November 1, 2024

REMINDER: YOUR SUBMISSIONS ARE ENCOURAGED

Overview for this week.

1. Last week, I covered how the Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) is celebrated around the World and here in Tucson too. This week I'm giving an update on Tucson's All Souls Procession Weekend.

2. We are at the convergence of celebrations from different traditions with Dia de Muertos, Halloween, and Diwali all overlapping. I found an essay that casts more light on the spiritual meaning of the Indian festival of light, Diwali.

3. Patrick Lange of Germany set a new course record winning last Saturday's IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Last week, I featured Billy Monger, a young double amputee from the UK competing in his first IRONMAN World Championship and he set a new course record too!

4. This week, we honor the life of Julia Hawkins, a world record holding sprinter who passed away on October 22, 2024, at the age of 108. Julia took up running after her 100th birthday and held world records in the 100 meter sprint for woman-over-100 and woman-over-105.

5. In the Artist's Corner, I have all the info you will need to attend The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona's Open Studio Tours for 2024. This event brings the public into artists' workspaces where you can gain first-hand insight on their creative process. Frequent Flock contributor Cita Scott will be one of the more than 180 artists participating this year.

6. In the Student's Corner, I have the story of two promising young women who have come up with a proof for the Pythagorean Theorem, that mathematicians thought was impossible.

7. In The Heavens, the coming full moon, the Beaver Moon, on November 15th will be the last supermoon of 2024.

8. In Around Town, you can gaze at the last supermoon of the year while laying out on a picnic blanket and listening to live music at the Tucson Village Farm.

Now, to this week's Flock.

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If you are in or near Tucson, it's not too late to take part in this amazing event. Dances and concerts will be taking place Friday and Saturday night and the Main Procession and Finale Ceremony Sunday, November 3rd. Even if you are not in Tucson, you can participate in the All Souls Procession virtually. Visit Tucson will be live streaming the procession at the link below.

From: Visit Tucson

Tucson’s Dia de Los Muertos-inspired event, The All Souls Procession is one of the most significant, inclusive, and authentic public ceremonies in North America. It began in 1990 as a ceremonial performance by local artist Susan Johnson, who was grieving the loss of her father. This initial creative expression soon inspired many others to join in, evolving the event into the vibrant, community-powered celebration it is today.

Each year, over 150,000 participants gather in downtown Tucson for a two-mile, human-powered procession that culminates in the ceremonial burning of “The Urn.” This symbolic urn contains the hopes, memories, and offerings of the public, honoring those who have passed. Myriad altars, performances, installation art, and creative collaborations infuse the procession with a powerful sense of remembrance and celebration of life.

Watch The Live Stream Here

The live stream will begin November 3rd at around 6:00pm

The end of October and the beginning of November is a convergence of celebrations from different cultures and religious traditions with Halloween, Dia de Muertos, and Diwali all overlapping each other. Since we are in the middle of Diwali, the Indian festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness, I wanted to include the following excerpt from an essay about the festival's spiritual meaning.

From: Stu News Laguna By: Dr. Vidya Reddy

...Diwali is a time to turn inward and light the lamps of knowledge and truth in our hearts and minds so that we can dispel the forces of darkness and ignorance within us and allow our innate brilliance and goodness to shine forth. Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is the principle deity associated with this festival. During Diwali we ask her for assistance in cultivating and accumulating spiritual wealth, such as compassion, forgiveness, and loving-kindness. 

Diwali is a time to reflect on and evaluate our thoughts, words, and actions over the past year. It is a time to acknowledge and better understand our prejudices, negative behaviors, and bad habits so that we may begin the process of transforming ourselves. It is a time to discover how we can be more loving, kind, respectful, and skillful towards ourselves and others. And since all wealth, be it material or spiritual, should be shared with others who are less fortunate, Diwali is also a time to reflect on the various ways we can assist others and shine our light out into the world. 

Just as the flame of a lamp always points upward, Diwali is most importantly a time to celebrate and appreciate life and to look forward to the coming year with a renewed sense of purpose and passion. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, Diwali is a reminder and an opportunity to “Be the change you want to see in the world!”

The 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship was last Saturday, October 26th, in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. A new course record was set by German triathlete Patrick Lange.

From: NBC Sports, By: Nick Zaccardi, October 26, 2024

German Patrick Lange broke the course record to win a third Ironman Kona World Championship — his first in six years — and become the second-oldest man to win the title.

Lange, 38, clocked an unofficial 7 hours, 35 minutes, 53 seconds in the 140.6-mile race (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) on Hawaii’s Big Island. He prevailed by 7:46 over Magnus Ditlev of Denmark.

Lange broke the course record of 7:40:24 set by Norwegian Gustav Iden the last time Kona held the men’s world championship race in 2022.

“I always said that my best day is yet to come,” Lange said. “Nobody believed in me, and this is the day. This was the perfect day.”

Full Results Here

Men's Pro Race Recap | 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship

Last week, I featured Billy Monger, a young former race car driver who lost his legs after a near-fatal race crash. Competing in his first IRONMAN World championship, he set a new course record for a double amputee.

From: BBC Sports, October 27, 2024

Earlier this month, the running community lost an inspirational athlete when Julia Hawkins passed away at the age of 108. She didn't take up running until after turning 100 when her sons signed her up for the 50-meter dash in the 2016 Louisiana Senior Olympics. Since that first race she set world records in the 100-meter sprint categories for a woman-over-100 and woman-over-105. My condolences go out to her friends and family, she was my kind of girl!

Julia Hawkins, an age group world record-holder in the sprints, died on Tuesday, October 22 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 100-meter star, known as “Hurricane” among her peers, was 108.

Hawkins was 100 years old when she took up track and field at the encouragement of her children. According to The Advocate, Hawkins’s four kids signed her up for the 2016 Louisiana Senior Olympic Games, where she finished the 50-meter dash in 19.07 seconds.

The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona's Open Studio Tours for 2024 is coming up on November 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2024. The Open Studio Tours allow the public to tour the workspaces of over 180 local artists. visit the Arts Foundation website to browse through the calendar of studio openings, explore the interactive studio map, and find more information on the participating artists.

From: Arts Foundationf for Tucson and Southern Arizona

The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is thrilled to announce the return of the 2024 Open Studio Tours (OST), one of Southern Arizona’s largest celebrations of local creativity, with over 180 artists participating this year. This free event, running November 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2024, offers a unique opportunity for visitors to step into the creative workspaces of local artists, experience their artistic processes firsthand, and support their work. With extended promotional outreach, enhanced artist profiles, and interactive maps, it’s now easier than ever to explore Tucson’s vibrant arts community.

“I’m constantly inspired by the incredible diversity of talent in our community. This event is not just about showcasing art; it’s about connecting people, artists, collectors, and the public through a shared love for creativity,” said David Gaxiola, Arts Foundation Program Coordinator.

“Open Studio Tours offers a unique and intimate opportunity to step into the personal spaces where art is made, to witness the creative process up close, and to celebrate the vibrant artistic energy that defines Tucson and Southern Arizona.”

Cita Scott is one of the artists participating in the Open Studio Tours. Cita was the very first artist I featured in the Flock. Since then, Cita has been an invaluable contributor to this newsletter. She has shared her painting, photography, culinary arts, and written about the joy found in baking. Cita's Akita Daisy and cat Oliver have both visited the Pet's Corner. follow the link below to find details about visiting Cita's workspace at Axle Studios on the Open Studio Tours

From: 2024 Open Studio Tours

About The Process

My work has evolved from classical still life, rooted in my mother's family's history in 16th century Spain and consequently as conversos in Panama, to simply a celebration of the moments with which we are gifted every day here in Tucson--still lifes of the Now. Infused with the past and present, these are created by bread I've made in reconnection to roots in Europe, plants I've planted that are rooting in Tucson, or the overwhelmingly, sometimes unexpectedly, beautiful way nature presents itself in the most humble of ways. Each image is a form of sanctuary art. A celebratory resting place. Above all, It honors the ephemeral - -the precious passage of the time -- a combination of photography, painting and drawing. Sometimes the camera sees what I don't, and sometimes I see what the camera doesn't. The creation of jewellery adds to this as well. All these forms come together in the tangible sensuality of paper, canvas and gems interweaving identity through time...Although perhaps politically incorrect in these times, my work is about joy.

I have advocated for the importance of STEM curriculum in our schools. These two young women paid attention in class and have a bright future ahead of them because of it.

From: Live Science, By: Sascha Pare, October 27, 2024

Two students who discovered a seemingly impossible proof to the Pythagorean theorem in 2022 have wowed the math community again with nine completely new solutions to the problem.

While still in high school, Ne'Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson from Louisiana used trigonometry to prove the 2,000-year-old Pythagorean theorem, which states that the sum of the squares of a right triangle's two shorter sides are equal to the square of the triangle's longest side (the hypotenuse). Mathematicians had long thought that using trigonometry to prove the theorem was unworkable, given that the fundamental formulas for trigonometry are based on the assumption that the theorem is true.

Jackson and Johnson came up with their "impossible" proof in answer to a bonus question in a school math contest. They presented their work at an American Mathematical Society meeting in 2023, but the proof hadn't been thoroughly scrutinized at that point. Now, a new paper published Monday (Oct. 28) in the journal American Mathematical Monthly shows their solution held up to peer review. Not only that, but the two students also outlined nine more proofs to the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry.

The Pythagorean Theorem

We've been blessed with an abundance of supermoons this year, the coming full moon on November 15th will be the last one until next year.

November's full Beaver Moon will occur on Nov. 15.

November's Beaver Moon will occur on Nov. 15 at 4:28 p.m. Eastern Time (2128 GMT). A day later, Mercury will be at greatest eastern elongation; meaning it will be at its furthest distance east of the sun and visible in the evening sky for a short period after sunset. The full Beaver Moon will cross the sky beside the well-known Pleiades star cluster, also referred to as the "Seven Sisters," in the Taurus constellation.

Pleiades star cluster

The Beaver Moon is the final of four consecutive supermoons that occurred in 2024, beginning with August's Blue Moon. "Supermoon" is a non-astronomical term that refers to a full moon that happens when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical, or oval-shaped orbit, according to NASA. Because its distance from Earth changes throughout this orbit, the moon can appear up to 14% larger in the sky during a supermoon due to being slightly closer to us.

From: The Old Farmer's Almanac, By: Catherine Boeckmann, September 27, 2024

Why the “Beaver” Moon? This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts. 

Alternative November Moon Names

November’s Moon names highlight the actions of animals preparing for winter and the onset of the colder days ahead. Digging (or Scratching) Moon, a Tlingit name, evokes the image of animals foraging for fallen nuts and shoots of green foliage and bears digging their winter dens. The Dakota and Lakota term Deer Rutting Moon refers to the time when deer seek mates, and the Algonquin Whitefish Moon describes the spawning time for this fish.

About the seasonal change of November, this Moon has been called the Frost Moon by the Cree and Assiniboine peoples and the Freezing Moon by the Anishinaabe—for good reason, as winter is right around the corner!

Here's a great way to enjoy the last supermoon of the year, laying out on a picnic blanket, stargazing and listening to live music in a setting at the Tucson Village Farm.

From: Tucson Village Farm

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the 4th Annual Tunes Under the Moon concert! Get ready to groove to the rhythm of live music under the starry sky at the GREATEST venue in Tucson. This incredible event will take place on Friday, November 15th, 2024 at Tucson Village Farm's "Big" Farm!.

Come with your friends, family, or even by yourself – this event is all about good food and great music. Bring your picnic blankets and lawn chairs to relax and immerse yourself in the enchanting atmosphere.

Not only will you have an incredible time, but you'll also be supporting a worthy cause. The proceeds from this concert will go towards supporting Tucson Village Farm's 4-H Healthy Living Ambassador's program! This program gives teens the opportunity to become leaders to promote healthy lifestyle choices and sustainability within their communities.

Image courtesy of Flock reader: Punet Shroff

These Flock regulars are always here for you:

In coming weeks: we'll be sharing more investigative articles from our roving reporter William George, original writing from Flock favorite Dino DeConcini.

Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories!

I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our third year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

520-818-4433

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