Union Pacific warns photographers after fatal train accident in Navasota

Aaron Alcozer, KAGS 5:16 PM. CDT March 20, 2017

OMAHA, Nebraska -- Union Pacific Railroad asks photographers to not take pictures on or near railroad tracks. 

This statement came after the tragic accident that took place in Navasota on March 13 when Fredzania Thompson was struck by a train during a photo shoot. 

Continuing its outreach program launched nearly two years ago, Union Pacific is asking photographers and the entire photography community to not take pictures on or near rail road tracks. 

The railroad company uses animated videos to educate the public about the dangers related to taking photos on railroad property. 

Railroad tracks are private property. Trespassing along railroad rights of way is the leading case of rail-related deaths in America, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, which reports more than 400 trespass fatalities occur each year.

© 2017 KAGS-TV

Source: Union Pacific warns photographers after fatal train accident in Navasota

Dog who took bullet for owners is a true Blue friend

Two years after a West Philadelphia couple rescued an abandoned pit bull from a local shelter, the silver-furred tank of love they named Blue rescued them by taking a bullet during an armed invasion of their Cobbs Creek home.

Because of Blue's heroic actions last month, Nina Taylor and Leroy Buchanan are alive to tell the tale, and thanks to the team at Penn Vet's Ryan Hospital, Blue's tail is still wagging.

Taylor, 33, and Buchanan, 50, live in a neighborhood where in last month alone 43 violent crimes and 71 property crimes were reported, according to city data.

"All you got to be doing is be letting one of your family members in or something and these [guys] come running down the street with guns. It's crazy," Taylor said. "So I said instead of doing the wrong thing that's going to get me incarcerated, I'm going to go ahead and do it the legal way and get some protection."

That's where Blue came in. Stocky but muscular with broad shoulders and a jawline that could cut glass, Blue is intimidating at first glance, especially with his metal-spiked collar. But within seconds, the 8-year-old blue-nose pit bull is a puddle of love with well-wishers.

Buchanan was making breakfast shortly before 10 a.m. Feb. 13 and Taylor had just returned from the market when an acquaintance they know as "D.I." knocked on their door. Taylor answered and D.I. pushed his leg in the door, going on and on about how it hurt. After a few moments, a second man in a black ski mask jumped over the railing from the porch next door, brandishing a gun and demanding that Taylor "'Give it . . . up!'" she recalled. 

Buchanan ran from the kitchen to the front door and twice gave the command to Blue to: "Get him!"

The gunman started to run and Blue chased him into the street, where he locked his jaws onto his leg. The man shot Blue once in his left shoulder.

"I instantly broke down," Taylor said. 

But Blue didn't break his hold. It wasn't until Buchanan gave him the clear signal that Blue let the man go. The injured dog then hobbled back inside and curled up, whimpering.

The gunman ran off and was followed shortly behind by D.I., who they now believe set them up.

Taylor stayed at the scene to speak to police while Buchanan loaded a bloody Blue into the back of a police cruiser to be taken to Penn Vet's Ryan Hospital.

Brian Brophy, a surgery resident at Penn Vet and the lead surgeon on Blue's case, said this wasn't his first gunshot victim.

"We see more than we'd like to," he said.

In the operating room, eight to 10 people worked on Blue as '90s alternative music played in the background to ease the tension. Doctors sawed open Blue's sternum to track the path of the bullet and remove a lobe from his lung.

Luckily, the bullet was not tangled up in Blue. The shot that injured him was a "through and through" one that went from his left shoulder through his chest and lung lobe and came out his sternum, Brophy said. The surgery took about an hour and Blue returned home four days later.

"Pit bulls have an inherent toughness and will to live about them," Brophy said.

Taylor and Buchanan were able to offset some of the cost of Blue's $10,000 surgery thanks to Ryan Hospital's Charitable Pet Care Fund, which provided a significant amount of funding towards Blue's care.

Buchanan and Taylor said they've told police who they believe set them up, but he remains a free man. Both have said they've seen him in the neighborhood since the incident. Police said there are no arrests in the case.

When asked if Taylor considers her dog a hero now, she said: "Damn right! That's my son."

"If he wasn't here we probably would have been all shot up," she said.

Despite his brush with death, Blue's personality hasn't changed a bit.

"He still knows who he is and he knows he's home," Taylor said.

Published: March 19, 2017 — 5:50 PM EDT

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Source: Dog who took bullet for owners is a true Blue friend

Photographers capture their meaningful place

From bustling swimming pools in South Africa to the wilds of Kyrgyzstan and the Faroe Islands, photographers from around the world have revealed where their 'meaningful places' would be.

In a bid to win the 2017 Zeiss Photography Award, the artists played with the given theme and traversed the globe to find their special spots.

Kevin Faingnaert from Ghent, Belgium, was crowned the winner with his photography project Foroyar, which investigates the peace of life on the remote and sparsely populated Faroe Islands.

He said the area became a 'meaningful place' for him because of the 'small, simple comforts of life... listening to stories told in the welcoming warmth of Faroese homes, the sound of songs against the roaring backdrop of the sea, and my memorable encounter with a message-in-a-bottle collector on the beach'.

Claire Richardson, the picture editor of Lonely Planet Traveller and one of the judges on the Zeiss Photography Award panel, praised Faingnaert for his 'tenderly composed portraits which immediately draw you in'.

The judges also recognised the work of nine further photographers, with all of their work set to be exhibited in London at Somerset House from April 20 to May 7.  

In February 2016, Kevin Faingnaert immersed himself in the community of the remote Faroe Islands. He couch-surfed and hitch-hiked his way across the islands, finding doors opening everywhere he went

Dressed to impress: Christopher Roche from the UK was shortlisted for this image in Tibet, taken as part of his Devotion series of photographs, which explores different faith traditions across the world. He says the images reveal a 'shared thirst for spiritual fulfillment'

Super seven: Fabian Muir from Australia wanted to depict North Korea in a different way, in 'an attempt to go past the cliché and open unexpected perspectives to the viewer' (above, a septet of children pose in matching outfits on a sofa)

Crowd-pleaser: British photographer Christopher Roche captures the burning Ghats of India  

Water baby: South African photographer Nicky Newman says whenever she is stressed or sad she heads to the ocean or pool

Childhood memories: Newman says she has an 'ongoing love affair' with The Pavilion, a special public pool in Cape Town, separated from the ocean by a single wall

My meaningful place: Ben Bond Obiri Asamoah from Ghana works as a fashion and portrait photographer. Although he lives in a city environment he travelled to a rural community to experience 'raw uncut, everyday, unpolished beauties'

Girl power: Sonja Hamad from Germany focused her work on the woman of Western Kurdistan

Contrast of cultures: Sonja Hamad said the women she encountered 'muster up the courage to face the heavily armed IS in Syria' (left) while photo contest winner Kevin Faignaert found the people on the remote Faroe Islands fascinating (right)

Say a prayer for me: Mario Adario from Italy ventured to Ethiopia in January 2015 to document various rituals in the area. He says 'pilgrims from all over the country flock to the sacred city of Lalibela to pray in the famous rock-hewn churches'

Taking time out: Nicholas White from the UK headed out into the countryside to find his special spot 

The Brit focused his work on capturing mountain bothies, which provide a refuge from the vast terrain that surrounds them 

Ray of sunshine: Fabian Muir says 'life in North Korea is by no means one of constant singing, visits to the beach or fun fairs. But nor is it a constant military parade or weapon's test'

A world away: Bulgarian photographer Anna Filipova visited Ny-Alesund. It's situated on the 79°N parallel on Svalbard Archipelago, which makes it the most northerly civilian settlement in the world

Filipova says Ny-Ålesund is 'unique and one of the most peculiar places on earth, housing the largest laboratory for modern Arctic research in existence, alongside a predominant population of research scientists'

Snow-swept: Frederik Buyckx from Belgium says 'Kyrgyzstan has always been a nation of horsemen and has rich nomadic heritage and traditions that have been woven into the identity of the Kyrgyz people'

Crowd control: In winter, Buyckx says the shepherds and their livestock have to deal with incredibly harsh weather conditions in the mostly mountainous terrain. He traversed Kyrgyzstan to capture these stunning black-and-white shots 

Source: Photographers capture their meaningful place

Ben Youngs: ‘It won’t feel like we’ve won the Six Nations unless we beat Ireland’

Ben Youngs says England will try to impose themselves on Ireland in the first 20 minutes. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Just occasionally, photographers are right to insist a picture says more than a thousand words. The victory photos taken on the final night of the 2011 Six Nations are a prime example: England in their Dublin hotel, ties at half-mast, trying to look like contented champions but fooling no one. Such is bittersweet life for tournament winners who have just missed out on a grand slam.

Even six years on, Ben Youngs does not even try to supply an upbeat caption. "That was a strange one," he says, recalling the last time England crossed the Irish Sea in search of a clean sweep only to lose 24-8 and have the edge removed from their title celebrations. "It just doesn't seem right to lose a game and then go and get a trophy, does it?" This time the scrum‑half, one of six 2011 survivors in the visitors' squad, would prefer a more uplifting memento for his downstairs loo.

This campaign feels substantially different. For a start the 27-year-old is a far more experienced operator. Back then he had started nine Tests for England and was behind a pack short of world-class beasts. If Ireland win on Saturday it will involve neutering a far heavier-duty forward unit. "We're very fortunate to sit behind a juggernaut pack," says Youngs, about to represent his country for the 70th time. "These boys have put us on the front foot a number of times and that's allowed us to put other teams under pressure. A lot of credit has to go to them."

England, though, are also transformed in other crucial ways. Six years ago, Youngs was sent to the sin‑bin by the Kiwi referee Bryce Lawrence for preventing a quick Irish tap by throwing the ball away; he is a far less flustered campaigner nowadays. It is the same with his team, courtesy of Eddie Jones's straight-talking approach. "When we came off against Scotland we were straight on to Ireland," says the Leicester No9. "Although we've won the title, we don't feel like we've won it yet. It won't feel like that unless we get the result we want. The thought of being defeated and going up to get a trophy … it wouldn't feel right."

Ireland, according to Youngs, will also find their visitors hardened by their experiences to date, not least in Cardiff where England located a second-half escape route that eluded Ireland last Friday. "With this side we've got a lot of experience but I also don't see us being shocked by another team's intensity. If anything we'll focus on the first 20 and look to impose ourselves rather than wait for the opposition to dictate the tempo. We'd much rather go out and attack it rather than waiting to see what the pace of the game is like."

That is precisely what happened in 2003 when England won a grand slam in Dublin 42-6. No one is expecting a similarly lop-sided result this time, even in the absence of the injured Conor Murray and Rob Kearney, but Youngs can hardly wait to get cracking: "That's the key: you've got to embrace it. Eddie spoke really well when he addressed the side on Sunday evening. One of the things he said was that the chance to win back-to-back grand slams will probably never happen again for any of us. So why waste that opportunity?

"He said the last thing we want to do is to use that as a negative that will hold us back in any shape or form. All this week has been about attacking it.

"Our motivation is huge. We've got a chance, as Eddie put it, to be a team that people potentially see as a great side. I see our motivation and desire to win the game as higher than Ireland's because we have got so much to win. We've got to be excited by that and embrace it."

For England, such clear-eyed belief is everything to them right now. "What we have is an unbelievable amount of clarity around how we want to play," Youngs says. "With clarity you get belief. You don't need to go off script or pull rabbits out of hats because everyone has belief within the plan. Against Wales everyone talks about their clearance kick going infield but, had the ball gone out, I still think we'd have scored. We'd have had a lineout on their 22 with five minutes to go. I have no doubt we'd have found a way of winning."

Within 12 months, form and fitness permitting, Youngs could be England's most-capped scrum-half having overhauled Matt Dawson. Emulating Dawson by claiming a World Cup winners' medal is the long-term goal but, for now, the pursuit of a repeat grand slam takes precedence over a world record for successive Test wins.

"From our point of view, why focus on two things when we can focus on one?" Youngs says. "Focus on winning the grand slam and the record comes with it."

The power and the glory? Achieve both and this year's post-match photos will be collectors' items.

Source: Ben Youngs: 'It won't feel like we've won the Six Nations unless we beat Ireland'

What happens when 2 photographers get engaged under the northern lights? This!

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What's the secret to an engagement photo that makes women swoon and men curse the fact that they'll never be able be able to top it? Dale Sharpe, 34, and Karlie Russell, 29, make it look easy — but it took a lot more than meets the eye to get this stunning shot.

The couple, who are based in eastern Australia's Gold Coast, met online in 2010. Though they lived on opposite ends of the country, they bonded over their mutual love of photography and decided to meet up over a sunset. Russell flew out to visit Sharpe, relocated a month later, and the rest is history.

RELATED: This couple has taken an annual photo booth picture for 17 years

Sharpe and Russell are now business partners (they shoot weddings and landscapes for their company, DK Photography), travel buddies, best friends and as of this month, fiance and fiancee — but we'll get to that in a minute. They've traveled extensively together for work and play, and the northern lights remains their favorite subject to shoot.

DK Photography

Sharpe waxed poetic about the northern lights, calling them "an unbelievable thing that you can witness on this planet" and "a bucket-list item that everyone should see."

"We've witnessed them about 30 times across Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Finland ... It's just something we both love," Russell told TODAY. "It's not easy, as a photographer, to get great photos of them. We love the challenge."

Sharpe got a little more poetic in his explanation. "It's a surreal moment ... An unbelievable thing that you can witness on the planet," he added. "It's a bucket-list item that everyone should see. It's terrible that some people won't get to, and that's partly why we take photos."

DK Photography

Sharpe and Russell have traveled extensively together, both for work and for play.

Given his strong feelings, it may come as no surprise that Sharpe has been mulling over a northern lights proposal for nearly four years. When the two got an opportunity to travel to Iceland last year, he bought a $4,000 engagement ring and hid it inside a lotion bottle in his suitcase.

"Karlie is ... what I'd call a 'seagull.' Always picking over everything," he explained. "I thought for sure it would be safe in there."

RELATED: Wedding photo shoot takes place near live volcano — and sparks fly!

But when their baggage came in overweight at the airport, Russell chucked the surely replaceable lotion into the trash — unbeknownst to Sharpe, until he went looking for it after they had arrived.

"I was furious at the time, but I had to smile and take it with a grain of salt," he said. "I was really disappointed that she threw away something I had worked so hard to save up for."

DK Photography

"The message from the photo, for us, is to encourage other people to see the world," said Sharpe.

Soon, Sharpe went right back to saving, and with hard work, was able to put away nearly the same amount within a year. "This time, I smuggled it in a medical bag ... I knew she had already checked it before we left!" he said.

And after all that effort, the view from Norway was worth the wait. "Aurora was the best we've ever seen it," said Sharpe. He convinced Russell to pose for a selfie — despite her protests that they should focus on getting the landscape they came for — and was finally able to get down on one knee for that perfect shot.

DK Photography

Their future together is so bright, they've gotta wear shades!

The photo took off on social media and, according to Sharpe, has been covered by news outlets in more than 40 countries. For the couple, though, it's just a special memory immortalized on film. "It was about capturing the moment for Karlie," said Sharpe. "A lot of things are Photoshopped — altered to make it look real ... This photo is 100 percent real. It's something we can hang on our wall."

Now that their photo has gained a bit of fame, Sharpe and Russell want to encourage other couples to chase their own picture-perfect adventure, whether or not the evidence makes it to Instagram. "The message from the photo, for us, is to encourage other people to see the world," said Sharpe. "We get to do it together ... Ge out there and see something beautiful and incredible."

Source: What happens when 2 photographers get engaged under the northern lights? This!

Two Photographers are Showcasing The Gritty Side of Denver Through a Hashtag

"It's like Nat Geo for the streets." Smiling with pride, photographer Armando Geneyro speaks of his hashtag-turned-community-organization. Theyshootn, which began as a clever pun from a Nas song, is now an international photography community thanks to the simultaneously artistic and philanthropic brains of Geneyro and Blake Jackson. The Theyshootn hashtag, which has evolved into a full-blown artistic community-based in Denver, has been used over 70,000 times.

In fact, Geneyro's initial use of the hashtag three years ago is partially what inspired Jackson, a fellow photographer and close friend, to pick up a camera in the first place. "I saw him using the tag and I was like shit… I kind of wanted to emulate what he was doing," said Jackson. "I started using it, and with our powers combined…other people started using it and it just kind of developed this whole identity on its own." It's since become much more than just a hashtag — it's a way to connect like-minded artists in Denver and beyond.

Armando Geneyro, left, and Blake Jackson. Photography by Kyle Cooper.

The Theyshootn Instagram page features photographs that have used the #theyshootn tag and are curated mostly by Geneyro. For him, Theyshootn is about much more than beautiful photos — it's about the stories within in the sometimes less-than-beautiful moments that they capture. "It catches my eye depending on the realness," he said. "You can just feel it emotionally when you see a photo that's so candid, unpolished, but still looks amazing."

This realness is at the core of the Theyshootn vision — Geneyro and Jackson aim to bring the stories of the Denver streets to life through photography and provide a platform for the city's artists that are already doing so. "You don't look at Denver as a hub to tell stories at an urban level," said Jackson. "Something that we hold very, very near and dear to our hearts is that we're able to lend a voice to outside of what people would think of Denver for." Jackson explained that most often when people think of Denver, they think of mountains and striking outdoor scenery, especially in terms of photography. Theyshootn shifts this narrative and celebrates the 303's urban community while also sparking discussion about some of our city's somewhat ugly realities.

One of these realities — Denver homelessness — was the focus for Theyshootn's most recent event, Winter in America II. Just as with the Instagram page, the exhibit featured work from photographers who used a certain hashtag, this time being #WIA2. The photographs, 14 of which were printed and put up for sale, focused on the themes of poverty, community relations with law enforcement and political discontent.

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For the event, the duo also curated a slideshow of 100 photographs selected from 550 submissions and featured local musicians at the exhibit. However, Jackson recalled that "the artwork was almost secondary to the donation factor" — in place of an admission fee, the duo asked that folks donated a piece of warm clothing as a part of their Hoodies for the Homeless initiative. A fellow photographer, Robert Patrick, came up with the idea as part of the first Winter in America exhibit, and they hope to continue it as tradition. "Anything going forward, I think we want to make sure we have some sort of philanthropic angle to it," said Jackson.

While its genesis was embedded in a phone screen, these kinds of community events are the truly the heart of Theyshootn. Jackson and Geneyro set out to use the Instagram page as a jumping off point for Denver's artistic community to come together in the name of helping the city and celebrating the parts of it that sometimes go unseen. Whether it be the Winter in America exhibits, photography scavenger hunts or events like Beats and Barbecue, in which photographers had to find ways to combine both food and music in a photograph, Theyshootn is bringing people together with heart.

Photography by Kyle Cooper.

Both Geneyro and Jackson note that one of the most rewarding elements of Theyshootn is being able to provide a platform for other artists who might not have the same opportunity elsewhere. "A lot of us will never get to be featured in a national exhibit or a national publication, and it's not because the photos aren't amazing, it's just because they just aren't able to access that platform for some reason or another," said Geneyro. Theyshootn is providing that space, especially for the images chosen to be printed and sold at their exhibits. For Jackson, he said that "being able to put people on has been the coolest part" for him, and he envisions the two of them eventually stepping back and not even featuring their own work.

As the Theyshootn community continues to grow, Jackson and Geneyro will keep planning events like the Winter in America series, but Jackson said that they "want to focus on how we can benefit our community more." He explained the possibility of teaching photography workshops at local schools and noted that if he would have been introduced to photography at a young age, it would've changed his life. "For me, battling the demons I had my entire life, I know that photography has helped battle those for me and given me a direction," he said. "If photography can save my life, I think it would be great to spread that grace to other people as well."

One photo at a time, Theyshootn is changing the way we define our city, and its true spirit is easiest to understand when in the presence of Geneyro and Jackson. Their passion for their craft and pride in each other radiates in their interaction — Jackson credits Geneyro for his pursuit of photography and Geneyro still remembers the day Jackson bought his first camera — and it pours into the entire entity of Theyshootn. Short time spent with Geneyro will tip you off to the fact that he's a true hip-hop man, from his analogies to the culture to the creation of the Theyshootn name. This makes sense, then, to consider that the concept of Theyshootn is as hip-hop — and as human — as is gets: unifying people through authenticity and art while expressing the raw, untold stories that are too often overlooked, and it's a beat that our city's ears are keen to right now.

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Source: Two Photographers are Showcasing The Gritty Side of Denver Through a Hashtag

Five things to know today about the Flyers as they host Penguins

Five things to know about the Flyers (31-29-8) as they host the Penguins (43-16-9) on Wednesday night.

1. Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby (35 goals) has one more goal than the combined total of the Flyers' four centers: Claude Giroux (13), Valtteri Filppula (8, one with the Flyers), Sean Couturier (10), and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (3).

2. The Penguins are 16-12-6 on the road, while the Flyers are 19-11-4 at home.

3. Pittsburgh has won a multitude of games with dominating third periods. The Pens have outscored opponents, 89-58, in the third.

4. Both teams have struggled on the penalty kill. The Flyers are ranked 23rd (killing 79.5 percent), and the Penguins are 20th (killing 80.3 percent).

5. Jake Voracek and Crosby each have three goals in the season series, which Pittsburgh leads, two games to none. The Penguins registered 5-4 and 4-2 victories, including the latter one before 67,318 fans at Heinz Field on Feb. 25.

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Published: March 14, 2017 — 5:36 PM EDT | Updated: March 14, 2017 — 6:44 PM EDTThe Philadelphia Inquirer

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Over the past year, the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com have uncovered corruption in local and state public offices, shed light on hidden and dangerous environmental risks, and deeply examined the region's growing heroin epidemic. This is indispensable journalism, brought to you by the largest, most experienced newsroom in the region. Fact-based journalism of this caliber isn't cheap. We need your support to keep our talented reporters, editors and photographers holding government accountable, looking out for the public interest, and separating fact from fiction. If you already subscribe, thank you. If not, please consider doing so by clicking on the button below. Subscriptions can be home delivered in print, or digitally read on nearly any mobile device or computer, and start as low as 25¢ per day.We're thankful for your support in every way.

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Source: Five things to know today about the Flyers as they host Penguins