All posts tagged: lost

What can a pastor say to people who have lost everything?

What can a pastor say to people who have lost everything?

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — There are no words. What does someone say to the person who has lost their home, their church and their entire town? There are no words to describe the gut-wrenching, nauseating pain, there are no words that can rise to the surface that will put an end to the deep sorrow. In the days after the devastating Palisades fire, there are simply no words. People ask me what it’s like to be a pastor in the Palisades right now, after we have experienced the loss of homes, our church and our beloved little town. There is nothing in seminary — or even in life — that can prepare you for something like this. In the aftermath of this unspeakable tragedy, it feels as though the entire world has shifted below our feet. While this is not Ukraine, or the horrific war that has raged in Gaza, this is horrific. The devastation is so heartbreaking, and so real. The town we called home is gone. The houses of my people have been reduced to …

Dennis Quaid emotionally reveals ‘many of his friends have lost’ their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires

Dennis Quaid emotionally reveals ‘many of his friends have lost’ their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires

Published by skeptic

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Dennis Quaid says that “many of his friends” have lost their homes amid the devastating wildfires that continue to tear through several neighborhoods in Southern California. The 70-year-old Reagan actor, who lives in the Brentwood area of the city, discussed the catastrophic blazes with NBC 4 Los Angeles. “We’ve had it lucky,” Quaid said of him and his wife Laura Savoie. “I’ve have so many friends who have lost (homes). My agent, he lost both of his houses, and another good friend over at Palisades had just moved into a house and was renting the other one. He lost both of them. “What do you do, just to rebuild?” he questioned. “You start thinking about how long it takes to put a house together …

In Memoriam: The Stars We Lost In 2024

In Memoriam: The Stars We Lost In 2024

Published by Sam

This year was one for the history books with the Olympics, the Euros and a general election, just for starters. However, among all of this excitement and anticipation, we also lost some of our biggest stars including Liam Payne, Dame Maggie Smith, and Donald Sutherland. Today, we say a final farewell to the stars we lost in 2024. January Derek Draper (15 August 1967 – 3 January 2024) Derek Draper with wife Kate Garraway and her parents Gordon and Marilyn Garraway. Former lobbyist and political advisor Derek Draper died at the start of the year. He had suffered severe complications after contracting Covid in March 2020. He had spent a year in hospital after being placed in a coma, with the virus causing long-lasting damage to his organs, leaving him in need of constant care after he returned home in April 2021. His wife Kate Garraway led the tributes saying that her “darling husband” had died and that she held his hand until the very end. Anne Nightingale (1 April 1940 – 11 January 2024) …

Lost Battlefield of Alexander the Great Discovered in Türkiye

Lost Battlefield of Alexander the Great Discovered in Türkiye

Published by skeptic

Crossing the Granicus by Charles Le Brun, 1665. Louvre Museum, Paris.   The Battle of Granicus was among the earliest and most pivotal battles fought by Alexander the Great. Following decades of attempts to identify the location of the 334 BCE battle, new research finally revealed that it took place in modern-day Çanakkale in northwestern Türkiye.   Researchers Pinpoint Location of 2,400-Year-Old Battlefield  The site of the ancient Battle of Granicus. Source: Reyhan Körpe.   Researchers have long known that Alexander the Great fought one of his most important early battles somewhere along the ancient Granicus River, now known as the Biga River, in western Türkiye. However, the exact coordinates of the clash had evaded researchers for decades, including Professor Reyhan Körpe, who began his search 20 years ago. This year, it was Körpe’s team that finally pinpointed the location of the 2,400-year-old Battle of Granicus through intensive fieldwork, historical research, and geomorphological analyses.   “This battle occurred near a river once known as the Granicus, about 100 kilometers [62 miles] east of modern-day Çanakkale, in …

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Published by skeptic

Signe Pike’s The Lost Queen embarks on a mesmerizing journey into the sixth-century Scottish landscapes, weaving an intricate tapestry of history, legend, and the richly imagined life of Languoreth—a queen overshadowed by her more famous brother, Lailoken, the historical inspiration for Merlin. This first installment of the trilogy brings the enigmatic story of Languoreth to life with passion, precision, and poetic grace. Overview Blending elements of historical fiction, romance, and fantasy, The Lost Queen is often compared to Outlander and Camelot. The novel reclaims the narrative of Languoreth, twin sister of Lailoken, and casts her as a powerful yet constrained figure navigating a volatile world teetering between the old Pagan traditions and the rising tide of Christianity. Pike’s meticulous research shines through, offering readers a vivid picture of early medieval Scotland and a heroine whose courage and intelligence make her unforgettable. Plot and Pacing: A Rich Tapestry Unfolds The story begins with Languoreth and Lailoken’s idyllic childhood in Cadzow. Their bond is unshakable, yet their paths diverge as Lailoken trains to become a Wisdom Keeper …

‘A Terrible Irony’: How the Media Lost Trust

‘A Terrible Irony’: How the Media Lost Trust

Published by José

Americans have record-low trust in the media. They’re reading traditional news less. Platforms, too, have broken up with news organizations, making it harder for them to attract readers to their stories. Many 20th-century media companies are outmoded in a landscape where independent sites, influencers, and podcasters are finding large, passionate audiences, especially among adults under 30. Surveying this landscape recently, my colleague Helen Lewis wrote, unsparingly, “The ‘Mainstream Media’ has already lost.” I feel the same way. We are living through a period of deep distrust in institutions, which many Americans feel no longer serve their interests. There is a palpable anger and skepticism toward corporate media, and many have turned to smaller publications or individual creators whom they feel they can trust, even if these groups are not bound to the rigor and standards of traditional outlets.Those who reject traditional news sources feel that something needs to change and that legacy media organizations must find ways to reconnect with audiences, listen to them, and win back their trust. The question is where to begin. …

How America lost its taste for the middle

How America lost its taste for the middle

Published by José

TGI Fridays, Denny’s, and other restaurants in the country’s middle tier are struggling. Tryphosa Ho / Alamy December 5, 2024, 6:25 PM ET This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. It’s been a rocky year for the type of restaurant that could have served as the setting for an awkward lunch scene in The Office: the places you might find at malls and suburban shopping developments, serving up burgers or giant bowls of pasta and sugary drinks. The “casual dining” sector—the name the restaurant world gives the sit-down establishments in the middle cost tier of the dining market—has seen some of its heroes fall this year. The seafood chain Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in May (though a new owner has since emerged to attempt to save it). Another family-friendly giant, TGI Fridays, filed for bankruptcy last month, and the casual Italian-food chain Buca di Beppo …

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage: Love, Family, and Redemption

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage: Love, Family, and Redemption

Published by skeptic

Lost and Lassoed marks the eagerly anticipated third installment in Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch series, following the success of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled. This enemies-to-lovers romance brings us the story of Teddy Andersen and Gus Ryder, two characters whose antagonistic relationship has been simmering in the background throughout the series. Setting the Scene: Welcome Back to Meadowlark Nestled in the heart of Wyoming, Meadowlark continues to charm readers with its small-town dynamics and the sprawling beauty of Rebel Blue Ranch. Sage’s descriptive prowess shines as she paints vivid pictures of mountain vistas, aspen groves, and the raw beauty of ranch life. The setting serves not just as a backdrop but as a character itself, integral to the story’s emotional core. Character Development: More Than Meets the Eye Teddy Andersen Teddy emerges as a masterfully crafted character whose complexity unfolds layer by layer. Initially known for her loud personality and seemingly carefree attitude, we discover a woman grappling with feelings of stagnation and the fear of being left behind. Her journey from …

Apple Lost the Plot on Texting

Apple Lost the Plot on Texting

Published by José

For a brief moment earlier this month, I thought an old acquaintance had passed away. I was still groggy one morning when I checked my phone to find a notification delivering the news. “Obituary shared,” the message bluntly said, followed by his name. But when I opened my phone, I learned that he was very much still alive. Apple’s latest software update was to blame: A new feature that uses AI to summarize iPhone notifications had distorted the original text message. It wasn’t my acquaintance who had died, but a relative of his. That’s whose obituary I had received. These notification summaries are perhaps the most visible part of Apple Intelligence, the company’s long-awaited suite of AI features, which officially began to roll out last month. (It’s compatible with only certain devices.) We are living in push-notification hell, and Apple Intelligence promises to collapse the incessant stream of notifications into pithy recaps. Instead of setting your iPhone aside while you shower and returning to nine texts, four emails, and two calendar alerts, you can now …

De La Soul’s Mistake and Hip-Hop’s Lost Opportunity

De La Soul’s Mistake and Hip-Hop’s Lost Opportunity

Published by José

In 1991, only one album into its career, De La Soul tried to pull off an unusually audacious move. The hip-hop trio’s 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, was a dense but accessible bricolage of dad-rock samples and flip-it-and-reverse-it nursery-rhyme syntax, establishing the group as innovators with commercial muscle. Two years later, De La Soul publicly renounced the album, dumping everything that made it an instant classic in an act of self-nullification from which the band never really recovered. The follow-up album, De La Soul Is Dead, sounds like an insecure crew taking wild swings at perceived enemies—Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, the West Coast gangster-rap insurgency—and missing badly. The beats are sluggish, and 3 Feet High’s sample surprises (Hall & Oates! Steely Dan!) are absent, giving the record a thin, attenuated feel. It begins inauspiciously, with a skit involving a kid finding a copy of 3 Feet High in a trash can, and falls further into dispirited score-settling. It is also entirely too long, and both jokey and humorless. And worst of all, it …