Elke visits “Daughters of Mumbi” in Kenya
By Elke Martin, volunteer programs coordinator at Greenspring Village
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Welcome back, John Shannon |
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SELECTIVE MEMORY: THE SENIOR"S FRIEND
According to the old sage, A dividend comes with old age. For many, the memory does not slip— It just gets a lot more selective – a lot more hip. Bad memories are buried deeper, |
THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD But if Hades should ever disappear, |
Silent Witnesses
(The Flag)
It thrills our hearts when the flag passes by or we see it wave in the breeze;
We love its colors – its stripes – stars – so meaningful are these.
It represents the heart of our nation – our heritage and our laws;
It’s a silent witness for freedom – and for heroes who fought for a cause.
(The Statue of Liberty)
Regally she stands in the harbor holding her torch high –
Greeting the human cargo as their ships go sailing by;
Our Statue of Liberty – standing strong and erect – may she never fall –
For she’s freedom’s silent witness – to opportunity for all.
(The Cross)
“Just an old wooden cross” but its power proclaims from Calvary ‘til now –
The life He gave for you and me – His nail-scarred hands – his bloodied brow;
Of the Blessed Sacrament – He says – “do this in remembrance of Me” –
“This is my body which was broken for you – this is my blood that you see.”
“Just an old wooden cross” reaching down from heaven – embracing all of mankind –
A Silent Witness which speaks to our heats – blessed be the tie that binds.
--Marjorie Beach –Madison Green – 11/200
Just before the Battle
by Jane Curtis
One hundred and forty-five years ago this month, in September 1861, Federal Army troops were encamped in and near Darnestown, Maryland, not far from White’s Ferry over the Potomac to Virginia and Leesburg. The upcoming Battle of Ball’s Bluff was still a month away, with its terrible slaughter of Yankee forces trying to fight their way up the vertical bluff on the Southern side. The drawing here shows a signals station such as might have been attached to the camp, a saddled horse standing ready to relay any vital information picked up through the long spyglass being wielded on the top platform. There was plenty of food in the harvest season, and camp life has often been described as more boring than strenuous.
In fact, some hundred and thirty-one years later when our Early American music group joined a reenactment to play music for their Saturday night dance, we realized that camping out might not have been at all bad on evenings like this one. The dinner and dancing tookplace in a large barn, through whose wide-open doors white tents were seen on the grassy green hillside beyond.
Dressed in the style of the 1860s, we found our roost, tuned our instruments, and warmed up as the firstcomers visited the dinner buffet. Visiting ladies in great hoopskirts made bright splashes of color as they accompanied their Yankee-blue husbands and boy friends. Having been invited in advance to visit the buffet ourselves (they knew that hungry musicians don’t play as well), we took full enjoyment in the hearty spread, everything home made. We played more period music, and then it was time for the dancing to begin. We were well prepared with waltzes, reels, polkas, even a mazurka or two, and the great crowd of dancers took full advantage of the music. A highlight was the dancing of a complete Virginia reel, which means keeping at it until the first couple is back at the head of the set. There were actually two whole sets, with dancers left over. We played and played and thought it would never end.
During a break in the dancing, when we were taking a rest too, a Yankee soldier approached me rather timidly and asked if I would provide zither accompaniment for him to sing a few songs, just quietly on the side. (Zithers were first brought to this country by immigrants in the 1850s, so my instrument qualified for membership in our music group.) The first one he requested was “Just before the Battle, Mother”, a plaintive but melodic old song perfectly suited to the zither. His voice was beautiful, and he sang well. We did a few other Civil War songs, just for us and a few listeners. This was the real high point of the evening.
By 10:30 things were winding down, and with thanks, expressions of pleasure, recounting of experiences, and mutual compliments, the evening ended. We walked out into a night of brilliant stars, undimmed by any glare of electric lighting. The hillside was dotted with campfires now, the tents reduced to whitish smudges. The evening has never been forgotten; remembering it never fails to bring contemplation and, strangely, a feeling of peace
School of Aging Studies:
Erickson Foundation in 2004 presented to the University of Maryland Baltimore County a $5 million gift to start a new school. Erickson Retirement Communities Founder and CEO John Erickson has said, “We’ve got probably the biggest change coming that America has ever experienced in regard to the 78 million baby boomers that are going to march into an aging cycle as they turned 60 in January” He added that is going to require a whole lot of change and that change is going to require management and process in order to deal with it.”
With very few existing gerontology programs addressing the aging equation, the new school start-up will target the issues. The school is to be known as Eriksson School of Aging Studies. Classes are scheduled to begin in September. School administrators are aiming to have 100 students enrolled in the program. Ultimate goal is to increase enrollment each year to have 1000 enrolled by 2010 and the start of a graduate program by2007 fall semester.
Kevin Eckert, Dean of the Erickson School of Aging Studies says “The study of aging is a very complex issue that brings to bear societal issues, demographic issues, policy issues and family issues.” One strong selling point the school has for attracting students is tremendous opportunities that will be created when the baby boomers begin to retire en masse. Students will find career opportunities.”
Erickson himself has said “we’ll get through the first round of retirements well, but as they march forward another seven, eight or ten years they’re going to quit mowing grass, they’re going to quit cloning gutters and standing on ladders and raking leaves, and they’re going to want more services. We’re going to need 20 million more people to service this market.” He also said that in the old movie, “The Graduate,” the guy says “Plastics,” but today it’s going to be “Aging!”
(Lonny Blessing, first Executive Director of Greenspring, is moving to Corporate headquarters as liaison between the Erickson Retirement Communities and the Erickson School for Aging Studies.)
Kckane – June 2006
Return to Ancient Egypt
By Jane Curtis
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Outgassing
What is “Outgassing”?
Who, or what, is doing it? Where is it happening? When, and where, did it start?
Answer: Everyone, and every thing, every where! Let me explain.
Outgassing is a word coined in the 1960’s by the aerospace industry to describe a phenomena occurring in spacecraft while in orbit in the vacuum of outer space. In reality it also occurs on earth all the time. It describes the results of outgassing rather than the actual process itself. Again, an explanation.
All of us have seen the results of outgassing. The film that forms on the inside of your automobile windshield is the result of outgassing. When you boil water for tea or coffee for a warm drink in the winter, what happens? The kitchen windows are fogged with tiny water droplets. This is an extreme example but it describes the outgassing process. In your kitchen it is not a serious problem, but in the vacuum of outer space un-manned spacecraft face a very serious problem. Another word for it is contamination.
Many of us here at Greenspring might remember the problem that occurred during the Gemini program, (we are old enough, after all), when two spacecraft were in orbit at the same time. In one an astronaut found a film on the window he was looking through to the other craft. He instinctively wiped the window with his glove to clear it but resulted in smearing the window. Remember in the Gemini space-craft the astronauts were in pressure suits. The window remained foggy. After returning to earth an oily film was dis-covered to be the problem. Oil had seeped from the rubber compound of the window gasket and had creeped onto the window
So now when you see the film on your windshield you know where it came from. The rubber materials, plastics and the seat covers in your car
Most organic materials outgas to various degrees. A few examples; rubber, tape adhesive, epoxies, plastics, and paints. Materials that are heated do so to a greater extent. Some materials like glass, ceramic or metal the outgassing is almost zero. In a spacecraft in orbit in the hard vacuum of outer space the outgassing molecules from all sources must go somewhere. Where do they go? They move in a straight line from point of origin until they make contact with a cooler surface. This surface might be a lens, a prism or a window in a detector, for example. What happens then? If there is a large amount of contamination, that is, the film collected, the detector can be blinded or rendered damaged and no longer able to function as intended. In our unmanned spacecraft there is no one there to clean it.
For many years I operated a vacuum system at the NASA Goddard Space Center which simulated the outer space environment. Materials were placed in the apparatus, heated and the outgassed material collected on cooled polished discs. By carefully weighing the materials and the discs before and after the test run we then calculated the percent values for weight loss and weight gained. Using these values we compared materials for their contamination capability and established acceptable or non-acceptable criteria to eliminate materials from use in the construction of spacecrafts and satellites that exceeded set limits.
Bill Campbell, MG 111
Dialogue & Diversity
Speakers for Dialogue & Diversity tackled the problems man and machines are imposing on “What Are We Doing To Our Beautiful Planet?” Speakers from the Save the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Fairfax Park Authority and resident Dean Coston discussed the harm, distress and need for active attention to problems with water, air and soil. Steve Kirby of Park View, who participated for Fairfax County on the Land Use Advisory Committee for Lee District representing Greenspring and also the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance Exception Review Committee representing Lee District for the County Board of Supervisors, was the moderator and concluded the Dialogue with a presentation on the efforts of John Erickson and Greenspring.
Kirby’s points:
- Erickson deeded over the entire area for the Trail from Hampton Place Way to Accotink Creek to the Fairfax County Park Authority (10 acres)
- Also deeded over 5 acres for the soccer fields to Fairfax County School Board
- Set aside 5 acres on the “Tree Save” area next to and around Hunter Pond.
- Grassy area at Village Square is an erosion control and run off filter area. Wooded area is a Resource Protection Area.
- Greenspring uses the newest energy-efficient lighting systems for the common areas and standard apartment fixtures (We use only 10.5 KW hours per square foot per year at Greenspring)
- We use high efficiency water source heat pumps to cool and heat the entire property
- We use timers (electronic computer controlled) to adjust temperatures in common areas to reduce energy usage.
- We use Variable Frequency Drives for our larger pumps to reduce energy usage
- We reclaim heat from our building exhaust systems to help heat our buildings in the winter
- Planting trees for erosion control on the north mad south slopes at the junction of cross road to Hampton Place Lot H and Renaissance Gardens.
Kckane -- May 2006
A Gift from a New Magi
EVENSONG in the Village Chapel featured Jean Reynolds of Walden Court as the Storyteller of "Gift of the Magi," based on Mathew. Marcos Aanderud provided the music; the Rev. Bill Reynolds od Walden Court and the Rev. Neal Jones od Oak Hill led prayers and Pat Martin of Walden Court was pianist. The congregation softly sang the firsr verse of "Silent Night." The fitting climax of the "New Magi" was a welcome to Joe Barrows who joined the Storyteller. KCKane 1/06
The Story: It was just a few days before Christmas 2005 and it seemed the whole world was decorated for the holidays. Already there had been two pretty snowfalls and everyone was scurrying about. Christmas was in the air.
The choir arrived at the nursing home to go caroling in the dining rooms while the residents were eating. “Joy to the World,” “O Come all ye Faithful,” “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” and “We Wish you a Merry Christmas” rang through the halls.
Joe Barrows was our escort. He led us skillfully down halls, in and out of elevators, and through locked doors. It was a daunting task to get us into all six dining rooms while the folks were eating. The tables and halls were all decorated, but what I saw was several couples at the tables. In one room three elderly gentlemen were patiently and lovingly feeding their ailing wives. In other rooms wives were feeding husbands and a son was feeding his mother.
But there were others who paused in their eating to sing along with us. The old Christmas carols were familiar and dear to them. I wove in and around the tables, smiling, singing, touching, and hugging some folks I knew.
As we headed down the hallway toward our final destination, Joe approached me and quietly asked, “I have a favorite patient down this hall who is near death. Do you think your choir could go and sing for him?” Pastor Neal Jones was very pleased to receive the request and we passed the word to all the singers.
Checking the patient’s room first, Joe beckoned to us. I followed him, noticing, on the way in, a large canopy-top bed, beautifully dressed in frills and flowers – signs of a lovely lady who must have lived there recently. But the patient was in another bed, a hospital bed, an old man lying peacefully, eyes closed.
Joe spoke to his friend, took his hand, and sat down on the side of the canopy bed. He had obviously sat there before. I went to the other side of the bed and took the other wrinkled hand. Most of the choir couldn’t get very far inside, but we began singing a lusty rendition of “Silent Night.” The old man began mouthing the words along with us.
But suddenly the words to “Silent Night” took on new meaning. “Si-i-lent Night, Ho-o-ly Night, All is calm. All is bright …” Joe turned his head away when tears flooded his eyes. Since I was the one nearest to the old man, I tried to keep on singing, but before long tears burned my eyes, too. We ended the first verse and sang on, but now, gently – prayerfully. It was a sacred and holy moment.
Pastor Jones sat down beside Joe and encircled him with a loving arm. As the choir came to the quiet ending of the song, it seemed to me that we might be singing the old man right into heaven. My heart overflowed with Joe’s care for his patient … “Sleep in hea-ven-ly peace. Sleep in heav-en-ly peace.”
Might the old man have sensed that he heard angels welcoming him home? Perhaps he felt Joe giving him his gift as did the Magi’s of old – a New Magi bearing the precious gift of tears and love. Rev. Jones said a brief prayer and hugged Joe.
Joe tenderly smoothed the covers and laid the old man’s hand on the bed. I kissed the hand I held and whispered “God Bless you,” and we tiptoed out.
Every Christmas there is a tender moment that comes flooding back again and again in my memory. I shall never forget the New Wise Man, the New Magi, Joe, and his gift to the old man.
Jean B. Reynolds 2005
Letter from Iraq
Ist Lt. Jason Goodale wrote from Iraq to his grandparents Ted and Isabel Campbell in Oak Hill. Goodale is the son of Campbell daughter, Cynthia Goodale. The young man has followed his grandfather and father into the Marine Corps. He is serving his second tour in Iraq, which began July 4, 2005. His grandfather Campbell was in the Air Force. The Campbells thought others might enjoy Jason’s letter; “he is our oldest grandson, a great individual.” KCKane 1/06
Jason's Letter
Hi all – I’m probably gonna be incommunicado for the next week or so but I wanted to get this off to you all knowing that Christmas is in a couple of days. First off some administrative business. Last day for packages – 26 or 27 December. Last day for letters – 2 or 3 January. Feel free to continue sending e-mails. The Marines have been loving the mail and CARE packages. You all probably won’t ever know what it means to them. I’m glad that you won’t ever know that.
For many years now I have been asked by friends, family (especially Mom) what I want for Christmas. When I was a kid it was easy. Whatever the cool toy, shirt, bike whatever was, probably based on the commercials I have most recently seen. When I got to be a teenager, things with staying power were the norm. Videos, music, a certain style of clothing. When I was in college and up to last year, the more personal and heartfelt it was, the more it meant. This year is different.
This year, consumerism is at an all time low for me. I need nothing. I want nothing. I have everything that I need or could want to do my job over here and I have a great group of boys to do it with. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m reminded of the story where the Marine on the front lines during Desert Storm told the visiting Senator that all he needed for Christmas was “some more ammo.” It’s kind of similar sentiment. I have two pair of clothes that do just fine. My boots are holding up and socks don’t have holes in them. My Ipod has 2500 songs courtesy of my brother and I’ve probably listened to 30 of them. This year, no ad, commercial or holiday sale is going to do it for me. This year I’m aiming high.
Of all the Christmas carols I’ve sung and heard, all the passages from the Bible I’ve listened to at candle light service and all the times I’ve read the Christmas story it never really hi on me until now as I prepare to miss the first of 25 or some Christmases that I’ve had. But just the other day when I realized not only would I be faro away from my family but that I would also most likely be on patrol not too far from where that whole Christmas story took place, something struck a chord in me. And for the first time in all the Christmases that I have been a part of I’ve been able to really understand the message. My wish is not for good times and good food, a warm bed or a hot shower. My wish is not for mounds of packages or brightly lit trees.
My wish is very simple. I wish for one night of peace and goodwill towards all men. I wish for one night that Iraqi, American, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Black, White, Rich, Poor all learned that there are things more important in this world than to be right. There are forces that none of us will ever comprehend at work here. And the only true enemy to man is himself. I wish that for one night we could live at peace with each other and more importantly with ourselves. And that all of us understand what is really at the heart of the Christmas story here. We are all human beings and we all share the same world and that in it self is reason enough to get along. For just one night God, this is my wish. Bring us all peace to look up at the stars and know that we are safe for just that night. I wish this with all my heart and I believe it can happen. I know when I wake up on Christmas morning there won’t be a tree sitting there piled high with gifts followed shortly by lots of laughter and more food than you can shake a stick at. But if this wish comes true, then I will be happy and I will have all the riches I need. I wish this for all of you on this most special of days and I hope you get the chance to look up at the sky on Christmas Eve knowing that I’m doing the same from over here. That is my wish.
With love and cheer
Jason
Honoring a Survivor
by Michel Margosis, Fran Richardson; KCKane 12/05
When the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in September horned Ted Rubin, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary who was to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor the following day with a small private afternoon reception in one of the classrooms of the Museum. Those gathered included Ted with immediate family, a son and daughter, a military escort of two officers, guards and chauffeur; a dozen or so members of the Museum administration staff and some Holocaust survivors, also veterans from the Korean War mainly, including me: Michel Margosis of ParkView (photo at right). Margosis wrote:
“Ted appeared a normally calm, friendly and smiling and totally unassuming but quite engaging little man. We all warmly shook hands, reminisced a bit as survivors and then about our military experience and Ted mentioned how awed he was that everyone from the President down to generals had to salute HIM, poor little humble Ted. He was obviously taken also with the fact that he was no recognized for brave actions he took so many years ago but was subsequently denied by anti-Semitic superiors. He was jovial about his escort and how well they got along during the whole period he was under military escort.
In the December issue of Military Officer in the pages of history column it reported that in a White House ceremony former Cpl. Tibor Rubin, 76, was awarded the Medal of Honor, receiving long-overdue recognition for his bravery during the Korean War. While serving with Company I, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Rubin single-handedly defended a hill for 24 hours so his unit could withdraw to safety. Later, when Chinese forces attacked his unit, he manned a .30-caliber machine gun at the end of the unit’s line until his ammunition was exhausted. During the battle Rubin was severely wounded and captured by the Chinese.
In a POW camp, Rubin, a Hungarian immigrant not yet a U.S. citizen, used what he had learned about survival while held in a Nazi Concentration camp to help his fellow prisoners during the 30 months there. Rubin had been recommended previously for the Medal of Honor, but it is believed a superior officer failed to submit the paperwork because Rubin was Jewish. It was Rubin’s fellow POWs who in the early 1980s began a campaign to have his actions honored.
In September 2002 Fran Richardson of Madison Green wrote a profile of Margosis. The Holocaust is more than the terrible tragedy reported in history books for Margosis, so he is active in the Holocaust Museum’s speakers’ bureau. He was a 12-year old in Belgium when the Nazi war machine came. He remembers the long, perilous journey, during which the family had t avoid capture and somehow managed to survive the bombing and strafing but family members were separated.
Margosis was with a group of children sent from Spain to America where he lived with a foster family. Not until some years later were all family members—lucky survivors—united in America. After college he enlisted in the Army during the Korean War. After basic training he was shipped to Europe as an interpreter but ended up as medical corpsman.
After the army, he earned a master degree in chemistry in evening school and pursued further studies in Florida. He retired as a senior chemist from the Food and Drug Administration—his specialty antibiotic drugs. His family of a son and a daughter and three grandchildren live nearby. He has served as facilitator for the French Conversation Group and has served as chair of the Greenspring Democratic Club.
When Web approached him about Rubin’s story in Military Officer, he wrote the story of the reception. It became a story of two survivors. Villager instituted a column “Small World” because of the coincidental happenings at Greenspring!
Chapel Stained Glass Dedication Statement
By Ian Brown, Executive Director, Greenspring
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Chapel Banner
The Presentation by Margreta Silverstone at the unveiling of the Chapel Banner.
“Thank you. Thank you for the ways you make life at Greenspring Village rich and fulfilling for other community members. Thank you for the ways you contributed to my work on this piece. And thank you, taking time out of your schedule and helping others regularly reflects on your values as a volunteer, generosity of spirit and sense of caring for and belonging to something larger than yourself.
As Jeanne already mentioned, Lisa Holloway and I met through my church community, Seekers church. I am grateful a number of them can be here, including Marjory Bankson who really connected us. I have a banner hanging at Seekers church that was my first piece for a religious setting. Seekers Church also has been formative in my being a fiber artist, from the first quilt class that I took, to my first time teaching a quilting class and my first solo exhibit.
Before the Greenspring chapel space was built, I was privileged to create two pieces for you. What Lisa and I didn’t realize then was what the true dimensions of the chapel space would be. In reality, those two pieces were too small for the front. I do like the way they hang in the little nooks in the back. And, I hope that my friends can see the chapel space after this event.
So, after your worship space was built, Lisa contacted me and asked me to make a piece for the front. She was very specific that the piece had to reflect the saying “This is a house of prayer for all nations”, the text of Isaiah 56:7. She also wanted the piece to be acceptable for Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith traditions.
Working within the construct of representing or honoring all three faith traditions was a significant challenge. My initial thoughts focused on “all the nations” gathered in a space together. I envisioned many undefined people, dressed in their traditional costumes, gathered together. But as I focused on and worked with the images and faith constraints, I started having problems. In some strains of these faith traditions, males and females do not stand next to each other in the house of prayer. Personally, I needed to create a piece where women are equally welcome. In some traditions, standing isn’t the proper posture. With the prostrate position, there are different positions within the faiths. And, finally, within some strands of faith, the depiction of people is not allowed. While my goal was to provide unity, the use of people in the piece didn’t support it.
My visual focus had to be different. Within each faith tradition, certain symbols have inherent meaning and convey identity. I realized I could invoke these symbols. I also realized that involving you in the process could be another way to bring unity and diversity to the piece. I enjoy collaborating on pieces and have done different types of collaborations with artists in the greater DC area and even around the world.
And I spent more time reflecting on the passage. While I was not excited by them all, I designed four options, with different ways to include you. Of the four, this design was my personal favorite. Lisa and Jeanne agreed and, a little more than a year ago you were asked to provide fabrics as your inclusion in this piece. (Unveil Banner)
The Isaiah passage states “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.” What would a unifying house for prayer look like? An empty room, ready for you to enter, could be an invitation to prayer. A way to identify with the room either through the symbols or the colors or the fabric you contributed could also draw you into the space.
My choices for what went where in the room, to reflect the three faith traditions, were intuitive. The blues and greens were to reflect those faith’s strong color associations as well. The sense of ambiguity about the walls, with the play of lights and darks, is deliberate. The addition of the curtain was to give that sense of peeking in on a holy place, and, yes, a reference to the inner sanctum of the holy of holies. The floor is an Islamic tile work design from the 15th century, Eygpt.
One artist friend, on seeing the piece, said that she wanted to walk in and peek out the windows. For me, entering prayer can be like that, I think I know where I am going, but I may find my attention diverted and hear new things. Prayer is being open to a different perspective.
In the intervening time between my other two works for you and this piece, I had developed a way to incorporate text into my work. In my original rendering of this design, the languages represented would have been English, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew. I belong to a great community of artists and appreciate how I can sometimes draw on them for help. One who is here, SherriJoyce King, helped by providing the Arabic herself, with the aide of her spouse, and the Hebrew through her cousin.
As the piece took shape, Jeanne and Dennis wanted other languages to be represented. They worked through you to provide me the text. Working within space constraints, we had to modify how much of the text could be repeated; there is French, Arabic, German, Chinese, Hindi, Hebrew and Spanish.
I want to tell a little story about the Hindi. Is the person who provided the Hindi here? For the piece, it was a lot easier to work with text in a word processing program than in handwriting. I could get the characters of Chinese recognized, but the Hindi was another matter. Another friend’s spouse works in the foreign languages department in the Library of Congress. He asked the colleague who does Hindi to put it into word processing text. When I received the file, the change was amazing. The font added a new level of richness to the language. At my day job, we recently hired a new person of East Indian background. In preparation for this event, I had postcards and note cards made and gave everyone an invitation. I left Geeta’s invitation on her desk as she was out at a meeting. When she came back, she immediately found me and asked about the Hindi. Someday she hopes to see this piece in person.
My original design for the center window was one that Jeanne and Dennis didn’t want. In reality, it introduced some new colors to the piece and did not unify. The selected center echoes the abstract blues from my other two pieces. I also made the center removable, so that you can work with other artists to create a visual center that may represent a particular event, season or faith.
I have spent a year working with this piece, learning new things. I have appreciated that the exposure I have given it has often confirmed my success at conveying the inclusive invitation to prayer that this piece is about. I hope and pray it continues to do that in your worship space.”
The Blackbird as Composer and Singer
By Dr J Graf, translated by Dr Jane Curtis
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MEMORIAL DAY ADDRESS, 2005 (at Greenspring Village)
Ross H. Trower, CT-420
It was the women of the Confederacy who brought flowers to the graves of the men and boys in the days following that awful War between the States.. Northern boys had fallen in Southern fields, far from their homes; Southern men had spilled their blood on the land they fought to defend. It made no difference. The women cared for these men and boys with a generosity born of tragedy, bringing flowers to adorn the brown clay so recently disturbed. Women in the North came as well to the killing fields there to decorate the graves of those men and boys who had come farther north than they had ever been. Mothers and wives and sisters were weaving together this country which had been torn apart by war. Their tears and their flowers were fashioning a new quilt-work made up of States that would eventually become a stronger Union.
We join these ladies of precious sentiment today, as many of our lads are still far away from home, resting peacefully in American cemeteries in France and Italy, the Philippines and Hawaii. Others lie in long rows at the Presidio in San Francisco; or the Veterans Affairs National Cemetery at St. Louis, Missouri; or Fort Snelling’s Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some men are still missing in action in Southeast Asia. We do not have flowers in our arms here, but we have unending gratitude in our hearts.
Since General Order No. 11, issued in 1868, by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially declaring a day of remembrance for those who died in combat, we observe in this place of our residence Memorial Day honoring all those men and women who have died in battle with a declared enemy of our nation. We need today to include the young men and women of these latter years, not only of World War II. They died in Korea, in Vietnam, in Lebanon, in Somalia, in the Persian Gulf, in Afghanistan, and in Iraq. We must not forget the fresher graves.
What is the sentiment that we bring to this day now?
It may be anger, for remembering grief can awaken anger. When news of death comes to us, we feel that we have been robbed, deprived, left alone. We cannot hide the shock of loss. It prompts us to all sorts of thoughts of rage and revenge, most of which, gratefully, we consider in the light of better judgments.
Anger, however, may still be hidden within us on a day such as this. We think of the loss of young men and women, whose lives seem to have been too short, too unfulfilled. We think of resources spent. We review in our minds and in the images of television and the movies the massive destruction of cities and houses and ports. We wonder what it is that motivates greed, the exercise of fiendish power, the lack of our finding common interests. There is no easy answer except that peace is always worth its pursuit.
I believe that when we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives we ourselves stand taller. Amid all the feelings of loss and grief we find that heroes have given to others something very precious: opportunity, freedom, hope, security. In our larger humanity we come to discover gratitude, an encompassing sentiment of noble and generous living that honors the heroic dead and energizes our desires for a better world for us and for our children.
Though we may shed a tear now, gratitude for the young men and women who lost their lives in battle leads us to find positive action, creative ideas that stir even more our work for justice and peace.
It is not just a patriotic thing for us to celebrate Memorial Day honoring our men and women who have made the ultimate contribution of themselves for freedom; it is our duty, our opportunity of giving thanks and finding hope renewed.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
George Washington’s Zither and Other Curiosities of American Zither History
by Jane Curtis, WC-422
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Concepts of the Cosmos
Albert Weinstein, April 8, 2005
Preamble: How did the Universe begin, what is its form, and how does it work?
These are eternal questions our ancestors wondered about since before recorded time. In the past they have been answered primarily by religion and mythology in a symbiotic relationship. With the emergence of science in the middle ages other answers, based on observation and test, have developed. Throughout the world there continue to be many concepts, each passionately held by its believers. Some may seem preposterous. In his book “A Brief History of Time” Stephen Hawking tells the story of the little old lady who after hearing a lecture on astronomy said that it was all rubbish and claimed that “the world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise” When challenged as to what the tortoise is standing on, she triumphantly replied “its turtles all the way down.”
I will trace the evolution of several of these cosmic concepts from the ancient Hebrews to that based on the “Big Bang”.
Please note: The terms Cosmos and Universe, meaning essentially the same thing, are used interchangeably.
Ancient Hebrews: The image of the world as imagined by Biblical writers was very different and vastly smaller than the Cosmos known today. To them there was a “firmament” in the sky in which the stars were embedded. It separated the “waters above” from the “waters below” A flat earth floated on the lower waters. When activated a “floodgate”, allowed the “waters from above” to rain down on the earth below.
500 B.C. Pythagoras: In about 500 B.C. Pythagoras, the famous Greek mathematician, had a different concept of the Cosmos. His view was based on the beauty of the theory of numbers. To him the sphere was the most perfect shape and therefore, without any experiment or observations, he concluded that the earth must be a sphere. He further postulated that the earth was at the center of the Universe around which there were seven concentric shells. On these rested the moon, sun and planets. The seventh shell was reserved for heaven. That is the source for the expression “seventh heaven.” (Pythagoras is best known to high school students for his theorem that in a right triangle the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the two opposite sides.)
340 B.C. Aristotle: In 340 B.C. the Greek philosopher Aristotle theorized that the earth was round and not flat. He based his theory on observations by noting the experience of sailors who would first see the top of the masts of sailing ships as they approached from over the horizon before seeing their hulls. Furthermore during an eclipse he observed the circular form of the earth’s shadow on the moon and reasoned that such shadow could only be formed by a spherical earth. For that time period the idea of a spherical Earth was contrary to common wisdom and preposterous!
Aristotle’s concept of the Cosmos was somewhat similar to that of Pythagoras but larger. It consisted of 55 individual, concentric, transparent, shells centered on a stationery earth. Each shell carried a celestial body and rotated at a different velocity. The Moon was the first of the celestial bodies followed by Mercury, Venus, SUN, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the fixed stars, and finally the “Prime Mover.” The motion of the “Prime Mover” was imparted to the other shells causing each of them to rotate. To conform his theory to observations he added a complex system of “Epicycles” in which each celestial body orbited in a small circle around its position on its larger shell.
150 AD Ptolemy: The Egyptian Ptolemy modified Aristotle’s system of Epicycles by adding Epicycles to each of his Epicycles. In 150 A.D. Ptolemy published his concept of the Cosmos, including a catalog of the stars, in a book that became known as the “Almagest.” This very complex system, with the Earth at the center (geocentric), became known as the “Ptolemaic Universe.” It prevailed as authoritative for more than a thousand years. Very important, the Earth, being at the privileged center of the system, placed man and his God there. It was accordingly embraced by the Catholic Church and became part of its dogma.
1543 Nikolai Kopernik (Copernicus): Nikolai Kopernik, better known as Copernicus, was born in 1473 in Poland and is recognized as the founder of modern astronomy. He studied mathematics and medicine and received a doctorate in canon law. Through the influence of his uncle he was appointed a canon of the Church; in addition to his ecclesiastical duties he practiced medicine. During his spare time he made astronomical observation and then wrote the book, “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.” When published in 1543 it completely revised the Earth centered (geocentric) Cosmos of Ptolemy. Copernicus proposed a Sun centered (heliocentric) system in which the Earth together with the other planets revolved in circular orbits around the Sun. This is what he wrote:
“Finally we shall place the Sun himself at the center of the Universe. All this is suggested by the systematic procession of events and the harmony of the whole Universe, if only we face the facts, as they say, ‘with both eyes open’.”
Although Copernicus conceived of the planets revolving in orbits around the Sun he was puzzled as to what it was that held them together. He did not know.
Being a perfectionist and also fearing the Church’s possible reaction Copernicus didn’t publish his book until close to his death 1543. His apprehension was justified. By removing the Earth and man from the special position in the center of the Universe, the book contradicted the scriptures of the Church which had adopted the Ptolemaic Universe. It was banned in 1616 and was not restored until 1835.
1564-1642-Galileo Galilei: Whereas Copernicus is considered to be the founder of modern astronomy, Galileo, who was a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Pisa, is regarded as the founder of modern experimental science. He is perhaps best known for his use of the telescope which had recently been invented by a Dutch lens maker. In particular he noted that four moons circled the planet Jupiter. From such observations he reasoned that if those moons could circle Jupiter then not all heavenly bodies were constrained to use the Earth for their center of revolution and thereby concluded that Copernicus’s concept of a heliocentric Cosmos was correct. He invited Church officials to look through the telescope to see what he saw but they refused to do so because they considered the telescope to be an instrument of Satan. Galileo’s strong support of Copernicus incurred the wrath of the Inquisition which, after a trial for heresy, condemned Galileo to lifetime house arrest.
1642-1727 Sir Isaac Newton: Sir Isaac Newton was one of the foremost mathematicians and physicists of all time. According to the legend, after seeing an apple fall in his orchard in 1665, he conceived of the law of gravity as the force that holds the planets in their orbits around the sun. Gravity he declared is always a positive force, has an infinite range and acts instantaneously. With his laws of gravity Newton had solved Copernicus’s puzzle of what bound the planets and Sun together.
Newton’s concept of the Cosmos was that of an infinite number of stars that remained static in space. The infinity of stars was the reason that they did not collapse on each other despite their mutual gravitational attraction . He argued that since there is an equal number of stars on each side of any star the force of gravity on one side would be offset by gravity on the opposite side. Finally, he believed that space and time were independent and absolute.
1879-1955 Albert Einstein: Einstein’s cosmic concept was dramatically different from that of Newton. In 1905 Einstein’s paper on Special Relativity was published. It said that space and time were not independent or absolute and that the position and motion of any object can only be measured relative to another object which is also in motion.
He further stated that the speed of light is an absolute and nothing can travel faster. In accordance with his famous equation e=mc2 energy and matter can be converted into each other. A small amount of matter can be transformed into an enormous amount of energy. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were catastrophic proofs of that. On a personal basis, if all of the matter in each of our bodies were converted into energy it would be equivalent to thirty large hydrogen bombs. (So be careful of how you hug your loved one.)
In 1916 Einstein augmented his special theory of relativity with the general theory of relativity. His concept of gravity was fundamentally different from Newton’s. Whereas Newton expressed the phenomenon as a gravitational force that acted instantaneously, Einstein’s concept was that of a gravitational field in which gravitational waves generated by celestial bodies were propagated at the speed of light-that is very fast but it is not instantaneous. (Such waves have not as yet been detected.)
During an eclipse in 1919 the British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington found that light from a star curved around the sun as a result of the sun’s gravitational effect exactly as Einstein had predicted.
Like Newton, Einstein thought that the stars were static in space. But he was conflicted by his own equations which indicated the possibility that the stars by their mutual gravitational attraction might collapse toward each other. To preclude that theoretical possibility, Einstein arbitrarily introduced into his equations a “cosmological constant;” it opposed gravity.
But in 1922, Alexander Friedman, an obscure Russian mathematician, using a simplification of Einstein's equations calculated that the Universe was dynamic and not static and could either be expanding or contracting.
1927 Edwin Hubble: Until Edwin Hubble made his observations in 1927 most astronomers believed the Milky Way galaxy was unique in the cosmos; the Milky Way was the Cosmos. But Hubble trained the 100 inch diameter Mt. Wilson telescope (compare that to Galileo’s 2 inch diameter telescope) on what is a small “fuzzy blur” in the Andromeda constellation and saw it to be a galaxy of stars similar to the Milky Way. He realized that we are not alone and that the Milky Way was not the Cosmos!
Hubble subsequently discovered more than 100 galaxies, measured their distances from Earth and found that the further away they were the faster they receded from each other at very high speed. These observations confirmed Friedman’s analysis that the universe was dynamic and expanding . Hubble’s discovery was the forerunner and first evidence of what later became known as the “Big Bang”. In great embarrassment Einstein then said that the insertion of a “cosmological constant” into his equations was “the greatest blunder of my life.”
The Big Bang Theory: In 1927 the Belgian priest and astronomer Abbe Georges Lemaitre used Alexander Friedman type solutions to formulate a model for the beginning of the Cosmos. He wrote that there was a “Cosmic Egg” which exploded billions of years ago and then expanded. He propounded his theory to Hubble and Einstein at a meeting at Caltech in 1931. Einstein then commented that it was the most beautiful description of the creation of the Universe that he had ever heard.
In 1940 George Gamow a Professor at George Washington University predicted that the explosion described by Lemaitre would produce a background of microwave radiation that could be detected.
That proved to be the case. In 1964 while conducting tests on satellite communication, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson of Bell Telephone Laboratories inadvertently detected the microwave radiation that Gamow had predicted. Because it was the first experimental confirmation of the Big Bang theory they were awarded the Nobel Prize.
Further confirmation of the Big Bang theory was obtained in 1992 by NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer(Cobe) satellite. In addition to detecting the microwave energy of the Big Bang, the satellite found exceedingly small variations representing tiny gravitational ripples that were the seeds for the subsequent creation of everything.
Scientists then morphed Lemaitre’s “Cosmic Egg” into a “singularity,” of infinite temperature, and density, which was zero in size. It exploded creating space that expanded at extremely high velocity carrying time, sub atomic particles and radiation with it.
For 300,000 years after the Big Bang the cosmic soup was so hot and dense that no light could penetrate it. But as it expanded and cooled it became possible for electrons to join up with protons to form primarily hydrogen and some helium. After 300,000 years the cosmic soup had expanded and thinned out sufficiently to allow light to escape. That was the background radiation observed by Penzias and Wilson and the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite.
As the universe continued to expand huge clouds of hydrogen formed and dispersed. In time as it continued to cool, and, compressed by gravity, the hydrogen clouds condensed into galaxies, stars and us.
Recently, more accurate satellite measurement of distance and velocity of the galaxies resulted in the determination that the Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago.
That is apparently what we do know and it is a lot, but there is much more that we don't know. In particular we don’t know the nature of “dark matter” and “dark energy”
What is “dark matter
Dark Matter: Stars in a galaxy revolve around a center just as planets revolve around the Sun. In accordance with celestial laws the outer stars in a galaxy should orbit at a slower velocity than the inner stars that are closer to the center of the galaxy. In 1970, Dr. Vera Rubin of the Carnegie Institution of Washington found that was not the case. They were orbiting just as fast as those closer to the center. Unless there was additional mass in the galaxy to hold them, the outer stars would spin away like a skater on the end of the line in the game of “crack the whip.” As a consequence of her findings, and that of other astronomers, cosmologists believe there is additional “dark matter”, invisible to normal observations, that is holding the outer stars in their orbits. Although there are some theories we really don’t know what it is. Nevertheless it is estimated that “dark matter” accounts for 23% of the matter in the Universe.
What is “dark energy?”
Dark Energy: In 1999 physicists from Princeton University and Lawrence National Laboratory, after surveying a wide range of evidence of the explosion of massive stars (Supernova) in many galaxies, wrote that “it is forcing us to consider the possibility that some cosmic “dark energy” exists that opposes the self-attraction of matter and causes the expansion of the Universe to accelerate.” Although astronomers know what the effects of “dark energy” are they do not know what it is even though it represents 73% of all that exists in the Universe. Einstein may have been right after all. “Dark Energy” may be the reincarnation of his “cosmological constant.”
What is the current concept of the cosmos?
Current Cosmos Concept: The Universe is vastly greater than that envisioned by the ancient Hebrews and almost beyond comprehension. The current concept of the Cosmos is that it consists of three major component parts; “matter”, “dark matter” and “dark energy.” “Matter” is the stuff with which we are generally familiar. It includes more than 100 billion galaxies each with about 100 billion stars, planets, comets, oceans, trees, mountains, and us. But that accounts for only 4% of all that exists in the cosmos - only 4%.. “Dark matter” accounts for 23% and “dark energy” for 73% .
It is ironic that much more is known about the smallest component of the Cosmos and least is known about the largest. Understandably Cosmologists are expending much effort in attempting to learn the nature of “Dark Matter” and “Dark Energy.” When in the future that is known the concept of the Cosmos is likely to be very different from today’s.
Final comment: Some may find the Cosmos of the Big Bang theory overwhelming and preposterous. Accordingly they could conclude that the concept of a “flat plate resting on a giant tortoise” with “turtles all the way down” is more plausible after all.
Hubble’s Fate
Albert Weinstein, March 1, 2005
Conceived in 1962 by the National Academy of Sciences construction of the Hubble Space Telescope was completed in 1985. It was initially launched on the Space Shuttle in 1990 but a significant flaw in its primary mirror required major corrections; consequently it wasn’t until 1993 that the Hubble Space Telescope became operational. Since then it has proven to be spectacularly successful. With high resolution it has revealed stars in the process of creation, millions of galaxies, and a deep view of the visible Universe shortly after the Big Bang.
During its twelve years of operation, Hubble has had several servicing missions by the Space Shuttle to replace failing gyroscopes and other instruments. Current calculations indicate that unless it is serviced again it will ultimately fail in 2007.
NASA had scheduled a servicing mission to keep Hubble operational until its replacement, the James Webb Space Telescope, (which will have a primary mirror about twice that of Hubble,) would become operational in about 2011. But last year, in the wake of the Columbia disaster, Sean O’Keefe, the then Administrator of NASA, citing safety concerns, canceled the scheduled servicing mission.
That decision generated considerable reaction not only in the science community but with members of Congress as well. In response to such pressure, Mr. O’Keefe then proposed a Canadian robotic mission to replace the failing instruments. However the National Academy of Sciences recently determined that the robotic mission would be too complex and costly. They urged that NASA reconsider a Space Shuttle servicing mission by astronauts.
With the resignation of Sean O’Keefe as Administrator of NASA on Feb.11, 2005 the issue of safety seems to have evaporated. The justification for canceling the servicing mission now hinges on the estimated cost of $ 1 billion dollars. (Considering that previous Shuttle missions cost less than halve of that amount that estimate is suspect.) Nevertheless, President George W. Bush requested no funding in his 2006 budget to save Hubble, an action which seemingly would doom Hubble’s fate.
That would be a scientific disaster. Hubble keeps us at the forefront of scientific knowledge and cosmology. Not only does it provide evidence of how the Universe evolved it is a symbol to the world of U.S. preeminence of space science.
Not all is lost-yet. Once more members of the scientific community are expressing deep concern and Congress may well be the final arbiter. With the resignation of Sean O’Keefe, former astronaut Fredrick Gregory has been named as interim Administrator of NASA. As a short timer it is doubtful that he will become involved in the Hubble debate for it is believed that a permanent Administrator will soon be nominated. During the Senate hearings on his/her nomination it can be expected that many Senators, especially Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, who has been a very strong supporter of Hubble, will question him/her closely concerning Hubble’s fate and that she and other members of Congress will campaign hard to restore Hubble to a few more years of life. There is still hope. (Click Here and go to the Hubble Web Site for more photos and information)