A lifeguard and surf instructor, who had roles in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Blue Crush, died Sunday due to a suspected shark attack on Oahu’s North Shore, Hawaii, officials reported.
Tamayo Perry, 49, was a respected North Shore waterman and had served with Honolulu Ocean Safety for eight years, according to a statement by Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of one of our incredibly dedicated City and County of Honolulu lifeguards, who tragically lost his life today in an apparent shark attack on the North Shore,” Blangiardi said. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and colleagues in Ocean Safety during this incredibly difficult time.”
Perry “exemplified bravery, commitment and a deep sense of duty, serving our community with unwavering dedication. His heroic actions and tireless efforts to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors will never be forgotten,” Blangiardi added.
The Honolulu Emergency Services Department issued a statement writing a surfer was “fatally injured” in a shark attack off Goat Island on June 23, just before 1 p.m. local time.
The person who called the emergency services reported that the surfer’s body had multiple bite wounds.
His body was brought ashore by lifeguards using a Jet Ski, and EMS paramedics declared him dead at the scene, officials said. The surfer was identified as Perry, confirmed by Ocean Safety.
Acting Chief Kurt Lager of Honolulu Ocean Safety stated at a press conference, “Tamayo Perry was a lifeguard loved by all.”
Emilia Perry, a fellow surfer, said of her husband, “Tragic though his passing may be, he left this world doing what he loved, where he loved to do it.”
According to Surfer magazine, Perry was renowned for his expertise at Pipeline, one of the world’s most famous surf breaks, located off Ehukai Beach Park on Oahu’s north side.
The Encyclopedia of Surfing notes that he was close friends with singer Jack Johnson and was born and raised on Oahu’s east side.
Perry and his spouse ran a surf school together on the North Shore of Oahu.
On Monday, condolences poured in from across the surfing community.
“This one is hard to believe,” surfing legend Kelly Slater wrote, “Your truly lived the life you loved.”
We are so very sorry for this loss. May he rest in peace.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Directed by Curtis Hanson, Larry Spiegel, and Mardi Rustam, the 1985 movie Evil Town offers an intriguing glimpse into the creativity and eccentricity of 1980s horror films. Although it’s lesser known and was never a blockbuster, this film does hold a unique place in the genre’s history.
The story revolves around a small, charmingly old-fashioned town that appears ordinary on the surface but hides a sinister plot. The town’s elderly residents have discovered a way to prolong their lives by using a serum made from the cells of young people. To obtain this serum, they kidnap unsuspecting visitors and drain their vitality, leaving behind lifeless shells.
One of the intriguing moments it covers is a photo of the lead actor Lynda Wiesmeier who poses alongside her co-worker, dressed in retro fashion. At first glance, this resembles a typical 80s snapshot. The man is wearing a gray sweatshirt with colorful shapes and dark shorts, while the woman flaunts a bright red shirt tied at her waist and high-waisted white shorts.
What truly catches the attention, however, is the background. The two stand in front of a weathered brown station wagon, surrounded by towering trees, creating a sentimental and natural scene.
Just a glance at this photo takes you back in time and evokes a sense of nostalgia and longing for times gone by.
The photo is another reminder of how times have evolved. Take a closer look and relish a charming journey through memory lane.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
22-year-old student Riley Strain vanished on March 8 after partying with his fraternity brothers in Nashville. He was allegedly kicked out of Luke Bryan’s bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge bar, for a reason unknown, and told his friends he would meet them up back at the hotel, but when they returned he wasn’t there. After failing to contact him or locate him through via his Snapchat location, they reported him missing on March 9.
Search efforts were launched right after the report.
According to the young man’s stepfather, Strain FaceTimed his mother on the night of his disappearance and revealed that he had gone to two more bars the same night before he was kicked out of a third. Speaking to NBC News, the stepfather said that “he didn’t even sound like he had been drinking a lot.”
I was just watching some live footage of Broadway and all I could think, as a parent that has lost a child, was #RileyStrain's poor mom, the world just keeps going like everything is fine when to her it should stop to find her boy. To this day, going out is this hardest thing. pic.twitter.com/ctIZzRzRvz
The mystery had taken another twist after the release of a confusing message sent from the 22-year-old’s phone that night.
At 9:47 p.m., the young man was captured on surveillance footage crossing the street, and was later spotted on another camera five minutes later looking disorientated. This was the last known sighting of Strain.
His distressed family pleaded the public and the authorities to help find their son. “We’re looking for you. We are not leaving until we have you. We’re going to be with you at graduation…and everything’s going to be fine,” his step-dad said.
On the night he vanished, Strain sent a text message to a 22-year-old woman he was reportedly seeing. The text read “Good lops,” which only added to the mystery.
“He’s got several friends that are female, male. I don’t know the individual he talked to at that time,” his mother told People.
Sadly, on March 22, Riley Strain’s body was found eight miles downriver from where he was last seen.
Strain was found dead in a river. His body was spotted by a worker for a local building materials company that unloads barges at the river.
“My company works on the river. I have just found a, uh, dead body” the worker told the police after calling 911 before adding, “I believe it to be Riley.”
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, a preliminary autopsy shows Riley Strain’s death appears to be accidental.
Don Aaron, spokesman for the department, said a detective attended the 22-year-old’s autopsy examination, and his death “continues to appear accidental.”
“No foul play-related trauma,” Aaron said in an email. “(Toxicology) pending per usual.”
We are so very sorry for the loss of this young man. May he rest in peace.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
The birth of baby Ayla Summer Mucha brought immense joy in the life of her parents. From the moment they laid eyes on her, they knew she was special, but what they didn’t know was that the huge smile across her face she had greeted them with was a result of a rare condition.
Cristina Vercher and husband Blaize Mucha from Australia welcomed their bundle of joy into the world on December 30, 2021. During C-section, however, they were informed that their daughter Ayla had developed bilateral macrostomia, which means her mouth had not properly formed.
The deformity, classified as a facial cleft, is a rare condition where the corners of the mouth fail to fuse together during pregnancy. In fact, this malformation is exceptionally rare; according to the National Library of Medicine, only 14 cases have been documented in medical literature.
Vercher’s pregnancy was a normal one and no ultrasound scan showed any abnormalities.
When the new parents looked at their baby, they were aware something wasn’t right as the condition was “obvious” since she “was so tiny.” This made them extremely worried.
“Blaize and I were not aware of this condition, nor had I ever met someone born with a macrostomia,” Vercher said. “So it came as a huge shock.”
Neither the parents nor the doctors were prepared to handle a baby with bilateral macrostomia.
“This made the experience all the more worrying as it took several hours for a doctor to give us an answer. With this came more difficulties as the hospital had little knowledge or support for such a rare condition,” the mom said and added, “All I could think about as a mother was where I went wrong.”
Vercher struggled with the though that she did something wrong during pregnancy and that’s what caused her baby’s condition. ”All I could dwell on as a mother was where I might have made a mistake,” she confessed.
Doctors conducted a series of tests and scans that assured the mom that this issue was entirely beyond her and her husband’s control, and that they bore no blame for it.
Ayla’s mom and dad embarked on a mission to educate themselves about the condition and chose to share Ayla’s story on social media. To their surprise, their baby’s distinctive smile quickly captured the hearts of 6.5 million online users on TikTok. The Muchas were overwhelmed by the unexpected outpouring of support they received.
“I just read on doctor Google that there are only 14 documented cases. She is so darn special. Be proud mama,” one person wrote.
“She is beautiful and just perfect the way she is. She made me smile as well,” another wrote.
As expected, there were also those who made fun of Ayla, but her followers were quick to shush them.
“Your daughter is absolutely beautiful, please do not listen to those bitter people. She’s such an Angel,” someone wrote. “Oh my looord. How cute are you!! ignore all those hurtful comments your little cuteness is just too sweet,” another added.
“You are a strong woman, you have a beautiful daughter, I’m sorry to see those thoughtless comments,” a third commented.
In response to the hurtful remarks directed at her precious baby, Vercher wrote, “I would advise nothing more than to be kind and accepting of all people.
“As you would hope, people paid the same respect to your or your children if such events were to occur in your life,” she said, adding that conditions “such as this” could really happen to anyone. “Social media is a divided place. You can’t control the personalities of other people unfortunately.
“We will not stop sharing our experiences and favourite memories as we are so proud.”
Ayla, who’s now two years old, has likely underwent a corrective surgery and has almost no scarring from the procedure. She recently became a big sister.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Eliza Bahneman, a mom of a girl with Treacher Collins Syndrome, shared her family’s journey and spoke of the joys and challenges of being a parent of a child with this syndrome.
It was in early 2018 when this brave woman learned she was expecting a baby. She and her husband, Erik, were overjoyed and couldn’t wait to meet their bundle of joy.
Eliza was even more excited because her sister, her sister-in-law, and a few of her friends were also pregnant around the same time. She felt like she wasn’t alone on this extraordinary journey that would end with her receiving the title she was longing for, that of a MOTHER.
The pregnancy was normal, but Eliza somehow felt that her girl would arrive sooner than expected, and she was right. In the eighth month of her pregnancy, her water broke and she was rushed to the hospital.
Eliza gave birth, and as the nurses took the baby, she noticed the little one’s ear was folded. But she knew newborns looked weird as soon as they come out so she didn’t think anything of it.
Eliza Bahneman
However, Eliza knew something was out of the ordinary when no one congratulated her on her new baby.
Instead, of the anticipated celebration, there was an unsettling silence. Baby Bella was quickly taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for further evaluation, leaving Eliza and her husband feeling confused and scared.
“Why is n’t anynoe congratulating me? Why is my husband so confused and scared? Why can’t my mom look at me? Why did my doctor step out? Why are all these other people coming into my room?” she asked herself.
Eliza Bahneman
The NICU became Bella’s temporary home for 8 weeks, during which she underwent many tests and evaluations. Each day brought a torrent of information and emotions for Eliza and her family. A week into her stay, Bella was diagnosed with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a condition that affects the development of facial bones and leads to microtia, hearing loss, a recessed jaw, a small airway, and a hard cleft palate.
“My husband and I had never heard of Treacher-Collins before, so it was certainly a learning journey for us,” Eliza said.
“We felt confused and questioned everything. Was it something we did or did not do? How can something like this happen? Why us and our baby girl?”
Eliza Bahneman
Sharing her story, this mom wrote, “At midnight, we had to say goodnight to our little one to head back to our room. It was so hard to walk away from her. I felt like we had to protect her. I wondered if she wondered why we couldn’t be with her. I wondered if she felt unwanted. When she was rooting towards my breast and I was not allowed to breastfeed her, it tore me apart inside. I was rejecting my child. Bella wanted to connect more with Mommy, she wanted intimacy, wanted to feel safe; she was hungry and wanted to be fed. These were the things I could not provide her.”
Eliza Bahneman
Two days after her birth, Bella was transferred to Children’s Benioff in Oakland.
There were wires all around her and she looked tiny and fragile, but her mommy and daddy were there to provide her with the love and strength she needed in order to thrive.
“I knew my motherhood journey was going to be different. But I knew my baby deserved to be celebrated,” Eliza said.
“I was ready to talk about her, answer questions and raise awareness about her condition.”
Eliza Bahneman
Because of her condition, Bella went into her first surgery to receive a g-tube at only 7 pounds.
Eliza Bahneman
When they were properly trained to take care of a baby with Treacher Collins Syndrome, Eliza and Erik were able to take their baby home.
“My husband and I were not only her parents but also her nurse. We have had many whirlwinds, including several emergency visits to the ER and choking situations while at home.
“We have come a long way, and I mean a really long way. I’m thankful for the training we received in the NICU, as it helped me save my daughter several times.”
Eliza Bahneman
At the tender age of 16 months, Bella had already undergone significant surgeries and engaged in various therapies aimed at supporting her development. She actively participated in occupational therapy, speech therapy, and a specialized music class tailored for children with hearing loss, illustrating her remarkable resilience and determination.
Eliza Bahneman
“Life is unpredictable and sometimes, we are not prepared for change. Life is fragile, beautiful, and at times, dark. I am grateful to be able to provide Bella with life’s essentials. Isabella has a huge support system, from friends, family, clients, and social media. With everyone on our journey, it has been easier to adjust to our normal,” her mom wrote.
Eliza Bahneman
Eliza wants to raise awareness about Treacher Collins Syndrome and encourage people to show kindness to those with a visible difference.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
For Barry Manilow, it all started when he decided to pursue his dream of being part of the entertainment industry. He got involved with music ever since his mother Edna and his stepfather Willie Murphy bought him a piano for $800, which took them five years to pay off. It turned out it was money well invested, as Barry would eventually make a name for himself and a career which spans decades.
Before entering the New York College of Music, Barry enrolled at the City College of New York. Later, he attended the Juilliard School, studying musical theater, and moved on to work as a log clerk at CBS.
Shutterstock/Mary A Lupo
At that period of his life, he fell in love with Susan Deixler, his high-school sweetheart whom he married when he was just 21 years old. The marriage only lasted for around two years as he felt he wasn’t ready to settle down just yet and was too busy doing music. “I just was not ready for marriage, I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats. I was too young, I wasn’t ready to settle down,” the singer said.
For years, before his big breakthrough, Barry wrote songs for commercials. He was lucky enough to feature in a Dr. Pepper commercial which, according to the man himself, “paid the rent for years.”
Youtube/Toppop
“When I lucked into writing commercials, the only way you can go up against other songwriters when you’re going for a commercial is to write the catchiest melody you can write in fifteen seconds, and if you don’t write the best one, then another songwriter will get the commercial,” Barry told WHRB.
“And my instinct is always to write catchy melodies. I just like doing it. And so when I started to do jingles, I won a lot of them because my melodies were catchier than the other guys’ melodies.”
He then added: “But it was very helpful because when I found myself in the pop music world writing pop songs, which like I say I never really thought about doing, pop music is all about catchy melodies and hooks and choruses…Well, learning how to do that while I was writing commercials was very helpful when i wound up writing pop songs.”
Shutterstock/Vicki L. Miller
In 1973, he released his first album titled Barry Manilow, but it didn’t turn into an instant hit. It wasn’t until a year later that he reached heights in the industry with his single Mandy. What followed were songs which topped the charts, among which the iconic I Write the Songs, Could It Be Magic, and Copacabana (At the Copa).
Just five years after releasing his first album, Barry had five albums on the best-selling charts simultaneously, as well as ten No. 1 singles. His fan base grew bigger with each passing day and it became so huge that they were termed “Fanilows.”
Shutterstock/Vicki L. Miller
For a great part of his life, Barry kept a secret which burdened him, but then, at the age of 73, he decided to share it with the world. Barry Manilow came out as gay and revealed that he and his partner, Garry Kief, had been together for nearly 40 years. He confessed that the two got married back in 2014 at their Palm Springs estate.
The couple first met in 1978 and started a relationship some years later. Today, they are still together and Garry works as Barry’s manager and is the president of Barry Manilow Productions.
“I knew that this was it,” Barry recalled of meeting Garry for the first time. “I was one of the lucky ones, I was pretty lonely before that.”
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Back in the day, being gay wasn’t as accepted as it is today. Barry said he didn’t wan’t to reveal the secret about his sexuality in the past because he didn’t know how people would react and feared for his career. Today, he’s happy he opened up about being gay because nothing changed, except that his fans are happy for him.
The two raised Garry’s biological daughter Kristen together.
“That’s the miracle of this relationship. It’s a relationship built on respect, and we’ve never bumped heads about anything,” Barry told Chicago Sun-Times.
“Garry’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met. He’s a great manager. He takes care of my career on the business level, and I take care of the music, and we plan out what we want to do together. It’s about two guys who made it through 40 years.
“Maybe [coming out] will make people feel good. Maybe it will inspire some young people that they can do it, too. [Ours] has been a very positive love story. We’re still talking to each other!”
Youtube/Thismorning
Another thing the famous singer opened about are his many plastic surgeries. He’s not afraid to confess he had gone under the knife but doesn’t want to be seen as the “Joan Rivers of the guys.”
Asked how he manages to stay youthful, Barry said on the British morning show This Morning: “It’s luck, it’s just blind luck. I’m really very old, please let’s not talk about it. It’s really depressing.”
It took a lot of courage for Barry Manilow to come out as gay at such age, but at least he’s happy he finally did it.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook!
A Georgia family of five were tragically killed in a plane crash while flying home from a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
The New York State Police reported on Monday that the single-engine Piper Malibu Mirage took off from Oneonta Municipal Airport in central New York on Sunday and crashed in Masonville, approximately 90 miles southeast of Syracuse.
The victims were identified as Roger Beggs, 76, who was reported to be the pilot of the plane; Laura VanEpps, 43; Ryan VanEpps, 42; James R. VanEpps, 12; and Harrison VanEpps, 10.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement on X: “As we learn of this tragic news, please join Marty, the girls, and me in praying for the loved ones of the Beggs and VanEpps families. We offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.”
As we learn of this tragic news, please join Marty, the girls, and me in praying for the loved ones of the Beggs and VanEpps families. We offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them. https://t.co/HZU0YzDg1x
Local police were alerted of a suspected crash around 2 p.m. on Sunday. They launched a search in the Lake Cecil Road area, utilizing helicopters, drones, and ATVs. After these extensive search efforts, the crash site and the wrecked plane were eventually located.
As reported by People, the flight plan included a scheduled refueling stop in West Virginia before continuing on to Atlanta.
Credit: Facebook / Milton Eagles Football
Ryan VanEpps’ sister, Ansley, shared her sorrow and grief over the loss of her family members.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and state police are working together to investigate the cause of the crash.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the family were flying through an area of “storm activity.”
Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims’ families. May they rest in peace.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
For years, people have tried to protect their properties from vandals and trespassers.
Some chose to hang signs that remind others not to trespass,but since they are likely destroyed and taken off by vandals, property owners now use another method to send the clear message: “Stay out,” by painting their fences purple.
A pained purple fence as a sign of forbidden trespassing is even regulated by law in some U.S. states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Other states, such as Idaho and Montana, use orange paint for similar purposes.
But why is purple the most suitable color? That’s because it is easy to differentiate, it’s highly visible, and even recognized by color blind people.
Using purple color to mark property boundaries is not a new concept. On the contrary, it has existed for many years. Arkansas was the first state to enact “posting paint” legislation in 1989.
In Texas, for example, purple paint on posts or trees indicates that the land is off-limits to all trespassers. In North Carolina on the other hand, it indicates that such boundaries can be crossed by outdoor enthusiasts as long as they avoid, fishing, hunting, or trapping activities.
So, whenever you are outdoors, make sure you pay attention if there are any fences or trees painted purple in order to avoid getting into trouble.
Aaron J Hill/ Pexels
Trespassing is punishable by law in most countries, and the law dates back to medieval England.
The punishments for such crimes may include jail time from months to years, with the fines reaching even $10,000 in certain jurisdictions.
When a property owner decides to protect their property using purple paint, they are expected to follow certain guidlines.
The purple stripes should be vertical, at least 1 inch wide, 8 inches long, positioned 3-5 feet above the ground, and spaced no farther than 100 feet apart.
In case you use it on trees, make sure you avoid using oil-based paint because it could harm them.
It is also important to spread awareness of the meaning of the purple-painted fences because that way we help protect property, plants, people, and wildlife effectively.
Remember that you should always preserve private property.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
