2023 Summary -- December 31, 2023

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2023 was another interesting year. Early on, I was recovering from a heart operation that took place in 2022, and then my wife and I came down with COVID-19. Later she had a serious operation.

San Francisco Call, 12-December-1897

In January, Russia continued to make illegal war against Ukraine.

Record-setting rain and wind caused flooding, fallen trees and landslides. The town of Pescadero was flooded. 

I wrote about the Lunar New Year. the Year of the Rabbit.  

Perth Amboy Evening News, 12-January-1923

In January, I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the Rosewood Race Massacre in Florida. 

Russia continued to make illegal war against Ukraine.

Record-setting rain and wind caused flooding, fallen trees and landslides. The town of Pescadero was flooded. 

I wrote about the Lunar New Year. the Year of the Rabbit.  

In February, I wrote about President Jimmy Carter going into hospice care at home. He is a great human being. 

On 24-February-2022, I noted the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I wrote about International Polar Bear Day. 

Major League Baseball introduced a bunch of new rules.

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Maine. I wrote about the 25th anniversary of the Cavalese cable car crash. 

Senator Dianne Feinstein announced that she will retire. 

I noted what would have been the 150th birthday of Enrico Caruso, the 125th birthday of Bertolt Brecht, the 100th birthday of Chuck Yeager.

Burt Bacharach, Huey "Piano" Smith and Tim McCarver died.

advocate.com

In March former president Donald Judas Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan. The gutters did not flow with blood as he had called for/predicted.

We had huge rain and windstorms. The town of Pajaro was cut in two when a bridge collapsed. We had a noticeable earthquake. 

Russia made no progress in its war on Ukraine. Ukraine's allies were supplying main battle tanks. There were rumors swirling that Putin was in bad health or might be taken down by the oligarchs. In March the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant because he kidnapped Ukranian children.

There was a school shooting massacre in Nashville. A big thank you to the NRA and Republican lawmakers (sic) for normalizing the mass murder of children.

I posted a 100-year-old newspaper item about the Nazis and their leader. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the burning and sinking of the MV Babinda. I noted the 75th anniversary of the fire that killed Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. 

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of John Richey integrating the Pacific Coast League. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the death of Sarah Bernhardt. 

Wayne Shorter and Jesus Alou died.  

Japan beat the US in the final game to win the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Ukranian resistance to Russia continued. Inspired by Russia's aggression, Finland joined NATO and Sweden applied to join. This was not the outcome that Putin had in mind. 

In April, former president Trump was arrested and arraigned in a Federal court, charged with 36 felonies. I was pleased.

In April, after Tennessee Republican lawmakers (sic) refused to do anything after the Nashville Massacre, citizens gathered in the House chamber to protest. Three members of the house, two black men and one white woman (all Democrats) went to the podium and joined the protest. Within days, the house expelled the two black men but not the one white woman. They didn't care that this was so obviously a racist move. The men were reappointed in a few days.  

In April we had a massacre in a bank in Louisville. A big thank you to the NRA and Republican lawmakers (sic) for normalizing mass murder.  

I noted what would have been the 100th birthdays of Tito Puente and John Mortimer. 

I wrote about the 150th anniversary of the Colfax, Louisiana race massacre.

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the first recording by Joe "King" Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, which was also the first recording by Louis Armstrong. I also wrote about the 100th anniversary of two Army Air Service pilots setting a new endurance record. 

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the death of former San Francisco Mayor Angelo J Rossi. 

Ahmad Jamal and Harry Belafonte died. 

Omaha Bee, 04-May-1923

In May and June we had our upstairs bathroom remodeled. We were happy with the result. 

In May I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the first non-stop transcontinental flight in the US. I noted the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Manila Bay.

I mentioned the crowning of King Charles III. 

Former "President" Donald Judas Trump was found guilty of defamation and sexual abuse in a civil case. Hee hee hee.

Vida Blue, Tina Turner and Jim Brown died. 

I took a break for the last half of May after my wife had an operation. 

In June, I wrote about the kick-off ceremony for the summer-long Cable Car Sesquicentennial celebration.

There was a huge outcry when Warner Brothers gutted the upper management of TCM and scattered its staff to the winds. They later reversed some of the cuts. 

Ukraine began its counter-offensive against the illegal Russian occupiers. 

I noted the huge spike in attempts to ban books. 

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium.

I started a new series showing the monthly covers of The Black Cat Magazine. 

Great Giants manager Roger Craig died. Astrud Gilberto died. Actor Alan Arkin, actress Glenda Jackson, patriot Daniel Ellsberg, songwriter Cynthia Weil, pianist George Winston, and writer Cormac McCarthy died, but I did not write about them. 

 In July we went to the Cable Car Cable Car Carpentry Shop Tour, which was part of summer-long Cable Car Sesquicentennial celebration.

We stayed at the Sonoma Mission Inn for two nights and rode the Wine Train. 

The National League won the All-Star Game for the first time since 2012. 

The Anchor Brewing Company has announced that it is going out of business. 

I wrote about the 125th anniversaries of the inauguration of the Ferry Building, the resolution which absorbed the Kingdom of Hawaii into the United States and about the death of villain Soapy Smith. I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the Dempsey-Gibbons fight. I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the death of Eddie Rickenbacker. 

In July, Tony Bennett died. Paul Reubens died. We loved Pee Wee's Playhouse. Sinead O'Connor died. She had a beautiful voice. 

On August 2, we attended the Cable Car Sesquicentennial celebration. It was fun, but I managed to hurt my foot. I had to use crutches for a while and then a cane. 

Huge wildfires burned up much of the town of Lahaina and other places on the lee side of Maui. 

In August I went back to teaching at Good Shepherd School in Pacifica. This year I am teaching technology to Kindergarten and coding to grades 1-3. I also do yard duty with Kinder. 

Former president Donald Judas Trump was arrested in Georgia. He conned millions of dollars from his worshippers by selling tee shirts and coffee mugs with his mugshot. Most people would be ashamed. He has made threats of violence against witnesses and judges. 

I noted the 100th anniversary of the death of Warren G Harding.

I started a new series of Time Magazine covers. 

Robbie Robertson died. 

In September, the UAW went on strike against the Big 3 automakers. 

Boston Globe, 22-October-1973

In October I wrote about the 50th anniversary of President Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. I also wrote about the 50th anniversary of Spiro Agnew's resignation. 

In October, Hamas launched a group of coordinated raids against Israel. Israel said it was at war. 

Representative Kevin McCarthy became the first Speaker of the House to be removed. 

I wrote about a cable car accident. 

Carla Bley died, but I did not write about her. 

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In November former First Lady Rosalynn Carter died.

There was a brief ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, but then the fighting resumed. The conflict in Ukraine remained mostly stalled. 

APEC 2023 caused disruption in San Francisco. 

We received our third COVID-19 boosters and our flu shots on the same day.

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the Wilmington Insurrection. I wrote about the 150th anniversary of the Allen-Hagan Prize Fight. 

Composer WC Handy would have turned 150. 

Shane MacGowan, lead singer of the Pogues died. 

San Francisco Call, 18-December-1895

In December, Pope Francis announced that Roman Catholic clergy could bless same-sex unions. That is a good step. 

I wrote about the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine. 

I marked the 175th anniversary of the death of Emily Brontë.  

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the loss of the French Zeppelin Dixmude.

KPIX-5 celebrated the 75th anniversary of its launch as the first regularly scheduled television station in Northern California. 

In December, retired justice Sandra Day O'Connor, comic Tom Smothers and musician Denny Laine died.  

Dancer and actress Ann Miller appears at the top of this page. I remember her in Stan Freberg's Great American Soup commercial. She wore her hair like a friend of my mom's whom I didn't like. Later I saw her in movies and learned that she had been a wonderful dancer. We saw Kiss Me Kate in 3-D at the Four Star Theater and I was stunned by "It's Too Darned Hot."