RenoVous

Two days before Armistice Day in 1921, an unknown soldier who had fallen somewhere on a World War I battlefield, arrived in DC from a military cemetery in France. On this day, he was buried with the highest honors in Arlington Cemetery.  A layer of soil from France was placed below the coffin, "so that he might rest forever atop the earth on which he died." Later, unknown soldiers from WWII and then the Korean War were added to the tomb. For 14 years there was also a soldier from Vietnam, but his remains were identified in 1998  The Changing of the Guard happens every hour on the hour this time of year, as the tomb has been guarded continuously since 1937.  It is meant to honor all fallen service members whose names were lost in war.

 Back in 1966, conversations started between producer, Joan Ganz Cooney, and the Carnegie Foundation.  They wanted to create a children's show that would "master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them." Carnegie provided a large donation, along with the Ford Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the federal government. It first aired on this day in 1969. Jim Henson was initially hesitant to join for fear of being typecast as a children's entertainer.  He had previously launched Sam and Friends,  which was a late-night puppet show.  A large part of his agreement was that he would retain ownership of his characters. Such as Big Bird, who was created specifically to be a street character that would interact with the human actors.  Child psychologists had initially suggested the segments be separate, but testing confirmed kids were most interested in the puppets. While education has been a core aspect of the sho...

  Alex Consani Anya Taylor-Joy Odessa A'zion Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Viola Davis Alix Earle Jasmin Larian Hekmat Elsa Hosk Chloe Kim Anderson Paak

Archaeologists investigated a 2,800 year old monumental tomb in Siberia, where they found several log coffins in the royal mound.  On top of the coffins were horse skeletons, which represented a "spectral cavalcade" of Scythian funeral tradition. They also found piles of tiny seeds, which turned out to be Cannabis ruderalis. Researchers were able to test hair samples of the mummies and found chemical traces. But was it used for intoxication, or perhaps a calming agent for those about to be sacrificed.... It does change the timeline previously established for when the psychoactive properties became known.  Greek historian Herodotus noted Scythian nomads inhaling fumes from burning hemp seeds back in the 5th century BC, the same era from which evidence of use was found in China. Carbon dating of these seeds indicates they're from 800-760 BC.  Of course, the plant has been cultivated for thousands of years for ropes and textiles, also as an oilseed crop.

 All done! I noted a reference in the title of Chapter 30, to that of a poet who was mentioned in the text. "It's Time, My Friend" by Alexander Pushkin. It's time, my friend, it's time! The peace is craved by hearts... Days flow after days - each hour departs a bit of life - and both, you and I, plan a long life, but could abruptly die. The world hasn't happiness, but there is freedom and peace. And long have I daydreamed the life of bliss - and long have planned, a tired slave, the flight, to the removed abode of labor and delight. Peace was certainly an ending point, for the Master and Margarita as well as Pilate.  For Ivan, even though he's disturbed on the Spring's full moon, and for Moscow itself.  They told themselves lies about what they had experienced and what was responsible, which I took as commentary on the entire Soviet system. I'll go to the library this weekend and see what I find to read next, of course I have some things on my shel...

  Back in 1924, the first female governors were elected, just five years after gaining the right to vote. Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming.  Miriam Amanda "Ma" Ferguson of Texas. In this year of 2026, we saw more history being made. Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia has become the first Black woman elected governor. Gina Hinojosa will be the first Latina governor of Texas. Deb Haaland was previously one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress as well as Cabinet secretary, and now she is the first Native American woman to be a governor.  (She represents New Mexico). Amy Acton not only won against extremely vile attack ads, but she will be the first female governor of Ohio. "Let's go, girls."

  You may have voted early already, or mailed in your ballot, but we almost always wait until Tuesday to vote in person with our precinct. Locally we're watching who wins for Reno mayor. Our long term House rep retired, so I'm hoping we can flip that long held Republican representation.  Teresa Benitez-Thompson is better for everyone than Dave Flippo.  He's not a Northern Nevada guy. For the whole state, we have to vote a second time to protect the right to an abortion.  In order to become part of our constitution, a measure has to pass twice. And hopefully we'll be voting in a new governor.   "Come on, man."  Don't hold me accountable!

  Naomi Watts Kim Kardashian Sarah Paulson Parker Posey McKenna Grace Tracee Ellis Ross Eiza Gonzalez Cynthia Erivo Louisa Jacobson Stephan James

  The world's largest known sponge has been found in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. It is more than a mile down, and is roughly the size of a minivan. Sponge are multicellular invertebrates, and this is a colony of them which has likely been growing for a long time. Scientists were able to examine microscopic skeletal structures, called spicules, to confirm it is a member of glass sponges called Rossellidae. They're called glass sponges because the skeleton is made of delicate silica. Sponges are filter feeders, which benefits the surrounding ecosystem.

  Bob Ross was born on this day in 1942, and he gifted us the joy of watching him paint.  Sometimes you'd just be scrolling channels and there he was, so calming, so easy to watch as the happy trees filled in the mountain scene... The show premiered in 1983, as a follow up to the previous Magic of Oil Painting,  hosted by Ross' mentor, Bill Alexander.  He created the "wet on wet" method which Ross carried on. Both artists believed that anyone could learn to paint. "All you need is the desire to make beautiful things happen on canvas." -Ross I can't be sure of images on the internet, so we're going straight to the source. Ross had enlisted in the Air Force and mostly served on the Eielson AFB in Alaska, so it's no surprise that Denali was his first mountain. My sister got me a Bob Ross zen garden that has trees, a mountain, and a cabin. Something "dark and misty" for almost Halloween.  ^_^

  The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri was completed on this day, 1965. It is a 630 feet catenary curve of stainless steel, designed by Eero Saarinen.  It was erected to commemorate Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase and St. Louis' central role in the westward expansion that followed. The lift to the top deck is a custom-engineered tram that combines the principles of a traditional elevator and a Ferris wheel.  Capsule cars are linked by a chain which rotate individually to keep the passengers upright. I saw a documentary about a tornado that went through the city in 2025, with winds up to 150 mph.  The arch held, and though guests up top got some motion sickness, as it swayed up to 18 inches side to side, there were no injuries and no damage reported.

  In honor of the World Series, I thought we'd focus on American beer in Milwaukee. The first brewery there opened in 1840 by Welsh settlers, primarily Richard Owens.  It was simply called Milwaukee Brewery, and later renamed Lake Brewery. After them came German immigrants who opened the brewing empires we know today, such as Pabst (1844) and Miller (1855). By 1867, that included Jacob Leinenkugel.  They have an on-site brewery at the baseball stadium. In 1895, A. Gettelman Brewing released Milwaukee's Best Beer. The Milwaukee beer tradition is rooted in German heritage, defined by a crisp, clean, malt-forward lager that relied on the Milwaukee River and its ice.

  Raye Jenna Ortega Kristen Bell Naomi Watts Peyton Elizabeth Lee Kristen Chenoweth Gemma Chan Quinta Brunson Renate Reinsve Princess Catherine

  Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as molecular messengers to direct cells, hormones, and bodily processes. Peptide engineering is the modification of these chains to improve their stability, binding strength, and use in medicine. Scientists developed a peptide called HAEE, which was designed to stop the clumps of amyloid-beta protein that build up between neurons in Alzheimer's.  Specifically, the peptide would block zinc ions that are thought to act as a kind of glue. When researchers then developed a method to measure HAEE in blood samples for clinical trials, they found that every one of the 150 volunteers already had the peptide. They then compared those samples with healthy controls, and found that those with Alzheimer's had around half the levels of HAEE, suggesting that HAEE deficiency plays a significant role in the disease.  It also means the molecule can be used as a biomarker for disease testing.

  It's the time of year for fall festivals - pumpkin patches and corn mazes at local farms. The above is from Fallon's Lattin Farms, but we generally go to Ferrari Farms. The first modern US corn maze was created in 1993 in Annville, Pennsylvania.  It was meant to be a fundraiser for local farmers affected by floods, and it set a Guinness World Record at the time. The current World Record holder is the Grand Labyrinthe Kamouraska in Quebec. That's 65.8 acres of maze, whereas our little local is just 5 acres. Nephew made sure we didn't get lost. Support local if you can!

  Meat Loaf's album, Bat Out of Hell, released on this day in 1977. The first single. One of my favorite songs of all time. Ellen Foley provides vocals, and she had met Meat working together on the National Lampoon Road Tour, so well practiced with over the top musical comedy.  The baseball commentary was performed by Yankees announcer, Phil Rizzuto. The title track, of course. All tracks were written by Jim Steinman, which he developed from a futuristic rock musical of Peter Pan.

  On this day in 1967, the infamous footage was recorded along Bluff Creek in Northern California, within the Six Rivers National Forest. It's known as the Patterson-Gimlin film.  And while it hasn't proven anything, it has helped sustain a lore that is celebrated, even if not entirely believed. Roger Patterson became interested in Bigfoot after reading an article in True  magazine, from December 1959.  The author, Ivan T. Sanderson, later released a book relating worldwide accounts of Sasquatch-like creatures, and specifically mentioned tracks found in the Bluff Creek area. Patterson died in 1972, and always maintained the authenticity of his footage.  His friend, Robert Gimlin, has always denied being part of any hoax with Patterson.  They claimed to have followed the tracks of the animal, and these were shortly after found by US Forest Service timber cruiser, Lyle Laverty. Humans across the globe have a fascination with cryptids - we love a thrill of the...