Overton, Lancashire residents Gary and Angela Williams were walking along Middleton Sands beach close to Morecambe Bay when an unusually large rock caught their attention. Other have probably passed by the object before, but no one believed it was anything special. Luckily, the Williams decided to inspect it and it turned out to be the best decision they’ve ever made.
Looking at the “rock,” and judging from its distinguishing smell which resembled that of rotting fish, the couple knew they stumbled upon fortune.
What they actually found was ambergris, or ‘whale vomit,’ a valuable ingredient in the perfume making industry. Having read about the value these “rocks” can reach, they were aware it was their lucky day.
What in fact is ambergris? “When sperm whales swallow sharp objects – such as the horny beaks of squid, which are their usual food – their intestines secrete a sticky substance that envelops these sharp debris so as not to injure the intestinal mucosa. Over time, these residues agglomerate in the form of lumps of various sizes, which are removed either with feces or regurgitated. Under the influence of the sun and the seawater, this mixture turns into a hard matter, with a specific aromatic smell.”
Gary, who is an engineer, described his and his wife’s find as ‘a bit of a shock’ and added, “It smells too bad though. It’s a very distinctive smell, like a cross between squid and farmyard manure.
“It feels like a rock hard rubber ball. Its texture is like wax, like a candle. When you touch it you get wax sticking to your fingers.”
Gary also said that in case it is sold for a nice amount of money, they would be closer to making their dream of buying a static caravan true.
The value of Garry and Angela’s found, which weighs 1.5 kg, is approximately $70,000.
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The tragic passing of the well-known DJ Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, 40, who was part of The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2014 to the show’s conclusion earlier this year, left many in devastation.
Many celebrities who knew tWitch took to the social media to share their condolences and show love and support to his family, wife Allison Holker and his three children.
His heartbroken mother, Connie Boss Alexander, has spoken for the first time since her son’s death, which was ruled as suicide.
Along with a photo of tWitch as an infant, Connie wrote, “Family and friends, thank you for all the love, prayers, and encouragement. Please know I see all the messages, posts, and the phone calls. I can’t use words right now. Please know I will reach out when I can. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.”
She then addressed her son and wrote, “Stephen Laurel, your mother loves you to eternity and beyond.”
TMZ reported that before taking his own life, the famous DJ checked into a hotel located just a mile away from his home. He was carrying a small bag with him and was supposed to check out the following day, December 13.
Guests at the hotel who ran into him said he was looking perfectly fine and nothing spoke that he was in distress.
According to the police, before they got a call of gun shots and a dead body, tWitch’s wife shared her concerns with a local LAPD precinct and said that her husband left the house leaving his car home, something he had never done before.
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tWitch’s body was discovered around 11:15 a.m. and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation regarding his death has been “closed,” and no further information has been shared with the public.
The news of the DJ’s passing was first shared by his wife Allison who released a statement writing, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us.
“Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.”
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“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honour his memory.
“We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children. Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.”
The COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone, in one way or another. And as we hope those tough times are behind us, we can never forget how devastating the past couple of years have been for most of us. Many businesses were forced to shut down, and as a result, many people lost their jobs and even ended on the streets.
And as we all praised doctors and medical workers for their job well done against the virus, the residents of a Virginia neighborhood remembered to show their gratitude to a person holding another vital profession during the pandemic, the UPS driver who always made sure to deliver their goods on time while they stayed home and kept themselves protected.
The USPS, FedEx, and UPS workers helped keep America’s economy alive, although not many spoke about their hard work and sacrifice during the tough times for the humanity.
Anthony Gaskin, a UPS driver, was on his regular route when he noticed an unusual sight. A number of cars were lined up and down the road. He had no idea what could be going on until he saw two children holding posters with the message, “Hallsley loves you, Anthony.” The rest of the people waved and cheered and that’s when Anthony learned that they had done all this just for him.
These people felt that Anthony deserved to be recognized for everything he had done for them during the pandemic.
“Even though his truck does not have sirens and his uniform does not offer added fire protection, Anthony Gaskins is considered a hero in the Hallsley neighborhood,” Patty Friedman later wrote in an email to WTVR. “Through COVID, Anthony has continued working, delivering packages at our doors, record numbers of them, over 180 times to date.
“I wanted to thank him personally for how much he helped me feel welcome when I moved in during a pandemic,” she added. “It was terribly lonely, and he was always the highlight of my day.”
Needles to say, Anthony was brought down to tears and was glad for the gratitude he was offered.
“Arriving on bikes, on foot, and in more than 75 cars, hundreds of Hallsley residents lined the road and waited for Anthony to turn the corner,” Patty told WTVR. “A humble man, he needed to be coaxed, but eventually, slowly drove his truck down the road while children and adults held up signs, screamed his name, honked their horns, and rang bells. Gaskins’ supervisors even showed up to present him with a gift.”
We believe that this has been a well-deserved gesture for everything Anthony and his colleagues are doing for their communities.
For more go to the video below.
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Bill Cosby’s only son, Ennis Cosby, was brutally murdered during an attempted robbery back in 1997.
With Ennis’ death, the family suffered a devastating loss they still have a hard time getting over.
Being the son of a famous name in Hollywood, the case of this young man’s tragic passing resulted in significant media coverage, public outrage and an outpouring of support for the Cosby family.
The incident took place when Ennis pulled his car over to the side of a Los Angeles interstate to change a tire. His girlfriend, Stephanie Crane, was in another car. She pulled in front of him and told him to call towing service but Ennis said he would change the tire on his own. Sadly, that decision cost him his life.
Out of nowhere, Ukrainian immigrant Mikhail Markhasev appeared at Ennis’ window and asked for his belongings. He intended to rob both Ennis and Stephanie, but she sped away in fright and disrupted his plan. Unfortunately, Ennis refused to give his money right away and Markhasev shot him in the head leaving him in a pool of blood.
Seeking the $100,000 reward offered by the National Enquirer, a friend of the shooter provided information that led to Markhasev’s arrest in March 1997.
Once Markhasev was tracked down, police officers found the gun he used to commit the murder. He was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in July 1998.
Erika Cosby, Ennis’ sister, said she was relieved when she heard the verdict and Bill said of his son, “He was my hero.”
Ennis’ mother, Camille Cosby, wrote an open post for USA Today following her son’s death, expressing her belief that race had a significant role in this tragedy.
The murderer didn’t want to take responsibility for the gruesome act until 2001 when he pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness from the Cosby family.
As for Ennis, he was a truly special young man loved by everyone who had ever met him. As a young child, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disability, but he was able to overcome it.
Ennis attended specialized programs and was finally transferred from Morehouse College in Atlanta to Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City, where he thrived academically.
Bill Cosby had been particularly proud of his son’s achievements and taught him strong work ethic, intelligence, ambition, and tenacity in facing adversity.
Ennis provided his father with endless material for jokes and helped inform the character of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show.
In recent years, Bill Cosby went through an ordeal when several women accused him of sexual assault. Bill was charged with aggravated indecent assault until the matter was dropped in 2021.
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While the Prince and Princess of Wales are having their hands full with the Christmas preparations, which will be quite different for the family altogether as it would be hosted by King Charles for the first time ever, they are sharing some heartbreaking news.
As the passing of Queen Elizabeth is still heavily felt by the members of the royalty, as well as every Briton, William and Kate suffered another loss recently and it comes at a time when things within the family are getting even more complicated than ever due to the new Netflix documentary featuring Harry and Meghan.
Reports are that the royals are not happy with the trailers and the first episode which aired recently as they believe there are misinterpretations that could affect their reputation.
Although the first episode mainly discusses Harry and Meghan’s early life and the time they first started dating, the intimate interviews and the never-before-seen footage of the Sussexes also introduce some negative ideas that the royals are sure to take umbrage over.
“Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within this series,” a statement at the beginning of the documentary reads.
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However, no matter how curious they probably are to learn what Harry and Meghan have to say in the controversial documentary, neither Kate and William nor other members of the royalty appeared interested in talking about it or even watching the series.
Allegedly, officials from both Kensington and Buckingham Palace were watching the first episodes of Harry and Meghan’s documentary series but the Prince and Princess of Wales refused to watch it, as they were reluctant to engage in any sort of unpleasant battle.
“The trailers already have some glaring errors and misrepresentations, which doesn’t bode well for the full series,” the royal insider said. “But the plan is to keep schtum and carry on.”
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That things aren’t the best speaks the fact that the Sussexes declined Charles’ invitation to spend Christmas in Britain.
Instead, they will be celebrating in sunny California. However, not seeing each other over the holidays doesn’t mean that the royals won’t exchange gifts.
As per reports, William and Kate won’t be sending any gifts to Harry and Meghan, and it can be assumed that the Sussexes will follow suit, but they will certainly send gifts to Archie and Lilibet. William loves his niece and nephew dearly despite the fact he hasn’t seen them in over a year and a half.
“In the absence of goodwill between the couples, William and Kate will not deprive three-year-old Archie and Lilibet, one, of a present under the tree,” Royal commentator Roya Nikkhah wrote in The Times.
“And in one royal tradition that Team Sussex is still on board with, Harry and Meghan have also dispatched gifts for George, Charlotte and Louis, who are nine, seven and four. There will be no presents exchanged between the adults.”
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In the wake of the jolliest time of the year, William and Kate shared that they lost a dear friend, Mark Jenkins, who tragically died in a plane crash while he flew over the Tsavo National Park in Kenya.
Mark and William met during the prince’s gap year and remained very close friends ever since.
“Yesterday, I lost a friend, who dedicated his life to protecting wildlife in some of East Africa’s most renowned national parks,” William said in a statement.
“Mark Jenkins, and his son Peter, were tragically killed when flying over Tsavo National Park while conducting an aerial patrol. Tonight, I’m thinking about Mark’s wife, family and colleagues who’ve sadly lost a man we all loved and admired,” the prince added.
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Early reports of the investigation showed that Mark crashed while he was trying to drive goats, cows, and other animals out of the park.
“KWKenya Wildlife Service and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) teams are at the scene to investigate the circumstances of the crash,” a statement read.
“KWS wishes to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the deceased.”
Frankfurt Zoological Society released a statement as well, as per the Mirror.
“Mark was a lifelong conservationist and experienced bush pilot, who dedicated his career to protecting wildlife in some of East Africa’s most renowned national parks.
“Passionate, principled, and strong-willed, Mark was never afraid to speak his mind and stand for what he believed in. He was a commanding presence and made an indelible impression wherever he went.”
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The statement continued: “Those of us who worked alongside him remember him for his determination, thoughtfulness, his energy, his mischievous smile, and his deep love of wildlife and wild places.”
William and Kate described Mark as “a man we all loved and admired.”
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One thing about Kate Middleton that we can all agree about is that she has always been a fascinating public figure. It doesn’t come as a surprise that from the moment she started dating the heir to the British throne all eyes have been on her. During the time she and William were taking some time off and he went on to date other girls, the media dubbed the Princess of Wales “Waity Katie” since she was waiting for a marriage proposal for quite some time.
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“We did split up for a bit,” William admitted in their engagement interview. “But that was just, we were both very young, it was at university, we were both finding ourselves and such, and being different characters and such.”
“I think I at the time wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person,” Kate added.
“You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realized. Or I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you’re younger. I really valued that time for me as well although I didn’t think it at the time, looking back on it.”
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Although her parents made millions through their business, Kate was still considered a commoner by the wide public.
The two eventually tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011, and William was there to help her adjust to the life as a royal.
Among the rest, being born into the royalty or becoming a member of it later in life, like in Kate’s case, means respecting tradition and playing by the rules. One of the rules that are strictly followed is the dress code while being on royal duty. In her younger days as a royal, Kate seemed not to have respected this code as much as it was expected from her. Allegedly, Kate’s skirt had flown up while in the process of performing her royal duties during several occasions and that made the Queen furious.
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It happened once in 2016, while the Princess was laying down a wreath at the India Gate in the Indian capital of New Delhi and then again in 2019, while she was doing archery in Bhutan.
Allegedly, the Queen revealed her “secret weapon” to Kate, which having curtain weights underneath her skirt to prevent it from happening, but Kate didn’t take the advice.
“The Queen is fed up that Kate hasn’t heeded advice to have her hems weighted to prevent her skirts flying up,” a Buckingham Palace insider said.
Another time when Kate and the late Queen got into a row was when the Princess was pregnant with her third child, Prince Louis. Allegedly, Kate wanted to keep her royal duties at a minimum during that time, something the Queen didn’t quite like.
“Kate wants her public appearances kept to a minimum, and he’s 100 percent behind her,” a source told Life & Style at the time, adding that the conversation between William, Kate, and Queen Elizabeth was “quite icy.”
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Over the years, Kate has become a much loved royal adored by millions of Brits and people from all around the world, but as it looks like, besides her innocent side, she has a strong side to her as well.
According to an article written for The Daily Mail, historian Robert Lacey believes that Kate and William once felt overshadowed by Harry and Meghan and did their best to “put them in their place.”
He further claimed that friends of the Princes were sympathetic to both brother’s plights and argued William and Kate were not innocent in the royal fallout.
“Friends of William and Kate are willing to concede the jealousy the Cambridges once felt at being overshadowed by the megawatt younger brother and his wife,” Lacey wrote.
“History will reveal, they agree, how their friends William and Kate were guilty of some ‘sharp-elbowed’ tactics in seeking to keep Harry and Meghan in their place.”
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What’s most, Lacey mentioned William’s “short temper” and said it couldn’t have helped easy any tension between him and Harry.
“And what about William’s notoriously short temper? Which of the two brothers was so beside himself with rage in January 2020 that he declined to attend the family lunch arranged by the Queen before the Sandringham Summit?
“Both sets of friends see the case for the other side, and seek to urge compromise upon their own particular Prince.”
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With her eloquence and her supreme style, as well as her inner charm, Jackie Kennedy, president John F. Kennedy’s wife, stunned millions and made even more fall for her.
President Kennedy’s time at the White House was dubbed “Camelot Presidency,” because it brought hope to many young politicians. By his side, Jackie became a national treasure herself as spread optimism when she took the role of FLOTUS.
Throughout her life, she experienced many highs and lows and some personal tragedies, but she remained strong until the very end, raising her beautiful children and remaining a role model for them.
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Jackie’s daughter, Caroline, who was just four years old when her beloved father was killed, is a political figure herself. She has been married to husband Edwin Schlossberg since 1963 and they have three children together, Jack, Rose, and Tatiana.
Many claim that Rose is a spitting image of her grandmother Jackie and they are not far from the truth. Rose is in fact a living tribute to one of the most beloved First Ladies ever.
Unlike most of the Kennedies, Rose hasn’t pursued a career in politics, but just like her grandmother, who wrote for her school newspaper and was offered a junior editorship at Vogue after graduation, Rose is a talented writer herself.
According to Good Housekeeping, Rose earned an English degree in 2010 and then went on to earn a masters in interactive telecommunications from New York University.
In 2016, Rose and her friend Mara Nelson-Greenberg started a web series called End Times Girls Club. According to Mashable, it was meant to humorously provide a “guide to female-focused apocalypse survival.”
Speaking to the magazine, Rose explained, “It came up as a response to seeing the way that New York responded to Hurricane Sandy, and how people were grossly underprepared — specifically, girls in damsel in distress mode.
“I thought it would be interesting to create this world where girls have to be survivalists without compromising their cute factor.”
When she was young, and her grandmother Jackie was alive, the two shared a very close bond. What’s most, The New York Post reported that Jackie saw Rose every day and doted on her. Rose was five when her grandmother died.
Sharon Harel-Cohen, Caroline Kennedy, Rose Schlossberg and Edwin Arthur Schlossberg (Getty Images)
Rose was also very close to her uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr. who sadly passed away in a plane crash on July 16, 1999. His death crushed Rose. According to Kennedy biographer C. David Heymann, Ross had a hard time coping with the loss. “He’d been like a father to her. She went into a six-month depression during which she barely spoke to anyone. She stopped eating — she must have lost 30 pounds,” he told The Post.
Saree Kayne; Rory McCauliffe; Rose Schlossberg and Lily Waranker attend Jenni Kayne Home Collection Launch at Malibu Farm on October 11, 2017 in Malibu, California. (Getty Images)
Rose is married to wife Rory McAuliffe whom she’d been dating for the past eight years.
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Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, the long-time dancing DJ on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died by suicide at the age of 40.
The news of his passing was shared by his wife, Allison Holker. In a statement for People, devastated Walker wrote, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us.
“Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.
“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honour his memory.
“We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children. Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.”
According to reports, the L.A. police department responded to a call of “death investigation,” at a motel Stephen checked in shortly before taking his own life. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner has confirmed the cause of death as suicide.
Stephen worked as a DJ and a co-host on The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2014 to the show’s conclusion earlier this year. In 2020, he was promoted to co-executive producer of the daytime talk show. At the end of the final season, he and Ellen sat down to reflect on their work together.
Following his passing, the talk show host took to the social media to reveal how much he meant to her.
“I’m heartbroken,” Ellen wrote alongside a photo of her and tWitch hugging on the stage of her show. “tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children – Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.”
Many of Stephen’s friends said their final goodbyes.
Ciara wrote, “I am so crushed to hear the news that you are no longer with us. I’ve always known you as joy, laughter, good times, and a big smile! Heaven has gained an angel today! May you rest in paradise. Praying for your family during this difficult time,” adding a heart and a praying emoji.
