Ashes – USMAIL24.COM

I sent my husband’s ashes into space after he died in an avoidable highway accident – he always loved astronomy, it was breathtaking

Sabir Ansary — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:25:15 +0000

A woman has revealed how she decided to release her husband’s ashes into space because of his love of astronomy.

Claire Mercer, from Rotherham, was widowed in 2019 after her husband Jason died aged 44 in an accident on a smart motorway near Sheffield.

The 44-year-old widow, who has since campaigned for the demolition of smart motorways in Britain, arranged for Jason’s ashes to be scattered 100,000 feet above the earth.

The service is offered by Aura Flights, which works with Nottingham-based funeral directors AW Lymn.

In conversation with the BBC NewsClaire fought back tears as she said: ‘The photo of Jason on the outside of the bus and the huge panoramic view you get. It literally took my breath away.”

Claire Mercer, from Rotherham, decided to release her husband’s ashes into space because of his love of astronomy

Jason’s ashes were loaded into a capsule attached to a stratospheric balloon. They can then travel around the world several times before falling into raindrops and snowflakes.

Claire added: “My husband died in 2019, very suddenly in a car accident, leaving us with the ashes and me not knowing what to do with them.

“Jason was really into astronomy. He had a very large telescope […] and it just really seemed to hit home. It just made me so happy that I did it.”

Matthew Lymn Rose of AW Lymn. added: ‘The stratospheric winds will pick up the ash and for a few months they will be spread around the world and then they will be dispersed back to Earth with wind, rain or snow.’

Jason, 44, died on the M1 when he was hit by a lorry on a section of the road without a hard shoulder.

Passenger Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, died in the same incident and before that, at least two more people have been killed on the same road since 2018.

In 2021, Claire called for police to investigate Highways England after a coroner said her husband could have survived the crash on the M1 if there had been an emergency lane.

The widow, who has since campaigned for the demolition of smart motorways in Britain, arranged for Jason’s ashes to be scattered 100,000 feet above the earth.

Jason’s ashes were loaded into a capsule attached to a stratospheric balloon, after which they were released and allowed to travel around the world several times before falling into raindrops and snowflakes.

Pictured: Claire Mercer, 44, from Rotherham, fights back tears as she tells of the ‘breathtaking’ way her husband’s ashes are scattered

In 2021, Claire (left) called for police to investigate Highways England after a coroner said her husband (right) could have survived the crash on the M1 if there had been an emergency lane

She said she hoped the inquest would be a catalyst for an investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges.

Claire said at the time: ‘After over a year and a half of campaigning, today I feel like someone has listened and has finally taken steps to tackle the use of these death traps.

‘Since Jason’s death, I have been determined to bring about change to ensure that more families do not have to experience the heartbreak of losing a loved one due to the completely senseless removal of emergency lanes on busy highways without adequate safety measures in place .’

In April 2023, the government announced that all new smart motorways would be scrapped due to a lack of motorist confidence and financial pressure.

Claire said she hoped the inquest would be a catalyst for an investigation into possible corporate manslaughter charges (pictured 2022)

Jason, 44, (pictured) died on the M1 when he was hit by a lorry on a stretch of road without a hard shoulder

Ministers had already halted the construction of new smart highways in January 2022, which convert the hard shoulder into an active traffic lane and apply variable speed limits.

It pledged not to continue the rollout until it had five years of safety data from existing programs.

Claire previously accused the government of ‘slowness’ after failing to act on a smart highways dossier her lawyers sent ministers containing ‘compelling evidence relating to safety concerns’, drawing parallels between the Post Office and Horizon scandal and the National Highways and the government’s approach to smart highways.

“It is significant that the government is the sole stakeholder in both the post office and the national highways,” she told the Telegraph.

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Surviving inhabitants of top secret Soviet-era town where more than 400 NUCLEAR BOMBS were detonated reveal horrors of living in ‘the most nuked place on Earth’ where radiation left ‘everyone’ riddled with cancer

Albert Elence — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 15:56:19 +0000

The surviving inhabitants of a Soviet-era town in northeastern Kazakhstan where 456 bombs were detonated on their doorstep, have revealed the devastating impact the explosions had on their health, with cancer spiking along with severe birth defects.

Filmmakers Thomas Brag and Staffan Taylor ventured to Kurchatov, which was a top secret town established in 1947 as the headquarters of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons program. At the time, it was not even visible on maps due to the high level of secrecy.

It is estimated that more than one million people lived in and around the remote settlement when the nuclear program was running from 1949 to 1989 – but today there just a few thousand people remaining and many of the buildings are stripped bare and derelict.

In their eye opening YouTube documentary titled ’50hrs in the most nuked place on Earth erased from maps,’ Thomas and Staffan find four Kurchatov locals who are willing to talk about the nuclear testing they witnessed. All of them make it clear that they had no idea what was happening at the time, as the authorities succeeded in keeping people in the dark.

Thomas Brag and Staffan Taylor ventured to Kurchatov, a top secret town established in 1947 as the HQ of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons program. Nadezhda Golovina (seen) unknowingly witnessed hundreds of nuclear bombs go off in her youth

It is estimated that more than one million people lived in and around the remote settlement when the nuclear program was running from 1949 to 1989

Today there just a few thousand people remaining in the remote region and many of the buildings are derelict

From time to time their houses would violently shake and they would see plumes of dust erupting in the distance but these aftereffects were written off as extreme weather cycles.

One woman called Nadezhda Golovina, who unknowingly witnessed hundreds of nuclear bombs go off in her youth, explains: ‘We didn’t know it was so bad.

‘Now everybody writes and talks about it. And then, what did we know? We didn’t know anything. Just what the teacher taught at school.

‘They used to tell us to leave the house in case it collapsed, a window or the door of the stove would open and ashes would fall out. [Even] the chandeliers were swinging.’

During the 1950s, it was reported that one detonation in the area resulted in four times the number of cases of acute radiation sickness than those from the Chernobyl disaster.

Another local in the documentary, a man called Uncle Serikpay, reveals that he moved to Kurchatov as a miner and his role was to help construct passages to ‘prepare everything for the [nuclear] tests.’

He says he knew about what was happening at the ‘Semipalatinsk’ test site – which was less than 100 miles from Kurchatov – but he had to sign a non disclosure act.

Anyone who did speak about their work there, Uncle Serikpay says, would suddenly disappear and ‘we never saw him again.’

In a bid to reduce health risks, Uncle Serikpay says he was only allowed to work 30-minute shifts in places with high levels of radiation.

They used to tell us to leave the house in case it collapsed, a window or the door of the stove would open and ashes would fall out. Even the chandeliers were swinging.

‘If there was a low level of radiation, we could work longer,’ he adds.

Thankfully, Uncle Serikpay wasn’t exposed to high levels of radiation and at almost 73 years old, he says he still ‘feels good.’

While some were not effected by the radiation, many people were, as a woman called Lyubov Filina explains.

She says: ‘Of course it affected people’s health. People have cancer. Cancer, cancer, cancer, cancer…

‘There was radiation and people started getting sick. There are the books from the hospital where only cases of radiation and anemia are written.

‘We were kids back then and we didn’t understand anything. Even adults didn’t know that the mushroom cloud was more dangerous than vibration or broken windows.

‘In 1989, I was pregnant with my son and he was born with congenital cataracts of 16 diopters.

‘I believe it was caused by the radiation exposure. I read about it in the medical encyclopedia. We saw helicopters over the city measuring something and now we understood there was a radiation release at that time.

In their eye opening YouTube documentary, Thomas and Staffan find four Kurchatov locals who are willing to talk about the nuclear testing they witnessed. Uncle Khamit, pictured, helped dismantle radioactive weapons after the Soviet Union fell

During the 1950s, it was reported that one detonation in the area resulted in four times the number of cases of acute radiation sickness than those from the Chernobyl disaster

Uncle Khamit moved to Kurchatov in 1976 and said that when he first moved there, the nuclear bomb explosions were a scary experience. Above, pictured with the filmmakers

At the time, the nuclear testing site was not visible on maps due to the high level of secrecy

‘Some children were born with disabilities. Our parents covered us, but not themselves.’

It was only in 1989 that information about radioactive contamination from the Semipalatinsk test site became public and the findings triggered mass outcry.

An anti-nuclear movement raged for two years with the Kazakh government demanding that Moscow end nuclear testing.

Eventually, the activists won and the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site was officially shut down on August 29, 1991, with all testing banned in the region.

This marked the same year that Kazakhstan gained independence from the former Soviet Union.

Uncle Serikpay said most people left Kurchatov when the testing site closed.

He explains in the documentary: ‘In 1991 when the test site was closed and Kazakhstan declared a moratorium everything broke up. People moved away and the Soviet Union collapsed.’

Lyubov Filina says the mass exodus of people was quite strange but her family decided to stay.

She recalls: ‘They just left. The military was reassigned to other places and went there.

‘People were leaving but we continued to live and work here. Everyone had families and children to feed.

‘The military moved away, and our family didn’t have military, so we stayed here.’

Uncle Serikpay continued working at the nuclear testing site after its closure, and from 1996 to 1999 America helped dismantle the site.

He also reveals in the film that he helped to excavate an unexploded bomb, which was then safely detonated in an underground tunnel in 1995.

He says: ‘It was an atomic bomb that was supposed to explode. It was a real bomb that we had time to install, but we didn’t have time to use it.’

A man called Uncle Khamit – who lost both of his parents to cancer – also reveals in the documentary that he helped dismantle radioactive weapons after the fall of the Soviet Union.

He moved to Kurchatov in 1976 and said that when he first moved there, the nuclear bomb explosions were a scary experience.

Detailing what the detonations were like, he said: ‘First, there’s a big flare and then there’s the mushroom that comes out. We were kids, but there was a feeling inside that something bad was being done.

Uncle Serikpay moved to Kurchatov as a miner and his role was to help construct passages to ‘prepare everything for the [nuclear] tests’

While some were not effected by the radiation, many people were, as a woman called Lyubov Filina explains

It was only in 1989 that information about radioactive contamination from the Semipalatinsk test site became public and the findings triggered mass outcry

‘Older people, everyone was afraid because everything became dark there, everything was covered in dust, the feeling was terrible.

‘We were taken outside the village. There was a ravine dug there, and there we lay down.

‘They always covered us with blankets, and the whole village lay there. Soldiers would run to see if we were covered or not.

‘One time I remember a soldier being swept away.’

The worst explosion at Semipalatinsk took place on January 15, 1965, when the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb 11 times the strength of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S. military in 1945.

In the documentary, the narrator explains: ‘The 140-kiloton device was buried nearly 180 meters in the ground, and upon detonation, the blast created a crater of 454 meters wide and 100 meters deep, throwing soil nearly one and a half kilometers up in the air.

‘The blast was so large that it took the dust nearly 50 days to settle, forming the current hills that now surround the crater.

‘Shortly after the test, a nearby river was diverted to fill the crater and turn it into what locals now call the Atomic Lake.’

Towards the end of the documentary, the subjects are asked how they feel about rising global tensions and the possibility of nuclear conflict coming into force again.

Uncle Khamit merely says that he feels ‘very badly’ about it. He muses: ‘An achievement is an achievement, every state develops its armament. But I would like to have a peaceful sky over my head, to have no conflicts with anyone.

‘And we, Kazakhstani people, want to have peace everywhere. I also call on all those countries that have nuclear weapons to reduce it or even be like Kazakhstan.

‘We are in favor of nuclear-free armaments, always. I want to say that people all over the world should live in harmony and in peace. That our future generation should grow up healthy and strong.’

Echoing his sentiments, Nadezhda Golovina repeats that ‘we need peace,’ while Uncle Serikpay ends with a request for ‘all countries to abandon nuclear weapons like Kazakhstan has done.’

He tells the cameramen: ‘Kazakhstan abandoned all its nuclear weapons, although it had fourth-biggest nuclear arsenal in the world. I wish all countries behave the same way.’

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Ashes were given to his family. But he wasn't dead.

Sabir Ansary — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 11:13:59 +0000

Tyler Chase's first sign that he might be dead came at a grocery store. He had food stamps, but his benefits card didn't work.

The next sign was when he contacted Oregon state officials, who told him a death certificate had been filed in his name.

Then, weeks later, the most disturbing development occurred: an urn of ashes had been sent to his family and was sitting in his cousin's closet.

In reality, he was still very much alive.

Mr. Chase's life spanned years of drug use, homelessness, broken family ties and a bureaucracy that documented his death without his fingerprints or any immediate family present when the body believed to be his was cremated.

He started using methamphetamines as a teenager, and after the death of his mother in 2020, he plunged into a dark period of serious addiction and crime. He was subsequently arrested in January 2023 on several charges, including burglary and drug possession.

“My life was a mess,” Mr. Chase, 22, said in a recent telephone interview.

He was eventually released to a temporary housing facility in Portland, Oregon, on the condition that he complete an addiction recovery program. In early October, when he learned of the death certificate, Mr. Chase had been sober for seven months and was looking for work, he said.

“Obviously you can't really apply for places when you're dead.”

“I told you so.”

Just weeks after the convenience store incident, the threads of the grim confusion began to unwind, revealing mistakes that left one family failing to notify their deceased loved one and the other family mourning the loss of Mr. Chase .

In mid-December, an officer at the Portland Police Bureau showed up at Mr. Chase's temporary housing facility and questioned why he was looking for the documents of a man identified by officials as dead.

Mr. Chase recalled seeing his photo in the hands of an officer, a look of disbelief on his face. “Never in my 20 years of service,” Mr. Chase recalled the officer saying, “have I had to deal with anything like this.”

“I thought, yeah, I told you so.”

The next evening, the lead investigator from the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office visited Mr. Chase to explain his mistake, he said.

Months earlier, another male resident of the recovery center had been found dead of a fentanyl overdose, with Mr. Chase's wallet believed to have been stolen, he recalled the investigator telling him. Mr. Chase recalled losing his wallet, and he described the other resident as a few years older, smaller and thinner with red hair. Mr. Chase said he tried to convince the man to stay in the program, but he left.

The mistaken identity occurred because the dead man was carrying Mr. Chase's wallet and temporary driver's license, the medical examiner's office confirmed in a statement.

“I had an out-of-body experience.”

Mr. Chase, who had been receiving treatment for years, had lost contact with his family, including his father. When authorities told them he had died of a drug overdose, they had little reason to doubt it.

The last family member he had contact with was his cousin Latasha Rosales, 35.

While the investigator's office said Mr. Chase's immediate family had declined to view the body before cremation, his father, Toby Chase, said he was never asked about it. Neither did the rest of his family, Ms. Rosales said.

“We deeply regret that the misidentification occurred,” the medical examiner's office said in its statement. The agency said it has since launched a “comprehensive review” of its procedures and that in the future it will require that bodies found with temporary identification also be identified by fingerprints at the time of the death investigation.

Tyler Chase, right, with his cousin Latasha Rosales.Credit…Latasha Rosales

J. Keith Pinckard, the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, said in an email that the misidentification of the dead was “quite rare” and that he had encountered only one or two cases in his career. “I'm not aware of any patterns,” said Dr. Pinckard.

Mr Chase's niece, Ms Rosales, said her family were distraught, but not shocked, when they were informed of his death. She last saw Mr Chase after his mother's death in 2020, but had gradually lost contact.

“The next thing I hear about him is he died of a drug overdose,” she said. The family raised more than $1,000 to have the body cremated, and Ms. Rosales collected the urn of ashes in October, she said.

A few nights before Christmas, Mrs. Rosales received a call from a private number informing her that Mr. Chase was still alive. “I thought I was being fooled,” she said. Acknowledging the surreal nature of the call, a woman's voice asked Ms. Rosales if she wanted to switch to video. “Then she pointed the phone at my cousin,” Ms. Rosales said of the caller. “It felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.”

“That could have been me.”

The next day the cousins met in person. Mr. Chase was not dead or sick, but tall, strong, and healthier than Mrs. Rosales had seen him in years.

“I just felt like I should have done more after his mother died,” Ms. Rosales said. “I can be there for him now – I can do the things I wish I could have done sooner.”

Days later, Mr. Chase, who had since been hired by an organization that helps the homeless in Portland, spent Christmas with Ms. Rosales and her children. He said the mix-up with another man who had overdosed made him realize “it could have been me.”

The joy of the reunion, Ms. Rosales said, is tainted with confusion and anger at authorities, who she said saw the body as just another dead addict. Fentanyl and methamphetamine caused a record number of deaths among people experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County in 2022, according to a report released in December.

“I had ashes from someone's child, and they didn't even know their loved one was dead,” Ms. Rosales said.

“That's what really makes me sad about the situation,” she added. “They just treat them like they're nobody.”

Sheelagh McNeill And Susan C. Beachy research contributed.

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Music-loving funeral directors press ashes into vinyl records

Jeffrey Bailey — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:25:13 +0000

ASHES can now be incorporated into a vinyl record, allowing the dead to communicate from outside the groove.

Burned remains are pressed into a seven or twelve inch so that the relatives can take their loved ones for a ride on the 'urn table'.

Wessex Vale Crematorium in Southampton is offering to turn ashes into vinyl recordsCredit: Facebook

Ten song suggestions for your ash vinyl

Audio recordings of the deceased can also be included in a new deal offered by Wessex Vale Crematorium in Southampton.

It's far from dead cheap, though: it costs £1,490 for a single record.

Manager Lisa Johnson said: “What you receive is a genuine playable vinyl record with approximately 18 minutes of audio on each side, along with a small amount of ash.

“Many people choose to record special occasions or conversations with their loved ones.”

The ash is added in a “unique” pressing process by Yorkshire-based label Vinyly.

Owner Jason Leach said: “We have developed a unique complementary process that allows us to press a small amount of a loved one's ashes into real vinyl records, creating an audiovisual keepsake.

“The first step is collecting the content – this can be collaborative and, we have learned, is often a cathartic experience, with friends and family contributing photos and words, voicemails, answer phone messages and recordings of special times.”

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Our daughter died at 15 months from a rare genetic disorder. We decided to compress her ashes into separator stones so that we can still hold her

Sabir Ansary — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 17:00:10 +0000

A young couple have had their daughter's ashes solidified into parting stones after losing her to a rare genetic condition in April last year.

Kaylee and Jake Massey, from Idaho, had their lives turned upside down when their daughter Poppy was diagnosed with Tubulin Folding Cofactor (TBCD), a serious genetic neurological disorder, at just nine months old.

The parents didn't know Poppy had a rare disease until they were four months old, when they noticed her vision wasn't forming properly.

They went back and forth with doctors for months until they received a conclusive diagnosis.

“After doing the most advanced genetic testing on the market, we got the most horrifying news: we discovered she had a genetic condition that I believe made her the 38th child in the world to be diagnosed at the time,” Kaylee shared . People.

Six months later, Poppy tragically died in intensive care. To remember Poppy, the Massey's challenged the norm and transformed her remains into dividing stones.

Jake and Kaylee (both pictured above) decided to compress their daughter's ashes into parting stones

When Poppy was born, the parents had no idea that their little girl had been born with one of the rarest genetic abnormalities.

It wasn't until she was four months old that Kaylee and Jake, who have two children together, Rosie, eight, and Peter, six, noticed Poppy was having problems with her eyesight.

The parents took her to hospital, where an MRI scan showed that the center of Poppy's brain had barely formed.

She was diagnosed with several conditions before medical professionals turned to TCBD – a condition caused by a genetic mutation on both alleles of the TCBD gene.

The parents remained convinced that Poppy would stay with them for a few more years. In an explanation TikTok about Poppy's condition, Kaylee explained, “The average lifespan for children with this condition is about three to five years.”

However, after being diagnosed, Poppy seemed to suffer from breathing difficulties.

She tested positive for a respiratory infection and doctors also found pneumonia in her lungs.

The parents remained optimistic, but when Poppy was admitted to the ICU due to the infection, her heart stopped.

Poppy (pictured with Kaylee) was diagnosed with TBCD, a rare genetic condition, at nine months

Poppy's parents didn't know she had a rare genetic condition for the first few months of her life

The family had five hours to say goodbye to Poppy before she tragically passed away.

Jake and Kaylee decided to remember Poppy in an unconventional way.

The family wanted to keep Poppy close, but Jake and Kaylee were afraid their children would break the urn or be afraid of its presence.

What is TBCD?

TBCD is a serious genetic neurological disorder
It is extremely rare with less than 50 identified patients in the world
The life expectancy of patients is not more than five years
There is no treatment or cure
Symptoms include seizures, swallowing difficulties, hypotonia, and missed developmental milestones

Source – TBCD Foundation

They decided to pass on stones to prioritize Rosie and Peter and what they would feel most comfortable with.

However, when they received the box, the care that went into Poppy's stones exceeded the family's expectations.

“It felt so personal, and I remember opening that card and feeling like these people cared about my daughter,” Kaylee said.

Kaylee has since gotten to work TikTok to share insight into the family's grieving process and special memories of Poppy.

Kaylee and Jake took to the stage to explain their decision to choose parting stones.

“I want to start by saying, when you sit down at a funeral home and they present the options to you, either option is bad,” Kaylee said.

“We chose to cremate her and a step further we chose a company called Parting Stones to have her ashes turned into stones, and the reason for that was because… it was the least worst option,” Jake said.

“It seemed very tangible and tactile, and because we had two other children in the house, we never wanted to have anything that was afraid of breaking,” he continued.

“It feels like we retain the ability to kind of hold her and keep her with us, and if we want to spread her ashes somewhere later in life, we can still do that.”

Social media users took to the comments section to share their thoughts and offer support to the family

The parents then continued to remove Poppy's stones, which were all different sizes with yellow dots.

“I think they're beautiful,” Jake concluded.

Viewers took to the comments section to share their thoughts on Kaylee and Jake's decision.

One said: 'What a wonderful way to keep earthly space free for Poppy.'

A second added: 'What an emotional experience to 'hold' Poppy in a new form. The stones are beautiful. I always think of you.'

A third wrote: 'Whichever option you choose, it's the right one because it was right for YOU. Sorry for your loss.'

A fourth added: 'Like a worry stone. Carry with you and rub when you seek comfort. Many worry stones even contain angels. Yours truly contains an angel.”

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I accidentally put my late grandmother’s ashes in the washing machine

Sabir Ansary — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 22:53:51 +0000

By Eleanor Dye

Published: 12:01 EST, January 9, 2024 | Updated: 12:13 EST, January 9, 2024

A woman has said she was shocked to discover she had put her grandmother’s ashes in her washing machine.

Briley Coates, 30, from Norfolk, was unloading her freshly cleaned clothes when she noticed a small black bag at the bottom of the machine.

After investigating further, she was shocked to realize the bag contained the ashes of her late grandmother, Shirley.

However, the owner of the beauty salon quickly sees the funny side and exclaims: “I washed my grandmother!” and dissolve into giggles.

Briley Coates, 30, from Norfolk, got the shock of her life when she discovered her late grandmother’s ashes in the washing machine – after a full cycle

She explained, “I was also super confused about how she got in there; she was meant to be in a drawer upstairs.’

Briley suspects the mix-up was the fault of her two-year-old half-Norwegian Forest Cat Menace.

She now believes Menace managed to get into the drawer where the ashes were kept and that the bag fell into the laundry basket after he started playing with it.

The ash then went into the washing machine unnoticed.

Briley thinks her cat was playing with the ashes and it accidentally fell into the laundry basket

Luckily, Briley saw the funny side of the situation and took it as a sign that her grandma (pictured together) is still making fun of her

She said: ‘He must have pulled her bag out of the drawer after seeing the tie hanging.

‘He really is a danger. I just saw him running around with hair in his mouth. I immediately laughed, and I was no longer in a mood.”

Fortunately, Briley took the incident lightly and even sees it as a sign that her beloved grandmother is still with her.

She continued, “My grandma always said she would always be there, and I really believe in things like that.

‘My mother absolutely loved it. She immediately said it was my grandmother who was making fun of me.’

Lifecycle: Briley posted a video of the ash in her washing machine to her TikTok page. The photo shows her late grandmother, Shirley

Luckily, it looks like the ashes survived the trip in the washing machine because they were in a plastic bag.

Fans were quick to share their excitement after watching the video, which has now racked up millions of views on TikTok.

One joked: “At least she died in comfort… or maybe Lenor.”

Another said: ‘She just went around and around for a bit,’ while a third commented: ‘At least you could laugh about it!’

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Mama June Shannon and her family take Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s ashes to Disney World for Christmas amid a custody battle with Anna’s ex-husband

Sabir Ansary — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 17:46:51 +0000

Mama June Shannon and her family are heading to Disney World for Christmas, taking with them a memento of the late Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.

The reality star, 44, who is being sued by Anna’s ex-husband, Michael Cardwell, for custody of granddaughter Kaitlyn, is making the trip to Orlando, Florida, in accordance with her daughter’s final wishes, according to TMZ.

A source told the newspaper that the family had discussed making the trip to the “happiest place on earth” before Anna died of stage four adrenal carcinoma on December 9 at the age of 29, and that she left some of her ashes will take.

Cardwell and daughter Kylee, eight, who he shared with Anna, have reportedly been invited, but it is unclear whether they will attend.

Anna’s daughter Kaitlyn, 11, from a previous relationship, lives with her grandmother.

Mama June Shannon and her family go to Disney World for Christmas and take some of the late Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s ashes with them

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, 18, and her boyfriend Dralin Carswell are reportedly making the trip to Florida, along with Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird and her family.

It’s unclear if Anna’s husband Eldridge Toney will be involved in the festivities.

Mama June is reportedly considering sending Kaitlyn to therapy to deal with her mother’s death and her divorce from her sister.

“The sisters called each other and mourned together,” says an insider TMZ on Monday.

The family has been quiet on social media since Anna’s death, but June did make a video post encouraging interested fans to send gifts or cards to her mailbox in Gordon, Georgia.

It was that video that apparently led to June’s former brother-in-law, Lee “Uncle Poodle” Thompson, speaking out and accusing the Toddlers and Tiaras star of seeking custody of Kaitlyn for personal gain.

“I’ve seen the videos June has posted asking for fans to send gifts to the girls, and some fans have lashed out at her,” Lee shared. The American sun in an interview published on Thursday, December 21.

“I’m sure Anna wanted Michael to have the kids.”

TMZ reported that the trip was planned before Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s death earlier this month at age 29, and the family is moving forward with the plan in accordance with her wishes

June is being sued for custody of Anna’s eldest daughter, Kaitlyn, 11, by Anna’s ex-husband Michael Cardwell, who shared Kylee, eight, with the late reality star. “The sisters called each other and mourned together,” an insider told TMZ on Monday

June’s former brother-in-law supports Cardwell in his custody battle. “Michael is the best person to have the two girls,” Lee “Uncle Poodle” Thompson told The US Sun. “I know Michael, he’s a good guy, and that’s where the kids need to be.”

“Michael is the best person to get the two girls,” said Lee, brother of Alana’s father, Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson.

Anna was born just days before June’s 15th birthday and was raised by her grandmother for most of her life. As an adult, Anna went through periods of estrangement from June onwards, but the two reconciled in the months before her death.

In court documents filed by Michael Cardwell, he claimed that Kaitlyn’s relationship with June had been “inconsistent.”

“I know Michael, he’s a good guy,” Thompson said, “and that’s where the kids need to be.”

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Vatican relaxes rules for storing cremation ashes

Jeffrey Bailey — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 19:43:31 +0000

The Vatican said Tuesday that Catholic families may request that “a minimum portion of a relative’s ashes” be kept in a place significant to the deceased, softening a previous mandate that ashes be kept only in “sacred spaces” such as cemeteries could be kept.

The instructions come seven years after the Vatican first issued them guidelines to respond to what she called an “unstoppable increase” in cremations. The guidelines ban the scattering of ashes ‘in the air, on land, at sea or otherwise’ and state that ashes should not be kept at home.

The new instructions allow families to keep a small portion of the ashes in a place that has meaning for the deceased “provided that any kind of pantheistic, naturalistic or nihilistic misunderstanding is excluded.” In accordance with 2016 rules, the remaining ashes were to be kept in a sacred place, the doctrinal office said, according to a note posted online. Vatican website.

The new rules also allow ashes to be mixed in a communal urn, as long as the identity of each deceased person is marked “so as not to lose the memory of their names.”

The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church teaches that “the bodies of the dead are to be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the resurrection,” preferring burial or entombment in the ground. Cremation was first permitted in 1963, and permitted as long as it was not done for reasons contrary to Christian teaching.

The statement was signed on Tuesday by the Vatican’s doctrinal leader, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández of Argentina, and approved by Pope Francis. It came in response to questions from Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian bishops’ conference, who was seeking “a Christian answer” to meet a growing number of questions from people asking for their loved ones to be cremated and their ashes buried in to scatter nature.

Laws about cremation and the storage of ashes vary from country to country. In Italy it is legal to scatter ashes, according to the will of the deceased, in areas that local authorities have approved for such a purpose.

In response to Cardinal Zuppi, the Vatican upheld a 2016 regulation that ashes be kept “in a holy place” to ensure they will be prayed for and to prevent “the faithful departed from being forgotten,” and to prevent that “some inappropriate or superstitious practices,” but allowed a “minimal portion” to be thrown away as the family requested.

The Vatican has not commented on newer forms of disposal of human remains. A gain popularity in North America is a liquefaction process known as alkaline hydrolysis. Another is human composting.

In March, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Doctrine released a proposal rack “providing principles for evaluating” these two techniques, concluding that they “fail to meet the Church’s requirements for proper respect for the bodies of the dead,” it said.

Over the years, individual dioceses and bishops’ conferences have also issued guidelines. The Archdiocese of St. Louis concluded that alkaline hydrolysis “in current practice violates the dignity of the deceased human person” and called on Catholics to avoid it “until another suitable means of disposing of the liquid remains can be found.”

In 2019, the Texas Catholic Bishops’ Conference tried to block a bill that would have allowed the procedure, arguing it failed to “treat the dead with respect.”

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British GP, 45, wins Best International Mullet in Australia – and vows to cut off his mane, burn it and return it to Britain in an urn, just like the Ashes, in tribute to the England cricket team

Albert Elence — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:43:35 +0000

A British GP who won the Best International Mullet award in Australia has vowed to shave and burn his mullet so he can take it home in an urn – in retaliation after the Ashes series.

Dr. Alastair Bush wanted to beat the Aussies in their own match after England lost the cricket series to Australia this summer.

As part of their victory, the Aussies took home the coveted Ashes urn.

In revenge, Alastair plans to take the ashes of his prized mullet back to Britain.

The 45-year-old from Bovington, Dorset, flew to the grand final of the World Mullet Growing Championships last weekend.

Dr. Alastair Bush wanted to beat the Aussies at their own game after England lost the Ashes series to Australia this summer

Alastair didn’t win the overall top prize at Mulletfest Australia, held in the small town of Kuri Kuri in News South Wales, but he was crowned Best International Mullet

The doctor had always had a ‘short back and sides’ in the past, but decided to grow a mullet after being urged by his cousin during lockdown when visits to the hairdresser were banned

Mulletfest 2023 Champion Mitchell White poses for a photo during the Mulletfest 2023 Grand Final at Hebburn Motorsport Park

He also used the competition and trip to raise money for Testicular Cancer UK.

Alastair did not win the overall top prize at Mulletfest Australia, held at Hebburn Motosport Park in the Hunter Valley, but he was crowned Best International Mullet.

The doctor had always had a ‘short back and sides’ in the past, but decided to grow a mullet after being urged by his cousin during lockdown, when visits to the hairdresser were banned.

He started growing the back of his hair in the summer of 2021 and his male mullet grew to be 12 inches long.

The army doctor said he could get away with the “business at the front, party at the back” hairstyle because the soldiers he worked with thought it was funny.

He took part in a heat in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, in February before returning to Australia for the grand final on Saturday.

Alastair decided to raise money for Testicular Cancer UK and encourage men to check themselves. He has raised more than £1,900 for charity and even appeared in The Last Leg with Australian comedian Adam Hills.

Mulletfest has attracted international media attention since its inception in 2018. Pictured: Peter Saggus poses for a photo

This year’s head-to-head battle for the best mullet hairstyle attracted entrants from across Australia and one finalist from Great Britain. Pictured: Jay Rankin

Hunter Prior poses for a photo at the 2023 Mulletfest. The competition rewards the best mullet in a variety of styles including ‘extreme’ and ‘everyday’

The Army doctor plans to return to his normal short back and sides.

He said: ‘It all started when hairstyles were banned during lockdown and my cousin and I were looking at funny hairstyles online.

‘I thought it would be a fun thing to do and I started breeding my mullet in the summer of 2021 with the intention of winning the international mullet championships at Mulletfest in Australia.

‘This is widely regarded as the Everest of the competitive multi-crop world.

‘As a Pom, beating the Aussies at mullet farming would be fitting retribution for the 1882 Ashes series.

Mulletfest started in 2018 in the small town of Kuri Kuri as a way to attract tourism to the area. Pictured: Dan Prior and his son Hunter Prior pose for a photo

Photo: Mullet fans gather during the Mulletfest 2023 Grand Final at Hebburn Motorsport Park

Pictured: Nash Machielse holding his trophy as he wins the 0-3 junior category at the 2023 Mulletfest

‘I work as a GP for the military and many of my patients are in the age group at risk of developing testicular cancer.

‘The soldiers are mainly in their twenties and think the mullet is funny, but I wouldn’t have grown it if I had regular patients.

‘Testicular Cancer UK is a fantastic charity raising awareness of this disease and helping those affected.

‘If diagnosed early it can be easily treated, so awareness is key.’

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Lilie James’ killer Paul Thijssen is buried in secret – but no one has collected his ashes – as a surprising revelation emerges about how he knew the location where he ended his life

Albert Elence — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 22:38:18 +0000

Murderer Paul Thijssen was secretly cremated
His ashes will not be collected at the Sydney crematorium
Knowing more? Email candace.sutton@mailonline.com

By Candace Sutton for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 5:18 PM EST, November 14, 2023 | Updated: 5:32 PM EST, November 14, 2023

EXCLUSIVE

The killer who beat Sydney water polo coach Lilie James to death with a hammer before killing himself has been quietly cremated, but his ashes will not be collected at the funeral home.

Paul Thijssen, the 24-year-old who murdered Ms James, 21, at St Andrew’s Cathedral School three weeks ago, was buried at a private service at Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs Crematorium and Memorial Park last Wednesday.

Thijssen’s body was found at the bottom of the cliffs at Vaucluse in Sydney’s east after he murdered Ms James in the school’s gymnasium toilet some time after 8pm on October 25.

That has been reported Thijssen’s parents, Dutch business leaders Esther and Stef Thijssen, traveled to Sydney in the aftermath of their son’s horrific crime, but it is unclear whether they attended the secret memorial service.

Daily Mail Australia understands the couple have not contacted the crematorium to say what they want to do with their son’s remains, but a source said it was still “fairly early” to do so.

The remains of Paul Thijssen have been cremated, but his ashes will not be collected

Lilie James will be remembered and her life celebrated after the 21-year-old was tragically murdered by Paul Thijssen

It is believed that they did not want to take his stays back to the Netherlands, and can scatter his ashes in Australia instead.

Daily Mail Australia can also reveal that both Thijssen and Ms James visited a friend in the Vaucluse about three weeks before he killed her.

Some residents believe that this visit – near the cliffs where his body was found – was the reason he knew about the location where he committed suicide.

The brutal murder shocked Australia and made world news.

Ms James died after allegedly agreeing to meet with Thijssen following her decision to end their brief relationship.

Police and school staff found Ms James’ body in the school gymnasium, where both she and Thijssen had worked as sports coaches.

After killing her, Thijssen drove a borrowed Lexus to the Vaucluse, where he dumped a hammer and other items, and stayed for several hours during which he called the police and revealed the location of Lilie’s body.

He is then believed to have fallen from the cliffs of the Diamond Bay Reserve, prompting a major land and sea search for him the next day.

It was only on October 27 that his remains were found after traders noticed Thijssen’s naked, bloated and battered body wedged in rocks near the coast.

Police attempted to retrieve the body via surf ski in rough seas, but ultimately recovered it on foot and carried it to the road.

The remains of Paul Thijssen – found wedged on rocks 36 hours after Lilie James’ murder – were cremated at Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs Crematorium (above) on November 8.

Paul Thijssen’s naked, bloated and battered body was found on rocks on October 27 and taken to the road (above), after which he was formally identified

Thijssen is believed to have undergone a post-mortem examination during which his remains were formally identified through medical records from the Netherlands.

The final chapter of Thijssen’s life begins days before grieving family and friends prepare to celebrate Mrs. James’ memory.

Mrs James will say goodbye to family, friends, students and others in a ceremony broadcast live to pupils she knew and taught at St Andrews Cathedral School.

Following her murder, her former secondary school Danebank Anglican School for Girls paid tribute on its Facebook page “to our dear and much loved alumni”.

“For this young woman, whose joy was palpable, the smile was contagious and the service to her community remarkable,” the school said.

“We support the James family in prayers during this time of unimaginable grief.”

For confidential support, call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14 or 1800 Respect on 1800 737 732

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