Photo: Ben Goldstein/Studio D

Not very long ago I would have been proud to tell you that despite years of jogging, hiking, and walking long distances, my feet never hurt. Never! And then—suddenly—they were killing me. Was it age? Years of jogging, hiking, and walking long distances? Not sure. But at a meeting in my office, Marcia Kilgore, founder of the beauty companies Bliss and Soap & Glory, and—more to the point of this story—the FitFlop empire of footwear, casually mentioned that she'd send me a pair of FitFlop Uno Sneakers ($275; fitflop.com). She did, I've been wearing them everywhere, and my foot pain has nearly disappeared. Whether or not that's due to the sneaker's "biomechanically engineered triple-density Biomimetix midsole"—again, it's a mystery to me. The sneakers have an unmistakable Miss Marple look: Sexy they're not. Then again, neither is limping.

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Photo: Getty

On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper boarded a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle. After takeoff, Cooper indicated to a flight attendant that he had a bomb, demanding that $200,000 and four parachutes await him upon arrival. After authorities complied and the plane took off again, at Cooper's instruction, for Mexico, he jumped from the aircraft and vanished.

The crime remains unsolved—but not, perhaps, for long. In 2008 the FBI assembled a volunteer team, now called the Citizen Sleuths, in hopes that they might drum up new clues. Scientific illustrator Carol Abraczinskas—whose eye for detail helps her render dinosaur fossils for the University of Chicago—was eager to participate: "Who wouldn't find this interesting?" she says.

Abraczinskas helped pinpoint the exact location where some of the ransom was found, and through an obscure French-language comic book, whose hero was named Cooper—revealed a possible blueprint for the hijacking. "Was Cooper a Francophone?" she asks. "The questions keep coming."

This May, Abraczinskas even joined the FBI Citizens' Academy to better understand the bureau's work. "This case is the only unsolved hijacking in U.S. history," she says. "For me, it's all about the experience."

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I asked my friend Marianne Williamson for a prayer for our 2 minutes of silence at Noon ET, 11amCT, 9amPT today. Wherever you are please send your healing, love thoughts, and stand with Aurora. —Oprah

Dear God,
In Your hands we place our saddened hearts and troubled souls.
Pour forth Your grace on Aurora, Colorado.
Give comfort and healing to those who suffer, and heavenly peace to those who died.
What have we become dear God, that such darkness has descended?
Please purify our hearts of whatever forces would lead to this despair.
Amen 

Hello again, Friday! We're looking forward to the weekend and looking back on the things that made our week.



He's back! From Hong Kong to Haiti, that guy is dancing all over the world. Again. And yet? Still makes us laugh.. 

The Marine's have an adorable (and moving) Pinterest board dedicated to soldiers with dogs and children

The power of 5 pair of knee socks: A chart of famous athlete's superstitions

An anonymous man is giving out wads of cash to complete strangers—with one condition.

Get lost in a book. Actually, get lost in a maze of books...

Photo: Ditte Isager

More grown-up than ice cream swimming in chocolate sauce and more Roman Holiday than fruit and store-bought pound cake, affogato is the two-ingredient treat I'm making most often this summer. And by "making," I mean pouring a shot of espresso over a scoop of vanilla gelato. The hot and bitter coffee melting into the sweet frozen dessert is pretty much heaven on a hot July night.

Not that you need much more of a "recipe" than the one described above, but you can top your affogato with crushed espresso beans, shaved dark chocolate and chopped hazelnuts, or dulce de leche. However you serve this treat, it's best to eat it while envisioning yourself at a cafe in Rome, while your Vespa waits just across the piazza.

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Adam Glassman, O magazine's Creative Director, has made a new discovery:

I’ve had to buy my share of baby’s gifts over the years, and just because a present is meant for a little one doesn’t make it any easier to find the perfect thing. Which is why I’m crazy about Burt’s Bees Baby, a new line of organic apparel and earth-friendly products. The clothing—in tasteful shades of muted grays, pinks and creams—is absolutely adorable, and is sure to please style (and environmentally) conscious parents. And while 100% organic clothes are usually quite expensive, these pieces are super affordable: a 3-piece newborn set (bodysuit, bib and hat) is $9.99; a baby knit terry coverall is $14; a 7-piece gift basket (which includes clothing, shampoo and lotion) is $39.99. The line, available now at Target.com, will eventually expand to include home and lifestyle products, but in the meantime I’ve found my new go-to baby gift.

Photo: Courtesy of Mae Chevrette

Her goods
"You can find just about anything on my paintings," says Mae Chevrette. "Old maps, lengths of tape measure, vintage sheet music. I moved last year to an industrial part of Boston, so lately I've incorporated tack nails onto the edges of my work." These found objects typically encircle an arresting quote, such as Emerson's "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea / Drink the wild air" or Tennessee Williams's "Make voyages! Attempt them! There is nothing else."

Her process
Chevrette starts with a printout of one of thousands of photos from her travels, which she adheres to a canvas. Then she embeds ephemera and applies broad strokes of paint. "I keep layering until the piece matches what's in my head," she says. Finally, she adds the quote. "These are words that have been helpful in my life," she says. "I don't want to forget them."

Her inspiration
Chevrette was 18 when she embarked on a cross-country drive from her hometown of Seattle to Massachusetts for college. To calm her nerves, Chevrette jotted a note to herself: "It is in all of us to defy expectations, to go into the world and to be brave...." The words became the centerpiece of To Be Brave, now Chevrette's most popular print. Subsequent trips have also informed paintings: The real coffee stain on The Road is a shout-out to the small-town diners she visited in Wyoming and South Dakota, and American West features snapshots of the power lines above Route 66. "I want to get across a feeling of wanderlust," says Chevrette. "I want to convey the sense that our lives are filled with possibility." (Prints start at $20; maechevrette.com.)

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Photo: Thinkstock

I was recently confronted with, for the first time in my life, an actual dining room (well, okay, it's more like a foyer) and the need for some inexpensive furniture with which to populate it. After some serious interrogation of Pinterest, I scoured Craig's List for mismatched mates for our white Ikea table -- and because the world is often cooperative when one is hungry for stories, I met these three fascinating pieces of furniture:

Chair #1: Dining Room Chair - 1940's - Red Velvet Seat - Nice - $25
When I went to pick up this chair, the gentleman selling it brought it out to my car and helpfully wedged it in amongst the car seats. As an afterthought, I asked what the story was with the chair. He told me it had been his grandparents from when they were first married, in the 1940's, in St Louis. But my grandparents lived in St Louis at the same time! For some reason this shared history felt like magic. "My grandmother was in the League of Women Voters!" I told him. "Hm," he said, "I don't know what mine was into. Probably a Yiddish Theater Troupe or something." The chair-seller explained that he had recently inherited tons of gorgeous furniture from his grandparents' home that was now filling his tiny apartment, and that he counted among his roommates an enormous china hutch, a creepy dress-maker's form, chairs and chairs and chairs. I felt this sounded very poetic. He felt crowded. So it goes, with someone else's life story.