RenoVous

 10 years ago, the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Florida became the deadliest attack on the gay community in this country.  Prior to that, it had been arson at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans in 1973. A fire was set in the stairway, which trapped and killed 32 people.  The cause was noted as "undetermined," however, so no one was ever arrested. Fifteen people who jumped from the second story reported smelling gasoline before the blaze. Churches in the area reportedly refused to host funerals, and a bishop even rebuked one reverend who held a prayer service for the victims. In 2013, the Catholic Archdiocese apologized.

  Back in high school, my bestie took me along to see this at our local theater. Bob Fosse is considered the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in the twentieth century.  The play is a showcase of his choreography, but we'll pull from the originals. "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity "Nowadays" and "Hot Honey Rag" from Chicago "Steam Heat" from The Pajama Game "Manson Trio" and "Glory" from Pippin "Mein Herr" , of course. And here he is performing "From This Moment On" from Kiss Me, Kate

David and Victoria Beckham Zendaya Michelle Obama Eve Colman Domingo Queen Maxima Angelina Jolie Lexi Minitree rewears a dress Reese Witherspoon wore to Legally Blonde.  She is the new Elle Woods.

 In a three month period, archaeologists found two cannonballs from the famous Battle of Alamo, 1836. The one on the left is from the Mexican side, and is made of bronze. The one on the right is from the Texas side, made of iron. While many other pieces of ammunition and shrapnel have been found around the site, these are the first examples of "solid shots" they have ever found. The battle was part of the Texas Revolution, and it became a state 10 years later in 1846. It was the westernmost slave state, and today is Juneteenth. The day that the news of freedom finally reached Galveston in 1865. The Bolivar Archaeological Project has recovered artifacts belonging to pioneering Black entrepreneurs during Reconstruction.   Tom Cook

It's been a morning at work, and I'm not too inspired by any of the day's topics, but summer starts on Sunday and you know we've already been enjoying the outdoors. Hot days and long nights. So this can be whatever you want today - history, music, summer vibes, whatever. 😊

  One of my favorite shots from the Statue of Liberty, which arrived in New York Harbor on this day, 1885. Designed by sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, with assistance from Gustave Eiffel, the project began in 1870.  Construction started in 1875 and was completed in the summer of 1884.  It had to be shipped in pieces, in more than 200 cases. It was named, "Liberty Enlightening the World." The corner stone of the pedestal was laid August 5, 1884. The completed dedication ceremony took place October 28, 1886. Ellis Island opened in 1892, serving as America's chief immigration station, where many saw Lady Liberty as a symbol of a new beginning. The famous poem by Emma Lazarus was added in 1903. This is part of the old Fort Wood (on which the pedestal was built), a star shaped fortress built in 1808 to protect the harbor during the War of 1812.  It remained an active military post until 1937.

  Released fully in 1922, James Joyce's Ulysses  takes place in a single day - June 16, 1904. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential books in the English language, and it is especially celebrated in Dublin. I have a cousin Molly Bloom, her mother's a big fan, and a few years ago they were in Ireland for this day.  They attended a reading and had lunch at the Davy Byrnes pub. In the book, Leopold Bloom has a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of burgundy there. Ulysses has been on banned lists for being "obscene."  In fact, there was a trial in the United States when a literary magazine, The Little Review, published a chapter in April 1920.  The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice filed charges against the editors under the Comstock Act of 1873, which made it illegal to send obscene materials through the US Mail. The episode did include Leopold masturbating on the beach.  Sexual inner monologues are throughout the book, as well as d...

 World Cup Performance Ejae Taylor Swift Olivia Rodrigo Zendaya Greta Lee Abubakar Salim Kristin Scott Thomas That's the best we're gonna get.

  Our counterclockwise bias has been proven yet again. A study back in 2013 looked specifically at mosh pits during heavy metal concerts.  And you can see the circle in motion. Then in 2020, an international team was studying social distancing, and found that we may not be moving as randomly as we think. So they set out to study this directly, and found a significant preference for turning left. This was mapped across a variety of age groups, cultural settings, and spaces. They also tested individual movement.  209 people were asked to walk freely within a hexagonal enclosure, and showed that without influence of a crowd, there is still a significant bias. Researchers aren't sure why we do this, but they did rule out something in the eyes - participants were also patched and blindfolded, and the results did not change. Understanding this can be important for building design and emergency planning.  If people are going to unconsciously want to go left....

 A Finnish symphonic metal band, currently composed of three classically trained cellists. Their first album, Apocalyptica Plays Metallica,  was released in 1996.  Just a couple years ago they released Volume 2. I bought one of their albums that includes other band covers (like Pantera) as well as a few originals. But this is the song I wanted. I hadn't looked into the newer covers though, so I was super stoked when they opened with this. From the first volume, this was the first Metallica song they played together. You can hear how much fuller their sound has gotten over the years, as they fully embraced neoclassical metal. It was a full Metallica set, and I had a great time. 🤘

 The Salem Witch Trials began in February of 1692, following fits experienced by children in the village, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams.  A doctor concluded they were suffering from the effects of witchcraft, and the girls were pressured to name names. On this day in 1692, Bridget Bishop was found guilty and was the first to be hanged. She was not the first to be charged though.  That was Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba.  As an enslaved woman from Barbados, owned by Samuel Parris, she was the presumed main culprit, with her "Haitian Vodou."  She was allowed to contest at trial, and she helped point fingers at others. Bishop had been accused by more individuals than anyone else.  She didn't dress by Puritan standards, she had been married three times, and she was known to frequent taverns. HEATHEN! Many were found guilty based on the response of the "afflicted" during proceedings.  By October, the special court had been dissolved by the g...

 Sacred Celtic Knot Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. Celtic knots and spirals have been used in art and architecture for centuries.  Interlacing patterns spread out from Roman art, and have been found in Byzantine art, Ethiopian art, and Russian art. The knots are symbolic and carry different meanings.  The Celtic Cross was used long before Christianity came to the Celts, and it represented the four elements and four cardinal directions.  The circle represents the sun, moon, and the infinite cycles of nature.  It was then known as a Sun Cross, or Solar Wheel. The Book of Kells is a 9th century manuscript, containing the four gospels of the New Testament.  Almost all of the folios contain some decorative art, such as within letters. The Dara knot is a modern design based on lore and tradition.  Ancient oaks were considered a symbol of strength, wisdom, and endurance.  It represents the roots. The oldest is the Celtic spiral, also known as triskele, dating ...

 Sir, yes, Sir! Jeremy Pope Laura Benanti Rose Byrne Amber Ruffin Camila Mendes Colman Domingo Emily Blunt H.E.R. Naomi Watts Jennifer Lopez

 The Pillars of Creation. Hubble vs Webb

 So many cheeses to choose from! I recently learned that Parmesan is the most protein-dense food on earth - it also has all nine essential amino acids and is high in calcium.  But before we get carried away, there's also the fat and sodium.  Mozzarella is lower in sodium than most, and it contains helpful probiotics. Cottage cheese is your best bet for a low fat option. In college, I took a Basque Culture class, and we learned about making traditional sheep's milk cheese.  There are three types, based on location.  We focused on Roncal, from the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. In the summer, Laxtas sheep feed on high mountain pastures, and in the winter they go south.  This has been the practice since the 9th century. Lambing season starts in December, so this is when milk is collected to make the cheese, which is then aged 6-10 months (minimum of four months, as the video mentions).

  On this day in 1956, the city of Santa Cruz banned rock n' roll at public gatherings. By June 18, several other cities had followed suit. On the night of June 2, some 200 teenagers packed into an auditorium to hear Chuck Higgins and His Orchestra.  The police came to check on the event around midnight, and Lt. Richard Overton said the teens were "engaged in suggestive, stimulating and tantalizing motions induced by the provocative rhythms of an all-negro band." OH GOOD HEAVENS!! Fear of "frenzied music" and "undesirable elements," but more specifically, the racially integrated nature of the events. The ban only lasted a few days, following local and national backlash against the tourist town.   On June 5th of this same year, Elvis performed "Hound Dog" on the Milton Berle Show, and the adults were outraged by his bumps and grinds, those gyrating hips!

 I'm reading a collection, anyway. A Warning to the Curious . Mine is not the original (1925) edition though, and some of the stories are different. "The Haunted Doll's House" is missing, for one thing. "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book" was originally included in Ghost Stories of Antiquary, published in 1904. My version was released in 1987, and seems to be a combined collection. A complete set would have all 34 ghost stories. Collected What have you been reading??

  The Academy Museum Presents: Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood Icon Joey King Ejae Andrew Scott Greta Lee Jennifer Lopez Queen Latifah Brittany Snow Mindy Kaling Chloe Bailey