The Mojave Desert is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States.  Named after the indigenous Mohave people, it is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah.  The Mojave Desert, together with the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin deserts, form a larger North American desert.  Of these, the Mojave is the smallest and driest.  It displays typical basin and range topography, generally having a pattern of a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys.  It is also the site of Death Valley, which is the lowest elevation in North America.  The Mojave Desert is often colloquially called the "high desert", as most of it lies between 2,000 and 4,000 feet (610 and 1,220 m).  It supports a diversity of flora and fauna.  The 54,000 sq mi desert supports a number of human activities, including recreation, ranching, and military training.   The Mojave Desert also contains various silver, tungsten, iron and gold deposits.  The spelling Mojave originates from the Spanish language, while the spelling Mohave comes from modern English.  Both are used today, although the Mojave Tribal Nation officially uses the spelling Mojave, which is a shortened form of Hamakhaave, an endonym in their native language, meaning "beside the water".   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert   

Amaranth greens vary in color depending on the cultivar—some are bright green, others are variegated green-and-red or streaked with purple.  They are similar in taste to spinach, if not a bit heartier in texture.  Look for amaranth greens that are perky, with no mushy, wilted or slimy black spots.  Amaranth seeds are very small and usually creamy white in color.  They taste nutty and delicious when popped; when cooked into porridge, amaranth seeds become slightly gelatinous in texture (somewhere between chia pudding and cream-of-wheat).  Because it is a relatively uncommon crop, the environmental impact of amaranth cultivation in the U.S. is minimal.  However, some species of amaranth are actually invasive weeds; these are generally referred to as “pigweed.”  Real Food Encyclopedia - Amaranth - FoodPrint  Thank you, reader.    

A calico cat is a domestic cat of any breed with a tri-color coat.  The calico cat is most commonly thought of as being 25% to 75% white with large orange and black patches; however, they may have other colors in their patterns.  Calico cats are almost exclusively female except under rare genetic conditions.  A calico cat is not to be confused with a tortoiseshell, which has a black undercoat and a mostly mottled coat of black/red or blue/cream with relatively few to no white markings.   However, outside of North America, the calico pattern is more commonly called tortoiseshell and white.   Such cats with diluted coloration (blue tortoiseshell and white) have been called calimanco or clouded tiger.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico_cat   

World leaders, friends and former colleagues have been paying tribute to the primatologist Jane Goodall, who died in California on October 1, 2025 aged 91.  Goodall devoted her life to studying chimpanzees and other great apes, and became a global champion for primates and for conservation, helping to challenge the idea that the primates were vegetarian and that only humans could use tools.  She died in her sleep from natural causes in Los Angeles while on a speaking tour, according to her institute, leading to an outpouring of dedications from around the world.  “Jane Goodall had a remarkable ability to inspire us to connect with the natural wonders of our world, and her groundbreaking work on primates and the importance of conservation opened doors for generations of women in science,” said former US president Barack Obama.  “Michelle and I are thinking of all those who loved and admired her,” he said.   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/02/a-remarkable-ability-to-inspire-global-tributes-pour-in-for-jane-goodall 

The title 11,000 Strings promises something grand, and indeed Georg Friedrich Haas’ piece is large-scale in physical scope, duration, and ambition.  This is a piece for 50 pianos (the 11,000 strings) and the 25 instrumentalists of the Klangforum Wien.  The ensemble and 50 pianists played the North American premiere September 30, 2025 in the massive Wade Thompson Drill Hall in the Park Avenue Armory, a seeming ideal fit of performance, work and space.  Running for the week, this is installed in the round, but with the audience seated in the middle and the musicians on a low platform that surrounds the listeners.  https://newyorkclassicalreview.com/2025/10/11000-strings-a-sonic-spectacular-that-fails-to-touch-the-heart/

October 2, 2025