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Kobe Bryant, NBA superstar and future Hall of Famer, is dead at 41

(CNN)It’s hard to believe NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, whose prodigious talent and win-at-all-costs spirit made him one of the most famous and decorated athletes in history, is gone.

He was the rare celebrity who didn’t need a last name. Oprah. LeBron. Beyonce. Kobe. Everyone knew who you were talking about.
Still youthful at 41, Bryant — who died in a helicopter crash Sunday in California — looked like he could suit up and drop 30 points on a rival NBA team. It doesn’t seem that long ago that he was scoring 60 points in his final NBA game, soaking up the cheers of Los Angeles Lakers fans who worshiped him for two decades as one of the city’s favorite sons.
After his 20-year NBA career — all with the Lakers — Bryant is all but assured of being a first-ballot inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.
“He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force,” said fellow NBA icon Michael Jordan.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 16: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers plays defense against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 16, 2007 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

An 18-time All-Star, Bryant was known for his remarkable scoring ability — his turnaround jumper was nearly unstoppable — and his championship pedigree. He teamed with fellow All-Star Shaquille O’Neal to win three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002 and later won two more rings, in 2009 and 2010. Known as the Black Mamba — a nickname he gave himself — Bryant twice led the NBA in scoring and won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2008. Bryant’s daughter Gianna, 13, was with her father on the helicopter and was also killed in the crash, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

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Easy One Pot Meals That Will Make Totally Satisfying Weeknight Dinners

When the last thing you want to do is work in the kitchen cleaning a sink full of dishes after you’ve already cooked dinner, these one dish meals will be your saving grace. These recipes make perfect dinner ideas for kids and dinner ideas for two, and keep cleanup to a minimum. While pots and pans might be scarce with these meals, the flavor is absolutely still there, and maybe even turned up a notch, since all the ingredients are cooking in close proximity.

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Yes, It’s Completely Fine To Cry At Work

A decade ago, any display of extreme emotion at work, like crying, would’ve been incredibly taboo. In some workplaces, it still is. But mental health and human resources experts agree that crying at work, though it shouldn’t be done all the time, is healthy and human.

Anthropologists say crying at work has been looked down upon in the past because it violates “display rules,” which are cultural norms related to self expression, according to Forbes. Some managers also see crying at work as a sign of weakness; women, especially, often worry about being seen as weak if they cry in the office. But Claire Williams, director of people and services at UK-based human resources software company CIPHR, told Woman’s Day that people who regard showing emotion at work as unprofessional are being unrealistic.

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How to lower cholesterol with the right diet and exercise regimens

If you’re one of the 95 million US adults with a total cholesterol level higher than 200 mg/dL, you might be wondering what measures you can take to lower your cholesterol. 

Medication isn’t right for everybody, and making changes to your lifestyle, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and getting regular exercise, may be more important for you. Here’s what you need to know.

The best ways to lower cholesterol

According to Steven Reisman, MD, a cardiologist and director of the New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center, the best way to lower cholesterol is with lifestyle modification through diet and exercise.

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Boy, 4, receives apology from hospital for ‘failings’ that led to brain damage at birth as he is awarded

Letterkenny University Hospital has apologised for the failings that caused injuries to a baby who was brain damaged at birth.

The apology was read out in the High Court as Jack McGahern Donaghey, now aged four years and who has cerebral palsy, settled his legal action with an interim settlement of €2.5million.

In the apology the hospital general manager, Sean Murphy said he wished  to express sincere apologies for the failings that caused the injuries to Jack and the “consequential trauma suffered by him and you, his parents and his family.”

It added: “The hospital understands that neither this apology nor the financial compensation granted  by the court can negate the continuing heartache that the McGahern Donaghey family must feel every day and appreciate that this continues to be a very difficult time  for you.”

Jack’s parents Denise and Seamus were in court as the apology was read out and the interim settlement reached after mediation was approved.

Outside court, Jack’s mother Denise McGahern said they were so relieved this day had arrived.

“With this interim settlement Jack will get the best support and care and help that he needs.

“This has been a very stressful time for our family,” she said.

Ms McGahern added: “Although the interim settlement had been achieved today, it has been a very tough battle over the last three years between us and the HSE, causing us anxiety and worry.

“Whilst the apology from the HSE is welcome, we are saddened and weary of the legal process and struggle to understand why it took this legal road to bring about an explanation and produce an apology.”

She said they would like lessons to be learned from what happened to Jack and they never wanted “this tragedy to be visited on any other family”.

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Deli owner collects and replies to hundreds of “letters to Santa”

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CBS NEWS) — Gino’s Stop-N-Buy in San Antonio, Texas, looks like your average deli – but it’s almost like a secret portal to the North Pole. That’s because deli owner Aleem Chaudhry is known for reading and replying to hundreds of kids’ Christmas wish lists.

It all started last year, when Chaudhry bought a Christmas mailbox. Kids didn’t treat it like a regular decoration – they started dropping their letters to Santa inside.

“My wife told me, ‘Just bring it to the store.’ And I brought it and it just took off after that,” Chaudhry told KENS 5.

Little did he know, Gino’s Deli would soon turn into “Gino’s Santa Mail Delivery Service.” He collected a whopping 400 letters to Santa – and Chaudhry responded to every single one. He plans on doing the same thing this year.

“Last year we had 60 letters by December 15 or so,” the deli owner said. “We have more than that already.”

Chaudhry put some crayons out so kids could write their Christmas lists and put them in the bright red mailbox. He’s already received some interesting ones.

“This little kid wants toys for his puppy, a puppy named Officer,” Chaudhry said. “This lady is looking for funding for a movie she wants to make.”

Some of the letter-writers don’t want presents. They simply want to ask Santa questions like, “How can reindeer fly?”

“Are you really coming down the chimney? Why don’t you use the front door?” a girl named Allie wrote.

If parents go to Gino’s without their kids, they can fill out forms so the little ones will still receive a letter from Santa. “Just fill out the form with your name, address, what the kids want,” Chaudhry said.

Playing Santa and responding to hundreds of letters is not easy – but for Chaudhry, it’s all worth it. “What’s better is when I look at the parents, and the parents look so happy,” he said.

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California megachurch tries to resurrect 2-year-old girl through prayer

A California megachurch is attempting to bring a family’s 2-year-old girl back to life through prayer.

Andrew and Kalley Heiligenthal suddenly lost their toddler Olive Alayne early Saturday morning when she stopped breathing, the couple and their house of worship, Bethel Church, said.

The child was taken to Redding hospital, where she was declared dead, and then to the Shasta County Coroner’s Office. Her cause of death is unclear.

The couple on Saturday appealed to their friends, family and fellow congregants to “gather to pray for a miracle of resurrection (the basis for which is modeled by Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible),” the church said in a statement Wednesday.

“Bethel Church believes in the stories of healing and physical resurrection found in the Bible (Matthew 10:8), and that the miracles they portray are possible today,” the statement said.

The child’s mother, Kalley, a local singer and songwriter, also reached out for prayers to bring back her toddler in an Instagram post.

“We believe in a Jesus who died and conclusively defeated every grave, holding the keys to resurrection power. We need it for our little Olive Alayne, who stopped breathing yesterday and has been pronounced dead by doctors,” she wrote.

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Body discovered in freezer after 10 years with notarized letter: ‘She just stamped it and signed it’

A woman’s death in Utah last month led to the shocking discovery of the body of her husband — who died a decade ago — in a freezer kept inside her home.

Jeanne Souron-Mathers, 75, was found dead in her home on November 22 after officers had been called to conduct a welfare check when she had not been heard from for two weeks, the Tooele City Police tells PEOPLE.

Sgt. Jeremy Hansen tells PEOPLE that while there was no apparent trauma to Jeanne’s body, the official cause of her death has not yet been determined, and authorities are still trying to establish a timeline of her death.

But Jeanne’s wasn’t the only dead body in the house.

While officers were searching Jeanne’s home, they discovered the body of her husband, Paul Mathers, in a freezer — and authorities are now saying that he was in there for more than 10 years.

In another strange twist, officers found a letter signed by Paul and notarized on December 2, 2008, stating that Jeanne was not the one responsible for his death. Police say the notary said she did not read the letter before notarizing it.

The cause of Paul’s death remains a mystery — though the Tooele police say that he suffered from a “terminal illness.”

Since the discovery of the body, authorities have determined that Paul died sometime between February 4 and March 8 of 2009.

He was last seen at a doctor’s appointment on February 4, 2009, in Salt Lake City at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune. He was 58 at the time.

RELATED: Domino’s Pizza Delivery Woman Is Found Dead Days After Vanishing at Work: ‘Someone Took Her’

The Tooele police have sent out subpoenas seeking more information about Paul’s medical history and records of his finances. While they are still waiting for more information, Hansen says that police are investigating whether payments from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs were still being sent to Paul throughout the last decade.

The amount sent to Paul from the time of his death to the time his body was found could have totaled $177,000 or more, Hansen says.

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Man Believes He May Be Child Who Went Missing 25 Years Ago, Gives DNA to Police

A man who believes he could be D’Wan Sims, a 4-year-old boy who went missing in 1994 and is presumed dead, has submitted his DNA to police for testing.

Captain Ronald Taig of the Livonia Police Department tells PEOPLE authorities became aware of the 25-year-old after he contacted Michigan State Police on Dec. 5.

On Dec. 11 — the 25th anniversary of D’Wan’s disappearance — Livonia officers took the man’s DNA to be tested.

Before going to police, the man made posts on social media talking about his beliefs. He reportedly shared stories his parents had told him about his childhood before going to police with his theory.

“It’s very odd because he came here claiming that he wanted this to be confidential but then I find out that he’s on social media talking about this and, you know, kind of broadcasting it on those outlets,” Taig says.

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50 surprising things that didn’t exist 10 years ago

Depending on who you ask (and how his or her decade went), 2009 might seem like just a few minutes ago or eons away. Looking back, the United States in 2009 had just elected the first African American president; Instagram was still just a speck in the imaginations of its two future inventors; and many of today’s hallmarks of modern life––from social networks and online dating to preventive medicine and meal delivery kits––have been introduced in these critical 10 years.

Many of these inventions and adoptions have fundamentally altered the course of American life. On the technological side, the advent of such gadgets as tablets, smartwatches, and even home security systems allow people to do more than ever with the simple stroke of a few keys. Norms have shifted significantly surrounding some issues during this decade, too.

Online dating was becoming more mainstream in 2009 than at the turn of the century but was hardly as ubiquitous a match-making tool as the practice is today. Pot-smokers a decade ago had to buy marijuana from the black market; today, high-end dispensaries and medical offices in a growing number of states can sell weed and its associated products legally. 

A quick look at the advances that have occurred in recent years also shed a lot of light on people’s priorities over the past decade. For example, it’s clear with the development of some apps that people have had a big focus on saving time.

Apps like Instacart and Postmates allow people to have their groceries or food delivered directly to their doors, while meal prep kits like Blue Apron allow people who would enjoy cooking to do so without having as much prep or waste: Everything can be delivered pre-assembled and measured out perfectly.

From grocery delivery services to personal technology, Stacker surveyed dozens of surprising things that didn’t exist 10 years ago and whittled that list down to 50. It seems for every breakthrough or trend there are a dozen more in fast order coming at us promising to make our lives healthier, more organized, more convenient, and more fun. 

Click through for a surprising look at products and services that didn’t exist 10 years ago—including a few we all could probably have lived without.