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    1. "Thoughts of  a Classic Physicist" by russell McCormmach

    reading-blog-2015
    A historical novel about the dramatic change in physics in Germany between the war of unification (1870) and World War 1. 

    My intention was to glean information of German culture before the great world wars. I'd thought I might be able to compare or contrast the scientific world with the religious (theology / missions) world, the subject of my historic novel of the same era. It actually is remarkable what similarities there are. Both are disciplines seeking truth, the first seeking to understand nature, the later the relation between natural and spiritual. 

    The style of the author was remarkable. A great deal of information, in fact quite a comprehensive 50 year history of physics is presented in this short book. I will cover the same era with additional complexities of information (across various disciplines and cultures and with more characters). I can only hope that in the end I succeed to weave as enticing a story.
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    A short visit to Tchula, MS

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    About 30 years ago I took a trip with a college group down to Tchula, MS.  We were suppose to go help pick cotton, but it ended up that the ground was too wet, so instead we painted a grocery store.


    Since I was driving through the area we took a detour off of the interstate and drove through the Mississippi delta to Tchula.  I have always told myself that if you anticipate that places one revisits have dramatically changed that one is surprised by how much they are the same.  From my very short visit I found Tchula had some improvements, but it was remarkable how much the same it felt.

    A white Wisconsin farmer organized these trips to Mississippi.  He had become friends with Eddie Carthan who was a farmer and business man in Tchula, Ms.  He had heard about Eddie in the early '80s during the long court case of the Tchula 7. As a fellow small farmer something resonated with this Wisconsin farmer and he committed to help the cause of the struggling famers and citizens of Tchula.
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    The story of Eddie Carthan and the subsequent legal fight and the class action law suite on behalf of black farmers is remarkable.  With broad strokes the story is that the majority black population voted in their first black Mayor sometime around 1980.  The first days in office the local white Sherriff came and arrested him and his cabinet of 7, with a variety of trumped up charges.  In short it was a coup. Years later the US supreme court finally brought the innocent to justice. The struggle in Tchula has been about disenfranchisement and slow economic development.  If you remember during emancipation freed slaves were promised 40 acres and a mule.  Very few actually received the 40 acres or the mule, but farming became a viable occupation for many blacks through out the rural south. While it is an important for the community to hold on to property and an important occupation, it continues to diversify the economy.
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    During this visit I noticed that there were a lot of young men standing around.  It was Sunday, and Martin Luther King weekend, so who knows what the employment opportunities are. Thirty years ago the young men tended to leave home, since the 70's and even 80's were violent times.  We were told that nearly ever month there was someone lynched or a body floating in the river. During such a short visit one cannot tell that much.  The town has grown in 30 years, but apparently in the past 10 years has dropped. Back then most people lived in dilapidated shotgun houses, likely left over from plantation days.  Today half the village is mobile homes.
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    I was  surprised to see that while there was an school outside of town that in Tchula itself it still had a "Learning Center" as did other towns that we passed.  In the past these were very under resourced education centers that did not prepare students sufficiently.  I don't know what kind of education these schools provide.
    One thing I remember about my visit thirty years ago was while we were painting the grocery store.  Some little kids came to watch us paint.  They brought a boom box with them and I recall hearing (over and over again) Tina Turner singing "What's Love Got To Do With It".  Another memory was attending a little country church in the middle of a cotton field.  It was a single room furnished sparsely with wooden benches.  The room was crowded with about 15-20 people, eight of us college students from Wisconsin.
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    EconomyTchula, MSUnited StatesUnemployment Rate16.60%8.60%Recent Job Growth1.24%0.35%Future Job Growth25.88%32.10%Sales Taxes7.00%5.00%Income Taxes5.00%4.70%Income per Cap.$10,524$26,154Household Income$15,637$50,935
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    Trees And Flowers

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    To explain the multiple pictures of plants on this blog post: 

    in high school our art teacher, Frank Wesley, taught us the Kangra Valley art form. One of the remarkable features of this art form is the incredible detail of nature: trees, plants, animals, birds, rivers, clouds, etc. Details of clothing, architecture and the human body also are incredibly detailed. Often these are miniatures yet a single loose strand of hair is captured if you look closely.
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    My heart resonates with this art because it captures my wonder with the abundance of the life that we all are richly given if we but just look around us and observe the subtle details.
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    Lanavola Nov 4

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    It was refreshing to get out of the heat, noise and pollution of the city and retreat to the hills around Mumbai for a day
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    http://kdham.com/healthcare/ayurveda/

    It is Swami Kuvalayananda, whose efforts are chiefly responsible for the worldwide spread of Yoga.
    It is due to his efforts that this ancient discipline of Yoga became more acceptable to modern mind, trained on scientific and rational guidelines.
    It is a fact that due to his scientific work, Yoga became more widely acceptable and accessible in the field of health & healing.

    had a wonderful full body massage at the naturopathy/ayurveda center
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    Maharstrian Truck Sto[
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    Diwali Mubarak

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    Once again I am losing track of time.  Let's see I think it is the end of Sunday here and the beginning of Sunday back in the US.  Divali is in full force and one loud patakar went off near my ear and I am having some difficulty hearing. But that is still such a minor consequence.  I had a lovely visit with our dear family friend, Rakesh, in Delhi and a delightful surprise visit with Jan Elder Aijian at the National Art Museum on JanPath.  I also had a delightful short visit with Doma on JanPath!  (pictures to come, hopefully)

    I realize that there is so much that I experience that I haven't taken pictures of or written about.  Some of it is because it is so deeply personal and I do simply take it in and enjoy.  Some people who I will not mention names but I've spent the last month with her, think I spend way to much time blogging and taking pictures.  But the task of a good blogger is to keep her audience engaged.  Forgive me if I haven't been as engaging as I could be if I had more time to devote to doing it well, but I've truly enjoyed sharing my journey with you all.

    NOw back in Mumbai for the final stretch.  I am not even going to try to capture the lights of Diwali on my limited capacity camera.  Sorry, but the darkest night of the year is well lit here in India.  (perhaps it is visible by satellite somewhere)  Trust me it outshines Christmas in the US. 

    Tomorrow we will go to a smaller Maharastran town, Lanavala after making just a few more little purchases. We hope we can squeeze in a massage at the Ayurvedic Center. Get me all nice a mellow (like I really need that) before flying back to the US.

    My internet access may be a little sketchy till I get to the US but I will take questions and request.  Hint I'm not going to any of the main tourist places, so don't ask about that.  But for instance anything about food, occupations, transportation, dwellings.  I can always try to capture the one tiny example in this land of lavish extremes and complexities.

    Also since I have been posting on my Samsung phone on inconsistent wifii the photos occasionally get mixed up.  I'll do the editing later when I can.

    Meanwhile I look forward to another great night of sleep in Muggy Mumbai!~

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    Back To Mumbai

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    Delhi airport

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    Flew from Delhi to Mumbai.  Security found it interesting to find donkey and cow bells in my carry on.  It caused much discussion and speculation.  The thought of turning them into wind chimes simply did not make sense to them.
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    taxi drivers having lunch

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    pigs on the beach

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