Good morning.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 67. Sunrise is 5:54 and sunset is 7:51, for 13 hours, 57 minutes of daytime. The moon is new with 0.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1945, Benito Mussolini is arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, while attempting escape disguised as a German soldier.
Sophia Smith Galer on why we call the Mona Lisa the Mona Lisa:
The Most Unusual Churches in the World:
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 48. Sunrise is 7:25 and sunset is 4:28, for 9 hours, 3 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 5.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1943, Soviet authorities launch Operation Ulussy, beginning the deportation of the Kalmyk nation to Siberia and Central Asia.
Whitewater’s recent snow, only a small accumulation, is already gone. Those of us who like snow (and, in my case, snow shoeing) will have to wait. We can be patient; winter has only begun. (Remember: big snow is good snow!)
In the meantime, here’s an artist who works in, and with, snow:
Update — NASA spacecraft, the Parker Solar Probe, is safe after closest-ever approach to the sun:
Previously: NASA spacecraft attempts closest-ever approach to Sun.
Good morning.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 25. Sunrise is 7:06, and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 15 minutes of daytime. The moon is new with 0.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1934, Sergei Kirov is assassinated, paving way for the repressive Great Purge and Vinnytsia massacre by General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin.
Mayuko Ono, Shuji Kajiyama, and Mari Yamaguchi report on the intricate work of a Japanese artist:
TOKYO (AP) — A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. An Ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves. A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen leaves, giving life back to them.
The world of Lito’s delicate art, which he began in 2020 and posts on social media almost daily, has won fans from around the world. The leaf art has also given him solace after earlier struggles with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a purpose in life — the joy of making people happy with his art.
He enjoys working at night. From a pile of leaves treated with a wrinkle-free chemical, he picks one and places it on a cutting board.
See Mayuko Ono, Shuji Kajiyama, and Mari Yamaguchi, A Japanese artist finds solace and global fans with intricate leaf-cutting, Associated Press, December 1, 2024.
Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – December 2024:
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 77. Sunrise is 5:42 and sunset 8:00 for 14h 17m 08s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 17.5 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1776, Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.
The 2,000-Year-Old City of Mosaics:
Dating back to the Byzantine era, Ravenna in Italy has been filled with a rich tapestry of mosaic craftsmanship, from the walls to the floors and the ceilings of its architectural marvels. From grand basilicas to intimate residences, Ravenna’s mosaic artistry portrays ancient civilizations through every shimmering tile and preserves the legacy of a city steeped in history and artistic brilliance. Experience these timeless artworks as Professor Daniele Torcellini offers insights into their historical context and artist Luca Barberini shows how mosaics can engage with contemporary issues.
Happy May the Fourth, Star Wars Fans:
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 45. Sunrise is 7:06 and sunset 5:10 for 10h 04m 26s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 43.6% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1959, Rock and Roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed in a plane crash along with the pilot near Clear Lake, Iowa, an event later known as The Day the Music Died.
Behind Ghana’s Unofficial Movie Posters:
We don’t remember Garfield having weapons and did Groundhog Day really have a GIANT groundhog eating humans?!
A handful of highly skilled artists in Ghana are behind some of the most imaginative, beautiful and exaggerated film posters. These posters are hilarious, captivating, colorful and highly impressive. So much so, that they’ve become a worldwide sensation!
Whilst you may disregard these as misleading bootlegs, anthropologist Dr. Joseph Oduro-Frimpong believes that these posters are vital artifacts of Ghanaian art, history and culture. And he should know, he’s collected over one hundred of them. We begin Black History Month with this story exploring the incredible talent Ghana has to offer… Special thanks to the Ashesi Center for African Popular Culture.
Tourists manage to escape charging elephant’s path:
Two tourists were caught in an elephant’s wrath, narrowly escaping as the animal charged at them at Bandipur National Park in India.
Good morning.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 52. Sunrise is 6:52 and sunset 4:28 for 9h 35m 36s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 40% of its visible disk illuminated.
Abraham Lincoln (in the center) at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863. To Lincoln’s left is bodyguard Ward Hill Lamon. To his far left is Governor Andrew G. Curtin of Pennsylvania. The photograph is estimated to have been taken at about noontime, just after Lincoln arrived, before Edward Everett’s arrival and about three hours before Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. Josephine Cobb first found Lincoln’s face while working with a glass plate negative at the National Archives in 1952. (Source: NARA, Rare Photo of Lincoln at Gettysburg, http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/?p=2564)
On this day in 1863, President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the dedication ceremony for the military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Bug farms are becoming big business:
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 52. Sunrise is 7:33 and sunset 5:43 for 10h 09m 30s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 57.8% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1956, Soviet troops enter Budapest to end the Hungarian revolution against the Soviet Union that started on October 23. Thousands are killed, more are wounded, and nearly a quarter million leave the country.
80-something-year-old Gene Frey of Columbus has no formal training and yet his one-of-a-kind metal garden art is garnering a lot of attention.
This camel farm milks 1300 camels twice a day:
Good morning. Friday in Whitewater will be rainy with a high of 56. Sunrise is 7:06 and sunset 6:15 PM for 11h 08m 34s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 1.6% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1775, the Continental Congress establishes the Continental Navy (predecessor of the…
