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“Little Hercules” is 29 and now works as a stunt-man

Many parents try to fulfill their failed dreams through their children and force them to do things they are not even passionate about. For many years, the wide public believed that was the case with “The World’s Strongest Boy,” or “Little Hercules,” as many dubbed him.

Richard Sandrak’s parents, however, denied they pushed their son into the world of bodybuilding and weight lift by force.

Richard was born in Ukraine on April 15, 1992, to a mother who was an aerobics competitor, and a father who was a former world champion in martial arts.

At the age of two, Richard had already started training. That was around the same time when the family moved to Pennsylvania, USA.

Source: Youtube/Nick’s Strength and Power

Both Richard’s parents wanted their son to become a sensation. According to a 2007 article by The Guardian, they had high hopes of moving to California, aiming to get good publicity for young Richard. At the time, many criticized Lena and Pavel, Richard’s parents, and accused them of forcing their son into something extreme. Speculations were he was even given steroids, because his appearance at such a young age was out of this world. He literally looked like miniature Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In an interview with BBC in 2009, Richard decided to open up about his training sessions which were reported to have taken place five days a week for intensive 90 minutes.

“I’ve never been forced to train or do anything against my will,” he said. “My parents used to train all the time, and I wanted to join in. It was mostly my choice. It’s just what I grew up doing. I was never forced. It was never an issue.”

Source: Youtube/Inside Edition

In 2004, the Sandrak family gathered even more attention after the documentary The World’s Strongest Boy was released. Among the rest, the film featured Richard flexing and posing on a Las Vegas stage. Weighting only 80 pounds, Little Hercules could bench press twice his body weight at the age of just 10.

Besides the extensive training sessions, Richard had to follow a strict diet which consisted of a lot of lima beans due to their protein. As a result, he had less than one-percent body fat.

As he grew a bit older, Richard started working out with a professional trainer, Frank Giardina, who was the boy’s manager at the same time. He, however, wasn’t happy with some of Pavel’s methods, which included a lot of exercises and sleeping on the floor in order to maintain perfect posture.

Pavel believed that wasn’t a big deal. “But it was just a phase trying out something different,” he was reported saying. “Nothing important.”

Source: Youtube/Inside Edition

When Richard turned 11, his father went to prison and he cut all ties with him. That’s when trainer and manager Marco Garcia came into the picture. He helped Richard land roles in a couple of movies, including Little Hercules in 3-D.

“For now, I just want to go out and make more movies,” Little Hercules said at the time, as reported by The Guardian.

“What I’ve noticed a lot is childhood obesity. It’s become such a big problem, especially here in America, that I feel I have to do something. Kids are going to be adults. They’re going to be our future. Right now, one out of three has potential of dying before their parents. I want to get them eating right and doing sports one hour a day.

“I think of it this way: the kids that do that, how do they end up? They don’t end up with successful careers in any good business. They end up working at McDonald’s, and that’s not a life I want for myself.”

Source: Youtube/Inside Edition

In 2012, Richard appeared in the film The Legends of Nethiah and the short film Assassin Priest.

Today, Richard Sandrak is 29 and he’s not into bodybuilding any longer, or at least not as much as he used to be.

Richard works at the Universal Studios for their Hollywood “Water World” show, where he performs all sorts of stunts, including diving into water from a height of more than 50 feet.

“The first time was very scary; all I could think about was to follow the safety procedures,” he told Inside Edition of his job. “I don’t lift weights anymore. If anything, it just got boring to me.”

“I’m very proud of my past,” he said. “It’s not something that I don’t want anybody to know anymore, it’s just that I’m not going to be stuck living in it.”

Sean Murray on ‘NCIS’: Career, wife, children, net worth

Some actors spend so many years on a single role that it becomes part of them and defines their entire career. For Sean Murray, that role is that of Special Agent Timothy McGee in NCIS.

Murray didn’t come from a family of actors. In fact, no one in his surrounding was in any way related to the world of film, except for his great-great-grandmother who was performing at the Sydney Opera House during the 1900s, but he somehow knew deep down that acting was his calling.

Speaking of his childhood, Murray revealed that he has always been some sort of “performer.”

“As far back as I can remember, I was always a little performer. Whether I was doing book reports, oral presentations in class. Putting on a show for my parents when they came home from work,” he recalled.

“I was always doing something. Performing and acting specifically is something I have always known I wanted to do as far back as I can remember.”

Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins

However, the defining moment which convinced Murray he belonged in the film industry was the 1986 classic Stand By Me and the remarkably polished performance of River Phoenix.

“It was the deal for me! I did a little bit of theater and dabbled a little bit in acting but what made me want to do it professionally was when I saw ‘Stand By Me.’ River Phoenix’s work on that film had a big impact on me and I would say is what made me want to pursue it more than anything,” he explained.

“Luckily, I had a mother with a pretty adventurous spirit, so she was down to give it a go and go on the adventure with me.”

Youtube/Galleymonkey

When he was just 11, Murray was an extra in the film My Blue Heaven, and played some minor roles until he landed that of Thackery in Hocus Pocus.

He says he still gets recognized on the street as Thackery and he finds that flattering.

“I was 14 when I made that and I will get kids that are 11 or 12 years old and say, ‘Hey you are Binx from Hocus Pocus,’” Murray explained.

“That is wild to me but their parents were my age and watched the movie when they were kids and now their kids watch it. It is wild. I have even been told by a number of people that physically I haven’t changed much. I guess I still look like I am 14.”

Shutterstock/Dfree

It was in 2003 when Murray was offered the role of McGee, cybersecurity and computer crime specialist, on NCIS.

According to Murray, the character of McGee was supposed to be part of only one episode, but things changed, and he became a regular. Apparently, producers needed to make one of the episodes longer and in an attempt to “fill the time,” they decided to bring McGee back.

“To play a character for 14 years is interesting but it’s also been fun because my character has grown as the show’s grown,” Murray explained in 2017. “I mean he started off as a rookie agent and is now a senior field agent so it’s been good.”

On set, Murray made friends with everyone who starred alongside him, especially the star of the show, Mark Harmon.

“The relationship between McGee and Gibbs has always been like that of a father-son thing, but we’ll be exploring that quite a bit and see how that’s changed and grown,” he explained of upcoming episodes. “But for him, the bond doesn’t stop when the cameras aren’t rolling,” Murray told Inquirer.

“As for Mark, he’s a mentor and one of my best friends,” he added. “One of the best work partners I’ve ever had. He means a tremendous amount to me. He’s got these qualities of a leader that have made the show what it is today. He’s our quarterback.”

Unfortunately, Harmon decided to leave the show after whooping 418 episodes.

Murray is married to wife Carrie James and they have two children together, daughter Caitlyn and son Craig.

Many of Murray’s siblings pursued career in Hollywood. His stepsister Troian Bellisario starred in the successful show Pretty Little Liars, and his brother Chad Murray is a producer for NCIS Los Angeles. The rest are also part of the film industry.

Besides NCIS, Murray has also been involved in a number of other projects, including the BBC drama Agatha Christie: Ordeal by Innocence.

Murray has a net worth of $25 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Antique collector tracks down homeless man to share the profits of a rare item

Alexander Archbold is the owner of one of the most breathtaking antique shops, Curiosity Inc., where the magic of the ‘ancient’ times wraps all around you and makes you feel as though you entered a completely new world. Various vintage collectibles, oddities, and antiques beg you to take them home and elevate the warmth and the beauty of your place. 

The shop is located in Edmonton, Alberta, and the fun thing is that a lot of the items there are brought by a homeless man named Adam. 

Source: Curiosity Inc./Screenshot

This man is going through dumpsters, and he often comes across various items people throw. 

“It’s not unusual to have people walk in my store with treasures they have for sale,” said Archbold. “I’ve seen him [Adam] through the store many times before, so he’s always a welcome sight.”

On that day, Adam had in his hands a plastic bag full of different items.

“One piece that kind of stood out was a picture of Bambi, in what was a dirty broken frame,” said Archbold.
Source: Alex Archbold/CBC News
“It’s the scene where Bambi is just born and meeting his forest friends … It’s an iconic part of the movie.”

Archold knew Disney fans are interested in bying such pieces so he though he could buy it for $20 and eventually sell it for $100 after he replaces the frame.

But, once he took it out of the broken glass, he was left stunned. It wasn’t a cheap replica as he initially though. In an interview with Carol Hoff, he said:

“I took it out of the old frame and when I flipped it over, it had a really old certificate of authenticity. It had a copyright date of 1937 on it.”“I wrote a gallery in the U.S that had one, and they were asking $3,500 for theirs.”
Source: Alex Archbold/CBC News

“That’s when I knew that I way underpaid. So I vowed that whatever I would get, I would give [Adam] half [the money].”

Once the piece was put on auction on eBay, it was quickly sold for $3,700. Now the only thing remaining was to find Adam and give him his share.  “Getting him the money was difficult because he has no home and no phone number,” Archbold explained. “I took it upon myself to drive around town for a period of two weeks every single morning before work to try and find him.”

Source: Alex Archbold/CBC News

When he finally tracked the homeless man and handed him the cash, Adam immediately burst into tears. He couldn’t believe how kind Archobald was for doing that good deed. This meant the world to him. 

YouTube

Archobald knew he had to take things in his hands and do his best to take Adam off the streets. His plan was to buy him a plane ticket to Ontario, where his family is. He even started a GoFundMe page and set up a goal of getting $10,000. Compassionate people like Archbold himself, donated even more.

Source: GoFundMe Screenshot
“I’m still kind of pinching myself,” Adam told CTV News. “It doesn’t seem real to me. It’s awesome to know people are out there that care and that are kind.”

The story of Adam vent viral and people are thanking the shop owner for helping a man in need. 

“This made my heart feel so warm. You are one fine man. Your heart and feelings make the world a more positive place.”
“Very touching. I wish everyone was this compassionate. The world would be a different place.”
“That was one of the best videos I have seen.”
Source: CTV

Take a look at the whole story in the video below and make sure you share it with friends!

Dustin Hoffman’s wife, Lisa, knew she wanted to marry the actor when she was just 10 years old

Some couples’ life stories are so deeply touching and beautiful that they remind us that true love does exist.

Actor Dustin Hoffman and wife Lisa have been married for 42 years but they have known each other way longer than that.

Dustin’s mother and Lisa’s grandmother lived in the same apartment complex in Los Angeles and were very close friends, so Lisa first met Dustin when she was still just a child.

In fact, on the wedding day of Lisa’s parents, when her mother was pregnant with her, Dustin, who was an aspiring pianist at the time, played the piano. Later, they both joked that she fell in love with him and his music even before she was born.

Marc Piasecki/WireImage

At the time Dustin was 27 and Lisa was 10, they got to hang out together with Lisa’s brother one day. “Dustin was telling us jokes, playing the piano and encouraging me to dance around the living room. After we got together, my grandmother reminded me that later that day I had said, ‘I hope he waits for me because I want to marry him.’”

Even though he lived in New York and she was living in L.A. with her family, whenever Dustin visited his grandmother, he visited Lisa, too.

The two realized there was chemistry between them when he went to see Lisa’s family after her grandfather died.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

It was during their first date that they spoke about their future and the number of children they wanted to have. She said she wanted six, and he said how he already had two so four would be OK. That is exactly how many children they have.

Jake, who is an acknowledged actor, writer and director, was born in 1981. In 1983, the couple welcomed daughter Rebecca and Maxwell and Alexandra were born in 1984 and 1987 respectively.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Although she was aware that her husband’s career would mean going places, Lisa still decided to attend college. In 1980, she graduated from the faculty of law and passed the bar exam. However, she decided to dedicate all her time and energy to motherhood and her family. “I knew that having a law career wouldn’t be possible once I started traveling around with Dustin, but I also knew that I needed to complete this one thing for myself,” she said.

For both Dustin and Lisa, family always comes first, and despite his successful career, she somehow always stayed out of the spotlight but it’s her who is the driving force in the family.

Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Speaking to Closer Weekly in 2017, she said of her marriage: “We work hard at it.”

We are glad these two didn’t let fame affect their relationship in any way. Their love and affection for one another is growing stronger and stronger with each passing day.

Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke, 96, gives fans a health update and says he’s still dancing

Dick Van Dyke was honored at last year’s Kennedy Center Honors alongside actress Debbie Allen, singer Joan Baez, violinist Midori, and country music icon Garth Brooks.

The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. This year’s event aired on CBS and was organized in a different but equally emotional manner as it has been throughout the years. The pandemic did postpone the occasion, but it didn’t steal any of the glamour it brings ever since 1978.

“Performances and tributes were filmed on stages and in locations across the Kennedy Center’s iconic campus or recorded virtually throughout the week of May 17-22,” a press statement for the event stated.

Many of the memorable tributes to Van Dyke reminded us once again why we all love him so much.

Source: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock

Of course, among those who delivered their speeches was actress Julie Andrews, Van Dyke’s co-star.

She reflected on the friendship with Van Dyke and described him as “endlessly kind, wildly imaginative, insanely talented and hilariously funny.” Andrews also compared him to Marry Poppins and said: “In truth, I think that Dick is as magical as she is.”

“Every day is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with you, Dick,” she added.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who starred in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns in which Van Dyke made a cameo, said: “Spend five minutes with Dick Van Dyke and you’re more alive than you were before.”

The event was a true pleasure for the heart and the soul. Derek Hough, Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit, one of the biggest names of Broadway, delivered enchanting performances on Mary Poppins song “Step in Time” as well as on “Put on a Happy Face,” from Bye Bye Birdie.

Needless to say, Van Dyke was honored and thrilled.

“There was some great, great dancing tonight,” he said. “They were doing dance numbers I couldn’t have done. All those numbers reminded me of how much fun I had over the years.”

Source: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock

Born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, Van Dyke fell in love with the stage performance during his teen years when he joined his school drama club. His first professional job was that of a radio announcer. “I was in all the shows in school. I was a radio announcer at 17. And I really never thought about it. I loved entertaining, but as a profession it was just too far away to think about. It happened incrementally,” Van Dyke recalled in an interview with Maximum Fun.

When the war started, he took part in it, not as a soldier but as a radio announcer who entertained the troops. “Everybody was getting drafted. I saw the ad in the paper, and I went down to audition and we had a 250-watt CBS affiliate,” he said. “And I got the job! I did the news and had a disk jockey show and everything, I loved radio. I dreamed of becoming a television announcer. But things went a lot farther than that!”

Twitter/CBS

When the war was finally over, he went back home and soon moved to California, but struggled finding a job. Eventually, he got a seven-year contract with CBS but was let go after only three years.

In 1984, he married his first wife, Maggie, on the radio show Bride and Groom. The program paid for their wedding and their honeymoon.

The couple soon welcomed their two sons into their lives, but things weren’t easy and he and Maggie had to travel the country, going from one job to another. Speaking of those tough times, Van Dyke said: “My road days weren’t over as soon as I thought,” according to Click Americana. “Our two sons, Christian and Barry, were born while on tour, and it’s a little nightmarish to recall the tough times when they had to sleep on mattresses in the back of the car when we jumped from job to job. Our two daughters, Stacey and Cathy, both born later, didn’t have to suffer these inconveniences, thank goodness.”

Twitter/CBS

Van Dyke appeared in several shows, but his career skyrocketed when he was given the role in the show Bye, Bye Birdie. It was comedian and producer Carl Reiner who was supposed to take part in the show he had written himself, but meeting young and versatile Van Dyke changed things. “I fired myself and made him the star of the series,” Reiner said. “It only took me five minutes to see that Dick was a real pro and, for one so young, the versatility of his talent was unbelievable.”

The show aired for a total of 158 episodes.

The next show which made Van Dyke even more famous was Mary Poppins.

“I never had to screen test,” Van Dyke told Parade. “[Walt Disney] brought me in and the Sherman brothers played that wonderful score and he showed me all the drawings of what was going to happen. Oh, my gosh. I just knew it was going to be great.”

Youtube/Access

Van Dyke’s award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and theater. The good thing? “One-man show” is still performing for his huge audience and is not planning on quitting any time soon. “I just love the work. I love to do it,” he explained.

What’s most, at the age of 95, he still dances every day and that’s what keeps him young.

“Oh, absolutely! Oh, god yes! You do a little dancing every day. If I go into a store and there’s music playing, then I’m dancing. In the market every morning. I can’t help it,” he said.

“Any kind of movement like that will help keep joints and bones moving. And my wife keeps me young! She has a lot of energy. She’s a singer and a dancer, so we do musicals around here all day.”

Shutterstock

He believes that people should do what they enjoy and what makes them happy despite their age. Speaking of his, he gave CBS This Morning an update about his health and said how he regularly works out in his home, doing sit-ups and dancing.

“I’m 95, and a lot of my friends won’t do these,” he says, demonstrating his fitness regimen on the ground. “… So all you old guys out there, listen to me, I’m telling you: You can keep going for a long— I’m still dancing! And singing!” the legendary actor said.

Asked what would he do when he reaches 100, Van Dyke told Parade: “I remember George Burns booked himself at the Palladium. He didn’t quite make it there, but at least he had an optimistic outlook. I’ve got nothing booked yet!

“There’s an old saying: ‘Sing like nobody can hear you, dance like nobody can see you and love like you’ve never been hurt.’ That’s a good way to live. that’s my motto.”

Twitter/CBS

We wish him only the best and hope he stays as charming and as active in the years to come.

Jeanne Covey from “My 600-lb Life”

The first step towards overcoming an addiction is acceptance and confession. The biggest issue with addicts is that rather than admitting the problem exists, they’ll do all in their power to justify and continue the behavior. Just like drugs and alcohol, food can turn into addiction too. Most people who overeat simply can’t control their hunger and crave unhealthy food. This can easily lead to obesity and a number of health issues. Proof that the life of these people can be a real struggle is the famous TV show My 600-Lb Life.

One of the participants of the show who caught our attention is Jeanne Covey. This woman’s life was far from easy. In fact, it was during her early years that she started building an unhealthy relationship with food. When she was still very young, she used to live with her grandmother who didn’t treat her right. As a form of revenge, Jeanne started steeling her grandma’s cookies, and that’s when she started overeating and gaining weight uncontrollably. At her heaviest, Jeanne weighted 700 pounds.

Source: YouTube / The List

Living with her mom, dad, and their dogs, Jeanne felt she was a burden to her parents. Her mom was forced to wash her using washcloths as Jeanne couldn’t fit in the shower.

At one point, she decided enough was enough and turned to Dr. Now, the famous doctor from the show who helped save the lives of a number of obese people. The good thing was that she lived in Big Sandy, Texas, just a few hours away from Houston, where Dr. Now’s office is.

If you’ve watched this show, you know that Dr. Now asks from the participants to follow a strict diet and lose some weight before he can perform the gastric bypass surgery during which the patient’s stomach is reduced to the size of a walnut.

Source: YouTube / The List

Jeanne went to Houston with her mom, but once there, her mom got sick and had to undergo a surgery. With everything that was going on, the two realized they haven’t heard from Jeanne’s dad for some time and got worried for him. They called the police and asked them to check on him, but when they arrived in Jeanne’s family home, they found her father dead. This affected Jeanne’s mental state a great deal and she wasn’t able to continue her journey with Dr. Now. Eventually, she decided to leave the show.

”I talked to my mom and we both decided we’re not going back to Houston,” she said at the six-month check-in on the program of My 600-lb Life. “With my dad gone, we can’t leave the dogs alone and I can’t go by myself. So I’m just not in a place to do Dr. Now’s program. I know I have to lose weight and I don’t have a lot of time, but I don’t know what to do about it right now.”

Her destiny was one of the reasons why people became very interested in her life. Many believed that Jeanne would gain even more weight because of the heartbreak she suffered, but she proved them wrong.

In August 2020, this determined young woman wrote on her Facebook page, “Im down to 388lbs. So you don’t need to private message asking my weight.. here it is.. I’m doing great, going out more.”

Apparently, she worked hard for a fresh start, found a boyfriend and moved places.

In December last year, Jeanne posted an update. “Hope everyone is having a wonderful beginning of December… Not going into all the details But for Christmas Ill be sharing some new pictures of me and my new Beau… not giving too much info as I’d like everyone to respect his privacy but sharing some good news with everyone who has been in my corner,” she wrote.

A month ago, she posted another update and made her fans really happy. “This was our last day in Texas … We are now in Arkansas and the dogs love it .. Mom and I are doing well as well as are the fur babies … Now to start unpacking…”

We can’t even tell you how happy we are for Jeanne and her journey during and after My 600-lb Life.

She looks incredible. We wish her only the best in the years to come.

Prince Harry won’t let his children visit family in the UK if they are denied more police protection

After all the drama between the members of the British Royal Family, it looks like the Sussexes still didn’t manage to smooth thing down with the rest of the family.

Harry and Meghan welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet, last year, but the royals haven’t seen the girl in person yet, although that’s something everyone is looking forward to.

After stepping down from their royal duties, Harry and Meghan moved to California, and Harry went back to Britain during a couple of occasions; his grandfather’s funeral and the unveiling of his late mother’s statue on what was supposed to be her 60th birthday. Both times, he went alone, without Meghan by his side.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Rumors are that Prince Charles was the one mostly affected by Harry’s decision to leave Britain. He was mad and accused his son of dragging the family’s name through the mud. However, at the same time, he’s desperate to see his grandson and granddaughter and spend some time with them.

According to Express, Prince Charles invited Harry and Meghan to UK and offered them to stay with him during the visit. Media outlets say that staying with Prince Charles would be the only logical solution, because otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to travel to Britain due to the lack of security and protection.

With their decision to step down from their duties, Harry and Meghan lost the right to protection. According to the Daily Mail, Harry had sought a judicial review of a Home Office decision not to allow him to pay for protection from the police when in the UK. His legal representatives claimed in a statement they issued that he “inherited a security risk at birth, for life.”

Further, the statement read, “While his role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed while in the UK. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”

Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images

In the past, while still living in Britain, Harry and Meghan received protection funded by the taxpayers’ money, just like everyone else in the family.

Magazines report that Harry and Meghan plan to visit Britain together with their children for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebration. The Queen hasn’t seen Lilibet yet, and both Harry and Meghan would love for that meeting to take place. They also believe it is very important for Archie and Lili to be close with their cousins, George, Charlotte, and Louis.

Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

“Harry has his heart set on returning to the UK to see the queen with Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet, but that will only happen if the government takes the appropriate measures to protect his family,” a source told US Weekly. “He refuses to put them at risk. Their safety comes before anything else.

“Harry and Meghan are doing everything they can to make the world a better place and feel it would be wrong to rob their children of the opportunity of getting to know their cousins,” the insider added. “It’s obviously difficult because of the distance factor, so Harry sweetly organized a special Zoom call with Prince William so that the cousins could get to see each other.”

Taylor Hill/WireImage

Hopefully, the decision about the protection would be re-evaluated and the Sussexes would visit Britain very soon.

“The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in. With the lack of police protection comes too great a personal risk,” the statement by Harry’s legal representatives read. “Prince Harry hopes that his petition – after close to two years of pleas for security in the UK – will resolve this situation.”

Teenager has massive stockpiles of tampons, mom explains the girl’s secret

There are some things in life that are too embarrassing or to taboo to talk about openly, well at least in polite company of course.

One good example of this is our sex life, another could be toilet goings on, women’s periods, everything associated with it, tampons etc, and last but not least women’s hygiene.

Lily Alter, a 14 year old, was writing an essay at school and decided to make the subject of her work a subject that she felt more people should be able to talk about more openly without feeling bad or embarrassed, women’s hygiene.

Lily dove into the subject deeply and thoroughly, but the more she realized what a burden it might be for some, that’s when she had a brainstorm, a lightbulb moment that was to spread far further than the realms of her classroom.

YouTube/CSB Chicago

Her English teacher in her school, Oak Park River Forest High School in Chicago, had requested that students write an essay on a school issue, and that’s when Lily had the wonderful idea for her project.

Lily said:

“I thought about homelessness, women’s rights” … “And I wanted to combine it in a way that I could actually maybe help people.”

Lily had been deeply researching the subject, and that’s when she made a really sad discovery.

She discovered that of the population, there are many homeless women who constantly had to make tough choices, but that one of those choices lay between Staying healthy, Eating, having a roof over their head, or having sanitary products, and the last of these, the sanitary supplies, was usually the first thing to cut out!

YouTube/CSB Chicago

Lily thought about this and really wanted to make a difference, not just write a school paper about it, so she started collecting tampons and other little things for women’s hygiene and pack them into little kits.

Lily said:

“They contain enough supplies for one menstrual cycle”

YouTube/CSB Chicago

She took the kits out into the streets with her and gave them to homeless women, such a great, kind and selfless act, both compassionate and thoughtful Lily had stunned her teacher and everyone else!

No too long after this she had collected $3000 for her project to continue!

Lily said:

“With the money I have made now, I could probably have a year’s worth of kits for the woman in the shelters”

A small gesture that made a huge impact:

If more people could be so selfless and follow this girl’s passion for helping others. Maybe if you share her story it will prompt others to get stuck in and help each other out!

Dick Hoyt, the man who pushed his wheelchair-bound son Rick in 32 marathons, dies aged 80

Dick Hoyt and his wheelchair bound son Rick Hoyt were icons of the Boston Marathon.

Not only people from the U.S, but also from countries from all over the world learned of this incredible duo that paved the way for other disabled people participants in marathons.

Sadly, the Boston Athletic Association shared the devastating news of Dick Hoyt’s passing at 80 years old on Wednesday, as per Today. “We are tremendously saddened to learn of the passing of Boston Marathon icon Dick Hoyt. Dick personified what it means to be a Boston Marathoner, finishing 32 races with son Rick. We are keeping his many family & friends in our prayers.” He died in his sleep.

The organization further wrote: “Team Hoyt’s 1,000th race together came at the 2009 Boston Marathon, and in 2015 Dick served as Grand Marshal of the race in recognition of his impact on the event and Para Athlete community.”

Team Hoyt crosses the finish line of the 118th Boston Marathon on April 21, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Over the years, these father and son completed more than 1100 marathons together, among which 32 Boston marathons, with Dick pushing his son in a customized wheelchair.

Rick has cerebral palsy and was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic. He is unable to walk or speak. His condition is a result of the lack of oxygen in his brain during birth caused by the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.

When Rick was welcomed into the world and diagnosed with the condition, Dick and his late wife were advised to place him in an institution, thus telling them he would be vegetable and burden for the rest of his life, according to his now late father Dick, as per Today.

However, his parents never gave up on him. On the contrary, they did all in their power to offer him the best life. Despite his condition, Rick finished high school and graduated from the University of Boston.

Dr. Bryan Lyons throws out the first pitch as Dick Hoyt and his son Rick Hoyt, left, look on before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on April 19, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. Dick and his son Rick have competed in marathons and triatholons together. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

After Team Hoyt were memorialized in a life-sized bronze statue placed at the starting line of the Boston Marathon, Dick opened up and said: “Today he’s 51 years old and we still haven’t figured out what kind of vegetable he is — and guess what? That vegetable has been turned into a bronze statue.” He was very proud of his son, and happy that Rick proved the doctors wrong.

The story behind the love for marathons is truly a touching one.

One day in 1977, after he got back from school, Rick wrote on his computer how he wanted to take part in a charity race for a boy who was involved in an accident and was left paralyzed.

Dick agreed and the two participated in that race. “We came in next to last, but not last,” said Dick. “When we got home that night, Rick wrote on his computer, ‘Dad when I’m running, it feels like my disability disappears’ — which was a very powerful message to me.”

Speaking on their positive impact on others, Dick once said: “It gives me a great feeling inside to see other families run with their family member with a disability, or for people without disabilities to push people who are disabled in races. We run for the people who think they can’t run.”

Rest in peace, Dick Hoyt.

5-year-old boy walks to neighbor’s daily while military dad’s away with adorable request

Not being able to see your parents for long periods of times can be devastating. This is something children whose parents serve in the military know best.

Brian Kelly is a 5-year-old boy from Belleville, Illinois, who loves spending time with his dad. The two do a lot of fun things together, and that includes yard work. However, now that Brian’s dad Daniel is overseas, serving the country, the little guy feels really sad.

“Brian misses his father,” mom Barbara Kelly says of her youngest son. “He’s a shy boy, and he loves his daddy.”

Source: YouTube Screenshot / CBS Evening News

Luckily, Brian found a way to fill his void, and now the story of him and one of the neighbors who stepped up when the boy needed it the most is melting hearts all over the Internet.

Namely, one day, Brian decided to knock on Dean Cravens’ door and that’s how the lovely friendship started.

“Nobody ever comes to our front door, so I was like, OK, who could that be?” Dean said. “And you could see him through the window, it’s Brian. And I just looked at him and I could tell he wanted to do yard work and I said, ‘Sure, meet me around the garage. We’ll get some tools out and go.’”

Source: YouTube Screenshot / CBS Evening News

For the next six weeks, the newly made friends had a lot of fun together. Dean went on to say that sweet Brian was “taking it upon himself to adopt me to do the yard work.”

Although Dean is quite busy having a full-time job and a family on his on, he just couldn’t say no to a boy who was missing his dad’s company so much. “I just like to see the smile on his face and see him happy doing it,” Dean said and added how he cherishes every moment spent with Brian.

Source: YouTube Screenshot / CBS Evening News

Brian’s mom said she was extremely grateful to Dean for standing as a father figure for her son while Daniel was away. “He’s just there to help Brian get through the days. He’s ‘absolutely’ filling in. That’s exactly what he’s doing.”

Thank you Dean for showing the world how awesome you are for impacting the boy’s life in such a manner.

Source: YouTube Screenshot / CBS Evening News

You can take a look at the whole story and how these two friends have fun together in the video below.

3-year-old promises to marry his childhood sweetheart – 20 years later he pops the question

Not everyone is lucky enough to meet that special person they want to spend their eternity with. Well, true love is hard to find, so once we stumble upon it, we should never let it go.

Matt Grodsky and Laura Steel have known each other their entire life. Their families were good friends and they got to spend a lot of time together. What’s more, they attended the same preschool and loved hanging out.

Source: Facebook/Matt Grodsky

When they were just three years old, Matt stood in front of his class and said that he would one day marry Laura. Of course, everyone thought that was very sweet coming from someone so young. The truth is, no one ever believed this promise would one day turn into a reality.

“We have very fond memories of each other. Matt reciting movie lines and scenes from “The Lion King,” Laura teaching Matt how to draw and swing. We went on playdates to each other’s houses and movies with our parents,” they told Obsev.

Spurce: Facebook/Matt Grodsky

After preschool, Matt and Laura attended different elementary school and would only see each other on the Christmas photo cards their families sent to each other.

Years passed by, and these two were reunited once again during high school. They instantly fell for one another and started dating. Unfortunately, after finishing high school, they attended different colleges which were some 1,600 miles apart. Laura went to Northern Arizona University, while Matt went to Columbia College Chicago.

They could easily call their relationship quits, but their love was so strong that they came up with suitable visiting schedules.

Source: Facebook/Matt Grodsky

Long-distance relationships can be hard to maintain, but when it comes to true love, nothing is impossible, and Matt and Laura are the perfect proof of that.

During their senior year, Matt popped the question. He had his friends capture the lovely moment on camera.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this happening?’” Laura told Today. “I saw the ring and was like, “This is gorgeous. I’m so happy with it.’”

Matt’s uncle, who officiated the marriage, said: “For most kids in preschool, it’s about finding your snacks and your sleeping mats, but for them it was about finding their soulmates.”

Matt and Laura are so happy to have found each other. How many couples can say they have known each other their entire life?

Fred Trump hid his German origin after building New York empire, and Donald did the same for a long time

The American dream became a reality for the Trump family when the grandfather of former president Donald Trump, Frederic, placed foot on the U.S. soil back in 1885 from Kallstadt, Germany to join the Alaska gold rush. Over time, he became a restaurant owner and married his neighbor from Germany, Elizabeth Christ.

In 1905, Fred Trump, the father of Donald Trump was born. From very early age, Fred showed interest in creating things from wood and cement, and he used that in order to start a business in the building industry.

Youtube/ABC

In a 1973 interview with The New York Times, mogul Fred Trump said: “When I was a lad I discovered that I was agile with my hands, that I could take pieces of wood and nail them together, and that it was a lot of fun. When I was 16, I built a garage for a neighbor, probably not the greatest garage ever put up, but the experience reinforced my hope of doing something creative with wood and bricks and cement.” And, as we all know it, constructing things would become this incredible man’s calling.

Twitter/DonaldTrump

The famous Trump empire started taking form when Fred was still in high school. He graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1923 and took classes in building construction at the Young Men’s Christian Association. In 1924, young Fred built his first home. In the following years, more houses arouse in Queens, and Fred, along with his mother, started the company E. Trump & Son.

Fred, being the oldest of the siblings and losing his father at the age of 11, took care of his brothers and sent them to college. But they, however, weren’t into the business as Fred was. At the time, the houses were sold for around $4,000 dollars. So, Fred was helping the middle class and was doing a lot for the community while getting extremely wealthy at the same time.

Business was booming, but then the World War II happened, and Fred was afraid he would lose clients, a lot of which Jews, so he hid the fact that he was of German origin. Instead, he claimed his father came to the U.S. from Sweden. During the war, Fred’s company was building apartments for the Navy and later homes for the veterans. He was well respected and helped improve the lives of those belonging to the middle class a great deal.

Donald Trump claimed his grandfather was Swedish for long, but then, during the annual German-American Steuben Parade in New York City in 1999, the former president said: “We passed Trump Tower, 69 stories. I looked up and I said, ‘This is a long way from Kallstadt’, I’m a proud German-American.”

Donald Trump and his siblings were all looking up to their father Fred who was a very successful, yet an extremely humble man who taught his children how life works the hard way. “My father was my inspiration,” Trump said in 1999.

Donald was the sibling who would take over the family business and Fred was quoted saying: “I gave Donald free rein. He has great vision, and everything he touches seems to turn to gold,” after he allowed his son enter the real estate and construction market in Manhattan despite the huge risk.

Youtube/ABC

Fred Trump passed away in 1995, after his health declined due to Alzheimer’s. It was Donald who recognized his dad’s condition when they were driving down 5th Avenue in New York City, and Donald said he’d bought the land underneath the Empire State Building. Fred’s response was: “That’s a tall building, isn’t it? How many apartments are in that building?”

May he rest in peace.

Céline Dion’s sons are all grown up and make her a proud mother

Céline Dion‘s voice has been dubbed nothing less than angelic by many of her fans. From the moment she started her singing career, she captured the sympathy of many and remains until this day one of the most beautiful and most powerful female vocals ever.

Her hits ”My Heart Will Go On”, ”All By Myself” and ”Because You Loved Me” are simply iconic.

One person in the singer’s life believed in her talent more than anyone else. Her manager, and later husband, René Angélil. In order to help her finance her first record, René remortgaged his house.

The two first met when Dion was just a girl of 12 years, and they got engaged in 1991, when the singer was 23 years old. The famous couple tied the knot in 1994. René was 26 years her senior.

Wikimedia / Georges Biard

Sadly, he passed away in 2014 after battling throat cancer. Dion stayed by her husband’s side until the end of his life and their love story was a true inspiration. Both showed their affection for one another every single day and were considered one of the best celeb couples.

Dion was devastated, but she found the courage to stay strong for her children. ”Knowing that now he’s in peace and is resting and is always within me. I see him every day through the eyes of my children. He gave me so much strength,” she told Hello Magazine.  ”To be honest, I think I’m at the best of my life right now and I want to enjoy and embrace every moment of it and really enjoy it. It’s like I’m having a second wind, like I’m having the wind beneath my wings. I’m having a good time.”

Instagram/celinedion

Dion and her husband of 21 years had three sons together.

They welcomed their first boy, René-Charles Angélil, in 2001. Years after that, they both wanted to give him a sibling, and turned to IVF. The couple spoke openly about the process of trying and finally, in 2010, they told the world that after seven miscarriages, Dion was pregnant with twins.

The boys were named Eddy, after Dion’s favorite French songwriter, Eddy Marnay, and Nelson, after former South African President Nelson Mandela. They are now all grown up and love being around their mom’s side.

Dion is a proud mother and now takes care of her boys all by herself. She said that losing their dad was hard for her kids, but they all managed to move on. She often shares photo of them and speaks of the love she has for each of them and how they make her life complete.

Steven Seagal today: Net worth, children, family, wife

Steven Seagal is one of those Hollywood celebrities who gained fame almost overnight. However, this actor has had quite a turbulent life, moving from one place to another and devoting his time to the things that truly made him happy.

Seagal was born on April 10, 1952, in Lansing, Michigan, but his family moved to Fullerton, California when he was just five. Growing up, Seagal has always had a thing for blues and got his first instrument at a very young age. Another thing that interested him a great deal and which later became crucial part of his life was martial arts.

At the age of 17, Seagal lied about his age in order to get a job at a restaurant as a dishwasher. The chef, who knew karate, could see young Seagal’s affection for the art so he decided to teach him some moves. This made Seagal fall for martial arts even more, so he decided to leave US and move to Japan in order to master the art.

Source: Shutterstock/ Bart Sherkow

He spent 15 years learning karate, judo, kendo, and aikido and received black belts for each of these arts. At the same time, Seagal became the first ever Westerner to open dojo, a “school for training in various arts of self-defense,” in Japan.

Unlike many foreigners who go to Japan in order to learn martial arts and pay to be taught the basics before they return home and try to spread that knowledge, Seagal excelled and told the Los Angeles Times in 1986, “You have to understand that the way to enlightenment is through deprivation. They create an environment where you’re not getting any approval for all the work you’re putting in.

“You’re not getting any sleep or love or attention, you’re getting your butt kicked and you’re up before anyone fixing meals and cleaning.

“They push you to your limit and when you are so deprived and so hungry for everything, a little window opens up in your mind that when they do give you something you’re going to get it, understand it, appreciate it, and you’ll understand some of the mystical deeper meaning that starts to become available to you.

“The martial arts have to be an endeavor in which you’re trying to develop the physical man and perfect the spiritual self at the same time,” he added. “If that you’re doing is devoid of the spiritual essence, i’s nothing but street fighting.”

Source: Youtube/MNE Clips

Once in America, Seagal practiced what he learned throughout the course of 15 years.

After watching some movies in which actors tried karate or other martial arts and failed or weren’t that good, according to Seagal, he decided to move to L.A. and offer his knowledge. At the same time, he wanted to try himself in the acting business.

Seagal worked on films such as The Challenge (1982), starring Scott Glenn, and the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) with Sean Connery.

Speaking of working with Seagal, Connery said on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1996, “We were going to do a film called Never Say Never Again and there was a possibility I was going to do Aikido and what have you.

“I got ahold of Steven and we had this training in the building where I had an apartment and he was really very, very good and everything. And I got a little cocky because I thought I knew what I was doing because the principle is its defense, so it’s a pyramid and I got a bit flash.

“I did that – and he broke my wrist.”

Source: Shutterstock/Featureflash Photo Agency

Along with being sort of celebrity in the world of martial arts and appearing on the covers of many magazines, Seagal also worked as a bodyguard for many celebrities, among which Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz, who would become his life-long friend and who would help him with his acting career.

Ovitz was certain that Seagal would do great on screen so he decided to pay for his screen test with Warner Bros.

“The demonstration was quite miraculous,” Warner Bros. President Terry Semel told the Los Angeles Times in 1988. “With just a toss of his hand, Steven would send the other guy flying. I’m no martial-arts expert, but he had the ability to knock these guys up in the air so effortlessly–well, it was pretty astounding.”

That was the start of a successful career which made Steven Seagal an international star. Over the course of the years, the Under Siege star starred in more than 50 movies.

Source: Shutterstock/ Bart Sherkow

When it comes to his private life, it’s nothing short of tumultuous .

Seagal has been married four times and has seven children. With his marriage to aikido master Miyako Fujitani, he has son Kentaro and daughter Ayake.

Seagal and his second wife, Adrienne LaRussa, were married for only three months before calling it quits. Three years after the divorce, he married actress Kelly LeBrock and welcomed daughters Annaliza and Arissa, as well as a son, Dominic. The marriage ended after nine years, in 1996. While married to LeBrock, Seagal had an affair with his children’s nanny, Arissa Wolf, with whom he has daughter Savannah.

Currently, Seagal is married to Erdenetuya “Elle” Batsukh, Mongolian-American television personality and dancer. They have one daughter together.

Source: Shutterstock/Markus Wissmann

When it comes to Seagal’s children, reports are he’s not in a great relationship with any of them. Speaking to RadarOnline, his eldest son Kentaro revealed that he doesn’t speak to his father anymore and Seagal hasn’t reached out to him. Kentaro went on to say that he doesn’t “even know” his father.

Steven Seagal is now living in Moscow, Russia, after he was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016. Apparently, he’s working as a “special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties” and left America in order to avoid paying $200,000 which he owes for failing to disclose after he was being paid to promote a digital token.

Source: Shutterstock/Markus Wissmann

In most of the photos he shares on his Instagram account, Steven Seagal, 69, looks almost unrecognizable. The 6 ft 4 actor has a net worth of $16 million.

Donatella Versace’s beauty transformation over the years

Donatella Versace helped her brother, Gianni Versace, build one of the most influential fashion houses in the world. She was his muse and his best friend. His assassination in 1997 shook Donatella’s world. With his loss, she lost part of her soul.

Today, she is the vice president of the fashion brand Versace and the driving force behind the glamorous designs worn by celebrities, influential people, and those in love with high cotoure.

Donatella was born on May 2, 1955, as the youngest child of four. Her father worked as a salesman and her mother was a dress maker. Both Donatella and her siblings grew up around different fabrics they got fascinated with. Their mother’s passion for design was soon passed on to her children.

Donatella Versace (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Donatella’s sister Tina passed away at the age of 12. That was a huge heartbreak for the family. The rest of the siblings, Donatella, Gianni, and Santo were extremely close although the brothers were eight and ten years older than Donatella.

When she was 11, Gianni made Donatella dye her hair blonde because he was impressed by the Italian singer Patty Pravo and wanted his sister to look like her.

“I was his doll and his best friend. He dressed me up in cool clothes, took me out to discos and clubs from when I was 11. I loved it. It was the best time of my life,” Donatella told The Guardian.

Toni Thorimbert/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images

Donatella studied languages in Florence but visited her brother Gianni who was living in Milan every two weeks. She was his muse and the closest person in his life. The two were inseparable.

“Donatella filled an indefinable role of muse, sounding board, and first assistant . . . Donatella became Gianni’s shadow in the atelier [and] had a great knack for sizing up a dress or a pair of pants or a color palette and deciding whether it had that mysterious quality that would make it trendy,” expert Deborah Ball wrote in her book House of Versace in 2010.

As Gianni conquered the world of fashion, Donatella and Santo were by his side every step of the way.

“There was Santo, the calm one; Gianni, the enfant terrible, and me – Gianni’s accomplice,” she once said of herself and her brothers.

She was the company’s vice president, and Gianni helped her start her own label, Versus.

Donatella Versace and Gianni Versace at the Paramount Hotel in New York City, New York (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

When Gianni was killed, Donatella was crushed. “For the first five years, I was lost,” she said. “I made a lot of mistakes.” She was feeling so bad and struggled so hard that Elton John once staged an intervention for her after she had a meltdown at her daughter’s birthday party.

She couldn’t imagine her life without Gianni, but she knew she needed to stay strong and continue his legacy.

After Gianni’s death, Donatella took over the creative control of Versace. “Donatella is very much the image of the company. He (Gianni) made strong, sexy clothes for strong sexy women. She was the girl he was designing for,” designer Marc Jacobs said in 1997.  

Gianni and Donatella Versace, New York, New York, 1990s. (Getty Images)

Donatella married husband Paul Beck in 1983. The two have two children, daughter Allegra Versace Beck and son Daniel Versace Beck.

Allegra inherited 50% of her uncle’s company. She and her brother also got Gianni’s valuable art collection.

Donatella and Paul divorced in 2000. Speaking of her role of a mother, Donatella shared with Vogue in 2013, “I’m sure I made a lot of mistakes with my children, but if you stay home, I think you make more mistakes.

“Of course, mother is the first thing. I was travelling a lot when the children were little, but I made sure that the time I was spending with them was quality time.”

In 2004, the glamorous fashion designer married her second husband, Manuel Dallori, Italian businessman, but the marriage was short-lived. After the divorce, Donatella decided to focus on her career entirely.

Donatella Versace with her son Daniel, daughter Allegra and Paul (Getty Images)

Besides her enormous success and wealth, Donatella Versace is also known for the many aesthetic interventions on her face. Once, Daily Mail wrote that she “transformed herself into a human waxwork with Botox, implants and laser resurfacing.” Donatella has never spoken publicly if she had gone under the knife.

Dr. Katz from Juva Skin & Laser Center in NYC told HollywoodLife how he believed that Donatella “had her cheeks augmented, probably with filler and certainly her lips have been filled, her eyelids are a little droopy. I think she has had some bad Botox because they look like they are drooping. Maybe a little too much Botox in the forehead. She certainly can use some filler in her ear lobes, they are very stretched.”

Even today, Donatella Versace is one of the most influential designers there are. She and her brother changed the world of fashion forever and influenced many trends over the years.

She has a net worth of $400 millions and says family always remains the most important thing in her life.

“Family is always at the heart of everything I do, which is why I love Bella and Gigi so much. They perfectly exemplify the strength between sisters, and they share that message to our Versace sisterhood worldwide,” she said of her latest campaign she did with the Hadid sisters.

Donatella Versace is the queen of style.

Girl gets her hair done as a birthday present from mom – Dad chops it off as a punishment

Co-parenting can be one of the toughest things ex spouses experience. This is especially true if they had undergone a rough divorce and long custody battles. The reason why is probably because both the mother and the father believe they are doing parenting better than the other person involved in the upbringing of their child.

The sad reality is that this dysfunctional relationship between the parents affects the kids the most. Many times, what one of the guardians believes is the right way of raising the child, is unfitting for the other. As a result, kids are torn between the wishes of their parents that are completely different from one another. This pressures the child to choose between the parents, and that’s something no mother or father should ever make their children do.

Kelsey is a lovely girl whose parents are divorced. On her 13th birthday, she asked her mommy to let her dye her hair and get some highlights as a birthday present. Her mother, Christina Johnson said yes and Kelsey got her new looks.

A couple of days later, the girl went to see her dad and her stepmother. But little did she know that the visit will turn into a nightmare.

Namely, when Kelsey’s father saw his daughter’s new hairstyle he didn’t approve of it. What he did next? He decided to chop off Kelsey’s hair short.

This traumatized the girl to the extent that she didn’t want to go out or see her father again. She didn’t want her hair cut, but the father and his new wife did it by force, all because, as they said “actions have consequences.”

No one really knows the real reason behind the type of treatment the poor girl got. She couldn’t stop crying over the fact she was treated like that by her own father.

As for him and his new wife, they have both been suspended without pay from the firefighter department where they work.

Kelsey’s mother believes how they did what they did only to humiliate the girl. The case is now in the hands of the social services in Wood County who stepped in and are conducting an investigation.

We do hope that Kelsey’s father and stepmother would get the punishment they deserve for breaking this girl’s heart and disrespecting her will.

Gordon Ramsay says his children won’t get a penny of his multi-million fortune

One of the best culinary shows, Masterchef, wouldn’t be what it is had not been for one and only Gordon Ramsay. He resembles a tough guy, and probably is, but his excellence in executing the perfect dishes gives him all the right to be critical of the contestants.

Knowing that he learned from the best in the business, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that Ramsay managed to earn a multi million dollar fortune through his food empire.

After his dream of becoming a professional football player was crushed due to a knee injury, he moved on to study hotel management and was great at what he did. This man has never been average, and that’s mainly because of his extreme dedication for everything he’s ever put his mind to. Once he finished school, he went on to be trained by some huge names in the food industry, including Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White in London and Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon in France.

Shutterstock/Sterling Munksgard

His first serious job as a chef was at Marco Pierre White’s restaurant La Tante Claire.

This experience made him even better at the job, and it wasn’t an easy one, to be honest.

“He was a f****r in here, let me tell you,” Ramsay said of Marco Pierre when talking to Savour Magazine. “He busted my arse but I never complained about it because I loved what he taught me.

“And in terms of Marco, if you thought I was tough to work for, you should have stood alongside him. When I walk into this kitchen now, and all the young girls and young guys are excited to see me, and I’m excited to see them, I think ‘s**t, if you’d have been here 25 years ago.’”

“I was standing outside, opening scallops, and it was p*****g down with rain,” he added. The French boys were in the kitchen laughing their heads off, and what did Koffmann do? He threw me a big f*****g smelly duffle coat. But I opened them, 180 of the f*****s. I had to prove my worth. I wanted to show you can be taught, you can develop a palate, and you don’t have to be French to be a f*****g great chef.”

Youtube/Kitchen Nightmares

After being the head chef of Aubergine in London and receiving the “Newcomer of the Year” at the prestigious Catey Awards, Ramsay decided it was the time for him to open his first restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London. From that moment on, Ramsay opened restaurants in different parts of the world, including America, Canada, South Africa and Australia. Over the years, this incredible chef has been awarded 16 Michelin stars and he currently holds seven. His London restaurant is the longest-running three Michelin-starred restaurant.

When we look at Gordon Ramsay on TV, whether it’s Masterchef, Hell’s Kitchen, or another production, we see a passionate but rather angry man who yells at his staff and the competitors. But is he like that in real life?

“Everyone says ‘Oh, that’s for the camera!’ but I’m as passionate in business with or without a camera,” he told Mip Trends.

“If you were to mic-up a sports player, a boxer, or football player and listen to the dialogue — in the Champions League Final or the Premier League or the FA Cup — it would be no different to what it’s like in the kitchen.

“Because it’s freakin’ raw, it’s brutally competitive, and we should never shy away from that level of competitiveness. That’s the one thing that’s got me where I am today — being competitive is healthy, that’s really important.”

Shutterstock/Jaguar PS

Speaking of his reputation, Ramsay told The Guardian, “I was a crazy f***ing psycho!”

“If anyone even bruised a chive, I came down on them like a ton of bricks. It’s been tough, but am I about to crack and fall on my ar*e? Am I f**k!

“But I don’t want to continue at this pace,” he admits. “There’s a need for pressure because that’s what makes me really tick. But I’m more excited about jeopardy than pressure. The risk element, the dangerous element. There’s something quite stupid about that.”

Being awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 and being inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame in 2014 speaks a lot of this man’s importance in the world of food.

Shutterstock/ Featureflash Photo Agency

Ramsay and his wife Tana have been married for 25 years and have 5 children together. One would think that chef Ramsay’s children are spoiled rotten, having in mind that their father is worth around $220 million, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, all of his kids receive 50 pounds a week, except for their oldest daughter Meghan who gets 100, and that’s it.

Ramsay once said that he won’t hire any of his children at his restaurants because he doesn’t want his staff not to be able to tell them off when they do something wrong only because they are his kids. “You want to work in this business? You go off to another chef, learn something different and come back with something new to improve the business,” he was reported saying on a US radio show, as quoted by Hello.

He has also made it clear that his fortune won’t be going to his kids.

“It’s definitely not going to them, and that’s not in a mean way; it’s to not spoil them,” Ramsay told Telegraph.

“The only thing I’ve agreed with Tana is they get a 25 percent deposit on a flat, but not the whole flat.

“I’ve been super lucky, having that career for the last 14 years in the US. Seriously, it has earned a fortune, and I’ve been very lucky, so I respect everything I’ve got.”

He added that whenever the family takes trips together, he and his wife fly first class while the kids sit in economy.

“I turn left with Tana, and they turn right, and I say to the chief stewardess, ‘Make sure those little f*****s don’t come anywhere near us; I want to sleep on this plane.’ I worked my f*****g arse off to sit that close to the pilot, and you appreciate it more when you’ve grafted for it.”

What do you think of Gordon Ramsay’s view on money and his children?

Boy rejected before dance has dream come true when girl asks him to be her date

When the touching story about a boy with Down Syndrome who was turned down by a girl he invited to be his date for the homecoming reached the FOX5 Surprise Squad, they decided to do everything in their power to make this boy’s prom the most memorable day of his life.

Just when 17-year-old Daniel Rivas though he had to attend his prom without a date, something incredible happened.

Source: Video Screenshot

He got a proposal by Kyle Fronius to be her partner for the night. She is a lovely girl with a heart of gold who never thought of Daniel as of someone with disability. She believes that students like him are no different from the rest, they are simply normal people who learn in a different way. Her way of perceiving things is what makes this girl so special.

Source: Video Screenshot

The lovely gesture didn’t leave Daniel’s mother Tonya indifferent either. What Kylie did for her son was unbelievable. Tonya was glad there was someone out there who didn’t see any disability in her son.

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As the Fox5 Surprise Squad got the whole story, they could start planning the surprises for both Daniel and Kylie. What they prepared for the teenagers was something they will remember till the rest of their lives. But one thing was certain, they deserved all the presents they were about to receive.

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When Monika Jackson approached the young teens she told them how their story touched the hearts of many people. The first among the number of surprises was a huge Rolls Royce that would help the couple arrive to the dance in style.

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But, before attending the homecoming, they went to the Bistro 57 and had a special treat. Tonya was overwhelmed because although she walked by that place many times before, she never had the chance nor the finances to visit it.

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As they approached the venue where the party took place they noticed a red carpet and they couldn’t believe it was there for them. They felt like celebrities, and their faces revealed how happy they were. This was indeed a very special night.

But that was only the beginning of an amazing experience. As everyone was cheering and looking at them, they were told that they both got a paid trip to Disneyland.

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But, the biggest surprise was yet to be revealed. Since the story of these teenagers got uploaded on the Fox’s YouTube channel it was viewed more than 4.8 million times.

This is a story that teaches us that we should always treat everyone equally because we are all human beings and no person should be superior to others. It also teaches us that a simple act of kindness can go a long way and even change lives.

Take a look at the video and get ready to learn what the biggest surprise of the night was.

Source: FOX5 Las Vegas

3-year-old boy called “Ginger & Ugly’ by bullies has heartbreaking reaction

We live in a world where people tend to lessen our value and make us feel worthless for the sake of reaching their personal goals. This sort of treatment that involves humiliation is also known as bullying.

Bullying can happen to everyone. It’s present in the everyday life of people, but I guess it mostly affects little children who are vulnerable and many times unable to take a stand and speak for themselves.

3-year-old Noah Gilbert is a sweet boy with a ginger hair. And although he used to love the way he looks, some rude people made fun of the color of his hair and that crushed his self-esteem. His mother is now trying to share Noah’s story and raise the voice against bullying.

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The unpleasant incident took place while Noah and his mom Lauren boarded a bus. There, a group of teenagers started laughing because of Noah’s hair color and made some nasty comments that broke the boy’s heart.

Some of the gruesome words that spoke were, “I would hate my child to be ginger, I would kill it” and “all kids with ginger hair should go straight to social services.”

Although he’s just three years old, Noah could perfectly understand that they were speaking about him and he couldn’t understand why would someone say such bad words.

The boy got so upset that once he reached home, he started asking why he couldn’t have blonde hair like that of his brother.

His brother’s answer was a poignant one and that made Lauren write a Facebook post that vent viral in a blink of an eye.

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She wrote: “He hasn’t stopped asking me why people don’t like his hair. He asked me if I could change it for him so people will like it. I can feel my heart breaking every time he asks me.

“It isn’t okay to bully somebody for their hair colour, not now. Not ever.”

People took their time to defend Noah saying he’s the cutest little boy out there and his ginger care makes him even more special.

“This has had such an effect on Noah, it’s just unfair,” Lauren continued. “I have naturally ginger hair too and I remember being bullied growing up, but not as young as three.”

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Lauren wants the teens to apologize for their words. She even reached the principal of the school they attend.

Every child is beautiful in their own unique way and no one has the right to make them feel any less special than they truly are.

We should all stand against bullying.

Nurse sings to dying woman to grant her final wish

If you’ve ever had a loved one pass away, you know what a stressful time it can be.

When people get old to the extent of not being able to take care of themselves, their family often makes a decision to send them to a nursing home. Unfortunately, if they get sick or terminally ill, these people can easily end up in a hospice where they are supposed to be provided with quality care during the final months or days of their life.

The thing is that not many people have good words to say about hospice. Very often, we stumble upon stories of elderly people who are neglected and treated poorly at these facilities. The truth is, however, that we shouldn’t generalize based on isolated cases, and the video below shows exactly that.

A dying woman who used to work as a voice teacher had one last wish. She wanted the nurse, who happened to be her former student, sing for her one last time. She truly enjoys his beautiful voice, and so are we.

 

We are glad people as compassionate and as caring as this nurse still exist. They surely restore our faith in humanity.

“What a beautiful voice! She must have been one heck of a teacher! God bless! ❤” one person commented.

“This man is a blessing. A perfect example of using a God given gift to comfort those around him. Selfless and beautiful!” another person added.

This will definitely help change people’s position on hospice care.

Make sure you watch the video below. It’s so touching!

Sadly Maria is no longer with us, which makes this whole clip even more moving.

Make sure you share this beautiful clip with all your friends on Facebook to honour all the staff working tirelessly to take care of our elderly loved ones.

Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Tom Brady had a son with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan – he’s now 14 and into sports just like his famous dad

Handsome, successful, famous, and loved by millions, it looks like Tom Brady has it all. He’s a truly talented man who many consider to be the greatest player in the NFL History, something we can’t argue against.

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Tom was born in a family of sports people and his three sisters excelled in different sports. As the youngest child out of four, he had three role models to look up to while growing up. What is very special about Tom is that he never settled for less than being number one. And if you think his talent was enough for him to reach the stars, you might be wrong.

At the age of 14, he and friend John Kirby became parts of the Junupero Serra High School team, but ended up sitting on the bench. In order for that to change, they worked out on their own for three days a week besides the regular training sessions they had with the team.

His hard work paid off the following year when he threw the game-winning touchdown during his first game.

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“He wanted to be THE man and wanted to be the leader. After all these years, he lived up to everything he was dreaming for,” his high school coach Bob Vinal said speaking to The Athletic.

Tom attended the University of Michigan because his parents wanted him to be part of the sports team and get a great education at the same time. In 2000, he was drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots and that is probably the best deal they have ever made.

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In July 2020, Tom had an interview with Forbes in which he spoke of his beginnings and his career. “Both personally and professionally, I have faced challenges and sought out people who had better professional insights where I could use their experiences to learn from,” he said. “In my young career I doubted myself a lot. When I saw things that weren’t going my way, I thought I was the victim of circumstance. But when I changed, shifted my view and my mind to say ‘I am not a victim, why don’t I empower myself.’ I could grow in ways I was struggling. Through working with psychologists and others, I learned you have to face the challenges and look at them as opportunities for growth. It was a lot of work, but it really paid off in my life.

“My wife uses a great line: ‘The teacher appears when the student is ready.’ You can’t force something to happen in your life. You have to just be open and embrace them when the time is right.”

If someone tells you Tom Brady isn’t the best, just remind them that he won seven Super Bowls in ten championship appearances.

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At the time he was a rising star, Tom dated actress Bridget Moynahan, the I Robot star, who was at the start of her career herself. The two dated for two years, from 2004 to 2006. After they split, Tom started dating Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, but just a couple of months into their relationship, his ex told Tom she was carrying his child.

“Certainly, a lot of people make sacrifices for their family, and I’m dealing with a certain situation, a very joyous, happy situation”, Tom said at the time. “And some people have dealt with death in the past and that’s incredibly difficult.”

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Things looked complicated for both Tom and Bridget, but they decided to raise their son Jack together.

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar in 2008, Bridget said, “Going through that traumatic time of being heartbroken and then being pregnant turned my whole life upside down and inside out and just knocked the wind out of me. But I got so much out of that. It’s golden and it’s tough and it was f***ked up. But now I have a child, and it’s the best thing in the world.” 

Gisele was also confused at the beginning as she didn’t know what to expect, but today, she says, “Jack, my bonus child, has been a huge gift and blessing in my life.”

Jack is 14 and lives with his mom and her husband Andrew Frankel, who has three children from a previous marriage. He is very close with his father, Gisele, and their kids, his brother Benjamin and sister Vivian.

Jack’s mom told People, “Tom and I made a decision to raise a child together and we both found partners that not only supported us in raising that child, but also loved our child as if he was their own. I don’t think you can ask for more than that. My son is surrounded by love.”

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When it comes to the Brady family, sports runs in their genes, so you won’t get surprised when we tell you that young Jack wants to follow into his father’s footsteps. He’s not really into football, however, but loves soccer instead. “Though after the Olympics he’s like, ‘I think I’m going to win a gold in swimming.’ Then it was Michael Phelps. So I think he just likes awards,” his mom said.

No matter what he chooses to be, his parents will always be there for him to support him, just like they have so far.

5-year-old girl’s quick act saves her dad’s life, calling 911 with her innocent words help arrived

Kids are so adorable, sometimes they just know how to say the truth of a situation, when us adults would normally bite our lip. Savannah, who is five years old is equally hilarious in what she does, so much so that it has gone viral!

She discovers her father, daddy, in distress, she knows exactly what to do and gets right to it, it all starts when her father feels pain and thinks the worse…

The conversation that Savannah has with dispatcher is so incredibly funny, her dad thinks is is having a heart attack but is in too much pain to speak, Savannah steps in!!

Flickr/Indi Samarajiva

So little Savannah takes the phone from dad and she reassures him that he will be alright and manages to keep amazingly calm for the whole duration of the 911 telephone conversation.

Little Savannah competently tells the 911 dispatcher that her dad “can hardly breathe” she tells him that he needs help and to hurry up and get to their home. The dispatcher reassures little Savannah that help is on the way and it won’t be too long.

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She turns and tells her pop that he will be alright and help is coming soon. The dispatcher asks if the front door is locked, Savannah doesn’t know, so she asks her dad…

When she finds out that the door is actually locked, the dispatcher asks her to unlock it ready for the emergency workers…

When Savannah realizes that strangers will be coming into her house she realizes that she and her dad are still wearing their pajamas.

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She makes a decision that she needs to get changed before the rescuers arrive, so she say to the dispatcher that since she’s in a tank top, she must go to her room to get dressed.

The dispatcher gently intervenes and says that she really needs to stay there with her dad, to look after him and watch him, the dispatcher continually checks if her dad is awake and how he is doing.

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Lovely Savannah really can’t help thinking about what she is wearing and she doesn’t want the emergency workers to see her in her pajammies!

Savannah says:

“I don’t know what I’m gonna wear, but he really needs oxygen real fast.”

She then introduces the dispatcher to her doggie LouLou, who likes to bark a lot, but is a very friendly dog!

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You really have to listen to Savannah and her sweet reassurance she gives to her dad through the whole thing!

Donald Trump gave Princess Diana “the creeps” after he bombarded her with flowers

Former President and magnate Donald Trump has had quite a love life. Between his marriages, he was dating beautiful women and tied the knot three times. He met his first wife Ivana in 1976 at a flamboyant New York restaurant called Maxwell’s Plum. Ivana was working as a model and was attending dinner with her friends when Donald paid for their meal. When she left the place, she saw him standing outside in his limousine, and that’s how the two started dating.

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While he was still married, Trump got into a romantic relationship with Marla Maples. She claimed she didn’t want to stand in the middle of him and Ivana, but eventually, she decided she wanted to be with Donald and the two started dating and later got married and welcomed daughter Tiffany Trump.

“I loved this man. Yes, I was young, but it was my choice. I was romanced, I had Mister Charm all over me, and it was very hard to say no. When that man wants something, he’ll stop at nothing to get it. And I also believed in the good of him,” Maples said when speaking of her relationship with Donald, who was by that point one of the most powerful men in business.

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During the United Cerebral Palsy charity gala in New York City in 1995, which Donald attended with Maples, he met Princess Diana for the first time.

Diana was named Humanitarian of the Year at that charity event, in recognition of her work with sick and underprivileged children. At the time, she was dating American billionaire Theodore Forstmann.

Donald Trump allegedly approached her and offered her a free membership to his famous Mar-a-Lago Florida golf club, but Diana declined. In the period that followed, Trump became sort of obsessed with her and bombarded her with flowers, according to British television journalist Selina Scott – who hosted a documentary about Trump for British TV network ITV in 1995.

“Trump clearly saw Diana as the ultimate trophy wife, and launched a ‘floral bombardment’ of orchids and roses on Kensington Palace from across the Atlantic,” Selina Scott said, as quoted by NY Post.

“As the roses and orchids piled up at her apartment she became increasingly concerned about what she should do. It had begun to feel as if Trump was stalking her.” She added that the excessive attention Diana received from Trump gave her “the creeps.”

Just weeks after Princess Diana’s death, Trump was a guest on The Howard Stern Show where he said that the late Princess had a “supermodel beauty.” Stern then asked: “You could’ve nailed her, right?” to what Trump replied: “I think I could’ve.”

In his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback, Trump wrote: “I only have one regret in the women department—that I never had the opportunity to court Lady Diana Spencer.”

Years later, in 2016, Trump gave an interview to Pierce Morgan during which he denied that he wanted to have a romantic relationship with Diana, adding he thought she was lovely when they met in New York.

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Princess Diana left this world way too early and left her sons and the entire world mourning her loss.

This year, on July 1, a new statue of her will be revealed on the grounds of Kensington Palace to mark what would have been her 60th birthday.

Jon Bon Jovi says his daughter’s drug overdose was his “worst moment” as a dad

Jon Bon Jovi is one of the best musicians there are, but at the same time, he’s also a man with a heart of gold who is doing so much for the most vulnerable members of the community.

Ever since he was a young boy, he somehow knew that music was his calling. His parents were always by his side and supported his dreams.

“What I got from my parents was the ability to make the dream reality,” he said in The Big Issue’s Letter To My Younger Self. “They always instilled that confidence in their kids, which, in retrospect, I realize was so incredibly valuable. Because even if you truly weren’t any good at your craft, if you believed you were, you could work on it.”

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In 1980, at the age of 18, Bon Jovi released the first single, Runaway, with the band Atlantic City Expressway he formed with keyboardist David Bryan. The song attracted the attention of many and he knew there was no going back.

“There was no plan B for me, ever. I can remember walking the two-mile walk to school with the guy who became my first band’s bass player. And I would just conspire as to how I was going to get a band together, how I was going to play in bars and eventually make it,” Bon Jovi said. “Which to me at that time just meant keep on playing in a bar – the measurements of success change throughout the course of your life.”

Around 1983, the band was renamed Bon Jovi. Their first album was released in 1984, and some two years later, they released their third album, Slippery When Wet, which helped the band raise to stardom. It went platinum within six weeks of its release. Well, the rest is history.

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Besides being an icon in the world of music, Bon Jovi is also a devoted husband and a father of four. He and his wife of 33 years, Dorothea Hurley, have known each other since high-school. They attended the same school, Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey. He got interested in her the moment he saw her, but at the time, she was dating someone else. That other person joined the service and left town and Bon Jovi saw that as a chance to get close to her.

One thing led to another and the two started dating.

Speaking of how they decided to tie the knot, Bon Jovi shared: “It was 1989, and our album New Jersey was out. We had the No. 1 album, the No. 1 single, and we were playing three nights at the Forum in L.A. We were staying at the St. James’s Club, which is that beautiful art deco hotel on the Sunset Strip across from the old Hyatt House. I pulled the curtain back in my room, and there’s a billboard of me staring right back.

“I turned to Dorothea and said, ‘I got an idea. Why don’t we go right now?’ She said, ‘You’re out of your mind.’ I said, ‘Come on. What’s better than this, right now, this moment?’ And so we ran off to Las Vegas. Didn’t tell a soul. We took a little shuttle plane, jumped in a cab, and didn’t even stay the night. The cab driver was the witness.”

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The two welcomed four children together, Stephanie, 28, Jesse, 26, Jacob, 19, and Romeo, 17.

The singer says his family always comes first no matter what. Despite his tours and hectic schedule, he always makes sure he spends enough time with them. When asked about the key to a long and happy marriage, he once shared with People that the secret was that the two grew up together and grown together.

“And we really like each other. We want to hang out,” he said, as his wife added, “I always said I was good at spotting potential too. I have a gift.”

“We work hard at it, but we enjoy each other, and we never fell for the trappings of what celebrity can do,” he continued. “We’ve witnessed that happen over the years to people that were close to us and people that we knew from afar. It’s just what I do; it’s not who I am. I write songs. I happen to be very good at performing them. That’s it.”

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There was one incident in the past involving their daughter Stephanie which brought the family even closer together.

One night in 2012, Stephanie called her father and told him she was rushed to the hospital after taking controlled substances.

“The first thing she said, ‘I’m all right,’ but then she said this is what happened,” Bon Jovi recalled. “You wake up, you shake it off and put your shoes on and say, ‘OK, I am on the way home.’”

According to him, his daughter was lucky to be alive.

That incident changed him forever. “It was horrible, a horrible moment. It was my worst moment as a father,” he confessed in an interview with Daily Mirror.

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In 2002, he wrote the song I Got The Girl for Stephanie. “Everybody’s got a little girl in their life — their daughter, their girlfriend, their wife, their momma,” the musician said of the piece of music devoted to his girl. “But it all goes by so fast. And they start out as little bitty babies, and their future’s looking bright. And I wrote this song for that little baby, who’s now not such a little baby anymore.”

Stephanie graduated from the New School in New York in 2017 and according to some magazines, she’s pursuing a career in modeling.

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