Thursday May 3, 2007 7:35 am Lethbridge Sunrise 6:06 Sunset 20:51 Hours of daylight: 14:45

A. Morning Musings

7:35 am It is +7 C with a high forecast of +10 C. It is raining fairly heavily at the moment.

Here are the news.

CBC Headline: Federal Government in Court to Defend Handling of Detainees

Human rights groups will be seeking an injunction today to prevent Canadian troops from handing over detainees to Afghan authorities. The concern is that once they are handed over there is evidence that they will be tortured. This is part of an ongoing story about the relationship between Canadian and Afghan governments regarding the handling of prisoners of war. The story gets more comlicated as more details become available. At the moment it is very confusing to understand exactly what is going on.

Canadian Headline: see above

Australian Headline: (from The Australian): Fresh Skirmishes Break Out On Industrial Battlefield

There are fresh arguments by both Howard and Rudd regarding their views on industrial relations policies. This is shaping up as the major issue in the upcoming election.

From rear window	South patio
Both images taken at 11:40 am

B. Actual/Notes

8:00 am I love the sound of rain on the roof, although it is now a very light rain. The coffee is hot. I am having difficulty getting my head around activities for today. The two main well-defined long-term indoor activities are converting my LPs to MP3 format and updating my web pages for the birding trips we had while in Mexico in February/March. Two other long-term indoor activities are model trains and mathematics, both of which are in limbo at the moment.

	Literature 28 May 3
Literature Notes
8:20 am I completed reading Book Six yesterday. Now to make some notes. Part III Book Six: The Russian Monk Chap. 1 The Elder Zosima and His Visitors Aloysha returns to the monestary and finds that Zosima is still alive, and in fact appears much more alert than when he left in the morning. Chap. 2 From the Life of the Hiermonk and Elder Zosima This is a description of the personal background of Zosima. It describes a duel that he fought when he was young and of the effect of his actions on another man. Chap. 3 From Talks and Homilies of the Elder Zosima This is a description of many of the speeches and conversations of Zosima that Alyosha put down in writing. At the end of this description, Zosima dies. "They have science, and in science only that which is subject to the senses. But the spiritual world, the higher half of man's being, is altogether rejected, banished with a sort of triumph, even with hatred." [p. 313] "But what comes of this right to increase one's needs? For the rich, isolation and spiritual suicide; for the poor, envy and murder, for they have been given rights, but have not been shown any way of satisfying their needs." [p. 313] "We are assured that the world is becoming more and more united, is being formed into brotherly communion, by the shortening of distances, by the transforming of thoughts through the air. Alas, do not believe in such a union of people. Taking freedom to mean the increase and prompt satisfaction of needs, they distort their own nature, for they generate many meaningless and foolsih desires, habits, and the most absurd fancies in themselves. They live only for mutual envy, for pleasure-seeking and self-display. ... They have succeeded in amassing more and more things, but have less and less joy." [p. 313 - 314] SUMMARY of the session: These three chapters are unlike anything one would see in a modern novel. The entire section is an aside that provides a detailed view of religion in Russia in the nineteenth century. As such it makes fascinating reading today. Much of it is timeless. But it appears to have very little with the story itself.   Part III Book Seven: Alyosha Chap. 1 The Odor of Corruption Zosima's body is prepared for burial but it begins to smell due to decomposition while they are still saying prayers over it. Many interpret this as a sign that the monk did not have favor with God. Alyosha seems devastated by this development and leaves the monastery. Chap. 2 An Opportune Moment Alyosha remains steadfast in his belief in Zosima, but is dismayed that others are abandoning his teachings. Rakitin meets Alyosha and convinces him to accompany him as they go to visit Grushenka. Chap. 3 An Onion The title of this chapter refers to a story where God gives someone in need an onion that can be used to pull one out of trouble if they are steadfast. Alyosha gives Grushenka such "an onion" by realizing that she is fundamentally good, even though she is a prostitute. Chap. 4 Cana of Galilee Alyosha returns to the monastery and falls asleep beside Zosima's coffin. He has a dream about Christ and the wedding with a poor family and is visited by an image of Zosima. Alosha believes that his soul was visited at that moment and that he would be strong in the days ahead with the confidence that comes from total belief. Aloysha then leaves the monastery in accordance with the words of Zosima.   SUMMARY of the session: These four chapters focus on Alyosha and describe the pivotal events surrounding the death of Zosima and the strengthening of his belief in Zosima as he leaves the monastery to continue his life in the world.

9:00 am Making notes for "The Brothers Karamazov" opens the option of reading the next "Book"of the novel . Reading on a dull rainy day is a pleasant activity.

We made note of a url for birding while in Jasper a couple of weeks ago. I just tried it out. It is fantastic!

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/

This could keep me busy for quite some time.

9:50 am I have joined eBird at the Cornell website and have submitted an observation report for the Sandhill Cranes and Bald Eagles that we saw at Waterton Lakes on May 1. I used the Google mapping option to locate the exact location of the parking lot where we saw the birds, and my iPhoto files to note the exact times we were there.

11:40 am Here are two more photos showing the beginning of the spring activity of the May tree in our backyard.

3:00 PM I have just spent 5 hours converting 3 LP's to MP3 format. One LP was folk music by the Limeliters, one was Maori songs and one was the soundtrack from the movie "The Sting". A great way to spend a rainy day.

C. Plan

Immediate
Mathematics	Continue reading "Algebra: Abstract and Concrete" by Frederick Goodman	1 hr
Literature	Read & make notes for books 5 & 6 of "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky	2 hr
Birds	Update database to include 2007 Mexico trip	1 hr
	Joined eBird ( http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ ) and submitted an observation report	1 hr
Later
Technology	Convert LPs to MP3 format	5 hr
	Make notes for chap. 4 of "Switching to the Mac"
	Burn backup of images onto DVD
Mathematics	Read & make notes on The Humongous Book of Calculus Problems
	Read "Symmetry" by David Wade
	Make notes for "Mathematics: A Human Endeavor" ch 1
	Read "Fearless Symmetry" chap 9: Elliptic Curves
Model Trains	Add ground cover to oil refinery diorama
	Follow tutorial for version 8 of 3rd PlanIt
	Continue assembly of coaling tower
	Purchase DCC system
Birds	Create notebook pages birding in Mexico
History	Begin reading "Maya"
	Read Watson "Ideas"
Philosophy	Read & make notes for "Breaking the Spell"
	Begin reading "How Are We To Live?" by Peter Singer
Literature	New York Times easy crossword puzzles
GO	Complete reading "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go"
Puzzles	The Orange Puzzle Cube: puzzle #10
Major Goals
Learning	Review week's pages each Sunday
	Review all pages for the month at the end of each month
Technology	Review & edit iPhoto files for 2006
Model Trains	Become proficient with 3rd PlanIt software
	Install DCC on model train layout
GO	Learn to play GO at something better than a beginner level
Drawing	Learn to draw!! (I keep saying this, yet I have yet to put a pencil to paper).
Mathematics	Continue to play with mathematics.
Literature	Continue to read Literature
Bird Watching	Continue to engage in bird watching activities.

D. Reflection