RenoVous

 My Shots - Red Rock Canyon 500 million years ago, this area was at the bottom of an ocean basin.  The gray mountains are made up of Paleozoic limestone and dolomite. Then there's the Aztec sandstone, colored red from iron oxide or hematite. The spots are iron concretions, where subsurface water has precipitated iron oxide. Dinosaur tracks have been found in the sandstone, as well as petroglyphs.  There is a nearby spring that helped sustain Southern Paiute tribes living in the canyon. In the mountains you can see the results of the Keystone Thrust Fault.  When the oceanic plate began subducting the western edge of the North American plate, compressional forces caused the older limestone to be thrust up over the younger sandstone, so the limestone served as a cap which slowed erosion of the sandstone.

  Today I'll start Chapter 22. Now we know who Margarita is, but I don't understand what's happening with her, or why.... I suppose it will all make sense in the end.  I keep wondering if all the other threads will come together, like that of the poet who already came across the Master....  What did he and Berlioz have to do with Woland's plan at all? Oh well, it's been entertaining regardless! I read some review of the Woland character, how he "isn't pure evil - he's the keeper of balance."  He doesn't just show up and cause trouble, he functions as an agent of cosmic justice.  He serves to expose the corruption of the Soviet bureaucracy. It may not be a spooky story, but it still feels right for the month of Halloween.

 Spring Mountain Ranch. The area has a long history of human-use, from Indigenous populations to travelers of the Spanish Trail, with ranching, and a little bit of Hollywood. Bill Williams originally established Sandstone Ranch.  There is a blacksmith shop built in the 1860's that is one of the oldest surviving pioneer structures in the state. In 1876, James Wilson and George Anderson filed a claim for a working ranch, with plans for cattle, sheep, and mining.  A later owner wanted to raise chinchillas. The main house there was built in 1948 by Chester Lauck, from the Lum and Abner radio show. After him, German actress and socialite Vera Krupp bought the property, and she is who gave its current name.  She sold to Howard Hughes in 1967, though he never actually lived here. In 1973, a developer wanted to buy the land and put in luxury condos.  The surrounding community protested, and the Nevada Division of Parks purchased instead.  In 1976, it entered the N...

Nobel Prize 2026   Physics Francis Halzen "For decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin." Release Chemistry Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Saoi "For the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in assymetric organic synthesis." Release Physiology or Medicine Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel "For their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics." Release Peace Navanethem Pillay "For her efforts to promote peace and international law." Release We miss Economics doing this on Friday, but I won't be in Monday and Tuesday - maybe I'll pop in and post here once it's announced though.

  We took a walk around the river downtown. I love this old church building. Another day, we took the pups for a walk in Lockwood Canyon. Third dog is my sister's.

  "Rocket Revolution" Highlighting the technologies and organizations changing how humanity reaches space.  With increased access and lower launch prices, as well as reusable rockets, space economics are changing. Space-based systems provide communications, navigation, weather information, and Earth observation along with environmental monitoring. October 4th was the anniversary of Sputnik (1957) and October 10th will mark the signing of the Outer Space Treaty (1967).  Space law deals with questions of property rights, weapons in space, and protection of astronauts. *** In space news, the Draconid meteor shower peaks October 8-9. The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope has traveled 903,446 miles from Earth and is about halfway to its destination point. The Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Report has been released. Here On Friday, you can watch Northrup Grumman's Cygnus XL spacecraft undock from the International Space Station, after having delivered 11,000 pounds of supplies ...

  I believe today's celebration is for the European badger, but we can combo. Badgers split within the mustelid family some 18 million years ago.  They are considered ecosystem engineers due to their burrowing, which can also shelter other species.  These underground tunnels are called "setts," which can be occupied continually for decades or even centuries. The European, Asian, and Japanese badgers are all close evolutionary relatives, belonging to the same genus.  The American badger is different. First documented in 1758 by Carl Linneaus in Europe, which he initially classified as a bear.  In America, Lewis & Clark documented their findings in 1804.  It was noted that the Pawnees called them "cho car tooch." In many Native American cultures, the badger is a symbol of bravery, tenacity, healing, and Earth connection.  A warrior spirit. Their wisdom and tenacity are referenced in Celtic mythology as well. While European badgers are omnivores, the ...

 The costumes from East of Eden look pretty great. As does Florence Pugh. Mikey Madison Daisy Edgar-Jones Greta Lee Esme Creed-Miles Colman Domingo Rosalind Eleazar Anne Hathaway Shout-out to Sarah Jessica Parker's ballet braid. And I just love this shoot for Ashley Padilla.

 Today is not fun. With the Cornell rapists in the news, women have been sharing their horrible stories, and I was reminded of how, as a young girl, I was taught to yell "Fire!" if I was being assaulted.  People won't respond to a rape. And then I was reminded of Kitty Genovese.  The story we were taught in Social Psychology about the Bystander effect, and what I assumed at the time, a "Not my problem" effect. Turns out, the 1964 story was distorted in the newspaper, but educators have continued to rely on it. Psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latane did independently prove the bystander effect, and it was worth learning - but I'm pretty pissed to find out that my reference point is wrong. Calls were made to police, people did shout out at the perpetrator, and one woman held Kitty in her arms as she died. So today is just about correcting a lesson. Podcast

  Today I will start Chapter 16. The one before was a paranoid fever dream, and it was a reminder of what the book is actually satirizing.   Stalinist Moscow: full of arbitrary arrests, disappearances, surveillance, and punishment of personal wealth. But even without knowing the background, it's a wild story, and I'm enjoying it very much.   One of my favorite scenes so far was after the "Parisian boutique" performance.  The way the devil toys with their greed, in many ways.... For those reading along, share your thoughts from whatever point you're at, or let us know what else you've been reading!

  On this day in 1947, the World Series was broadcast on television for the first time. This year, we're just into the postseason - the Yankees are fighting for a wild card, and the now Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their division. Hopefully, it's not a rematch of this, though that did happen just a couple years ago. In 1947, there were about 44,000 television sets in the US, but the game aired in just four markets - New York, Philadelphia, Albany, and Washington. Bob Stanton announced Game 1 for NBC. Notably, it was Jackie Robinson's first World Series. Radio had higher ratings still, and the cameramen had a lot to learn about sunlight and shadows. By 1955, the World Series was in color.

  Yesterday we had some red carpet from the event, and then I came across many posts about a particular performance. Incredible choreography. Yung Lean is a Swedish rapper, and GENER8ION is an electronic project of French producer, Surkin, and the video director, Romain Gavras. "Storm" is actually a two-part musical short film. His breakout was back in 2013. Followed by his debut album in 2014. Per the topic, it was Cardi B who won for Best Hip Hop Video. Madonna won for Best Choreography, but that included Damien Jalet, who had also been nominated for the "Storm" video.

  Starting with the VMAs, that's what Lisa wore to win. Here's the red carpet. Taylor Swift Normani Bob the Drag Queen And elsewhere: Fan Bingbing Naomi Campbell Princess Catherine Angela Bassett Florence Pugh And a magazine bonus.

  Francis Tully found this fossil in the Mazon Creek area of Illinois back in 1955. He took it to the Field Museum of Natural History, but paleontologists were stumped about what it was. It remains an ongoing debate to this day. A 2016 study determined it may be closely related to modern lampreys.  They referred to the presence of a primitive stiffened support rod, called a notochord, and concluded it must be a vertebrate. McCoy et al studied again in 2020 and found that samples from the body contain the decay products of chordate tissues, as opposed to the chitin found in arthropods. But Mikami et al, in 2023, found segmentation extending to the preoptic region, which is very different from vertebrates.  And so, the Tully monster is a genus of one.  Phylum: Incertae sedis, or problematica. An enigma.