upworthy
Music

Teacher jokingly tells 10-year-old going on a trip to England to 'find Duran Duran'—and so she kind of does.

And just like that, Simon LeBon appeared in the doorway.

Duran Duran, Simon LeBon, 80s, 80s music, 1980s
Wikicommons and lakehighlandsadvocate IG

Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon poses with a young fan

Imagine this: you're a fourth grade language arts teacher in Dallas, and like many Gen X-ers, your obsession with Duran Duran never waned. So much so that you still have dolls of each member of the band in the classroom and, according to Austin Wood's article for the Lake Highlands Advocate, even an old telephone in case (lead singer) "Simon LeBon calls."

This describes Miriam Osborne, a fourth grade teacher at White Rock Elementary in the Lake Highlands district of Dallas, Texas. Wood shares in "White Rock E.S. student, inspired by teacher, meets Simon LeBon" that one of Osborne's students, 10-year-old Ava Meyers, was getting an early pickup for Christmas break, as her family was heading to the U.K. for a holiday wedding. As they were saying their goodbyes in the hallway, Osborne kiddingly said to Meyers, "Find Duran Duran."

gif of Duran Duran performingDuran Duran 80S GIFGiphy


Cut to: Ava and her family, including her mom Zahara, fly across the pond to find themselves in the Putney neighborhood of London. After a day of sightseeing, Zahara shares, "I was just Googling things to do in Putney, and the first thing that popped up was 'Simon Le Bon lives in Putney from Duran Duran.'”

Zahara did a little sleuthing and found Simon's house, thinking perhaps a Christmas stroll by the home would be exciting. But, according to the article, Ava felt they could do better. She and "an 83-year-old relative named Nick, who apparently has courage in droves, went to the door and tried a knock. Zahara was initially hesitant but assumed Le Bon would be away on vacation, so she figured it was harmless. Le Bon’s son-in-law answered, his wife came to the door next, and following a few moments of getting pitched the idea by Nick, agreed to get her husband 'because it was Christmas.'"

And just like that, Simon LeBon appeared in the doorway. He warmly greeted Ava and her family and even took pictures. "It was just crazy," Ava exclaimed.

But possibly more excited was Miriam Osborne, back in the States. She proudly shared the photo (which had been texted to her) with many of her friends and even encouraged Ava to recount the story to her classmates when they returned from the break. Wood shares, "Osborne’s connection to the band goes back to her childhood in El Paso in the ’80s. As the daughter of a Syrian immigrant, she says she had trouble fitting in and finding an identity. Some days, she and her brothers would travel across town to get records from a British record store."

Miriam explains she used her babysitting money to buy her first Duran Duran record. "And so I had been a fan, literally, for 43 years—my entire lifetime."

gif of Simon LeBonDuran Duran GIFGiphy

Osborne's love of Duran Duran, and many '80s bands in general, nostalgically connects her to a throughline for her life that she tries to impart onto the students as well. "Music is a connector, and it connected me to a world that I didn’t always fit in as a child. It helped me find people who I still love to this day, and it’s a big part of this classroom with me and the students I teach, because everybody has a story, and there’s something really incredible about hearing something and it taking you to a happy moment."

As for Ava? She's now taking guitar lessons. And perhaps one day, she can become so famous and inspirational, a teacher sends a student off to find her on a Christmas vacation in the future.

From Your Site Articles
80s nostalgia
Race & Ethnicity

Woman's rare antique turned away from 'Antique Roadshow' for heart-wrenching reason

"I just love you for bringing it in and thank you so much for making me so sad."

Photos by Murat Rahim Caglak and Antoni Shkraba via Canva

Woman's antique turned away from 'Antique Roadshow'

People come by things in all sorts of ways. Sometimes you find something while at a garage sale and sometimes it's because a family member passed away and it was left to them. After coming into possession of the item, the owner may be tempted to see how much it's worth so it can be documented for insurance purposes or sold.

On a recent episode of BBC One's Antique Roadshow, a woman brought an ivory bracelet to be appraised. Interestingly enough, the expert didn't meet this rare find with excitement, but appeared somber. The antique expert, Ronnie Archer-Morgan carefully explains the purpose of the bracelet in what appears to be a tense emotional exchange.

There would be no appraisal of this antique ivory bracelet adorned with beautiful script around the circumference. Archer-Morgan gives a brief disclaimer that he and the Antique Roadshow disapprove of the trade of ivory, though that was not his reason for refusing the ivory bangle.

"This ivory bangle here is not about trading in ivory, it’s about trading in human life, and it’s probably one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever had to talk about. But talk about it we must," Archer-Morgan says.

Ronnie Archer-Morgan, Antiques Roadshow, BBC, antiques, ivoryRonnie Archer-Morgan on an episode of the BBC's Antiques RoadshowImage via Antqiues Roadshow


Turns out the woman had no idea what she had in her possession as she purchased it from an estate sale over 30 years before. One of the elderly residents she cared for passed away and the woman found the ivory bracelet among the things being sold. Finding the bangle particularly intriguing with the fancy inscription around it, she decided to purchase the unique piece of jewelry.

After explaining that his great-grandmother was once enslaved in Nova Scotia, Canada before being returned to Sierra Leone, Archer-Morgan concluded he could not price the item.

Antiques Roadshow, BBC, Ronnie Archer MorganRonnie Archer-Morgan holds the ivory bracelet he refused to valueImage via Antiques Roadshow/BBC

"I just don’t want to value it. I do not want to put a price on something that signifies such an awful business. But the value is in the lessons that this can tell people," he tells the woman.

In the end the woman leaves without knowing the monetary value of the item but with a wealth of knowledge she didn't have before visiting. Now she can continue to share the significance of the antique with others. Watch the full explanation below:


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

This article originally appeared last year.

From Your Site Articles
antiques roadshow
Joy

Mom and daughter turn Home Depot Tuff Shed into a seriously swanky two story house

Wait til you see inside.

@just_a_glimpse/TikTok

Can we all have one?

It’s pretty impressive what people have been able to do with tiny or unconventional homespaces, but this is truly next level.

A woman named Amanda McCormick (@just_a_glimpse_ on TikTok) has managed to transform a Home Depot Tuff Shed into a house. Like, not just a house…but a fullblown luxury home.

In the clip, which has now been seen upwards of 8.2 million times, McCormick gives us a tour of the two story home (was today the day you learned that Home Depot sold two story sheds? It was for me) with two bedrooms and 2.5 baths.

Get ready to be amazed by farmhouse-y shiplap walls, a kitchen with stunning marble countertops, fancy sliding barn doors, and the real star of the show—an adorable fish shaped bathroom sink!

@just_a_glimpse_ We bought a #shed from @The Home Depot and made it into a house! #shedhouse #diy #tinyhome #tinyhouse #tour #housetour #shedtotinyhouse #moneysaver #househack #beautiful #homedepot #tuffshed ♬ Walking Around - Instrumental Version - Eldar Kedem

Unsurprisingly, viewers have been floored.

"Holy hell not even a tiny house or shed anymore that’s a whole HOME," gushed one commenter. "Probably the coolest shed conversion I've ever seen... now this is what I want."

Another echoed, "Omg it's giving mini barndominium, and I'm obsessed!!"

Still another wrote, "WHO EVER PICKED OUT THE EVERYTHING, 👏👏👏👏, COUNTERTOPS, CABINETS, , CEILING, BATHROOM SINK, EVERYTHING.👏👏👏👏" That credit apparently belongs to McCormick’s mother. McCormick shared with Upworthy that her parents, who started off living in a 400 square foot house when they first married at 18 years old, saw the tuff shed in the Home Depot parking lot and was instantly inspired to make it into a livable home. home depot apparently worked with the family to make everything stronger and up to code so that it could safely and legally be used as a house.

While McCormick said that they paid $30k for the 18x36 shed plus a few custom things like the sliding doors, bigger windows, and balconies, it looks like a simpler version of the same size shed would be $22,889. Even if you do add extra fixin's, you might only be looking at spending an additional $16,448, which HomeAdvisor says is the national average for renovations. Let’s add to that the cost of a plot of land, which varies wildly depending on what state and area you live in, and the total of those expenses seems to still be drastically less steep than the average house price of $419,200 (*cries in Californian*).

Photo credit: Canva

And of course, McCormick isn’t the only shed-to-home success story. Back in 2022, a couple made headlines after paying $60,000 to renovate their own two-story shed home, and then selling it for $275,000. That’s certainly nothing to sneeze at, profit-wise. Just goes to show that whether you’re looking to save money, make a profit, or simply want a very, very hands-on home project, this could be an avenue to consider. So many might be feeling the strain of current home prices, but there is something to be said about getting creative with how you go about creating that home.

By the way, if you’re curious, you can design your own Tuff Shed for free, using Home Depot’s online configurator.

From Your Site Articles
community
Heroes

Nazis demanded to know if ‘The Hobbit’ author J.R.R. Tolkien was Jewish. His response was legendary.

J.R.R. Tolkien had no problem telling his German publishing house exactly what he thought.

J.R.R. Tolkien by Public Domain/ Wikimedia Commons Joseph Goebbels by Vitold Muratov/Wikimedia Commons

J.R.R. Tolkien didn't mince words when asked his opinion on Nazis

In 1933, Adolf Hitler handed the power of Jewish cultural life in Nazi Germany to his chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels established a team of of regulators that would oversee the works of Jewish artists in film, theater, music, fine arts, literature, broadcasting, and the press.

Goebbels' new regulations essentially eliminated Jewish people from participating in mainstream German cultural activities by requiring them to have a license to do so.

This attempt by the Nazis to purge Germany of any culture that wasn't Aryan in origin led to the questioning of artists from outside the country.

J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Nazi, Nazis, book burning, censorship, The HobbitA Nazi book burning in GermanyImage via Wikicommons

In 1938, English author J. R. R. Tolkien and his British publisher, Stanley Unwin, opened talks with Rütten & Loening, a Berlin-based publishing house, about a German translation of his recently-published hit novel, "The Hobbit."

Privately, according to "1937 The Hobbit or There and Back Again," Tolkien told Unwin he hated Nazi "race-doctrine" as "wholly pernicious and unscientific." He added he had many Jewish friends and was considering abandoning the idea of a German translation altogether.

lord of the rings hobbits GIFGiphy

The Berlin-based publishing house sent Tolkien a letter asking for proof of his Aryan descent. Tolkien was incensed by the request and gave his publisher two responses, one in which he sidestepped the question, another in which he handled in '30s-style with pure class.

In the letter sent to Rütten & Loening, Tolkien notes that Aryans are of Indo-Iranian "extraction," correcting the incorrect Nazi aumption that Aryans come from northern Europe. He cuts to the chase by saying that he is not Jewish but holds them in high regard. "I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people," Tolkien wrote.

Tolkien also takes a shot at the race policies of Nazi Germany by saying he's beginning to regret his German surname. "The time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of pride," he writes.

Bryan Cranston Mic Drop GIFGiphy

Here's the letter sent to Rütten & Loening:

25 July 1938 20 Northmoor Road, Oxford
Dear Sirs,

Thank you for your letter. I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by arisch. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-Iranian; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people.

My great-great-grandfather came to England in the eighteenth century from Germany: the main part of my descent is therefore purely English, and I am an English subject — which should be sufficient. I have been accustomed, nonetheless, to regard my German name with pride, and continued to do so throughout the period of the late regrettable war, in which I served in the English army. I cannot, however, forbear to comment that if impertinent and irrelevant inquiries of this sort are to become the rule in matters of literature, then the time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of pride.

Your enquiry is doubtless made in order to comply with the laws of your own country, but that this should be held to apply to the subjects of another state would be improper, even if it had (as it has not) any bearing whatsoever on the merits of my work or its sustainability for publication, of which you appear to have satisfied yourselves without reference to my Abstammung.
I trust you will find this reply satisfactory, and
remain yours faithfully,

J. R. R. Tolkien



J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Nazis, Nazi, Germany The letter J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to his German publishersImage via Letters of Note

This article originally appeared four years ago.

From Your Site Articles
j.r.r. tolkien
Family

'Wild child' shocked to be reunited with foster 'mama' from the '80s after emotional X post

"In the ‘80s, she took in a wild, ignorant WHITE child. Y'all, it wasn't the done thing in that area."

via Tamron Hall Show/YouTube

Hannah Smith and Essie Gilchrist reunited after 40 years.

It had been 40 years since Hannah Smith, then 54, had talked to Essie Gilchrist, whom she knew as ‘Mama Essie.' She wasn’t sure if she was alive, but Smith had to express her love for the woman who gave her stability at a time when her life was total chaos. In December 2023, she posted about the difference Gilchrist had made in her life over the year she lived with her and apologized for how she treated her all those years ago.

“I was 12 yrs old when my mother lost the ability to parent me safely. I was taken from her & put into a huge, scary children’s shelter. It took a long time but they finally found someone who would take in a deeply troubled, rather wild child like me,” Smith began a post on X. “I wasn’t all that nice to her. I stole from her. I ran up her phone bill calling my boyfriend. I eventually ran away & was put back in the shelter & never saw her again. I’m sure I broke her heart."

“And… The foundation of EVERYTHING I know about grace, abt dignity, abt fashion, makeup hair care (I still use a pick), elegance, excellence, self-care, patience, love, goodness, generosity & fierceness in the face of pain came from my Mama Essie,” Smith continued.


“Mama Essie, if you’re still with us or peering through the windows of heaven…thank you. From the bottom of my heart,” Smith concluded. “I heard you. I saw you. You made a difference, more than you’ll ever know.” The post went viral, amassing over 2 million views. After just a few hours, Macrina Juliana on X identified Gilchrist and sent Smith a photo. That's when Smith realized why she couldn't locate her. 'Mama Essie' had gotten married and changed her last name.



A lot had changed since the two first met in the 1980s. Smith is now a trauma therapist who lives in Washington state. It took a long time for Smith to find her footing in the world, but Gilchrest’s example was always top of mind mind. “After I left, I had two and a half decades of continued self-destruction,” Smith recalled on the “Tamron Hall Show.” “I was in a cult. I ran off to India all kinds of things. But all along the way, there was always this sense that there was something better, and I had a picture of what stability looked like.”

Gilchrist, now in her 70s, would go on to foster 20 more children over 30 years, and she is the president of the Women of Color International Stockton. She is also involved with the Junior League of San Joaquin County. She told The Stockton Record that her foster children are all her “gooddaughters” and that “God sent them to me.” She also has a daughter of her own.

Soon after Smith identified Gilchrist, the two had a 45-minute phone conversation. "Good Morning Lovelies... 45 minutes with Essie on the phone last night was amazing. So much I forgot," Smith wrote on X. "I’ve felt like I’ve been pacing, wandering...I feel my soul stirring again. I know my story helps people. I feel inspired, infused. I’m here for it. Good things are coming!!"

The two reunited in person on an episode of “The Tamron Hall Show,” where Smith shared her feelings. "I just want to thank you so much because there's no way in the world you would have known that I would come out like this,” Smith said. "I know that what you did every day, the places you took us, the things that you did, really set a good foundation. Thank you, Mama Essie.”

- YouTubewww.youtube.com


From Your Site Articles
foster kids
Wellness

Woman credits Oura ring for alerting her to cancer symptoms before diagnosis

The ring continued to show that something was off.

Photo credit: Canva and Businesswire Press Release

Woman's Oura ring alerted her to cancer symptoms before diagnosis

Jewelry collecting biometric data and helping you keep track of your health habits are not new. Fitbits and Apple watches have been around for well over a decade combined and while most people use them to track their miles or other exercises, they also hold important data. The same can be said for one of the newest kids on the biometric block–the Oura ring.

For now the ring can't answer phone calls or texts like an Apple Watch can but it takes health data to another level. The Oura ring not only tracks how much sleep you get but it also tracks how much you move, how often you stop breathing, how much deep sleep, REM sleep, light sleep, oxygen levels and heart rate while you sleep. When you think the ring can't go any deeper into your personal biometrics, it does. Oura also alerts you when your body is showing signs of strain which can mean anything from increased stress levels to something more serious.

Nurse Nikki Gooding credits her Oura ring to saving her life by alerting her to significant changes in her body which prompted her to seek medical attention. The woman has been wearing an Oura ring for years but recently the ring suddenly started alerting her that she had "major signs" with a message that reads, "your biometrics show major signs of something straining your body. Take extra care today and rest if you're feeling low on energy."

silver aluminum case apple watch with white nike sport band Photo by Sabina on Unsplash

When Gooding peeked at the readings from her ring, everything was in the red, from body temperature to HRV (heart rate variability) balance. The smart ring also gives people a readiness score based on their biometrics, Gooding's score was consistently in the 30s to 40s since December. Readiness scores range from 0-100 with anything over 85 being optimal according to Oura.

At first the low readings didn't concern the nurse. Everyone has an off few days, especially if you're catching a cold or something minor. But when the ring continued to alert Gooding that her body was still showing signs of major strains consistently with constant low readings on all the biometrics Oura measures, she decided to do something about it.

a close up of a ring Photo by Jerry Kavan on Unsplash

The now concerned nurse went to see her doctor to voice her worries over the change in readings on her ring. Thankfully the doctor took the concerns seriously because shortly after visiting her doctor, she was hit with life altering news. Gooding has Hodgkin's lymphoma and according to her doctor it seems the cancer has only been present for six months or less. Had it not been for her ring, she may have thought the night sweats and insomnia were hormone related instead of something more serious to consider.

The nurse now sees an oncologist and it seems her prognosis is positive thanks to catching the symptoms to the disease so early. While none of the biometric jewelry on the market is designed to diagnose users, there have been several reports of smart watches alerting people to concerning heart problems. Apple Watches go as far as to instruct users to seek medical attention if their heart is showing signs of Atrial fibrillation, known more commonly as Afib. In some cases the watch's alert results in heart surgery and in one case a genetic kidney disease.

In all of these instances people's lives were spared thanks to the alerts coming from their smart devices which get to know each wearers personal biometrics. So no, an Oura ring won't tell you specifically what's wrong because you can't fit a medical professional inside of a ring smaller than a quarter, but having a piece of smart jewelry can alert your medical provider of a potential problem.

Thankfully Gooding decided to take her ring's warnings seriously and seek medical attention. As smart jewelry becomes more intuitive, it's likely to continue to save lives by alerting people of potential medical issues.

From Your Site Articles
oura ring saves woman
Trending Stories