French Open 2026 at the turn

Because I am lagging behind the news, I haven't been able to keep up with sports, which is old news if you aren't commenting on it the next day.  (I'd like Vegas to beat Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final, by the way, even though I won't get very excited if they do.)  

So it's amazing that I can briefly comment on the upset fest at the French Open this year.  Rybakina went out really fast (but her game isn't built for clay), to be joined by Gauff and Swiatek, the latter having not found her unbeatable form again ever since she lost it.  Hard to see how anybody beats the dominant Sabalenka, but I'd love to see Svitolina do it.

On the men's side, this is Zverev's great opportunity. I was going to say that Casper Ruud was his biggest challenge, but he just lost to Fonseca.  Fonseca may be young and brash enough to go all the way. We know Zverev can play on clay -- he was pushing Nadal a couple of years ago before he turned an ankle badly and had to retire.  But you can never tell with clay court specialists. 

So, that's where we are as Roland Garros goes into Week 2 of the 2026 French Open.

Quick review of the Premier League season finish

 

As we go into the World Cup, I thought I'd make a quick comment or two on the Premier League season.  As hoped but maybe not expected, Arsenal managed to outlast Manchester City down the stretch to take the Premier League cup.  I saw at least one sour-grapes headline about how VAR saved Arsenal's season, but judgment calls will always be judgment calls.  So congratulations to the Gunners.

(And may I once again add that penalty kicks are a lousy way to finish a major championship, but I don't think they will ever go away, given how much bettors must love them. I still think a 9-on-9 overtime (8 players and the goalkeeper) would be a LOT more interesting, and give the star players a chance to shine.  But nobody listens to me about that. Eze, formerly of Crystal Palace, tried to be way too cute in the Champions League final.)

Crystal Palace started really hot, but ended up where they are usually expected to be, in 15th. They flirted with relegation, but managed to win what they needed to win. Their manager, Oliver Glasner, is moving on, probably to a major club.  So next year will probably be like this year -- just hanging on.

The other big stories down the line to the end were the collapse of Chelsea, the resurgence of Manchester United (who is their star player, by the way?) and the survival of Tottenham Hotspur. As others have noted, West Ham United in the Championship puts many smaller teams on the big stage of their massive stadium.

OK, so how do I finish it?  How about the Goal of the Season?  

Sew that's how old it is

 

A discovery in a dry Oregon cave has been a major advance (backwards) regarding the age of culture and manufacturing crafts in North America.  Sewn animal hide and woven materials that were determined to be about 12,400 years old pushed back the time when the early residents switched over from hunting and gathering to a more cultured lifestyle, according to the researchers.

Article:   Oldest Sewn Hide Found in USA Rewrites Ice Age Clothing History

Research paper: Complex perishable technologies from the North American Great Basin reveal specialized Late Pleistocene adaptations

Abstract of the research paper: "Structurally and functionally complex technologies were a defining element of Late Pleistocene societies, but physical examples of them remain extremely rare in the archaeological record because most were made from perishable raw materials. The sparse material record of those myriad technologies limits our ability to formulate nuanced models about this critical period in human history. We present radiocarbon, Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry, and other taxonomic identification data from two of the largest Late Pleistocene perishable assemblages in the world, Cougar Mountain Cave and Paisley Caves, Oregon, US. These data include 66 radiocarbon dates on 55 items made from 15 different plant and animal taxa, including the oldest known physical remains of sewn hide. We provide data on eyed bone needles from four regional sites, showing that they are among the finest bone needles made in the Pleistocene. Our study illuminates the complex interplay of culture, climate, and technology in the Pleistocene."

Picture of the high tech:

Remember Candice Swanepoel?

 

The buzz around the Victoria's Secret Angels is not as loud as it used to be, and there are less recognizable VS Angel superstars than there were a few years ago.  Several of them dropped out of the VS runway appearances as the brand became more inclusive, and as the recognition that came with being an Angel became a bit reduced. Age, marriage, and changes in career and life goals also reduced their number.  I'll comment on the current status of one of the "later" Angels, Barbara Palvin, shortly.) 

One of the memorable Angels of the height of the Angel era was Candice Swanepoel. As the Daily Mail article attests, indicates, and demonstrates, Candice is still allied with the Secret, has a swimwear collection with them, and is still eminently suited (ha) to model the suits of the collection.

Candice Swanepoel's second Victoria's Secret swimsuit collection sizzles... after sharing the secret to getting killer abs

What's the secret to the Victoria's Secret "killer abs"? 

" 'I've been doing my own kind of yoga. It's not traditional yoga, but I put on some music and mix in some Pilates and squat resistance stuff,' she told The Cut."

A little more detail might be useful for those wishing to emulate her exercises, and their results.

Speaking of results, here's one of the modeling shots. The exercises appear to work, and she also appears quite memorable.  (BTW, she's at age 37 now.)

 

Lighthouse of the Week, April 12-18, 2026: Selkirk Lighthouse, New York, USA

 

Well, as you can see, it's late May, and this is the Lighthouse of the Week for mid-April 2026.  I am going to catch up, and I have several lighthouses in the queue to help me catch up.  This is an outstanding and historic lighthouse to kick off the "recovery" effort.

So, we shall begin with the location of this one. It is on the shore of Lake Ontario, to the north of Oswego.

The Lighthouse Directory has a lot to say about the Selkirk (also called the Salmon River) lighthouse.  Below the excerpt, I've included the link to Lighthouse Friends on this one, too.

"1838 (Jabez Meacham). Reactivated (inactive 1858-1989; now privately maintained); focal plane 50 ft (15 m); white flash every 2 s. 32 ft (10 m) octagonal red-shingled tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on the roof of a 2-1/2 story fieldstone keeper's house; 190 mm lens. The tower still has its original (and very rare) birdcage lantern. ... An architectural treasure, this is one of the oldest "integral" lighthouses in the country, and it is the oldest one surviving without significant modification. A historic photo from the Library of Congress shows how little the building has been altered. After deactivation the building was used as a lifesaving station for a number of years before being sold at auction in 1895; the new owners operated it as part of a hotel for many years. Privately restored beginning in 1987, the building is now a guest house (operating April through November) with accommodations available by the day or week. ... Located on Lake Road (county route 5) adjacent to the Lighthouse Marina on the north side of the entrance to the Salmon River in Selkirk."

Salmon River (Selkirk), NY  (Lighthouse Friends)

AirBnB page for Selkirk Lighthouse

Here are some pictures:

Retreat of Hektoria Glacier

 

The really remarkable NASA Earth Observatory site keeps producing top-notch content. This post illustrating the retreat of Hektoria Glacier in Antarctica is another example of their quality.

Record-Setting Retreat of Hektoria Glacier

"A team of scientists published an analysis of Hektoria’s collapse based on a suite of remote-sensing data, finding that its particular geometry enabled the rapid change. Like many glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula, Hektoria starts on land and extends to the sea, with the last section being a thick, floating plate of ice, or “ice tongue.” The researchers determined Hektoria lost both its ice tongue and an area of grounded ice spread over a flat plain—the latter directly contributing to sea level rise. Although Hektoria is relatively small as Antarctic glaciers go, scientists say that similar events at larger glaciers could be much more consequential."

Here's a map of where Hektoria Glacier is located.

If you want to zoom in and out in Google Maps, use this link.

Did you miss me?

 

Surprisingly, when I took a look at my post views from mid-April (the last time I posted), there are tens of them.  Now, I don't expect a lot;  that's one of the joys of my hard-to-find blog.  I can say what I want and whoever finds what I write and post gets exclusivity.  I've had a couple of posts that were relatively well-seen, but not many.  I might (emphasis on might) start putting links to posts on Twitter (oh, I'm sorry, "X") more.  

So where have I been?  Nowhere special, but I did go to a conference on small nuclear reactors.  Very exciting developments, and this is where I think the industry has to go -- and will go -- because of several necessities.  The necessities are the need for more energy, and the need for more non-polluting energy. Even though solar is cheap, wind is cheap, and their growth is strong, these AI data centers need more than that.  This is demonstrated by the interest in restarts of old nuclear power plants.  But the better answer is a small, safe, and reproducible modular reactor.  And they are coming.

So, I will be posting a lot in the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of lighthouses to catch up on, so I'll be posting retroactive Lighthouses of the Week.  And I've seen and read a lot during my interim.

So get back on board, I'm typing again!

First, a couple of confections from Bethany Lily April, who has gotten herself into tremendous shape, and new mother of twins (via surrogate) Amanda Cerny.