March 22, 2024

Overview for this week.

1. I would like to dedicate this issue to my friend Richard Traum. Richard was the first amputee, running with a prosthetic leg, to complete the NYC Marathon. The world of endurance sports lost a titan with his passing. He was a friend and inspiration. I will miss him dearly.

2. This week, I also want to feature Achilles International, the organization that Richard founded that has transformed the lives of countless disabled athletes through support and encouragement.

3. The Jewish holiday Purim, a festive celebration of food gifts and community, is this weekend from sundown on Saturday to sundown on Sunday. Chag Purim sameach!

4. This week's Woman of the Week is opera legend Maria Callas.

5. In Performing Arts we have the Arizona Theatre Company's production of Master Class, an award-winning play based on Maria Callas.

6. We have another solar eclipse coming up on April 8th. In The Heavens, I've included a link to NASA's interactive Eclipse Explorer which will help you discover where and when you can get the best view of the eclipse.

7. The first Everest expedition of the season with no supplemental oxygen is in the planning stages in Reaching High.

8. In Wellness I'm featuring a scholarly medical newsletter produced by friend and fellow New Englander, Mara G. Aspinall. It's full of fascinating and important information and I highly recommend subscribing to it.

9. In my new Bragging Rights section, I'm bragging about my trivia champion husband, I. Michael Kasser, check ot his trophy below! Readers are invited to share about the people in their life that they are proud of too.

10. I have an update on the baby elephant born at the Reid Park Zoo on March 8th. It turns out, the little cutie is a girl!

11. In Gardening, I have some suggestions for adding some blues to your garden's palette.

12. In Nature, I've got two fish you don't want to step on when you're exploring a reef.

Now, to this week's Flock.

I recently learned about the unexpected loss of a dear friend of my husband Michael and myself, Richard Traum. He was a fixture in Central Park among the New York running community. Dick was such an example of perseverance and leadership. He was a huge influence on my life and so many others. His passing came as a shock, and I am still heartbroken.

From: Dignity Memorial

Richard G. Traum Ph. D., lovingly known to many as Dick Traum, passed away on January 23, 2024 at 83 years old in New York City. Born and raised in Manhattan

He is survived by his loving family, was a devoted husband to Elizabeth, father to Joe, father-in- law to Josie, his greatest title “Grandpa” to Isabella and brother to Joanne.

After losing his leg in a car accident, his motivation to excel grew. He was the first amputee to run on a prosthetic leg and complete the NYC Marathon in 1976. In 1983, he founded and was the President of a running group, Achilles Track Club. Its reach expanded internationally over time to form Achilles International. An organization that inspires other disabled athletes to participate in mainstream sports.

After leaving Achilles International in 2019, he continued to inspire as President of United States Wheelchair Sports Fund till the present day. He is a published author of three books, “A Victory for Humanity”,"Go Achillies" and “The Courage to Go Forward”.

He leaves an everlasting legacy. He has touched and changed the lives of many around the world. He is “The Great One”, an unforgettable force and a legend to so many.

"You have this one life, what are you going to do with it?"

– Dick Traum

I wanted to include a bit more this week about Achilles International, the organization that Dick Traum created to promote and support athletes with disabilities. Anyone who regularly participates in triathlons, marathons, and fun runs recognizes their bright yellow shirts and the positivity they represent. They do truly wonderful work.

From: Achilles International

Achilles International, a global organization operating in 18 countries including the US, transforms the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connection. Since our founding in 1983, we have empowered over 150,000 athletes of all ages and ability levels to participate in endurance events around the globe.

Achilles International’s portfolio of programs includes the Achilles Freedom Team which serves wounded military personnel and veterans; Achilles Kids which provides training, race opportunities, and an in-school program for children with disabilities; the TriAchilles Team which expands our running program into biking and swimming; Achilles Chapter workouts; and, our signature Hope & Possibility® race which takes place in several cities worldwide.

We break down barriers to race start lines and empower the disability community to cross the finish line.

By Arthur Szyk - Arthur Szyk: Six paintings of Jewish holidays, published New York: Arthur Rothmann Fine Arts, Public Domain

The Jewish holiday Purim starts this Saturday, March 23rd at sunset and concludes Sunday, March 24th at sunset. Purim is a joyful holiday in the Jewish calendar and is celebrated with the reading of the megillah of Ester, festivities, charity for the poor, gift baskets for friends, celebratory meals, and a traditional three-sided pastry, hamantaschen. Chag Purim sameach!

From: My Jewish Learning

Purim is a joyous holiday that celebrates the saving of the Jews from a threatened massacre in ancient Persia.

The story of Purim is recounted in the Book of Esther, whose eponymous heroine plays the leading role in saving her people from a massacre planned by the book’s villain, Haman. The word Purim means “lots” and refers to the mechanism by which Haman chose the date for the Jews’ destruction.

The Book of Esther

The Purim story purports to take place during a time when many Jews were living in Persia. A young Jewish woman, Esther, serendipitously rises to be queen of Persia, though she manages to keep her Jewish identity hidden from the king The reason for this soon becomes clear: The Jews have enemies, and in short order a man named Haman is appointed grand vizier and uses his newfound power to plot the Jews’ destruction. Even though Esther has hidden her Jewish identity from all, her guardian Mordecai prevails on her to risk her life by revealing her true identity to the king in the hopes of foiling Haman’s evil plan. When Esther reveals herself and denounces Haman, the king is unable to reverse the decree but the Jews are given license to defend themselves and end up killing the enemies who had risen up to slaughter them. For thousands of years, the story has offered hope to minority Jewish populations, often living in hostile majority cultures.

A hamantasch is an Ashkenazi Jewish triangular filled-pocket pastry associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim. The name refers to Haman, the villain in the Purim story. In Hebrew, it translates to "Haman's ears". I've included a link to a recipe below.

From: Allrecipes, By: Sharon D, January 30, 2024

Hamantaschen are a favorite treat for the Purim holiday! It has always worked better for me if I cover the dough and refrigerate it overnight.

For this week's Woman of the Week, I wanted to feature one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century.

From: Greeka

Maria Callas, the divine opera singer: Maria Callas is one of the most renowned opera singers the world has ever known. With her sheer musical genius, she revived the bel canto form of singing and added her own personal musical style to it. Her musical talent has led the press and celebrated musicians around the world to bestow her with titles like The Bible of Opera and La Divina.

Her beautiful captivating voice that had such a magnificent presence on stage and the intense emotional notes that she carried out altered simple dramatic performances into serious and entrancing dramatic showpieces.

Maria Callas - Puccini - O mio babbino caro

The Arizona Theatre Company's production of Master Class will only run through March 23rd in Tucson, but you can still get tickets for this award-winning play at ATC's Tempe/Pheonix location.

"Master Class," the Tony-winning play by Terrence McNally, tells the story of the uncompromising opera diva Maria Callas as she delivers a life altering master class to students at an elite opera training program. During the class, she encounters three vastly different students who are by turns hilariously crushed, soulfully uplifted, and profoundly inspired by her singular artistry. Based on a series of real-life classes Callas delivered at Juilliard, "Master Class" inspires us, transports us, and transforms us by carving a window into the soul of one of the most complicated and celebrated artists of the 20th century who pushed the boundaries of artistic sacrifice and quality.

The total solar eclipse will be visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states.

NASA has an interactive Eclipse Explorer on their website where you can follow the path of the eclipse and see where and when the best opportunities to view the eclipse will be. You can also enter your zip code to find out how much of the eclipse you will be able to see.

From NASA

The Monday, April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT.

The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT.

A Tour of NASA’s 2024 Solar Eclipse Map

From: The Wilderness Center, March 15, 2024

March’s full Worm Moon, the first full Moon of spring, occurs at 3:00AM EDT on March 25, 2024. To our eyes the Moon will look full and round the nights of March 24, 25 and 26. Traditionally it’s called the Worm Moon because March is when the ground begins to thaw, and earthworms begin to wiggle up from their underground burrows. It was thought only southern Native American tribes called it by this name. Early northern Native American tribes didn’t see earthworms in March as all soil dwelling worms were wiped out during the last ice age by glaciers coving most of the northeast and upper Midwest. However, it’s now believed that the Dakota and other northern tribes used this name in recognition of another sign of spring, the emergence of beetle larvae, a different type of worm that begins emerging from under thawing tree bark and other places this time of year. 

We have all heard about the total solar eclipse on April 8. A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse. The Worm Moon coincides with a penumbral lunar eclipse which will be visible to us from start to finish. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Moon is in the lighter part of Earth’s shadow, not the dark umbra part of the shadow. At no time will the umbra take a bite out of the Moon. Darkening of the Moon’s disk during a penumbral eclipse is very subtle and usually difficult to observe. Most folks won’t even realize the eclipse is happening. The eclipse begins at 12:53AM on March 25th, the maximum or middle of the eclipse occurs at about 3:12AM and the eclipse is over at about 5:32AM. The entire eclipse lasts over four hours.

Tunk Findik on Lobuche East. Photo: Instagram

From: ExplorersWeb, By: angela Benavides, March 21, 2024

At least one person will attempt Everest without oxygen this spring, although he will go with personal sherpa support. Tunc Findik of Turkey will climb with Seven Summit Treks. He told ExplorersWeb why he has no wish to go self-sufficiently.

“I saw too many people dead,” says Findik, who has already finished the 14×8,000’ers and summited Everest twice. “I don’t want to join their ranks yet.”

He plans to use all the logistics that a bigger expedition provides. “That way, my only concern will be to cope with altitude and myself,” says Findik.

A friend and fellow New Englander, Mara Aspinall produces the Sensitive & Specific Newsletter. Her newsletter deals with medical topics, particularly those that relate to testing techniques and technology. Mara hand picks her subjects and has the intellect and training necessary to process the scholarly research and present it to her readers in a comprehensible manner. I highly recommend that you give it a read and become a subscriber too.

From: Sensitive & Specific: The Testing Newsletter Volume 9, Issue 11, By: Mara G. Aspinall and Liz Ruark, March 14, 2024

It’s been a big week for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC). The New England Journal of Medicine published trial results for both a second generation stool-based test and a novel cell-free DNA (cfDNA) blood-based test, together with a brief summary of CRC cfDNA science and an editorial advocating for increased screening.

The addition of these two tests allows a comparison of four non-colonoscopy options for CRC diagnosis (we profiled another stool-based test in our February 15 newsletter, and the first-generation stool-based test paper appeared in 2014). Colonoscopy’s big advantage remains the fact that it enables the clinician to remove any precancerous adenomas (aka polyps or advanced adenomas) at the moment when they are diagnosed. Its big disadvantage is the time and effort that the procedure takes for the patient.

This week I'm bragging on my husband I. Michael Kasser who won the Golden Door's trivia challenge for the week of March 3rd. Michael is forever the king of the big brain kingdoms! If there is someone you want to share your pride in, please use one of the submission buttons found at the top and bottom of this newsletter to share your pride. Just include "Flock Brag" in the subject line and we'll do our best to get it into The Flock.

We have some new news about the baby elephant born at Reid Park Zoo earlier his month. The zoo confirmed the sex of new arrival earlier this week.

A week after the elephant calf at Reid Park Zoo was born, staff can now confirm the gender of its newest member of the herd.

It’s a girl!

Semba, the Zoo’s African elephant matriarch, gave birth to a 265-pound calf at 3:31 a.m. on Friday, March 8, 2024.

The new calf expands the elephant herd to five, joining Semba, big sisters Nandi and Penzi, and allomother Lungile.

According to zoo staff, this is the third African elephant calf born at Reid Park Zoo. Staff adds the baby elephant is doing great, sticking close to her mother all while learning her new world.

The calf is currently only exploring parts of the habitat visible to guests at a distance.

From: Birds & Blooms, By: Jill Staake, May 1, 2023

Yellows, oranges, and pinks abound in the plant world, but blue flowers sometimes seem harder to find. Here are beautiful blue flowering plants to try.

Did you know that blue is the most popular color? It’s certainly my favorite, and my flower garden often reflects that. Blue flowers can be surprisingly hard to find, though. To me, that just makes them all the more special. I love to pair blue flowers with pink or orange blooms for a wonderful contrast. A garden full of cool white and blue flowers is also a balm for the eyes on a hot summer day. If you’d like to add more blue blooms to your garden this year, here are some to seek out.

Synanceia is a genus of fish of the family. Synanceiidae, the stonefishes, whose members are venomous, dangerous. Image by johnanderson via Depositphotos

From: Animals Around The Globe, By: Cayla de Souza, M.Sc., March 17, 2024

Meet the worlds most venomous fish; the lionfish and stonefish.

When we consider the dangers of the ocean, we usually picture large, scary-looking sharks. However, these mediocre (but mean-looking) fish are more deadly than most sharks. Discover the world’s most deadly fish, whose venom can be fatal to humans.

The Stonefish

Reef stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa). Image by wrangel via Depositphotos

The stonefish is the most venomous fish genus in the world. The genus Synanceua consists of several species of stonefish. Despite their fear-inducing venom, divers often swim right past stonefish because of their incredible camouflage abilities. Their textured skin resembles the surrounding rocks and coral.

The Lionfish

Dangerous Lionfish zebra fish in the Indian ocean water. Image via Depositphotos

These Flock regulars are always here for you:

• Dr. Hayward M. Fox, Ph. D. and The Institute of Personal and Transpersonal Knowledge
• Kimberly Gomer of Body Beautiful Miami, our body shaper and fee-based nutritionist. 
• Kyria Sabin of Body Works Fletcher Pilates, she's the best.
• Where in the World is Zoe
• Sarah Smallhouse & Make elections Fair Arizona - Sign the petition here!
• The Fabric Jeanie! Tap to learn more.

In coming weeks: we'll be sharing more investigative articles from our roving reporter William George, original writing from Flock favorite Dino DeConcini, and an update on the Marolt brother's coming expedition to Argentina.

Cristate Saguaro

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 second year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

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