Topics

Apr

Guns and Boston Bombs: Is There Safety in Numbers?

by Sheron Long on April 18, 2013

Spectators and runners, like those at the Boston Marathon, seek ways of staying safe from terror attacks

Can we find the “safety pin” that keeps crowds and marathon runners together on our streets?
© Thinkstock (pins, runners); © Ingram Publishing (crowd)

This Week’s “Oh, I See” News Moment

The no vote on gun violence legislation collided with the terror attack at the Boston Marathon. Their coincidence tore at my sense of staying safe and left a rip waiting to be mended by something more than safety pins.

Playing the Odds on Terror Attacks

It used to be that we could step out in the world and expect to stay safe. But now there are questions: Read more...

Sheron Long Comments

Making a Difference

Apr

Sunny with a Chance of Cherry Blossom Petals

by Janine Boylan on April 15, 2013

Japantown Cherry Blossom Festival, showing Japanese cultural traditions

cherry blossoms in San Francisco’s Japantown
© Janine Boylan

The Beauty in Japanese Traditions

This time of year, many families in Japan are not checking weather sites for weather but for sakura, which are cherry blossom forecasts. This is the season for hanami, or picnics under the pale pink blossoms.

The Cherry Blossom Custom

Centuries ago, emperors and elite began the practice of cherry blossom viewing. Over the years, more and more people adopted the custom, and, in the 1700s, Shogun ruler Tokugawa Yoshimune planted cherry trees specifically to encourage the tradition. Now viewing cherry blossoms is a deeply-rooted part of the Japanese culture. Read more...

Janine Boylan Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/On the World Stage/USA

Apr

Creative Inspiration Springs from “Seeing” Differently

by Meredith Mullins on April 11, 2013

child running after bird provides a way of seeing differently for a blind photographer with creative inspiration

Blind photographer Flo Fox heard birds and footsteps and “clicked.” A perfect fleeting moment.
Jury Award of Merit © Flo Fox

Seeing Is About Much More Than Sight

When OIC Moments asked the question—”Can you see without sight?”—we were vividly reminded that creative inspiration is fed by exploration within and without.

You can feel the warmth of the sun and know which way the shadows will fall.

You can touch a wall and follow its patterns and textures.

You can listen for voices or footsteps or crashing waves and know where something interesting might be happening. Read more...

Meredith Mullins Comments

The World's Photography

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