One thing that most kids love playing with are the legos. A great number of beautiful creations can be made using these tiny interlocking plastic bricks, all you need is a creative mind and some artistic skills, pretty much like those possessed by a young boy named Brynjar Karl Birgisson.
In the case of Brynjar, these bricks not only helped him create the largest replica of the Titanic when he was just 10 years old, but also helped him with his autism and his inability to put words together.
According to him, he was able to speak until the age of three, and then out of the blue, he had a hard time producing sentences. Speaking to My Autistic X Factor, this clever boy said: “Suddenly, I couldn’t say all the things I wanted to say. All the words I had learned disappeared into a fog […] I changed from a happy boy into an unhappy and lonely boy. I felt behind, trapped in my fog…I wasn’t able to put words together.”
At the age of 5, Brynjar was diagnosed with autism. From words, he turned to pictures which helped him learn. Over time, sweet Brynjar developed passion for legos and ships, and that resulted in an incredible creation of the largest Titanic replica ever. “It took 11 months and 700 hours to build my 6.5 meter (21.3 feet) long dream ship, using 56,000 bricks,” he said.
He had the support from his family, especially his grandfather, and all the people who helped him buy the bricks through crowdfunding.
The Titanic Brynjar built from legos took him to a lot of places, among which Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Germany, as well the U.S., where he could show off with his creation.
“I was totally unable to communicate when I started the project and now I’m standing on stage and giving interviews,” Brynjar said as per The Guardian newspaper.
“It has given me confidence. When I started the building process I had a person helping me in school in every step that I took, but today, I’m studying without any support. I have had the opportunity to travel and explore and meet wonderful people.”
Listen to Brynjar proudly speaking of the largest replica of Titanic made out of lego bricks.
With everlasting hits like It’s Not Unusual, She’s a Lady, Sexbomb and Delilah, among the many, it’s not surprising that Sir Tom Jones’ career spans over six decades.
Being one of the greatest pop singers of all time, Sir Jones’ music is popular today as it was back in the day when he started on singing.
Born Thomas John Woodward on June 7, 1940, in Whales, Sir Jones has always been in love with music. Ever since he was a young boy, he was part of the church choir and sang during every family gathering.
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Sir Jones married Linda, the love of his life, when he was just 17 years old. A month after they tied the knot, the pair welcomed their son Mark into their lives. Sir Jones and Linda had been together for 59 years, until her passing in 2016.
Speaking of the loss, Sir Jones said in an interview with This Morning that he would “never love again.” Wanting to fulfill his wife’s wish to get back to her roots, Sir Jones sold his Bel Air mansion after her death and moved to England.
He had a hard time getting back to singing long after Linda said her final goodbye.
Source: Instagram/ realsirtomjones
“When my wife passed away, I didn’t think I could sing,” Sir Jones told Express UK. “When you’re emotional, you can’t sing, your voice closes up.
“There are certain songs I wouldn’t do. But you have to try and get things in the right perspective. Feeling emotional; use it to your advantage and put it into the song. It took me a while,” he continued. “Took me a few months to try and see if I could sing. I got some of my musicians around and tried a few songs. But it was very emotional.”
When it comes to his career, Sir Jones became a frontman of the local band Tommy Scott and the Senators at the age of 23. He played the drums and the guitar, but soon after, he figured out that singing was his thing.
When he started his solo career, his agent, Gordon Mills, made him change his name to Tom Jones as he believed it was a better stage name than his real one. Pretty much, like all artists do.
Source: Instagram/ realsirtomjones
After six months of recording demos, Mills showed Sir Jones a song he had written for then young artist Sandie Shaw. Sir Jones loved the piece and asked to record it. Mills decided he would give the song to Shaw who first heard it as a demo performed by Sir Jones. She loved how it sounded so much that she said the person who sang it should have it. That is how Sir Jones ended up with the legendary It’s Not Unusual which became a top 10-hit in the US.
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Sir Jones performed in the legendary Flamingo casino in Las Vegas when he first met Elvis Presley. He recalled the meeting and said how the King recognized him the moment he saw him.
“So he gets out of this helicopter and starts walking towards me. I had a record out at the time, my third single called With These Hands and Elvis is suddenly walking towards me and he’s singing ‘With these hands, I will cling to you,’” Tom Jones said on The Graham Norton Show.
“And I thought ‘My God! If the boys back home could see me now!’ Elvis said to me, ‘How the hell do you sing like that?’”
Today, Sir Jones, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his services to music in 2016, is still very active and doesn’t plan to stop working any time soon. He recently revealed what helps him remain in shape and although some may find it strange, it’s not unusual for the singer. Namely, as he has experienced back pain for many years, he decided to try this technique called “inversion therapy” during which he dangles upside down. According to the singer, it helps him with his blood circulation and eases the pressure on his spine.
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“In 2030 I am going to be 90 years old,” he told The Sun. “I hang upside down. You know on one of those frames. It’s great. You put your feet in the thing and you flip and you hang.”
Recently, Sir Jones received two shots of the vaccine against COVID-19.
We are so happy one of our favorite singers of all time is doing strong. We only wish him the best in the years to come.
The day started as any other for a woman from Montclare, Chicago, who was talking a walk. Near an ally, she noticed a pile of trash. She took a closer look and a discarded dresser caught her attention. She taught she could use the handles so she stopped to remove them. In the next moment, she was left in complete disbelief. There, in the bottom drawer, there was a baby.
As per NBC Chicago, the woman who wanted to remain anonymous said she believed someone placed the baby there in the morning.
“I put my finger on the little foot, too just to see he was moving,” she said.
Source: YouTube/ ABC 7 Chicago
The little one was extremely lucky the woman spotted him just in time as a pick up truck was on its way to collect the trash that morning.
“It’s a good thing somebody came by. It’s hot out there, it could’ve ended differently, but it’s all seemingly worked out,” Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford told the Chicago Tribune.
The police reported that the baby boy was taken to a hospital and is doing fine. He’s perfectly healthy. However, they are now trying to track down the person who left him in the trash and are asking the public to come forward with any information valuable for the investigation.
They also want to remind the public that under the Illinois’ Safe Heaven, parents who don’t want to keep their 30-day-old or younger infants can safely surrender them to a hospital, police station, fire station, or emergency medical facility without facing any legal charges.
Hayden Howard, the owner of a beautiful English Mastiff named Jackson, was left puzzled when she noticed strange marks on the dog’s body. After a thorough examination, the only logical explanation she could come up with was that her baby was covered in bug bites.
“I wasn’t sure what (the holes) were, so I googled it, and it said something about botfly,” Howard remarked.
However, in order to be sure, she took Jackson to the vet. There, she learned the horrific truth. The poor dog was shot with a BB gun 27 times. The culprit shot Jackson while he was staying in his fenced backyard, 400 Vehslage Road.
Source: YouTube/NEWS usToday
The vet was able to successfully extract 20 BB pellets and 7 gunshot bullets out of Jackson’s body. He said the shooting took place from a close range and Jackson was lucky he survived the gruesome attack.
Source: YouTube/NEWS usToday
“It just baffles me that someone would want to do that to him. He’s not a vicious dog. He’s lovable and just lays there in the backyard. No one has ever come to me with a problem about him. He’s always been shy, even around me,” Howard said.
“He had one under his eyelid, and he could have been blinded,” she recalled tearfully.
Jackson was given a handful of medications to help him with the injuries and the pain.
Source: YouTube/NEWS usToday
Howard offered a $500 reward for any information that could lead to the horrible person who hurt her baby.
Shortly after the incident, the police arrested 44-year-old Tim Woodard for drug possessions of meth, paraphernalia and marijuana. They also linked him to the shooting of Jackson.
We are so glad the man responsible of hurting Jackson will get his punishment.
You can take a look at the entire story in the video below.
Witnessing young people doing the right thing when given the chance is an assurance that we are leaving this planet in safe hands. Although societies perceive youngsters as reckless and sometimes selfish, that is not always the case. Many of these people are raised right and they are doing everything in their power to show the world that they are honest human beings, just like the guy from this story.
An elderly man was standing near the escalator at the The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, Massachusetts, hesitating whether to use it or not. A group of people were waiting for him to start moving, but the man just stood there. It was then when a young man approached closer and offered a helping hand. “Can I help you, sir?” he could be heard asking as he reached his arm towards the elderly gentleman.
The man accepted the arm and explained that he got stuck on an escalator once and he was now afraid to use it.
Source: Facebook/Paula Accorsi Picard
Everyone remained patient as the two people who belonged to different generations were getting down.
An onlooker who witnessed the heart-melting scene decided to snap a picture which she later shared online. Along with the photo and the story behind it, the woman wrote: “In about an hour, the evening news will air and we’ll be reminded of division, race wars, political mud-slinging, shootings and other heartaches. But today, violence, race, age, politics and other social lines were blurred and one person simply helped another. I wanted to hug both of them.”
Many were touched by the young man’s act of kindness and couldn’t help by praise him for his heart of gold.
For more stories which tug at our heartstrings go to the video below.
Social networking sites are the perfect place for meeting new people and making new friends, but at the same time, they are a way for some cruel individuals who are hiding behind the computer screens to post mean and offensive comments because of other people’s beliefs, opinions, and appearance.
20-year-old Inma Franco from Extremadura, Spain, has a condition known as Saethre-Chotzen syndrome which causes a premature fusing of the skull and affects the shape of the face and the head. As a result, Inma is a target of bullies who comment on her looks and make fun of her.
But this brave young girl won’t let anyone affect her self-confidence. Instead, she’s raising her voice and serves as an inspiration for many young people who are victims of online bullying.
Inma decided to post a video on TikTok in which she speaks of her condition and on how the mean comments affect her life.
“You do not know what it is to go down the street and they laugh at you for your face, for everything,” she says in tears.
“Those small comments that seem harmless are the ones that hurt the most. You do not know the amount of videos that I never got to upload to YouTube due to insecurities.”
She already has 25.000 followers on YouTube and now her TikTok video has been seen over 1 million times. In it she also says: “The most important thing to be happy is to love yourself as it is with all its defects and insecurities. Thank you ♥ ️ and please, before commenting, think carefully about what you are going to say because you do not know how your comment may affect that person.”
A huge number of people took their time to offer their support, among which famous Spanish actor and writer Brays Efe who wrote: “Inma, don’t let anyone tell you that they are defects, something defective is something that does not work. Beauty is an opinion and here what matters is what you think. And the scars are not defects , they are medals that you have fought and won. I admire you.”
Actor Victor Clavijo reffered to Inma as to a “strong, brave, sensitive and intelligent woman,” according to Spain’s ABC News.
Queria dar las gracias a todos los que estáis compartiendo este vídeo por aquí 🥺♥️. Hace tiempo que no me conecto a Twitter y ver comentarios así.. jo muchas gracias enserio 🥺♥️ pic.twitter.com/TIfK0So4UE
If you love to do something that is uncommon, and what people do just few times in the whole life, than you must try to do something like this on these photos below.
Maybe you will feel strange while you looking at these photos, but who knows, maybe that’s exactly what you need.
P.S Whatever you do, don’t look down and make you sure you have a Life Insurance before you scroll down! 🙂
1. Cliff camping.
Gordon Wiltsie/National Geographic / Getty Images
2. Skywalking in the Alps.
Photo by Josef Stuefer – flickr
3. Portaledge camping at Yosemite.
Corey Rich / Getty Images
4. Climbing Redwoods.
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5. Sitting on the Trolltunga rock in Norway.
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6. Jumping on the Trolltunga rock in Norway.
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7. British climber John Roberts in South Africa.
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8. Ice climbing a frozen waterfall.
Keith Ladzinski/Barcroft Media /Landov
9. Extreme skiing at Grand Targhee, Wyoming.
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10. Tree camping in Germany.
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11. Extreme kayaking at Victoria Falls.
Desre Tate/Barcroft Media /Landov
12. Blake Aldridge dives 29 metres from the rock monolith during the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Portugal.
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13. On the Edgewalk in Toronto.
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14. A defying act by Eskil Rønningsbakken in Norway.
15. Alex Honnold at Yosemite.
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16. Now imagine if you dropped your phone down there.
Graduating from college is a step that marks new chapter in students’ lives. It means they have accomplished their dreams and are now ready to embrace the new challenges and find suitable jobs.
These precious moments of joy are even more special because they are shared with the ones we love the most.
Sadly, for a student named Jeric Rivas from the Philippines, who graduated from La Conception College in the city of San Jose del Monte, getting the degree was a bittersweet moment.
He was there all by himself as nobody from his family showed up at the ceremony.
He was so disappointed that he felt it could help him feel a bit better if he shared his sad story with the world. This is what he wrote:
Story of my life JERIC R. RIVAS Bachelor Of Science In Criminology Criminology Service Awardee La Concepcion College San Jose Del Monte Bulacan 2019
He’s heart broke into million pieces not only because his parents didn’t come to be by his side on this special day, but also because this wasn’t the first time for them to show lack of support for their son.
“I felt a great deal of sadness and joy on the day of my graduation.”
Rivas recalled the time when he graduated from elementary school and remembered the emptiness that filled his heart when he was the only child with no family members by his side.
When he graduated from high school, he secretly hoped for his loved ones to be there and congratulate him on his huge success. But that didn’t happen.
Rivas was supposed to take the stage and receive a medal for being the best student in the generation, but he refused to go on the stage as he knew people would wonder why he was alone and would feel sorry for him.
Seeing all his classmates being able to share their joy with people who meant the world to them made Rivas jealous, and he’s not ashamed to admit that.
But despite all this, Rivas never stop chasing his dreams and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree as well as a Service Award from the Criminology program.
However, getting that degree wasn’t easy as Rivas never received any kind of support, including financial. He had to move places many times and had to work multiple jobs in order to be able to pay for his education.
After everything he had to go through, Rivas promised himself he would do all in his power to afford a nice life for himself.
In April of this year, when Rivas graduated and published his touching post, he once again felt neglected and desperate. It all made him shed tears, no matter how hard he tried to hold them back.
This time, however, he wasn’t all alone. On the way to the stage, he saw one of his professors who was very supportive of him, so Rivas embraced her.
Rivas walked proudly knowing that everything he accomplished was all thanks to his hard work and determination.
He thanked his professors who were there for him and never stopped believing in him.
And this time, he made sure people knew his parents didn’t want to be there. He realized it was their shame, not his.
“10 years from now, I imagine myself as a successful person, smiling to those people who degraded me throughout my journey.”
Rivas’ post vent viral and people from all around the world took their time to congratulate him on his achievements.
We are so happy and proud that this young man stayed true to achieving his goals despite the circumstances.
There are no words to describe how valuable dogs are to people. From being the perfect pets and the most loyal friends one could ask for, to helping people with disabilities with their everyday tasks and working hard as police officers and helping fight crime, dogs are awesome creatures we can’t imagine our lives without.
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Recently, a one-year-old Bloodhound named Fred, who works as a K9, helped track an abducted girl. Kinzleigh Reeder, 6, has been abducted by her father on May 26 and was nowhere to be found until Fred got involved in the search. Thanks to his incredible sense of smell, the girl and her father were located in an outbuilding.
Before he started his search, Fred was given a piece of clothing which belonged to the father to sniff.
“They traveled to the home and released Fred who followed a foot path from the home to a burn pile, a truck and an outbuilding,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. “He sniffed the door and door knob, then sat down indicating he found the father.”
The door was locked and the police forced an entry. Both the father and the girl were found inside the place.
“We made entry into the building and discovered the suspect and child in the back of the shed behind blankets that were hanging from a makeshift clothesline,” Sgt. James Holloway said.
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The father, Nicholas Reeder, was arrested and take into custody. He was charged with child abuse and neglect while sweet Kinzleigh was turned over to DeKalbCounty deputies.
She was glad she was saved and gave Fred a huge hug after he licked her face. “I praised him and loved on him,” deputy Tidwell said. “I pulled the chicken reward out of my pocket. He ate the chicken and wanted to meet other people as if to say, ‘Look what I’ve done.’”
Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office must be proud and happy for having a K9 like Fred in their team. Well done, Fred, and thank you for your service.
The Swedish group ABBA is until this day considered one of the most famous groups in the world. Most of their hits are iconic and even those who were born years after the members of the group split know their songs and dance to them.
One of the members, Agnetha Faltskog, the beautiful blonde who captured millions of hearts is now leading a quiet life living on an island in Sweden and spending time with her grandchildren who are still too young to understand how popular their grandmother was back in the day.
Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Agnetha was born in the Swedish city of Jönköping on April 5, 1950. She showed interest in music from very early age and everyone knew she was destined to become a star. When she was five years old, Agnetha wrote her first song and would often go to her neighbor’s place to play the piano. Her parents decided to pay for piano lessons when she was eight because they could see just how much their daughter was interested in the instrument and singing.
During her teenage years, Agnetha formed her first band together with two of her friends, The Cambers. They had gigs around Sweden but Agnetha then moved on and became part of the band Bernt Enghardt. They toured around the country while Agnetha worked as a telephonist for a car company. However, she felt exhausted most of the time and even passed out while on the job one day so her mother told her: “Either you work as a normal person or you dedicate fully to singing,” according to SwergiesRadio. Agnetha chose her singing career and the rest is history.
Credit: Wikipedia Commons
At the age of 17, Agnetha had her first single, Jag var så kär [I Was So In Love], which reached No.1 on the Swedish sales chart, and she rose to popularity in her home country almost overnight.
It was then that she caught the attention of Björn Ulvaeus, who would later become her husband. “I remember hearing Agnetha’s first single on the radio. There was something so special about her voice and the fact that she had written that song herself – it was magic,” Benny said in the BBC documentary Agnetha: Abba and After.
Credit: Wikipedia Commons
The group only became complete when Benny Anderson fell in love with Anni-Frid Lyngstad. In 1972, the four released the song People Need Love and performed under the name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. However, it all changed for them when they decided to take part in Melodifestivalen, the Swedish qualification competition for the Eurovision Song Contest. They finished third that year, and Agnetha recalled how she was sort of relieved they didn’t win because she was heavily pregnant with her and Björn first child at the time.
The following year, 1974, the group competed once again and won the Eurovision contest with the everlasting hit Waterloo after which the ABBA hysteria took the entire world. They released hit after hit, including Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All,Money, Money, Money, Fernando, Mamma Mia and a lot more.
“I managed to combine marriage, giving birth, divorce and a world-wide success during the 10-12 years we were doing ABBA,” Agnetha told SvergiesRadio. “It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that. It wasn’t easy leaving home, especially since dad [Bjorn] was away as well. We left our children but we made sure that they were being taken care off.
“We weren’t away as much as one might think. If we were away for 14 days, we decided that we’d be home for 14 days as well,” she said.
Credit: Wikipedia Commons
The song The Winner Takes it All was written about Agnetha and Björn divorce and according to her that is why she delivered it with so much emotion. “Bjorn and I have dealt with the heartbreak,” she told Daily Mail. “It’s amicable. In love there are so many ups and downs but I remain optimistic. I haven’t closed any doors.”
ABBA split up shortly after the divorce of Benny and Frida. The group has sold millions of records and has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their incredible impact in the music industry.
After her solo career, Agnetha decided to get out of the spotlight. Her estimated net worth is around $20 million. She’s 71 years old but looks as stunning as ever.
We’ve seen him grow from a young boy of 10 years to a man of 20 something right before our eyes and loved his character on one of the most popular TV shows in the history of film.
Angus T. Jones was offered the role of Jake Harper in Two and a Half Men when he was pretty young. His vibrant personality and wit, along with his beyond cute face was more than enough for the producers of the show to pick him up. Back in the day, he said, ”It was great not having to have the anticipation of a phone call.”
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On the series, he portrayed the son of divorcee Jon, played by Jon Cryer, and the nephew of his womanizer uncle who led hedonistic and carefree life, Charlie, played by Charlie Sheen.
People fell in love with Angus from the very first episode of the hit show and he became a celebrity overnight with millions of fans. Each of the episode was watched by whooping 15 million viewers. Receiving $300,000 per episode, Angus made history as the highest-paid child actor ever.
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Before playing the “half men,” Angus was part of commercials, with his first at the age of four, and was part of a number of movies, including Simpatico, See Spot Run, The Rookie, Bringing Down the House, George of the Jungle 2.
However, over the course of the ten years on the show that was his huge breakthrough, Angus had it enough from Hollywood. His character developed in a way not many expected, with Jake Harper turning into a teen who smoked marijuana and wasn’t interested in studying.
So, Angus left the show and some time after, he said he regretted being part of it. One of the reasons was him joining the Seventh-day Adventist church, a Protestant Christian church known for its conservative principles and lifestyle which were quite opposite of what the Two and the Half Men gave its audience.
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“If you watch Two and a Half Men, please stop watching Two and a Half Men. I’m on Two and a Half Men, and I don’t want to be,” Angus said in an interview for The Forerunner with Seventh-Day Adventist filmmaker Christopher Hudson.
“People say it’s just entertainment,” the actor continued. “Do some research on the effects of television in your brain and I promise you, you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to … what you watch on television. It’s bad news. You cannot be a true God-fearing person and be on a television show like that.”
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In 2014, when he officially left the show, Angus spoke to KHOU and said, ”It was difficult for me to be on the show and be part of something that was making light of topics in our world where there are really problems for a lot of people.” He then added, ”I was a paid hypocrite because I wasn’t OK with it and I was still doing it.”
Later, however, he understood his words were offensive for the show’s producer, Chuck Lorre, and although he kept his opinion regarding the series, he still felt he should apologize to Lorre.
”That’s his like baby and I just totally insulted his baby and to that degree I am apologetic but otherwise I don’t regret saying what I said,” Angus said.
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After the show, Angus has kept a low profile and attended college where he studied religion, saying the life away from the Hollywood glam was exactly what he needed.
Today, the 27-year-old actor looks completely unrecognizable. He has a long hair and a beard and posts confusing and often difficult to interpret messages on his Instagram profile.
Angus T Jones / Instagram
No matter what he chooses to do in life, we are glad Angus was part of one of the best TV shows ever and treated us with laughter each time.
Life is unpredictable. One day you are down and the next you on the top of the world. Sometimes, however, it goes the other way around and your success is shadowed by something and you find yourself at the bottom. What is good to know is that things change, and no matter the obstacles, there is always a way out.
Marion Fleming, or Mimi Swift as everyone knows her, was a young girl from Scotland who spent her entire childhood going from one orphanage to another. She was convinced her rough start in life would follow her in the years to come, but then, her luck changed.
Wikipedia Commons / Alan Light
This then 13-year-old girl was spotted by one of the most famous singing couples, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. They were on a tour in the UK when they visited the orphanage run by the Church of Scotland where Mimi was residing. During the visit, Mimi was chosen to greet them with a song, “Won’t You Buy My Pretty Flowers?”
That encounter was serendipitous.
Just two weeks after their meeting, Mimi was on the plane to California. Rogers and Evans adopted her after they received a legal custody of her.
Wikipedia Commons / Joseph Kane
This is just one example of the couple’s incredible human qualities. Many said over the years that Rogers wasn’t just a singer and the king of cowboys and western movies, but an extraordinary man who made a change in many people’s lives. He and Evans adopted four children and had a child on their own, Robin, who had Down Syndrome and died before her second birthday.
Speaking of her adoptive parents, Mimi says how they always encouraged her to stay in touch with her biological mom and dad and her family in Scotland. They never wanted her to cut ties with her relatives.
She also spoke of the life with the celebrity couple and described them as amazing human beings. “When we were in the house we were just a family, they were not Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, they were mum and dad,” she says.
Wikipedia Commons
Roy and Dale lived a happy life together and had a huge impact on many people’s lives. They will always be remembered as humanitarians and incredible talents.
Deep down, every man wishes to have a daughter, because the truth is that the relationship between dads and their little girls is like no other.
Cayleigh Hinton is a five-year-old girl who lost her daddy. She loved him to the moon and back. He was her hero and her guardian, and now he can protect her from Heaven.
Source: Facebook/ Illinois National Guard
Illinois National Guard Sergeant Terrence Hinton lost his life during a military training exercise, leaving Cayleigh and her mom behind. He served in Afghanistan and his little girl was very proud of him for his commitment and his bravery.
When the time came for Cayleigh to attend the father-daughter dance at school, she was heartbroken. She missed her dad unconditionally, but then someone special came along the way and made her day a bit brighter.
First Sgt. Joseph Bierbrodt was there to escort Cayleigh to the dance. A group of officers and firefighters were waiting for them to arrive at the school and gave the sweet girl flowers. They wanted to make sure she knew they were there for her whenever she needed them because when her dad died, they lost a friend and a companion.
Source: Facebook/ Illinois National Guard
It was a bittersweet moment, but definitely one that Cayleigh will remember for a very long time.
You can take a look at the two dancing in the video below. So touching!
A year has passed since Sergeant Sivad Johnson, 46, lost his life in an attempt to save three girls from drowning, and we still remember and honor his heroic act.
It was late August of 2020 when this off-duty firefighter was taking a trip to Belle Isle with his 10-year-old daughter. At one moment, they noticed three girls struggling to stay afloat and signaling for help. Johnson and another man jumped into Detroit River and managed to rescue one of the girls. The other two were saved by a nearby boat.
Crowd gathered around the girls to make sure they were okay, but then, Johnson’s daughter noticed her father wasn’t there. In all the chaos, he went missing.
Sgt. Sivad Johnson, 49, a 26-year veteran of the Detroit Fire Department, died while trying to rescue 3 young girls from drowning. They were later safely brought ashore. https://t.co/LGF47ENOAq
A search was initiated right away. Many people were involved in searching for Johnson, and that included officers, firefighters, and divers. Everyone was praying for a positive outcome. Unfortunately, Michigan state police later confirmed that Johnson drowned.
As reported by The New York Times, Johnson was part of the Detroit Fire Department for over 26 years.
He was a family man loved by many. “His friends, his colleagues, the people who worked for him said he was a mentor, he was a teacher. Many said he made their careers,” Deputy fire commissioner Dave Fornell said.
A huge number of firefighters gathered to salute their brave co-worker as his body was brought to Detroit Receiving Hospital.
“I would say there was not a dry eye in the house,” he said. “I’ve never seen as many firefighters as emotional as this. He was almost bigger than life. He just moved a lot of people.”
HERO! Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of @DetroitFire Sgt Sivad Johnson who, while off-duty, drowned saving three young girls. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” – John 15:13 – RIP Sir pic.twitter.com/oTplWGCU1v
One of Johnson’s friends started a GoFundMe page to help the family during the time of grief. The void Johnson left in everyone’s heart is huge and the pain is immense, and their only consolation is that he died a hero. May he rest in peace!
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.
