Artist Sews Ripped Clothes for Free on SF City Sidewalks
One day a month artist Michael Swaine can be found on a San Francisco sidewalk using his vintage sewing machine with foot pedal to mend the holes in people's clothes for free.
Recent posts
Tired of Dry Thanksgiving Turkey? Cook it Upside Down
I have been serving a wildly successful Thanksgiving meal for my extended family every holiday for 15 years, and one of my secrets is roasting the turkey upside down.
Too Many Tomatoes? Great Recipe Helps Clear the Window Sill
My favorite recipe beckoned yesterday, after bringing home a bag of season-ending tomatoes from the farmers market here in Virginia. A guaranteed show-stopper is my Tomato Tort recipe so I thought I'd share. Best of all, it is virtually impossible to mess up.
Humane Society Pairs Problem Pups With Prisoners
California inmates are helping correct the behavior problems of shelter dogs, a therapeutic exercise that benefits both convicts and canines.
Iron Chef in Prison Cooks up a New Future for Filipino Convicts
Teams of inmates, many of whom have worked previously in the food profession, cooked against the clock to concoct a menu of delicious dishes in what was dubbed, Iron Bar Chef. The cuisine contest is the latest recreational effort at the largest prison in the Philippines -- part of a broader program of arts, crafts and sports that officials say has vastly helped tame the mood of the jail's inmates.
Alaska Inmates Find Identity in Orchestra
After serving a 14-year sentence for murder, no one would have expected Sarah Jane Coffman to go anywhere near the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center once she was released. But every Saturday she makes the 10-mile drive with a viola in tow for orchestra practice at the prison just north of Anchorage. Coffman is a founding member of the women's string orchestra at the prison, playing since 2003.
Prison Inmates Help Abused Cats Become More Adoptable
A program at a Washington state prison is improving the lives of abused cats and also the inmates who now care for them. Five felines that were rescued from neglectful or abusive situations currently reside at the prison as part of a cat adoption program coordinated with the Humane Society. The inmates socialize the cats and get them ready to be adopted.
Booming Short Sales Poised to Overtake US Foreclosures
Banks are slashing the asking prices of homes with delinquent loans to their lowest levels in at least seven years, making it easier for homeowners to get out from under troubled mortgages and more appealing for homebuyers to snap up properties at a discount.
Pending US Home Sales Touch Two-year High
Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes rose to their highest level in more than two years - up 2.4 percent - in July, an industry group said on Wednesday, suggesting the housing market recovery was gaining traction.
3 Encouraging Trends in Housing for the U.S.
Sometimes you have to dig for good news. And this is surely true in the real estate sector. There are some nuggets of good news buried in the latest housing data. Here are three encouraging trends.
Big Banks Agree To Pay $8.5 Billion To Homeowners After Foreclosure Abuse
Ten of the nation's major banks, such as Bank of America and Citibank, have agreed to pay $8.5 billion after an investigation into the abuse of homeowners during foreclosures on mortgages during the recent housing crisis. According to the Fed, $3.3 billion of the settlement will be direct payments to eligible borrowers and $5.2 billion will go toward other assistance, such as loan modifications and forgiveness of deficiency judgments.
Tip of a Lifetime: Three Lucky Waitresses Get $5,000 Checks
The Boone County Family Restaurant in Rockford, Illinois has some very happy workers today. Three waitresses there, each in their 20's, stared in disbelief Saturday as a blond-haired woman inexplicably handed them three $5,000 checks. Despite their protestations, the generous diner, whose identity is being kept a secret, insisted that she and the other waitresses take it.