CNN reports that Geoffrey Owens "has found a silver lining after being thrust into the spotlight for simply doing his job." Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on "The Cosby Show" was recently photographed bagging groceries at a New Jersey Trader Joe's.

"I got to the point that I needed to take a job to pay my bills, to support my family, it was basically that," Owens said.  Owens income took a hit after reruns of "The Cosby Show" were pulled due to Cosby's conviction of sexual assault last spring.

"I lost a lot of money from that," Owens said. "I don't feel sorry for myself about that. But the fact is that was another contributing factor, along with everything else everyone has to deal with -- medical bills, car issues, kids in college, you name it.

"What I hope continues to resonate is the idea that one job is not better than another," Owens said. "A certain job might pay more, it might have better benefits, it might look better on paper, but that essentially one kind of work isn't better than another kind of work, that we reevaluate that whole idea and we start honoring the dignity of work and the dignity of the working person."

Hannah was married to Elkanah, who also had another wife named Pininnah. Hannah was ridiculed by Pininnah because she was barren, so she pleaded with the Lord for a son. After years of frustration, we read in 1 Samuel that, "Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD. And she made this vow: 'O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime'" (1 Samuel 1:10-11, NLT).

God heard Hannah's humble prayer and she conceived and had a son she named Samuel. As soon as Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the temple and entrusted him to Eli, the priest, just as she had promised. And even though she would only have Samuel for a couple of years before turning him over to Eli, and would only see him once a year during the families annual trip to Shiloh, Hannah's sorrow was turned to joy.

    "My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord.
    I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.
    No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You,
    Nor is there any rock like our God" (I Samuel 2:1-2).

Various news outlets report:

On Friday, March 22 [2024], Jasmin Paris became the first woman to ever complete the infamous Barkley Marathons. The 40-year-old mother from Scotland completed the 100-plus mile race in 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds.  That left just one minute and 39 seconds to spare when she hit the yellow gate. 

Few people who start the race ever finish it, with some years seeing no finishers at all! In fact, only 20 runners have ever fully completed the course!

So what is the Barkley Marathons and why is it considered the toughest and quirkiest race in the world?

The race began by former ultra-runner Gary Cantrell, better known as ‘Lazarus Lake,’ and his friend, Karl ‘Raw Dog’ Henn in 1986. To Henn, Cantrell had mocked the seemingly unathletic escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who covered only 12 miles during his 60 hours on the run, saying, 'I could do at least 100 miles in that time.'

It was from that joke and Lake’s twisted sense of humor that the Barkley Marathons were born. Originally the race was approximately 55 miles with 25,000 ft of elevation gain, but was later extended in 1989 to 100 miles. [5 20-mile loops]

The race has been run every year since, and as described above, has become even more challenging over time.

The race can start anytime between midnight and noon on race day with a one-hour warning from the sound of a conch shell. Later, the lighting of a ceremonial cigarette marks the race’s official beginning. The 20-mile loop covers the exact horizontal distance and does not take into account changes in elevation, indirect paths or getting lost. One of the other quirky dimensions of the race is that runners are required to find 9 -14 books around the state park and take out page numbers that correspond to their changing bib number each round. They must return the pages to Lake every lap to prove they didn’t take any shortcuts.

Upon Paris' historic victory she said, “At the end every fiber of my body was screaming to stop. I didn’t even know if I touched the gate. I just gave it everything to get there and then collapsed, gasping for air.”