Mary Hunt

Nearly 2,400 women converged on sacred Indian ground last weekend for the third WomenChurch conference, seeking a vision of unity amid a mosaic of cultural and religious expressions. Participants seemed to generally agree on the conference theme, "WomenChurch: Weavers of Change," but it was clear that the road to change, in this case, is paved with debate, introspection and self-criticism. Speakers at the April 16-18 gathering at Albuquerque's downtown convention center minced no words.

There's a recession, so The Bachelors were "Rolling Down to Rio" only in their imaginations. The event was The Bachelors Ball at the Beverly Hilton Friday. Nearly 700 rollicked and frolicked as only twenty- and thirtysomethings can.

Consumers have done more than their fair share to keep the economy afloat for years. It's time to let others lift up the economy. Or, as ethicist Bruce Weinstein says: It's OK to be a tightwad. "It's not only OK in some circumstances; it would be wrong if we weren't," Weinstein said. "Because you shouldn't spend what you don't have." This is especially true during the holidays, a time when so many people go overboard and figure they'll deal with the consequences later.

Patricia Reif, an activist, former nun and pioneering educator who founded the master's program in feminist spirituality at Immaculate Heart College Center, died of pancreatic cancer Sunday at her home in Claremont. She was 72. Reif, who taught philosophy and theology, also played an integral role in the historic discussions in 1970 that led a majority of nuns in the order of Immaculate Heart of Mary to renounce their vows and establish an experimental lay community.

With more than 17,000 islands and about 300 ethnic groups, Indonesia is among the most culturally diverse countries in the world. So the exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art featuring 90-plus textile works from the collection of Mary Hunt Kahlenberg -- a onetime LACMA curator and co-owner of TAI Gallery/Textile Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. -- is appropriately eclectic.

"Discovery U."--a.k.a. the Discovery Museum of Orange County--held a "class reunion" Saturday that brought 150 guests to the museum's sprawling Santa Ana grounds. Dressed down in rolled-cuff Levis and other '50s gear, party-goers circled silent auction tables during cocktail hour, sat for buffet dinner at dusk, then bopped to their feet, waving pompons while Sha Na Na stormed through an hourlong concert of nostalgic tunes.

Tammy Famularo, a mother of four who lives in Torrance, says she's got too many kids not to take advantage of every money-saving opportunity this time of year. So when she buys food for holiday gatherings, she uses coupons. When she buys gifts, she uses her Auto Club card at merchants that provide discounts to club members. "A lot of people don't take advantage of discounts because they don't know about them and they don't pay attention," she said.

Stan Gordon, Mary Hunt and Dave Ramsey have never met. They live in different states, pursue different careers and have vastly disparate interests. Yet they all shared one devastating experience that changed their lives: They all were crushed by debt.

Los Angeles is a fountain of youth with all kinds of new firsts on the social scene. The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's First Chair Society entertained at its first Leading Ladies' Matinee on Wednesday morning. Said co-president Jennifer Diener: "In Salzburg, they have matinees in the morning. I thought it would be different."