Jared Blackwelder, a farmer from Springfield, Missouri, experienced the shock of his life when he went to the pasture to collect the cows for the evening milking.
To his disbelief, all of his 32 cows were piled on top of each other, dead on the mulch.
Blackwelder couldn’t believe his eyes and was initially unaware of what could have caused this horrific scene, but once he got to his senses, he realized that his cows were likely struck by lightning.
Stan Coday, president of the Wright County Missouri Farm Bureau, spoke to CBS News of Blackwelder misfortune and said, “[Blackwelder] went out to bring the cows in and that’s when he found them.
“It’s a common occurrence. It does happen. The thing that made this the worst was just the sheer number of cows that were affected.”
The vet who examined the dead cows determined that in was indeed lighting that claimed their lives.
It is believed that the animals were trying to find shelter and hide from the heavy rain and thunder, and that’s when they all gathered under a tree.
“You’re at the mercy of mother nature,” Coday said and added that he lost a cow in the same manner some years ago.
“It’s not like they are pets. But the ones I’m milking, I’ve raised every one of them,” Blackwelder told the Springfield News-Leader. “Dairy cattle are a little different because you mess with them twice a day. It knocks you hard.”
Sadly, the issue with this loss is that it is a financial one at the same time.
News-Leader reported that Blackwelder had insurance but is unsure if that would be enough to cover he losses.
His total loss is over $60,000.
“Most producers don’t carry insurance,” Coday said. “If you lose a cow you’ve lost everything.”
The dead cows can’t even be used for their meat because it’s been hours since the owner found them dead.
“Those animals are damaged and of course they had been there for a few hours when he found them,” Coday said. “In processing an animal, there’s a process that needs to be gone through. They wouldn’t have been fit for human consumption.”
The issue with most farmers of Missouri is that they don’t have dedicated cow barns due to the the state’s milder weather and this incident wasn’t something Blackwelder had control on.
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Meeting members of the British royal family is always a delight for their fans. When they announce official visits, a great number of people gather to greet them. Those who get the chance to speak to them feel privileged.
I believe that although Charles is the head of the monarchy following his mother’s passing, it is still the Prince and Princess of Wales that royal fans are most enthusiastic about.
Both William and Kate have been extremely busy with their royal engagements that involve plenty of visits not only of places within the Kingdom but also abroad.
The couple visited United States for the first time since 2014 and attended the Earthshot Prize Awards which William founded in 2020. Earlier this year, however, it became an independent charity and William serves as its president.
“Protecting the environment was a cause close to my grandmother’s heart. And I know she would have been delighted to hear about this event and the support you’re all giving our Earthshot finalists, the next generation of environmental pioneers,” William said in a recorded message after he was forced to cancel the September Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York because of Queen Elizabeth’s passing.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Instead, the trip took place some two months later and what caught everyone’s attention was that the royals didn’t fly to the States privately but used a commercial flight and remained-low key the entire time.
“As soon as people saw them get on you could tell there was a buzz on the airplane,” passenger Jonathan Wood shared with CBS News. “It was a wild experience, but it was great.”
“Surprising … you assume they’d have a private jet,” passenger Jo Atkins told CBS. “[William is] a lot slimmer… can I say that? He’s very slight. She’s beautiful, obviously, as one would expect. I didn’t expect that getting on the plane.”
“Well look, they’re coming for Earthshot. It’s an environmental thing, right, so being on a commercial flight makes sense,” another passenger, Luke Howard, added.
Upon landing, the Prince and Princess of Wales were greeted by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and William thanked the people who were there to welcome them “for their many tributes paid to the late queen,” adding that his late grandmother always spoke of her 1976 visit to Boston “with great fondness.”
Samir Hussein – Pool/WireImage
Among those who got to greet and meet the royal couple was an 8-year-old boy named Henry Dynov-Teixeira. The sweet boy was dressed as a Buckingham Palace guard and presented them with roses.
“I am going to scream and tell my best friend that I am now famous,” Henry told Mirror UK.
Kate and William also met with the Boston mayor and the US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy. They attended an NBA game and watched Boston Celtic play. All in all, their time there was fulfilling and fun as it was effective.
Paul Edwards – Pool/Getty Images
When the couple are away from home, the care for their children is handed to Kate’s parents and the children’s long-time nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.
Borrallo has been with the family since Prince George was just 8 months old.
“She is not married and doesn’t have a boyfriend, as her life is totally dedicated to the family she is working with. She is known for being totally professional – married to the job,” an insider told Hello Magazine.
Although the kids can’t join them on every trip, William and Kate try to involve them in their own special way.
“They are always asking us where we are going. “And we show them where we are on the map,” William said during their 2022 March trip to the Caribbean.
“We let them know where we are, and [George] finds us on the map and puts a pin in it and shares with the others.”
Karwai Tang/WireImage
It has been announced that William will travel to New York for the Earthshot Prize finalist’s celebration in New York by himself. However, he was supposed to be accompanied by Kate and George to Singapore later this year for the Earthshot Awards.
Now, there have been rumors that Kate and George won’t go with William, which disappointed their fans there.
As reported by Hello! Magazine, many took to social media when the update was provided.
“So sad. We wanna see Princess Catherine,” one royal fan wrote on social media.
Another commented: “Noooooo,” and a third simply posted a crying emoji.
Many hope this isn’t true.
“Hopefully, this is not true. From what we have seen so far, it is basically confirmed (not officially by the palace) that Catherine will be there,” one person wrote.
Another stated: “I don’t believe this for one second.”
Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images
While in New York, the Prince of Wales is meeting with UN secretary-general António Guterres, with delegations from Ecuador and Vanuatu, wading into the Hudson River in aid of a new water project and, of course, unveiling the 15 Earthshot finalists.
“This trip is part of his evolution as a global statesman which is incredibly important, especially since becoming Prince of Wales. He and his courtiers have been thinking about how to manage that transition from Duke of Cambridge to the next King,” a royal aide told The Times.
“The US is very important to him. The world’s climate movers and shakers will be in New York having conversations about the future of the planet and the prince is keen to be part of those conversations and put Earthshot front and centre,” the aide continued. “He has huge ambitions for what the prize can become and is extremely focused on its legacy and impact.”
American TV Networks all requested an interview with the Prince, and he allegedly banned them from asking questions about his brother.
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Salt is one of the most fundamental seasonings in every cuisine in the world. But as much as it makes every dish tastier, salt has other usage too.
Have you ever tried using salt in order to clean something or get rid of stains? If not, we’ll show you how.
1. Salt can fix the odor in the toilet
Coarse salt is excellent at eliminating odors and it’s a key ingredient to a number of cleaning solutions. If you want to try its effectiveness, just place a tumbler of coarse salt into the bowl of the toilet and leave it there overnight. It will absorb any unpleasant scents.
In the morning, just pour a cattle of boiling water into the toilet.
2. Salt as a drain cleaner
If your drain is clogged, you can try to fix it without calling a plumber by putting a lot of salt in the drain, similar as to how you put it in the dishwasher.
Leave it for some time, the best would be overnight, and pour hot, almost boiling water, into the drain the following morning.
3. Remove stains with salt: A natural alternative to chemicals
Removing stubborn yellow stains off walls, tubs, and toilet bowls may be a real pain.
The chemical cleaners can affect our health, so if you want to avoid using them, turn to a natural alternative.
In order to come up with a cleaning paste at home, use half a cup of salt, one teaspoon of baking soda, and water. Mix it well and then use it to get rid of the stains. How it’s done? Place the paste over the stains and leave it overnight. The next morning, rub it gently and then rinse it, and you are done.
4. Whitening
If you are in need of polishing the ceramics, just put some salt, either coarse or fine, into a bowl. Then use it to rub the ceramics with a brush. They will get brighter and would be sterilized.
Using salt in the process of cleaning can be both effective and will cost you less money than buying expensive products. Japanese have been using it for centuries.
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According to researchers, elephants are most similar to humans when it comes to expressing emotions.
These animals are capable of expressing grief when some of their family dies, and they are also capable of ‘adopting’ young calves who lost their moms.
The story of Shirley and Jenny, two circus elephants who had been separated for 22 years before they finally reunited is just another proof of the caring and loving nature of this species.
The video of the long-anticipated reunion was taken at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. The love and affection these long-lost friends showed to one another is astonishing. It shows that elephants do have incredible memory.
It looks like no time passed by for these incredible creatures. The time they once spent together at the circus where they performed was enough to form a bond that would last a lifetime.
You can take a look at the video of Shirley and Jenny below.
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The blues and soul singer-songwriter Michael Grimm, who stole the hearts of millions the moment he took the stage of America’s Got Talent and won the fifth season, has been hospitalized due to a mysterious illness.
His wife, Lucie Zolverva-Grimm, posted an emotional video on Instagram.
“For those of you who’ve been out to see Michael the past couple of months, you might have noticed that he was struggling with his health a lot, lacking energy and not being able to fulfill shows,” she said of her husband.
“We ended up taking him to the hospital, to the ER. The doctors still couldn’t figure out what was going wrong with him. But regardless, whatever the issue was, on Memorial Day, it kind of took him over. He was looking increasingly sickly, all of the sudden he could barely walk, couldn’t lift his head. He couldn’t respond right away to me when I would ask him things.”
Doctors believed he could have suffered a stoke since he was speaking gibberish at the time and experienced physical tremors, but they soon determined that wasn’t the case.
“His blood pressure was skyrocketing. He became really agitated with the medication that he was given, and they had to put him in the ICU,” Lucie added in her post.
She further explained that the singer needed to be put on a ventilator and sedated so he wouldn’t have a stroke. “Michael has been in ICU all week. For the safety of his health, they had to put him on a ventilator and sedate him pretty heavily, so he wouldn’t stroke out. So he wouldn’t flatline,” she said. “It’s just been an entire week at the hospital. I’m emotionally and physically exhausted, so please pardon my emotional state.”
Lucie continued, “The good news is that the doctors were finally able to remove the ventilator today and he is breathing on his own. He’s doing good. However, due to the last week, his body went through a lot. They do have him sedated, so he doesn’t seize or flatline from the fluctuating blood pressure.”
She informed her husband’s fans that although he started feeling better, doctors were unable to provide him with a diagnosis as they are still unaware what caused the health scare he experienced. “Basically, the doctors are isolating individual systems and organs, and we are systematically working through it. There were some things. We’re clearing them out one by one. He is improving, so that’s good. It’s taking time,” she said.
We are glad Michael is feeling better. We pray for his full recovery.
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American country music artist Jason Aldean shared with fans that his son Memphis had to visit the ER for the first time.
“Lil man had his first trip to the ER today,” the country singer, 45, posted on Instagram alongside a photo of the boy resting at the hospital. “Needed 2 stitches and took it like a champ. Back home and rockin.”
Jason’s wife, Brittany, also posted of her son’s trip to the ER but revealed the detail that Memphis needed some medical help because he fell at the pool.
“Our day took a turn when Mems fell at the pool,” she added. “Two stitches under his chin and our first official trip to the E.R.”
The post further added that she was “thankful for such great nurses and one awesome doc” who took care of her little one, writing, “He is doing great… mama’s heart, not so much.”
The Trouble With a Heartbreak singer and his family have been having a blast at their Florida home this summer.
After spending a night at their beach home, Brittany announced they would now be residing there. “We are officially Florida residents again!” she captioned an Instagram story that showed a huge swimming pool with a hot tub surrounded by palm trees.
Later that same day, she posted a video of the interior of the place, sharing with her followers what their home looked like.
Among the rest, the video showed Jason relaxing on the couch watching what appears to be a cooking show.
“First night in our new place,” she wrote alongside a heart and wine glass emoji.
Florida holds a special place for Jason, who spent plenty of time there as a child following his parents’ divorce.
This isn’t the family’s first Florida home, however.
“We just bought again in Florida… and are currently building something new in Nashville,” Brittany shared. ”As for another dream home… probably. We truly enjoy the excitement of new projects (But not anytime soon).”
Speaking to Music Mayhem in March, Jason revealed that they weren’t really building anything new in Florida but they both a home and they are remodeling it to their own liking.
A photo of their summer days shows Memphis and his sister, Navy, with metal detectors in their hand and looking for pirate treasure.
“We purchased Memphis a metal detector since he’s on a mission to uncover some pirate treasure!” said the caption of Jason’s photo. “Being a beach man, nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids love the sea!”
Jason Aldean is now experiencing success after being named ‘iHeartRadio Music Awards Country Song of the Year’ for his duet “If I Didn’t Love You” with Carrie Underwood.
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The following story is a reminder that when we love someone genuinely, we would never do anything to hurt their feelings, even if that means having to have salty coffee our entire life.
If you wonder what this means, keep reading.
When a couple met back in the day, they both ordered some coffee, but then the man asked for some salt to add to it.
The woman was quite confused as she had never heard anyone having their coffee with salt.
Although it was their first date ever, she decided to ask him about his uncommon preference.
He replied: “When I was a little boy, I was living near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there.”
Eventually, the two got married and spent wonderful years together.
After over four decades, before the man died, he wrote a letter to his darling wife.
“My dearest,
Please forgive me; forgive my whole life’s lie.
This was the only lie I told you—the salty coffee.
Remember the first time we dated?
I was so nervous at that time; actually, I wanted some sugar, but I said salt.
It was hard for me to change, so I just went ahead.
I never thought that could be the start of our communication!
I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything.
Now that I’m dying, I’m afraid of nothing, so I’ll tell you the truth: I don’t like the salty coffee, What a strange bad taste.
But I have had salty coffee for my whole life!
Since I knew you, I never felt sorry for anything I did for you.
Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life.
If I can live for the second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again.”
The woman was in tears, she simply couldn’t believe just how loved she had been her entire life by this man who would do anything for her.
Years after his passing, someone asked her:
A few years later, someone asked her: What’s the taste of salty coffee?
“It’s sweet.” she replied.
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Before making a name for himself, actor Vincent D’Onofrio earned himself a living as a nightclub bouncer, delivering flowers, hanging drapes and driving a cab. He even worked as Yul Brynner’s and Robert Plant’s bodyguard in order to support his dream of finding his place under the Hollywood sky.
After managing to land some on and off Broadway roles, and after appearing in low-budget films, Vincent was urged by friend and actor Matthew Modine to audition for Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.
He seemed like the perfect fit for the role of Leonard, a fat, dim-witted character. However, the role came with a few conditions, one of which was gaining weight, which Vincent did. In fact, he gained around 80 pounds, which is the most an actor gained for the sake of a role. At the same time, he needed to get rid of his locks.
“[Kubrick] asked me early on would I be all right with gaining this weight and I went over there and gained about 30 pounds, and I remember him seeing it and saying that I only look like I could kick everybody’s a**. He thought some more weight would be needed.” Speaking of the role he played when he was 24, Vincent continued, “I think it went up to 80 pounds…from 200 to 280.”
The weight caused him troubles during the filming of the boot-camp scenes, but he still managed to deliver with perfection.
He was so convincing and excelled the role so beautifully, that the fans mistook him for the character he played.
“People treat you differently when you’re that size you gotta remember my head was shaved so it was like a completely different persona from me being this long lanky actor to a big burly guy with a bald head…it was a very strange life change.” The Broken Horses star continued, “It changed my life. Women didn’t look at me, most of the time I was looking at their backs as they were running away. People used to say things to me twice, because they thought I was stupid.”
Just a year after the film was released, Vincent managed to lose weight and got to his old self.
His career skyrocketed and he became a famous name in the world of film, but he says that it is all thanks to Kubrick.
“Stanley made my career, there’s no question to that I’ve done over 50 films, because of him. Because of that part.”
Among the rest, Vincent, who is now 64, played in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001 to 2011), Marvel’s Daredevil (2015 to 2018), and the films Dying Young, The Break-Up and Jurassic World.
In 2023, the New York-born director, producer, screenwriter and actor, published the book Pigs Can’t Look Up.
Vincent’s life was greatly affected by his parents’ divorce and his mother’s marriage to George Meyer, a renowned American producer and writer.
During the 1990s, he was romantically involved with actress Greta Scacchi, with whom he shares a daughter, Leila George, who has since started an acting career herself.
Vincent and Greta starred together in the films The Player and Fires Within.
Wikipedia Commons / David Shankbone
In 1997, Vincent married Duch model Carin van der Donk. The two welcomed a son in 1999, but then their relationship fell apart. They separated, but reconciled and welcomed their second son in 2008.
This year, Vincent filed for a divorce and put an end to his marriage of 26 years.
In 2021, he appeared in the film The Unforgivable, alongside Sandra Bullock. We will next see him in the soon-to-be released comedy Dumb Money.
Vincent D’Onofrio is an incredible actor.
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