Tag: Stories

The year in space: Here are the top space stories of 2025
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STARTS RIGHT NOW. AND SPLASHDOWN. CREW NINE BACK ON EARTH. BACK ON EARTH. BREAKING AS WE COME ON THE AIR AT SEVEN. WE JUST HEARD IT. HAVE SPLASHDOWN. NEEDHAM NATICK. SONNY WILLIAMS AND FELLOW ASTRONAUT BUTCH WILMORE ARE FINALLY BACK ON EARTH. MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS AFTER. ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED. AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS NEW VIDEO INTO US JUST FROM A FEW MINUTES AGO. THAT IS SONNY WILLIAMS BEING HELPED FROM THE CAPSULE ONTO HER FEET ON THE SALVAGE SHIP THAT EIGHT DAY MISSION FINALLY COMING TO AN END AFTER 286 DAYS. THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT, EVERYONE. I’M ED HARDING AND I’M MARIA STEPHANOS. WE DO HAVE TEAM COVERAGE OF THIS LANDING. SONNY’S NEEDHAM NEIGHBORS WATCHING ALL OF IT. LET’S BEGIN WITH OUR DANAE BUCCI OUTSIDE OF THE SUNITA WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. IN THE SENSE OF PRIDE NEEDHAM FEELS FOR SONNY WILLIAMS IS EVIDENT, AND EVERYONE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO HER SAFE RETURN HOME. WE’RE BOTH VERY, VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HER BACK ON HER SAFELY. SONNY WILLIAMS HAS BEEN IN SPACE SO LONG, HER MOTHER, BONNIE PANDYA AND HER OLDER SISTER DEENA ARE ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR HER RETURN. I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE’RE A VERY ADAPTABLE AND WE WERE LIKE, GETTING USED TO SEEING HER EVERY WEEK ON THE SPACE STATION. IT’S BEEN AN UNEXPECTED NINE MONTH OUTER SPACE MISSION FOR THE NEEDHAM NATIVE. MY FAMILY MIGHT MAY BE A LITTLE UPSET, MAYBE A LITTLE CONCERNED, BUT USUALLY ASTRONAUT FAMILIES KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AND KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD HAPPEN. THINGS GO WRONG ON ALMOST EVERY MISSION. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT SONNY IS LIKELY GOING THROUGH. MORE THAN RETIRED ASTRONAUT CHARLES CAMARDA, AND YOU’RE JUST ANTICIPATING SEEING YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS AND TELLING ALL THOSE GREAT STORIES. HE WORKED ALONGSIDE SONNY AND HER PARTNER BUTCH WILMORE FOR YEARS. BUTCH AND SONNY ARE THE TWO MOST POSITIVE PEOPLE IN THE ASTRONAUT OFFICE. THEY’RE ALWAYS SMILING. THEY’RE SO EXPERIENCED, THEY’RE PROS. BUT BEING IN SPACE FOR NINE MONTHS CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE BODY. THE HEART DOESN’T HAVE TO PUSH AGAINST GRAVITY, SO THE HEART GETS WEAKER. MUSCULOSKELETAL CHANGES, SO THE BONES BECOME WEAKER IN SPACE. DOCTOR LUCA PIZZA IS ON MASS GENERAL SPACE MEDICINE DIVISION. HE SAYS AS SOON AS SONNY AND HER PARTNER, BUTCH LAND OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA, THE TWO WILL BE MET WITH A TEAM OF DOCTORS. SO THE BODY’S GOTTEN USED TO NOT PUMPING THE BLOOD SO HARD IT’S GOTTEN USED TO NOT HOLDING THE BODY UP AGAINST GRAVITY. IT’S GOT TO RELEARN ALL THOSE THINGS. DOCTOR SAYS IT WILL TAKE MONTHS FOR BOTH BUTCH AND SONNY’S BODIES TO ACCLIMATE BACK TO EARTH. WE’RE LIVE IN NEEDHAM DANAE BUCCI WCVB, NEWSCENTER FIVE. AND A WATCH PARTY IS STILL GOING ON AT THIS HOUR. RIGHT AT SONNY’S HOMETOWN OF NEEDHAM. PEOPLE THERE CHEERED. WE COULD HEAR THEM FROM HERE. SO EXCITED TO HAVE THE WILLIAMS BACK HOME. OUR SONNY WILLIAMS BACK HOME. OUR JOHN ATWATER CONTINUES TONIGHT LIVE AT THE COMMON ROOM. JOHN AND MARIA. YEAH, SO MANY ROUNDS OF CHEERING TONIGHT. THE LATEST JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO WHEN WE SAW SONNY WILLIAMS EMERGE FROM THAT CAPSULE ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER SPLASHDOWN. SO IT’S BEEN A LOT OF EXCITEMENT HERE. YOU CAN SEE DOZENS OF PEOPLE HERE STILL AT THE COMMON ROOM TONIGHT. THEY ALL CAME HERE TO EXPERIENCE THIS TOGETHER BECAUSE, WOW, IT HAS BEEN JUST A NINE MONTH ODYSSEY FOR THESE ASTRONAUTS UP THERE IN SPACE, ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE UP THERE FOR EIGHT DAYS, BUT IT TOOK A LOT LONGER TO GET THEM HOME. WHILE THEY ARE HOME TONIGHT. AND YOU CAN SEE ALL THE CHEERING HERE IN THE COMMON ROOM HERE IN NEEDHAM SONNY WILLIAMS HOMETOWN. WE SPOKE WITH A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER OVER AT SUNITA WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY. SHE AND HER STUDENTS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS JOURNEY, AND SHE IS SO RELIEVED. TONIGHT. I WENT TO HER FIRST TWO LAUNCH ATTEMPTS THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT, AND I DIDN’T GET TO GO TO THE LAST ONE WHERE SHE DID GO UP. BUT I’VE BEEN WATCHING AND FOLLOWING MY CLASS WATCHES AND FOLLOWS. THEY WERE SO EXCITED TODAY AND NOW I’M LIKE OVER THE TOP, OVER THE MOON AND SO EXCITED. I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE SHE’S BACK. CAN’T BELIEVE SHE’S BACK AFTER SO LONG. THERE WERE TEARS IN THAT TEACHER’S EYES BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS JOURNEY. THE SCHOOL REALLY ALL OF NEEDHAM SONNY WILLIAMS, OF COURSE IN CONTACT WITH THE STUDENTS HERE IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THEY ARE JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DAY WHEN SONNY COMES BACK HERE TO NEEDHAM FOR A
The year in space: Here are the top space stories of 2025

Top 10 space stories of 2025

Updated: 7:26 PM EST Dec 24, 2025

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From private space tourism to secret moons to new images of our very old observable universe, 2025 was an exciting year in space. The privatization of space travel continued apace, with companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin making strides this year. Despite privatization and looming funding cuts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its various projects and endeavors still managed to surprise us and expand our knowledge of our solar system. Check out the 10 best space stories from the past year:No. 1 — The space saga of Butch and SuniWithout a doubt, the space story that filled the most airtime this year was the tale of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. In June 2024, the pair signed on for a NASA mission to conduct a crew flight test of Boeing’s Starliner craft, which had previously only been used for uncrewed tests between Earth and the International Space Station. The mission was meant to last eight days — but ended up lasting more than nine months. The stranded astronauts became space celebrities and brought renewed attention to spaceflight during a time when space travel has morphed into a blend of public-private partnerships. The astronauts were eventually brought home on SpaceX’s Crew-9 vessel in March, marking a success for SpaceX but a blow to Boeing in the private space race.Watch video of Williams and Wilmore splashing down back to Earth in the video player above.No. 2 — Perseverance finds possible hints of ancient life on MarsNASA’s Perseverance rover has been roaming the Martian surface and collecting samples since 2021. But in the summer of 2024, the rover collected rock samples from a dried riverbed near the Jezero Crater with “leopard spots.” This year, scientists said those spots could suggest the existence of ancient microbial life on the red planet. “All we can say is one of the possible explanations is microbial life, but there could be other ways to make this set of features that we see,” a researcher told The Associated Press.However, this story is not over. More testing is needed to confirm what the samples contain, meaning they need to be retrieved from Mars and brought back to labs on Earth. A Mars Sample Return trip was hopefully scheduled for the early 2030s, but various factors, including President Donald Trump’s reorganized budget plan for NASA, mean that the return expedition is on hold indefinitely. For now, Perseverance and a potential secret to ancient life sit waiting in a rocky Martian desert.No. 3 — NASA probe takes closest-ever images of sunThe Parker Solar Probe, the fastest human-made object in the universe, is on a mission to “touch the Sun” — and it’s getting pretty close. In December 2024, the probe made its closest pass yet of the solar atmosphere, traveling at a speed of 430,000 mph. On Jan. 1, 2025, it sent back the closest images of the Sun ever captured, specifically of solar wind approximately 3.8 million miles from the surface.No. 4 — NASA’s Webb telescope discovers new moon orbiting UranusIt’s not every day you find a new moon. Using NASA’s Webb space telescope, a team from the Southwest Research Institute studying the rings and moons of Uranus made a stunning discovery — a small moon, only about 6 miles wide, had been “hiding” close to the seventh planet this whole time. The discovery joins the planet’s 28 existing moons, designated S/2025 U1. However, all of Uranus’ moons are named after characters from the works of either William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope, so it will have a colorful literary name in no time.No. 5 — Third-ever interstellar object tears through our solar systemThe astronomical talk of the town this year was definitely 3I/ATLAS. First spotted by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile, the comet started as a rapidly moving dot appearing in the sky. After NASA and the European Space Agency retraced its steps, it was confirmed that the comet was actually from outside our solar system — only the third known such object. While it was only briefly close to Earth near the end of this year, astronomers stole a few glances while they could. 3I/ATLAS is currently tracing its long path out of and away from our solar system — so long and farewell.No. 6 — Space tourism, or Katy Perry in spaceSpace tourism also had quite a year in 2025. In April, pop star Katy Perry and TV personality Gayle King boarded Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket with an all-female crew, a first for space travel. The technicality here is that New Shepherd is a reusable rocket, capable of vertical takeoffs and landings, designed to deliver tourists past the Karman Line, which is defined as the edge of space. It is also where you begin to experience weightlessness in atmospheric travel. Perry was reportedly so moved by the experience of entering the thermosphere that she couldn’t help singing “What A Wonderful World.” In other news, Blue Origin also recently sent the first paraplegic person into space, and SpaceX’s Fram2 mission saw four space tourists make a three-day trip around Earth’s poles.No. 7 — A nuclear reactor on the moon? It’s less crazy than it soundsActing NASA Administrator Sean Duffy made headlines earlier this year with an ambitious announcement concerning NASA’s wishes to put a nuclear reactor on Earth’s moon in the near future. While it does sound like the setup for a supervillain’s lair, the plan is actually quite practical. The name of the game in space exploration in the 21st century has become about repetition and reliability — typified by the reusable rockets favored by private space companies. NASA’s upcoming moon mission, Artemis III, will require a lot of fuel and power, especially if NASA wants to eventually station astronauts there. Add in the fact that China and Russia have announced a joint space venture to place a nuclear reactor on the moon. Before long, the international powers will be in a new space race. The moon is also becoming a critical juncture in the effort to reach Mars — the rocky satellite’s low gravity would make space missions easier. In that way, stating a goal of putting a nuclear reactor on the moon is the first step to reaching Mars, another stated goal of NASA. And for a country — and a species — that put a man on the moon only 56 years ago, anything might be possible.No. 8 — India, Poland and Hungary: Welcome to the ISSIt was a celebration on the International Space Station this summer when three astronauts from countries never before represented on the space station arrived. The last time anyone from India, Poland or Hungary traveled to orbit was in the 1970s and ‘80s, with the Soviet Space Program. While each of these countries have their own space programs, these true newcomers to the ISS came via Axiom Space, a Houston-based company that charters flights to the station. Axiom is also positioning itself as a potential replacement for the ISS when it is retired and decommissioned in 2030, carving out a niche in the private space race.No. 9 — ‘Cosmic treasure chest’: Say hello to the Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryThe summer of 2025 saw the debut of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the largest camera ever built, located on a mountaintop in Chile. According to the acting director of the National Science Foundation, the telescope “will capture more information about our universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined.” That’s quite a claim, but Rubin already has the legwork to back it up — as part of its debut, it spotted 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids. The observatory also released a dramatic video showing the scale of its capability: the cosmic pan displays about 10 million galaxies in the camera’s wide view, which is only 0.05% of the 20 billion galaxies the observatory will map over 10 years.No. 10 — Space is now a battlefieldAside from international cooperation and discovery, space has also become a new frontier for something else: warfare. In the Russia/Ukraine war this past year, Ukraine accused Russian operators of hijacking a crucial satellite, replacing its broadcast with film of Russian military parades. More recently, there has been chatter of a Russian anti-satellite weapon, which one U.S. representative likened to “the Cuban Missile Crisis in space.”
From private space tourism to secret moons to new images of our very old observable universe, 2025 was an exciting year in space. The privatization of space travel continued apace, with companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin making strides this year. Despite privatization and looming funding cuts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its various projects and endeavors still managed to surprise us and expand our knowledge of our solar system. Check out the 10 best space stories from the past year:

No. 1 — The space saga of Butch and Suni

NASA/AP via CNN Newsource
Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose on the International Space Station.

Without a doubt, the space story that filled the most airtime this year was the tale of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. In June 2024, the pair signed on for a NASA mission to conduct a crew flight test of Boeing’s Starliner craft, which had previously only been used for uncrewed tests between Earth and the International Space Station. The mission was meant to last eight days — but ended up lasting more than nine months. The stranded astronauts became space celebrities and brought renewed attention to spaceflight during a time when space travel has morphed into a blend of public-private partnerships. The astronauts were eventually brought home on SpaceX’s Crew-9 vessel in March, marking a success for SpaceX but a blow to Boeing in the private space race.

Watch video of Williams and Wilmore splashing down back to Earth in the video player above.

No. 2 — Perseverance finds possible hints of ancient life on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover has been roaming the Martian surface and collecting samples since 2021. But in the summer of 2024, the rover collected rock samples from a dried riverbed near the Jezero Crater with “leopard spots.” This year, scientists said those spots could suggest the existence of ancient microbial life on the red planet. “All we can say is one of the possible explanations is microbial life, but there could be other ways to make this set of features that we see,” a researcher told The Associated Press.

However, this story is not over. More testing is needed to confirm what the samples contain, meaning they need to be retrieved from Mars and brought back to labs on Earth. A Mars Sample Return trip was hopefully scheduled for the early 2030s, but various factors, including President Donald Trump’s reorganized budget plan for NASA, mean that the return expedition is on hold indefinitely. For now, Perseverance and a potential secret to ancient life sit waiting in a rocky Martian desert.

No. 3 — NASA probe takes closest-ever images of sun

The Parker Solar Probe, the fastest human-made object in the universe, is on a mission to “touch the Sun” — and it’s getting pretty close. In December 2024, the probe made its closest pass yet of the solar atmosphere, traveling at a speed of 430,000 mph. On Jan. 1, 2025, it sent back the closest images of the Sun ever captured, specifically of solar wind approximately 3.8 million miles from the surface.

No. 4 — NASA’s Webb telescope discovers new moon orbiting Uranus

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. El Moutamid (SwRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho)
This Near Infrared Camera image shows the moon, designated S/2025 U1, as well as 13 of the 28 other known moons orbiting the planet.

It’s not every day you find a new moon. Using NASA’s Webb space telescope, a team from the Southwest Research Institute studying the rings and moons of Uranus made a stunning discovery — a small moon, only about 6 miles wide, had been “hiding” close to the seventh planet this whole time. The discovery joins the planet’s 28 existing moons, designated S/2025 U1. However, all of Uranus’ moons are named after characters from the works of either William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope, so it will have a colorful literary name in no time.

No. 5 — Third-ever interstellar object tears through our solar system

NASA/ESA/David Jewitt (UCLA) via CNN Newsource
Hubble captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21.

The astronomical talk of the town this year was definitely 3I/ATLAS. First spotted by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile, the comet started as a rapidly moving dot appearing in the sky. After NASA and the European Space Agency retraced its steps, it was confirmed that the comet was actually from outside our solar system — only the third known such object. While it was only briefly close to Earth near the end of this year, astronomers stole a few glances while they could. 3I/ATLAS is currently tracing its long path out of and away from our solar system — so long and farewell.

No. 6 — Space tourism, or Katy Perry in space

Blue Origin via CNN
The all-female crew of Blue Origin’s New Shepherd.

Space tourism also had quite a year in 2025. In April, pop star Katy Perry and TV personality Gayle King boarded Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket with an all-female crew, a first for space travel. The technicality here is that New Shepherd is a reusable rocket, capable of vertical takeoffs and landings, designed to deliver tourists past the Karman Line, which is defined as the edge of space. It is also where you begin to experience weightlessness in atmospheric travel. Perry was reportedly so moved by the experience of entering the thermosphere that she couldn’t help singing “What A Wonderful World.” In other news, Blue Origin also recently sent the first paraplegic person into space, and SpaceX’s Fram2 mission saw four space tourists make a three-day trip around Earth’s poles.

No. 7 — A nuclear reactor on the moon? It’s less crazy than it sounds

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy made headlines earlier this year with an ambitious announcement concerning NASA’s wishes to put a nuclear reactor on Earth’s moon in the near future. While it does sound like the setup for a supervillain’s lair, the plan is actually quite practical. The name of the game in space exploration in the 21st century has become about repetition and reliability — typified by the reusable rockets favored by private space companies. NASA’s upcoming moon mission, Artemis III, will require a lot of fuel and power, especially if NASA wants to eventually station astronauts there. Add in the fact that China and Russia have announced a joint space venture to place a nuclear reactor on the moon.

Before long, the international powers will be in a new space race. The moon is also becoming a critical juncture in the effort to reach Mars — the rocky satellite’s low gravity would make space missions easier. In that way, stating a goal of putting a nuclear reactor on the moon is the first step to reaching Mars, another stated goal of NASA. And for a country — and a species — that put a man on the moon only 56 years ago, anything might be possible.

No. 8 — India, Poland and Hungary: Welcome to the ISS

It was a celebration on the International Space Station this summer when three astronauts from countries never before represented on the space station arrived. The last time anyone from India, Poland or Hungary traveled to orbit was in the 1970s and ‘80s, with the Soviet Space Program. While each of these countries have their own space programs, these true newcomers to the ISS came via Axiom Space, a Houston-based company that charters flights to the station. Axiom is also positioning itself as a potential replacement for the ISS when it is retired and decommissioned in 2030, carving out a niche in the private space race.

No. 9 — ‘Cosmic treasure chest’: Say hello to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory via CNN Newsource
This composite image combines 678 separate images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to show faint details like clouds of gas and dust in the Trifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula.

The summer of 2025 saw the debut of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the largest camera ever built, located on a mountaintop in Chile. According to the acting director of the National Science Foundation, the telescope “will capture more information about our universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined.” That’s quite a claim, but Rubin already has the legwork to back it up — as part of its debut, it spotted 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids. The observatory also released a dramatic video showing the scale of its capability: the cosmic pan displays about 10 million galaxies in the camera’s wide view, which is only 0.05% of the 20 billion galaxies the observatory will map over 10 years.

No. 10 — Space is now a battlefield

Aside from international cooperation and discovery, space has also become a new frontier for something else: warfare. In the Russia/Ukraine war this past year, Ukraine accused Russian operators of hijacking a crucial satellite, replacing its broadcast with film of Russian military parades. More recently, there has been chatter of a Russian anti-satellite weapon, which one U.S. representative likened to “the Cuban Missile Crisis in space.”
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December 24, 2025
Billie Eilish Calls Elon Musk A ‘F**king Pathetic P***y Bitch Coward’! See Why! – Perez Hilton

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Billie Eilish does not give a F**K!

Just weeks after the Birds of a Feather songstress took to the stage of the WSJ Innovator Awards, she’s calling out the world’s richest people again — this time going right to the top and targeting Elon Musk in particular!

In case you didn’t hear, late last month the 23-year-old was accepting her Music Innovator Award, where it was announced she was donating $11 million of her own money to charity. In her speech, she took a moment to slam the ULTRA rich, calling them to be more charitable with their wealth:

“… Love you all, but there are a few people in here who have a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shorties.”

Of course, names like Taylor Swift (because of other whispers of beef) arose. And Mark Zuckerberg because he was in the actual room! But now she’s naming names, and clearly Elon is at the front of her mind on this. In her Instagram Stories on Thursday, the Ocean Eyes singer reposted a post saying what Elon “could do with” his TRILLIONAIRE status. Yes, you read that right — the man is the first in history to reached trillionaire status with his latest Tesla deal… Wild.

Related: Elon Getting DESTROYED On Twitter By Author Joyce Carol Oates!

The post shared some things he could be donating towards and helping with his mega trillions instead of keeping the cash for profit, including ending world hunger, saving endangered animal species, and rebuilding Gaza amid the attacks from Israel.

See for yourself (below):

(c) Billie Eilish/Instagram

(c) Billie Eilish/Instagram

(c) Billie Eilish/Instagram

(c) Billie Eilish/Instagram

Billie’s final Stories post is what REALLY showed her thoughts on the Tesla founder, though. She wrote her own big finale:

“etc…. f**king pathetic p***y bitch coward”

(c) Billie Eilish/Instagram

DAMN!!

She’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, that’s for sure! Even if it means making an enemy of the richest man alive!

Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below).

[Image via MEGA/WENN]

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November 14, 2025
Kids say the darnedest (and creepiest) things (18 Photos)

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Camry

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September 24, 2024
Halloween hoaxes that made folks drop chocolate bars in their britches (12 Photos)

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September 19, 2024
Patrick Radden Keefe on Crime Stories, No-Access Journalism, Getting Tenure at The New Yorker, and Turning ‘Say Nothing’ Into a Series

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Bryan sits down with the writer to discuss various elements of his career

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Patrick Radden Keefe on Crime Stories, No-Access Journalism, Getting Tenure at The New Yorker, and Turning ‘Say Nothing’ Into a Series

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May 22, 2024
Ashley Benson Had Her Baby! See The Sweet Pic! – Perez Hilton

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Ashley Benson is officially a mom of one!

As you might’ve heard, the Spring Breakers star shocked the world last year when she not only announced her secret marriage to her hubby Brandon Davis — but she also announced she was pregnant! At the time, an insider for US Weekly dished it wasn’t even something she initially planned, but she changed her mind:

“She wanted to start a family with Brandon. It was something that was extremely important to him and was vocalized from the very beginning. She initially wasn’t expecting to have kids at this time in her life but that changed after falling so deeply in love with him.”

And now the babe is here!!

Related: Ireland Baldwin Shows Off REAL Post-Baby Body!

On Instagram Thursday, the Pretty Little Liars alum posted a short but sweet announcement to her Stories in the form of a sweet pic of her baby daughter’s tiny fingers. The only thing she wrote on the photo was a pink heart emoji. Ch-ch-check out the precious snap (below):

(c) Ashley Benson/Instagram

SO tiny!! This little one is wrapped around her momma’s finger already!!

The 34-year-old actress has yet to announce the name or extra details about the little girl just yet, but we’re so happy to see she arrived safely and is now snuggled up in her mom’s arms!

HUGE congratulations to Ashley and Brandon! Reactions, Perezcious readers?

[Image via Ashley Benson/Instagram/MEGA/WENN]

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February 29, 2024
10 Florida Man Stories We Hope Show up in GTA 6

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Grand Theft Auto VI may still be at least a year out, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most anticipated games of the generation. This is doubly true thanks to its setting, which brings players back to the Miami-esque Vice City and its surrounding Florida-inspired environs.

That latter point, though, is a key part of what could make the game great. Developer Rockstar dropped plenty of references to real life shenanigans brought about by Florida’s colorful residents in the game’s reveal trailer, and most all of them look like they’ll make for amazing satirical fodder.

This got us thinking about what other Florida Man stories and hijinks we’d like to see in the upcoming mega hit. So come along as we dig into 10 Florida Man stories we hope show up in GTA 6.

Florida Man Arrested for Feeding Alligator Bagels

We couldn’t possibly make a list of Florida Man stories without mentioning some involving alligators, and the first on our list is a standard bearer of the Sunshine State’s craziness.

Following a post to social media boasting about how he regularly feeds an alligator and some turtles near his property bread and bagels, Floridian Paul Fortin was issued a citation. He responded with disbelief and anger at the citation, but his previously posted video left him with little defense against it.

And yet, shortly after this news went public, many people online came to the man’s defense. They were especially fond of his quote about his gator friend, which stated “He’s a good boy… He likes Bagels.”

While this story could easily be worked into the game via a one-off NPC encounter, Rockstar could also go the extra mile by making it into a side quest. Players could work to free a doppelganger of Fortin so that he can return to feeding his gator friend; and might even be able to verify that he is indeed a good boy by tossing him some food.

Florida Man Arrested for Attempting $30,000 Turtle Heist

The Grand Theft Auto series is no stranger to heists, and GTA 6 could have one of its most memorable ones yet by recreating this wild tale.

Jermaine Wofford was arrested for stealing 18 turtles worth $30,000 while repairing a beverage cooler for a turtle breeder. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the surveillance camera in the breeder’s building, resulting in the failure of his reptilian robbery.

The wider premise might need some dressing up, but it’s undeniable that staging a daring job involving the theft of rare reptiles would be a nice change of pace to the series’ usual car and bank heists. Heck, Rockstar could even flip the script and make it an act of rebellious heroism, framing it so that players are rescuing said animals from a less than ethical animal breeder.

Florida Man Gets DUI for Driving Lawnmower Drunk and on Highway

How wild would it be to be cruising down the highway only to notice a man drunkenly driving a lawnmower right beside you?

This is a reality Rockstar could bring about by adapting the story of Paul Burker, a fellow who had one too many to drink and was pulled over by police when they noticed him haphazardly driving a lawnmower on the highway. As it turns out, he also didn’t have a license, hence why he was driving the lawnmower instead of a car.

Despite all this, Burker was incredibly honest about his inebriation and complied readily with the police upon being pulled over. At most, he got a little irritated when they tried to make him do a sobriety test despite his assertions that he was indeed hammered.

Even if it’s just a blink and you miss it moment, it’d be pure genius to include a facsimile of this story in GTA 6. Players could even follow the lawnmower driver until they’re pulled over, watching as they make their case with a refreshing amount of honesty.

Florida Man Dressed Like Cop Pulls Over Off-Duty Sheriff’s Deputy

There are a surprising number of stories out of Florida about people impersonating police officers, but one in particular takes the cake.

After a car sped past him, security company worker Omar Ford attempted to pull over said car by flashing his vehicle’s lights and pulling the car over. What he didn’t know, however, was that he’d pulled over an off-duty police officer. He was then arrested for impersonating a police officer, which wasn’t made any better by the fact that he’d been driving without a license.

Now, this could go one of two ways. One is to have players encounter this scenario out in the game’s world. This might be a random encounter you can witness, or it could be a fun side mission where you have to help track down and catch this impersonator after they pull you over.

The other is to put a spin on the story that the impersonator is trying to hold lawbreaking officers accountable. You could finally get revenge on the cops willing to smash, crash, and terrorize their way through the city in order to take you and other minor offenders in.

Florida Couple Get Trapped in Unlocked Closet for Two Days

Who among us hasn’t awkwardly waited in a group next to an unlocked door, believing someone else tried and failed to open it?

Certainly not the couple who spent two days stuck in an unlocked closet. After successfully reporting their unfortunate situation to the police, this Floridian duo were left looking foolish when the cops arrived and — surprise surprise — opened the door immediately. They were also found to be on some illicit substances, which probably didn’t help their ability to escape their self-imposed captivity.

Pulling this one off would be as simple as including it among the game’s one off NPC interactions. After stumbling into a shop or building, you could hear some cries for help and follow them to offer some assistance; only to realize the imperiled person was too dumb to realize the door was unlocked the whole time.

Florida Squirrel Attacks Tourist During Selfie

Don’t worry, you didn’t misread that header. This is indeed an entry about a Florida Squirrel instead of a Florida Man, but it feels right to include it here for a few reasons.

Based off of an incident wherein a squirrel was startled by a teen taking a selfie, there are multiple levels of material to be spoofed via the next Grand Theft Auto title. There’s the inherent comedy of someone trying to take a selfie with a wild animal only to suffer frightening consequences; the apathetic approach of the person filming instead of helping the teen; and the stunningly poignant snapshot of the lengths people go to for a good photo they can share on social media.

Honestly though, it’d be enough to feature some squirrels you can find in game and try to get a selfie with; only to provoke a lethal attack from the furry critters if you snap a pic.

Florida Man Attempts to Run From Florida to Other Countries in Bubble

This isn’t so much a story of crime or stupidity as it is one of determination.

Throughout the years, Reza Ray Baluchi has made several attempts to run from Florida to countries across the ocean using a Hydro Pod bubble device he built himself. Though they all ended in failure — and he was even found to be in violation of the law in some cases — it’s hard not to respect the fact that he kept trying to carry out these insane tasks.

If nothing else, it’d be a nice homage to one of Florida’s most resilient oddballs if Rockstar included a Hydro Pod players can find while flying out over the ocean. They could even make it possible to save him and fly him back to land, ensuring he lives on to make just one more attempt in the future.

Florida Man Steals Car With Baby, Returns Baby Before Escaping Police

Stealing cars is one thing, but stealing a car with a baby in the back is a whole other mess.

That’s what one car thief learned the hard way when they stole a car containing a baby from a gas station. Luckily, they quickly discovered the child and left the baby in safe hands at the nearest gas station before proceeding with their getaway, even telling the gas station clerk to call the police so that the parent would be reunited with their child as soon as possible.

Does it make up for what they did to the parent in the first place? Not at all. But it does make for a crazy scenario to challenge players with. Whether players steal a car with a baby inside it themselves or are tasked with tracking down a car containing an unexpected hostage, it’d be one of those random moments that’d undoubtedly be burned into the memories of anyone who experiences it.

Florida Police Tell Florida Men and Women Not to Shoot at Hurricane

Let’s be clear before diving into this next entry that it is not, in fact, smart to shoot guns at a natural disaster. Doing so will not stop it, and could very well make things even worse.

And yet, thanks to a joke event that was taken a little too far prior to Hurricane Irma making landfall, several Florida men and women were potentially ready to do so. So many signed up to attend, in fact, that the Pasco County Sheriff’s Department had to put out a notice to the community telling them not to shoot weapons at Irma.

Admittedly, this might not be the easiest story to implement in GTA 6 outside of some very specific set pieces. Fortunately, it would be a lot easier to make happen via the game’s inevitable online component. The online community could team up and fire their weapons at a forming storm, creating a fun player-made event that pays homage to this truly novel tale.

Florida Man Throws Alligator Through Wendy’s Drive Thru Window

Chances are you’ve already heard of this Florida Man story, as it’s one of the most infamous of them all.

In what was argued to be a prank gone wrong, a man threw a live, three-and-a-half foot alligator through a Wendy’s drive thru window. He was later arrested for assault with a deadly weapon among other charges, and social media had a field day with that fact that this was a real thing that happened in the world.

Of all the stories listed here, this one has some of the most potential for showing up in GTA 6 in a fun way. Outside of seeing this happen while exploring Vice City, you could also potentially have the option to throw gators like weapons yourself, ruining the day of anyone expecting a more standard hail of gunfire. This might not always go according to plan though, with gators able to turn around and bite you back before being sent airborne.

About the author

Keenan McCall

Keenan has been a nerd from an early age, watching anime and playing games for as long as I can remember. Since obtaining a bachelor’s degree in journalism back in 2017, he has written thousands of articles covering gaming, animation, and entertainment topics galore.

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Keenan McCall

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January 9, 2024
‘Loki’ Season 2, Episode 5 Recap: (Origin) Stories We Tell Ourselves

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Last week’s episode of Loki ended with the biggest cliff-hanger of the season. After Loki and his friends at the TVA failed to repair the Temporal Loom in time, the device was torn apart, emitting a blinding light in the process that soon consumed everything in its path. In “Science/Fiction,” Loki emerges from that light to find himself alone at the TVA, with no trace of anyone else left behind. To make matters worse, he begins to slip in time again, with his body apt to disappear and reappear elsewhere at any moment.

With a little bit of help, Loki soon turns his time-slipping problem into a solution that might just save his friends and everyone else, in every timeline. “Science/Fiction” is one of the strongest episodes of the second season, a character-driven departure that slows the show’s recent frenetic pacing and gives the series a chance to reset in myriad ways ahead of next week’s finale. Loki has been moving so fast lately that some of its characters have been lost in the mix, but the penultimate episode takes stock of where they are in their journeys and even answers some questions that have lingered since the very beginning of the series. Perhaps above all else, the fans have finally gotten what they wanted: Mobius on a Jet Ski.

Screenshots via Disney+

In the fifth episode of the first season, Loki left the TVA behind to travel to the Void, introducing a strange new setting that explained the true nature of the organization’s pruning methods. This season’s fifth episode, “Science/Fiction,” transports the audience not to a bold new world, but rather to the past lives of Loki’s friends at the TVA, with Loki again serving as our guide. Mobius, for one, is revealed to be a man named Don who’s living on a branched timeline in Cleveland in 2022. He’s a single father of two children and a salesman of Jet Skis and other action sports equipment. (But mainly Jet Skis, of course.) The most important friend who Loki reunites with, though, proves to be Ouroboros, whom Loki finds on another branched timeline in Pasadena, California, in 1994.

In O.B.’s original timeline, he’s actually a struggling science-fiction writer named A.D. Doug who happens to also be a scientist teaching theoretical physics at Caltech. His love for science fiction means that he not only immediately believes Loki’s nonsensical story about time travel and the TVA, but is also able to get up to speed hilariously quickly to help Loki make sense of the perplexing situation he’s found himself in with this seemingly random time-slipping phenomenon.

“It isn’t random, because you keep ending up around exactly the people you’re looking for,” A.D. speculates. “And it’s evolving, because you’re not just slipping in time, you’re also moving around in space. It’s like you’re a better version of one of those TemPads.”

Like some sort of time-travel guru, A.D. helps Loki turn his time-slipping dilemma into an asset that can be used to their advantage. That process begins with Loki identifying the reason it’s happening to him in the first place. “With science, it’s all ‘what’ and ‘how,’” A.D. continues. “But with fiction, it’s ‘why.’ So why do you need to do this?”

“Why do I need to do this? I’ll tell you why,” Loki replies. “Because if I can’t save the TVA from being destroyed, there will be nothing to protect against what’s coming.”

This framework of “fiction” and stories proves to be the throughline for the entire episode, and the question of “why” turns out to be a crucial step in Loki eventually mastering his time slipping. But this mastery doesn’t come easily. Loki ends up slipping in time again after he gives a copy of the TVA guidebook to A.D. and then reappears at Mobius’s home (or, rather, Don’s home). As Loki struggles to explain to Don the bizarre circumstances of the threat they all face, A.D. emerges with a newly-built TemPad, the construction of which required him to make some unfortunate sacrifices:

(Ke Huy Quan continues to be a delight in this series; his comedic timing here is impeccable.)

It took 19 months, the dissolution of his marriage, and the loss of his job, but A.D. was able to build his world’s first time machine, providing Loki with the tool he needs to get the TVA band back together. Loki proceeds to recruit B-15 and Casey to the TVA’s cause, failing only when it comes to Sylvie, the one person other than Loki who actually remembers what happened at the TVA. The God of Mischief is left rudderless after having a little heart-to-heart with Sylvie at a bar in Broxton, Oklahoma, and just for a moment, Loki gives up on saving the TVA.

It isn’t until Sylvie returns from a spaghettified Broxton that Loki is vindicated in his quest to bring everyone back to the TVA. Soon, A.D.’s workshop receives the spaghetti treatment as well, and Loki finally manifests his ability to control his time slipping, reversing the catastrophic events just enough to revive his friends and explain his breakthrough. “It’s not about where, when, or why,” Loki says to the group. “It’s about who. I can rewrite the story.”

“Science/Fiction” ends with Loki slipping back in time and space to return to the TVA, before the Loom was ever destroyed. He’s given himself a second chance to save the TVA and the dying branches of the multiverse, and with this new ability at his disposal, he might be able to do it. Loki continues to play around with time loops in Season 2, with time slipping reemerging just ahead of the finale. With this discovery transforming Loki into something of a human TemPad, saving the TVA could be just the beginning of what he’s capable of changing.

Past Lives

“Science/Fiction” works so well in part because of the extra time it affords some of the key players in Season 2. As Loki gives us glimpses into the past lives of every member of Team Loki, we can see reflections of the characters they become in the TVA, even after their individual histories and idiosyncrasies are stripped away.

The first character we’re reintroduced to is Casey, in the form of a man named Frank in 1962 San Francisco who’s escaping prison. More specifically, Casey is revealed to be none other than Frank Morris, one of three real-life inmates who escaped Alcatraz in June 1962 after placing papier-mâché heads in their beds, breaking out through ventilation ducts and utility corridors, and using an inflatable raft to navigate their way off of the island. As in the Season 1 flashback that revealed Loki to be D.B. Cooper, the series puts a playful twist on a strange moment in history, adding a bit of science fiction to flesh out some of the unexplained details surrounding the story. Casey’s origins are a bit of an anomaly, in that we don’t see too much of this crafty Frank Mason character in the man we’re familiar with at the TVA, but perhaps that’s unsurprising given how recently Eugene Cordero has emerged as a more prominent member of the cast. (There is, however, a little callback to Season 1 as Frank mentions the prospect of them getting gutted like fish, an analogy that Casey couldn’t wrap his head around when Loki threatened him with it in the pilot.)

As for B-15’s past life, we learn that she was a doctor in New York City in 2012. (That’s certainly an interesting time to be living in New York in the history of the MCU, but the fact that she doesn’t seem to recognize the God of Mischief makes it seem as if the Battle of New York hasn’t happened in this timeline.) The conversations between Loki and Dr. Willis are brief, but in a scene that focuses on the doctor and one of her young patients, we see the same sort of caring and compassionate individual that B-15 has become in Season 2. She has proved to be absolutely terrible at crisis management at the TVA, but her driving motivation to save lives remains the same.

The alternate versions of Mobius and O.B. take on larger roles in “Science/Fiction” than the other supporting TVA members, and their previously-hidden histories can be seen even more clearly in their lives at the TVA. Don’s obsession with Jet Skis has obviously shown through in Mobius, but more enlightening than anything else is the sudden introduction of Don’s two sons. Earlier in the season, “Breaking Brad” teased the mystery of Mobius’s previous life on the Sacred Timeline, and in Mobius’s fierce objection to discovering his history, Loki revealed a more vulnerable side to a typically nonchalant guy who enjoys the simple pleasures of life and cares about the TVA more than anything else. Although “Science/Fiction” illuminates where Mobius’s personality traits come from, it also shows the responsibility and care that he has for his kids, who in another lifetime were everything to him.

(As for O.B., the parallels between his two selves are almost too seamless, with A.D. wasting no time in reclaiming the role as the group’s invaluable tech genius. Production designer Kasra Farahani and his team also had some fun reimagining O.B.’s workshop at the TVA as A.D.’s workspace in Pasadena, as the two locations echo each other across time and space.)

The fact that so much of these characters’ lives stays intact in the jump between realities to their new existences at the TVA complicates what we’ve thought to this point about how everything works at the TVA. Now that Loki has seen each of his companion’s histories, we have to wonder what he’ll do with this newfound information. And more importantly, how will someone like Mobius react if and when he discovers the truth about the life he’s been actively refusing to investigate?

What Makes a Loki Tick?

The driving question in Season 1 was “what makes a Loki tick?” As Mobius recruited the God of Mischief to hunt down another Loki variant, this question came up again and again, as Loki and Sylvie redefined what they were believed to be capable of. “Science/Fiction” takes some much-needed time to reevaluate where both Lokis stand in this regard, and how the latest multiversal events have impacted the people they’ve become.

In Broxton, Sylvie shows a more compassionate side of her character that’s been missing all season, as Sophia Di Martino finally gets the chance to do more than just yell about the need to destroy the TVA or He Who Remains. And for once, Loki is placed in a position where someone else helps him recognize the emotions that are blinding him to the reality of the situation, as Sylvie pushes him to uncover his true motives for bringing everyone back to the TVA. “I want my friends back,” Loki admits. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“See, we’re both selfish,” Sylvie replies. “I know this is hard, but your friends are back where they belong.”

“But without them, where do I belong?” Loki asks.

“We’re all writing our own stories now,” Sylvie says. “Go write yours.”

While Loki’s takeaway—to just give up on the mission—ultimately proves to be the wrong one, the truth of why he’s doing all of this is enlightening nonetheless. The Asgardian’s desire to be loved and accepted was one of the key developments for his character in Season 1. His continued evolution into a full-fledged hero this season has been a bit rushed, but here we see that some of his selfish nature—a character trait that has existed in him since he first appeared in Thor—is still intact, even if it’s ultimately in service of the worthy cause of defending the multiverse. Loki’s overall development seems more well-rounded as we see shadows of his former self shine through while he learns to navigate the complexities of his emotions and relationships.

With this bar conversation and a subsequent scene that depicts Sylvie’s routine of visiting the local record store in Broxton, Loki belatedly dedicates some space to further exploring how and why Sylvie has relinquished any duty to the multiverse in favor of finding peace in the freedom of choice that she’s never had. As Sylvie’s friend Lyle gets spaghettified while Sylvie vibes to the Velvet Underground, we witness the simple life she’s always dreamed of get torn apart before her eyes. It’s a heartbreaking moment reminiscent of the dusty aftermath of the snap in Avengers: Infinity War, and it serves as a reminder of how tragic a figure Sylvie has always been.

The God of Stories

Loki has been known by many names. The God of Mischief. The Trickster of Asgard. The Prince of Lies. In the comics, he also takes on a unique title that stands out from the rest of them: the God of Stories.

This transformation comes within the pages of Loki: Agent of Asgard, a series that started in 2014 and was written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Lee Garbett. In Agent of Asgard, Loki gains the very meta ability to use his magic to manipulate narratives, time, and the fabric of reality. In a very fourth-wall-breaking sort of way, he can then wield the power of stories themselves, rewriting them however he chooses.

Loki: Agent of Asgard no. 13
Screenshot via Marvel Comics

These ideas emerge in a major way in “Science/Fiction,” with Loki even vowing to “rewrite the story” as he rewinds the season’s narrative back to before the TVA’s destruction. In the final moments of the episode, just as Loki discovers this new, all-powerful ability, Sylvie’s voice can be heard amid Loki’s disintegrating surroundings. “Do you think that what makes a Loki a Loki is the fact that we’re destined to lose?” she asks.

It’s a question that Sylvie raised in Season 1, and an idea that was repeated by other Loki variants whom the God of Mischief encountered in the Void. Loki has been determined to change that narrative, just as Sylvie has sacrificed just about everything in a quest for free will. And now Loki actually has the ability to control and manipulate time like never before, paving the way for him to become the God of Stories.

There are still plenty of unanswered questions leading into next week’s season finale, including the fates of Miss Minutes, Ravonna Renslayer, Victor Timely, and the rest of He Who Remains’s variants. Now that Loki has gained potentially limitless power, the series will soon test just how much the reformed villain has changed.

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Daniel Chin

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November 3, 2023
Maren Morris Talks About What’s ‘Necessary’ Amid Divorce – Perez Hilton

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Maren Morris is dropping some cryptic messages amid her unexpected divorce!

As we’ve been reporting, the 33-year-old musician filed for divorce from her hubby Ryan Hurd on October 2 citing “irreconcilable differences” between the pair — which shocked fans to hear due to the fact everything behind the scenes happened so quickly! We mean, the day they separated was listed as the same day the paperwork was filed, it definitely seems like it was a pretty quick decision.

Related: Maren Morris QUITTING Country Music Over Bad Politics!!

As The Middle singer navigates her split as well as works on figuring out a custody plan for their young son Hayes, she’s spoken out for the first time since it was announced she and the 36-year-old would be going their separate ways. On Instagram Friday, she posted a cryptic quote to her Stories which read:

“It will be fine. It will just be, and when it is, you will face what’s necessary.”

Heavy. See it for yourself (below):

(c) Instagram/Maren Morris

Not only that, The Bones artist posted a new photo to her grid with the caption:

“Welcome to The End where you can come and lose some friends…”

In the mirror selfie that starts the carousel of the photo dump, she’s wearing a hat that says “there were nights when the wind was so cold” from Celine Dion‘s It’s All Coming Back To Me Now — followed by a TikTok video at the end with lyrics to Taylor Swift‘s hit song Vigilante S**t:

“I don’t dress for women / I don’t dress for men / lately I’ve been dressing for revenge”

OMG!

Is this split about to get nasty?? We sure hope not, but this definitely seems like Maren is telling us she’s on her vigilante s**t right now!

What do U think, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF (below).

[Image via MEGA/WENN]

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L. D.

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October 20, 2023
Story 9 – His Father’s Namesake(Oyiri nna ya)

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I know a man, whose name I wish not to mention. But whose story I have heard countless times and have wondered, “how did he make it?” To say that there is a man whose countenance roars from within him like a lion is but an understatement. His beginning was that of a bit of misfortune for his family. He was named after his father, an Igbo man would say “Oyiri nna ya”. It is said that on the day he was born, his father’s shop where he made solid income, burned to the ground. His goods and fame went along into the ashes, never to be heard of again. Oyiri nna ya began life with little food to his stomach as his mother did all she could to sustain herself and the newborn. He wasn’t the first, he wasn’t the second.

He came as the third born, and he looked just like his mother’s father. What a surprise! Growing up wasn’t easy as other siblings came along and the need to select who would go to school began. “Oyiri nna ya, you have to wait for some time for your older ones to go to school.” Years went by and the story changed “Oyiri nna ya, your younger ones are already progressing and you need to take care of them”. Ha! When would he start schooling himself? He decided he was going to take a step and leave the comfort of his home, in search of education and some sense to have as a grown man.

By that time it was obvious that he was one of the eldest in class. He had begun to stay with an uncle, whose wife did not extend the kind of motherly affection to him. Yet he endured. The soup she would cook would be the soup of several days which he and some other young chaps would eat – it was never the fresh soup. He became used to her pattern and was blessed with a younger relative who loved him as her own child. To him, this was comfort and a way to learn all he could about life. When he started to go to Secondary school, this special aunty was there to encourage him to save up money for his WAEC.

Even while in school, he struggled to read and understand as his Primary school days were nothing to write home about. He saw he was deteriorating, and wouldn’t be able to amount to anything in life. So he had to change his thinking pattern. Before, while in class, he would sit at the very back with all the other bench warmers who couldn’t care less about learning. Then one-day Oyiri nna ya said to himself, that he too could become like one of those girls who took the First position in the class. He made a bold step one fateful day to sit at the very front of the class so he could pay attention.

The entire strata of students were so disorganized by this new arrangement that another guy took the bold step of moving to the front seat! And so, friendship like no other began. Seriousness began. He was even liked and admired by most teachers, trusted even to handle financial contributions by his peers. Oyiri nna ya became a pacesetter. Something, he never thought he could do had he not had encouragement at home and within himself.

Fast forward to the end of his Secondary school days and he needed money to register for his WAEC. Of course, senior aunty and uncle refused to help him even after seven years of living with them. It was at this point that he left the home he had known for years with nothing to call his own but the savings he managed to raise with his aunty. Rather than him going home feeling dejected, he bought gifts for the children around his uncle’s home and shared with them. They were overjoyed and prayed for him, even going the extra mile to escort him as far as they could. His hopes grew and he completed his Jamb.

He made a single prayer and said something like this “Oh Lord, Abia State University is my first choice. If I do not get it, then I am done with school”. He applied and when admission lists began to roll out, lo and behold he made it! What a surprise to his family! He had finally made it! He would shuffle from his hometown to school after performing some menial jobs with the help of his mother who gave foodstuff for school. Never did he miss his exams.

And in the year 20…yeah! He bagged his certificate! Looking back at his journey he would tell me, Ngee I really suffered in life. And I would tell him congratulations, you are indeed a victor. You just cannot give up in life when God has not thrown in the towel. Where there is life, there is hope. Only but begin, take a step even if it is one done with trembling. Believe and the universe will respond to your actions. Oyiri nna ya is an example of a victor.

Lessons Learned

Don’t let what others have determined about your future be the final say. Play that ball! And make sure you score in life’s net of “no’s and you can’t”. It only takes determination and a brave heart to soar.

About The Writer

Ngozichi Atasie is a Mass Communication major at the Abia State University, Uturu.

Join the STORY CONTEST. Read other inspiring stories.

Read more on Story 9 – His Father’s Namesake(Oyiri nna ya)

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October 14, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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Hurricane Lee remains a large, major hurricane that is creating dangerous surf and rip currents off the U.S. East Coast as it bears down on a reporter standing in a small rowboat one thousand miles off the coast of North Carolina.

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Hurricane Bears Down on Reporter Standing in Rowboat in Middle of Atlantic

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Merrick

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September 12, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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For centuries, but even more so over the past few years as governments have finally started to acknowledge encounters with extraterrestrial spacecraft, humans have been wondering over the intentions of our alien visitors…

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September 5, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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Early into the first debate ahead of the 2024 presidential election, eight Republican candidates were asked whether they thought anything was wrong with Britney Spears. None did.

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August 29, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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Former Vice President Mike Pence was arrested for urinating in a public fountain in Cedar Rapids, Iowa yesterday, the latest in a rash of crimes being committed by Republican presidential candidates shifting tactics in response to mounting data showing that the indictments against Donald Trump have only helped him strengthen his front-runner status for the 2024 GOP nomination.

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August 22, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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Besieged on all sides by the armies of Joe Biden’s shadowy Deep State empire for the crime of trying to make America great again, Donald Trump needs our help now more than ever. The following are some ways you and your family can save money to use to contribute more to our President’s legal defense fund:

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August 15, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill stripping manatees of their state protections over reports of homosexual behavior.

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August 8, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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One week after a video for “Try That in a Small Town” that uses stock footage to depict police brutality protestors as violent criminals propelled the lackluster song to the top of the charts, Jason Aldean is looking to harness his momentum with a full-length album of similar cultural-war-themed anthems.

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August 1, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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As the heat dome sitting over the American Southwest continues to broil the region, rising humidity levels throughout Texas has introduced another issue for its suffering residents: the Lone Star State smells like balls.

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July 25, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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When 45-year-old Ellen woke up in a soybean field after spending 36 hours aboard an extraterrestrial spacecraft, she had no idea that her nightmare was actually just beginning.

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July 17, 2023
HumorFeed – Bending the News Until it Breaks

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The future Trump Presidential Library in West Palm Beach drew a large crowd for an appearance by Lib_Crusher, an online activist known for his prolific authorship of death threats against liberal leaning politicians, judges and celebrities.

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Merrick

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July 4, 2023