A Foundational Concept

        A favorite author (now-a-days) writes some 1/2 century ago, in his text (2nd edition, 1970) what could be considered a foundational basis to our existence. He writes, italics all mine:

        "We now know" ... [ written on page 14 of his 2nd chapter titled A mathematical description of the universe - imagine that! ] ... "that any object, however complex" ... [ object defined p. 784 Webster = something that is or capable of being seen, touched, or otherwise sensed ] ... "can be visualized as a sufficiently complicated structure" ... (whew) ... "built out of atoms," ... "and that the atom itself is a structure composed" ... (almost there) ... "of three fundamental particles, electrons, protons, and neutrons."

        What a deal! Written some 57 years ago. What do we now know?

Atkins, K.R., Physics Second Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., N.Y., 1970.

        A visual aid to those like me, a visual learner ... scanned from a text a few years before.

         The image is to show a carbon atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons. The electrons circle about the nucleus suggesting their probable pattern of movement. Anyone for a spin?

Dull, C.E., Metcalfe, H.C., Williams, J.E., Modern Physics, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, N.Y. 1964.

Scan taken from page 158. This text first published 1955. My high school physics book.

Power

        Had to stop my reading for the day, caught by this quote it was. A question of mastery it was between two fellows from history. One named Hannibal and, the other fellow named Scipio. Both had the ambition of conquerors and, their contests were called The First Punic Wars (264 - 241 B.C.). Interesting reading you might say for the end of the week. But hey, conquerors one day, merchants the next, you know that commercial mentality! Anyway, here is the quote taken from Williams, The Historians' History Of The World -

                "It is notorious that the love of power grows with its acquisition." 

        From chapter X, volume 5, page 215. Not sure the names of the writers of this chapter, which was a group process written around 1904.

        Roman Arms and Standard seem appropriate here. Scanned from same text, volume 5, page 139. 

The Letters Day

        Simultaneously, two Uncles (my Jones side) and my Dad, assisted the many letters along their ways during my growing up years at Winchester, KY. During some of these years, the following patch was worn on the upper sleave as the symbol of Postal Service employment.

        Starting 1948 as a parcel post carrier, Dad moved to service four different city routes for around 25 years. In 1973 he transferred to his favorite letter delivery activity as a rural carrier of Routes 3, 6, and 2. The following picture taken one of these rural carrier days was one of his favorites. A "bird in the box" it was called. [For this story see post of December 12, 2016!]

   

         Anyhow, some years along these hallways of time a second patch was issued. Here it is.

        Don't ever remember Dad wearing this symbol on his sleave but, you need to compare this image to the much older. That poor horse rider was heading the opposite direction? Back to front ... front to back ... letters going or coming? Maybe ask the bird in the box above. A better comparison view would help this analysis.

        At least for these "Letter Days" [1948 - 1987] they arrived from my Dad, whichever way the horse rider was headed.
          

SNOW!

        Stay warm ... stay safe ... all you guys out there.

More Pin-ups ... Out Of The Box

         Huckleberry began his cartoon character around 1958 and, a host of other pin-ups began their days close by. Somehow, these additional folks ended their days in my keep-sake box of the early 1960s. Here they are.

                        YOGI  

                            BOO BOO  

                             DIXIE                                        

                              PIXIE

                                MR. JINKS

        What a group of folks to join my memory box! How about this?

Occam's Razor ... Need A Shave?

         A useful maxim it is called in A Dictionary Of Epidemiology, edited by John M. Last, p.72. The term receives some extra attention with slightly enlarged letters and, distinctive nomenclature like "scientific parsimony" and, "dictum". The quote is given, as stated by, a "William of Occam", who's name is not even attached to his words. He seems to be identified as a Franciscan philosopher who was from Occam, Surrey (England) [ca. 1278 - 1347 A.D.] and, in 1330 moved to Bavaria, Munich. He is quoted ... 

           "the assumptions introduced to explain a thing must not be multiplied beyond necessity."

        Wow ... a scientific parsimony indeed! We all could use a shave ever now and then.

P.S. The text, edited by Last, is a handbook sponsored by the International Epidemiological Association. Published 1983, by Oxford University Press, Oxford. It is listed under Oxford Medical Publications.

My Politics 1960 ... Out Of The Box

         Understanding social dynamics involved much of my 4th grade education. Others' opinions and, their relationships, involved much of this activity. "Jimmy, Johnny and, Jerry" ... the 3 J's ...we called ourselves. We traveled many different walkways, homeward bound, that 4th grade, Hickman Street, adventure. Selfishness, short-run interests, shrewdness and, tactfulness, brought attention to the many barriers of the mind that would separate the pathways ahead. Anyway, outside of our world, governmental processes (Politics) on the national level were generally not on a front burner. 

        However, the Nixon/Kennedy Presidential run was somewhat of an exception to the many barriers of the mind that existed during these days. What a deal it was! Well, here is a scan of my personal politics ...

                                      ... out of my keepsake box it is!