Category: Life Style

A woman in Lincolnshire applied for her dream job and never received a response, she found out why. Just 48 years later.

A resident of Gedney Hill in Lincolnshire, Tizi Hodson, was having a normal day until the point when she opened her post to find the original application letter she had sent for a job as a motorcycle stunt rider.

The letter, sent in 1976, had been stuck behind a drawer at a post office for 48 years, as per BBC.

Luckily, the “stuck letter” did not hinder Hodson’s dream of living a daring life as she later found a job that took her all over the world.

Still, the sender termed the return of her letter as “amazing”.

“I always wondered why I never heard back about the job. Now I know why,” she said.

BBC also reports that the letter came with a handwritten note saying, “Late delivery by Staines Post Office. Found behind a draw [sic]. Only about 50 years late”.

Interestingly, Hodson added that she has moved houses 50-odd times, even moving countries four or five times in the past 48 years and how they were able to find her remains a mystery for her.

She further added that the letter coming back to her “means so much” to her after all this time.

Hodson even reiterated typing the letter in her London apartment almost 50 years ago. 

Thousands of treasure hunt enthusiasts, except one, sulked in unison as it was announced that France’s famous treasure hunt for a “golden owl” finally came to an end after 31 years.

Earlier this week, official social media accounts linked to the “On the Trail of the Golden Owl” hunt, announced that the token required to claim the grand prize was found.

The hunt, based on a book of riddles published by author Régis Hauser and artist Michel Becker in 1993, required participants to solve 11 puzzles in the book and a 12th hidden one to determine the exact location of the token.

“Don’t go digging!” warned a message on a channel on the chat app Discord.

“We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night,” the message read, unleashing a wave of sad and crying emojis. “It is therefore useless to go digging.”

The solutions provided by those who claimed to have unearthed the token were currently being vetted, the message said.

The book garnered a devoted following with over 200,000 players, known as “owlers,” from France and abroad, CNN reported.

In a documentary posted on YouTube, Becker revealed that the valuable prize — an owl made of three kilogrammes of gold and seven kilogrammes of silver adorned with diamond chips — was created and financed by him.

Hauser, the intellectual architect of the riddles who passed away in 2009, initially used the pen name Max Valentin to avoid being sought out by eager treasure hunters.

He and Becker buried a replica of the owl, keeping the precious original in a safe place.

The treasure’s worth is estimated at around $165,000, according to fans. To claim the treasure, the winning player must submit the replica along with the answers to all of the book’s enigmas.

French media outlets also marked the end of the three-decade-long chase, one of the world’s longest unsolved scavenger hunts.

“I’m disappointed because I thought I was close but at the same time relieved that it’s stopping,” one participant from the south of France reacted to the development on France Inter radio.

The 30-year-old man said he had spent all his weekends searching for the owl over the past two years, and had at times found himself digging in the middle of the night.

Jamie Foxx’s daughter Corinne Foxx said she celebrated her engagement to Joe Hooten in her father’s rehab room after his sudden health crisis last year.

Over a year ago, in April 2023, the 30-year-old actress released a statement on social media revealing her dad had suffered from a severe “medical complication.” She didn’t disclose the details of the health scare, but the complication was serious enough to land him in a physical rehabilitation center months later.

Now, Corinne is opening up about the time she spent with her dad during his recovery.

Speaking to Vogue, she explained how she and Hooten switched their plans to spend the summer in Chicago where her dad was being treated.

At the time, Hooten was planning to propose to Corinne. So, when they decided to go to Illinois, he had to adjust his proposal and the engagement celebration plans.

“Little did I know that Joe had changed his plans so he could still propose on the same day — just in a different city,” the Beat Shazam co-host told Vogue in an interview published on October 3. “He found a park in Chicago that had cherry blossoms in bloom and proposed there.”

What’s more, Hooten ensured the engagement was a family affair, inviting Corinne’s mom, Connie Kline, and her aunts to Chicago. According to Corinne, her aunts were “hiding in a bush” while on FaceTime with her dad.

“He even planned a very special post-engagement party in my dad’s room in Chicago,” Corinne said of Hooten. “It was a small celebration, but it was so intimate and meaningful.”

Fast forward to September 2024, the Django Unchained star walked his daughter down the aisle on her big day. The intimate wedding ceremony was held at his home Thousand Oaks, California.

Foxx has yet to divulge any details about his medical complication. However, the beloved actor is expected to discuss his health in Atlanta during a live one-man show running from October 3 to October 5.

In December 2023, the Baby Driver lead confessed he “couldn’t walk” following his unforeseen health issue that came about while he was filming Back in Action with Cameron Diaz in Atlanta.

During his acceptance speech for the Vanguard Award at the Critics Choice Association‘s Celebration of Cinema & Television, which honors the achievements of Black, Latino, and AAPI creators in the industry, Foxx recognized how lucky he was then to be able to get up on stage.

“It’s crazy, I couldn’t do that six months ago. I couldn’t actually walk,” he admitted, noting how he now “cherishes” every moment.

After months of keeping quiet, Foxx is now ready to give his fans the full story on what he went through inWhat Had Happened Was, which is also set to stream on Netflix at a later date.

It seems people are buying flowers again, after sales dropped during the pandemic. There’s been a significant rise in demand for bouquets in the last six months, according to Tesco, including an almost 25% hike in the supermarket’s premium bunches.

Tesco flower buyer Ryan Daley reckons “the age of romance is back”. But perhaps it also taps into a wider trend that often crops up when times seem tough – turning towards little luxuries and small joys.

It doesn’t have to be supermarket flowers, of course. It might be stealing 10-minutes of peace in the garden with a steaming cuppa, baking at the weekend, a long phone catch-up with a friend – take your pick!

Whatever form they take, there’s a lot to be said for cherishing the good bits, even if they’re just bitesize chunks…

Mini ‘mind breaks’

Think of small joys as mini “mind breaks” during your day, suggests Nicci Roscoe, Master NLP Practitioner and holistic wellbeing expert (mindmedication.co.uk).

“When life’s stresses become overwhelming and you need some time-out to breathe and give yourself headspace, mini distractions throughout your day – such as embracing the wonderful smell of your favourite flowers, playing your favourite music or indulging in a healthy snack you love – can give you the reset you need to help you manage your day and put a smile on your face,” says Roscoe.

“Stopping for a couple of minutes throughout your day to do something you love will have a massive impact on your wellbeing, and help take the pressure off from all the chatter going on in your head and the challenges you are dealing with – whether it be financial, relationship challenges, work, or your general health. Just looking at a video of my toddler-grandsons singing and chatting away fills me with joy!”

Buffers against stress 

Holly Beedon, clinical lead and integrative psychotherapist and cognitive behavioural therapist at mental health charity Living Well UK, considers these small joys as “micro-moments of positivity – which help create a buffer against stress”.

Beedon adds: “When we experience these small pleasures – whether it’s enjoying a cup of coffee, seeing a beautiful sunset or receiving flowers – they activate the brain’s reward system, releasing feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

“Small, everyday joys can encourage mindfulness and help to keep us grounded in the present, and reduce anxiety about the future or dwelling on things that have happened in the past,” she adds.

Little acts of resilience 

We all know small joys won’t make big problems disappear, or suddenly fix all the issues in the world – and it’s OK to be angry or worn down by those things. But the small things can help us feel better equipped to cope and stay connected with the good bits of life.

“With so much unrest in the world, it’s so important to take care of ourselves and focus on what we can to do manage our own mental health and wellbeing,” says Roscoe. “By having a daily routine of positive habits that gives us strength and resilience to get through challenges in our day, this will have a positive impact on how we can deal with taking care of our children and family, work commitments, and so much more.

“It will help bring more clarity and calm, from first thing in the morning until we go to sleep at night, and will give us a better and more peaceful sleep.”

Sense of control

There’s a lot in life that we simply can’t control, and this can be tough to bear. Which is why, as small as those micro-moments and daily habits might seem, the boost we can get from focussing on what we can control, really does matter.

“Especially when we’re going through things that feel overwhelming, or that we can’t immediately change, like work stress or health challenges,” says Beedon. “Through intentionally creating these moments of pleasure or comfort, you’re essentially taking charge of how you respond to your environment; something which can be incredibly empowering.

“While we might not be able to ‘fix’ major stressors with a snap of the fingers, we can control how we approach our daily experience. These acts of self-care provide us with a sense of autonomy, reminding us that we have the power to create positive moments, even in difficult times. This fosters resilience, as we learn to focus on what is within our control, rather than feeling helpless in the face of bigger, unchangeable problems.”

A new study suggests that an event of river “capture” in the Himalayas 89,000 years ago resulted in so much erosion eventually pushing the peak of Mount Everest up by 164 feet.

A river roughly 46 miles (75 kilometres) from Everest was “captured” by another around 89,000 years ago, according to a new study, reported Live Science.

The erosion caused by this event carved away a huge gorge. This led to a loss of landmass that made the mountain experience a major growth spurt.

Notably, Mount Everest is Earth’s highest peak on land at 29,031.69 feet (8,848.86m).

However, the study co-author Adam Smith, who is also a researcher at University College London’s Earth Sciences told Live Science that the mountain “is taller than it should be”.

The height difference between most mountain peaks in the Himalayas is about 164 to 328 feet (50m to 100m), however, Everest is 820 feet (250m), which is higher than the next highest mountain K2. “This perhaps hints that something interesting is going on,” said Smith.

Moreover, GPS data shows Everest is growing at a rate of around 0.08 inches (2 millimetres) per year. This is higher than the expected rate of uplift for the mountain range.

In order to find out the root cause, the scientists looked at whether the Himalayas’ unusual rivers are behind this.

“The Arun River is weird, as it flows in an L shape,” Smith said. “Most rivers resemble trees, with a relatively straight trunk, and branches (tributaries) flowing into the trunk. However, the Arun flows E-W [east to west] along its upstream portion, before turning 90 degrees and flowing south through the Himalayas. This hints that perhaps the river has recently changed its form, and has maybe ‘captured’ another river.”

It was then suggested by the findings that the Arun River, which is now a main tributary of the Kosi River, was captured by Kosi around 89,000 years ago.

Consequently, this diverted river led to a surge in river erosion, carving out the Arun River Gorge.

Researchers argue that the creation of this gorge and erosion of the river would have removed enough landmass to make the surrounding land lighter, causing Everest to spring up. According to the models, since the capture event, the mountain has risen between 50 and 164 feet (15m to 50m).

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are being protected by a “ring of steel” security detail as they continue their four-day tour of Colombia.

Having landed in the country’s capital of Bogotá on Thursday, the pair wasted little time in greeting Francia Marquez, Colombia’s vice president, where they enjoyed lunch and discussed their goals for the visit including championing online safety.

Despite the seemingly relaxed first encounter, the Sussexes landed in a country going through some political turmoil with the government accused in some quarters of using the former working royals as “political pawns” to obscure a string of corruption allegations.

In light of this, the duke and duchess were reported to have been assigned an “immense security presence” with a “14 car and police van convoys”, according to a reporter covering the trip.

As the couple began their second day of engagements at a school, their security detail was seen protecting the couple and the vice president with a bulletproof briefcase.

Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip comes as the timeline for the Princess of Wales’s ongoing cancer treatment has been revealed.

She will continue to receive “preventative chemotherapy” over the summer to treat an undisclosed form of the disease before spending some months recovering

“The direction is positive [but] there will not be great change [in terms of her public appearances] and no one is giving a timescale for her return,” the Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English said.

Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson have not called off their engagement, despite reports claiming otherwise.

The Coldplay lead vocalist and the Fifty Shades of Grey actor have been dating since 2017, including a multiple-year engagement. According to a source that spoke to the Daily Mail on August 16, the pair “have now accepted the relationship is over — and it’s best to move on.”

However, representatives for Johnson confirmed in a statement to The Independent that the report is not true. “The reports are not true. They are happily together,” the representative said.

Most recently, the Madame Web star was spotted without her emerald engagement ring while walking her dog in Malibu, California, according to the Daily Mail. She has yet to attend any of Martin’s shows during the European portion of his band’s “Music of the Spheres” tour.

While the couple didn’t publicly announce their engagement, Johnson has been seen regularly wearing the same emerald ring since 2020. Prior to their relationship, Martin was married to Gwyneth Paltrow. The former couple, who were married from 2003 to 2016, share two children: 20-year-old daughter Apple and 18-year-old son Moses.

Over the years, Johnson has shared details about her relationship with both Martin’s children and his ex-wife. When asked in an interview with Bustle back in March if she liked being a stepmother, she gushed over Apple and Moses.

“I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart,” she said.

In December, Paltrow took to Instagram to share a snap of her and Johnson holding hands while standing outdoors in the cold. The two of them were bundled up, with the Goop founder seen wearing a beanie and fuzzy coat, while the Fifty Shades of Grey star wore a baseball hat and a black jacket.

In October, Paltrow also opened up about her close bond with Johnson during a Q&A session on her Instagram Stories. “We’re actually very good friends,” the Iron Man star said. “I love her so much. She’s an adorable, wonderful person.”

During a 2020 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Paltrow did admit that being friends with an ex-husband’s new partner can come across as strange, but she does love Johnson. “I can see how it would seem weird because it’s sort of unconventional. But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her,” she explained at the time.

In addition to her close relationship with Martin’s ex-wife, the Suspiria actor has also spoken out about how Martin helped her when she was depressed. During the 2023 Hope for Depression Research Foundation luncheon, she shared how the musician has been there for her through highs and lows.

“A few weeks ago, I was having a low day and my partner said to me, ‘Are you really struggling?’ and I said, ‘No?’” she recalled, according to Hello. “And he said, ‘Baby, you are wearing a Cats T-shirt.’ As in Cats the musical,” Johnson said. “So it turns out, I really was struggling. But that moment lifted me up and pulled me out of it.”

The beauty influencer behind TikTok’s “demure” trend has revealed she can pay for gender transition thanks to the success of her videos.

Jools Lebron, who identifies as a transgender woman, shared a satirical clip on why women should present themselves conservatively in the workplace, recommending that employees opt for looks that are “demure and modest and respectful”. The video now has almost 3 million likes.

“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful,” Lebron said in the video. “I don’t come to work with a green cut crease. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t do too much. I’m very mindful while I’m at work. You see how I look very presentable? The way I came to the interview is the way I go to the job.”

Encouraging her followers to post their own TikTok content, the creator said in a post this week: “One day, I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I’m flying across countries to host events, and I’m gonna be able to finance the rest of my transition.”

Tearily, she added: “I finally said it without crying.”

The “demure” trend has exploded on TikTok over the past week, with over 32,000 videos now using the audio from Lebron’s original post to make their own content.

“A lot of you girls go to the interview looking like Marge Simpson and go to the job looking like Patty and Selma,” says Lebron in the short video that has found her fame and fortune.

“Not demure. I’m very modest. I’m very mindful. You see my shirt? Only a little chee chee out, not my cho cho. Be mindful of why they hired you.”

“Here’s your reality check, diva,” she added. “What’s the name you’d like me to make it out to?”

With the video going viral, Lebron began to make more content revolving around what it means to be “demure,” creating satirical videos about how to be modest in different scenarios.

From thanking her hotel staff “demurely” in one video to “doing her midnight munchies” very “demurely” and very “mindfully” in another, the content creator has turned “demure” into her entire brand.

Because of Lebron, internet users everywhere have expanded the meaning of the word by placing it in entirely new contexts, such as eating doughnuts and buying groceries. She now has 1.5 million TikTok followers and close to 100 million likes across the videos on her profile.

The “demure” joke appears to poke fun at influencer trends like the “clean girl” aesthetic, which focuses on minimalism and self-imposed classiness. The “demure” trend, then, as been interpreted as the antithesis to Charli XCX’s “brat” mindset, with the latter favouring being brash and bold.

Unsurprisingly, “demure” has now become a buzzword on TikTok and X/Twitter.

“I can always tell when there’s a new TikTok buzzword because I saw 73 tweets with the word ‘demure’ in it today,” one person wrote on the platform, while another joked: “Brat summer, demure fall.”

Now, “demure” has become so popular that Lebron claimed she was “demured” in public, noting that fans have come up to her and recognise her in person.

She reflected in another TikTok post how she had simply “made a silly video” and it totally “changed” her life.

A groom has sparked outrage after he refused to change the color scheme for his wedding.

In a recent post shared to the popular “Am I The A**hole?” Reddit forum, the groom shared how he and his partner of five years have started discussing wedding planning, after being engaged for about nine months. He acknowledged that his fiancée is doing “a great job” planning it out, confessing that he’s “just letting her choose what she wants,” as it’s her big day.

He then explained that they’ve been talking about color schemes for his “suit accessories and the bridesmaids’ dresses,” as he pointed out that his favorite color is Cadbury purple. Although he claimed that the bride-to-be initially agreed on that color scheme, she later changed her mind.

“It then got to the point where she was suggesting different types of colors we could have, ‘lilac, peach, sage green, baby blue,’” he explained. “I said ‘I already told you I want Cadbury purple.’ She said that I can’t have Cadbury purple because it doesn’t go with anything.”

According to the groom, he told his partner that he was fine with her being in charge of everything about the wedding, and “the only input [he] wanted to add” was regarding what he’d be wearing at the event. However, they still had an argument regarding the color scheme, during which the groom stood his ground about wanting Cadbury purple.

“She started to get into a strop, saying that I’m making it difficult and asking if we can just compromise, and I said that it wouldn’t be compromising if it’s not the color I want,” he continued. “I said if I don’t have Cadbury purple then I don’t care what color I have. And she should just pick it herself and not pretend that I have a say in the wedding when I clearly don’t.”

The Reddit post has quickly gone viral, with more than 2,000 upvotes. In the comments, multiple people have criticized the groom for saying that he wants his partner to take the reins in wedding planning. They also slammed him for not compromising with the bride-to-be about the color scheme, with claims that Cadbury purple wasn’t a good fit for a wedding.

“You’ve dumped the burden of planning everything on her, then given her the challenge of trying to incorporate Cadbury purple into a decent color scheme. She’s offered several compromises of non-traditional colors, so it’s not that she wants to stick you in traditional black,” one wrote. “You’ve only contributed to one decision, and it’s now dictating the rest of the wedding that you aren’t even planning.”

“Buddy, you don’t get a say if you don’t help with the planning, plain and simple,” another wrote. “You get to come in and make an executive decision and then she needs to source suits, decorations, and other wedding items in your specific Cadbury purple? If you were an active participant in the wedding planning process that would be different, but you’re sitting back and letting her do all the work so you can just show up the day of and enjoy yourself.”

“Why can’t you wear the purple you want and have the wedding party wear lilac, or whatever shade you agree upon? Seems like an easy compromise, and then everyone won’t be matchy-matchy. More stylish that way, too,” a third responded.

In an edit to his post, the groom clarified that the outfit he wanted for the wedding was just “plain black trousers, white shirt, purple tie, and a white blazer.” He then gave more details about why his fiancée wasn’t fond of the idea.

“[She] isn’t keen on the color because it doesn’t go with the aesthetics of our venue, it’s a beautiful modern rustic barn with fairy lights and a bright atmosphere, she believes that the color I chose will contrast too much in what she envisioned,” he wrote.

He also clarified that he and his partner are in the “very very early stages” of wedding planning since they haven’t even set a date yet. The groom then hit back at criticism he faced about his lack of involvement in the wedding planning.

“All the work which has been done so far is budget, a few venue viewings, guest list (which I did have an input in), and starting to pick a color scheme,” he added. “The work hasn’t begun yet. I’ve told her if she wants my input on anything I’ll help but I don’t want to get in her way of having the wedding she wants.”

A woman has been defended online after she walked out of her sister’s wedding because her service dog was denied entry.

In a post shared to Reddit’s popular confession forum, “Am I The A**hole,” the 27-year-old woman explained that she has a service dog due to her “severe anxiety” and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stemming from an event that took place a few years ago. She shared that her 30-year-old sister, who is getting married, was well aware of “the importance of my service dog in helping me function in social situations.”

When the Redditor sent an RSVP to her sister’s wedding, she made it clear she would be bringing her service animal, who she described as “trained and well-behaved.” Though she gave her ample notice ahead of the big day, the bride wasn’t pleased with the plus-one.

“A few days before the wedding, she called me, visibly stressed, and said that while she understands my need for the dog, she felt it would be disruptive and might make some guests uncomfortable,” the Reddit user confessed. She claimed that her sister had asked if she could leave her service dog at home and attend both the ceremony and reception solo. For the Reddit user, this was a strict request seeing that she relied on her dog for support in more ways than one.

Even when she tried explaining to her sister why she needed the service animal, especially at a wedding, the bride insisted the dog would “ruin” the affair. “She insisted it would ruin her ‘perfect day’ if guests were distracted or if photos were ‘ruined’ by the dog being in them,” the Reddit user wrote.

The bride’s second offer was to provide her sister with a supportive, human sidekick to have by her side the entire time. “I politely declined, reiterating that my service dog was essential for my well-being,” she confessed.

Despite having to leave her dog behind, the woman decided to attend the ceremony last weekend. While the nuptials went somewhat smoothly, the reception proved to be too overwhelming without her service dog. Rather than sticking around and sitting with her anxiety alone, the Reddit user left.

“I started feeling overwhelmed and decided to leave early, explaining my situation to my sister,” she shared. “She was visibly upset and later sent me a long text, accusing me of making her wedding about myself and not compromising for her big day.”

Since the wedding, the woman’s family has expressed different opinions. While some agreed with her sister and accused the Reddit user of being selfish, others were admittedly in support of her decision to leave early.

Wondering whether she was in the wrong for making the hasty decision to ditch her sister’s nuptials, the Reddit user asked anonymous users if they thought she was the “bad guy,” and the overwhelming majority sided with her.

One person simply said: “You have a service dog. She discriminated based on your medical condition and need for a service dog.”

“You attended the reception and toughed it out for hours. That should be plenty,” another supporter pointed out.

“For everyone saying you should have ‘toughed it out,’ YOU DID!” a third user agreed. “You stayed for as long as you could without your service dog!! That was also already a huge compromise from you.”

Another reader wrote: “Completely out of line of your sister to think that your PTSD would be disruptive or uncomfortable for anyone…. It’s so frustrating when service dogs are taken for support dogs.”

“Your sister chose to not accommodate you, you left early. Choices have consequences… she just wants her wedding cake and wants to eat it too,” someone else noted.