Book 22 - Frank Close "Neutrino"

Frank Close "Neutrino" (Oxford University Press)





In this engaging, concise volume, renowned scientist and writer, Frank Close, touches on speculative ideas on the possible uses of neutrinos and their role in the early universe along the way. In fact, this is a history of the discovery and study of neutrinos. So, you do not get a systematic scientific treatise of neutrino physics. Instead, you have a fascinating story about the gradual discovery of the mystery. It is as much about the scientists involved as the actual experiments and ideas.

The book reads like a detective novel and is a tremendously good read. The hardcore physicists may want to have something more rigorous in a science book, but for the average reader, this is the most exciting book about particle physics you're likely to read.

Good Morning!

Book 23 - Julian Barnes "Cross Channel"

Julian Barnes "Cross Channel" (Jonathan Cape)






This loosely linked collection of stories of British experiences of France spans a variety of settings, historical periods and social classes. Some stories appealed to me more than others, naturally, but I really loved how he ended the book.


Barnes always writes with clarity and humour and offers many insights. Very enjoyable.

International Women's Day

To celebrate IWD here are five unsung heroes still not familiar in the history books.

Victoria Woodhull
In 1872, suffragist, activist and advocate of “free love” (the freedom to marry, divorce and bear children) Woodhull ran for president of the United States when, ironically, women couldn’t vote but could be elected. Her running mate was black abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass. She didn’t get any votes, perhaps partially due to her arrest for obscenity a few days before the election, for a paper, she published with graphic descriptions of the adultery committed by a senior official. However, after making a fortune as the first ever female stockbroker, she broke one last ceiling by being the first to speak of women’s suffrage in front of the House Judiciary Committee.

The Mirabal sisters (Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa)
The three Mirabel sisters formed an influential movement, relentlessly opposing the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, but were eventually assassinated on his orders. Trujillo hoped that this loss would dent the resistance’s strength, but in fact, it angered Dominicans so much that many now say this is why he was assassinated a year later, and the Dominican Republic quickly became a democracy


Milada Horáková
Horáková was a prominent campaigner for women’s equal status in Czechoslovakia. In the Second World War, she was part of the underground resistance movement and imprisoned until 1945. She returned to Prague and got elected to the National Assembly, where she campaigned for the women’s rights and democratic institutions. She resigned to protest the Communist coup, was arrested for leading a plot against the Communist party, and eventually sentenced to death. She was posthumously cleared and celebrated for her impassioned defence and last words.

Ella Baker
Baker was an African-American civil rights activist and organizer for more than five decades, working alongside Martin Luther King. Her philosophy seems acutely relevant in today’s politics. She was against professionalized, charismatic leadership and emphasised that the oppressed should advocate for themselves, being one of the first proponents of ‘participatory democracy’.

“You didn't see me on television, you didn't see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders”.

Josephine Butler
Butler was a campaigner for women’s suffrage back in the 1850s, and her commitment to women’s rights was central to her life. She is perhaps most well-known for her tireless 20-year campaign to repeal the Contagious Diseases Acts, where prostitutes (including children as young as 12 who were traded as slaves in Europe) were examined to prevent the spread of venereal diseases in a process she called ‘steel rape’. Her imaginative campaign strategies, like touring grassroots movements all around Europe, were a model for suffragists and feminists afterwards and many consider her political work a milestone in feminism.

International Women's Day

To celebrate IWD here are five unsung heroes still not familiar in the history books.

Victoria Woodhull
In 1872, suffragist, activist and advocate of “free love” (the freedom to marry, divorce and bear children) Woodhull ran for president of the United States when, ironically, women couldn’t vote but could be elected. Her running mate was black abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass. She didn’t get any votes, perhaps partially due to her arrest for obscenity a few days before the election, for a paper, she published with graphic descriptions of the adultery committed by a senior official. However, after making a fortune as the first ever female stockbroker, she broke one last ceiling by being the first to speak of women’s suffrage in front of the House Judiciary Committee.

The Mirabal sisters (Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa)
The three Mirabel sisters formed an influential movement, relentlessly opposing the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, but were eventually assassinated on his orders. Trujillo hoped that this loss would dent the resistance’s strength, but in fact, it angered Dominicans so much that many now say this is why he was assassinated a year later, and the Dominican Republic quickly became a democracy


Milada Horáková
Horáková was a prominent campaigner for women’s equal status in Czechoslovakia. In the Second World War, she was part of the underground resistance movement and imprisoned until 1945. She returned to Prague and got elected to the National Assembly, where she campaigned for the women’s rights and democratic institutions. She resigned to protest the Communist coup, was arrested for leading a plot against the Communist party, and eventually sentenced to death. She was posthumously cleared and celebrated for her impassioned defence and last words.

Ella Baker
Baker was an African-American civil rights activist and organizer for more than five decades, working alongside Martin Luther King. Her philosophy seems acutely relevant in today’s politics. She was against professionalized, charismatic leadership and emphasised that the oppressed should advocate for themselves, being one of the first proponents of ‘participatory democracy’.

“You didn't see me on television, you didn't see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders”.

Josephine Butler
Butler was a campaigner for women’s suffrage back in the 1850s, and her commitment to women’s rights was central to her life. She is perhaps most well-known for her tireless 20-year campaign to repeal the Contagious Diseases Acts, where prostitutes (including children as young as 12 who were traded as slaves in Europe) were examined to prevent the spread of venereal diseases in a process she called ‘steel rape’. Her imaginative campaign strategies, like touring grassroots movements all around Europe, were a model for suffragists and feminists afterwards and many consider her political work a milestone in feminism.
 

The Friday Five

1) Who made you feel good this week, and how?

2) What did you do this week that moved you closer to reaching your goals?

3) What did you most enjoy doing this week?

4) What did you learn this week?

5) What’s the funniest thing that happened to you this week?

Friday Prog Rock Jazz stuff

Time for some grooves -

Isotope - Bite On This / Upward Curve (Live on Old Grey Whistle Test)

Frank Zappa - Son of Orange County + More Trouble Every Day

Frank Zappa / guitar, percussion, vocals
- Napoleon Murphy Brock / tenor sax, flute, vocals
- George Duke/ keyboards, zil, tambourine, vocals
- Tom Fowler /bass
- Chester Thompson /drums
- Ruth Underwood /percussion

Egg - The Song of McGillicudie (1970)

Enjoy..

Good Night