Dutch government approves euthanasia for terminally-ill children

By
Monica Pop
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The approval of euthanasia for terminally ill children under the age of 12 by the Dutch government has caused a stir among people not only from the country, but beyond. Before the rules were passed, there had been a debate that lasted for a couple of months, with some saying a child that young cannot be given a chance to choose to terminate their own life because they don’t even understand what they are doing. Others believed that children who are “suffering hopelessly and unbearably,” along with their parents’ consent could be approved for euthanasia.

Euthanasia for babies younger than a year old is already taking place in the Netherlands, and is now extended for terminally ill children younger than 12.

The conservative Christian parties were against the approval, but doctors and pediatricians were reported to be pushing the changes. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to the parliament, “The study shows that there is a need for active termination of life among doctors and parents of incurably ill children, who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably and will die within the foreseeable future.” thus revealed the government’s new plans to make provisions that cover children below the ages of 12.

In addition to the parents’ consent, at least two doctors must agree with the euthanasia upon perceiving the child’s health condition and determining the patient is experiencing “unbearable and endless suffering.”

Based on studies and research, the number of children affected with the new rules will be between 5 and 10 a year. These would be children who suffer from cancer or metabolic diseases which can’t be eased through palliative care.

Referring to those studies, the Health Minister added, according to NL Times, that euthanasia will be provided to “a small group of terminally ill children who agonize with no hope, and unbearable suffering,” and “are without any prospect of improvement.”

When The Netherlands became the first ever country to implement law of euthanasia back in 2001, the then Health Minister said, “[Assisted suicide] is and remains a last resort that cannot be seen as an alternative for poor health care. Doctors have the right to refuse and patients have the right to choose euthanasia.”

According to The Guardian, the number of deaths by euthanasia in 2019 made up a little over 4 percent of the total number of deaths in the country.

Madonna’s children are all grown up and adorable and she’s a proud mother

By
Monica Pop
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Referred to as the “Queen of Pop” and regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop-culture, Madonna only moved up in her career throughout the years and is still the idol of many generations.

However, of all her roles she has had in her life, she seems to love that of a mother the most.

Photo: Wikimedia

Madonna has six children. While she was dating boyfriend Carlos Leon, she got pregnant with her eldest child, daughter Lourdes Leon whose resemblance to her super-star mother is uncanny. At the time the world learned their favorite artist was going to have a baby, they went crazy and everyone was eager to see the little bundle of joy.

In 2000, Madonna married director Guy Ritchie with whom she had son Rocco.

When the couple divorced, Rocco was just eight years old and was forced to live in Britain and the States. He followed his mother on her tours but complained how she didn’t have much time for him as she was busy with her professional life. Eventually, he moved to London permanently after his dad got the custody over him. Today, however, the relationship between Madonna and Rocco is better and they are close again.

Two weeks ago, she posted a photo of him for his birthday and wrote “I Love You more than you will ever know.”

During her divorce with Ritchie, Madonna visited an orphanage in Malawi where she met little David Banda whom she adopted. She also adopted another child from Malawi, her daughter Chifundo Mercy James. Both David and Chifundo are now 14 years old.

In 2017, the Pop Queen adopted two twin sisters from Malawi, Esther and Stella.

Madonna’s adoptive children are happy to have her as their mother. Although she’s known to be very strict and asks from all her children to follow certain rules, she loves them unconditionally and does all that because she wants them to turn into hard-working individuals. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Pajama Game on……….,,,,😂😂😂😂 The Revolution of ♥️ starts at home!

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Lourdes is now 23 and looks exactly like her mom. She’s multi-talented and wants to pursue a career in acting. She’s also a fashion model and loves helping her mom choose her outfit for her tours.

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#madonna #lourdesleon

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Her being a supermom is why we love her even more. Madonna is a queen in every sense of the word. Share this article with a fan.

Actor David Birney was always in the spotlight during the 70s – this is him today at 81

By
Monica Pop
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When he first appeared on screen in the 1960’s, actor David Birney caught the attention of a huge number of people who loved what he had to show to the world.

Born on April 23rd, 1939 in Washington, D.C, to a father who was a special agent for the FBI, David got to study at prestigious schools. After graduating from West High School, he attended Dartmouth College and majored in English Literature. While at the UCLA, talented and versatile David earned M.A. in theater arts, acting and directing.

Wikipedia

He had his first major role in the soap opera Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing in which he portrayed the character of Mark Elliot.

Besides being one of the most famous actors at the time, David nurtured his love for theater as well and was part of numerous productions. His role of a soldier killed in Vietnam in Ron Cowen’s play Summertree earned him the Theater World and Clarence Derwent award in 1968.

David was well aware of his popularity and admitted he was “also the most popular actor of daytime television.”

As he became more and more famous, magazines were interested to learn more of his private life, including his religion. When asked whether he was half Jewish, David told The New York Times, “Why does everybody want to know if I’m Jewish? David asked. “I really find it offensive, because I don’t know whether they’re asking about my religion or my background. Actually, I’m an Irish Protestant but I have no organized religious affiliation. And religion is much too serious a thing to talk about. After all, we’re all actors, and nobody asks if it’s difficult being Protestant and playing Macbeth, or being Jewish and playing Irish.”

The onscreen chemistry between David and co-star Meredith Baxter in the short-lived sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie continued in their private life.

The two fell deeply in love and tied the knot in 1974. They had three children together and in 1985, they hosted the NBC show Missing … Have You Seen This Person? which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for an Outstanding Informational special. Their marriage ended in 1989.

A few years after they separated, Meredith came forward with allegations against her ex-husband saying he struck her in several occasions. “It was so sudden and unexpected, I couldn’t tell you which hand hit me, or even how hard,” she wrote in her memoir Untied. “I do recall thinking, ‘I’d better not get up because he’s going to hit me again.'”

David commented these allegations as “immensely sad and truly absurd,” adding, “Meredith’s own account of these years is its own rebuke to her credibility.” He told People Magazine that she was just trying to get a full custody of their children by portraying him as a bad person.

In 2009, Meredith came out as a lesbian and is now married to Nancy Locke.

Youtube/OWN

Many actors could envy David on his career in both film and especially theater. Among the roles he performed on stage are Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, David in Benefactors, and Jack Tanner in Man and Superman. He has been especially fond of Shakespeare and played in almost every of his plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliette.

In the 1990’s, Davis directer A Christmas Pudding. The funds raised were donated to the charity People Assisting the Homeless. This wasn’t the first time, however, for the actor to be doing something for those in need. He has been a humanitarian his whole life and helped change the life of many for the better.

”It’s an activity that started as a lark and sort of turned out to be something quite substantial,” David said in 2000.

In 2017, some magazines, among which Wide Wide World newsletter for Dartmouth College class of 1961 alumni, reported that David was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, news which wasn’t confirmed by David or any of his spokespeople.

In it, classmate Arthur Bloom wrote, “I would like to thank all the members of the class who have taken the time to call David Birney. His long-time companion and caregiver, Michele Roberge, tells me that those calls are the highlight of his day. The official diagnosis is now Alzheimer’s, but it is still possible to have a conversation with David —although sometimes those conversations are a bit like doing Theatre of the Absurd without a script.”

Michele and David performed together at the 50-year reunion of Dartmouth College class of 1961.

Last year, the same newsletter said, “Arthur [Bloom, old classmate] talks to David Birney several times a week; David can ‘still get out a few simple sentences and phrases, and we have basically one or two minute conversations. He is well taken care of by his loving companion Michele Roberge and by an aide who comes in when Michele is not there.”

David has left so much to the world of film and theater. He is a truly awesome man with a heart of gold.

Actor Robert Redford mourns the death of his son James: “The grief is immeasurable”

By
Monica Pop
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Activist and filmmaker James ‘Jamie’ Redford, the son of retired actor Robert Redford dies at 58.

He and his father were the founders of The Redford Center, which “uses impact-driven film and media to accelerate environmental and climate justice, solutions and repair,” according to the website.

Over the course of his career, Jamie directed and produced a number of films, including The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia, and the award winning documentaries Watershed, Toxic Hot Seat and Mann v. Ford.

Jamie died of bile-duct cancer in his liver. After having undergone two transplants in the past, he founded the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness, a non profit organization that helped raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation.

His wife of 32 years, Kyle, paid tribute to her loving husband by posting on Tweeter.

She wrote, “Jamie died today. He lived a beautiful, impactful life & was loved by many. He will be deeply missed. As his wife of 32 yrs, I’m most grateful for the two spectacular children we raised together. I don’t know what we would’ve done w/o them over the past 2yrs.”

Cindi Berger, Robert Redford publicist issued a statement which said the actor “is mourning with his family during this difficult time and asks for privacy.” It continued, “The grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child. Jamie was a loving son, husband and father. His legacy lives on through his children, art, filmmaking and devoted passion to conservation and the environment.”

Jamie was having health issues since childhood. According to his IMDb page, he was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease affecting the liver.

Celebrities are also paying tribute to the incredible filmmaker. Mark Ruffalo wrote, “Damn. This year has cut deep. Another great, sweet, kindly person leaves us.” Kiefer Sutherland, described Jamie as “a wonderful writer and a wonderful man”.

Rest in peace Jamie. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

In 1988, Freddie Mercury took the stage to perform with opera singer Montserrat Caballé

By
Monica Pop
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A versatile performer adored by millions who left the world some of the greatest hits of all time. Who else if not legendary Freddie Mercury? Not only undeniably talented, but also a pioneer and an innovated singer who marked the rock era, Freddie’s vocal tugs at the heartstrings every time we listen to him.

Freddie was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, today Tanzania, but he and his parents fled to London in 1964, amid the bloody revolution on the islands.

Once in the UK, he got involved with music and made friends with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor and later replaced the lead singer of the group Smile. He soon renamed the group into Queen and changed his own name too. Well, the rest is history.

Although being dubbed one of the best, if not THE best, rock musicians, Freddie could pull any song the way no other singer could.

In 1988, he let his vocal speak of himself when he shared the stage with Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé. The two recorded the incredible song “Barcelona,” which became the theme song for the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona. Later, they recorded an albums with the same name. The song they perform in the video below, “How Can I Go On,” was part of the album.

Listen to their angelic voices. This is something you don’t get to hear every day.

Rhonda Fleming, who dominated the screens during Hollywood’s golden age, dies aged 97

By
Monica Pop
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“The Queen of Technicolor,” Rhonda Fleming, who stunned millions with her talent and beauty over the course of her career, passed away October 14, 2020, at the Providence Saint John’s Health Center – Santa Monica at the age of 97. The cause of death was aspiration pneumonia, as confirmed by her longtime assistant Carla Sapon.

Fleming possessed unique and captivating charm that people fell for. She was born Marilyn Louis in Los Angeles. Her father, Harold Cheverton Louis, was an insurance salesman, and her mother, Effie Graham, was a model and an actress herself, and Flaming inherited the talent and love for acting from her.

What is very interesting about the actress is how she found herself in the film industry.

One day, the stunning redhead with bright green eyes was spotted by agent Henry Willson, who discovered Rock Hudson and Robert Wagner as well. She was on her way to Beverly Hills High School where she studied, when Willson stopped her and said, “You ought to be in pictures.”

Of course, young Fleming had no idea he was an agent and got scared by him. Later, she was reported to had said, “It’s so weird. He stopped me crossing the street. It kinda scared me a little bit — I was only 16 or 17. He signed me to a seven-year contract without a screen test. It was a Cinderella story, but those could happen in those days.”

Rhonda Fleming with actor Rod Taylor leaving the premiere performance of ‘Lolita’ at the Beverly Theatre. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

At the start of her career, Fleming played an extra in a couple of movies before she landed her breakthrough role in Spellbound (1945), produced by Selznick and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

From that movie on, Fleming became one of the most wanted and most appreciated actresses of that period of Hollywood’s golden age. Speaking of the time she was a face recognized by the whole country and beyond, and her roles in color movies, Fleming told People, “Suddenly my green eyes were green green. My red hair was flaming red. My skin was porcelain white. There was suddenly all this attention on how I looked rather than the roles I was playing.”

Fleming played in more than 40 movies, including A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Serpent of the Nile, The Great Lover, The Spiral Staircase and more.

Little girl brings smiles on people’s faces by waving bye as they go down the escalator

By
Monica Pop
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It is said that even the tiniest act of kindness can go a long way, and I am convinced this saying is very much true. Just think about it, treating someone with a smile or a “thank you” doesn’t cost us anything, but given to them at their hard time may mean the world to them. So, always be nice to people you come across, because as great late actor Robin Williams once said, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”

Chloe is a little girl who loves people so very much. Her bubbly personality is appreciated by many, even strangers. This time, she and daddy were having some fun time together at the Copley Place mall in Boston, MA, when she noticed the escalator. As she saw all the people going down the escalator, she stood next to it and waved “bye” to each and every one of them.

What’s best is that everyone waved back. Chloe put smiles on so many faces that day.

Her daddy believed what his little girl did was kind of cute, something we totally agree with, and decided to put it on tape, and boy, we are so glad he did.

If you want to see sweet Chloe spreading positivity, check out the video below, and If you find it cute, please share it with your friends and make their day.

8-year-old boy celebrates beating stage 4 brain cancer – now let’s send him all our love and support

By
Monica Pop
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The story of little Cameron Scott teaches us that giving up is never an option. This brave little man went through so much during his short life. To everyone’s surprise the 8-year-old hero beat stage 4 brain cancer. 

Thanks to his strong will, his parents’ support and unconditional love, and the professionalism and devotion from the staff of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Cameron was given a chance to live and explore the beauties of life.

According to Wivb.com, Cameron was initially diagnosed with a high-risk tumor that unfortunately spread to his spine. He had to undergo a surgery and numerous medical treatments that would help him recover. It wasn’t easy, but thanks to all the love he receives from people around him, and the advanced medicine, he pulled it through.

Wendell Scott, Cameron’s father, says his son is his hero. We would add that he is our hero too. 


YouTube / TODAY

The follow-up treatments were done at the St.Jude’s where doctors discovered how Cameron didn’t suffer from a single disease, but four. 

Thankfully, the boy was admitted at the right hospital that pioneered gene sequencing of his cancer which lead to a more targeted and more effective treatment. 

The six months of chemotherapy and radiation resulted in a happy, cancer free young boy ready to grasp everything his new life has in store for him.

“I feel amazing now,” Cameron said. “I feel like I’ve been through everything.”



Share this story with your friends so that more people see how brave this young boy is!

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