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Missing cruise passenger rescued after over 15 hours in ocean

<p dir="ltr">A passenger on a Carnival Valor cruise ship has been rescued by the US Coast Guard after spending more than 15 hours in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 28-year-old was with his sister at the ship’s bar on the night of Wednesday, November 23, but didn’t return after he left to use the toilet.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to a statement from Carnival, the sister reported her brother missing the following day.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another passenger on the cruise, Mike Anderson, told <em>CNN </em>that announcements were made on the ship and people “noticed security starting to search the boat with a photo of the missing (passenger) in their phones”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Anderson said passengers were later told their arrival to their port of call in Cozumel, Mexico, was delayed, while his wife said one of the pools was drained.</p> <p dir="ltr">After a lengthy search, the man was finally spotted about 30 kilometres off the coast of Louisiana on Thursday night by rescue crews that had been scouring a 320-kilometre area along the gulf.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lieutenant Seth Gross of the US Coast Guard said the man may have been in the water for over 15 hours, the “absolute longest that I’ve heard about”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said that “all available resources” were launched to locate the man, including a small boat from Florida, a New Orleans-based helicopter, and planes from Florida and Alabama.</p> <p dir="ltr">The man was hoisted onto the helicopter and was responsive.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He was able to identify his name, confirmed that he was the individual that fell overboard," Lieutenant Gross told <em>CNN </em>on Friday, adding that the man had signs of “hypothermia, shock and dehydration” but could walk and talk.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The fact that he was able to keep himself afloat and above the surface of the water for such an extended period of time, it's just something you can't take for granted and certainly something that'll stick with me forever," Lieutenant Gross added, describing it as “just one of those Thanksgiving miracles”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said that the case was unlike anything he had seen in his 17-year career with the Coast Guard and “could have had a much more difficult ending”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It took a total team effort from Coast Guard watchstanders, response crews, and our professional maritime partners operating in the Gulf of Mexico to locate the missing individual and get him to safety,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">While the man has been reported to be in a stable condition, it is still unclear how or when he fell into the water.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8ec41e9a-7fff-4d90-5291-7ba679087764"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Cruising

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Reese Witherspoon shares stunning family photo with three children

<p>Reese Witherspoon has given fans a beautiful portrait of her husband Jim Toth, and three children, Ava, Deacon and Tennessee, to mark a special occasion.</p> <p>The 44-year-old <em>Legally Blonde</em> actress took to social media to give thanks to medical workers and frontline employees who have been working throughout the pandemic to care for others.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838995/reese-witherspoon-family-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a81f7a5f5c7b4531a922b8019de19eb4" /></p> <p>"Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. Feeling very grateful for all the frontline workers, medical workers and people who are caring for others today," Reese wrote, noting the significance of their work through the US holiday.</p> <p>She then added: "And I’m deeply grateful for ALL of you! Sending my LOVE."</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838994/reese-witherspoon-family-4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a33585d238f4473ab742674011c664c8" /></p> <p>Reese got to work on her Thanksgiving feast as early as Wednesday, sharing that she had already begun baking for her family.</p> <p>The beloved celebrity is extremely close to her family and previously opened up to Entertainment Daily on raising her children at different stages during her life.</p> <p>She said: "When [you're a young mother], you're like, 'Oh, they're going to be fine!'</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838992/rylee-rose-10.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d3f5a29670f1494cb556d03c402cb493" /></p> <p>"As you get older, it's, 'Am I taking them to the ballet?' When you get past survival, I think that's what's so interesting… about motherhood.</p> <p>“It's about what you think you're creating for your children, when it's really just an artifice."</p>

Family & Pets

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Grandparents' genius trick to "visit" family safely

<p>Thanksgiving is approaching in the USA, and with many opting not to travel to spend the holidays with their families due to COVID-19, the holiday will look slightly different this year.</p> <p>Missy and Billy Buchanan from Texas knew travelling wasn’t an option for them due to being in the high risk category.</p> <p>So they came up with the perfect idea to make sure their family didn’t miss their presence, by sending them life-sized cardboard cutouts.</p> <p>Between them, Missy and Billy have four grandchildren that range in age from three to 12, and still wanted to be present in the annual family dinner.</p> <p>"As COVID19 numbers continue to rise, we wanted to show that you can have fun and help keep everyone safe, too," Buchanan said on a<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10220993189732428&amp;set=a.1183512640954" target="_blank">Facebook post.</a></p> <p>"I have so many friends who have been impacted by COVID19. For us, it's an act of love. And our kids and grandkids are having such fun with 'us'".</p> <p>The cut outs stand at six feet tall, and gave their kids a shock when they arrived in the mail.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmissy.buchanan.5%2Fposts%2F10220993219733178&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=552&amp;height=702&amp;appId" width="552" height="702" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></p> <p>And while some of the grandkids were a little terrified at first, they ended up thinking it was hilarious.</p> <p>"My daughter got hers first. She texted, 'Omg!' and called and said, 'This is the funniest thing we've ever seen,'" Buchanan told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/grandparents-send-cardboard-cutouts-grandkids-place-thanksgiving-74375764?cid=social_fb_abcn&amp;fbclid=IwAR2MaBadeXyNx7RcuD5rYWI5aPny5gwWNyM8oMKgNE8TlqNAuF2JXJYpP-Q" target="_blank"><em>Good Morning America,</em></a><span> </span>adding they've been having fun putting them in different parts of the house.</p> <p>"The kids get to pass them as they go to bed every night and say goodnight to Ama and Poppi," the Buchanan's son Matthew told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.today.com/parents/grandparents-send-cardboard-cutouts-thanksgiving-2020-t200477" target="_blank"><em>TODAY.</em></a></p> <p>The Buchanan's said they hope their fun solution can show other families that you can still be safe and have fun celebrating, even from a distance.</p> <p>"Grandparents can lead the way on this," she said. "I think they're having more fun with the cut-outs than they would have had we been there in person!"</p>

Family & Pets