Ripples #35
Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck
Ellen and Spouse’s Pool Estate
On the Market for $49 Million
Popular daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her spouse, actress Portia De Rossi, want to sell their Beverly Hills swimming pool — plus the enormous compound that surrounds it — for a cool $49 million. Even at that price, according to the Web site contactmusic.com, the couple will actually lose money on the deal, considering how much they shelled out to purchase the large property and make costly improvements to it.
In addition to the pool, the estate reportedly boasts a 9,500-square-foot main house and three other houses. Realtor.com notes: “The property is actually a collection of three separate purchases cobbled together into one magnificent sprawl that offers nine bedrooms and an enviable 2.87 acres of prime Beverly Hills land.”
If the photos of the estate are any indication, Ripples thinks the swimming pool included in the deal is not anything to write home about. “I wouldn’t spend a dime over $45 mil for the place,” he reportedly declared to no one in particular.
Photos: To learn more and see a number of images of the estate, including a photo of the pool, click here.
High School Student Who Lost Leg
To Rare Cancer Is Swim Team Hero
In 2004, when Jack Misny, now a student at North High School in Eastlake, Ohio, was 9 years old, his mother, Cheryl, took him to the pediatrician to check out what she assumed was a pulled muscle in his right leg.
An MRI showed otherwise: The athletic youngster was diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of bone cancer called chondroblastic osteosarcoma. John Misny, Jack’s father, recalls the moment when the severity of the situation became absolutely clear. According to the Web site news-herald.com, John relates: “Dr. Joyce [the orthopedic surgeon] was trying to explain to Jack, it’s your hip and your leg. Jack says, ‘No, not my leg.’ And Cheryl got down on her knees, held Jack and told him, ‘Your leg or your life.’ He said, ‘I want life Mommy.'”
The operation to amputate Jack’s leg and hip — performed at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic — lasted 11 hours. The story of what happened after that is far too powerful, inspiring and important to synopsize here. Ripples strongly urges you to read the entire article and watch the two videos that are included.
A few words of caution: Do not read the piece without a handkerchief or tissue at the ready. Men, in particular, are advised to read it in the privacy of their own home; Ripples made the mistake of weeping his way through it at a McDonald’s. Oh, well.
Must reading and viewing! To learn how Jack Misny has rebounded from adversity, click here.
Sinkhole from Hell Gobbles One
Backyard Pool, Heads for Another
Homeowner Howard Riddle of Erwin, Tenn. — among many other local residents — has so far been unable to figure out the mystery of the enormous sinkhole that swallowed the backyard pool of one of his neighbors and is now making its way toward Riddle’s own pool. He estimates the massive sinkhole to be approximately 30 feet deep.
According to the Web site WCYB.com, the owners of the first house have been forced to vacate and find a new place to live out of fear that the sinkhole is undermining the home’s structure. Homeowner Brad Thelen reports that some damage — in the form of “cracks in the wall and doors that won’t close properly” — is already evident.
The report concludes: “Right now all anyone can do is keep an eye on [the hole] and hope the ground stops sinking. So far, it’s not known what is causing the sinkhole. Seismologists are expected to be at the home next Monday or Tuesday to check it out.”
Photo: To see a photo of the monster sinkhole, click here.
Australian Dementia Patients Benefit
From Innovative Swimming Program
Australia’s University of Queensland has created a special swimming program to help people dealing with the devastating effects of dementia.
Associate Professor Christine Neville, who heads up the Watermemories Swim Club project, notes on uq.edu.au: “It is primarily a pleasure-based experience. The pleasant memories associated with swimming and being in the water will help reawaken memories for people living with dementia who have enjoyed this fun and social activity previously.”
Neville adds: “We also hope that there will be other positive outcomes such as better physical health, improved sleep and a sense of well-being, with the added bonus of less agitation, chronic pain and falls.”
Learn more: For additional information about the program, click here.
Ripples Says: ‘I Love Lucy – and the
TV Crew that Rescued Her from a Pool’
How do you rescue a 9-year-old giraffe named Lucy, who happens to be 56 weeks’ pregnant (out of an average gestation period of 64 weeks), from a swimming pool? Very carefully.
Lucy the Giraffe apparently broke into the set of the British ITV Network series “Wild at Heart,” which is filmed in a South African animal reserve, and fell into the swimming pool.
What caused her to take the plunge? According to telegraph.co.uk, program producer Adam Friedlander said, “We are not 100 per cent sure how she fell into the pool. We think she may have been drinking from it and with her head being too low became disorientated and fell in.”
Considering that the average female giraffe is 16 feet tall and weighs in at a dainty 1,870 pounds, the rescuers had their work cut out for them. The Web site went on to report:
The crew first drained the pool with the idea of building steps out of sandbags hoping she would walk up them, but abandoned the idea amid concerns the animal would slip and fall over. The Fire Brigade was called out to help with the situation, and decided to dig a trench at one end of the pool and tempt the giraffe out with some food. Eventually, after three hours Lucy was able to safely climb out of the pool unscathed.
Video: To see the stranded animal, difficult rescue effort and happy ending, click here.
Until next time, happy watershaping to you!