Author: Overcoming Adversity | Buteau’s Odyssey

It’s quite the rap-ture sheet. Sherri Shepherd admitted she once skipped taxes, parking tickets and court dates because she was convinced the Rapture would whisk her to heaven — only to end up in jail for eight days. “I didn’t plan on being here today. I thought the Rapture was going to take me up to heaven,” the 58-year-old former “View” cohost said on her nationally syndicated daytime television show “Sherri” on Wednesday. Daytime talk show host Sherri Shepherd recalled the time she was arrested years ago because of the Rapture. Sherri The comedian, who also appeared on “30 Rock,”…

An Indonesian gymnast and Olympic hopeful tragically died this week after sustaining a severe neck injury while executing an advanced skill in Russia, his home country announced. Naufal Takdir Al Bari, 19, was attending a national team training camp in Penza when he attempted a skill on the horizontal high bar and landed awkwardly in a foam pit, according to the Russian Gymnastics Federation.  The critical injury left the elite athlete hospitalized in intensive care for 12 days before he died Thursday. Naufal Takdir Al Bari, 19, died after suffering a critical neck injury during a gymnastics stunt. Credit: @gymnastics.indonesia…

Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation. Truth be told, that indictment should be only the tip of the iceberg for the charges that Comey should eventually face, but even this modest first step has left-wing politicos caterwauling about President Trump’s “unprecedented” use of the Department of Justice to seek revenge on his political enemies — a “glass-break moment” that “thrust the Justice Department into perilous new territory,” according to The New York Times. Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted that “using the justice system to go after political opponents is what…

Before Halloween Horror Nights, Fright Fest, Howl-O-Scream, and Knott’s Scary Farm, was Spooky World. With little dispute, Spooky World is credited as America’s first established haunted theme park. The first attractions included haunted houses, sideshow attractions, horror celebrities, and a hayride which became the event’s signature event. Spooky World billboard. Why was Spooky World a Success? For those who were too young to remember, or not even born yet… 1991 was a time ripe for horror, and the legends we celebrate today were in their heyday.  Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, and Leatherface were all household names. Many of…

“Maybe is the beginning of all journeys.” — Anonymous We’ve often been told we need to be confident, strong, and bold in our decisions—to say “yes” or “no” quickly and decisively. But what if we’re not sure? Perhaps a “protector part” inside us shouts, “Be decisive; don’t appear weak.” But when a friend asks us for a favor, or our partner suggests a dinner party or trip to the in-laws, we don’t have to decide on the spot. There’s no shame in sitting with it—there’s often much to consider. The Power of Pausing Imagine your partner asks you to join…

A Halloween display in a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, is fueling outrage after video captured mannequins wearing red hats staged in what appears to be an execution scene. The display — located in the predominantly Hispanic Second Ward neighborhood — features multiple mannequins.  Two of the figures — dressed in red hats, black shirts, khaki pants and black masks — are seen hanging from ropes around their necks on a wooden gallows topped with a Mexican flag, FNTV video shows. The mannequins are barefooted and appear to have stacks of zip ties in their pockets. Nearby, a third mannequin dressed in a…

Taylor Swift was seen hiding under umbrellas as she arrived for Selena Gomez’s star-studded wedding celebration. The “Blank Space” singer was pictured stepping off an aircraft at Santa Barbara airport on Friday afternoon in a dark shirt — as several people rushed out to cover her with a cluster of black umbrellas. Only the hitmaker’s elbow could be seen in snapshots from her big arrival. A bystander could be seen carrying some luggage and a white box — potentially a wedding gift for Gomez and her groom Benny Blanco. Once Swift descended the plane’s steps, she hopped into a waiting…

President Trump is backing a White House plan to tap former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to run Gaza under a United Nations-backed transitional authority once the war ends, according to Arab and US officials familiar with the proposal. Under the draft, Blair, 72, would serve as interim administrator of a Gaza International Transition Authority (GITA) that would govern the enclave for several years with Palestinian technocrats and an Arab-led peacekeeping force before handing control to Palestinian leaders, officials told the Wall Street Journal. The blueprint is being circulated to Arab and Israeli counterparts and remains one of several options…

Wisconsin businessman Bill Berrien, a supporter of President Donald Trump, ended his Republican campaign for governor on Friday, days after it was reported that he followed numerous sexually explicit accounts online, including a nonbinary pornography performer. Berrien, a former Navy SEAL and one of three announced prominent Republican candidates, issued a lengthy statement saying “I had no idea that running for political office could be almost as dangerous” as “hunting down war criminals in Bosnia.” Berrien said he concluded he could not win the Republican primary. “Looking towards what is in the best interest of the party, voters, donors, and…

This post is part one of a series. Speaking feels like the most natural thing in the world. You think a thought, open your mouth, and words tumble out in perfect sequence. Yet this apparent simplicity masks one of the most remarkable feats your brain performs daily. Consider this: An 18-month-old can form words reasonably well but won’t master toilet training for another year. Meanwhile, our closest evolutionary relatives—despite their intelligence and dexterity—cannot speak at all. This is not because their mouth is anatomically incapable of speech, it’s because speech is difficult to coordinate, and apes lack the brain networks…