John M. Fray, Webmaster
Phone (724) 494-6569

Community News and Events
  



























































JULIUS CAESAR'S ASSASSINATION OCCURRED 2,069 YEARS AGO

Yes, it can be confusing when calculating the number of years since his death. Because the year "zero" is not recognized in any pertinent calendar system, the number of years which have transpired from 44 BC to AD 2026 has been 2,069, not 2,070 as might seem to be the answer on first blush.

John Fray, March 15, 2026.
















The opening credits to Season 1 of
"China Beach" constitute a great
music video. That season ran
from April 26 to June 8, 1988.























Previously, I posted about the
Led Zeppelin song "D'yer Maker"
(also known as "D'yer Mak'er").
The sleeve for the 45 rpm of that
song makes a cryptic reference
the early 1960s vocal group
"Rosie and the Originals."
That group is best known for
the song "Angel Baby" which
contains a chord progression
similar to "D'yer Maker."

Click to hear "Angel Baby."























Led Zeppelan's "D'yer Maker" takes
its title from an old British joke.
The premises of the joke is that a
strong British accent will result
in the spoken name "Jamaica"
and the question "Did you make
make her?" sound exactly alike.

Click to hear "D'yer Maker."



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Gene Pitney was a brilliant songwriter
and a talented singer. He passed away
in 2006 in Cardiff, England at age 66.

Click to hear "It Hurts to be in Love."






















When I was a kid, my family's record collection
contained a 45 rpm phonograph record of
Paul Evans's 1960 version of
"The Midnight Special."
Click image to hear it.










Kate Bush Performing
Her 1978 Hit Song,
"Wuthering Heights."
A Masterpiece
Of Creativity.
















Neil Sedaka has passed away at age 86. Mr. Sedaka wrote the music for the numerous songs which he sang. With lyricist Howard Greenfield, he created the clever "Calendar Girl" single which topped the charts for a few weeks in 1960. The songwriting duo went on to top the charts again in 1961 with the title them to the movie "Where the Boys Are" which features the stunning vocal performance of Connie Francis absent backup vocals. In the mid-1970s, Mr. Sedaka and his second song-writing partner, Phil Cody, reached vast success with hits such as "Laughter in the Rain" and "The Immigrant" which features the chorus containing the poignant line, "There was a time when strangers were welcome here."

John Fray, Feb. 28




















The 1980 U.S. Gold Medal hockey victory instilled classy, permanent images in the memories of those of us of that era. In the corridor of the University of Pittsburgh Law School building, a group of us second-year law students watched the televised feed of the game wherein the U.S. team upset the favored U.S.S.R. team.

The degradation of our culture and institutions under Trump and his minions is appalling. The photo of FBI Director Kash Patel guzzling beer in the victors' locker room yesterday sullies the dignity of the Olympics competition and the achievement of the U.S. team.

John Fray, February 23.

















LED Strobe Circuit












"Magic Town" (1966) by The Vogues





















A Retro Link To An Old Blog















Chris Deluzio is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His district encompasses Beaver County and a portion of Allegheny County on its northern tier. Rep. Deluzio has been critical of U.S. military personnel destroying boats in the Caribbean. He and a few other Democratic House members have made videos in which they suggest that military personnel should not follow orders to destroy the boats. A U.S. Attorney attempted to get a federal grand jury to indict Rep. Deluzio and those few other Democratic representatives on charges of obstruction, sedition, etc., but the grand jury refused to indict.

John Fray, Feb. 11

















The neighboring Saint Bernard likes to lie on the snow. This photo was snapped on Wednesday evening, February 11, at 8:00 PM. The temperature was 25 degrees. A light snow was falling.



John Fray, Feb. 11






















Connoquenessing Creek
At Fifth Street Bridge.
Monday Afternoon,
February 9, 2026.


Minus Seven Deg.
8:30 AM
















Wed., Feb. 4, 2026.
Sunny Afternoon for
a Walk in Ellwood.


Looking Southwest


Looking East


A Nice Building in the Third Ward.




The "All Aboard Ellwood" Caboose.






Fourth Street, Looking North.


Soft Blue Sky.




Untouched Snow.




Track, Looking East.




Track, Looking West.






Snow Bank Along Curb.

















WATCH THIS SPACE for more snips from the video stream of the Groundhog Day festivities at Punxsutawney this morning.










John Fray, February 2.












Here is a screen snip of a page with the temp. at minus seven on Monday, Feb. 2, at 7:42 AM, minutes after Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction of six more weeks of winter weather:

John Fray, February 2.
























The Grammy Awards Ceremony Held Sunday, February 1, 2026:

Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, won the award for 2025 Song of the Year. The song is "Wildflower" which features the stunning emotional vocals of Ms. Eilish in her captivating style of singing haunting love ballads.
John Fray, February 1.













We have had so many consecutive days of sustained, dangerously cold Siberian air that I no longer care to report on specific temperatures. I will simply state that below-zero overnight temps are now the rule.

John Fray, February 1.













The Big Snow fell Sun. Jan. 25.
By night, sixteen inches lay.
Photos from Wed., Jan. 28:




















Tuesday, January 27, 2026, saw a low temperature of zero degrees in the 3:00 AM hour. The record low for all recorded January 27 dates is minus eight degrees.





































The Town's Marquis:







A retro-thought about a music recording from 54 years ago:

The recording "Joy" by the performer(s) named "Apollo 100" was released in January 1972. It is a modern version of a baroque classical music piece by Johann Bach from the 1720s. It is a lively tune. Here is what Wikipedia has to say:

"Joy" is a 1971 instrumental pop hit record by Apollo 100. It is a contemporary rendition of a 1723 composition by Johann Sebastian Bach entitled "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", shortened to simply "Joy". It is ranked as the 71st biggest U.S. hit of 1972.














January 1972: Story of Amazing Survival

A passenger jet operated by an airline from then-Yugoslavia violently came apart in mid-air. Over two dozen souls were aboard. Only one survived. She was flight attendant Vesna Vulovic. The official report is that fragmentation of the jetliner occurred at 22,000 feet. There is a contrary theory (which is generally discredited) that fragmentation occurred at 3,000 feet.