RenoVous

  ESA's newly operational Biomass satellite is able to distinguish between different types of vegetation using polarized radar. The image above is around the Beni River in Bolivia.  The water is black and rainforests are green, while the grasslands are purple and the wetlands are red. A key goal of this satellite mission is to measure how Earth's carbon-rich areas are shifting.  With these views, it will be easier to quantify the scale of deforestation, for example. Clockwise from the top left: Mount Gamkonora in Indonesia, the Tibesti Mountains in Chad, the Ivindo River in Gabon, and the Nimrod Glacier in Antarctica. Biomass

  The library is calling, I need to finish The Absinthe Forger. I've learned some interesting bits of history in this, how absinthe rose in popularity following the phylloxera plague that decimated French vineyards. American rootstock was more immune, and was grafted onto French vines in order to save the industry. And it was that industry that later demonized absinthe, to reclaim the market. I was also reminded of a painting that my Nana had in her living room. L'Absinthe by Degas. "The absinthe stare" of many a drinker back in the day. It was popular among artists of the time, and apparently a cache of old bottles were found which had labels drawn by various artists, such as Kirchner. So what are you reading??

 Today is USO Day and I thought we'd take a look at the USO Show. Many a celebrity has been involved over the years.  Marilyn Monroe is seen here in Korea in 1954. Others included Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, and Judy Garland. Bob Hope first performed in 1941, when the USO was founded, and he would go on to do 56 more appearances, 48 of which were Christmas shows. Robin Williams went on six tours between 2002 and 2013. Gary Sinise has done a lot of shows as well, touring with his Lt. Dan Band. The idea is of support through laughter and entertainment, "to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America's military and their families."

This is from a portion of the Martin Luther King Jr. mural at the National Historic Park in Atlanta. Named "Dreams, Vision, and Change," it was painted by Louis Delsarte.  For Black History Month, we're focusing on African American Painters. Aaron Douglas, of the Harlem Renaissance, is known as the "father of Black American art." Let My People Go, 1935 Hilda Wilkinson Brown wanted to represent Black leisure in Young Man Studying, 1933. Her art inspired her niece, Lillian Thomas Burwell, to pursue her own. Jacob Lawrence documented the "Great Migration" of African Americans in 1941. Jean-Michael Basquiat's art focused on dichotomies, gaining international fame in the 1980's. Notary, 1983 One of the most famous American painters is Norman Rockwell, and in 1964 he decided it was important to paint an image of Ruby Bridges.  He received hate mail calling him a race traitor.  Ruby herself expressed admiration for him, having "enough courage to ...

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  South of town is a historic resort, with natural hot springs that were nationally acclaimed by President Ulysses S. Grant when he visited in 1879. Steamboat Hot Springs. The area is a small volcanic field of rhyolitic lava domes including steam vents and fumaroles. The name is attributed to Mark Twain, who is quoted as saying, "Behold! A Steamboat in the desert!" The waters are a combination of sulfate minerals not found anywhere else in the US. "Geologically, the springs are among the most interesting in the world, for they demonstrate in a striking way how mineral veins and deposits are formed," noted state engineer, Alfred Merritt Smith, in 1935. We stopped in for a quick soak this week, and it felt amazing.  The added aromatherapy certainly helped - a signature blend of lavender, orange, and cedarwood.  So relaxing, calming, and nourishing. The Water There's a nearby geothermal plant as well, producing over 24 Megawatts of electricity, enough to supply 24,...

 Jackie and Shadow have returned to Big Bear Valley, and as of Monday, we have two eggs. I follow a Nevada Photographers page, and someone shared an undisclosed location here in Washoe County.

 On this day in 1958, two teenagers kill a husband and wife as well as their maid in Lincoln, Nebraska. Charles Starkweather, 18/19, and his girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, 14.   Charles had already murdered her parents and younger sister, of which she wasn't aware when she got in the car with him after an argument.  He threatened to kill them if she didn't cooperate. His first kill took place on December 1, 1957, when he robbed a gas station and shot the cashier.  At the end of the crime spree, 11 people were dead. They were depicted as a Bonnie and Clyde couple, inspiring movies such as Badlands and Natural Born Killers.  Bruce Springsteen's song "Nebraska" is sung from Starkweather's point of view. He received the death sentence, and sat in the electric chair on June 25, 1959.  Fugate was sentenced to life in prison, but was released in 1976.  Today she is 82 years old. A few years ago she was involved in a documentary that reviewed her trial tra...

From the movie Sinners  comes this Oscar-nominated song, written by Ludwig Goransson and Raphael Saadiq, performed by Miles Caton. Here they performed all together. Hailee Steinfeld played Mary, but she also wrote and sang a song for the soundtrack. Ludwig co-wrote a song with Brittany Howard. As well as Jerry Cantrell. This is an old Scottish/Irish folk song, dating back to the 1700's.  It was first recorded as "Wild Mountain Thyme" in 1957.

  Starting with Schiaparelli from Paris Fashion Week. Teyana Taylor in attendance. And elsewhere. Bodhi Rae Breathnach Andra Day Jeremy Pope Danielle Brooks Sarah Michelle Gellar Naomi Osaka Now that's making an entrance at the Australian Open.

 Earlier this week we touched on the anthropology of disability, which falls under the Cultural arm. As a whole, the study is of cultural variation among humans.  It views disability as a culturally constructed experience shaped by social norms, environments, and power. Scandinavia is one of the best societies, in this respect, with high-level accessibility and per capita funding for physical impairments, investing heavily in infrastructure and social support systems that prioritize independence. In the United States, Minneapolis ranks as a top city for disability care and accessibility. Disability infrastructure is more than ramps instead of stairs, it's about public transportation, navigation, bicycling/walking as well as inclusion within regional parks and other recreational activities. From what I can tell, there are only two locations that allow wheelchair access directly to the Truckee River here in town. Published in 1963, Designing for the Disabled, was the first to pr...

Following the counter-cultural Human Be-In event in San Francisco, [BLANK]-Ins became popular, from John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-In to Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. After airing as just a special in September 1967, a full series debuted on this day in 1968, and launched the careers of Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn. They even got Nixon to say the popular phrase:

Christian Dior was born on this day, 1905. House of Dior was established December 12, 1946. Their most famous "New Look" from 1947. And the "Bar Suit" Christian would pass away in 1957. You may have heard that Valentino Garavini died on Monday - born in 1932, he established his House in 1960. They created a signature shade, called Rosso Valentino, a blend of 100% magenta, 100% yellow, and 10% black, which was part of his debut collection as the "Fiesta Dress." In 1961, Elizabeth Taylor was filming in Rome, and offered a chance to the young designer for the premiere of Spartacus.   She already had a Dior dress waiting, but she ended up wearing the Valentino. Of the most famous, this one gets mentioned a lot: Julia Roberts at the 2001 Academy Awards.

  Embrace.  Educate.  Empower. Disability owned and operated, this organization encourages pride and passion, radical acceptance, and an opportunity to change perception. This day honors its founder, Annie Hopkins. IDOA A while ago I came across Devva Kasnitz, an anthropologist of disability. She passed away last year at the age of 75, having dedicated her life to disability studies.  A colleague wrote, "Without her, far fewer anthropologists would be working on questions around ability and social exclusion." As a field, it examines beyond medical views to analyze disability through a lens of power, identity, activism, and "otherness," revealing how different societies define personhood, normality, and care.