Our Bats

                             

                                                   
                                            Little Brown Bat infected with WNS
                                                       Wikimedia photo
      It is the worst of times for Myotis lucifugus, better known as "little brown bats". A few years back on two summer nights I had the good fortune to capture three that intruded into bedrooms of two houses in Fly Creek, New York. Method of capture was simple - one flew directly into my hand-held
pillow case. The other two were encouraged to fly in a lighted, closed off room. Once exhausted they landed and I picked them up with a pillow case. As I gently felt for one bat under fabric and touched a lump - it cried. Carefully I took each outside and with a soft swoosh they were gone into darkness. These were my three rescues - I remember their fear and fragile beauty.
     Since then and hopefully learning - bats are enormously valuable, rendering great service; ". . . one little brown bat can ingest from 600 to 1000 mosquito size insects every hour." Overall the suppression of insects by bats provides a service to American agriculture valued at between 4 and 50 billion dollars. *
     At about the same time as my rescues, White Nose Syndrome (the fungus Pseudogymnoaseus destructians) was discovered in caves in central New York State (2006-2008). These caves used by bats for winter hibernation are known as hibernacula. WNS infects a hibernating bat's muzzle, ears and wings. They awaken, burn energy, become dehydrated, emaciated and dead. Species affected besides the "little browns" are small footed bats (Myotis leibii), Indiana bats (Myotis sodalist) and others. The impact upon bats has been devastating. Since WNS emerged the bat population in the Northeastern United States has declined by 80% - with more than 6,000,000 killed. The little brown bat may now be en route to extinction. **
     The Nature Conservancy owns the Aleolus Cave near Dorset, Vermont. Elizabeth Kolbert suggests that it may be the largest hibernaculum in New England and used by bats for winter hibernation since the end of the last ice age. Kolbert describes the scene inside the Aleolus Cave in 2009 as "horrific". She writes, "The ground was covered with dead bats; some of the ice knobs had bats frozen into them. There were torpid bats roosting on the ceiling, and also wide awake ones, which would take off and fly by or sometimes right into us." Bats are very social - one scientist watched a live bat trying to nuzzle into a group of dead ones. In 2013 the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department posted signs at Aleolus, "This Cave is Closed Until Further Notice". Spreading from bat to bat and cave to cave WNS by September 2014 had reached 25 states and 5 Canadian provinces.***
     The most recent issue of the Nature Conservancy Magazine (Oct/Nov 2015) contains an article "The Battle for Bracken Cave". It describes how conservationists and community members have united and successfully protected Bracken Cave, located near San Antonio from a plan to build 3500 homes nearby. Bracken Cave for eight months each year is home to ". . . the densest concentration of mammals on the planet." During this period between 15 and 20 million Mexican free tail bats fly out of the Cave each night in pursuit of 140 tons of agricultural insect pests. The exodus requires three hours and is a tourist attraction. Bracken Cave is also owned by the Nature Conservancy.****
     I appreciate the efforts of the San Antonio conservationists, community leaders and support the Nature Conservancy, but was staggered by the absence of any mention of the WNS. Is the Mexican free tail bat immune to the fungus? Is Bracken Cave too warm to support WNS fungus? What is the prognosis for Bracken Cave and its millions of bats? So I clicked off the following email to the NC magazine. "Question: How can you publish an article about bats e.g. 'Bracken Cave'  in 2015 and not mention the catastrophe of white nose syndrome?"
     Eric Seeger, a Senior Editor promptly replied. ". . . While doing research for this article I asked many experts familiar with Bracken Cave whether white nose syndrome was a subject we should address in the article. They unanimously said no, and here is the general reason they gave: hibernation vs migration. White nose syndrome is a fungus that leads to the death of hibernating bats . . .  the bat population at Bracken Cave consists mostly of  Brazilian/Mexican Free Tail Bats. This is a migratory species that does not hibernate, so its populations have not been affected by white nose syndrome. And the experts I spoke to felt it will not become a threat to this species." Mr. Seeger also attached a link to a research report that claims some success in treating WNS.
     http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/tennessee/success-in-treating-white-nose-syndrome.xm
     My reply in part: ". . . As for the general reason . . . many experts gave . . . I hope to hell they are right."

     Note; Bats and Rabies. The US Center for Disease Control reports that there are 1 or 2 rabies cases in the US each year. Of the 19 cases between 1997 and 2006, 17 were associated with bats. Among an unspecified number of bats captured by humans or cats and submitted for evaluation only 6 per cent tested positive for rabies.

*USGS/WildlifeHealth/WNS. Also FloridaEverglades.com
**Elizabeth Kolbert The Sixth Extinction:An Unnatural History Holt: NY; 2014 pp 180-186. Also USGS/WLH/WNS
***Elizabeth Kolbert. Also Wikipedia/WNS
****Nature Conservancy Magazine Oct/Nov 2015 pp 50-59.

Dave Beetle's Adirondacks

                                               

                                 

                                                Fifth & Sixth Lakes
                                                AndyArthur.org photo

     Sixty-seven years after initial publication I finally read Dave Beetle's Up Old Forge Way and West Canada Creek *. In 1946 and 1948 each was chronicled by Dave in a series of columns published by the Utica Observer Dispatch. In 1971, around the time of his death they were combined into a single volume  and republished. The book is a natural and social history leavened with considerable gossip - a snap shot of people who settled in New York State's Adirondack region, specifically the Moose River system - North, Middle and South branches.. Reading it today is time travel - straight back - the people of whom he writes are "frozen in time" and their communities today dramatically altered.
     I first met Dave when I was age 8 or so. He and his wife were friends of my parents via the Utica Tramp and Trail Club - a vigorous hiking, canoeing, kayaking and skiing club with a solid social component. My mother and father were introduced at a T&T event. Organized in the late 1920s it flourishes still - I think.
     David H. Beetle was an educated man - Phi Beta Kappa from Hamilton College. He had a slender frame topped with black hair parted in the middle, combed straight back and a thick mustache. Dave was exceptionally fit - able to hike or kayak miles in Adirondack wilderness to visit an isolated lake or a rarely climbed peak. Before commencing a 16 mile trek Dave writes of a warning from the NY State District Ranger.
     " ' It's going to be cold, cloudy and wet for the next three days' he told us on the May morning we were slated to go to the place where the West Canada begins. 'The trail is a mess. It will be a dismal trip. Do you still want to go? ' Well we didn't come from a long line of Martha's Vineyard whalers to be bothered by a little thing like the weather. ' Sure we'll go' we said cheerfully. So we went and the weather was everything the Ranger promised - and maybe a few gallons more." (WCC p. 15)
     The Fulton Chain of Lakes - my mother and father tried each year to spend his one week vacation camping (i.e. tenting) somewhere in the Adirondacks. Through the years my brothers, sister and I helped our father pitch a heavy canvas wall tent (no floor - had to be Army surplus) in many sites including but not limited to Hinckley, Piseco and Eaton lakes, Eagle Bay, 3rd, 7th, and 8th lakes. Dave writes of the life and times of permanent and seasonal residents in these and other Big Moose locations up to the end of the Second World War, As for natural beauty he identifies places not to be missed, e.g. the peak that offers one of the finest views available in the Adirondack Park. Dave calls it the Fulton Chain's No. 1 landmark; Bald Mountain.
     "You can puff up the mountain in from 15 minutes to an hour depending upon how energetic you are or how deep the snow is. The summer route is a well-defined path with planks, ladders, cables and convenient tree roots. It starts from the Old Forge - Eagle Bay Road about opposite the Bald Mountain House Drive. . . . The winter route starts 100 yards or so up the Rondaxe Lake Road and bears to the left. We tackled that on skis; got a gorgeous, wintry view from the top; saw a deer floundering in the snow; made the descent without a single spill - something we thought was pretty good until we found an Old Forge ski folder grading it as a 'novice trail' ". (UOFW p. 95)
     On my finest day it never occurred to me to go up and down the Bald Mt./Rondaxe trail in winter on cross country skis.
     During the 1966 New York State Assembly session I saw Dave a few times in the Capital Building. He was now an editor for the Albany Knickerbocker News. I was a staffer for a one term Assembly man and future Utica mayor, Eddie Hanna. Aware that Dave was around I would try and unearth a tidbit of information that might interest him and also help our District. (e.g. At the time creation of a Hinckley Lake State Park was under consideration by the Department of Environmental Conservation.) But my boss was a "maverick" and in the kingdom of Assembly Speaker Anthony Travia and Democratic Majority leader Stanley Steingut we were privy to almost nothing.
     Summer in the late 1960s - my wife Annette and I with two young daughters  were camping (i.e. tenting) in Maine's magnificent Arcadia National Park. Shopping one afternoon in Bar Harbor we met the Beetles coming out of a tourist shoppe. Dave had remarried and was with his wife and four (?) year old daughter. They were staying in a motel and we invited them over to our tent site to share a campfire. To my immense pleasure they came that evening. For a couple of hours we sat in darkness before a perfect log fire. The little girls roasted marsh mellows and then poked hot spots with long sticks. We talked, watching sparks streak up and vanish. Dave with his slow melodic delivery mused of state politics, the Tramp and Trail Club and of course the Adirondacks; the mountains, the lakes when frozen for skiing or liquid for canoeing, the rivers, bogs, the bears, storms . . . .
     Closing Dave's book I sort of returned - the world of 2015 seemed a slightly darker, emptier place.

* David H. Beetle Up Old Forge Way/West Canada Creek North Country Books: Lakemont and Old Forge, NY; 1972.
See also; AndyArthur.org  for excellent photos of the region.

A Hate Crime in Cooperstown, N.Y.

                                         

Excerpts from the Statement by Judge Brian Burns.
The complete Statement appears in the Daily Star - Oneonta, N.Y. July 23, 2011.

Note: This decision by Judge Burns was sustained in 2015, on an appeal by Pacherille to the New York State Court of Appeals by a vote of 6-4.

     ". . . On April 2, 2010 Anthony Pacherille attempted to murder Wesley Lippitt by shooting at him not once, but twice and then he turned his weapon on himself. In Anthony's own words he chose to attempt to murder Wesley Lippitt because Wesley Lippitt is an African-American. Racism is an ugly and hateful belief and most decent well-meaning people find it hard to believe that a neighbor or friend such as Anthony Pacherille could harbor such beliefs. . . . It would be easier to believe Anthony Pacherille's actions were caused by mental illness, or any other reason except for racism. But to blame Anthony Pacherille's actions on anything but racism is to ignore his own statements and the reality of Anthony Pacherille's experience. . . . He wrote a letter explaining his beliefs and the reasons for his actions on April 2, 2010. The following are Anthony's words from a letter which was produced and entered into evidence before the Grand Jury. . . . 'I don't even want to live in this world. Niggers and Jews will bring this country down but no one seems to see it coming. All of these social parasites - Niggers, Jews, Mexicans, South Americans. The Nazis were the last chance to secure the power of Europe and the white race. I don't want to live in a world where there is no white majority. The meaning of life died when Europe's power declined and fascism failed. There is no point in living. I can no longer sit here and watch the blacks and Jews taking over everything that white people created. The damn Jews and Niggers have won. My last words will be Hitler lives.'
     . . . It has been argued that his attempted murder of Wesley Lippitt was a onetime aberration caused by his mental illness and that Anthony presents no danger to the community. These arguments ignore the facts and are not valid.
     At his request I've thoroughly reviewed the psychiatric reports submitted by Anthony in preparation for today's sentencing. . . . Anthony related to this doctor that he felt that he was better than his classmates and that he was more intelligent than most people. He told this doctor that on the day in question he knew exactly what he was doing. . . . This doctor also specifically asked Anthony questions about his potential future conduct. He absolutely denied having thoughts of trying to kill someone else in the future - except when he is irritated. When asked what he would be doing if not in jail he told the doctor he was afraid that 'something would happen again, something bad.'
     . . . That's not to say however,that Anthony does not suffer from mental illness. It is clear that he does. The scope and severity of Anthony's mental illness has been an issue throughout these proceedings. . . . The Court repeatedly scheduled hearings to give Mr. Pacherille the opportunity to demonstrate the extent of his psychiatric needs. Defense counsel repeatedly asked for these hearings to be adjourned and ultimately withdrew them altogether.
     . . . The Court wanted to be assured that Anthony was competent to make decisions in this case. Accordingly, the Court on its own, ordered a competency evaluation under Article 730 of the Criminal Procedure Law. This is an independent evaluation submitted directly to the Court. . . . in short, after considering these independent evaluations, as well as other evidence in the record at the time the defendant entered his plea, the Court found that the defendant was unquestionably competent to stand trial in this case and equally competent to enter a plea bargain. Significantly, he was competent to evaluate and withdraw his claim that he was not guilty of the crime due to a mental disease or defect.
     There can be no question but that our nation has a troubled history of racism. Nor can there be any question that our nation is devoted to the ideal and philosophy that all people are created equal and that their worth is not determined by the color of their skin. This ideal of equality and opportunity is the beacon that draws people from all over the world to America.
When Anthony Pacherille chose to kill Wesley Lippitt because of Wesley's racial heritage, his conduct reverberated far beyond Wesley and his family and has impacted the entire community. So the response from the community to this crime must be as serious as the crime itself. It must include a lengthy period of incarceration so that it is clear racist and bigoted views are rejected in their entirety. (It) is also necessary so that Wesley Lippitt knows that he is a valued member of our community and that his scars, both internal and external, are not and will not be forgotten. . . .
     But it is also true that our system of justice requires a consideration of the defendant's individual circumstances. Anthony Pacherille is a teenager and perhaps lacks maturity and experience to appreciate how destructive his views and actions are. In addition, Anthony Pacherille undoubtedly suffers from one or more mental illnesses. His psychological needs, coupled with his age and the possibility of rehabilitation are mitigating factors that justify a deviation from the maximum. I approve a reduction from the 25 years he could have received had he gone to trial and been convicted, to less than half - 11 years - with credit for the year he has already served. . . . It must be noted that his mental illness does not justify his conduct or excuse  his actions . . . To suggest otherwise does a grave disservice to the approximately 40 million Americans who suffer from some sort of mental illness at any given time and do not commit acts of extreme violence and hatred. Let me be clear - depression does not cause racism. Anxiety does not cause anti Semitism. A bi-polar disorder does not cause pro-fascism. And none of them cause a person to attempt murder.
     Even though Anthony Pacherille agreed to plead guilty, as an adult and serve an 11 year sentence in return for the District Attorney reducing or dismissing every charge against him, he now asks the court to vacate (that is essentially erase) his conviction and sentence him to little or no additional jail time as a youthful offender. The court has considered this request and denies it. . . .
     Based on the foregoing, it is the ORDER of the COURT that Anthony Pacherille serve a determinate period of incarceration in the New York State Department of Corrections System of 11 years; it is further ORDERED that he provide a sample of his DNA for inclusion in the State Registry, pay a $50 collection fee. He is further required to pay a total of $320 Crime Victim Assistance Fees and Surcharges. The Court is further entering an Order of Protection which prohibits Anthony Pacherille from having any contact either in person or by mail or any other means with Wesley Lippitt. The defendant is to receive appropriate psychiatric and mental health treatment during the course of his incarceration. He is to receive credit for the time he has already served in jail against his prison sentence. . . . "

Character Adjustments; Finch, Cromwell, More, Satan.

                                 
                                           Thomas More                  Thomas Cromwell

                                   

                                   
                                                         Satan's cat - Behemoth

 Atticus Finch was always to good to be true. But is was soothing to think that in the 1930's South or anywhere for that matter, amid racism, lynchings and the corrupt human condition there might be a brave, essentially defenseless individual devoted to law and due process. Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird created such a character and Gregory Peck brought him to life in the subsequent movie. It was impossible not to develop an emotional attachment to this good man's struggle for justice in an ugly social environment. Now Lee's second book Go Set the Watchman is reportedly the "first" and provides us with a debased but more believable protagonist - it is a character adjusted. Atticus Finch belongs to Harper Lee - so we have lost a great fictional hero. But I shall not read the new "first" second book.
     Character adjustments are of course as common as writers. Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall burnishes the character of Thomas Cromwell and blisters that of Thomas More, both personas real. If the Roman Church had anything to do with your education (it provided my early education) then Cromwell was taught as a "doctrinaire hack" to Henry VIII. Cromwell supported the Reformation, the annulment of Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon, the split with the Papacy, beheading Thomas More, all paving the way for a besotted Henry's marriage to Ann Boleyn. Later Cromwell at Henry's behest creates the charges leading to Ann's execution. So it was but Mantel also displays Cromwell as an abused youngster who flees to Europe, becomes a soldier, merchant, practices law, speaks French, Italian and passable Latin and returns to England. Cromwell rises to become the fiercely loyal adviser to Cardinal Wolsey and later Henry VIII. In service to Henry's Royal Treasury and the Reformation, Cromwell will close down approximately 800 religious houses/abbeys in just four years. Yes, he was ambitious struggling up through a nearly impenetrable class system. Cromwell was a problem fixer - using intimidation, extortion and torture in pursuit of objectives and in pay back for past wrongs. But Cromwell in Mantel's hands is also restrained and in context even humane. He was an excellent family man. After falling out of favor with Henry over the choice of his fourth wife Ann of Cleves, Cromwell was beheaded in 1540.
     The other character adjusted by Mantel is Thomas More, lawyer, scholar, statesman, social philosopher, Lord Chancellor of England and awarded sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church. As with Atticus Finch a movie created a mesmerizing image of Thomas More. Paul Schofield in A Man for All Seasons (1966)  portrays an elegant Thomas More - a leader of the Roman Church, who understands God's law and that obedience to it is required for salvation. But he is not into heroics. "I am not the stuff of martyrs" he suggests and offers Henry his "silence" on the proposed annulment of the marriage to Katherine. Henry requires  his affirmation. More, underestimating his penchant for martyrdom will not affirm and is beheaded in 1535.
     Hilary Mantel displays Thomas More as a religious zealot. More enjoyed torturing a tad too much. Prison rooms and instruments of torture were kept at his home Chelsea for use in interrogating and saving sinners and heretics. If they could not be saved then he was willing to burn them - including one London seller of banned books. More also had a taste for masochism - his penance might include a "hair shirt" or self flagellation. Allowing for context More's character still seems considerably removed from the gentle Jesus. If  ever moved to do some praying St. Thomas More will not be my first choice as an intermediary with God.  
     Satan, aka Lucifer, Beelzebub, Devil and the "serpent" is fictional to many but as real as darkness to others. He is an arrogant, charismatic angel who organized and led legions of angels in a massive coup attempt against God Almighty. Driven out of heaven Satan and his forces were consigned by God to Hell - from which Satan later escaped. With cunning and deception he then engineers the Fall of Man, expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the introduction of death to the human species. But of course I oversimplify - please see John Milton's Paradise Lost for the complete tale with all the intricate details. But here is a question - is it possible to burnish the character of such a universally acknowledged villain?
     In Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita the "serpent" is named Woland. His left eye is green, insane and on occasion blazes brightly. The right eye is empty, black and dead.  Woland's wardrobe ranges from impeccably tailored black tailcoats, a black half mask and a magnificent black cloak - but he often lounges around at home in a greasy, dirty nightshirt. His visit to Moscow exposes and humiliates fools, incompetents, hypocrites and apparatchiks. Woland's retinue includes Koroviev, a smooth talking advance man - a tall, skinny presence in a checkered suit and perpetually cracked eye wear. The devil's cat - Behemoth, is a large, black tom with the surprising ability to walk on its hind legs. The cat enjoys vodka, cognac and frankfurter snacks. His feline independence exasperates even the Devil. But when asked to tear a head off Behemoth will comply in a most business like fashion. He has also been known to pack - it is unclear where - a Browning semi-automatic pistol. The last member is Azazello,  a short, stocky individual wearing a bowler hat. At Woland's request he will perform the occasional intimidation, abduction or wet job. Azazello is immediately recognizable by the fang protruding from his jaw. Woland and crew dispense a rough justice on the stupid and corrupt yet liberate others from persecution and punishment. Bulgakov does not refurbish Satan's character but he does hold up a mirror to humanity and then renders the devil some due.

Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita (Pevear and Volokhonsky trans.) 1997.
Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird 1960.
Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall 2009.
                           Bring Up the Bodies 2012.
John Milton  Paradise Lost 1667.

Distant Places, Students and Fragments.

                                                                               

                                                                                                                                             

                                                     


     Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 1980s. Near the intersection of the streets Registon ko'chasi and Toshkentskaya is an expansive public square - The Registran. It has been a focal point of the city for 500 years. The square is flanked by the Ensemble, three magnificent Madrasahs. The oldest school Ulugh Beg dates from 1417 CE, the other two, Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori from 1619 and 1646 CE.*
     An Intourist bus disgorged 25 Hartwick College students many displaying the lethargy of those engaged in sightseeing. Slowly they spread out among other pedestrians over a wide expanse but moving toward the Tilya-Kori Madrasah. Also prowling the sunlit square were members of the Soviet Army, dark paladins in shining boots, brown greatcoats and fur hats. Eventually one soldier cautiously approached a Hartwick student and struggling, indicated he would like to take her picture. Kim, a bright faced young lady and not particularly shy, grabbed his arm and led him to a low concrete structure where they both sat down. Kim then took away his fur hat, put it on and proceeded to muss up his hair. Another soldier rushed over and started snapping their picture. Janet, also determined to improve Soviet American relations, seized another soldier by the arm and marched him to the site - he lost his hat while being vamped. I was now taking pictures - everyone was - except the soldier clicking a camera. He stopped, rushed over grabbing a comrade by the sleeve yanking him upright and then sitting down between Kim and Janet. It was his turn! Lots of laughter - young people meeting - an instant Cold War thaw. I turned slowly and drifted off to examine the beauty of Islamic architecture.
     Kyoto, Japan, 1980s. I was determined to get the entire group into a public bath and massaged at least once. How could anyone visit Japan and not get a massage and haircut? (During this month long trip I would visit three barbershops.) The group consisted of 13 men and 12 women - the latter included the College President's wife Barbara, two professors and one administrator. Unless we were in an upscale hotel finding an acceptable masseuse service for the women would be I thought problematic. Barbara told me not to worry about it. One professor, Jean said she would help and look for such a service.
     My first afternoon in the streets of Kyoto resulted in the identification of an attractive public bath three blocks from our residence, a youth hostel. The following day after selecting four muscular men to accompany me - I am a cautious fellow - we proceeded with a trial run of this establishment. It was an outstanding choice -  reasonably priced and clean enough to host surgery. The shower heads were plentiful, each with a bucket, brush and stool while the soaking pool was hot enough to make lobster blush. In a pre-bath meeting with the group I warned that when Americans emerge from a shower convinced they are "clean" Japanese are preparing to repeatedly scrub and douse themselves with buckets of steaming water. THEN they soak in a pool! I implored them, "When you see skin peeling off your body scrub just once more! Don't embarrass America! And for God's sake don't create ripples in the pool!" The baths went well.
     It is probably impossible for a person waiting for a massage not to engage in some erotic reverie. There are massages with different national identities; Japanese, Swedish, Turkish and generally many different kinds of massage. The three Japanese women that went to work pounding on hundreds of pounds of towel clad American males were happy,skilled and chattered like parakeets. Almost immediately the groans began as the masseuses pushed, pulled, pounded, elbowed, kneed and walked on their clients. The women responded with laughter and then pushed, pulled and twisted harder. At the end of fifty minutes you may feel like a rag doll or a puddle, but you are totally relaxed.
     The following day I led a large group of the men to their bath and massage or as one described it "their mugging". This group included my one black student. I entered the establishment  in front of him and en garde. But the proprietress welcomed me with multiple bows, smiles and warmth. After the formalities my charges were deposited with her and a most capable staff.  Exiting the Bath I was partially satisfied with myself - I turned left and walked a narrow, crowded street. We were unable to find a similar opportunity for the women - a regret.
     Moscow, Russia, 1980s.  A bright wintry day - we walked the snow packed paths winding through Gorky Park.
John a pre-law student, was reading aloud from Martin Cruz-Smith's novel. In the USSR Gorky Park was an illegal book - "forbidden literature". Three other students and I absorbed every spoken word and searched - we passed the Ferris Wheel gently rotating on our right almost in time with scratchy music from the PA system. We sought the exact location where Inspector Akrady Renko first examined three murder victims exhumed from the snow - the face of each obliterated by a single gun shot. Ultimately is was impossible to be sure of the precise spot - but we thought that just maybe . . . !  Two hours later our Intourist guide asked me where I had been.
     "We went to examine the scene of the murders in Gorky Park."
     She seemed to get upset. "WHAT? There was no murder! How can you say that?"
     "They occur in the novel Gorky Park."
     "I know" she replied "but that is a slanderous story - how can you take students on such an outing?"
     "I didn't -  they took me."
     Seemingly exasperated she dramatically whirled around and marched away.

* See Wikipedia; photos Wikimedia

Thermonuclear Reactions

      
                           

                                                       USS Cape St. George
                                                                      CG 71

                                               Ensign Kevin Burns and grandfather
                                                     photo by Brian Burns

     In ceremonies this May, Kevin Burns graduated from Cornell University and was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. In July he will begin study at the Navy's Nuclear Propulsion School in Charleston, S.C. with training for the submarine service. A final research paper at Cornell was entitled; Tactical Nuclear Weapons; Their Invention, Integration and Effect on Warfighting Doctrine from the 1940s to the 1970s. Kevin sent the paper to me, his grandfather aware of my interest in the subject and of course all his work.
     The paper carries the reader over a distressing several decades during which the planet was hostage to expanding nuclear forces and the possible threat of extinction. In 1945, SAC's General Curtis LeMay, the "father" of strategic firebombing said that the only nuclear bomb he wanted was one that could destroy all of Russia. J.Robert Oppenheimer was the "father" and "mother" of the American atomic bomb. "Opie" maintained that strategic nukes were unusable and ultimately self-defeating. They would have to be honed down to a less devastating size to have battle field value. Oppenheimer was declared a threat to national security, fired from his job and the U.S. proceeded to build the "super" weapon, a hydrogen bomb.* But the U.S. also developed "tactical" weapons and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles fully expected that these nukes would gradually replace conventional weapons and be used. In the 1950s, as the French military sank deeper into Vietnamese rain forests, Dulles offered the French for their use two nuclear weapons, ". . . neither one nor three, two!" ** The offer was not accepted.
     At about the same time the U.S. Navy distributed to personnel an elongated card, The Atomic, Biological and Chemical Warfare Handi-Pocket Reference. It was designed to be folded in two places and carried in the wallet. Thus it was readily available to help the sailor identify and deal with with suspicious incoming ordinance -  such as (paraphrase):
     Nerve Agents - Appearance, no distinctive appearance, no distinctive odor; Effects - no immediate effects - later headaches, shortness of breath, convulsions, paralysis of the respiratory organs; First Aid - Don mask - seek medical assistance.
     The ABC Handi-Pocket Reference was more helpful concerning a nuclear attack.
     Nuclear Weapon - Appearance, earthquake-like; Effects - bright light, concussion, heat, with causalities and damage dependent on distance from ground zero. First aid - seek medical assistance..
     My ABC Reference was never consulted in terror.But it remained in my wallet for decades until the USSR imploded - it now rests in a
Cuban cigar box among my most cherished collectibles.
      In March 1962, I sat at a steel gray desk staring at a card inscribed with one word "THINK". I did and then resigned from IBM. In September I started teaching at T.R. Proctor High School and over the next two years instructed students of grades 7,8,9,10, and 11. As my first class of 7th graders filed into the room I was struck by one characteristic - they were really short.. They also proved to be funny, there was much laughter. They were eager to learn anything. I would tell them ghost stories - then test - "Revolutionary War ghosts prefer to vacation at (A) Fort Ticonderoga, (B) Fort William Henry, (C) Fort Crown Point, (D) all of the above." But I digress.
     Monday morning, October 15th - the first day of the Cuban
Missile Crisis. Seventh graders entered the classroom and piled up around my desk asking questions. "Is there going to be a War?" "Are the Cubans going to invade us?" "Are the Russians going to bomb us?" "Are we going to be killed?" Absolutely surprised I spent the next twenty minutes saying soothing things to frightened children - "Stop it! There will be No War !" Having just said that for perhaps a fifth time the twenty foot window shade decided to race to the top
and slam repeatedly around the rod. The students screamed. I yelped. It was our introduction to war nerves.
     The 1970s witnessed the development of neutron bomb technology. There were high hopes for neutron weapons - such weapons might be ideal for urban combat - rooting out and killing guerrillas without devastating bridges and department stores.
Maybe yes, probably no. But as of 2015, with a single exception, nuclear armed nations  have been unwilling to use nuclear weapons in armed conflict. The exception was the U.S. that did use atomic bombs against Japan, a non nuclear state. To date nuclear armed nations have feared the "known" consequences that would inevitably follow an escalation into nuclear war, e.g. the scramble by most states to obtain their own nuclear arsenal. The "unknown" are horrific to imagine, e.g. how does a military planner identify his/her front line? But this nonuse could certainly change - and the rise of violent non state actors complicates things still further.
    The dance of the human species with "litt'le shyn'ng man the atom" as Riddley Walker would say continues.*** Atomic energy has brought benefits to millions and simultaneously extraordinary danger to the planet. There have been four catastrophes and one near miss - Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl, Fukushima Daiichi and Three Mile Island. One wonders what's next.


Burns, Kevin. Tactical Nuclear Weapons unpublished manuscript. May 2015.
See Also: * Bird, Kai American Prometheus; J.Robert Oppenheimer 2007.
Cohen, S.T. The Truth About the Neutron Bomb 1983.
**Hearts and Minds  film   1974.
 ***Hoban, Russell. Riddley Walker 1980
Nichols, Thomas et al.Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO 2012.

Voyage From Sweden - John Oskar's Report (3 of 3)

   
ELLIS ISLAND: John Oskar Lindell; Arrival July 1, 1923; Scandinavian; 
                           Last residence, Botkyrka, Sweden; Age 19y; Male; Single; 
                           S/S Stockholm; Description, 5'11", Brown hair, Blue eyes,
                           Laborer; Address in US, Uncle Sigfrid Karlson, 36 Myrtle 
                           Ave, Jersey City, N.J.

 A few years later . . .  John Oskar and Mary Malone Lindell

      June 26, Tuesday, 3-4 PM

     The last 24 hours we have had the highest speed so far; 349 nautical-miles compared to the usual 325-345, thanks to the weather. Yesterday we had a complete "Grona Lund" amusement park on board. In II class as well as in III class there was dancing and on our deck a violin player, a real folk music player, and below the deck violin and piano and in the cabins concertina and mouth organ and some so-called singers. Today between 3 and 4 o'clock I will send the telegram that I mentioned to you. A guy who was sick during the whole journey did not get up until yesterday and among the women folks there are some still in bed. I on my part am completely well. I want Ester's and the Tureberg people's addresses, please don't forget that!

     The other day I got stuck with my raincoat in a deck chair. The slit got ripped up. The cleaning lady will mend it. Harry Vinther sends his regards to the Vallgrens. He is an able-bodied seaman on board. Tell Tore and Sigrid to learn how to swim this year as it is very good to know. They say that it is very warm weather in America. When I get there I shall have to take off long johns and a couple of shirts. The Soderfors boy whom Uncle Otto introduced me to at the Central Station is a skillful violin player. He often plays on board. He is an iron-turner by profession. He does not travel alone, he is accompanied by his sister. There are people from all over Sweden here and some Germans, Jews, Finns and Russians too. Stockholm is badly represented. Those from Stockholm have not got any travel money. I wouldn't have any either, if not . . . (?)
     I want Uncle Alfred's and Uncle Otto's addresses. I will write cards sometime. Ask the garden hand at Stavshall if he could take some snaps/photos of you.He is a good photographer. Then you will send me pictures too. I might have forgotten to pack my shaving brush. I will search through my luggage once more. I have a very bad pencil.
     June 28, Thursday, 2 PM
     Today the boy from Gotland and I had a drink of my cordial, it tasted very good. I found the soap brush at the same moment. I no longer feel sick by the air indoors, as I did the first time on board when I only wanted to throw up as soon as I got under deck. The number of letter writers is increasing. One notices this as we are approaching the destination. I misled you about the boy from Gotland. He has met his father. His mother did not want to go. The last 24 hours we have covered 330 nautical-miles. It gets warmer everyday. One takes off heaps of underwear. The air in the cabins starts getting stuffy.
     John Vedin is an emigrant who got robbed of 300-400 crowns before he left Stockholm. His coat was cut up and his wallet stolen. It happened in a crowd at Kungstradgarden. The boys from Gastrikland traveled by the same train to Goteborg. They saw Vedin walk crying on the platform all night. He is married and has five children. A subscription list has been circulated on board and I contributed 1 crown.  
     My old pencil is worn out which is OK as the lead was very bad. I still use the pen holder. I would appreciate if Gosta (brother) would send my regards and thank the boys from home who traveled to the Central Station to say goodbye to me. I really appreciate to see them and I had not expected it. I will remember them with a few lines now and then. I will have a huge job writing to everyone I promised. I want to know Gothberg's PO Box number in Tullinge. He also wants to hear from me. Yesterday the office was closed. I will send the telegram today. Yesterday we got our passes, where your name, age, native country and an ordinal number in gigantic figures is written. I have number 22. I hope it will bring me luck.
     June 29, Friday, 8:30 AM.
     Today at noon it will be exactly 10 days since we put off from Gothenburg. Early tomorrow morning we shall reach New York. Yesterday afternoon I went up to the telegraph station and wrote the following telegram: "Lindell Separator Tumba Sweden. (father, employer, location)
Go ashore Monday. All is well. Regards, John" According to a message on the notice board it would cost 6 crowns but the telegraph operator informed me that it would cost 16.20. I was very surprised but learned that 6 crowns was applicable while we were still in direct connection with Sweden. Now we were close to the American coast. On Midsummer's Eve I could have sent the telegram but I wanted to wait some days. That's why you did not receive any telegram.
     We have had +23 C  (73 F) until 6-7 PM. Yesterday evening at 7:40 we watched for the first time the blood red sun set in the sea. On the surface were just a few small ripples, no wind at all. I can tell you that it was very beautiful indeed.

Translation; by Christina Spolen, John Oskar's niece.
See online - Ellis Island Foundation