Melania Trump hits back at Michael Beschloss’s criticism of her White House Rose Garden redecoration

By
Monica Pop
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One of the most noticeable features of The White House, besides its grandsome structure, is the Rose Garden. First formed by First Lady Ellen Wilson, the first wife of President Woodrow Wilson, it replaced the colonial garden by President Theodore Roosevelt’s wife, First Lady Edith Roosevelt. In fact, throughout the years, each First Lady added a personal touch to this place.

Melania Trump wasn’t an exception. However, unlike those redecorating the Rose Garden in the past, Meania faced harsh criticism by the wide public and a group of historians who mocked her taste and claimed she stole the garden’s soul by getting rid of the 10 crabapple trees, planted during John F. Kennedy’s time in office. ”What happened to the trees?” Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief and Washington Correspondent, wondered. The White House answered at the time that the trees were casting too much shadow on the flowers and that they would be planted at other places around The White House. This answer, however, didn’t put those concerned about the Rose Garden’s new look at ease.

Flickr / Trump White House Archived

Among the rest, Melania strengthened the infrastructure around the garden, set up new cameras, audio visual equipment, paving, drainage and lighting. She also made the place more accessible for people with disabilities. One of the things she also added was the limestone walking path bordering the central lawn, flanked by treeless beds.

The Rose Garden isn’t just a place for enjoyment. It is also where many conferences and other special occasions take place.

“Decades of use and necessary changes made to support the modern presidency have taken a toll on the garden and have made it more difficult to appreciate the elegant symmetry of the Mellon plan,” the White House wrote in a press release. 

Flickr / Trump White House Archived

”If this isn’t a Marie Antionette moment I don’t know what is. Who cares about a redesigned rose garden when we’re in the middle of a pandemic, 175k+ people are dead and millions are out of work?” New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow tweeted. And he wasn’t the only one who showed their rage at Melania.

Michael Beschloss, a presidential historian and author, called Melania’s redesign of the garden an ”evisceration.” “Evisceration of White House Rose Garden was completed a year ago this month, and here was the grim result—decades of American history made to disappear,” Beschloss wrote on Twitter.

The Rose Garden in 1988 / The U.S. National Archives

Melania, however, didn’t respond to the criticism, but now, as a year passed by since the redesign of the garden and people still lash out at her, she decided to answer back.

Her office posted a photo of the garden with all of the roses lifted up high in their glory and charm and tweeted back at Beschloss: ”@BeschlossDC has proven his ignorance by showing a picture of the Rose Garden in its infancy. The Rose Garden is graced with a healthy & colourful blossoming of roses. His misleading information is dishonorable & he should never be trusted as a professional historian.”

Jill Biden seems to be one of those people who appreciate what the former First Lady did with the garden. Recently, she posted a photos of the beautiful flowers with the caption: “Spring is here at the @WhiteHouse!”

For one, we believe Melania Trump has an excellent taste and we know she has managed to put her personal touch on the Rose Garden.

Sosie Bacon, daughter of Kavin Bacon, pursued a career in acting and inherited her parents’ genes and talents

By
Monica Pop
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The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, they say, and in the case of Sosie Bacon that turns to be very true. This incredibly talented young actress was lucky to inherit her famous parents’ genes and talents.

Sosie is the daughter of Kavin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, one of those Hollywood couples many envy because they stood the test of time and showed the world that celebrity couples do stay together forever.

When the couple first met, Kyra was still just a girl. She and her brother went to see a movie and met Kavin after. Around 10 years later, they bumped into one another again on the set of Lemon Sky but Kyra wasn’t into him and told Wide Open Country, “I vividly remember looking at his butt when he walked away after we first met and thinking, Well, I guess some girls like that.” She probably had no idea back then that Bacon would be the man she will spend her life with.

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Kevin and Kyra got married in 1988 and welcomed son Travis into their lives a year later. Sosie was born on March 15, 1992. Her mom revealed how her girl got the name after Sosie Hublitz, the art director of the movie Miss Rose White she finished filming shortly before giving birth.

Both Travis and Sosie acted along their famous mom in the movie Loverboy in 2005 which was directed by their dad. Travis, however, decided to pursue a career in music, while Sosie continued with her acting career.

Loverboy put Sosie under the spotlight and her performance impressed many, including The Closer‘s producer James Duff who invited the talented girl to step on-screen and offered her the role of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson’s niece Charlie.

This role was even bigger breakthrough for Sosie, but as everyone was looking forward to her new projects, she decided to take a short break and finish her education.

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And the lols coming tumbling down! @kevinbacon

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Sosie took other roles and starred in a number of movies, “Basic Witches,” “Wishin’ and Hopin,’ “Lady Loney,” and “Another Life.” 

When she was 21, Sosie was awarded the Miss Golden Globe award and her father couldn’t be any happier for his girl’s success.

Speaking to MTV News, he admitted he was “actually sort of astounded at how easily she has slipped into this. The last couple of days, she’s been up at the crack of dawn and going around and doing interviews.”

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When she turned 22, Sosie was cast for the leading role in the independent thriller Off Season. More recently, she has appeared in the second season of the Netflix hit series 13 Reasons Why, and she’s featuring in the upcoming Charles Manson drama Charlie Says.

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Sometimes I can be fanci

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Fans agree that 28-year-old Sosie possesses exceptional acting skills and can’t wait to see more of her in the years to come.

Octuple boxing champion Manny Pacquiao builds 1,000 homes for the poor in the Philippines

By
Monica Pop
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When they earn enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, some people get greedy and only want to see their fortune pile up, while others decide to share a large portion of it with the less fortunate.

The name Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao is one of the greatest in the history of boxing. Coming from a poor neighborhood in the Philippines and not being able to afford any commodities early in life, this man achieved what seemed unachievable for someone who struggled as much as him at the beginning.

Pacquiao is the sole eight-division world champion in the history of boxing and has won twelve major world titles. He has been inside the boxing ring with professionals such as Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Timothy Bradley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Showing incredible strength and out of this world moves and speed, Pacquiao made a name for himself and “boxed” his ways into millions of dollars.

The great thing about Pacquiao is that he’s more than willing to share those millions with his fellow Filipinos who are in need of help.

Believe it or not, so far, Pacquiao has helped build over 1000 homes in the Sarangani province, which is known to be one of the poorest in the country. He knows what it feels like to be homeless because until the age of 12, he didn’t have a roof over his head. But then, he learned he was great at boxing and his life changed for the best.

Pacquiao is aware he is one of the few lucky ones who escaped the poverty and he now shares his luck with those who need it the most.

Source: Facebook – Senator Manny Pacquiao

For more on this incredible athlete and his impact on the rural parts of his native country please check out the video below.

A story worth sharing, don’t you think so?

Madonna’s new boyfriend is 35 years her junior – is age just a number for the Queen of Pop?

By
Monica Pop
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How would you react if your son is dating someone 35 years their senior? Maybe you will get mad and you won’t be glad, but Drue, the father of Madonna’s new boyfriend doesn’t feel that way, and as a lot of people are attacking the pop icon, 27-year-old Ahlamalik “Malik” Williams’ parents are happy he’s dating the star.

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Madonna first rose to fame with her incredible dancing skills. In fact, while at university, the Michigan native was offered a scholarship on their dance program, which she was more than happy to accept. However, she always knew she was born for great things so she went to the city where all dreams come true, New York.

It was Dan Gilroy whom she dated during the late ’70s that introduced Madonna to music and offered her the position of a lead singer in his band. She was later part of other bands including Madonna & The Sky and The Millionaires before she started a solo career.

Youtube/ninzter

During a 2015 interview with Vice, the Queen of Pop recalled her beginnings in the music industry. “It wasn’t until I really decided to switch into being a musician and a songwriter, and I moved to the Lower East Side, that I started meeting artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.”

“While I felt we all fed off each other’s energy and we were all inspired by each other and jealous of each other, collaborating with each other, I had no idea then what their place in the world would be now. But not my own, either. So we were just artists having fun, happy that anyone was interested in our work.”

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It was in 1993 that Madonna released her first out of 14 studio albums simply titled Madonna.

This album was a huge hit and people from all over the country learned of her name. During an appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, when asked about her ambitions regarding music, Madonna said, “To rule the world.” These words became reality and many magazines often refer to this interview when speaking of her incredible success.

Instagram/madonna

“I may have been insecure, I may have felt like a nobody, but I knew I had to do something,” Madonna told The Guardian on the classic quote. “If I was going to make something out of my life, I had to, you know, hurl myself into the dark space, go down the road less traveled. Otherwise, why live?”

Her second album, Like a Virgin, reached the top of the charts and she sold over 3.5 million copies thus cemented her place in the world of music forever. She’s still the one and only Queen of Pop music and it seems like a lot of water will pass under the bridge before someone takes her spot.

Youtube/madonna

When it comes to her private life, Madonna never really kept it private. She was married twice. Her first husband is actor Sean Penn with whom she was together for four years before she married director Guy Ritchie with whom she has son Rocco. Madonna has another biological child, daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, and four adopted children.

Her love life has always sparked controversy, and today, she’s dating her dancer Ahlamalik Williams, 27. The couple was first spotted together last year and they are no longer hiding that they are together.

Instagram/Madonna

Malik first met the superstar back in 2015 when he was part of her Rebel Heart Tour. In 2017, he wished her a happy birthday on his Instagram and now, they share a lot of photos of one another.

He has a very successful career as a dancer and his videos of complex dance routines stun millions. Malik, who is from California, moved to Las Vegas to work as a street performer and was later part of Cirque de Soleil’s Michael Jackson: One show.

Among those who criticize Madonna for dating someone that young is Wendy Williams. “He is three years older than her daughter, Lourdes. They’re all on the same vacation, and there’s old grandma booed up with a 25-year-old,” Wendy Williams told Hollywood Life. “You know what, she’s become that old lady that I feel bad for. Because, I don’t think she understands that it’s ok to grow older gracefully. Like, we do stuff, we go through stuff. If a 26-year-old girl is lucky, she’ll live to be 61 like you, Madonna. It’s ok!”

Madonna was dating young men in the past as well. At the time she was together with another of her dancers, 24-year-old Brahim Zaibat, she told The Billboard, “I didn’t write down on a piece of paper, I’m now going to have a relationship with a younger man. You see, that’s the romantic in me. I just met someone that I cared for. This happens to be his age, I don’t want to live life on my own. I love being a mother, but I need a partner in life.”

Well, for some, age is just a number, and Madonna has obviously found her happiness with Malik.

Meet Chad Dean, the man who lost over 400 pounds on “My 600-lb Life”

By
Monica Pop
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Dr. Nowzaradan, or “Dr. Now” as we all know him, is probably one of the most famous bariatric surgeons out there. This incredible man has helped change the lives of a number of people from all over the country who struggle with their weight. We love watching him in one of the most popular TLC shows, My 600-lb Life.

One of the participants of the show who was given a new lease on life is Chad Dean, a Maryland man who weighted 701 pounds at his heaviest.

Youtube/BCN7

According to Chad, he has always been big, even when he was very young. That, however, didn’t stop him from playing football and being active during his childhood. But as time passed by, he started eating more and more junk food and reached 400 pounds. Chad tried following into his father and brother’s footsteps and became a chef, but his back problems prevented him from pursuing a career in the culinary industry. Instead, he became a truck driver and spent most of his days sitting behind the wheel.

During the time he worked as a driver, Chad gained 300 more pounds and weighed 700. “On the road, you’re sitting all day long, so you’re grabbing soda, chips, pizza, McDonald’s, things that are easy to eat,” he explained. “That’s what’s available at the truck stops.”

On top of that, he once fell from the edge of the truck and got a nasty injury which forced him to stay home. This only made things with his weight worse. “For the driving-test component, I climbed up the side to get in the truck, and I just fell over backwards,” he recalled. “My pride was shattered. The one thing I really enjoyed doing, I couldn’t do again.”

Youtube/BCN7

As both Chad and his family realized he couldn’t be living that kind of life any longer, his wife Ayesha recorded a video of him and sent it to TLC. That was the start of the first day of this man’s new life.

Once he got accepted on the show, the family moved to Texas and met with incredible Dr. Now.

“When he accepted me as a patient — that right there was the reality check,” Chad told Men’s Health. “To have someone take an interest in helping me when no one else wanted to, you can’t put a price tag on it.”

Facebook/ChadDean

After Chad lost 51 pounds on his own, he was ready to go under the so much wanted bariatric surgery, a procedure which makes the part of the stomach which receives the food smaller and helps achieve weight loss.

Believe it or not, over the years, Chad lost over 400 pounds. In the beginning he still had a hard time walking, but he never gave up. Thanks to Dr. Now and his personal trainer Brad Tillery, Chad gained back his body’s functionality.

“Never in a million years did I ever expect myself to be smaller at the age of 46 than I was at age 18,” Chad said. “Right now, from what my life used to be, I’m in heaven.”

Speaking to Men’s Health, the trained said: “With so much extra weight, he wasn’t able to move really well, so we did a combination of strength training, muscle training, conditioning, and kind of moved forward from there. He came in about three to four times a week.”

Facebook/ChadDean

The best thing about Chad is that he manages to control his weight now and haven’t gained any additional pounds in years. His meals mainly consist of healthy food, and that includes meat, fish, and lots of vegetables.

Of course, like any other human being, Chad eats junk food every once in a while, but he learned how to control his craving. “I try to take my mind off of the cravings,” he explains. “Whether it’s lifting weights or turning the radio up, you just have to get your mind off of it. And I try to reward myself once a month, but the day I do reward myself, I exercise a little bit more.”

Facebook/ChadDean

Today, when Chad has the control over his life again, he’s helping others achieve their goals and lose weight. His journey is an inspiration for millions who have seen the show. He has written a memoir, I’m In Here Somewhere: Memoir of a Food Addict, where he speaks of his struggles and what kept him going.

Its description reads, “Chad’s greatest hope is that others may learn from his mistakes, recognize their own decline into addiction, and pass on the knowledge to others that are still in gripping denial.”

Youtube/Life&Style

“Mine was an extreme case; however being even 40-50 pounds overweight is leading to, or already causing, internal issues,” Chad said in an interview with The Ashely’s Reality Roundup. “I wrecked my spleen and liver, which are now thankfully recovered. Every day I thank the stars that I didn’t annihilate my heart. Think about the stress to your ligaments and bones.

“Yes, it’s hard to change your lifestyle,” he added. “But it’s even harder to try to recover what you’re steadily destroying day by day.”

Posted by Chad Dean on Saturday, 22 September 2018

Today, Chad is again working as a truck driver. He’s healthy and happy!

22-month-old Russian girl who spent 4 days in the woods vows to “never run away from mom again”

By
Monica Pop
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Believe it or not, a 22-month-old girl from Russia who wandered into the forest last Tuesday was found safe and sound after four long days. Little Lyuda Kuzina managed to survive without food or water, although searchers believe she drank water from the streams. Her body was covered in insect bites, and luckily, she somehow stayed away from the wolfs and the bears the Tyomkinsky area is knows for.

Lyuda was playing in the garden with her 4-year-old sister while her mother, Antonina Kuzina, was chatting to a neighbor when the girl headed towards the woods.

Hundreds of professionals and volunteers joined the search. They all feared the worst when they failed to locate the toddler the first day as the nights dipped down to 50 degrees.

“There was such despair when she was lost,” Antonina said, as reported by the Mirror. “So many people were looking and not finding her, we thought maybe she had been knocked by a car or kidnapped. After three nights in the forest, of course, we already thought that at best we will find her unconscious. On the second night there was a heavy shower, and the third night was cold.”

On the fourth day, the search team stopped to take a rest when they heard a noise. To their surprise and huge relief, it was Lyuda.

“The volunteers told me they hadn’t been far away from the spot on the first day,” Antonina said, according to BBC. “It was only on the fourth day when they heard a ‘squeak’ that they found her in some branches under a tree.”

The moment they spotted her, the search team assured Lyuda that everything was going to be just fine. They told her she was the bravest girl in the Universe. She, on the other hand, started telling them fairytales and told them she was a princess.

“Lyuda immediately stretched out her thin arms and snuggled tightly to her rescuers,” a member of the search team told a local newspaper. “Everyone cried — experienced and first time volunteers, local residents, everyone was sobbing.”

Lyuda was taken to the hospital where she recovered from the bug bites and nettle rashes.

“She’s quite adamant she’ll never run away from Mum again,” Antonina said, according to the BBC. “Although quite how long she’ll remember that promise, I have no idea. But at least she says so.”

We are glad Lyuda was found and we hope she would keep her promise to never embark on such a scary adventure again.

School cafeteria employee fired for giving hungry boy free food

By
Monica Pop
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As kids, we were often told how an act of kindness can go a long way, but it turns out that these days being kind may get you into trouble. 

Bonnie Kimball is an awesome lady who worked at the school cafeteria of Mascoma Valley Regional High School. She really loved her job, although she was given wide array of responsibilities that included operating the cash register, selling drinks, making ice-cream and smoothies, and more. 

“We didn’t even call it work. We got up in the morning, we took care of our families and we went to take care of the kids,” she said during an interview. 

Source: GoFundMe

One day while on the job, a student filled his lunch tray with items worth $8 but didn’t have the money to pay for them. After he told Bonnie about it, she said he could have them and asked him to tell his mom about it so that she could add money to his account. 

Bonnie simply couldn’t let the boy stay hungry and she was certain his parents would pay for the lunch as soon as he informs them about it, which is exactly what happened. 

This kind act of hers was noticed by the district manager of Café Services – the food services company that employed her, and he believed what Bonnie did was simply wrong. So instead of a praise, she was given the sack. 

This happened on March 28, only a day after she let that boy eat the lunch his parents paid for as soon as they were notified about it. 

Bonnie recalls how the manager walked past her that day and asked her what was on the boy’s tray. The following day she was handed a letter of termination and was told “not to cause any scenes with the contract.”

“‘Do you understand what you did was wrong? That was theft,’” Bonnie said she was told.

Café Services released a statement once Bonnie’s case was exposed to the public. A spokesperson said that they “would never authorize an employee to not feed a student or staff member a meal.” 

Jaime Matheson, the director of human resources, added:

“Although we are not at liberty to discuss the confidential details regarding an employee’s employment or termination from employment, we can share that the company has policies and procedures in place that are shared with and acknowledged by team members.”

“When established policies and procedures are not followed corrective action is put in place up to and including termination.”

Source: GoFundMe

The letter of termination, however, clearly stated that the reason for Bonnie losing the job was the incident with the boy. This is what it read:

“On March 28, a District manager was on-site and witnessed a student coming through the line with multiple food items that you did not charge him for. This is a strict violation of our Cash Handling Procedures, the Schools Charge Policy and Federal Regulation governing free meals.”

Two colleagues of Bonnie who said they would act the same if they were her quit their job as a sign of protest against the company and its ridiculous policies.  

“These guys really took care of our kids. They put our kids first and their focus was really our kids,” Christina Moodie, a mom of a student from the school said. 

Bonnie really misses being around the kids. One may say her job wasn’t anything special and she can always find another one, but the fact is that she really enjoyed working there and she now feels really sad. 

“I’m just dealing with so much right now: the public, paperwork. One minute I’m mad and the next minute, I just want to forget it all happened. I guess I’m mourning my job,” she said.

The school district has nothing to do with the incident as Bonnie was hired and later fired by the Café Services. But the school renewing their contract with Bonnie’s former employers speaks of the fact that they didn’t really care for Bonnie’s case. 

However, after the story spread around, the mother of the boy in question was reported to have shared on Facebook that Bonnie giving her son a free meal wasn’t why she was fired. “I have three children, and they are all well-cared for and well-fed,” the mother told the Union Leader, as quoted by The Washington Post. “She did not get fired for feeding a hungry child.”

The president of the Café Services, Brian Stone, on the other hand, claimed that Bonnie had given the teenager much more than just one meal. “This student hadn’t been charged for anything for the previous three months,” Brian said. “This employee was dishonest and was let go for not following procedures.”

Do you believe Bonnie’s termination is unjustified? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. 

Off-duty officer notices a distressed mother with her baby chocking and turning blue – He grabs the baby and performs CPR

By
Monica Pop
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Police officers are those people who go above and beyond for the safety of the members of their community, not because their job requires them to do so, but because they are simply used to doing good and being there for people in trouble.

As officer Gilbert Troche of the San Pablo Police Department was out with his family, he noticed a woman by the side of the road. She was standing next to her car and had her baby in her arms. From what officer Troche could see, the woman was clearly distressed and in need of help.

“She appeared to be crying hysterically,” he said, according to KRON-TV. “She was holding her baby kind of against her shoulder, so I stopped the car, I jumped out, and I went over to her.”

Without hesitating, he rushed towards her and asked her if everything was okay, but it was then that he noticed her baby wasn’t breathing.

Officer Troche grabbed the little one and started performing CPR. He then told the mother to call 911. Luckily, the baby’s throat cleared up, it threw up, and then started crying. It was the sound everyone was hoping for.

The department shared the incredible story on their Facebook page, praising Officer Troche’s brave act.

“This past weekend our very own Officer Troche was out enjoying his time off with his family when they came across a mother stopped on the road in a state of distress.

“Officer Troche realized her baby was having a medical emergency and he leapt into action. He began life-saving measures on the infant and was able to get the baby breathing again.

“Officer Troche’s heroic actions are nothing short of a miracle and we are extremely proud to have him as a member of our Police Department. His quick thinking and decisive action no doubt saved a life.”

Needless to say, he was dubbed a hero by everyone who has stumbled upon the uplifting story.

“I definitely don’t feel like a hero,” Officer Troche said. “I think that anybody in that situation that [had] seen her there as distraught as she was would have probably tried to do the same thing.”

Thank you, officer.

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