Shot of the Day January 17, 2009

Hanging the Show, 1

I love minimalistic photography. In the circle of photographers that I frequent on Flickr there is one whom I note when I am looking through the photo stream of my contacts. When I saw this week that she was in a photo exhibit I requested permission to post one of her photos of the show being hung.

Lynn Park’s exhibition began this week and runs through the end of February at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, 500 De Haro, San Francisco, California.

St. Gregory’s has a tradition of supporting the arts and a group of Lynn’s friends raised the money to have the 24 prints and two multi-image collages mounted. The theme of the exhibit is "The Benign Eye." Lynn tells me that she shoots from a wheelchair on the sidewalk or through a bus window. Because I have studied her work over the last year or two, I find this fascinating and refreshing. Any restriction Lynn may have as an artist in execution of her art is made up in pure vision. I am very pleased to know her work is being shared within the community and through a community of faith.

Please visit Lynn Parks at her Flickr site for a close look at her art.

Good News for January 17 from Mary Beth

News of the Week from a Christian Perspective - Prime Time America Digest

This week’s PTA Digest begins with a conversation with Dr. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of both Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Dr. Graham and I talked about the Gospel witness a Christian ought to have as he or she lives their life before others. Next, Wycliffe Associates’ Bruce Smith talks about a Bible translation project that could bring the Scriptures to some 3 million Africans in their own heart languages. And finally, a look at what World Vision is doing in the midst of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Enjoy this week’s PTA Digest! – Greg Wheatley

Listen to the podcast here.


Obama boards train for whistle-stop tour

President-elect Barack Obama, in a Lincoln-esque move, left Philadelphia by train to journey to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration.

Click here to read more.


Placer County's historic courthouse bell will ring again

The 300-pound steel bell that has been a fixture in Placer County's historic courthouse in Auburn for most of the past 110 years will be reinstalled Monday morning, officials said today.

And the 150-year-old bell will ring - for the first time in perhaps 20 years - during a ceremony Wednesday, said Melanie Barton, Placer County museums administrator.

The news rings out here.


Revere man honored for 1953 hoops feat

Larry Bird never did it; nor did Pistol Pete Maravich. Even the great Wilt Chamberlain, the unstoppable giant, fell short.

None of those greats scored as many points in a college basketball game as Jack Resnick, a 5-foot-9-inch sharpshooter for Suffolk University, who in 1953 tallied 75 points against Burdett College in his sophomore season. Now, the Revere retiree has been voted into the Suffolk University Hall of Fame and will formally be inducted at a ceremony this spring.

Read more about this amazing feat here.


Goose-icle! Frozen fowl rescued by police divers

Sheriff's divers have come to the rescue of a trapped goose that sat too long in frigid waters of a Detroit suburb.

Click here for more information.

Saturday, January 17, 2009 Good News Posts from Margaret

It Is What It Is—Not!

"God brings good to us during the hard times."

Click here to read this story.


A step-by-step guide to saving money in your own household

"This economy has bred many new terms — most of them, understandably, negative: global recession, corporate bailout, mortgage crisis, employment contraction, etc.

But there also are new terms that have developed to reflect how we are dealing with this time of need, and one of those terms on the more personal, family level is 'couponing.'"

Click here to read more about "couponing".


Desire, Confidence Are Keys to Fitness

"People who have a desire to exercise and who are confident that they can are more likely to engage in physical fitness activities than those who lack motivation or have poor self-perception, a new Canadian study shows."

Read more about this study here.

Tree in the Snow

By Flickr Member Jenny Downing

Good News From Mary January 16, 2009

Speak Your Spouse’s Language

Your husband seems to say one thing yet do another. Your wife seems to expect you to read her mind. You and your spouse are frustrated that what you heard each other say wasn’t what was meant. Sometimes it can be like your spouse is speaking a different language from yours – one you don’t understand.

But you can learn to speak your spouse’s language when you work on communication skills in your marriage. Here’s how:

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Study: If you touch it, you will buy it

You've heard of "you break it, you buy it," but what about "you touch it, you buy it?"

A new study suggests that just fingering an item on a store shelf can create an attachment that makes you willing to pay more for it.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Walk to Ward Off Age-Related Weight Gain

Walking as little as half an hour a day may keep the extra pounds from adding up as you get older.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Eating with your stomach, not your eyes

It's halfway through January and your initial enthusiasm for those fitness resolutions may be waning.

After maintaining an austere, healthy diet for a few weeks, the desire to eat a juicy cheeseburger proves too irresistible for some dieters.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

A wedding to defy death

Jessica Keenan tried on wedding dresses in a fancy Beverly Hills boutique, about 100 miles from the Santa Barbara, California, clinic where she gets blasted with chemotherapy once a week.

Keenan is 34 years old and battling Stage 4 breast cancer with faith, hope and a charity called the Dream Foundation, which helps terminally ill adults.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Good News for January 16 from Mary Beth

Champions of Charity: Faith-Based Initiatives

For years to come, President Bush’s supporters and detractors will argue over how he responded to 9/11 and Katrina, conducted the war on terror, and handled the economy.

But there’s one effort that, in my opinion, the administration deserves a lot of credit for—one the media is overlooking. And that’s the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, which released its final report earlier this week.

More of Mark Earley's commentary awaits you here.


Art Deco darlings; Survey aims to find and preserve Chicago's gems

Zigzagging decoration. Bursts of color. An upbeat celebration of modernity. Art Deco buildings are rare in this city of right angles and “less is more” sobriety. So it makes sense to preserve them, not only downtown but also in Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Click here to read more about the preservation effort.


Ride on the wild side

"Easy Rider" cruised into town 40 years ago. Today, Easyriders comes to Sacramento as motorcycle enthusiasts anticipate the annual motorcycle expo.

Roar on over to more information by clicking here.


Metairie, LA 'Family Gras' festival spreads its wings

In addition to marquee performers such as Sara Bareilles, Better Than Ezra, Jesse McCartney and Lee Ann Womack, the third installment of Jefferson Parish's Family Gras will include an art market and a second stage focusing on Louisiana musicians, organizers said.

Let the good times roll right here!

Friday, January 16,2009 Good News Posts from Margaret

Cloaking device may make cell phone static vanish

“A new light-bending material has brought scientists one step closer to creating a cloaking device that could hide objects from sight.

Beyond possible military applications, it also might have a very practical use by making mobile communications clearer, they said on Thursday.”

Read more of this story here.


Volunteers give time to others in honor of civil-rights leader

“The alarm will buzz as usual Monday morning for some people who have the day off from work and school.

They are the volunteers who have decided that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the perfect opportunity to help others.”

Read more of this story here.


Death by Chocolate

“Now that another Christmas has come and gone, many of us will step on the bathroom scale to face the consequences of our indulgence. If our waistlines have expanded, it might be appropriate to expand our examination of conscience. Gluttony, the excessive indulgence in food and drink, is a sin we don’t hear much about anymore. Can you recall the last time you mentioned it during confession? For most of us gluttony is a venial sin. However just because we’re not as wedded to the pleasures of the table as Mr. Creosote from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, doesn’t mean we should consider ourselves immune.”

Read more of the story here.