September 23, 2022

It's a special week in the British Isles and Queen Elizabeth II has been laid to rest. There's one thing that always pops into my mind when I think about the queen: she was a mother first not only to her children but to her nation and all the commonwealths too.

An aerial image of eastern Australia's topography

I thought I was going to be in Australia sailing the Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. But, due to Covid, I'm now in the North Sea circumnavigating the British Isles instead. We're all still remembering the longest reigning queen ever, so I thought we would pop over to the Commonwealth of Australia and look at Mount Kosciuszko.

From: The University of Sydney, March 15, 2016

Geologists from the University of Sydney and the California Institute of Technology have solved the mystery of how Australia’s highest mountain – Mount Kosciuszko – and surrounding Alps came to exist.

Most of the world’s mountain belts are the result of two continents colliding (e.g. the Himalayas) or volcanism. The mountains of Australia’s Eastern highlands – stretching from north-eastern Queensland to western Victoria - are an exception. Until now no one knew how they formed.

Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia at 7,310 feet.

From: World Atlas

Mount Kosciuszko

Mount Kosciuszko is part of the the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. It is the country's tallest mountain with a height of 7,310 feet. However, in 1892 conclusive research determined that the original Kosciuszko stood slightly shorter than its neighbor Mount Townsend. In an effort to avoid confusion, the New South Wales Lands Department chose keep the name of the tallest mountain as Kosciusko. The names of the two mountains were simply swapped.

Mount Townsend

Mount Townsend is also located in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. It is the second highest mountain in Australia’s Mainland with a height of 7,247 feet, only 2.3 miles less than the highest mountain, Kosciuszko.

As we enter into the fall season, nuts are on our table. We chose to look at nuts this week for their exceptional nutritional content as well as their great taste. It's easy to incorporate nuts into your diet, you can bake with them, eat them fresh out of the shell, or crush them up and add them to your granola. You just might get a little nutty.

From: healthline, By: Alina Petre, MS, RD (NL), May 23, 2019

Native to Australia, macadamia trees are now grown in various places around the world, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, and New Zealand.

Like most other nuts, macadamia nuts are rich in nutrients and beneficial plant compounds. They’re also linked to several benefits, including improved digestion, heart health, weight management, and blood sugar control.

Here are 10 health and nutrition benefits of macadamia nuts.

1. Rich in nutrients

2. Loaded with antioxidants

3. May boost heart health

4. May reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome

5. May aid weight loss

6. May improve gut health

7. Providing anticancer properties.

8. Boosting brain health

9. Bumping up your longevity

10. Easy to add to your diet

From: healthline, By Joe Leech, September 6, 2018

Almonds are among the world’s most popular tree nuts.

They are highly nutritious and rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Here are 9 health benefits of almonds.

1. Almonds Deliver a Massive Amount of Nutrients

2. Almonds Are Loaded With Antioxidants

3. Almonds Are High in Vitamin E

4. Almonds Can Assist With Blood Sugar Control

5. Magnesium Also Benefits Blood Pressure Levels

6. Almonds Can Lower Cholesterol Levels

7. Almonds Prevent Harmful Oxidation of LDL Cholesterol

8. Eating Almonds Reduces Hunger, Lowering Your Overall Calorie Intake

9. Almonds May Be Effective For Weight Loss

From: healthline, By Rachael Link, MS, RD, August 11, 2020

Pecans are a type of tree nut native to North America.

Thanks to their rich and buttery flavor, they’re a common ingredient in appetizers, desserts, and main dishes alike.

Although they boast a long list of essential nutrients, they’re also high in calories and fat, causing many to wonder whether they’re healthy.

This article takes a closer look at the research to determine whether pecans are good for you.

Steven M. Gootter

The time is far past due to feature the Steven M. Gootter Foundation.

From: Steven M. Gootter Foundation

Keeping Hearts Beating

The Steven M. Gootter Foundation is dedicated to saving lives by defeating sudden cardiac death through increased awareness, education and scientific research. We dedicate ourselves to this mission in memory of Steven M. Gootter.

Gootter Foundation Featured in US Open Issue of Tennis Magazine.

From: Tennis Magazine, By: Matt Fitzgerald, September 2022

When Murphy Jensen, wife Kate and son Duke arrived at their hotel in Tucson, Ariz. this past spring, new surroundings caught the eye of the youngest family member. The curious four-year-old was first intrigued by several cacti, before a wandering attention span quickly—and thankfully—diverted him away from the prickly invitation and toward a giant water slide.

After reaching the top of the Slide Winder, which takes riders on a cool 177-foot journey, Duke encouraged Murphy. “Daddy, you go first.”

Who’s a father to say no? As he obliged, the exuberant Jensen turned back with a parade wave. Not long after launching into the unknown, he lost sight of them, plunged, and his world turned upside down—temporarily.

“I go flying sideways. And I’m having a moment. The last time I’d been on a trip like this in the pool of a hotel was at the Garden of the Gods Resort,” Jensen reflects. “And I get shot out of this slide into like 15 feet [of water].

“Am I alive?”

Hieroglyphs line the walls in a shrine to the goddess Hathor at Serabit el-Khadim. Courtesy Lydia Wilson

I've been traveling a lot lately which got me thinking of the places I've been and all of different alphabets I've seen.

From: Smithsonian Magazine, By Lydia Wilson, January 2021

Centuries before Moses wandered in the “great and terrible wilderness” of the Sinai Peninsula, this triangle of desert wedged between Africa and Asia attracted speculators, drawn by rich mineral deposits hidden in the rocks. And it was on one of these expeditions, around 4,000 years ago, that some mysterious person or group took a bold step that, in retrospect, was truly revolutionary. Scratched on the wall of a mine is the very first attempt at something we use every day: the alphabet.

The evidence, which continues to be examined and reinterpreted 116 years after its discovery, is on a windswept plateau in Egypt called Serabit el-Khadim, a remote spot even by Sinai standards. Yet it wasn’t too difficult for even ancient Egyptians to reach, as the presence of a temple right at the top shows. When I visited in 2019, I looked out over the desolate, beautiful landscape from the summit and realized I was seeing the same view the inventors of the alphabet had seen every day. The temple is built into the living rock, dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of turquoise (among many other things); stelae chiseled with hieroglyphs line the paths to the shrine, where archaeological evidence indicates there was once an extensive temple complex. A mile or so southwest of the temple is the source of all ancient interest in this area: embedded in the rock are nodules of turquoise, a stone that symbolized rebirth, a vital motif in Egyptian culture and the color that decorated the walls of their lavish tombs. Turquoise is why Egyptian elites sent expeditions from the mainland here, a project that began around 2,800 B.C. and lasted for over a thousand years. Expeditions made offerings to Hathor in hopes of a rich haul to take home.

Answers below*

photo credit: cruise report

I just happen to be on the Regent Seven Seas Splender cruise ship circumnavigating the British Isles, and guess who are cruise director was, a University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television graduate. The University of Arizona is everywhere! Her name is Lorraine Weimerskirch and she's one hell of an actor, singer, and director. She sang a beautiful tune from Moulin Rouge on the ship.

Let's give it up for Sallie Marston PhD. Sallie is the founder of the Community and School Garden Program, an agricultural project that connects university students with public school students to create school gardens and nurture students interest in STEM learning paths.

Educational Enrichment Foundation (EEF) 2022 Lifetime Humanitarian Achievement Awardee, Sallie Marston PhD, UA Regents Professor Emerita, co-founded the Community and School Garden Program (CSGP) a joint undertaking between the University of Arizona and the Tucson Unified School District. The program trains UA undergraduate and graduate students in both the basics of school gardens as well as how best to support teachers to use them as learning labs in federally designated Title I K-12 schools in some of Tucson’s most underserved neighborhoods. Over seventy TUSD schools have learning gardens and thousands of TUSD students have enjoyed experiential learning through them. Additionally, CSGP staff and TUSD teacher leaders have trained hundreds of teachers to use their gardens not only for learning but also for social and emotional development. 

Corporate Achievement Award - When previous shoe supplier closed in 2018, SKECHERS willingly stepped up to partner with the Educational Enrichment Foundation (EEF) to provide shoes to underserved TUSD students through Shoe Shopping events. SKECHERS has supplied over 800 underserved TUSD students with new shoes so these students can confidently and comfortably attend school. 

The UA Community and School Garden Program connects students in public schools with Tucson’s 4,000-year agricultural legacy by planting, maintaining, and engaging in school gardens. Using gardens as dynamic educational tools, we help cultivate community, connect students with their local food system and use gardens as STEM learning labs.

The University of Arizona’s Community and School Garden Program (CSGP) connects Tucson educators and community organizations with university students eager to participate in the school garden movement occurring throughout the country. University student interns are matched with low-income school and community placement sites where they support the installation, development and maintenance of a garden program.

Have you been itching to get outside and get your hands dirty? TVF is looking for folks who are ready to get the farm ship-shape for our winter planting season, which is coming up quickly! 

Join us this Saturday, August 27th from 8 - 11am for our first volunteer service day in a while! With the great monsoon season that we've had this year comes some farm maintenance and beautification, and we want you to swing by and help us out. 

If you can't make it this Saturday, we'll be having service days one Saturday a month throughout the fall. Mark your calendars for:

• Saturday September 24, 8am-11am
• Saturday October 22, 8am-11am
• Saturday November 19, 8am-11am
• Saturday December 10, 8am-11am

Pre-registration is helpful so that we can plan out our work list. You can register for our volunteer days here. See you out on the farm!

In a future Flock we'll have an update on Geisel Aubrey and her talented younger brother Ethan. What's Linda Collazo been up to? Maybe we will find out. We'll also be looking into what pianist Brian Wong is up to.

Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way 

that will lead others to join you.

- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A. Cyrillic Alphabet, B. Chinese Alphabet, C. Urdu Alphabet, D. Arabic Alphabet, E. Turkish Alphabet, F. Egyptian Hieroglyphics