Aged 10 months old, me and my brother Martin, who was 15 months older, were found abandoned at the side of the road in Ireland. We were placed in care, only to find out we were actually brothers when the authorities handed us back to our alcoholic father when I was five. My parents were travellers. The authorities then were always keen to get as many kids out of care as possible. They traced my father and he came back for us and we moved to Manchester, but he quickly sent us out to beg and steal anything he could sell. Martin and I also realised we had 12 other siblings. None of us were cared for, but there was a sense of care between me and my brothers and sisters. Whatever we got from begging we would share out among us all before our parents got wind of it. There was zero affection from our parents. We were never even touched unless it was to be beaten. My sisters ended up running away because they were sexually abused by my father. My dad once had my hand … [Read more...] about Abuse was the only way I felt love after being abandoned by my family as a child
Forgive your brother 70 times 7
Trump dodged hundreds of millions in inheritance taxes, documents show
President Donald Trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents, an investigation by The New York Times has found. Mr Trump won the presidency proclaiming himself a self-made billionaire, and he has long insisted that his father, legendary New York City builder Fred C. Trump, provided almost no financial help. But The Times’ investigation, based on a vast trove of confidential tax returns and financial records, reveals that he received the equivalent today of at least $413m from his father’s real estate empire, starting when he was a toddler and continuing to this day. Much of this money came to Trump because he helped his parents dodge taxes. He and his siblings set up a sham corporation to disguise ms of dollars in gifts from their parents, records and interviews show. Records indicate that Trump helped his father take improper tax deductions worth … [Read more...] about Trump dodged hundreds of millions in inheritance taxes, documents show
The Kieran Shannon interview: Mickey Harte
Mickey Harte has been confronted by hellish personal experiences, from a brush with cancer to the deaths of his daughter Michaela and two brothers. He has been questioned in his county after a barren spell followed his breakthrough glories, but a deep faith in God and in his own ability to change and adapt meant he never questioned his beliefs. Even if he’s not quite ready to absolve all sins.The morning after Tyrone edged Monaghan to qualify for the county’s first All-Ireland final in 10 years, Mickey Harte passed on breakfast, watched the game back, then drove about an hour from his family home in Ballygawley to a lakeshore just past the sleepy border village of Pettigo. There, he left his car, paid the ferryman, and boarded a boat to take him over to the fabled Sanctuary of St Patrick on Lough Derg, a world away from the madding crowd of 50,000 in Croke Park.It was a retreat he’d been looking to get in earlier in the summer, only Tyrone’s manic schedule in … [Read more...] about The Kieran Shannon interview: Mickey Harte
The Plymouth Sexy List 2018: The 70 hottest men and women in the city
One of Plymouth's favourite lists is back and better than ever before. The Plymouth Sexy List 2018 is made up of the humble and the famous, the young and the old - and proves beauty is not just skin-deep. Made up of film stars, footballers, hairdressers and kind-hearted souls, we've scoured the city to find Plymouth's sexiest men and women. These are people whose ambition, pride and bravery truly defines the word 'sexy'. And our final 70 - which is in alphabetical order and boasts 35 men and 35 women - is as diverse as it is good-looking, lauding as many Janners you're likely to see outside TK Maxx as you are on TV. Obviously there are more than 70 sexy people in the city - so leave your suggestions in the comments below and perhaps we'll extend this to the Hot 100. So, let's begin... Sarah Barrow Plymouth diving star Sarah, 28, has overcome everything from injury hell and selection disappointments to the horror of finding a tumour in recent years - and all the while refusing to stop … [Read more...] about The Plymouth Sexy List 2018: The 70 hottest men and women in the city
50 brilliant shows to see at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival
This summer, the Scottish capital is hosting everything from Jane Austen-inspired improv and Ethiopian circus to Beckett and Bernstein. Here is our critics’ pick of what to see Theatre Angry Alan Penelope Skinner’s latest play, about masculinity in crisis, centres on Roger – who thinks the world has gone mad “until he discovers Angry Alan: online activist and ‘voice of reason’”. Sounds topical, and droll. Underbelly (0131 510 0395), Aug 2-26 Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams A dreamlike spectacular forged from the real-life journey of two Ethiopian brothers who taught themselves world-class juggling skills; this big-hearted hit from last year’s Fringe enlists artists from siblings Bichu and Bibi Tesfamariam’s circus school in Addis Ababa. Underbelly Circus Hub (0131 510 0395), Aug 4-25 DollyWould Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit reprise their emotionally intense pilgrimage to Dolly … [Read more...] about 50 brilliant shows to see at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival