Hasta La Gadget!

Just because you don’t eat meat products doesn’t mean you have to suffer through a vacuous frozen veggie burger while everyone else at the summer barbecue chows down on hot, delicious grill food.

You, dear vegan, deserve the very best. And, as it happens, the very best cookout foods are often vegan. Just see the alluring assortment of meat-free options below for proof, then prepare to cook up a veggie-packed storm all summer long.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Anthony Sukto was just 8 years old when his father committed an unthinkable act. It was the fall of 2004 in a neighborhood near Seattle, around 4 a.m., when 911 dispatchers received a desperate call from the terrified little boy.

“Please help me. My daddy killed me with a knife and I’m gone,” Anthony told the dispatcher. “I woke up suddenly. My dad, he was killing my mom. And then my dad told me to go on the other bed, and then he was like, ‘You’re next.’ Then he killed me… I was still alive. I kind of survived.”

Anthony’s father, Tony Sukto, had brutally attacked his mother before stabbing Anthony six times in the face, neck and stomach. Convinced that both the boy and his mother were dead, Tony left the house. Anthony quickly called 911 for help.

As emergency workers frantically searched for the boy — the address that came up in the system did not match Anthony’s — the 911 call took another frightening turn. Anthony’s father had returned. In an instant, Anthony hung up on the dispatcher and the line went silent.

Then, something miraculous happened. Right as Tony had returned to the house, the police arrived and captured him.

Anthony, however, was near dead.

“I threw up a prayer right there,” said Sergeant Mark Eakes, who was on the scene and recounted the incident to Oprah in 2006. “I didn’t know if he was going to make it. I’ve seen a death look, as we call it, before. And he had that look in his eyes.”

But Anthony survived. When he spoke with Oprah two years after the attack, he told her that angels had told him to play dead and helped him call for help. “The angels lifted me up to the phone,” he said.

Sgt. Eakes and fireman Jeff Colquhoun, also on the scene, reunited with Anthony on that “Oprah Show” stage several years ago, expressing what an inspiration he has been to them both. “Anthony, as you probably already know, is an incredible kid,” Sgt. Eakes said. “Anthony has courage. He reminded us all of what that is.”

Today, Anthony is 18 and a senior in high school, living in Texas with his aunt and uncle. “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” recently caught up with him in his home state of Washington.

“I’ve been doing great,” Anthony says. “I’ve got a lot of support from my aunt and uncle, and friends.”

Tony Sukto, meanwhile, was convicted of first-degree murder and received a sentence of more than 25 years in prison. Anthony hasn’t had any contact with his father since he began serving his term — but does have hopes that the two can have a conversation someday.

“Once he’s up for parole, I’d actually love to sit down and talk to him,” Anthony says. “I’m sure he doesn’t know that I still forgive him and I love him. I just want to tell him that.”

After first crossing paths more than a decade ago, Anthony is still close with both Sgt. Eakes and Colquhoun, even staying with Sgt. Eakes when he visits Washington. Both Sgt. Eakes and Colquhoun tell “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” that Anthony has continued to be an inspiration to them over the years.

“He’s survived in spite of an incredible tragedy,” Colquhoun says. “And yet, since day one, nothing but a smile from him, every single day.”

“Oprah: Where Are They Now?” airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.

@media only screen and (min-width : 500px) {.ethanmobile { display: none; }
}

Like Us On Facebook |
Follow Us On Twitter

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

On the golden coast of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula sits the town of Pedasi, large enough so you could actually live there yet small enough to make you feel like an active stakeholder in a thriving community.

Pedasi is the kind of small town where locals leave their doors wide open to the street and sit outside in oversized wooden rocking chairs, enjoying the breeze and chatting with their neighbors. The old men wear traditional leather sandals and black and white straw hats. Women of all ages wear white pollera dresses during festivals and the annual Carnival celebration.

This is a tidy and enchanting village with a rural feel and relaxed lifestyle that has begun to attract attention among North American retirees. For all these reasons, I’d say Pedasi is today’s best beach retirement choice in Panama, the country that continues to stand out as perhaps the most foreign retiree-friendly in the world.

If you are looking for thumping nightlife and year-round cultural distractions, Pedasi is not for you. But for a sweet, simple, back-to-basics life at the beach, this is a top choice, not only in Panama but in the region. It’s also a highly affordable option. A couple could retire well in Pedasi on a budget of as little as $1,200 per month.

The Azuero Peninsula constitutes Panama’s southernmost landmass. Jutting into the Pacific, Azuero is an excellent staging post for forays into the ocean. It boasts some of Panama’s finest coastline, with idyllic islands just offshore, surrounded by a deep blue ocean abundant with rare mammals and marine life. On land, the region is graced with mountains, desert, tropical forest, tumbling rivers, and cascading waterfalls.

Considered the heartland of Panama, Azuero is home to more traditional culture and folklore than any other region of the country. The east coast of the peninsula is dotted with quaint Panamanian villages, including Pedasi, steeped in pastoral traditions and religious festivals dating back to the earliest Spanish settlement of the area. Some 500 religious celebrations are held each year in Azuero (yes, that’s more festivals than days in the year).

The biggest celebration of the year in the Azuero Peninsula takes place in Pedasi’s neighbor to the north, Las Tablas. I’m speaking of Carnival, four days of hedonistic festivities, wild and profligate, rivaling Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The party spills over into Pedasi, and retired here you might want to be somewhere else come Carnival week. Most residents in the area do Carnival once. Once is enough.

The Azuero’s 60-mile southern coast is bordered by the mighty Pacific, with nothing to stop the swells that build from the south and the west to culminate in some of Panama’s finest surf. In recent years, two world surfing championships have been hosted just south along the coast from Pedasi at Playa Venao. Venao’s famous 5- to 10-foot waves are surfable most of the year. Other surf spots nearby to Pedasí include beach breaks at Playa El Toro, Playa la Miel, Los Panamaes, and Los Destiladeros. Surfing is an important part of the local culture and a primary tourist draw.

Pedasí is also well known for the quality of its big-game fishing. The region is called the Tuna Coast because of the large numbers of big yellow-fin tuna to be had relatively close to shore. You can also fish for sailfish, red and Cubera snapper, marlin, Spanish mackerel, roosterfish, amberjack, mahi-mahi, and grouper, plus tuna and wahoo in season.

Pedasi is on the coast but not directly. The town is 3 kilometers from the sea, where boats can be hired for the short trip to Isla Iguana or out to where the continental shelf drops steeply into the ocean (and the fishing is best). A short bicycle ride from town or a few minutes in a car can have you at any one of a dozen beautiful beaches.

Pedasí is considered one of the best places to witness the annual migration of the humpback whale. The main whale-watching season is from June to November. Position yourself well, and you could watch these magnificent mammals from your kitchen window. You can also spot various types of dolphin out at sea most of the year, as well as whale sharks.

Panama’s President Mireya Moscoso, elected in 1999, was a Pedasí native. In addition to presiding over the U.S. handover of the Panama Canal, President Moscoso oversaw an important program of investment in infrastructure and services in and around her home town. It is in large part thanks to that investment that infrastructure to and in Pedasi is as good as it is today.

While tourism is a growing component of the local economy, the mainstays are cattle ranching, farming, and fishing. This is agricultural country, with fields of cattle, rice, corn, sugar cane, and coffee all around.

The population of Pedasí numbers only about 2,000, but, retired here, you would be able to source everything you’d need to live day-to-day in town and could get by without owning a car if you didn’t want one. There are small and medium-sized supermarkets, two bakeries, a dulceria (sweets and cake shop), and several restaurants. Thanks to the region’s agricultural base, you’d also have access to high-quality fresh produce. In addition, Pedasí has a public health clinic, two banks, and a small public library.

When you wanted a change from small-town beach life, Panama City, with its shopping, five-star restaurants, casinos, and nightlife, is a five-and-a-half-hour air-conditioned bus ride away.

Related Articles:

Living, Investing, Retiring, And Starting A Business In Panama

Retired On A Teacher’s Pension To Los Islotes, Panama

Real Estate And Property Listings In Panama

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

That, and mutter “someone’s gonna lose their jobs over this” under your breath as you mash the F5 button furiously. [Kind of Normal]

Read more…

Hyundai has pulled the wraps off its second-generation Sonata Hybrid this week and it gets some unique touches to set it apart from the normal Sonata models in the line. Those unique touches include unique wheels, and unique front and rear fascias. Those unique front and rear fascias are there to do more than just make the car look visually … Continue reading