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Afterlife – An Ode to God’s Goodness Courtesy of E. Vince

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

Life is never a straight road. There will be bumps and obstacles along the way that will force you to go off course. As mere human beings, when faced with adversity, we often get disheartened. We begin to question God’s goodness and feel abandoned. A good narrative example is the landmark Candide, by Voltaire. In his work, Voltaire presents a preponderance of human follies leading to tragedies and a naïve Christian who shallowly rationalizes each of the tragedies as God’s will. AfterLife takes a dive deeper into spiritual and psychological dynamics to present an alternative view that will hopefully resonate with non-theists as much as with theists. Candide was designed to demonstrate the folly of faith; AfterLife was inspired to demonstrate the virtue of faith.But what if we looked back at life, this time, with a different perspective? Not one in which we infer based on outcomes, but rather one where we infer despite outcomes—faith.Bearing the torch of hope with the power of t...

USPA Sets Out to Find a Missing Girl with Art Basel Proceeds

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

A story of art and compassion: USPA Nationwide Security’s Brian Fitzgibbons overcomes adversity to assist with the search for a missing girl using Art Basel proceedsIn a remarkable display of dedication and commitment to their mission, USPA Nationwide Security has once again utilized the profits from their participation in the prestigious Art Basel events to rescue a missing girl. This marks the second year in a row that USPA has used the proceeds from these events to make a significant difference in someone’s life.At the forefront of this incredible feat is Brian Fitzgibbons, the Director of Security at USPA. Fitzgibbons, a former United States Marine and Iraqi war veteran, led the security teams deployed all over South Beach during Art Basel. His unwavering dedication and ability to overcome adversity were put to the test when he had to undergo emergency surgery, forcing him to temporarily leave the event. However, showcasing his indomitable spirit, Fitzgibbons returne...

Sutter Health, senior care firm, team up for elderly care San Jose site

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

SAN JOSE — Sutter Health and a firm that specializes in health care for seniors have teamed up to launch a San Jose site that will offer an array of services to elderly people who have low-income levels.The alliance is setting up shop at 1799 Hamilton Avenue and is using the office building to deliver services to what the health-care firms describe as “vulnerable seniors.”Physical therapy and exercise areas inside 1799 Hamilton Avenue in San Jose, an office building dedicated to accommodating health care for seniors. (Slava Blazer Photography)Sutter Health, a medical services titan, is joining forces with WelbeHealth, a physician-led public benefit firm that provides care to seniors, intend to launch the new medical site starting on New Year’s Day of 2024.“We are excited to work with our Sutter Health partners to serve the most vulnerable seniors with better quality and compassion in the San Jose area,” said Dr. Si France, chief executive off...

Photos: The top 10 celebrity red carpet looks of 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

By Leah Dolan | CNNRelated ArticlesEntertainment | Larry Magid: 2023 has been a tumultuous year for tech Entertainment | 15 best art, design and archaeology discoveries of 2023 Entertainment | What did you Google in 2023? ‘Barbie,’ Israel-Hamas war are among the year’s top internet searches Entertainment | Celebrity heartbreak 2023: The 15 most shocking, messy splits of the year Entertainment | Wikipedia, wrapped. Here are 2023’s most-viewed articles on the internet’s encyclopedia As another year comes to a close, it’s time to revisit the star-studded red carpets that punctuated 2023 — and reminisce on the strongest fashion looks of the year. Despite the four month SAG-AFTRA strike shutting down a number of red carpets, there were plenty of pop culture moments generated by subversive celebrity dressing. From Jared Leto’s dedicated impersonation of Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette, at the...

Mike Grgich dies at 100; winemaker helped make Napa Valley world famous

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

By Howard Yune | Napa Valley RegisterMiljenko (Mike) Grgich, the Croatian immigrant whose wines helped the Napa Valley rival France’s best as never before, died early Wednesday at age 100.Grgich died in his sleep at his Calistoga home with family members by his side, according to Sally Camm, spokesperson for Grgich Hills Estate, the Rutherford winery he co-founded in the 1970s.“Saddened to learn of the passing of Mike Grgich,” U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said in a statement. “Mike was a trailblazing winemaker and developed many of the techniques that have helped make Napa Valley wine the best in the world.“Mike’s legacy will be remembered for generations to come and his efforts have helped pave the way for future innovations in winemaking. He made immeasurable contributions to the winemaking community and to our Valley, and he will be sorely missed.”While at Chateau Montelena, he created the 1973 Chardonnay that was entered into the Paris Win...

NY appeals court hands Trump a defeat over gag order

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

By Laren del Valle and Kara Scannell | CNNA New York appellate court rejected Donald Trump’s challenge of the gag order in his civil fraud trial Thursday. Trump’s attorneys petitioned the court over the gag order that bars him and the attorneys from speaking publicly about Judge Arthur Engoron’s court staff.In rejecting the challenge Thursday, the appeals court said Trump didn’t use the proper legal vehicle to challenge the gag order and sanctions.The appellate court in another order Thursday also rejected a Trump request to allow his legal team to seek a review of the gag order by the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court.Trial testimony ended Wednesday after 11 weeks in court.The parties are scheduled to file supplemental briefs in the case January 5 and return to court for oral arguments January 11 before Engoron renders a final verdict.“We filed the petition because the ordinary appellate process is essentially pointless in this context as it cannot possibly be completed in...

The five most expensive homes reported sold in Fremont in the week of Dec. 4

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

A house that sold for $3.5 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Fremont in the past week.In total, five residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $1.8 million, $1,044 per square foot.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Dec. 4 even if the property may have been sold earlier.5. $550K, condominium in the 38500 block of Paseo Padre ParkwayThe property in the 38500 block of Paseo Padre Parkway in Fremont has new owners. The price was $550,000. The condominium was built in 1970 and has a living area of 950 square feet. The price per square foot is $579. The condominium features two bedrooms and one bathrooms.Paseo Padre Parkway4. $1.1 million, single-family home in the 4400 block of Cahill StreetThe sale of the single-family residence in the 4400 block of Cahill Street, Fremont, has been finalized. The price was $1,085,000,...

‘The American dream is to leave America.’ The US TikTokers revealing what life is like abroad

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

By Francesca Street | CNNA month’s paid vacation time. Wine at lunchtime on a Tuesday. No tipping needed.In Kacie Rose Burns’ most popular video, the influencer runs through some of the biggest culture shocks she’s experienced since upping sticks from the US to Italy.Burns’ TikTok – viewed 19.8 million times – is flooded with comments ranging from disbelief, envy and approval.There’s one comment – liked 34,800 times – that maybe sums it all up:“I think the American dream is to leave America.”‘That American girl living in Italy’Burns’ social media accounts chronicle her experiences as, according to her TikTok bio, “that American girl living in Italy.” She details cultural differences, offers guides to Italian cities and speaks directly to the camera about her experiences.The 30-year-old started posting on TikTok in 2021 when she moved to Florence with her Italian boyfriend, who she met on vacation several years earlier.In early 2021, international travel was off the table. Burns’ vid...

Reservations for Yosemite National Park are coming back for 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) -– Reservations to enter Yosemite National Park during anticipated busy times are going to return in 2024, park officials announced Wednesday.According to Yosemite National Park, the “Peak Hours Plus” 2024 vehicle reservation pilot system for park entry will be on weekends starting April 13 to June 30 - and then every day from July 1 to Aug. 15 - and on weekends again from Aug. 16 to Oct. 27.Park officials say reservations will be required for vehicle entry to the park between 5:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. during the reservation periods. Reservations are not required to enter the park after 4:00 p.m. Visitors will pick from two types of reservations: reservations valid for a full day or reservations valid for entry any time after noon.   This winter’s El Niño could be one of the strongest in 70 years: What that means for Bay Area "This summer's pilot system is built from extensive public feedback, data from three years of pilot reservation systems ...

This winter's El Niño could be one of the strongest in 70 years. What that means for Bay Area

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:47:37 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The 2023-2024 El Niño is growing more likely to be one for the record books. In an update released Thursday, the Climate Prediction Center said this winter's El Niño was slightly favored to be "historically strong." The national forecasters gave it about a 54% chance of being one of the five strongest since 1950. Rain returning to Bay Area this weekend Those odds are up from last month, when the Climate Prediction Center gave this year's El Niño a 35% chance of being among the strongest ever, like the one we saw 2015-2016 or 1997-1998.But a super-strong El Niño doesn't necessarily mean super-strong impacts, like storms, flooding or heavy snow. "While stronger El Niño events increase the likelihood of El Niño-related climate anomalies, it does not imply expected impacts will emerge in all locations or be of strong intensity," says the Climate Prediction Center. El Niño predicted to flood both coasts: Here’s where risk is highest What are they expecting to happe...