RenoVous

  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.

  Jessica Alexander Emilia Clarke Kate Hudson Yerin Ha Teyana Taylor Colman Domingo Jaden Smith Chase Infiniti And a couple ads. Priyanka Chopra Greta Lee

 The Antarctic ice sheet is approximately 1.2 miles thick, covering 98% of the continent. NASA satellite imagery confirmed it actually gained mass from 2021-2023, but this was simply due to increased precipitation, and definitely did not make up for 20 years of loss. Scientists have recently been able to better map the bedrock beneath.  Geological features shape how ice flows, sculpting the glacial surface, and having a clearer picture of this process will help scientists predict ice changes in response to warming. They found river channels stretching hundreds of miles, sharp transitions between highland and lowland terrain, suggesting tectonic boundaries.  Deep valleys exist 18.6 miles beneath the ice that were previously unknown, or unclear. About a year ago, a team drilled a spot 2 miles down to reach 1.2 million year old ice, the oldest ice core yet.  (Older ice has been found, about 6 million years old, but it is not a continuous core). Analysis will show how Ea...

 Here's a throwback Thursday shot from 2017. Yesterday was 10 years since we got Mighty. It was a couple months after my dad died, and Chewy was noticeably depressed, so we knew we had to find him a friend. Chewy was very picky, didn't often care about other dogs, he was more concerned with sniffs.  But he immediately liked Mighty.  This was 10 years ago today. Snuggles. Mighty's always been good for a picture.  He's patient, and he'll hold still for me. Now the grays. My handsome old man.

 Before the Summer of Love, the Human Be-In brought between 20-30,000 people to the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, on this day in 1967. Organized by artist Micheal Bowen, he wanted to bring the "tribes" of psychedelic hippies and anti-war activists together, in part to protest California's recent ban of LSD. It was the beginning of "Peace, Love, and Rock & Roll" with a side of civil rights sit-ins and teach-ins. Psychologist Timothy Leary spoke of his advocacy for psychedelic drugs.  This was the first time he used the phrase, "Turn on, tune in, drop out," which was to encourage being aware and detaching from mainstream society to find spiritual rebirth through drug use. The stage was just a flatbed truck and an amp, but bands such as Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company performed. The following June would host the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Festival and then the Monterey Pop Festival in July.

 The Calennig apple is a traditional Welsh New Year's gift, carried door to door by children who sing rhymes for good luck.  They may receive treats or coins in return. The apple, with a tripod of sticks, represents the sun's rays.  The studded cloves are for fragrance and health, while the sprig is for perennial life and good fortune. Today is known as "Hen Galan" or Old New Year. The Gwaun Valley is one of a handful of places that still celebrates according to the Julian calendar. Celebrations continue at the pub, the historic Dyffryn Arms, whose interior is listed as having "outstanding national historic importance." Beer is poured from a jug, which is filled directly from the barrel.  Just like the old days.

  Kate Hudson Teyana Taylor Nikki Glaser Elle Fanning Ariana Grande Amanda Seyfried Tessa Thompson Wunmi Mosaku Duke McCloud Emily Blunt Share any of your favorites!