Chris Brown & Karrueche Tran: Inside Their Private Rehab Phone Calls

   Even though Chris is undergoing intense treatment in rehab, one of the only people he’s still talking to is his girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, says a source.

Chris Brown is getting a tremendous amount of support from his girlfriend Karrueche Tran. Not only was she the main person who pushed him to get help, she’s also talking to him all the time during his rehab stint; and a source says that she’s not being hard on him one bit.

It has been learned that when Chris and Karrueche talk, they don’t focus on the negativity. Instead, they actually have a great time when they get a moment to chat with each other.

“He doesn’t talk about [the bad things] and he really doesn’t need to focus on that,” the source says. “That’s what Kae says the doctors told him. And when they talk, she doesn’t bring that up. His main focus is to just deal with his issues and leave all that negativity alone. He is trying to be detached from the world and get inside his head.”

Chris, who is currently in rehab after allegedly punching a man in Washington D.C. on Oct. 27, is trying to work on his anger issues. If Chris’ probation gets revoked, there’s a chance he could go to jail for four years. But by entering rehab, it shows that Chris is serious about fixing his current situation.

“Karrueche and Mamma J are the only ones in Chris’ corner and the two women that he knows will be by his side no matter what,” a source told us. ”Those are the only two people that Chris asked to speak to by phone before he checked in.”

The teenager who saved a man with an SS tattoo

In 1996, a black teenager protected a white man from an angry mob who thought he supported the racist Ku Klux Klan. It was an act of extraordinary courage and kindness -and is still inspiring people today.

Keshia Thomas was 18 when the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist organisation, held a rally in her home town in Michigan.

Liberal, progressive and multicultural, Ann Arbor was an unusual place for the KKK to choose, and hundreds of people gathered to show them they were not welcome.

The atmosphere was tense, but controlled. Police dressed in riot gear and armed with tear gas protected a small group of Klansmen in white robes and conical hoods. Thomas was with a group of anti-KKK demonstrators on the other side of a specially-erected fence.

Then a woman with a megaphone shouted, "There's a Klansman in the crowd."

They turned around to see a white, middle-aged man wearing a Confederate flag T-shirt. He tried to walk away from them, but the protesters, including Thomas, followed, "just to chase him out".

It was unclear whether the man was a Ku Klux Klan supporter, but to the anti-KKK protesters, his clothes and tattoos represented exactly what they had come to resist. The Confederate flag he wore was for them a symbol of hatred and racism, while the SS tattoo on his arm pointed to a belief in white supremacy, or worse.

There were shouts of "Kill the Nazi" and the man began to run - but he was knocked to the ground. A group surrounded him, kicking him and hitting him with the wooden sticks of their placards.

Mob mentality had taken over. "It became barbaric," says Thomas.

"When people are in a crowd they are more likely to do things they would never do as an individual. Someone had to step out of the pack and say, 'This isn't right.'"

So the teenager, then still at high school, threw herself on top of a man she did not know and shielded him from the blows.

"When they dropped him to the ground, it felt like two angels had lifted my body up and laid me down."

For Mark Brunner, a student photographer who witnessed the episode, it was who she saved that made Thomas' actions so remarkable.

"She put herself at physical risk to protect someone who, in my opinion, would not have done the same for her," he says. "Who does that in this world?"

So what gave Thomas the impetus to help a man whose views it appeared were so different from her own? Her religious beliefs played a part. But her own experience of violence was a factor, too.

"I knew what it was like to be hurt," she says. "The many times that that happened, I wish someone would have stood up for me."

The circumstances - which she does not want to describe - were different. "But violence is violence - nobody deserves to be hurt, especially not for an idea."

Thomas has never heard from the man she saved, but she did once meet a member of his family. Months later, someone came up to her in a coffee shop and said thanks. "What for?" she asked. "That was my dad," the young man replied.

For Thomas, the fact that the man had a son gave her actions even greater significance - she had potentially prevented further violence.

"For the most part, people who hurt... they come from hurt. It is a cycle. Let's say they had killed him or hurt him really bad. How does the son feel? Does he carry on the violence?

Teri Gunderson, who was bringing up her two adopted mixed-race daughters in Iowa at the time, was so touched by Thomas' story that she kept a copy of her picture - and still looks at it 17 years later. Gunderson even thinks the student made her a better person.

"The voice in my head says something like this, 'If she could protect a man [like that], I can show kindness to this person.' And with that encouragement, I do act with more kindness. I don't know her, but since then I am more kind."

But she asks herself whether she could be as brave as Thomas. What if one of the hurtful people who had racially abused her girls was in danger, she wonders. "Would I save them, or would I stand there and say, 'You deserved it, you were a jerk.' I just don't know the answer to that, yet. Maybe that is why I am so struck by her."

Brunner and Gunderson both often think of the teenager's actions. But Thomas, now in her 30s and living in Houston, Texas, does not. She prefers to concentrate on what more she can do in future, rather than what she has achieved in the past.

"I don't want to think that this is the best I could ever be. In life you are always striving to do better."

Thomas says she tries to do something to break down racial stereotypes every day. No grand gestures - she thinks that small, regular acts of kindness are more important.

"The biggest thing you can do is just be kind to another human being. It can come down to eye contact, or a smile. It doesn't have to be a huge monumental act."

Looking back at his photos of Thomas pushing back the mob that day in June 1996, Brunner says: "We would all like to be a bit like Keshia, wouldn't we? She didn't think about herself. She just did the right thing."

Sister Tips: 5 Ways to Get Out of a Relationship Rut

Time for a Sister Tip! I got a message in my inbox recently from a site user who said she was getting bored in her long-term relationship and wanted to know how she could spice things up. I thought I’d do a post on it – I’m sure she’s not the only woman out there who feels this way! Here’s some of my advice if you find yourself stuck in a relationship rut: 1.) Know it’s normal: The first thing you should do when you start feeling bored is to stop blaming yourself. A lot of women may freak out when they find that their initial passion has faded and start assuming that there must be wrong with their relationship. There isn’t. When you first start a relationship, you’re usually head over heels obsessed with the person – they’re all you can think about, you want to spend every moment with them, butterflies explode in your stomach when you look at them...you get the idea. As a relationship grows, that initial fiery passion fades into a calm, steady simmer – and that’s completely normal! You know the saying, “Love is a choice”? Basically, it means that you have to choose to keep loving your significant other, because all those butterflies from the beginning of your relationship are temporary. Butterflies aren’t love – they’re infatuation. Real love is slow and steady and patient. But that doesn’t mean you can’t spice things up along the way… 2.) Break the pattern: One thing I suggest is to try something new. This sounds too easy, but it’s the truth. If your relationship routine starts feeling boring, then switch it up! Skip your dinner-TV-sleep schedule and do something you’ve never done before with your partner. I’m not saying you have to go hang gliding (those of us with a fear of heights are just fine on the ground, thanks!), but even going out and trying a new restaurant can inject new life into a relationship. Tia’s got a great list of fun, unexpected date ideas… 3.) Be romantic: Before you know it, your significant other can start feeling more like a friend than a boyfriend or husband. And while friendship and trust should be a basis of any relationship, it’s important not to forget the romance! From now on, start paying more attention to your relationship – when your hubby comes home, greet him with a big hug and a teenager-y kiss. Text him a funny memory that only the two of you share to bring a smile to his face. Keep the romance in your relationship! 4.) Take a class: Learning something new together as a couple can be a fun way to mentally re-engage with your partner. Because the two of you are learning it together, it gives you something new to connect and talk about! Try an interesting new cooking class, or a dance or exercise class. And you don’t have to take it completely seriously – let yourself giggle! A light, fun atmosphere can help cultivate more conversation and remind you both why you fell in love with each other again :) 5.) Keep dating: Dating is something you should be doing even after you’ve tied the knot. Just because you’re husband and wife (or in a serious relationship) doesn’t mean you should just start taking each other for granted. It’s an easy trap to fall into – after all, who needs to be wooed when they’re already committed? The answer is: everyone. Relationships require maintenance, and one easy way to keep it running smoothly is to spend quality time with each other. Try scheduling a weekly date night – and don’t just go to the same old restaurant every time. Surprise him by taking him to the place where you both went on your first date –nothing rekindles a spark like reminding yourself of exactly how you felt when you first met!

Culled from Tia and Tamera

Pregnant woman stabbed while soldier husband watched live on FaceTime gives birth to healthy baby girl

A Texas woman recovering in hospital after being stabbed in her own home has had a baby girl.
Rachel Poole, 31, gave birth to a daughter named Isabella at University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas by caesarean section.
Poole has been in hospital since Wednesday evening when she was brutally attacked by Corey Bernard, 19, while she was in her kitchen speaking to her husband Justin Pele Poole, who is deployed overseas, via FaceTime.

Joy and sadness: Justin Poole cradles his new baby girl, whose mother Rachel Poole is still in a serious condition after enduring a vicious attack in her own home

New mother: Rachel Poole cannot see out of one eye, has a collapsed lung and displaced vertebrae and is unable to hold her newborn baby

She was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition and treated for stab wounds to her face and body.
According to ABC News, Poole was scheduled to have a C-section next week.
Poole's stepfather, Gary Jones said that doctors couldn't 'do anything with [her] injuries unless they got Isabella out.'

 

He also said that Rachel Poole may need an eye socket reconstruction, she suffered a collapsed lung and that one of her verebrae is out of place after the attack.
Poole, was talking to her husband on FaceTime Wednesday night when a man identified as 19-year-old Corey Moss broke into their El Paso home and lunged at her with a knife.

Horror show: Rachel Poole (left), who is nine months pregnant, was stabbed multiple times by an intruder in her home as her husband Justin (right), who is deployed overseas, watched in horror on video chat

El Paso police say Moss went to the Pooles' home in the 9400 block of Wichita Circle, broken in and waited for Rachel to come home

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KFOX14, she recognized her assailant as a man who owed her husband money and screamed out his name.
The 31-year-old mother-to-be, who was nine months pregnant, was rushed to University Medical Center in critical condition suffering from multiple stab wounds and fractures to her body and face.
According to police, the wounded victim was able to call 911 and give the name of the suspect to police.
Meanwhile, Justin Poole called the 19-year-old's co-workers, who helped apprehend Moss and seized the knife allegedly used in the attack.
Following his arrest, police said Moss admitted to stabbing Rachel Poole
The teenager has been charged with criminal attempted capital murder and was ordered held on $60,000 bond.
Neighbors told KFOX14 they that Moss owed the Pooles money for car repairs because he had borrowed a vehicle from them and wrecked it.
According to El Paso police, Moss, a soldier attached to Fort Bliss, went to the Pooles' home in the 9400 block of Wichita Circle to talk to Rachel Poole about the money he owed her husband.
The woman wasn't home, so the 19-year-old allegedly forced his way into the house and lay in ambush, waiting for her to return.
When Poole came home, she opened the Apple video chat program FaceTime on her phone and began talking to her husband, who is stationed in southwest Asia.

  

Suspect: Cory Bernard Moss, 19, allegedly admitted to the knife attack, which was reportedly sparked by a money dispute

A short time later, police say Moss came out of hiding and surprised Rachel Poole from behind, repeatedly stabbing her with a foldout stainless steel knife and beating her.
According to the affidavit, the victim instantly recognized Moss as her husband's debtor and yelled out his name several times so Justin Poole could hear it over the phone.
Following the attack, police say Moss fled and called a co-worker to pick him up and drive him to Fort Bliss.
Meanwhile, Justin Pele Poole called Moss' colleagues to alert them of the suspect’s imminent return to the military base.
The 19-year-old's co-workers intercepted him and found the knife in the car where he was riding.
Fort Bliss spokesman Joe Buccino said that Army Pvt Poole has been deployed in southwest Asia for the past nine months, HLN-TV reported.

Joy and sorrow: Mr Poole (top right) wrote that their unborn baby girl (bottom right) is doing fine, but his wife (left) had lost an eye

He arrived home in El Paso sometime today, and is not likely to be sent back to his overseas posting in the wake of the attack on his wife.
On Wednesday, a furious Justin Pele Poole took to his Facebook page to express his anger with the situation, writing in part: 'I promised to give my life for this freedom not the other way around. I failed her but never again.’
This afternoon, the soldier wrote on his page that he had the 'hardest conversation' of his life with his wounded wife over the phone.
According to Justin Poole, Rachel Poole told him that she had lost an eye in the attack and asked him if it was a 'deal breaker' for him.

Long distance: Army Pvt Pele Poole, pictured left and right with his wife, has spent the past nine months serving in southwest Asia

‘My wife is my wife til I'm no longer breathing,’ the serviceman wrote. ‘No man can change that and though I was not here to protect her this time it will never happen again that's my word.’
Today he introduced the couple's daughter to Facebook friends.
'In case you are wondering Rachel Poole is fighting to beat this but here is why she is fighting so hard. We love you baby,' he wrote.
Tragically, he added that the couple's dog had died after being left alone in the house following the attack on Rachel Poole.
According to a GoFundMe page set up for the Pooles, Rachel Poole is still in a critical condition and baby Isabella is sick from the medications doctors had to give her mother.

Culled from Dailymail.

We pray for the quick recovery of both mom and child.

David Bowie & Iman

 David Bowie and Iman are one hot couple whose fire will probably never burn out. They were set up on a blind date in 1990 by their hairdresser and have been inseparable ever since. The Somali-born supermodel admitted of first meeting the rock star musician: "It was nerve wracking at the beginning, the first five minutes, but we got along very famously and we have been together since then."
Yes, for 20 years of marriage, to be exact! What can we say, when you know the person is the one, you just know, and race or ethnicity has nothing to do with it!

Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso

What a perfect pair these two make! Matt Damon is still as head-over-heels in love with his Argentine-born interior designer wife, Luciana, as the day he was when he married her in 2005. The couple met two years prior in Miami – a moment that Damon told us about last year.
"When I look back, meeting my wife was one of the most incredible things that has ever happened to me," he said. "I can't imagine life without her. Then I think about everything else that happened to us, like having four kids, and I feel very blessed." Exclusive! Matt Damon: "I' Surrounded By Beautiful Girls"

Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos

Live With Kelly's Kelly Ripa has one heck of a husband in actor Mark Consuelos. The two first met back in 1995 on the set of All My Children and married the following year. Ripa and her Spanish-born hubby now have three beautiful children: Michael, 14, Lola, 10, and Joaquin, 8.
When we interviewed Consuelos last year, he revealed how they keep their marriage strong:
"We have a lot of respect for each other. Our children are our priority and we come from two families where both parents are still together, and we hold that in high regard. So, that's where we start from every day."