The killing of the 13 American soldiers in the bombing attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, last month, broke the heart of every true American. Deep down, we all feel the urge to have our share in honoring these brave people the best we can. One thing we can all do is to never forget that they lost their lives for this country.
Stephen Wing from Gilford, New Hampshire, the founder of Wings Custom Carvings, is honoring these heroes in his own way, by carving hand-made statues out of wood.
He shared his intention on his business’ Facebook page and asked from the public to help him get in touch with the families of the fallen troopers. “Let’s see if This works,” he posted on August 28. “I am trying to reach out to the families of our most recent tragedy in Afghanistan. I would like to donate one of these carvings to all the thirteen family’s for our fallen soldiers It’s a long shot but share away please.”
Soon after, his post went viral and he gathered information on where to send the memorial pieces.
“I wanted to say thank you to everyone across the United States of America for coming together to try and make this happen for the families of our 13 most recent Fallen Soldiers,” he posted. “With out your help this would have been nearly impossible but I’m great full to announce out of the 13 families we are going to be able to get there battle cross to the following.”
People from all over the country got in touch with Stephen and asked him to help with the shipping costs. He asked everyone who was willing to contribute to contact him.
“Now a lot of people are asking how to donate for shipping cost and to be honest I don’t even know yet have to price it all out Tuesday,” he shared on Sunday. “So if you would like to help you can contact me.
“If there is money left over from the donations to ship it will be divided between all of the families evenly. This is to help the families and let them know we stand with them and also grieve with them. Thanks for all of your help in this. Couldn’t have done it with out all of you.”
We truly hope these carvings will stand as reminders of everything the soldiers did for our country and its people.
Our hearts go out to the grieving families of the heroes.
The first day of school is supposed to be an exciting experience. For many students, however, it is also a scary one because of all the new things they are about to discover and all those new people they are about to meet.
As most of the parents of preschoolers and first graders can’t wait for their little ones to start a new chapter in their life, one mom named Brittany Denison had her concerns for her son’s first day of kindergarten.
Her boy, 5-year-old Michael Murphey is born with a condition known as Treacher Collins syndrome characterized by distinctive abnormalities of the head and face. It affects people’s breathing, hearing, and eating, but it doesn’t in any way affect their mental capabilities. Speaking of Michael, Brittany says he’s very clever, maybe even more clever than most children his age.
As Michael was getting ready to start kindergarten, Brittany decided to share a plea on Facebook. She started her post with a quote from the 2017 movie Wonder; “Dear God, please make them be nice to him.”
She asked parents to teach their kids to be accepting and kind towards those that are somehow different. Instead of using words as “weird or scary,” she asked them to teach their little ones to use words such “different and unique.”
However, little did she know that her message would reach to so many people.
On August 16, as Michael was about to leave his home and embark on the adventure called kindergarten, a group of special people who had gathered in front of his house were waiting to make his day one of the most memorable ones.
Police officers and fire fighters were there to accompany Michael to schools. But they weren’t alone. Inside the huge fire truck, there were two of Michael’s favorite superheroes, Batman and Captain America.
Michael was overwhelmed and couldn’t hide his excitement. He and his sister Alison climbed into the fire truck and got to sound the sirens.
The moment they got to Mountain Peak Elementary, the principal and a group of teachers and students were waiting to greet the firefighters and the officers. As the superheroes were giving high-fives to the kids, Michael’s teacher, Mrs. Pearson, welcomed him with a hug.
“Then we walked him inside and I wiped a few tears from my eyes before dropping him off with his classmates,” Brittany wrote on Facebook. She was extremely thankful to everyone involved in making her son’s day the best ever.
Midlothian firefighter Andrew Gatlind was the one who stumbled upon Brittany’s post and organized everything after he shared his plans with Fire Chief Dale McCaskill who contacted the family.
“You don’t know what everyone’s going through,” he told NBC5. “So if you see somebody struggling, or if you see an opportunity to step in and be that hero for somebody, do it. You never know whose life you’re gonna touch or change.”
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore were considered one of the most famous and most influential Hollywood couples back in the day. They first met on the premiere of Stakeout, which Moore attended with her then-fiancé Emilio Estevez. However, the connection they felt was instant, and soon after, they started dating. In her memoir, Inside Out, Moore wrote of that serendipitous encounter. “I’d never encountered treatment like this before,” she confessed. “Bruce was so gallant- in his own boisterous way, a real gentleman. When I said it was time for me to go home, he offered to walk me to my car. He was so eager about it- Like a little boy who didn’t want to miss the ice-cream truck. When he asked for my number, I felt a wave of schoolgirl flutters.”
The couple has three daughters together, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah.
Moore and Willis weren’t meant to stay together for life, at least as a couple. In 1989, they announced they were splitting and their divorce was finalized in 2000.
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At the time they separated, their eldest daughter, Rumer, was just 10 years old. The girls, however, were never affected by their parents’ decision to untie the knot because Moore and Willis remained very good friends. Even today, they spend plenty of time together as a family.
After the divorce, Willis spoke to Rolling Stones, and admitted he didn’t know what went wrong between him and Moore.
“I still love Demi. We’re very close,” he revealed. “We have three children whom we will continue to raise together, and we’re probably as close now as we ever were. We realize we have a lifelong commitment to our kids.
“Our friendship continues. The institution has been set aside … It’s difficult to live your life and marriage under a magnifying glass, which is what happens to movie star couples.”
Rumer, who opened up about her parents’ sacrifice said she’s forever grateful her mom and dad kept her and her sister shielded from the public eye.
“I don’t think I could have gotten luckier and couldn’t be more grateful for all the things that my parents have done to really make that happen,” she said in an interview with Sarah’s Backstage Pass.
“They put us first and I think that was one of the most important things that they did. I have friends whose parents can’t even be in the same room with each other and the only people that are really affected the most are the kids. It’s just sad. It’s really a bummer,” she added.
“I hope they can set an example for other families who may be going through that situation. I mean what could be better than having four parents? It’s an even bigger support system.”
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Rumer grew up away from the Hollywood glam. She spent much of her childhood in Hailey, Idaho. She followed into her parents’ footsteps from very early age and starred alongside her mom in Now and Then.
“It’s so cool to watch and it’s so funny to just see yourself so tiny,” she told the Huffington Post. “But I remember being on that set was just like heaven for me.
“All I wanted to do was talk to the older girls [Gaby Hoffmann, Christina Ricci, Ashleigh Aston Moore and Thora Birch] and feel like I was in it. It was so fun.”
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She also starred alongside her famous dad in the movies The Whole Nine Yards and Hostage. Rumer has also been part of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, starring opposite Margot Robbie, Pretty Little Liars, Hawaii Five-O and 90210, among the rest.
She says she’s looking forward to sharing the screen with her mom and dad if the right project comes along the way.
Besides acting, Rumer was also part of Dancing with the Stars. She and her dancing partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy ended up winners.
When she was very young, Rumer had been bullied online. During the 2000’s, blogs started becoming famous in America, and one blogger, Perez Hilton, wrote a lot of offensive things about Rumer. Recalling the time she had to deal with the nasty comments, the young actress said: “They said I had a huge jaw. They said I had a ′potato head’,” Willis recalled. “When you’re 14 or 15, I didn’t really understand having value in myself yet. My mind went to, ‘OK, so if I get skinny or if I dress the right way or present myself very hyper-sexually and dress this way, then I’ll be valued’.”
That unpleasant experience didn’t prevent Rumer from fulfilling her dreams and it definitely didn’t ruin her self-esteem.
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Rumer is a brave young woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Recently, she spoke of her mental struggles and her anxiety. “I get nauseous and my heart won’t slow down,” she shared on her Instagram, as reported by Page Six. “It sometimes feels like a force so much bigger than me has taken over the control panel in my [brain].
“I have to catch myself when I find myself focusing on just wishing it was somehow different.
“So here I am, sitting here feeling like I’m gonna melt, even though I know I won’t and just trying to lean into the discomfort as scary and painful as that is.”
We believe that when famous people speak openly about their mental health, it helps raise awareness and serves as a reminder that no matter who you are, the struggles are real.
Rumer is a beautiful young woman who inherited the best from both her mom and dad. And although she has big shoes to fill, we know her career will be as successful as that of Moore and Willis.
Some loves are just meant to last forever, much like that between Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. These two love birds have been together for 37 years and are going stronger with each passing day.
Despite being the one for one another, the couple never married and they believe that could be the reason why they stayed in love for that long.
Kurt and Goldie first met on the set of The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band in 1966. Back then, however, it seemed there was no chemistry between them, probably because of the fact that Goldie was 21 and Kurt was still a teenager. From that movie on, both went on to have extremely successful careers.
After their first film together, Kurt and Goldie both stared in Swing Shift in 1983 and that’s when they started dating. Four years later, they appeared in Overboard.
Fans have been eagerly waiting for the couple to appear in a movie together again but that didn’t happen until 2018 when they played Mr. and Mrs. Claus in The Christmas Chronicles. And now if you loved them in this movie, you will be thrilled to learn that The Christmas Chronicles 2 is to be released in November 2020.
Goldie, who has been married twice in the past, says that if she and Kurt had got married, they would have probably been divorced until now. “We have done just perfectly without marrying. I already feel devoted, and isn’t that what marriage is supposed to do?” Goldie told Woman’s Day. “So as long as my emotional state is in a state of devotion, honesty, caring, and loving, then we’re fine. I like waking up every day and seeing that he is there and knowing that I have a choice. There is really no reason to marry.”
Parents of four children, Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, Boston Russell and Wyatt Russell, who all followed into their parents’ footsteps and are very successful in the movie industry, and grandparents to six, this couple has it all.
“It’s also about not losing yourself in each other,” Goldie told Porter. “Being together, two pillars holding up the house and the roof, and being different, not having to agree on everything, learning how to deal with not agreeing. Everything’s a choice.”
Kurt and Goldie got stars on the walk of fame for their impressive acting careers. According to Today, when the two were honored, Kurt said, “Goldie to you, I owe my wonderful life. Simply put Goldie, I cherish you. All of the stars in the sky or on the boulevard don’t hold a candle to that.”
She, on the other hand, spoke of the secrets of their relationship and said, “Love, gratitude, compassion because sometimes every man or every woman will drive their partner crazy. Family. Fun. Laughs. Sex.”
Karen Donaldson, a body language expert, analyzed photos of Kurt and Goldie and said that they are almost always seen walking in unison which points to the fact that they are on the same level. “Goldie and Kurt walk in unison which tells us that they are also in sync with one another on a emotional level,” Donaldson said. “[It] tells us that they are affectionate towards each other. Plus, it helps that Kurt can’t keep his eyes off Goldie—a sign that he adores her.
“The way in which Kurt holds Goldie’s hands in both of his as he kisses her, shows a truly deep connection on an emotional and physical level,” Donaldson explained.
Speaking to Woman’s Magazine, Donaldson added that it is very much obvious that Kurt and Goldie feel comfortable with each other, something very important for a long-lasting relationship.
“This signals a long-lasting relationship, void of competition and full of acceptance,” she said.“A natural mirroring of your partners posture and body language is often seen in more established relationships that have a deep connection.”
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We guess what these two have is love for the storybooks, don’t you agree?
Being there for one another when we need it the most is what keeps humanity alive.
A woman named Darrien Middleton shares an uplifting story about her grandma, whom she calls Nana, and a young boy from the neighborhood.
Nana had been living in the same house for over 38 years and she wouldn’t change it for anything. Even when she was diagnosed with cancer, she refused to move in with Darrien, saying that all her memories were in that place. On top of that, she loved the neighborhood so very much and knew that people living nearby would help her whenever she needed anything.
Source: Love What Matters/ Darrien Middleton
Being a nurse and a full-time student, Darrien didn’t have much time to go and visit Nana as often as she wished, but she knew her grandma was taken care of by her neighbors, among which 7-year-old Caleb.
“The first time Nama and Caleb ever interacted was over an extra plate of food Nana had made and given to him. You would have thought Nana had given him a $100 bill. He was so grateful and thankful for a steak dinner,” Darrien shared with Love What Matters.
From that encounter on, Caleb visited the elderly lady five times a day making sure she had everything she needed. He even helped Darrien each time Nana had a chemo treatment.
Source: Love What Matters/ Darrien Middleton
“He doesn’t come from much, but you can tell he has been raised on love. He will bust out a dance move in a heartbeat, will go on and on about how much he loves school, and make you laugh until you cry. This kid deserves the love he has received from this post. He stands out from the norm and brings so much joy into everyone’s life he is around. I am so thankful for him and the love he has shown my grandmother. I know for certain it has helped her on her hardest days. He will never know how much I truly appreciate him. I hope one day he realizes the impact he has left on her life and mine as well,” Darrien wrote of the special boy.
Source: Love What Matters/ Darrien Middleton
The photo of Nana and Caleb sitting on the porch together went viral and became a synonym of friendship. “Age doesn’t matter, gender doesn’t matter, race doesn’t matter, they chose to love each other despite what everyone else is doing around them,” Darrien ended her post.
Unfortunately, Nana passed away, but she spent her last years surrounded with love.
Thank you Caleb for making such a change in this woman’s life.
Those people who are willing to go an extra mile and risk their own life for the sake of that of others are rare, and L/Cpl. Adam J. Marshall is one of them.
This brave man has been a trooper for many years, and since 2019, he is part of Troop 5 in the Grand Strand.
While on the job last Monday, Marshall heard of an accident which took place around a mile from where he was stationed. Apparently, a man and his dog ended up in a pond after their car flew off the road. They were trapped and needed immediate help, so Marshall didn’t hesitate even a bit, he rushed towards the scene and was willing to do all it took to save the passengers.
Once there, he noticed that the vehicle submerged almost completely. The man and his dog were running out of time, so Marshal jumped into the pond and tried to pull them out from the back window which was still above the waterline.
Explaining how the rescue mission unfolded, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety posted on their Facebook page: “He [Marshall] broke out the back window, which was the only part of the vehicle not completely underwater, but was unable to locate the driver and was unable to free him through the driver’s side door.”
Luckily, Midway Fire Rescue was on their way to the scene. When they arrived, they helped Marshall pull the man out from the passenger side door. The dog managed to get out as well.
“Midway Fire and EMS treated the man on shore and then, transported him to the hospital for further treatment,” the post continued. “We are so pleased to learn that the driver is expected to make a full recovery and his dog safely made it to shore during the rescue.
“Great job to L/Cpl. A.J. Marshall and those first responders from Midway Fire Rescue for your heroic acts and outstanding teamwork.”
They also thanked the people who found themselves at the scene and helped with the rescue.
The man’s son took to Twitter to express his gratitude to everyone involved in saving his father. “Hi, Im Jacob, Danas son, who was in the car,” he wrote. “I just wanted to thank every single person that was involved in the incident … Im astonished with the fearlessness of the trooper and anyone who was there … If theres any way i can contact him let me know. You guys are awesome.”
@MidwayFireResQ#COMMENDS@SCHP_Troop5 Trooper, Good Samaritans, and MFR Crews for Heroic Life Save. Trooper & citizens were in the pond when we arrived, MFR Crew was able to reach submerged vehicle and use tools & training to extricate driver & dog. THANKS Trooper, Citizens, FFs pic.twitter.com/LZjszp1Dim
Doctors who never give up on their patients, no matter how helpless things seem, are angels sent from Heaven. Such is plastic surgeon Peter Grossman. This incredible man did the impossible for a young girl whose life went miserable and unbearable in the blink of an eye.
This is the story of Zubaida Hasan from Afghanistan, but it is at the same time a story of compassion, hope, and not giving up.
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When she was nine, back in 2001, Zubaida was involved in a horrific accident. As she lit the small gas stove, it suddenly exploded and left her with severe burns. Her skin practically melted and left one of her arms glued to her body. Her chin got attached to her chest and she was unable to close her eyes or her mouth.
Muhammad, her father, took her to the nearest hospital, but he was told by the doctors that nothing could be done, thus advised to let her die. He, however, never thought of giving up on his daughter and took her to the US military base in Kabul. The devastated man begged the doctors to help Zubaida. They don’t work with civilians, but seeing the pain the little girl was going through was more than enough for the doctors to agree to take her in and do all in their power to ease her pain.
Soon after, they arranged for Zubaida and her family to go to America where Dr. Grossman was waiting for them.
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Over the course of a year, Zubaida undergone 11 surgeries, with more to come. Despite the pain, this girl showed remarkable strength because she knew each surgery will take her a step closer to gaining her old life back.
Dr. Grossman helped Zubaida look normal again. Her transformation was incredible. Not only he changed her life and gave her a second chance, but he and his wife enrolled her to the local school where she learned to speak English in just 12 weeks time.
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Believe it or not, Zubaida could run, dance, and sing again. Her heart was filed with delight and enormous gratitude for the doctor and his team.
After the time spent in America, it was time for her to get back home to Afghanistan, with the promise that she would come to visit her doctor again. He, on the other hand, said his house is always open for Zubaida who can go to America whenever she wants.
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Take a look at the incredible story in the video below. This is definitely worth sharing with your family and friends.
Thinking of all those shows from the 60’s and the 70’s, it’s safe to say they were very different from what we are offered on the TV program nowadays. Unlike these modern films, most of what was filmed in the past was promoting true life values and family life. The series Bonanza, which ran from 1959 until 1973 was one of them.
It told the story of a father, Ben Cartwright, and his sons Joe, Adam and Hoss and depicted their life on the ranch along with all the difficulties they were forced to overcome.
Bonanza was a much-loved show and the acting crew was adored by large audiences. One of the actors there was famous Pernell Roberts.
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Roberts was born in Waycross, Georgia in 1928. His father was a salesman at Dr. Pepper and Roberts showed great interest in music and acting from very early age. In 1946, he became part of the Marine Corps Band where he played tuba, and headed to Broadway once his service was over. From what he had to offer on stage, it wasn’t surprising he managed to make a name for himself in a short amount of time.
In 1958, Roberts signed a contract with Columbia Pictures and had his first debut in film in a “Desire Under the Elms”, starring Sophia Loren and Burl Ives.
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After that, he got the role of Adam in Bonanza, and the rest is history. Although he wasn’t fond of portraying that role, it stuck with him until the rest of his life and many know him from that series.
It was around 1965 when he left the show and left fans wondering where he was and what he was up to. According to his family, Roberts didn’t like the show’s concept because there was not much of a change in it.
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Speaking to New York Times, the actor himself said, ”I had six seasons of playing the eldest son on that show. Six seasons of feeling like a damned idiot, going around — me, like a middle-aged teenager, saying, ‘Yes, Pa,’ ‘No, Pa’ on cue. It was downright disgusting — such dialogue for a grown man. I felt I wasn’t being taken seriously as an actor, and that’s like death to one’s talent…Stuck as Adam Cartwright, I was only able to use about one-tenth of my ability.”
In 1965, he told Popular Culture, ”I feel I’m an aristocrat in my field of endeavor. My being part of Bonanza was like Isaac Stern sitting in with Lawrence Welk.” He believed the series limited his character and didn’t give him the chance to show all he could, so he didn’t see himself as part of it any longer.
What Roberts also disliked about Bonanza was there was the lack of black actors playing in the series. He was a huge supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and walked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the historic Selma to Montgomery march in 1965.
Johnny Gregory wrote of Roberts in the book Pernell Roberts Stories. “With fans on set of Bonanza, Pernell couldn’t be nicer. One day, at lunch two friends he’d invited to join his table were actually a pair of hitchhikers in their late teens that he’d met just a few hours before. They were on their way north, hoping to work in a lumber camp for the summer. At lunch, Pernell willingly signed autographs at the boy’s request, and patiently and politely answered the fan-type questions they asked him. There was certainly no aloofness whatsoever in his manner, and when the boys had to continue on their way after lunch, he heartily wished them good luck in the search for jobs.”
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From 1979 until 1986, Roberts played in the CBS drama series Trapper John, M.D. after which he left Hollywood.
Roberts was married four times and only had one child, son Chris, with his first wife Vera Mowry who a professor at Washington State University. Unfortunately, Chris lost his life in 1989 after being involved in a motorcycle accident.
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The actor who captured the hearts of millions Americans and who was one of the most charming faces and characters on TV was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007 and passed away three years later, in 2010.
“The cool, bright face that didn’t ask for anything, that simply existed, waiting – it was an empty face he thought; a face that could change with any wind of expression. One could dream into it anything. It was like a beautiful empty house waiting for carpets and pictures. It had all possibilities – it could become a palace or a brothel.” This is how Erich Maria Remarque spoke of beautiful Marlene Dietrich, the German-born actress who changed Hollywood forever.
Born Marie Magdalene Dietrich on Dec 27, 1901 in Berlin, she decided to combine her two names and started calling herself Marlene when she was 11. Her beauty and talent for singing and acting were more than enough for director Josef von Sternberg to fall for her charm and make her one of the greatest stars ever born.
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The moment von Sternberg spotted her at a cabaret show, he sent Marlene’s test screening footage to Paramount Studios, and they hurried to offer her a contract. That meant that Marlene was leaving Europe to pursue the American dream. At the time she was discovered, gorgeous Marlene was married to film production assistant Rudolph Sieber and had her daughter Maria Riva.
During the 1920, she was already a huge star in Germany, and it was now the time for the whole world to hear of her.
“Marlene Dietrich is no ordinary woman; her ability to enrapture our jury of peers is remarkable,” Von Sternberg wrote in his autobiography Fun in a Chinese Laundry.
“Her constant praise is rated as one of her admirable virtues – by others, not by me. She has never ceased to proclaim that I taught her everything. Among the many things I did not teach her was to be garrulous about me.”
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Marlene’s first big role in the States was that in legendary movie Morocco where she starred alongside Gary Cooper. This role brought her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. It’s safe to say that each movie which followed was only popular because she was part of it.
Speaking of her famous mother, Maria Riva, who is now 95, wrote in her book Marlene Dietrich – My Mother from 1992, “Marlene Dietrich the film star was always just the person in the mirror, but never her real self. She was a totally normal schizophrenic.”
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Marlene’s impact on Hollywood was bigger than anyone could ever imagine. She was a trendsetter who “ruled” how everyone would dress and how they’d live. Celebrities looked up to her lifestyle, her clothes, her make-up, and felt the urge to follow her every step.
When it came to the way she dressed, Marlene once said, “I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men. If I dressed for myself I wouldn’t bother at all. Clothes bore me. I’d wear jeans. I adore jeans, I get them in a public store – men’s, of course; I can’t wear women’s trousers, I cant remember when I last got a new pair. They last so long and get better and better. But I dress for the profession. I get my clothes in Hollywood and Paris, and if I can’t come to Paris, I wait.”
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Her popularity made her homeland, Germany, ask from her to return home and continue her career there. But talented Marlene saw her life in Hollywood and got American citizenship. That led to her films to be banned in Germany.
Marlene hated how her native country treated the Jews and spoke openly against Hitler. She even created a special fund to help Jews escape Germany during the war and entertained American troops for what she was given the US Medal of Freedom.
″I felt myself responsible for the war which Hitler had caused and I wanted to help bring it to a close as soon as possible,″ she wrote in her memoirs, Marlene Dietrich, My Life, published in 1979.
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In the period between the 50’s and the 70’s, Marlene worked as a cabaret artist. Her on-stage performances were remarkably dazzling to the extent that she was described by great author Ernest Hemingway as “If she had nothing more than her voice, she could break your heart with it.”
At the age of 73, Marlene broke her leg prior to a concert in Australia and that was the end of her career.
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Marlene spent the last years of her life in Paris, but barely left her apartment. In 1984, film director Maximillian Schell made a documentary, Marlene, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary and a number of awards. Marlene refused to be filmed for it, but she did agree to speak.
Marlene Dietrich passed away in her Paris apartment in May, 1992, at 90 years old of “old age.” Before she died, she made a final call to friend David Bret, biographer, and said, “I have called to say that I love you, and now I may die.”
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This iconic actress’ style, glamour, and beauty will live forever. She truly was one-of-a-kind.
Kristin Pitzen, a radical leftist teacher working at Back Bay High School, Orange County, California, enraged a huge number of parents as well as people from all over the country after she posted a video on TikTok explaining how she forced the kids pledge allegiance to the LGBT rainbow flag she put in her classroom before taking the Star-Spangled Banner down.
In the video, she could be seen laughing as she’s speaking of the incident. The school, however, didn’t find her action funny. On the contrary, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District removed Pitzen from the classroom as an investigation regarding the incident is being carried out.
“A personal post by a teacher about the American flag is causing alarm/concern,” the official account for the district stated. “Respecting our flag is a value we instill in students and is an expectation of our staff. We take this matter with extreme seriousness and are investigating and addressing it.”
Teacher mocks the American Flag and suggests to students they can say the Pledge of Allegiance to the pride flag: pic.twitter.com/1QTS5xjPln
In the one-minute video, the teacher explains that the American flag had made her feel “uncomfortable.”
“My kid today goes, ‘Hey, it’s kind of weird that we just stand and we say it to nothing.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh well, I gotta find it. I’m working on it. I got you,’” Pitzen says in the video while laughing. “In the meantime, I tell this kid, ‘We do have a flag in the class that you can pledge your allegiance to,’” she continues.
“And he like, looks around and goes, ‘Oh, that one?’” she says as she point the camera towards the rainbow flag.
The parents of the kids from Pitzen’s classroom, as well as other members of the community, decided to express their anger and disapproval of the teacher’s act by decorating the school area with American flags. They also included rainbow flags in an attempt to spread a message that they don’t have anything against the LGBTQ community, they only want the Star and Stripes to be respected as expected.
A personal post by a teacher about the American flag is causing alarm/concern. Respecting our flag is a value we instill in students and is an expectation of our staff. We take this matter with extreme seriousness and are investigating and addressing it.
The follow up story was shared on TikTok by the same user that shared the video of Pitzen.
“I’m in full support of the Pride community, but I don’t compare the Pride flag to the American flag — they’re apples and oranges,” Stephanie Cox, one of the mothers who helped spread a huge American flag on Monday explained.
“Have the Pride flag, but we’re not saying the Pledge of Allegiance to it. That’s for the flag of the United States of America,” she added.
Another woman, Julieanne Papa, said: “We live in a free country, so people can do what they want, but they should be respectful of others. It’s like they’re pushing their own agenda on these kids, and it’s their personal view, nothing they should be teaching in school.”
Back Bay High School, where Kristin Pitzen worked, was decorated in American flags by community members. Patriots 🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/A1vAO3NZcy
Newport-Mesa school board President Karen Yelsey said she was very disappointed and outraged especially because this comes at a time when the nation is still mourning the loss of the 13 soldiers who lost their lives in the Kabul bombing.
Many times, even the tiniest acts of kindness can go a long way, and although those who do good deeds don’t really expect anything in return, paying them back must feel great.
It was September 2, 2018, when a woman named Daryn Sturch from Chili, Indiana, was on the road with her daughter. As they were driving, they came across an accident on the road. Being a nurse, Daryn knew she needed to get out of her car and provide help to the injured passengers. She ran towards them as fast as she could and did all in her power to keep them awake until ambulance arrived.
“I told my daughter I need to help and ran up to assist,” Daryn recalled as speaking to WRTV. “I learned later that the victims were affiliated with a group called Miwaukee Iron.”
“I stayed with them and did the best I could to triage them and keep them awake and calm,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Eager to learn if everyone was safe and sound, Daryn got in touch with the bikers through their Facebook group. Luckily, they all survived and were doing great. The best thing is that they all remained very good friends.
One day, around a year after the accident, the bikers decided to do something for Daryn and her daughter Bryanne. Namely, they learned that 8-year-old Bryanne decided to hold a lemonade stand in order to raise money for equipment for her horse. The bikers Daryn and told her they will be there for some lemonade on September 15.
Believe it or not, around 30 bikers got in a queue waiting to get a glass from Bryanne. It truly was a sight to behold. Needless to say, the girl was over the moon to have so many costumers that day.
“[Bryanne] was so happy and surprised, and afterwards she told me she thought there were nice people in the world,” Daryn said. “They came through and made her day.”
Some of them were the victims of the accident that took place a year prior and Daryn was glad to see them.
It looks like that despite their rough looks, most bikers are just gentle giants.
“I think it’s a perfect example of how just because you don’t look the same way or dress the same way or have the same hobbies or interests doesn’t mean we don’t have the same core values inside us,” Daryn said. “We shouldn’t make assumptions about people, we should just love each other.”
PE teacher Byron “Tanner” Cross was placed on paid administrative leave after he took a stand during a board meeting back in May and refused to refer to the transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns. Among the rest, Cross said in his speech: “I’m a teacher, but I serve God first, and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it’s against my religion.”
Once he was forbidden to step on the school’s ground, he sued Loudoun County Public Schools for violating his right to free speech and free exercise of religion as granted under the Virginia Constitution.
After Loudoun County Circuit Court ruled in favor of Cross, now the Virginia Supreme Court has done the same.
“Cross was opposing a policy that might burden his freedoms of expression and religion by requiring him to speak and interact with students in a way that affirms gender transition,” the 14-page justices wrote, as reported by The Washington Post. “Although the [Loudoun school] Board may have considered Cross’ speech to be ‘a trifling and annoying instance of individual distasteful abuse of a privilege,’ we believe Cross has a strong claim to the view that his public dissent implicates ‘fundamental societal values’ deeply embedded in our Constitutional Republic.”
Good news! The Virginia Supreme Court rejected Loudoun County Public Schools’ appeal, affirming the Circuit Court’s decision to reinstate Leesburg Elementary School teacher Tanner Cross.
Cross is now again able to do his job as a PE teacher as his lawsuit proceeds through county circuit court.
“Good news! The Virginia Supreme Court rejected Loudoun County Public Schools’ appeal, affirming the Circuit Court’s decision to reinstate Leesburg Elementary School teacher Tanner Cross,” Alliance Defending Freedom Vice President Michael Friel tweeted. The ADF is known for getting involved in lawsuits that question the rights of transgender people.
As reported by Fox News, Tyson Langhofer, ADF senior counsel, wrote in a statement that “teachers shouldn’t be forced to promote ideologies that are harmful to their students and that they believe are false, nor should they be silenced for commenting at a public meeting.”
For more on the story go to the video below. You can take a look at Cross’ speech from May this year here.
A lot of parents have trouble accepting the fact that their children grew up and are no longer their little babies. And occasion when reality hits hard is when the kids are about to leave the family home and go to college where they experience what it feels like to be independent.
David and Whitney Scott of Arkansas made the most of it when their daughter Emma headed to college this year and decided to play around with her and make some incredibly precious memories along the way.
Being professional photographers, David and Whitney knew that Emma’s reaction to their surprise would end up with some cool photos, but what they didn’t know was that those photos will go viral for all the right reasons.
“As Emma heads to Harding University next week to begin her Freshman year, Whitney was looking for something for her dorm room that would convey love, provide reassurance as possibly embarrass her to her core,” David posted on Facebook on August 11. “I think we found it. And yes, she’s thrilled.”
Along with this caption came a hilarious photo of Emma posing next to an enormous blanket with a life-size photo of her parents and a pillow with her brother’s and her dog’s faces printed on it.
Emma probably expected something like this because her parents have always “teased” her, like when they yelled “I love you” at her from the school drop-off line. Of course, she doesn’t get angry at them, on the contrary, she loves their spirits.
“Since before she was born, we have looked forward to the teenage years when we could have a little fun embarrassing her with all our parental love,” Whitney told Fox News.
“It’s done,” David posted on August 18. “Our sweet girl is off on a new adventure at Harding University. It was a long day of travel, unpacking and decorating, but that’s the way we wanted it. Every moment is a blessing. She made it! We made/will make it. Most importantly, that blanket and pillowcase made it!”
Although Emma rolled her eyes at the unusual present, her mom and dad say she secretly loves it.
One thing is certain, this girl is lucky to have David and Whitney as her parents. They rock, don’t they?
Why people engrave epitaphs on their loved ones’ gravestones is because they want to leave words of wisdom, share the most important values of the deceased, or simply summarize their life. We have seen unusual gravestones over the years, but that of a couple named Kathryn “Kay” and Wade Andrews is not only uncommon, but truly beautiful too.
During her life, Kay used to make her special fudge for her family for every occasion, whether it was a celebration of some sort or just a quiet and relaxing day at home.
Source: Tumblr – Peter Morwood
When her husband died in 2000, she and her children decided to engrave images which reflected milestones from his life on the gravestone. That is when Kay decided to share with her family how her gravestone should look like. She asked them to place her famous fudge recipe on it. When she died, her five kids did exactly that.
Now everyone who visits her and Wade’s grave can see the famous recipe.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – FOX 13 News Utah
In case you wonder what it takes to make the perfect fudge, according to Kay’s gravestone, that’s two squares of chocolate and two tablespoons of butter. Once the butter melts on low heat add in a cup of milk and bring it to a boil. Next, add three cups of sugar to the milk and butter, a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Then beat the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency.
For the chocolate, cook it to a softball stage and place it onto a marble slab. Next, simply “cool, beat, and eat,” exactly as Kay’s gravestone says.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – FOX 13 News Utah
Kay and Wade fell in love with each other the moment they laid eyes on one another. At the time, she was studying fashion design in New York and he was serving in the Air Forces. And although they were forced to be at different places, they knew they were meant to be.
When the war ended, they got married and raised five beautiful children together.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – FOX 13 News Utah
Their legacy will live forever through their gravestone which describes the lives they lead.
American troops first stepped foot on Afghan soil some 20 years ago. They fought not only for liberty, but for freedom from terror too. The military operation officially ended on August 30, one day earlier than planned. Unfortunately, in an attempt to flee the country, civilians died and many didn’t even manage to take any of the flights that were supposed to take them to better places.
Sadly, 13 American service members were killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, just five days before the troops were about to live the country entirely. Among those killed in the attack was a 20-year-old marine who was born when this war started and died when it ended.
Mother of U.S. Marine Rylee McCollum, who died in the Kabul bombing: “all you Democrats… who voted for [Biden], you just killed my son… never would have happened under Trump.” pic.twitter.com/74eZ24jwaE
According to the official Overseas Contingency Operations report’s casualty summary, since the start of the military operation, 20,727 members of the U.S. military were wounded and a total of 2,475 lost their lives in combat.
The world watched in shock as the Taliban got complete control of Afghanistan.
As anger and grief filled the hearts of every American, one veteran from Port St. Lucie, Florida paid tribute to the 13 soldiers in his own way. Air Force veteran Jordan Vanderflier reserved a table for 14 at Texas Roadhouse. One place at the table was for him, and the rest were for the fallen soldiers.
“The initial reaction was let’s accommodate. So it was immediately all hands on deck, there were four of us scrambling. Pouring beers, getting the table set up,” said Rick Kirk, managing partner at Port St. Lucie’s Texas Roadhouse.
Jordan lost a very good friend in Afghanistan in the past and he could feel the pain of the families of the soldiers killed last week.
“They deserved the true respect and recognition to be able to have something like this, you know, as a reminder of, ‘Hey, you’re at this restaurant right now because these guys are away from their families, you know, risking their lives for us every day,’” he said.
Credit: Twitter
Jordan’s photos went viral and people were thanking him for his act. As a result, the restaurant decided to have the table reserved in the next 13 days.
When it comes to choosing the perfect place to live in, different people have different desires. While some dream of huge houses and mansions and work hard to afford such places, others prefer smaller homes.
Craig Gordinier, 28, served in US Coast Guard for 8 years. However, after he left the service, he had a hard time settling in and finding a job. The pandemic struck and many business closed, so he was left wondering what to do with his life. At the time, Craig was living with his parents who were more than happy to offer him a place to stay. However, he wasn’t happy sleeping on their couch and decided to take things in his own hands.
“March, April, and May was just so difficult. Because of COVID, I knew I wasn’t going to find a job. The way that life was looking, I had everything taken from me,” he told Insider.
Namely, while serving, Craig met a friend who was living in an RV, so he thought that adjusting a huge vehicle to a home was a good idea and now his loft on wheels is gathering the attention of many.
“There was always that one guy who either lived in a van or in an RV who was saving a bunch of money,” he said. “I never really wanted to do it until last year when I started actually planning out my life and I got to the end and I realized how much I actually would like it.”
Finally, after an exhaustive search, Craig wound exactly what he was looking for. “I started looking at sprinter vans and trailer and tiny homes and buses, and I finally found the perfect bus that was in South Dakota. I flew out there, and I bought the bus,” he explained.
With a lot of hard work and creativity, Craig managed to turn the bus into the perfect living space. The first thing he did was push up the roof about 20 inches in his “living room” and deck out the lower storage area in order to make some space for his motorcycle. He also installed solar panels and a roof deck. Inside, he built a nice kitchen with an espresso-bar and a nice bathroom with a shower.
“Just because houses have rooms does not mean that a bus needs to have rooms,” Craig told Insider. “It feels like a mansion on wheels.”
The name Jane Fonda speaks of success and fame probably more than any other female name in the film industry. Her career spans six decades, time during which she gave her fans many memorable roles.
Some may say that being the daughter of the legendary actor Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda didn’t have to work hard for what she has, but that is certainly not the case with the now 83-year-old actress.
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She was born in New York city on December 21, 1937, and her mother committed suicide when Fonda was only 12 years old. This was something that affected her deeply. She and her dad were close, but he wasn’t a man of many words. Speaking of him, Fonda told Oprah, “My father didn’t verbalize much, but I knew he had regrets, and I don’t want to.
“I want to have people around me who really love me, whom I really love. And I know that you can’t collect those chips unless you’ve earned them during your life. What that said to me was that I had one act left to make sure I didn’t get to the end with regrets.
“What would I regret the most? My big regret would be if I’d never had an intimate relationship. But if you never grew up with intimacy, if you were never with parents who really loved each other, and you never saw that and absorbed it as a kid, it’s hard to know how to do it.”
Known not only for her films and the great number of awards she has received, among which many nominations and two Oscars, for her 1972 movie Kluteand the 1979 movie Coming Home, but also for her charity work and her courage to speak her mind, Fonda is loved by many. However, during one occasion, she made people angry after she posed for photos next to an anti-aircraft gun in North Vietnam during the height of the anti-Vietnam War protests.
This year, during the Golden Globes Award Ceremony, Fonda received the Cecil B. DeMille Award given annually to an “individual who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment.” Among those who were honored with this reward are stars like Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep and Lucille Ball.
According to Page Six, Fonda said she knew her father would be proud of her. In her speech, she addressed the issue about the lack of diversity inside of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes on the awards.
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Another thing that attracted the attention of the wide public was Fonda’s choice of outfit. Some years ago, she told Ellen DeGeneres that she would never again buy a new piece of clothing, and she stood by her words. During the recent Golden Globe Ceremony, she was dressed in a white suit that she wore before.
During the 2020 Oscar’s, Fonda was dressed in the same outfit as at the International Cannes Film Festival in 2014.
Fixer Upper, the reality show ran by Chip and Joanna Gaines, attracted plenty of fans throughout the five seasons it aired.
However, this couple that we all love so much isn’t only famous for their renovating skills, but for their hearts of gold too. Over the years, they have donated money to charities on many occasions and never miss a chance to ask from the public to do the same.
Back in 2019, following a visit of St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, Chip and Joanna donated $1.5 million.
During the quarantine, Chip changed his style drastically. Namely, he let his hair grow long, but not many liked him that way. And as many criticized him for his looks, he actually had something else in mind when he opted not to have his hair cut for that long.
“The pandemic hit and we just cut that out of our typical routine, probably like most people, and so after it got a little longer and a little longer, I just was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to go for it. I’m going to grow this out,’” he said.
He decided to turn people’s “dislike” of his long hair in his favor and challenged them to donate to St.Jude Children’s Hospital depending on how much they hated his style. “All I’m asking you to do is cut a check. If you hate my hair, $25. If you are repulsed by me and my hair, I’d say that’s 50 bucks,” he wrote on Instagram.
Believe it or not, in no time, $425,000 were raised. Chip and Joanna rounded it up to $500,000 and also contributed an additional $50,000 to Children with Hair Loss, the organization Chip donated his hair to.
When the day for the so much anticipated cut arrived, Chip was accompanied by a teenage boy named Bailey whom he met back in 2017. At the time, Bailey was battling cancer and was receiving treatments at St. Jude.
“Jo and I met Bailey back in 2017, and seeing him now as a healthy young man reminds me why we were drawn to St. Jude,” he wrote on Instagram.
Before it was completely shaved, Chip’s hair was pulled back into ponytails and cut off.
This is the life story of one of the most inspiring women out there, Ricki Lake. She’s an actress, television presenter and a producer who made a name for herself after she was cast for the lead role in the musical Hairspray.
Her life wasn’t an easy one, as she faced a number of obstacles throughout the years, but she would always end up a winner. When she was pretty young, Lake was sexually violated by one of her father’s employees, and that’s something that stayed with her forever and changed the way she saw her body and perceived her femininity.
“This was the late 1970s and it wasn’t talked about,” she explained. “You pushed everything under the rug.” At one point in her life, she weighted 270 pounds and said it was a result of her insecurities. That all changed, however, when she gave birth to her sons Milo and Owen. “I was able to look at my body and see what it was able to do and embrace it,” Lake told People Magazine in 2009. “Sort of let go of all the body image issues.”
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Lake was married twice. In 1994, she married Rob Sussman, the father of her kids. They divorced in 2005. Lake’s second husband was jewelry designer Christian Evans who suffered from bipolar disorder and took his life in 2017. Lake was left heartbroken and posted a tribute to the man she called her soulmate, writing: “It is with a heavy heart that I share that my beloved soulmate, Christian Evans has passed. The world didn’t understand this man, but I did. He succumbed to his life long struggle with bipolar disorder.”
Lake was always under the spotlight, first, because of her acting career and later for her talk show RickiLake which reached to millions of fans and was rated second by the number of views, just after The Oprah Winfrey Show. Lake’s show aired in 1993 and became an instant hit, especially with the young audience. Lake was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1994 and won one in 2013 for Outstanding Talk Show Host after her show which she left in 2004 was reborn.
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Speaking of her role in Hairspray, Lake told Interview Magazine, “I totally did break the mold, and it’s with life experience that I have more reverence for what I was able to achieve. I have to give credit to John Waters for seeing in me the qualities he wanted for that character. And thank god he did, because I don’t know what I would be doing without having had that job as my entry into this business.” This role, of course, wasn’t the only that marked her career in film. In 1990, Lake starred alongside Johnny Depp and music icon Iggy Pop in Cry Baby and was part of a number of other films and projects.
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Recently, our favorite host shared a secret with her fans. She spoke openly of her problem with hair loss and admitted how she was wearing wigs and extensions for the last 30 years, but she felt it was now the time for her to show her true self to the world and serve as an inspiration and support for other women who go through the same.
It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things,” she wrote. “Almost no one in my life knew the level of deep pain and trauma I was experiencing. Not even my therapist/s over the years knew my truth.
Lake shared photos of her with her natural hair and we say she is not only beautiful, but very bold too. She truly is a wonderful person, both inside and out.
It’s not everyday that we hear of people who reach 100 years old. Those who do, however, are the luckiest of all, and one World War II veteran named Benny Ficeto is definitely one of the most fortunate people there are. Not only because he got to live that many years, but also because he’s surrounded with people who love him unconditionally and make sure they remind him how grateful they are for his service every single day.
What is unusual about this special man is that he only retired from his job when the pandemic started. Up until then, he was going to work every single day. Before turning 90, Benny worked at a Stop & Shop in Bloomingdale, New Jersey. He then moved to Edison, New Jersey, for his last ten years of work.
“Working at my age gives you purpose,” Benny said, according to his nephew Daniel Reynolds who spoke to Fox News about his uncle.
Stop & Shop organized a birthday party and a parade for Benny to mark his milestone. There was food, music, and a number of people there. Benny’s co-workers, family members, and even customers gathered together to celebrate the special occasion.
“Always enjoyed seeing Benny when he worked in the Bloomfield store…always upbeat and helpful….I could always leave the store smiling if he was bagging for me,” one customer wrote on the shop’s post dedicated to Bartholomeo Benny Ficeto, whom everyone knows as Benny the Bagger.
“People would wait in line even if there was an open register, they would wait because they wanted Benny to bag their groceries,” the store’s spokesperson Stefanie Shuman confirmed.
Besides the party, the place had a special surprise for one of their most hard-working employees. Namely, in Benny’s honor, they designated a parking spot as veterans-only and dubbed it “Benny’s Spot.” What a thoughtful thing to do for someone who has dedicated a great part of his life serving the country and its people.
“It says in honor of Benny for his service to the store and his country,” Shuman said. “He knew the day was for him. Every day should be for him in my opinion.”
In fact, this isn’t the first time for Stop & Shop to organize a party for Benny. They have done beautiful things for him in the past. For his 98th birthday, they congratulated Benny through a number of media outlets. When he turned 99, the place organized a drive-by birthday parade.
The store is looking forward to Benny’s 101st birthday. “He’s still part of this family and we will continue to celebrate him,” Shuman added.
Doctors from the rural Guizhou Province in China, as well as from nearby towns, struggle to detect the reason why a 36-year-old woman’s belly can’t stop growing. According to Huang Guoxian, who is a mother of two, her belly weights 44 pounds and is getting bigger and bigger with each passing day.
She finds it extremely hard to do her everyday activities and is unable to stand on her feet for more than 10 minutes. That means that her 10-year-old son has to take care of pretty much everything around the house while her husband works away from home. The grandparents also help.
Youtube: NYOOOZ
It all started when Guoxian first experienced pain some two years ago. Doctors gave her medicine which made her feel a bit better, but her stomach kept growing and hasn’t stopped ever since. Doctors ran a number of tests and tried different treatments but the reason behind her condition remains a mystery. CT scans, however, showed how she suffers from various illnesses, including liver cirrhosis, ovarian cancer, and an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen and chest, according to the Daily Mail. It is still unknown whether any of this conditions affected the belly growth.
Guoxian is now hoping the specialist from a local hospital could operate on her, but the surgery would cost 30,000 yuan, or $4290. The helpless woman who has trouble breathing, eating and sleeping is begging the public to help her raise the money.
Youtube: NYOOOZ
The Daily Mail cited what Guoxian told the Guizhou Urban Daily, writing, “I used to do homework very quickly, but now my big belly has seriously impacted my normal life. My two children are still young. Their grandmother and grandfather are helping to look after them now. I hope to recover and become healthy as soon as possible.”
We honestly hope doctors will help Guoxian get her old life back as soon as possible. Check out the video below for more.
Every actor has a unique story to tell of their rise to stardom. This is the one of Rachel Ward, an incredible actress whose career has spanned for decades.
At the beginning of her journey to fame, Ward was a well-known fashion model who appeared on the covers of many influential magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s & Queen. This, along with the number of commercials she was featured in, opened her path to Hollywood. It was in 1979 that beautiful Ward appeared in her first movie, Christmas Lilies of the Field. What followed after this movie were a number of smaller roles. But eventually, Ward got her well-deserved breakthrough playing Meggie Cleary in the cult miniseries The Thorn Birds alongside great Richard Chamberlain.
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Choosing the right actress for this role wasn’t at all easy. One of the producers of the 10-hour-long series, Stan Marguiles, recalled the struggles. “She has to go from 18 to her early 50s. From a rather naïve, overly romantic young girl to a bitter woman in her 30s, to a woman who finally understands where she took the wrong turn when she reaches her 50s. There’s an enormous range of emotions and colors,” he told NFSA Australia.
Ward herself spoke of the time she got the role that changed her life forever. “They first started to age me, it was kind of scary,” Ward recalled. “I had these endless double chins. I sort of had a body suit underneath the clothes, I remember liking it when I grew older, I liked the outfits, there was slightly more masculine than they were in the beginning.”
“My audition was quite light and I had a sense of humor” the actress added. “I remember I was taking it seriously but I wasn’t acting with a capital A. It is so subjective, performances pieces, and I was probably spot on the first time. I got like 10/10 for looks and 4/10 for acting.”
The series was a huge success and is considered one of the best ever by many. It received four Golden Globes, including Best Miniseries, as well as six Emmy awards. Ward was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Speaking to Closer, Ward opened up about her insecurities after many criticized her acting.
She recalled the New York Times writing at the time that she was a “miscast.” However, over the years, she realized she shouldn’t be harsh on herself as there were so many people who praised the way she presented the role. Among them was her daughter who has seen The Thorn Birds years after it first aired and told Ward, “Mom, you were fabulous.” “That was, for me, the most important response that I could’ve ever had,” the actress said.
Instagram/RachelWard
This miniseries didn’t only bring Ward fame, but also gave her the love of her life. It was when the cameras were off that the true love story took place. Ward and her on-screen husband, actor Bryan Brown, fell for one another on set. “What happened on screen was happening off it – that’s why our love scenes were so believable,” Ward told the UK’s Daily Express.
“Everyone on set realized they were falling for each other. “I’ve never seen two people more in love,” Chamberlain said. “She seemed to get happier and happier and her work got better and better.”
Ward and Brown got married in 1983 and have three children together. Until this day, they love one another as day one.
Ward is now 63 and she has never stopped acting. Some of the movies she took part in are The Big House, Martha’s New Coat and television series Rake, Devil’s Playground and The Straits. In 2001 she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the film On the Beach.
In 2019, Ward and Brown became grandparents for the first time when their daughter Matilda had her son Zan. What is very special is that both of them where present when their grandson was welcomed into the world.
Speaking of that moment, Matilda told Over Sixty: “When I was pushing Zan out at the end, dad was stroking my head and mum was cheering me on, crying, saying, ‘Come on, Till! He’s so close. It was pretty special that both my parents got to be with me through such a monumental time in my life.”
Besides acting, Ward, who looks as incredible as ever, is busy doing charity work. 2005, she was awarded the A.M (Member of the Order of Australia for “raising awareness of social justice through lobbying, mentoring and advocacy for the rights of disadvantaged and at-risk young people.”
Offering kindness when needed can change not only someone’s day, but many times, their world as well.
Kayla Cooper is a nursing student who is working two part-time jobs in order to be able to pay for her studies. She doesn’t have it easy, but she’s doing her best.
It was in February of 2019 when this young lady decided to visit an auto dealership in order to get herself a car. Knowing just how busy she was working and studying she really was in need of a vehicle.
However, once there, she learned that the shop required a down payment. Sadly, it meant that Kayla was about to leave the place without the car she chose and liked very much.
At the time, there was another man at the auto dealership. His name was Dan Laguardia and he was there to trade in his Toyota. He happened to overhear the conversation between Kayla and the seller and decided to do something for the hardworking lady. He knew that trading his old car wouldn’t mean a lot to him, but it would certainly mean the world to the nursing student. So, he decided to simply give it to her for free.
“When I was doing my transaction, she was like at the table next to me talking to the salesperson, and I could kind of tell she wasn’t getting what she was there for,” Dan said.
When he offered his Toyota to Kayla, she was shocked. She just couldn’t believe there were still people like Dan out there who would go above and beyond for a complete stranger.
So this happened tonight…. there was a gentleman buying a BMW trading in an older Scion XB. About the same time young…
“I was shaking, because it’s something so unreal. It’s a whole car — how can someone be so generous to give their car away? When you think everything is really gonna come to an end, just wait and be patient because anything is possible,” Kayla said.
If you want to learn more of this incredibly uplifting story, check out the video below.
Life is unpredictable, one moment you are at the top, and then, all of a sudden everything falls apart. And if you believe that things like these only happen to the ordinary people, you are wrong.
Does any of you remember the empire that Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband Jim Bakker built back in the day? This is their story.
Tammy was always a devoted evangelist who put her faith in God before everything. During her studies at the North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, she met her future husband Jim. It was said that they got engaged on their first date and soon tied the knot. However, both their love and life story would end in a manner no one really expected.
Youtube/Tammyfayetribute
In 1974, the Bakkers founded the Praise the Lord TV network, based out of North Carolina, which would soon turn into something very huge.
“What Bakker really wanted to do was create a Christian version of ‘The Tonight Show’,” John Wigger, author of PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Evangelical Empire, told ABC. “Which was really the first of Bakker’s big innovations, the Christian talk show.”
The truth is that they reached everything they put their mind to and became loved nationwide. Soon after, the couple started asking for donations from fans and gifts and money started pouring. In fact, they said this was the same as they would run commercials or sell products on their show which was gaining more and more popularity with each passing day. “‘All of your favorite shows are asking you to give them money by buying their products. It’s no different,’” said former PTL security chief Don Hardister.
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The show became the highest rated religious show with many guest celebrities who spoke of their religion and faith in God. It included preaching and some bits of comedy too.
But then, scandals came along the way and the empire of the Bakker family crushed.
It was in 1987 that the whole nation was shocked by the news that Jim was having an affair with then 21-year-old Jessica Hahn. In fact, Hahn accused the televangelist of raping her while she worked as a secretary at the church. Rumors were he offered her $250,000 to keep her silent. This affair was the start of the fall of the Bakker’s empire.
Hahn on the other hand became a celebrity almost overnight and launched her modeling career. Throughout the late 1980s and into the 2000s, she was a frequent guest at The Howard Stern Show.
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Hahn also accused Jim of mismanaging the finances of Praise the Lord Network after which an investigation was launched. Jim was accused of 24 counts of fraud and was found guilty thus given 45 years in prison, a sentence later reduced to eight years. While he was serving his time behind bars, Tammy divorced him and re-married.
In 1988, after stepping down from PTL, Tammy, who was known for wearing heavy make-up wherever she appeared, started an acting career and got a role in the famous show Roseanne.
People often teased her for her make-up but she didn’t seem to care. In 1998, Tammy said during an interview, ”I just laugh at them, it’s just a face. I think everyone deserves to be who they want to be. Everyone should wear the face that they’re comfortable with. If you look good then you feel good about yourself. I think I feel ugly without it. I think that’s it, I don’t do it for you, I do it for me. And I feel prettier with it, then we all act pretty. How you look does have a lot to do with who you are and what you become.”
Youtube/Larrysadler
In 1996, Tammy was diagnosed with colon cancer. She died in 2004, at the age of 65 in her home in Loch Lloyd, Missouri. The last time Tammy went public was during her last interview with Larry King. Asked if she had any regrets she said, “I believe when I leave this earth, because I love the Lord, I’m going straight to heaven. I don’t think about it, Larry, because it’s a waste of good brain space.”
She was looking unrecognizable and visibly skinny. Despite that, she still had her trademark make-up on. The last image of Tammy shook her fans and people from over the country.
