, on the Darknet. The J-CODE team brings together agents, analysts, and professional staff with expertise in drugs, gangs, health care fraud and more.   

This prosecution is also a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.

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