March 15, 2024

Overview for this week.

1. Sunday is Saint Patrick's Day. I hope you can celebrate by wearing green, having some corned beef & cabbage, and taking in a parade.

2. We are currently in the midst of Ramadan, a holy month in the Islamic calendar and a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community for people of the Muslim faith. I am also including a religious observation calendar with important religious holidays through the end of March.

3. In a nod to Women’s History Month, I'm featuring the amazing Hedy Lamarr, a starlet from the golden age of Hollywood, inventor, and self-taught engineer as our Woman of the Week.

4. In Reaching High we're checking in on family friends and high-altitude skiing pioneers, the Marolt brothers, Mike and Steve.

5. In the Book Corner I'm presenting two books by Mike Marolt about his experiences skiing the world's highest peaks and the life lessons he's learned from them.

6. I'm very excited to present new Reader Submissions this week from longtime friends of The Flock, Dino DeConcini and Sandy Washburn.

7. In The Heavens, we've come to another equinox as spring begins Tuesday, March 19th. This is also a great time to get in some stargazing, as the nights won't be this long until after the autum equinox.

8. In the Artist's Corner we are featuring former professor of Art at the University of Arizona and Drawing Studio founder Andrew Rush.

9. In Wellness we look at the nutritional break down of corned beef, the traditional St. Patrick’s Day staple.

10. We close with two of the deadliest snakes in the world meeting on a city street. It looks like Hong Kong could use a visit from St. Patrick.

Now, to this week's Flock.

St. Patrick's Day is coming up this Sunday, March 17th. Last year, for Saint Patrick's Day, we included an article on St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York which was funded by contributions from the city's Irish immigrant population along with larger donations from prominent citizens of the city. For this St. Patrick's Day I wish for you, "May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door."

From: Wikipedia

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a religious and cultural holiday held on the 17th of March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. 

Today's Saint Patrick's Day celebrations have been greatly influenced by those that developed among the Irish diaspora, especially in North America. Until the late 20th century, Saint Patrick's Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions (céilithe), and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.

This year, Ramadan is being celebrated from sundown on Sunday, March 10th to sundown on Tuesday, April 9th. I would like to say to all my Muslim friends and Flock readers, "Ramadan Mubarak" and “Ramadan Kareem."

From: The Old Farmer's Almanac, By: Catherine Boeckmann, January 12, 2024

The Meaning and Traditions of Ramadan

This year, the holy month of Ramadan begins at the first sighting of the crescent Moon on the evening of Sunday, March 10, 2024. Learn about how—and why—Ramadan is observed.

What Is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is considered a holy month that honors the time when Allah, via the angel Gabriel, revealed the first verses of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, to a caravan trader named Muhammad.

When Is Ramadan? 

This year, Ramadan is expected to begin at sundown on Sunday, March 10, and end at sundown on Tuesday, April 9. The final evening of Ramadan consists of a celebration called Eid al-Fitr, when the traditional month-long fast is ended with a feast.

Here at The Flock, we like to pay our respects to all religions and try to acknowledge religious holidays throughout the year. The following is from a calendar of religious observances that we found at Drexel University. We are including religious holidays throughout March of this year.

Holiday Dates from Drexel University

Holiday Descriptions from Wikipedia

Lent

February 14-March 28, 2024

Lent is the solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry.

Affiliation: Christian

Maha Shivaratri

March 8, 2024

Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half of the lunar month of Phalguna.

Affiliation: Hindu

Ramadan

March 10-April 9, 2024

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.

Affiliation: Islam

Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti

March 15, 2024

The celebration of Ramakrishna's birthday. Ramakrishna played a leading role in the modern revival of Hinduism in India and the movement—Ramakrishna Mission—his inspiration has deeply influenced modern Indian history. Ramakrishna is also regarded as an influential figure on Keshab Chandra Sen and other Brahmos and on the Elite of Calcutta, the bhadralok.

Affiliation: Hindu

Naw Rúz

March 19-March 20, 2024

Naw-Rúz is the first day of the Baháʼí calendar year and one of eleven holy days for adherents of the Baháʼí Faith. It occurs on the vernal equinox, on or near March 21, which is also the traditional Persian New Year.

Affiliation: Baháʼí

Nowruz

March 19, 2024

Nowruz is the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated by various ethnic groups worldwide that started as a Zoroastrian celebration. It is a festival based on the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar, on the spring equinox.

Affiliation: Persian

Ta'anit Esther

March 21, 2024

The Fast of Esther is a fast on Purim eve commemorating two communal fasts undertaken by the Persian Jewish community of Shushan in the Book of Esther, for the purpose of praying for salvation from annihilation by an evil decree, which had been the instigated by the royal vizier, an anti-jewish enemy of the Amalekite nation.

Affiliation: Jewish

Purim

March 23-March 24, 2024

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther. Haman was the royal vizier to the Persian king Ahasuerus.

Affiliation: Jewish

Palm Sunday

March 24, 2024

Palm Sunday is the Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Its name originates from the palm branches waved by the crowd to greet and honor Jesus as he entered the city.

Affiliation: Eastern Orthodox/Christian

Holi

March 25, 2024

Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna. Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil, as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu.

Affiliation: Hindu

Holy Thursday

March 28, 2024

Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the Feet and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles, as described in the canonical gospels. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.

Affiliation: Christian

Good Friday

March 29, 2024

Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday.

Affiliation: Christian

Holy Saturday

March 30, 2024

Holy Saturday, also known as Great and Holy Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Sábado de Gloria, and Black Saturday or Easter Eve, and called "Joyous Saturday"

Affiliation: Christian

Easter

March 31, 2024

Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD.

Affiliation: Christian

Hedy Lamarr, an Austro-Hungarian-born American actress and self-taught engineer has had an impact that has far outlasted her life and career. In 2017, PBS released the documentary, "Bombshell: The Heady Lamarr Story in their American Masters’ series. Actor Johnny Depp credits Hedy Lamarr with providing him inspiration that helped him get through his very public divorce and subsequent trial, after which he wrote the song "This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr," that he and guitarist Jeff Beck recorded on their collaborative album, "18."

From: Teaching Channel, January 10, 2020

Hedy Lamarr was a true Renaissance woman. Born in 1914, she starred in 30 black-and-white films, and was also a gifted mathematician, engineer, and inventor. At the outbreak of World War II, she worked with composer George Antheil to create a radio guidance system that used “frequency hopping” to encrypt torpedo control signals and thus prevent enemy forces from sending the torpedoes off course. Her foundational work in these spread-spectrum techniques later contributed to the development of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS technology. In addition, she collaborated with aviation investor Howard Hughes and his team of engineers to make planes faster and more aerodynamic.

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story - official US trailer

Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp - This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr

I've featured our Aspen friends, twin brothers, Mike and Steve Marolt in The Flock before. Back in 2018, they were inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in recognition of their high elevation skiing expeditions. The brothers are famous for summiting Everest more than once without Oxygen. They carry their skis up and wear them down. In 2018, the brothers starred in the film Beyond Everest, a follow up to 2009's Skiing Everest. More recently Mike Marolt has taken to writing about his adventures and authored two books, Natural Progression and Shishapangma: Skiing the Highline.

From: Powder, By: Cam Burns, February 27, 2024

Mike Marolt, who was part of the first group of North American skiers to ski an 8,000-meter peak has just published a book about the ascent (and descent).

Shishapangma: Skiing the Highline describes his 2000 climb of the 8,027-meter (26,335-foot) Himalayan peak—the preparations, the challenges of going so far from home to climb and ski, and other obstacles—but it's the mental aspect of high-altitude ski mountaineering that Marolt tackles in this book.

He describes the constant and considerable doubts he faced on the expedition and, more pointedly, on the mountain.

Mike Marolt discussing his new book "Shishapangma: Skiing the Highline."

Here are the two books authored by Mike Marolt that I mentioned above.

Mike Marolt and his twin brother, Steve, were just twelve when they took to heart the famous quote by notable mountaineer W.H. Tilman, "Just put on your boots and go!" Since that moment, their passion has been to climb and ski mountain peaks while relying on perseverance, abilities, and gifts to transform into two of the most elite ski mountaineers in history. In a how-to guide not only for climbing and skiing the highest peaks but also for succeeding in life, Mike shares exciting tales of mountaineer accomplishments as he and Steve became the first Americans, north or south, to ski from one of the world’s fourteen, eight-thousand-meter peaks; the first Americans and handful of people to attain multiple, eight-thousand-meter ski descents while skiing the sixth highest peak, and the first Americans to ski the North Ridge of Mount Everest.

In May 2000, a small team of Aspen, Colorado-based sportsmen set out to climb and ski one of the world's highest peaks. Shishapangma, Skiing the Highline: The Account of the First American Ski Descent from an 8000-Meter Peak is the gripping true story of determination and grit in which author Mike Marolt recounts pushing the edge of extreme sports with his twin, Steve, and lifelong buddy Jim Gile. Together, they reached the pinnacle of their progression from childhood climbing and skiing to conquering the highest peaks in the world.

We are very lucky to have a new literary contribution from Flock reader and contributor Dino DeConcini. Dino's first story we posted, A Wedding in Portugal was very well received by Flock readers, I'm sure today's will be too. Dino's has a birthday coming up and I want to say from all The Flock, Happy Birthday, Dino!

By: Dino DeConcini

As some of you old timers may recall, from 1981 to 1994 I mailed out around 25 short accounts of various trips, broadly defined, to family members and friends. The quality of the writing varied but most were interesting to some degree or another. A few readers offered encouragement, and one addressee, a published author (as my mother Ora used to introduce her husband Morris), said he kept them in a magazine rack in the bathroom, as they were just about the right length.

My wife Beth, also a published author, thought they were worth editing for a little book, at least for family and close friends. However I had gotten too busy or lazy or a combination of the two, and not only did not do the editing but stopped writing them altogether. This lasted until last October when the experiences of a visit to a round up at Rancho Saquenovérachi in Sonora, Mexico, proved impossible not write about.

I hope you enjoy the following account.

Dino

We are also very happy to have some new photos from family friend Sandy Washurn. We first featured Sandy in May of 2022 when he was kind enough to submit some photos and the story behind how he got into the hobby of racing cars. Sandy's hobby was contagious and now he races his beautiful 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL with his son Bill, a senior engineer at Boston Dynamics. The new pictures are from a recent trip to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. Thanks for the new photos, Sandy!

Sandy & Bill pose with their race car.

Bill behind the wheel.

Tuesday, March 19th is the vernal equinox marking the first day of spring. Look at last year's March 10 issue of The Flock for a good explainer on the spring equinox. Tuesday night will also be one of the best stargazing nights of the year. 

From: Live Science, By: Jamie Carter, March 11, 2024

The 2024 spring equinox is one of the best stargazing nights of the year, giving viewers the last, best glimpse of the bright stars of winter. Here's what to look for.

A NASA graphic showing the positions of Mercury, Jupiter and several bright stars after sunset from March 21 - 25.

The 2024 spring equinox is almost here. The night of Tuesday, March 19 marks astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere and astronomical autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

It's a global moment. The word "equinox" is Latin for "equal night," one of two days per year when the lengths of daylight and darkness are the same across the globe.

That means that, north of the equator, the spring equinox is the best opportunity to stargaze for some time. After that, nights in the Northern Hemisphere will shorten until the summer solstice on Thursday, June 20, when they'll get too short for all but late-night astronomy. The farther north you are, the shorter night will be. Nights won't be as long as they are on March 19 until the autumn equinox on Sept. 22.

From: Arizona Illustrated, March 12, 23024

Andy Rush is a former associate professor of art at the University of Arizona, he is a printmaker, sculptor, and drawer. He considers the study and practice of drawing from observation to be the foundation of visual intelligence. As a teaching artist Andy explores how to broaden each person’s notion of what drawing can be. He founded The Drawing Studio in 1992 with a core group of Tucson artists. He is a resident of the Rancho Linda Vista art community in Oracle, Arizona.

Many of us will have a traditional St. Patrick's Day meal of corned beef and cabbage this Sunday. It's not something that I would recommend eating every day, but it's actually much healthier than you might think.

From: Verywell, By: Sarah Garone, NDTR, August 30,2021

What would St. Patrick’s Day be without a classic corned beef meal? This rich cut of beef brisket, cured with salt “corns” (hence its name) has long been a staple in American celebrations of the Irish feast day—and has also been a feature of European and Middle Eastern cuisines for centuries.

Corned beef is believed to have originated from a time when meat had to be preserved with salt. Today, though salt isn’t necessary for preservation, many people continue to enjoy the unique flavor it imparts.

Corned beef boasts several important micronutrients and is high in protein, which the body needs to build muscle, create enzymes, and repair tissue. However, it is also quite high in sodium and fat. This can be a drawback for those on a low-sodium or heart-healthy diet.

The legend of St. Patrick is that he drove all the snakes in Ireland into the sea. From the looks of the video and article below. They could use a visit from St. Patrick in Hong Kong.

From: Animals Around The Globe, By: Josie Messeter, March 11, 2024

In a rare encounter, two of the world’s deadliest snakes meet, the king cobra and the Chinese cobra. The video, devoid of any violent confrontation, highlights a peaceful interaction, underscoring the complexity and nuanced behavior of these snakes.

King Cobra meets Chinese Cobra

The video showcases how a king cobra and a Chinese cobra meet, both classified as some of the deadliest snakes in the world. They inspect each other, seemingly more curious than aggressive – but the atmosphere remains tense. The interaction, fortunately, ends without conflict, with one snake eventually choosing to peacefully slither away.

This footage was shot in Hong Kong, in the middle of a road, by the looks of it, telling us these highly venomous snakes are dangerous close to people.

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.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

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.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

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