Starbucks barista helps save veteran dying of kidney disease

By
Nicole
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Do you remember the saying that small things matter? All of us have heard it and quite often we ignore it believing that the big things actually change our lives. Vince Villano from Washington proves just the opposite. One small chat turned his life upside down.

This Washington based Army veteran sergeant was living his life happily with his wife and his two adolescent daughters. As every person out there, he had a daily routine that kept him busy. One of the things that he regularly did was drinking his favourite coffee in his favourite coffeehouse – Starbucks in Washington.

He was a regular visitor in DuPoint, but he actually never interacted with the employees, except ordering his coffee. He was known to the employees just by his face since for years he has been enjoying his coffee there.

One day, as Vince was ordering his coffee, the employee Nicole McNeil noticed something strange on Vince’s face. Her sharp eyes noted a sad and very worried expression. That motivated her to start a conversation with Vince.

Since Vince came in the coffeehouse just as Nicole’s shift was over, she sat next to him and she initiated the conversation. She recalls saying:

“He walked in and just looked particularly sad, and I was just like, ‘What’s, ya know, what’s goin’ on Vince?’”

In the beginning Vince did not want to talk about his feelings and the things that worried him so much. Instead, he started talking about his professional life. That amazed Nicole since her husband had the same profession as him. What a coincidence!

The new moment calmed Vince down and he confessed to her – he had a very serious kidney illness. He also added that in case he does not find a donor by himself, his life will be in danger and he might end up going on dialysis. Nicole felt the pain Vince was struggling with and understood the fight he had to do in order to save his life.

Vine’s confession about him being afraid that he will leave his two daughters without father touched the Starbucks’ employee. When Nicole came back home, she told everything to her husband Justin. Without a second thought, Justin said to Nicole that Vince can count on his kidney. What a great man!

Regarding her husband’s decision, she adds:

“He cares about people almost more than any anybody I’ve ever met. He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met. So, when he said, ‘I’ll give my kidney,’ it seemed like, ‘OK, sure. Yeah, you will.’”

When Vince and Justin met to discuss the possibility, the two men immediately became like brothers. They started talking about the procedure, the expectations, the life and the hope that Justin brought to Vince’s life. Very soon they started hanging out and bonded like true friends usually do.

After some time, the moment of truth finally came. Both of them went to see the doctor and talked about the donation surgery. Since a surgery of this type is quite complex, the doctor had to explain all details to both of them, especially the conditions for successful surgery. The most crucial elements for a successful organ transplant were the blood type and the genetic code. Incredibly, Justin and Vince had the same blood type and their genetics were a match. The great news resulted with scheduling the procedure itself.

The success of the surgery was expected. Both of them felt very well and Vince finally got the second chance. He was at ease that he will not leave his family. He also was very grateful to Justin’s kindness and good-doing. Their friendship now is even stronger and their families have a happy and joyful life.

Aldi goes fully organic, bans pesticides and rivals whole foods as healthiest grocery store

By
Nicole
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With more than 1.800 stores as of early 2019, Aldi is a serious player in the US food selling business. The chain of stores is expanding rapidly and their plan is to keep growing in terms of quantity and quality. They do have success on that plan. With around 1.500 stores prior to 2018, nowadays the number is higher than 1.800. However, that’s not the only excellent news from Aldi.

The management of Aldi informed their costumers that the company’s new policy is focusing more on healthy food offer. In other words, Aldi is trying to offer the people more organic food and products that are considered to be healthier. As a consequence to that, Aldi decided to remove eight pesticides from the US stores.

Their efforts have even been acknowledged by Business Insider. Business Insider especially pays attention to removing the synthetic colours and the sale of gluten-free products. In addition to that, Aldi’s commitment for increasing people’s awareness for healthy food is recognized as well.

The idea of establishing themselves as the number one food chain in terms of quality resulted with removing the following pesticides: Thiamethoxam, Chlorpyrifos, Clothianidin, Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, Fipronil, Imidacloprid and Sulfoxaflor. This is actually a great piece of news!

Noteworthy is that this is not the first and the only measurement that Aldi has recently undertaken. During the last years Aldi’s management in the USA is working hard to offer healthier and organic food. First of all, Aldi expanded their organic food offers and removed certified synthetic colours. Additionally, the sales of fresh and organic meat and products has been increased and the milk that is offered in the stores is free of artificial growth hormones. All of these things really help establishing Aldi as the right place for healthy food shoppers.

Students get more than they expected from Marionettes at pep rally

By
Monica Pop
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The school years aren’t that easy for everyone to handle because teenagers have a lot on their plates. They really need to balance between being straight-A students who are expected to perform great during lesson time, and their social life that includes making friends. And as many find themselves in quite challenging situations they are expected to find a way out of all by themselves, students attending Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, FL know there is someone they can always count on.

Dr. Donna “Mickey” Reynolds is the school’s principal and she believes that every student is special and treats each and every one of them as such. This principal, along with the school’s administration and the teachers take every opportunity to connect with the kids on a personal level.

“The only way to make sure that we have a healthy, safe school environment where kids can learn and thrive and feel a part of it is if we connect with every student. We have to make a concerted effort to make those connections; we’ve seen what happens when we don’t.”

The school has set up a program that involves nine graders who are experiencing certain difficulties in life and struggle with the school subjects. Every teacher gets involved and has the role of a personal advocate whose job is to provide these students with the academical and emotional support they need.

This time, however, they went an extra mile in their task of bonding with the students. The teens were at the school’s gym waiting for a game to start. They were ready to have some fun with the Lady Marionettes when something extraordinary happened. The teachers gathered together and prepared a show to remember. As the cheerleaders started their dance routine during pep rally, Dr.Reynolds and the rest of the staff joined the performance.

The person who came up with this amazing idea was Lady Marionettes’ coach, Stephanie Kersten. Once the staff were informed of this brilliant plan they were all more than happy to take part. They all believe this is just another way of telling their students they are always there for them.

“The teachers and staff members doing that really helped drop that line between them and their students. Those adults really, really want to connect with those kids in any way possible, even if it means going out there and making themselves vulnerable, dancing even if they can’t.” Coach Kersten said

We are aware how teachers are extremely important part of children’s life and have huge impact on the way their minds and their behavior are shaped, but we all have to agree how these particular educators really took things to a whole new level when it comes to connecting with the young souls, and we love it.

Take a look at the amazing performance in the video below.

Man rocks Tina Turner hit getting perfect score from judges

By
Monica Pop
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If you think talent show competitors have a hard time impressing those four or five strict and demanding judges who are paid to tell them what their singing lacks, imagine having to impress 100 of them. The All Together Now music show that first aired in January 2018, requires exactly that. Singers that take the stage have to face TV’s biggest judging panel and convince every single one of them why they deserve a chance to get to another round of the competition.

Michael Rice, the winner of the first series really made everyone fall in love with his talent as he opted to present the cheering crowd with Tina Turner’s version of CCR’s “Proud Mary.” Everyone agreed how he couldn’t choose a song that would fit him better than this one.

He did feel stage fright once he stood in front of all those people but as soon as he let his voice loose, the judges realized he was one fierce competitor and treated him with clapping and dancing, which quickly made his initial nervousness fade away. However, besides getting all these music professionals to like him, he needed to beat 3 more contestants in the round.

But once he realized people liked him, nothing could really stop on his way of becoming a star.

This wasn’t the first time for Michael to perform in front of influential names in the music industry as he previously took part in similar shows among which The X Factor UK. He joined season 11 of the competition and performed Whitney Houston’s classic “I Look To You” but didn’t manage to get past the Bootcamp stage.

On the grand finale of All Together Now, Michael got a yes from 94 out of those 100 judges after singing a rendition of Leonar Cohen’s “Hallelujah” which was enough for him to win the title. The success he enjoyed after this competition was huge and he quickly got his name known among people from all around the globe.

He’s still pursuing his dream of becoming a big star and is set to represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest that will be taking place in Tel Aviv, Israel. He’ll be performing a song titled “Bigger Than us” and we are sure he’s going to show the world how great of a singer he is.

Michael’s story is just a proof that one should never quit pursuing their goals. Take a look at his stunning performance in the video below.

Olive Garden server helps save two children from alleged child abuse after seeing baby’s face

By
Monica Pop
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Most of us have been brought up to be nice people who wouldn’t snick their noses into other people’s business. And as much as we want our personal space to be respected, we should do the same thing for those around us, especially all the random people we meet every day. But what happens when someone else’s ‘business’ involves law violations and even child endangerment and abuse? In cases like this, we should all get involved without even hesitating a bit.

This is exactly what an Olive Garden’s waitress and a mother-to-be named Jordan Cooper did when she noticed parents treating their daughter with disrespect. Her guts told her there was something more serious hiding behind the act of grabbing her by the shirt and feeding her by force.

The poor girl was around two years old and the way she looked was enough to raise a red flag that she was undergoing an ordeal.

“I can’t even describe to you how bad she looked and how and why nobody noticed it,” Cooper said.

Cooper couldn’t just let whatever it was happening to the girl continue taking place. She needed to get into action and her clever thinking resulted in saving the little girl from her parents who were obviously mistreating her.

In the Facebook post she later deleted, Cooper described the sweet girl’s face as “black and blue all over” and then added how her father would get her into the bathroom whenever she would start complaining or crying.

Luckily, Cooper managed to take a photo of the man and wrote the licence plate number down after she alerted the police of what she witnessed.

The abusive parents ended in the hands of the authorities and jailed.

Aaron Caldwell, the 911 dispatcher who took down the information Cooper provided him with helped in tracking the parent’s car down. Cooper Facebook post was of crucial importance too, because it contained more detail on the incident.

“She put it online and when I found it. It had 1,400 shares,” Caldwell shared with WSIL. “It just so happened that we knew each other and I’m a dispatcher.”

Mark Lee Pierce and Jessica Woodworth, the girl’s parents are facing charges for aggravated child abuse and neglect. The good thing is that the kids are now placed at a safe place.

“I deleted the post but the baby is found and the… parents are in custody,” she wrote. “My heart can now be at rest. Thank you to everyone who helped me find these terrible people!” Cooper wrote.

We should all follow Cooper’s example and speak up whenever we see injustice taking place in front of our eyes.

Man Pays To Have Wife Killed – Then She Crashes Her Own Funeral To Teach Him A Lesson

By
Nicole
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Burundi, a Central African country, just recently has started recovering from the bloody civil war. From 1993 to 2005, the country’s economy, people and society were under heavy impact of the terror. Everything started falling apart. As a result of the war many Burundians became refugees in order to avoid the bloodshed. Noela Rukundo is one of them.

Noela’s life was hellish in Burundi during the war. Having no other options, she was searching for a country that will accept her as a refugee. Ultimately, Australia became her second home. She moved to the continent and decided to normalize her life. She succeeded and she was enjoying the second chance.

In Australia, Noela met her husband, Balenga Kalala. They were living the dream. Their romance evolved into marriage. Noela thought that finally the terrible things that were common in Burundi are over. She was wrong.

One day Noela got a note from Burundi stating that her stepmother passed away. Therefore, she flew back home, some time after the war actually ended. She was staying in a hotel and in the evening she got uninvited visitors. While staying outside the hotel, unknown men approached Noela. It would not have been scary if the men did not have guns with them. Noela froze.

Very soon, while she was being kept as an abductee, the kidnappers told her something very weird. Actually, they did not want to kill her, since their hitlist does not include women and children. That got Noela’s attention and they started talking. In the next few minutes, she was shocked as never before. The kidnappers, while trying to avoid her murder, informed the lady that it was her husband that wanted her dead. She was petrified. They also added that he paid them and also he instructed them to dump the body. However, instead of crying and pretending to be stunned, she did something very impressive.

The kidnappers let her go, but the official version was that she was dead. Therefore, in Burundi family and friends gathered to say the last goodbye to Noela. Ironically, her husband was there as well and he was pretending to be very emotional. But, he got the biggest surprise ever – he saw Noela standing among the people!

Empowered because of the newly developed situation, Noela informed everyone about the things her husband did. The people were shocked and Kalala was speechless.

The Burundian police arrested Kalala. Initially, he denied everything and he thought he was going to get away with the crime. However, the Police and Noela called the kidnappers and they gave the crucial evidence. They gave them recording taken while they and Kalala were negotiating about Noela’s murder. He got 9 years behind the bars.

Noela moved back to Australia. She is happy that the nightmares are over and she is planning to continue living her life as she wants.

The most awesome vocal battle yet with Sir Tom Jones and Jennifer Hudson on The Voice UK

By
Monica Pop
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The latest and greatest happenings from the musical industry just took place at the one of The Voice UK’s episodes. As viewers from around the globe were eagerly waiting for the battles between contestants to rock the show’s stage, the judges decided to treat the audience with their out-of-this-world talent themselves. It’s great how they opt for some fun every now and then, which elevates this talent competition to a whole new level the crowd is crazy about.

Judges, or better said coaches Will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson, and Olly Murs made viewers grew fond of them as they add special touch to every episode of the show. This time, however, they shook everyone watching The Voice UK, as and incredible duet between two of them came about. These music icons broke into song as Olly questioned his fellow colleagues who they would like to see enter into a music battle. It didn’t take long as he got to answer his own question saying how he’d love to listen to Sir Tom Jones and Jennifer Hudson perform together.

Luckily, both Jennifer and Tom were more than happy to respond to this challenge and show everyone how it’s done. We don’t even need to tell you what the outcome of this spin-off was, as all you need to know is that the mix of such powerful voices could only result in magic unfolding in front of your eyes. Choosing the 60’s classic song “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome, the judges stunned the cheering crowd. Sir Tom Jones delivered the first few lines of the song with Jennifer Hudson following immediately.

Wow, just imagine the excitement of those present there. How often do you get to listen to two renowned artists performing live? Their voices blended together perfectly and created an amazingly pleasant harmony. Everyone agrees how they gave justice to this timeless hit. Executing such demanding rendition looks so easy when these judges do it. People are going crazy over this duet with many arguing how it should released.

The flawless and powerful vocals gives us goosebumps and we all agree how we could listen to them over and over again.

This was definitely the best “battle” we’ve seen so far. Can someone beat these two dueting? I don’t think so. They proved once again why they deserve the place on those red chairs. Simply stunning, you’ll have to agree.

Man sings incredible rendition of Elvis hit that forces the judge to hit the golden buzzer

By
Monica Pop
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Taking part in a talent show viewed by millions doesn’t only take skills, but also courage, dedication, and self-confidence.

When Barry Darcy of Cork first took the stage of Ireland’s Got Talent, he wowed not only the audience, but the strict and demanding group of judges too. He treated everyone with his amazingly hunting vocal, and then he took a step further and shared with the wider crowd his life story that triggered flow of emotions. Honestly, simply by looking at this 38-year-old contestant, the way he looks, the way he sings, the way he smiles, never you could imagine the terrific ordeal he had to go through. What you are about to witness is how optimism and resilience can make any problem fade away.

“I had a herniated disc in my back and it crushed the nerves into my legs. I just went to get out of bed one day and fell out on to the floor. They gave me a fifty-fifty chance of ever walking again, and I took it,” Darcy said.

We can’t even imagine how it felt like to wake up one day and realize you are probably not going to be able to stand or walk on your feet ever again. This tragedy that struck him only taught him how life is totally unpredictable so we need to do our best to live every single day to the fullest. The experience also made him even more devoted to his loving family. His wife was his biggest support and he describes the relationship with her as ‘a solid, solid unit.’

Barry chose to perform Elvis Presley’s “The Wonder of You” and judges were stunned how his voice actually resembled that of the King of Rock.

The lyrics of this melody showed how he felt for his loved ones. He poured his heart and soul on that stage, confident in what he had to give Ireland and the whole world. His singing was accompanied by loud clapping and ovations. It looked like the country found their new sweetheart.

This man hit every note just perfectly, including the high tones that are quite demanding to master. But with his family by his side, Barry would stop at nothing. They proudly watched as their husband and a father stole the hearts of the crowd. This sweet moment became even better when one of the judges, Louis Walsh, decided this awesome performance should be awarded with a Golden Buzzer. Barry was left in tears of joy.

This guy knows that with the right attitude everything is possible.

Barry made a lasting impression on everyone who got to listen to him singing. As for us, we say he’s an inspiration and a proof that dreams do come true.

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